Young Literary Scholars at Work:

Interpreting Picture Storybooks

Dr. Lea M. McGee

Lmcgee@bamaed.ua.edu

University of Alabama

Today we will

1. Use the “I notice, I wonder” strategy to interpret a picture book during an interactive read aloud to practice “critical thinking”

2. Recognize interpretation (“critical thinking”) in children’s Grand Conversations

3. Consider HOW teachers can support children’s interpretation (“critical thinking”)

Nothing in a picture storybook is merely “for decoration”.

Everything, everything in a picture book contributes to meaning.

Interactive Read Alouds

“ I notice” “I wonder”

A strategy for saying something that will lead to interpretation

(critical thinking)

I notice

This reminds

me of

I wonder

I’m going to

catch that

spark

**I’m thinking that**

What is interpretation?

Interpretation emerges from our considerations of

Points to Notice

Good readers of literature intuitively find points to notice.

Good teachers of literature make explicit how to find points to notice.

Points to Notice in This Quiet Lady

Repetition: The same words, images, or events seen more than once

A “woman and little girl in a garden”

A photograph frame.

More repetition

Looking at photographs.

Patterns: Elements repeated in an order

Smaller and larger sized illustrations

Shades and hues in illustrations

Mother ages in years in each illustration

while girl does not age at all

Ruptures: where patterns are broken

We see the girl’s face.

The shaded illustration becomes hued.

The pattern of words is broken.

The UnexpectedIllustrations of “today” in shades, NOT hues

The backs of heads, NOT faces

Mother is only in photographs, NOT in illustrations with

little girl

Children’s Interpretation

Children’s Interpretation

Grand Conversation about Rosie’s WalkA first grade class in South Boston

No instruction in points to notice

Grand Conversation

Interpretive Questioncannot be answered directly from text

requires inferences and logical reasoning

more than one answer can be justified

****

During this Grand Conversation,Children

Talk about events reference to a single event

Talk about the story statements that summarize several events

Attempt to interpret statements that explore “why”

Three Interpretations of Rosie’s Walk

1. Really dumb hen and an accident- prone fox

2. Scared hen and a fox who can’t get it done

3. A really, really tricky hen who makes sure the fox gets his due

Children’s Interpretation continued

Children’s Interpretation continued

Grand Conversation about Wreck of the Zephyr

Fourth grade in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Early instruction in literary devices as points to notice

***

During this Grand Conversation,

We see something new in Children’s Talk

They notice literary devices

They attempt to analyze and interpret literary devices

Points to Notice

Provide “paths” for getting inside a story.

Engage children in higher level thinking.

Help children move beyond

comprehension into interpretation.

To Support Interpretation, Teachers

Help children pause and notice Help children articulate what they notice Help children “wonder” why Help children interpret (“I’m thinking”) a

meaning about what they notice

What is interpretation?Interpretation is

discovering the essence of a story

by

delving deeper, and peeling away the layers

to uncover what lies beneath.