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Trends In Didactic Children's Literature From The Twentieth Century To The Present As Influenced By Secular Educational Philosophy, Carolyn Wicks
Trends In Didactic Children's Literature From The Twentieth Century To The Present As Influenced By Secular Educational Philosophy, Carolyn Wicks
Carolyn J. Wicks
The purpose of this analysis was to identify trends in didactic children’s literature from the twentieth century to the present as influenced by secular educational philosophy. Using popularity and content research, ten books were sought from each decade beginning in the twentieth century and concluding with the beginning of the twenty-first century. These books were studied to determine what popular books didactically infer about society, culture, religion, gender, family, ecology, and controversial issues such as divorce, prejudice, violence, and physical intimacy. Using trend analysis of a homogeneous sampling of realistic American fiction, written in prose, for elementary readers in kindergarten …
Trade Books’ Historical Representation Of Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, And Helen Keller, John H. Bickford Iii, Cynthia W. Rich
Trade Books’ Historical Representation Of Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, And Helen Keller, John H. Bickford Iii, Cynthia W. Rich
John Bickford
Common Core State Standards Initiative mandates increased readings of informational texts within English Language Arts starting in elementary school. Accurate, age-appropriate, and engaging content is at the center of effective social studies teaching. Textbooks and children’s literature—both literary and informational—are prominent in elementary classrooms because of the esoteric nature of primary source material. Many research projects have investigated historical accuracy and representation within textbooks, but few have done so with children’s trade books. We examined children’s trade books centered on three historical figures frequently incorporated within elementary school curricula: Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, and Helen Keller. Findings revealed various forms …
Examining The Representation Of Slavery Within Children’S Literature, John H. Bickford Iii, Cynthia W. Rich
Examining The Representation Of Slavery Within Children’S Literature, John H. Bickford Iii, Cynthia W. Rich
John Bickford
Middle level teachers, at times, link historical content with relevant English literature in interdisciplinary units. Elementary teachers periodically employ history-themed literature during reading time. Interconnections between language arts and history are formed with developmentally appropriate literature for students. Historical misrepresentations, however, proliferate in children’s literature and are concealed behind engaging narratives. Since literacy and historical thinking are essential skills, children’s literature should be balanced within, not banished from, the classroom. Using America’s peculiar institution of slavery as a reference point, this article examines children’s literature, identifies almost a dozen areas of historical misrepresentation, and proffers rich primary source material to …