Multi-Modal Texts for the 21st Century Learner
Hello All,
As discussed in previous posts, children in the 21st century classroom are expected leave school with not only a firm understanding of traditional literacy, but also that of digital literacy. "It has been proposed that the skills necessary to be a literate citizen in the new millennium have expanded from simply being able to read and write printed text to being able to consume and produce a variety of texts across traditional and new technologies and working in digital and mobile environments" (Serafini, 2012, p.26). The students of today can access text in meaningful modes that match their preferred learning styles. More visual learners have the opportunity to engage with picture books and graphic novels, auditory learners may enjoy videos and podcasts, while kinaesthetic learners may interact with digital content and web tools. Due to the variations in text amongst various modes, students can practice their critical thinking and inquiry. To highlight the potential for inquiry, I have chosen to discuss a traditional children's fairytale–The Three Little Pigs. This classic story has been retold, reworked, and adapted over many modes of text:
1) The Three Little Pigs by James Marshall
A traditional retelling that addresses traditional and visual literacies.
(Source: http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/fair-y-tales.gif)
2) The Three Little Pigs by Steven Kellogg
A modern retelling that also addresses traditional and visual literacies.
(Source: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcThooInsL5VLf8hzKXh7Wno51GJ7cWcI9HFK357xjr9_0LxP0VESA)
3) The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by John Sciezka
A version told from the perspective of the wolf to foster critical literacy.
(Source: https://target.scene7.com/is/image/Target/GUEST_80ff05cc-2e5e-437d-8d9b-8f69c0cdee7c?wid=488&hei=488&fmt=pjpeg)
4) The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizaz
A fractured fairy tale, also to foster critical literacy.
(Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNRA2NQuYZkI_Ko2C4rDfgHJwkeY98jH8uAWcDCoF4sH06wuwSxlrvoBQ5IdpgmmjBR2_IdiGyIcYIMyQHmizxl2ZdmYFZHB1STgXX_xYrxyJJLJDQTX6hCboON2F9YaDxE8Wov-y4MY/s1600/three-little-wolves.jpg)
5) The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale by Steven Guarnaccia
A modern twist on the familiar fairytale to inspire inquiry and critical literacy.
(Source: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51cT3fnM6QL._SX352_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
6) Three Little Pigs by Walt Disney's Silly Symphony
An animated short film adapted from the traditional fairytale to support visual, auditory, and digital literacies.
7) The Three Little Pigs: The Graphic Novel by Aaron Blecha
A graphic novel to support traditional and visual literacies.
(Source: https://www.capstonepub.com/assets/1/14/DimRegular/9781434251633.jpg)
8) The Story of the Three Little Pigs by Frederick Warne
An audiobook to engage auditory literacy.
(Source: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51DVgIY8WvL._SL500_.jpg)
Theme
The theme of The Three Little Pigs is that taking your time and thinking through your actions will be rewarding in the end. The message of this story is applicable from Kindergarten to Grade 7 but as a primary teacher I would like to focus on the application at the Kindergarten level. I have used the Three Little Pigs as a tool to teach the importance of hard work and preparation, a guide in pulling out story elements, a jumping off point for Reader's Theatre, and a lesson about character perspective.
I would like to consider The Three Little Pigs in relation to my essential question for this learning curation: "How does the library learning commons support inquiry within an early years framework?"
Big Idea
First, I looked to the Redesigned BC Curriculum to see how I could use The Three Little Pigs as a topic of inquiry. The curriculum offered many potential avenues in Language Arts but I found a more intriguing path in the area of Kindergarten Science.
Big Idea:
- Humans interact with matter every day through familiar materials.
Content:
- Properties of familiar materials
Curricular Competencies:
- Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world
- Observe objects and events in familiar contexts
- Ask simple questions about familiar objects and events
Practical Application
Traditionally, the three little pigs build their houses out of straw, sticks, and bricks but in The Three Little Pigs An Architectural Tale, the three pigs build their houses out of scraps, glass, and concrete. After reading both versions of the story, it would be interesting to present materials to students and have them assess which materials they think would best lend themselves to building shelter for the pigs. This inquiry could begin as a discussion about the different properties of materials (e.g., hard, soft, rough, smooth, heavy, light, etc.). Once students gain an understanding of how materials look and feel, they could then create a blueprint for home that they think would best withstand the wrath of the big bad wolf. Then the students could explain their designs to their teacher while the teacher scribes and records the materials needed to follow through with the students' design. Next, the teacher could bring in materials such as pompoms, clothes pins, popsicle sticks, foam, coffee filters, paper plates, glass beads, straws, plasticine, tin foil, and pipe cleaners for the students to use to create their designs. Finally, the students could test out their homes using a source of wind (e.g. a fan or blowdryer). While the teacher may act as a guide, providing probing questions throughout the inquiry process, the students should be in charge of their own inquiries.
The variations of The Three Little Pigs should be used throughout the inquiry as tools to spark further curiosity about potential uses for materials in consideration of their properties. The selected modes of text have been chosen with the 21st century learner in mind. "The reader in today’s world needs to be positioned as a reader viewer. This dual identity requires students to develop as many skills and strategies for interpreting visual images and design elements as they develop for making sense of written language" (Serafini, 2012, p.30). Not only will students be learning about the properties of materials throughout their inquiry, they will also be learning to navigate, interpret, design, and question visual and digital text.
Serafini, F. (2012) Reading multimodal texts in the 21st century. Research in Schools. 19(1), 26-32.
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