Literature Circle Instructional Ideas and Extensions

EXTENSIONS

   The Tall Tales Unit provides many opportunities to expand into other curriculum areas besides reading. Teachers can extend the ideas of this unit into the history component of the Social Studies curriculum. Due to the fact that many tall tales explain why something is the way it is in nature, students have an opportunity to investigate further and discover the real reasons behind why our country is so unique. All of the books in this unit provide students with several different opportunities to express themselves through creative writing. Moral and ethical ideas can also be discussed through this unit in all of the books chosen for the various reading levels.

    Specifically, Tall Tales - The Case of the Growing Suspicions can be incorporated with the health and science curriculum in many ways. The basis of this book are concepts centered upon the reasons why humans grow and the reasons why they grow at different rates throughout their lives. Health and nutrition can be incorporated with this book in many ways as the students travel with the Super Crew in order to solve the case. Geography can also be incorporated in that the Super Crew travels to Hawaii and see how this state differs from their own hometowns. The Kinetic City website is also a wonderful resource that provides many ideas and opportunities for teachers to incorporate other disciplines into this literature circles unit. It was also interesting to see that this book is written in association with The American Association for the Advancement of Science.

    Some of the books in the Tall Tales Literature Circles Unit give students the opportunity and challenge to investigate more about the history of America. The history of our country can specifically be discussed when reading American Tall Tales. This book includes tall tales that describe such historical events as the origin of the Grand Canyon and how apple trees spread throughout the nation. It would also be very easy to incorporate health, science, and geography with the other books chosen for this unit. For example, a bean plant could be grown by those reading Jack and the Bean Tree. The geography of Texas can be studied when reading Holes. Geography can also be easily incorporated when reading My Sister's Rusty Bike as the reader travels across the United States with the boy.

    MODIFICATIONS

To modify this unit for students who are ESL the teacher can:

Partner the student with an child who speaks English fluently.

Have a taped reading of the book that the student can follow along with as he/she reads.

Have the student research any tall tales or folklore that they may have heard of from their own ethnic background. The student can then translate the story from his/her native language into English and then share it with the class.

Have students keep a picture dictionary of some of Word Wizard words.

Have a translation of the reading material that is in the student's native language.

Communicate with the ESL teacher for suggestions of activities that can be done while doing the unit.

To modify this unit for students who are Special Needs Learners the teacher can:

Pair the students with a partner so that they are not responsible for the entire job by themselves.

Allow students to move freely in the classroom as long as they continue to work.

Make sure that students are aware of the daily schedule and expectations that are to be met.

Read sections of the story aloud.

Address multiple intelligences of each child.

Make sure that EVERY student is on their appropriate reading level.

Find appropriate materials to be used throughout the unit such as taped recordings, large print books, etc.