Learning to Love Literature

Intended for teachers of preschool and primary school children, this booklet contains materials and methods designed to help make literature the core of the early childhood curriculum. The first chapter presents a rationale for making literature an integral part of the curriculum, as well as goals for the appreciation, comprehension, and extension of literature throughout the curriculum. The second chapter explains how teachers can integrate literature into their classrooms through the use of reading corners and special props. The third chapter discusses specific teaching strategies, including choral reading, story telling, and sustained silent reading, and also provides a "classroom literature routine inventory" for use by teachers in assessing the degree to which literature is used in their rooms. The fourth chapter explores the impact of reading aloud to children. Chapter five examines the various curricular areas for literature opportunities, while chapter six contains examples of how eight teachers successfully integrated literature into the curriculum. Chapters seven and eight suggest resources that can enhance the literature curriculum, and offer hints for ways to involve parents and other volunteers in the program. A summary chapter restates the purpose of the booklet and presents an example of how many curricular areas can be "webbed" around one book. (FL)