Chapter 5: Traditional Lit

Traditional  can be defines as stories that are passed down from one generation to another. These can include tall tales, fairy tales, myths, legends, and so on. Some of my favorite are classics that my father used to tell me like little red riding hood, the three little bears, and Goldy locks. These stories have all been told in different ways all with the same plot points.

Like all genres, traditional literature has its ups and downs. Benefits include the perspective children can receive on their own lives and values suck as standards of behavior and  and culture. It also allows children to see a framework for literature, drama, and art. This genre has even been referred to as the "mother or all literature." There is a strong rhythm, rhyme, and other patterns. Traditional literature also provides a mix of entertainment and pleasure to the reader. It is a great gateway to get children interested in reading!

But beware! There are also some consideration of traditional literature that you need to be aware of before you introduce texts to your young readers. Unfortunately, this genre is also know for violence, antisemitism, and stereotypes.  Always preview the story first and look for such qualities. You can avoid certain stories, or bring up these topics and discuss them with your readers.

The categories include fables, myths, legends, religious stories, tall tales, and folktales. Look for accuracy, authenticity, authority, illustrative style, plot, and theme. Look for multicultural versions of some of your favorite classics.

Chapter 9: Poetry

Poetry was always some what of a mystery to me as a child. Based on my education, I feel like poetry is the most under taught genre and one of the most difficult for children to comprehend. Thankfully, I have found that poetry does not have to be so scary or difficult to share with young readers.

One resource a FGCU professor shared with me is the Poetry Archive. This free website is full of poetry, read alouds, and additional information for both students and teachers.

Poetry can be a fun way to share ideas and feelings in many different formats. Formats include Acrostic, Cinquain, Concrete, FreeForm, Haiku, Limerick, Rubiayat, and Sonnet.

 Elements of poetry include rhythm, rhyme, and sound pattern. these describe the beat, musical quality, and sound repetitions found it the poem, like alliteration. There is also imagery and shape. I think if imagery as how it makes you feel or what it makes you think of. Imagery refers to scenes, sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound. Shape is how the words of the poem has been organized. 

When evaluating poetry you want to look for readability, subject matter, language, and form. You want to be sure the poem is something the child can read alone. you also want to be sure the subject of the poem is something the child can relate to. If the topic is foreign it will be meaningless and not impact the readers. The language should give some imagery to the reading and a beat or rhythm. The form should be something the children can replicate, and learn from. 

Poetry can be fun and exciting if introduced appropriately. Try reading a poem you enjoy, not just for teaching purposes. Read with energy, passion, and delight. Incorporate poetry in all subject matters when appropriate.