Learning Through Informational Text Analysis

For example, in the passage, ¨A Single Shard,¨ , by Linda Park, the narrator thinks that what the potter is doing is incredible. Each different piece of pottery that the potter makes is simply astonishing. One characteristic that the narrator gave the potter was a miracle worker. In the text it says, ¨Tree-ear watched the miracle.¨ This piece of evidence shows the reader that what the potter is doing looks fantastic. Another way that the narrator describes the potter is picky. In the text it says, ¨He crossed his arms and leaned back a little, as if to see the vase from a distance.¨ In this part of the text the potter is being very indecisive about his work. He wants it to be the best that it could possibly be.

Literature; it has compelled us, entertained us, educated us, and drove us to madness. It has served as life instruction, by using the characters as the lesson plan. It is sometimes blunt, sometimes ugly, and in Truman Capote’s case, is so gruesome that we do not dare forget it.

The Educated Imagination discusses major ideas that answer the question “what good is the study of literature?”. Frye does so by discussing concepts such as the desire of humans to connect to nature, the conformity to conventions and deviation from reality in literature, and the ideal manner in which literature should be taught. Northrop Frye’s The Educated Imagination proposes the idea that through the consumption of literature, the individual is able to develop an imagination which allows him to connect to society from an educated perspective.

In the modern world, children’s literature, fairy tales, and fiction books influence our childhood and early development. In the 1500’s and 1600’s no children’s literature for entertainment existed, they had educational books. As babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, my parents and teachers read us books after books. It is proven that reading to young kids is important for their imagination, vocabulary, and communication skills in early life.

Even when George Washington feels unsure and emotional, he is never considered a bad leader to his men. “Washington was a man of exceptional, almost excessive self command, rarely permitted himself any show of discouragement or despair, but in the privacy of his correspondence with Joseph Reed, he began now to reveal how very low and bitter he felt, if the truth were known” (McCullough, 64) General Washington, however hard it may to believe, was only human and McCullough does an amazing job showing this, and this makes the reader feel almost connected to George Washington even though he lived 230 years he shared the same emotions everyone feels. George Washington was not the only character who the readers felt emotions for, his fellow American soldiers and leaders were portrayed very well. One of the characters who the reader empathizes with is by the name of Nathanial Greene, a quaker foundry man with a limp, asthma and a clouded eye tut to smallpox. Nathanial Greene like George Washington, was a very noble man. He was a very young man who would do anything he can to protect his country, even to the point of compromising his beliefs on a war even though he saw this war as completely mandatory. Nathanial Greene, as some points in the story feels very useless and he has a lot of trouble leading his people and staying in one piece. Henry Knox was also a young man who shows his love and persistence to succeed in the war who the reader watches, amazed as to how he moves artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. All of these astonishing leaders helped define the Revolution and without understanding them, thanks to McCullough, you cannot understand what great achievements that happened during

Stories such as ‘When Grandma Was Young’ (Humphrey, 2000), ‘Elmer and Grandpa Eldo’ (Mckee, 2001) and ‘My Granny is a Pirate’ (Mcdermid and Robins, 2012) can invoke interest with early years children and inspire them to become inquisitive about the past. It has been suggested that time means nothing to young children. However learning to ask and answer questions through story reading will enhance their concept history. Therefore continuing to do so through the Early Learning Goals will prepare children, entering at primary level, to appreciate the importance of history (Lunn and Bishop, 2004).

Children’s literature has existed for as long as there have been stories to be told to children. Stories, books, songs, poems are all made for children. Children’s literature does not have a definite definition of what it is; basically, it is anything a child reads (Lerer, 2008). Children begin to learn what reading and writing are used for before even knowing how the system works. Children recognise the function of written language by seeing examples of written language that are being used around them. Many children know the difference between reading and talking, they are aware that written language is used to do things in this world (Emitt, Zbaracki, Komesaroff and Pollock, 2015). Quintilian, John Locke, Saint Augustine and Doctor Seuss speculated on the ways children learn the Australian language and learn about their lives from literature (Lerer, 2008). In fact, Lerer states that “the history of children’s literature is inseparable from the history of childhood, for the child was made through texts and tales he/she studied, heard and told back,” (2008, p.1). Children’s literature nurtures an understanding of narrative structures and visual images played in storytelling, this helps develop

Literature is able to influence what we believe about the world. It is a very well known and well-documented phenomenon. Several studies and anecdotes have shown that people form a worldview from their

Children’s literature is an effective teaching tool for children but also a way for children to escape their daily lives through fantasy. Didactic material can be used to teach life lessons, manners and morals where subversive and fantasy genres can allow children to release from daily expectations and allows an outlet for their large imaginations.

History has always blinded people. The masterminds behind the text strategize methods to ensure the full understanding of the context provided; in fact, they scheme the reader through the meticulous shaping of appearances and the exclusion of information. It is then parodied verbally by teachers, passing it down to the next generation of our future. Yet, no one mentioned the major flaws inscripted until James Loewen took the decent action to inform readers-young and old- of the forged lies thrown at us by these so called “textbooks.” In James Loewen’s Lies My Teacher Told Me, it is understood that textbooks are the source of retained knowledge both old and new; however, this newfound knowledge can

That is why authors use imagery

Historical fiction is set in the past and tells a story using details from the time and place to which it is referring. This can and often includes historical figures giving the reader a sense of the time and place. Children who read historical fiction gain understanding of their own heritage, people, beliefs values hardships and physical surroundings. They can make the connections between the influences of the past and what influences them now. As they discover universal truths identify feelings and behaviors, it will encourage them to make a better choice for themselves. Understanding different viewpoints will develop sensitivities and empathy helping them to realize that history shows us that we must work together.

Before the 20th Century, literature was pretty straightforward; the narrators were reliable, the timelines were linear, and the perspective was clear, but then somebody got the idea to mix it up. This is how we got books such as The Great Gatsby and one of our class texts, Orlando. For some, this was a startling and uncomfortable transition from what used to be considered the, “normal” format which was very up front in terms of structure and voice. Others found it to be more exciting and, while it was still weird and unsettling for those people, it forced people to think more about what the books were trying to communicate, instead of just being handed the message; they had to work for it. This has become one of the leading reasons that societies are encouraged to read; if you read a book that forces you to think, your mind becomes stronger and this promotes an increase in intelligence and creativity.

Many people believe that simply reading the literature is enough or that only certain people need while others can be exempt from the process. It is logic to note that by simply reading the works, information would be gathered. No additional information would be gained over time and by studying it,

Reading has at all times and in all ages been a source of knowledge, of happiness, of pleasure and even moral courage. In today's world with so much more to know and to learn and also the need for a conscious effort to conquer the divisive forces, the importance of reading has increased. In the olden days if reading was not cultivated or encouraged, there was a substitute for it in the religious sermon and in the oral tradition. The practice of telling stories at bed time compensated to some extent for the lack of reading. In the nineteenth century Victorian households used to get together for an hour or so in the evenings and listen to books being read aloud. But today we not only read, we also want to read more and more and catch up