Teacher Interview

I interviewed a 5^th/6^th Inclusion Literacy Teacher at my school, Capital City Public Charter School.

What role does literature play in the classroom curriculum?

As an Expeditionary Learning School, she feels that literature is central in our curriculum (I imagine she also feels this way because of her specialty).  Our school crafts expeditions that lend themselves to integrating content areas.  Literature is one thread that weaves them altogether to make those connections in student learning.  Her 5^th/6^th grade cluster makes “a concerted effort to make literacy an important (if not the most important) part of education” in their classrooms.  She believes that being a literate person “is more critical to a life with options than, say, pulleys in science.”

 

What kinds of books are chosen? Why and How?

Our school is very team oriented. She stated that they (5^th/6^th grade teachers) try to differentiate books on many levels.  Of course they consider reading ability when choosing books, but they also think about different genres, student interest, the “look” of a book, illustrations, etc.  They also choose a variety of books related to the expedition “from different perspectives, especially from the different ‘players’ in the event/era.”  The leveled books are a part of our school collection.  Since we established set expeditions for grades, our principal invested in books that relate to each ranging in ability level, but obviously with the majority around grade level texts for the particular class studying the particular expedition topic.  Classroom books are selected/purchased by the classroom teacher.

 

Who decides on what books are used in the classroom?

Again, the team/cluster decides on books.  This includes the lead teachers, teaching fellows, and inclusion teachers.  They also take input or suggestions from our school librarian, specialists (Art, Drama, Spanish, Music, Fitness teachers) and administrators.

What is the teacher’s theoretical perspective on teaching specifically on using children’s literature in the curriculum?

She says, “one major goal of education is to become a critical thinker.”  She believes that this directly relates to children’s literature because kids gain the skills and confidence for thinking critically through reading books.