DESCRIPTORS: classroom lesson model, reading class, teaching strategies, problems in reading motivation, teaching methodologies, active learning opportunities, types of literature, sample lesson, reading methods, lesson planning and structure, the “schematic method.”
SYNOPSIS: Ekaterina A. Tikhomirova uses the schematic design method of Lyubov Yefrosinina to demonstrate its use in a literature based reading lesson for the early elementary grades.

Teaching To Work With a Book at a Typical Reading Lesson
in a Russian Elementary School

 MODERN MEDIA’S EFFECT ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT

The goal of reading instruction in elementary school is to create an active reader, equipped with reliable reading skills, who will be ready to use books in further studies and self-education.

Modern children have changed significantly since the time when the existing public education system in Russia was originally designed. In the first place, the social situation of child development is different. Earlier, children used to get information about the world, society, man, and nature primarily from school classes. Now the mass media have gained a crucial influence in shaping the young generation’s outlook. A broader point of view and greater erudition are undoubtedly the modern child’s winning points. However, growing amounts of information may have a negative influence on the child’s personality development. Incoming information is often confusing, excessive, and may not conform to the child’s age and psychological characteristics. TV, movies, and the Internet are obviously pushing reading further away from children’s lives. Books, especially classics, are far from being a priority of theirs. As a result, they may develop learning problems caused by poor text analysis in various genres, undeveloped inner plans of action, as well as, difficulty with logical thinking and imagination. Just like during past national, massive literacy campaigns, the mission of the contemporary school is unfortunately put forth as “teaching the child to read”-purposefully, consciously, and creatively [2].

What is meant by the vague term, “teaching the child to read” is important in terms of personality development and formation. It implies not just the increased influence that books could have on a schoolchild’s intellectual development but it also suggests creation in the child of a desire for lifelong literary education the foundation of which should be laid starting in elementary school.

READING GOALS

The primary goals in the process of teaching the reading of literature in elementary school are to develop the young learner’s reading competence, awareness of self as a skilful reader, and talent for creative activity. Reading competence is defined as:

“possessing reading techniques, reading and listening comprehension strategies, knowledge of books, ability to select a book without assistance, and developed spiritual demand for reading as a means of world exploration and self-actualization” [5].

This type of teaching methodology is closely related to the implementation of the “activity” approach which is aimed at self-development and the transformation from being an object to becoming a subject of activity. According to Sergei Rubenstein, subjective experience, or the person’s “individual core,” determines some special, event triggered, presence of the man in the world: it is not just the man who gets in contact with the world, but the world also cannot but take into consideration the presence of the man in the world, with the man being the subject of learning, transformation, fellowship, and creative activity [3].

Lyubov A. Yefrosinina’s Literary Reading for the four-year elementary school2 is specifically aimed at laying the ground of literary education in elementary school students. This implies not only teaching children to read correctly, consciously, and expressively, but also to learn how to work with a book. This teaching process is based on the system of book related activities to develop reading skills. The teacher is constantly adjusting the teaching process according to the reader’s abilities and individual reading tempo.

Literature classes are based on the following teaching aids:

• Learning to Read, Student’s book, 1st grade,
• Reading Literature,
• Selected Materials for Reading Literature,
• Workbooks by L. Yefrosinina and M. Omorokova, 2nd through 4th grade.

These textbooks include Russian and foreign classics, along with contemporary fiction for children, as well as literary games and creative tasks. All of this makes it possible to solve problems related to motivation and basic erudition in the world of books.

The teaching aids identified above contain a great number of text-based activities along with a sufficient amount of instructional material. This facilitates teaching diversification and variability through whole group and small group instruction as well as individualization.

These works on teaching reading through the use of literature describe teaching methods and strategies such as:

• Various reading modes such as “chain” reading whereby students read parts of the text in turn; integrated reading in which the teacher reads one part of the text and the students read the rest; and silent reading.
• Modeling the plot of a story in the form of pictures or statements in order to reveal “logical connections” and story structure.
• Retelling through various modes such as: detailed, brief, creative, or selective styles.
• Creative reading strategies like reading in parts, role-playing, and focusing on dialogue and cues.

The choice of the leading method and specific teaching strategies to be used for each story depends on the piece itself, its content, and its genre characteristics as well as the lesson’s objective.
THE SCEMATIC METHOD

In 1st and 2nd grade, literary reading classes place an emphasis on the special skills of text-based work and on motivation for reading. Starting in grade one, students get acquainted with such notions as “genre” and “subject matter.” In 3rd and 4th grade, students are introduced to “types” of literature, the relation between literature and history, the influence of folklore on the writer’s creative work, and the notion of “the writer’s point of view.”

In order to make sure that each child in the class is active during literature activities, the “schematic method” which is essentially a learning method that employs “symbols” to create a dust cover or a sample framework of the book under consideration by the class. The “schematic method,” in this case, is proposed as a tool for sharpening the specific skills needed for working with a piece of literature. For example, use of the “schematic method” in first grade makes it possible for the student to acquire the notions of “genre” and “theme” by means of an active, cognitive game. During work on a particular literary piece, the following system of symbols is introduced:

                                                                  The Schematic Method [1]

Having read or heard the piece read, the students are then asked to design a dust cover for the book using the system of symbols above. This type of activity enables the teacher to observe student progress and offer help to those who are lagging behind or having difficulty understanding. The “schematic method” provides the teacher with an overview of the entire class’s activity within a few seconds even as each child is carrying out the task at his/her own tempo.

By utilizing a schematic method, students are also taught to perceive the structure of the narration and make an outline which is the starting point for teaching various ways of retelling the story. While creating this outline, the students use elements of drawing (1st and 2nd grades) or employ symbols (3rd and 4th grades).

The “schematic method” enables the teacher to do the following:

• Engage each student in the cognitive process;
• Adjust the learning process according to individual abilities;
• Create a game-like situation for practicing reading skills (which is especially important in first grade);
• Teach students to retell texts in detail;
• Provide active methods for oral speech acquisition.

CREATIVITY’S ROLE

Of course, literary reading is also based on elementary students’ creative activity. Through creative activity, elementary students express themselves and the world around them. One of the goals put forth by the literary reading program is to set up the necessary conditions for children to develop their creative abilities and break the barrier between written and oral speech. Literature lessons involve many writing activities when children can share their thoughts and opinions as well as prove their points of view. Sample activities might include:

• Compare Alexander Pushkin’s “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” with the Indian folktale, “The Golden Fish”.
• Make up your own ending for Nicolai Vagner’s “Fairy Tale” which he originally wrote without an ending [6].

Such assignments develop the child’s intellect, enrich their vocabulary, and build up a reserve of reading experiences.

Why, then, should Lyubov A. Yefrosinina’s “Literary Reading Program” be promoted? Here is why. Its utilization can increase the level of children’s erudition, structurally improve oral and written speech, and sustain high motivation through reading fiction and popular science literature.

The following is provided as a sample lesson plan for teaching literature in the reading classroom.

SAMPLE READING LESSON-GRADE 2

Lesson Theme: The nature stories of Ivan Sokolov-Mikitov
Lesson Objectives:

• Use an outline to retell a literary piece in detail
• Practice reading skills
• Extend the reading experience

Lesson Resources:

• Sokolov-Mikitov, I., “Russian Forest”
• Sokolov-Mikitov, I., “Winter Forest”
• Yefrosinina, L. A., Literary Reading. (Moscow, 2004.) The companion 2nd grade workbook from the series will also be used.

Lesson Plan:

1. Students listen to Sokolov-Mikitov’s work, “Russian Forest” read aloud by the teacher.
2. Discussion follows:

Sample questions:

• Do you like this literary piece?
• What about it do you like?
• What do you remember about this piece?

3. Build the schematic:

Sample questions:

• Did you just hear a fairy-tale, a verse of poetry, or a story? Make a square to represent a story.
• What is this about? Place the word, green, representing the nature theme, in the square.
• What is the author’s name? Children write the author’s name and place it in the schematic.
• How, in your opinion, does the author entitle his piece? The title, “Russian Forest,” is indicated in the schematic.

                                        
As a result, the children come up with a dust cover somewhat like this:

4. Content-based work:

Sample questions:

• What is the story about?
• What kind of winter forest is described in the story?
• Why does the author write, “You are walking through a quiet winter forest and you are overwhelmed with admiration”?

Sample questions:

• Which sentences do you like most? Read them out loud with expression.
• How should one behave in a winter forest in order to see its beauty? Here is what the author writes about it, “You should walk quietly, listen, and make stops.”

5. Time for some physical exercise: “A walk through a forest.”
6. Working on the text of Sokolov-Mikitov’s “Winter Forest.”

           Sample activity:

• Read the title and author’s name. Does the name sound familiar? Which literary piece are you going to read? The children read “Winter Forest” silently.

          Sample questions:

• Are there any words that you don’t understand?
• What have you read?
• Who is this piece about?
• What is this piece about?

Read aloud activity:

• Read the story aloud part by part.
• Students make the outline in their workbooks.

 

7. Make a dust cover for this book using the schematic method.

Compare the schematic designs of both stories.
Sample questions:

• Whose stories did we hear and read today?
• What did this Ivan Sokolov-Mikitov write about?
• Who did he write about?

8. Home assignment. (Students may choose from one of the following options:)
   • Retell the story, “Winter Forest” by Ivan Sokolov-Mikitov, using an outline.
   • Complete the creative activity in the workbook that asks you to “Continue the story telling about other animals which may be found in the forest during winter.”
   • Find, at home or in the library, books that include works by Ivan Sokolov-Mikitov. Read them and then bring the book(s) to class and tell us about them.

References

• Yefrosinina, L.A. (2004) Reading, Listening, Writing, and Activity Lessons from Children’s Books. Moscow: TC Sfera. [In Russian]
• Potyomkina, T.V. and Kravchenko, N.S. (2004) Reference Guide for Elementary Schools. Moscow: Airis Press. [In Russian]
• Rubenstein, S.L. (1997) Man and the World. Moscow.  [In Russian]
• Yefrosinina, L.A. (2009) Special Teaching Strategies for Work with the Textbooks for Four-Year Elementary Schools: A Refresher Course for Teachers. Moscow: MIOO. [In Russian]
• Sample Syllabi for Comprehensive Elementary School: Second Generation Standards (2009). In 2 vol-s. Vol. 1, second edition. Moscow: Prosvetshenie, Moscow. [In Russian]
• Denisova, S.A., (Editor) (2005). Literacy and Literary Reading Lessons in Elementary School: An Author’s Experience. Moscow: TC Sfera. [In Russian]