Professional Documents
Culture Documents
3 487
Barbara OConnor
University of Akron
Key words: big books, foreign language literacy, foreign language teacher education,
foreign language shared reading, interpretative skills
Introduction
In this article, we describe an approach for preparing foreign language teacher
candidates in a PreK12 licensure program to develop effective skills for teach-
ing reading and to use context- and standards-based instruction in all levels of
their foreign language classes. This approach involves the development and use
Susan Colville-Hall (PhD) is Associate Professor in Foreign Language Teacher
Preparation, College of Education, University of Akron, Ohio.
of and capacity to conduct holistic instruc- tational. Looking at ways to teach reading
tion centered on the text of a big book they to early language learners forces foreign
create for early language learners. language teacher candidates to think cre-
Each candidate develops a unit of atively about how to organize instruction
instruction. Later, in teams of two, they at appropriate interest and developmental
design and implement six lessons in the levels. It also allows candidates to examine
after-school language enrichment program closely the holistic learning process and
based on one of their big book units. (See gives them experience with an integrated
Appendix A for instructions.) Using big learning approach. Since much of the read-
books makes L2 learning a fun and mean- ing process used can be applied to older
ingful experience for both children and learners as well, the task serves as a basis
teacher candidates alike. Teacher candidates for learning how to conduct standard-based
emerge from this hands-on experience with instruction in a contextualized manner.
a great deal of practical knowledge and Addressing standards at the program
satisfaction as both authors and language level is crucial as well. ACTFL Program
teachers. Standards for the Preparation of Foreign
Addressing the goal of communica- Language Teachers (2002) directs teacher
tion is one of the primary tasks of foreign candidate outcomes. Program Standard 3
language instruction. Standards for Foreign requires candidates to understand the lan-
Language Learning (National Standards, guage acquisition process and create a learn-
1999) specifies that communicative modes ing environment in which they develop
of interpersonal, interpretative, and pre- instructional practices that reflect language
sentational skills be part of every foreign outcomes and learner diversity (p. 37).
language curriculum along with goals of Finding a way for teacher candidates to
culture, connection, comparison, and com- draw on their knowledge of theories, and
munity. In past decades, many teachers apply it to PreK8 learners is essential for a
placed an emphasis on interpersonal skills successful program. Candidates benefit from
or the oral aspect of language, often slight- providing meaningful classroom interaction.
ing the importance of reading and writing, They must negotiate meaning with stu-
while others emphasized a grammatical dents during interactions that include spon-
framework resulting in students knowing taneous communication (p. 39). Working
about the target language, but not devel- with early language learners, candidates
oping the capacity to use it. The National learn more about learners as individuals,
Standards have clearly stated that the inter- learn to adapt instruction to their needs,
pretive mode is a primary goal, and there- and find ways to promote critical thinking.
fore, an essential component in language Program Standard 4 focuses on candidates
learning (Standard 1.2). This standard ability to integrate standards into planning
sends out an obvious call for attention to and instruction by designing and adapting
literacy. Early in the foreign language edu- instruction according to the standards and
cation program, teacher candidates realize curricular goals of communication, explor-
that integrated foreign language instruction ing the target culture, connecting to other
even at the early language learning levels disciplines, drawing comparisons, and link-
should include aspects of reading and writ- ing learning to the community.
ing as well as speaking and listening. After
all, reading is one of the greatest sources What Teacher-Candidates Need
of input for learning an L2 (Barnett, 1989; to Know About Emergent
Omaggio Hadley, 2001). Candidates learn Literacy Theory
to approach these skills through the three Aligning reading instruction in foreign lan-
modes of the communication standard: guage with reading techniques in the L1 is
interpretative, interpersonal, and presen- crucial. Our foreign language teacher can-
490 FALL 2006
didates need to be aware of current reading while it is being pointed to and read by
practices. Emergent literacy theory states the teacher so that they can begin to make
that learning to read and write encom- the association between oral and written
passes both social and cultural features language and note the process of reading
of language learning, as well as childrens left to right across the page. Following this,
interactions with and understandings about children participate in the shared reread-
print (Clay, 1991; Morrow, 2001). Emergent ings at the level of their particular abili-
literacy begins with children listening to ties. After prereading activities that activate
stories being read aloud, initial writing learners prior knowledge, the text is read
experiences, and noticing signs and labels aloud often, over several days, to allow the
in their surroundings (Tompkins, 2001). children to memorize or learn the words so
Fountas and Pinnell (1996) state that emer- that they can begin to associate the print
gent readers generally begin learning to with the spoken words. Memory reading
read by interpreting the story from pictures helps children to understand that print
and then noticing that the print carries the should sound like spoken language (Vacca
actual storyline. They may notice some et al., p. 87). As the teacher points to and
aspects of the print, such as spacing and reads each word aloud, the children focus
directionality (left-to-right and top-to-bot- on specifics such as where the print starts,
tom), recognize some words, and be able left-to-right and top-to-bottom direction-
to repeat the language pattern of the text. ality, the return sweep to the left side of
Being able to relate their own experiences the text, and word-by-word matching, as
to the meaning of the story, as well as their well as other print-related concepts. These
own language to the print indicates compre- repeated shared readings then form a col-
hension of both the story and the function lection of known texts that children use to
of print. The goal of the teacher is to focus practice reading independently and use as
on rereading easy familiar texts to and with writing and word study resources (Fountas
the children, encouraging them to begin to & Pinnell, 1996).
read independently. The initial reading of Allen (2002) advocates shared reading
books often starts with shared reading of in L1 for older children in middle and high
big books or other enlarged texts. school settings who struggle with conven-
Big books typically use predictable tional print materials. As with younger
texts, allowing readers to use their prior readers, this supported reading practice
knowledge to identify words that come enables them to engage with the voice sup-
next in a sentence, as well as rhythm, port of other fluent readers (p. 4) in texts
rhyme, and repetition, all of which aid word that might be too challenging for them to
recognition and identification. Shared read- read and understand on their own. It gives
ing is a teaching strategy that is intended to all students the opportunity to feel a part
replicate the intimate effects of lap-reading of a community of readers and to appreci-
in the family by sharing big books with ate the enjoyment of fluent reading. Allen
groups of children, especially texts that also endorsed shared reading as a strategy
the children cannot yet read independently for increasing exposure to and competence
(Vacca et al., 2003; Holdaway, 1979). An with vocabulary.
important component of a balanced early According to Samuels (1997), repeated
literacy program, shared reading consists readings of the same texts, a feature of
of using an enlarged text, or big book, an shared reading, have been shown to be very
overhead projector, or even multiple copies effective in developing L1 fluency. Faster
of smaller books to share a favorite story, and more accurate, fluency is defined as an
poem, song, rhyme, or other text with a increase in reading speed and a decrease
group of children. The enlarged format in word recognition errors or miscues.
allows children to be able to see the print Each successive rereading of the same text
Foreign Language Annals Vol. 39, No. 3 491
It is an inductive procedure that allows siasm for this technique, she explored the
the internalizing process of acquiring new concept of big books more thoroughly. She
language to take place. Louton and Louton consulted with early childhood colleagues
(1992) recommend instruction designed to in literacy in her institution. Because both
capitalize on the learners innate curios- research and colleagues indicated that big
ity that originates from the sensori-motor books were an effective way to teach early
stage, instruction that involves the stu- literacy (Holdaway, 1979; Nambiar, 1991;
dent physically and emotionally, and offers Nicoll-Hatton, 1992), she worked collab-
opportunities for challenge, success, dis- oratively to develop an approach to foster
covery and creativity (p. 5). In this way, literacy teaching in the PreK12 foreign
shared reading instruction facilitates lan- language teacher education program.
guage acquisition. An examination of what teacher can-
In the big book unit project, teacher didates should know about big books and
candidates learn to use a holistic approach literacy placed an emphasis on the teachers
to language instruction through meaning- role and the text itself in preparing teacher
ful engagement with real stories. For most candidates. The teachers role is crucial in
teacher candidates, this is their first experi- first selecting reading content, creating the
ence with instruction where language learn- book, and presenting the reading lesson.
ers are generating their understanding of The text must consider the learners and
a text, in lieu of being told what they what they like to read. It should reflect
are learning. Candidates approach language effective techniques to attract readers, such
learning in context, which is essential for as colorful and esthetically pleasing draw-
meaning-focused language instruction. ings and images, a clever storyline, devel-
They teach story structures, conventions opmentally appropriate vocabulary, words
of print, and graphophonemic awareness. learners can pronounce, repetition and/or
Language learners become aware of words phrases that hook students, and big print
and sentences through visual tracking in the (Pirto & Pirto, 1988). Certainly, teacher
meaningful context of stories (Anderson, candidates could greatly benefit from cre-
1995). Holistic language instruction using ating and publishing big books for young
big books provides learners with integrated language learners, a process during which
experiences in the four language process- they analyze and synthesize information
eslistening, speaking, reading, and writ- about teaching and learning. The goal is to
ingand the communication goal directed create a book tailored to the abilities of the
to interpretive skill development. According learners that teaches what they are ready to
to Hayes and Schrier (2000), focus on mean- learn. In short, teacher candidates need to
ing provides integration of linguistic and be able to customize a book to the learn-
cognitive development. Attention is brought ers and to their instructional needs.
both to what students bring to a text and The method of shared reading bor-
what they get from it, with an emphasis on rowed from the holistic language approach
reading and writing as thinking processes works well in teaching learners a new
that require the same kind of problem-solv- language. The use of big books for shared
ing skills as those required outside of the reading is particularly appropriate because
classroom (p. 289). they provide opportunity for demonstra-
tion as the adult models pronunciation,
Fostering Literacy Techniques intonation, and phrasing. The introduction
for Foreign Language Learning of new vocabulary is facilitated by the use
In 1997, Colville-Hall observed a demon- of visuals, cues, and gestures. Early lan-
stration of the use of big books by a FLES guage learners are invited to, and success-
teacher. Intrigued by the reported success of fully engage in, an interactive performance
the learners and the FLES teachers enthu- through rereadings of the story. Scaffolding
Foreign Language Annals Vol. 39, No. 3 493
provided by the teacher assists beginning ties for all major curriculum objectives.
readers (and early language learners) to The shared reading atmosphere should
actively engage in meaningful shared read- be relaxed and mirror the familys read-
ing. Meaning is gleaned from the context. ing experience at home, building on both
Children gain confidence in their ability the childs home and school experiences
to read aloud the language they are learn- (Anderson, 1995).
ing in an enjoyable social context. The use In addition, think-alouds,in which
of repetitive phrases tends to reduce the the teacher talks about how to solve prob-
amount of new and overwhelming vocabu- lems in readingcan easily be used for
lary and concepts. Children learn to be teaching reading and decoding strategies.
predictors of repetitive phrases with certain The teachers use of questions, or scaffold-
texts; others teach them the subtle co-pat- ing, helps children become self-regulated
terns of language and illustrations and how learners through the modeling of meaning
to interpret the story (Curtain & Dahlberg, and comprehension questions that readers
2004; Unsworth, 1993). will, in turn, learn to ask themselves when
reading independently. In other words, big
Characteristics of Big Books books are ideal for teaching beginning read-
According to Karges-Bone (1992), there are ing in a new language to learners in the
several essential characteristics to a suc- primary classroom.
cessful big book learning experience. Shared reading through big books, how-
ever, should not be limited to young learn-
Big books ers. Reed (1991) endorses them not only
are short stories (1015 pages) that for the emergent reader, but for big kids
immediately engage learners interest, as well. Townsend (1996) observes the
contain a rhyme pattern that children effectiveness of shared reading instruction
notice and learn, with older students with disabilities. Deaf
are big on pictures which assists in learners appeared enthusiastic about les-
the construction of meaning, sons with big books as their teacher shared
have repetitive phrases and a controlled text and pictures simultaneously with the
vocabulary that help with vocabulary students gathered around. According to
learning, Wadlington and Hicks (1995), adult learn-
have a simple, but interesting storyline, ers also find big books an effective means to
and begin L1 adult literacy. By using motivating
contain elements of humor (p. 742). books in a shared reading experience, older
learners can observe letter-sound relation-
Books in which (partial) texts are eas- ships, sentence and paragraph structure,
ily learned from the repetitions and that and story grammar. The teacher models
access student prior knowledge are pre- reading strategies and decoding strategies.
ferred. Curtain and Dahlberg (2004) state Interestingly, some of our own teacher can-
that using big books enables early language didates have reported successful use of big
learners to learn to read first by reciting books in both their middle school and high
and memorizing, recognizing sight words, school field assignments with L2 learners.
and decoding the text . . . and to begin
matching oral language with the written The Task: Big Book and
word (p. 91). Teaching Unit for Teacher
Nambiar (1991) recommends texts for Candidates
big books that are a rich source of activi- Following class discussions on holistic
ties to activate prior knowledge, model learning and reading theory, a reading spe-
the thinking process, encourage predictive cialist demonstrates teaching behaviors
skills, and provide creative linguistic activi- of the shared reading experience with a
494 FALL 2006
model big book such as Brown Bear, Brown candidates are able to describe the holistic
Bear (Martin, 1983) and La Hamaca de la learning approach to the interpretive mode
Vaca (The Cows Hammock) (Ada, 1999). of communication (or reading) and justify its
Prereading strategies may consist of piqu- use in the foreign language classroom, as well
ing the interest of the learners for the sub- as identify the procedure and techniques for
ject, accessing prior knowledge, predicting using the shared reading/big books approach.
the storyline, and introducing unfamiliar Inherent in the lessons are elements of the
vocabulary. During reading for beginning interpersonal and/or presentational modes,
readers, the focus is on techniques such as as well as goals of culture, connection, com-
use of pointing to aid visual tracking, use of parison, and communities. Candidates are
visuals to bring meaning to the text, choral engaged in materials development as they
repetition of sounds, words, sentences, actually create a big book and an integrat-
and refrains, as well as reading for under- ed teaching unit based on standards-based
standing and comprehension questioning. instruction, shared reading instruction,
Postreading activities include a variety of and the interest and developmental level
follow-up or response tasks including dis- of early language learners. In the process,
cussion, comprehension activities, writ- they acquire the ability to apply theory to
ing, art, drama projects, and additional practice by teaching several lessons using the
related reading. In acquisition literacy, the big book and parts of the unit to elementary
goal is learning how to read. However, school children in a language enrichment
the ultimate goal is independence; that is field assignment with the goal of communi-
reading to learn. Learning to read can be cation in the interpretive mode, and reflect
considered processing of both print and on the degree of success of student learning
meaning because learners have to process based on set objectives of each lesson.
unfamiliar words in addition to reading for
understanding. While learning to read goes Procedures
hand in hand with reading for meaning, the Teacher candidates work in groups to brain-
ultimate goal of reading is always to learn. storm possible topics for a thematic teach-
The big book unit compels candi- ing unit. They select one topic and working
dates to address national and state stan- together devise a concept web or semantic
dards for foreign languages, specifically the map to link the topic to related concepts
Communication Standard 1.2: Students and other fields of study for early language
understand and interpret written and learners (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004). Then
spoken language on a variety of topics. each candidate selects a topic that relates to
According to Curtain and Dahlberg (2004), one aspect in the web and independently
this standard addresses the interpretive creates a big book and unit based on unit
mode in which the learner is the audience criteria and national and/or state standards.
in one-way communication and is involved Examples of big books created by teacher
with listening, viewing, or reading. Reading candidates have included contexts that
is interpretive communication and as such focus on teaching primary concepts such
needs to be done for a purpose, as a tool as colors, numbers, animals, daily routines,
within a familiar and meaning-based con- holidays, opposites, special events (birth-
text. The big book lessons provide the days and other holidays), versions of folk
beginning steps in interpretive commu- tales, games children play, locations, and
nication and reinforce literacy skills that translations of books published in English.
children are learning in their L1.
Criteria for Shared Reading of
Goals of the Big Book Unit Big Books
Creation of the big book unit serves sev- The Story
eral purposes. As a result of the unit, teacher
Foreign Language Annals Vol. 39, No. 3 495
Teacher candidates create an original story aloud with enthusiasm and expression, just
that has a simple storyline, preferably a for enjoyment, generally making no pause
pattern or predictable story, or adapt a for comments or questions, but makes it
published book. An example of a familiar meaningful by indicating visuals that give
story with a pattern that can be adapted meaning to text. Children should listen
to a big book format is The Little Boy Who to the entire story without interruptions.
Cried Wolf. The learners are able to see the print as the
teacher candidate reads and runs a pointer
Construction or hand under the text the learners hear.
After creating the story, teacher candidates Finally, the teacher candidate asks
may use poster board or heavy paper for learners to express their own reactions or
the covers and pages of the big book. The interpretations of the story. Careful to use
use of clip art has given new meaning to caretakerese (or simple language struc-
authors as the non-artists learn to illus- tures at the skill level of the learners) they
trate text with technology. Gifted sketchers scaffold or support understanding in the
create big, uncluttered pages to illustrate target language and build meaning from
their texts. Teacher candidates share their context. The candidate might ask, Do you
stories in draft form with one another to like this story? Why? Do you like ____
obtain feedback for error correction. The (referring to an aspect in the story)? Do
final product is laminated and attached you have . . . ? Do you do . . . ? This type
with large rings so that turning the pages of probing is designed to help learners con-
is easy. Teacher candidates may choose to sider their own related experiences.
use an easel for presenting the text to the Step Two. The teacher candidate
students. Finally, they design their units rereads the story aloud, using a pointer to
following guidelines for the following five- follow the story print. Referring to the chart
step approach to shared reading. of student predictions, the candidate then
asks which of their ideas were similar to the
Teaching the Lesson authors: How well did we predict? Are we
Step One. The teacher candidate asks learn- correct in our predictions? Next, the can-
ers to look at the book cover illustration didate has the learners recap the story by
and asks, What do you see? and What using yes/no questions followed by either/
do you think this story is about? Children or questions that help learners with limited
may use their native language to predict vocabulary acquire language. This process
if vocabulary mastery is an issue. At this checks how well learners understood the
stage, the focus is not on accuracy, but on meaning and sequence of the story and
establishing meaning. As learners predict provides them the opportunity to use oral
what the story may be about in the new language to express their comprehension.
language, they are using their emerging oral Then the candidate rereads the story invit-
language skills to answer yes/no questions, ing learners to read along or chime in
or give one-word or open-ended responses. when there are repeated words, phrases, or
The teacher candidate may record predic- dialogue. Afterwards, the candidate invites
tions on a chart for easy checking after the learners to tell about their favorite parts or
first reading. favorite characters in the story: What do
Next, the teacher candidate reads the you like about this story? The candidate
title and the name of the author and asks offers instructional support or scaffold-
children to add to their predictions. The ing and questions for clarification, and
teacher candidate also activates student then models language that learners need to
prior knowledge by relating the title and express their feelings.
text to what students have learned previ- Step Three. The teacher candidate
ously. Then the candidate reads the story invites learners to read along in a choral
496 FALL 2006
reading approach for fluency practice using pretation, self-expression, and interpreta-
the pointer to indicate the corresponding tion. Acquisition is facilitated through the
words. Because fluency practice (or choral output means of impromptu or informal
reading) is important for emergent readers dialogue, creative writing, and drama and
in their own native language at this stage, art appreciation. Extension activities serve
fluency practice would appear to be impor- to develop presentational and interpersonal
tant for readers learning an L2 as well. communication skills and to reinforce the
Then the candidate reviews the story point- language and concepts children have just
ing to clues and examples that help learners learned. A frequent activity is retelling
become aware of and focus on any of the the story in the learners own words, more
following: conventions of print, syntax, extensively than in Step Four, relying on
lettersound relationships, language struc- dramatic representation, art, music, and
tures, new vocabulary, and word recogni- creative writing. Examples include use of
tion. The teacher candidate can now focus felt board stories, creative dramatics, pup-
on these components within the context of petry, character masks, or headbands to
the story, to assist learners in reading and encourage oral language usage. In addi-
comprehending the text better. tion, art provides opportunities for using
Step Four. After a number of whole pictures and the written word. Children
group readings, learners may volunteer to can create their own publications: a class
reread individually and, because they are book or individual books, pop-up stories,
now familiar with the story, they are more dictated or written stories, the story with
likely to succeed. Teacher candidates accept a different ending, another story using the
approximations if learners are unable to pattern of the book, and retelling the story
read the story exactly as written, since from a different point of view.
approximations are considered beginning Additional ideas come from the spe-
steps in literacy learning. While doing this, cific type of book used. Depending on
the candidate continues to provide a lin- what teacher candidates create, some sto-
guistically enriched environment appropri- ries may lead easily to teaching about
ate to learners levels by modeling the target nutrition, daily routines, science (teaching
language. about plants and plant growth), or math
The rereading task is followed with (counting, learning fractions, or geometric
comprehension activities to ascertain shapes) activities. Because many of these
whether the learners are able to understand extension activities do not fit in the time
the actual story or are only able to recog- frame of the field experience of the teacher
nize and identify words. These activities candidates, they are therefore, just included
are a form of retelling the story with some and explained in their lesson plans.
information missing and, depending on the This holistic approach to L2 learn-
learners level, may include some of the ing integrates speaking, listening, reading,
following tasks: place the pages in order, and writing processes in both relevant and
explain the action on one of the pages, meaningful ways. With the big book unit,
write missing information in the blanks, teacher candidates are more likely to pro-
make a page from the book, match a page mote the initial desire for learners to read
with the script, tell about a character or and a disposition of enjoyment of reading
retell part of the story from a different in the new language. This method of teach-
characters perspective. ing with big books results in increased
Step Five. Teacher candidates also knowledge about materials development,
develop extension activities to engage the lesson planning, and hands-on instruc-
learners in memorable learning experiences tion for candidates learning techniques
and integrate other skills such as literacy for teaching foreign language in early and
acquisition through writing, visual inter- middle childhood levels. Their experiences
Foreign Language Annals Vol. 39, No. 3 497
are rich sources of information about the shapes and colors that could be touched.
teaching/learning process. In responding to the question about writ-
ing a text that was culturally appropriate,
Candidates Report on Using none of the candidates reported addressing
Big Books culture specifically, although one stated
As previously mentioned in the description that she wished she had. A French teacher
of the PreK12 program, teacher candidates candidate who lived in French-speaking
have a 35-hour field assignment in which Africa asked to be allowed to use naturally
they work collaboratively with PreK8 found materials to create the text and book
foreign language teachers. Candidates are since technology would not be available in
often able to use the big books in their the locale to which she would return. She
field assignments; however, there is little used a culturally authentic setting with the
opportunity for them to teach the entire theme of location. Another teacher can-
unit. In the separate six-week field task of didate created a story with a twist about
enrichment language teaching in urban K5 animals that go to the zoo to see people and
schools where candidates working in teams learn about their professions and careers.
are supervised, candidates provide instruc- (See Appendix C.)
tion using the big book unit. Observations In the process of making their big books
conducted by the professor in the field dur- and units, teacher candidates stated they
ing actual teaching offer teacher candidates learned (a) that much work is involved, (b)
feedback about the development of lessons how to accommodate the age and interests
accompanying their big book instruction. of learners, (c) the important role lit-
In addition, candidates reflect on their eracy and literature play for early language
experience in journal evaluations of their learners in the foreign language classroom,
teaching. and (d) how to design a standards-based
Following the course, candidates are unit with multiple lessons from one text,
asked to reflect on the value of their experi- the big book. From their experiences in
ence in creating and teaching the big book the classroom, candidates reported on the
unit through an informal survey (Appendix importance of a familiar story to increase
B). Their reflections have been gathered vocabulary acquisition and the value of
over the last six years. As there was no interaction or shared reading with children
initial intention in making this project a for both motivation and learning, in addi-
formal study with a systematic tally of the tion to the effect of repetition and review-
results, comments from teacher candidates ing to reinforce new concepts. They also
are reported here. reported on the value of proofreading and
For the most part candidates found checking ones work before publishing.
the experience to be positive and said they As big book units were used with chil-
benefited greatly. Most created their own dren in the elementary K5 grades, teacher
stories, while a few translated or adapted candidates found that language learners
stories from English. For example, one responded very positively. Their self-report-
student adapted a Japanese folktale to the ing included, They loved it because they
ability level of her students, while another knew the story in English and were able to
adapted the main theme from The Very understand the book and that made them
Hungry Caterpillar (Carle, 1969), using feel good. Also mentioned, The children
numbers, colors, and different kinds of loved the storyline, they enjoyed the ani-
foods in Spanish. Others created their own mals and animal sounds and really loved
texts or innovations. One candidate used the last page with the glitter spider web
flip-ups to make [reading] more fun for the and enjoyed touching it. Another candi-
students, while another made an inter- date explicitly stated, All of the children
active book out of felt with counting, enjoyed it and loved acting out the action
498 FALL 2006
verbs (they had to swim, dance, sing, run, dents with the opportunity to bring their
etc.). I also used Pokemon characters who prior knowledge to a text as well as derive
had been transformed into boys and girls meaning from it. As problem solving, it
just like them with new names so that real- involved the same type of thinking skills
ly got their attention. Others commented used outside of the classroom and in the
about the effectiveness of the repetitive learning process as recommended by Hayes
phrases and rhyme patterns that Karges- and Schrier (2000) for L2 literacy in the
Bone (1992) listed as essential character- early grades.
istics of big books, They loved the rhyme In a few instances, teacher candidates
and repetition. We were able to use it cor- did not have the opportunity to teach their
responding to our animal unit. Evidently, big book lesson. They may have worked
rhyme and rhythm helped learners remem- with partners whose big book units were
ber words. One candidate commented on selected rather than their own for the after
learners satisfaction in the interpretive school enrichment program. These candi-
mode or making sense of print, They dates responded with the following ways
LOVED it! They were excited to learn that they might use the books in the future: (a)
they could actually read [Japanese char- with K3 or elementary aged children, (b)
acters], and that it made sense. They also with elementary to middle school and high
enjoyed the activities that I had created as school, especially to introduce a unit of
extension activities. (See Japanese book in study, (c) having students create small ver-
Appendix C). Candidates spoke of the tech- sions for themselves, and (d) to introduce
niques they used, The children responded a certain context that would focus on spe-
very positively, better than I had expected. cific verb tenses such as preterit, imperfect,
They were able to follow the storyline and and/or subjunctive. These candidates were
make predictions. The repetition in the involved in teaching from a big book; it was
story helped them not to become over- just not their own. One suggestion made by
whelmed by the many new Spanish words a teacher candidate who reported the big
that were introduced. In addition, this book too cumbersome to travel with, was to
candidate discovered the cloze strategy for convert it to a PowerPoint presentation.
drawing childrens attention to vocabulary: When asked the benefits of creating
The children were excited that they the unit, teacher candidates recognized
could understand the main ideas on the effectiveness of using the big books for
each page, even though they may teaching foreign language literacy. They
not have understood each individual listed the following: value of visuals, rel-
vocabulary word. One technique that evance of repetition to assist in learning,
I used was to cover up the color word need for interaction to check meaning,
that appeared on each page. Students importance of keeping the students inter-
could see the color from the picture, est, and using the book as a starting point
and then instead of reading the word for language lessons. Knowledge of material
off the page, they would have to tell development was evident in this candidates
me in Spanish which color each fruit evaluation:
or vegetable was. Different vocabu- I could custom-make a story that
lary words can also be covered during had an appropriate level of vocabu-
different readings so that students can lary and an appropriate selection of
test themselves and see how much vocabulary. I could make the story
vocabulary knowledge they have as short or long as I needed it to be.
retained. The big book provided a nice base
for a unit because it could be used
Candidates used a variety of techniques several times to review new con-
overall. Meaning orientation provided stu- cepts/words.
Foreign Language Annals Vol. 39, No. 3 499
to teach reading as a tool in the meaning- lishers for second grade learners much in
based context furnished by the big book. the same way that Pirto and Pirto (1988)
advocate big book construction for older
Beyond the University Course readers. In this middle school project, these
Knowledge gained from creating the big eighth grade publishers considered first
book unit goes beyond the university their audience (second graders) and what
instructional course. The following two they like to read. Then they analyzed
cases demonstrate the value of the big book aspects of the books children like such as
unit and showcase the relevance of the colorful drawings, easy-to-sound words,
instruction of this literacy task. The first repetition of phrases or a catchy refrain,
case resulted from a job interview for a K2 large print, and vocabulary appropriate to
position. The second case is the narrative of early childhood learners. Following the
a new teachers instruction during the first development of a big book in teams of three
year of teaching. or four, these eighth grade Spanish students
In talking about his interview, one learned how to teach a reading lesson and
teacher candidate said that his interviewers then implemented those lessons with the
were impressed with his depth of knowl- second graders. They shared enthusiasti-
edge on topics such as K5 foreign lan- cally their appreciation of Spanish with the
guage instruction, cognitive development early language learners, an experience that
and processes, characteristics of learners contributed to feelings of accomplishment
including special needs and minority chil- and pride in their work. (See Appendix C
dren, social development, and standards- for an example of their big book.) Thus, the
based lesson planning. In addition, the middle school teachers provided a linguis-
interviewers judged his portfolio, collection tically enriched learning environment for
of journals, resources, lessons, and materi- the acquisition of both Spanish and literacy
als to be ample and well-developed. The and extended lessons from the big book
candidate stated that the school officials unit to the elementary level. These teachers
were impressed that, as a starting teacher also stated, that by instilling the desire to
who had never been in his own classroom, learn Spanish as early as second grade, the
he had such a large, well-organized set of project would have an enormous benefit for
materials, including his big book and unit their Spanish language program.
plan which they found attractive . . . and
[other] well-designed tools. He said the Addressing Teacher Education
time spent creating materials and integrat- Program Standards
ing standards into planning was exactly Program Standards for the Preparation of
what these public school officials were Foreign Language Teachers was approved
seeking. in 2002 by American Council on the
Benefits of the big book unit follow Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
candidates into their actual classrooms and National Council for Accreditation of
when employed as foreign language teach- Teacher Education (NCATE). Institutions
ers. In the second case, Angie Garritano, accredited by NCATE must address these
a new Spanish teacher at Hudson Middle standards in their programs. The task of
School in Hudson, Ohio, worked with her completing the big book unit addresses
colleague, Blanca Pascher, on a literacy teacher preparation standards 3 and 4 of the
and language awareness project. With their ACTFL Program Standards for the Preparation
eighth grade students, they used lessons of Foreign Language Teachers (2002). The
from Ms. Garritanos big book unit, modi- big book unit specifically requires candi-
fying instruction for middle school learn- dates to apply language acquisition theory
ers. Following the model reading lessons, and target language input as they draw
Spanish students became classroom pub- on their knowledge of theories, applying
Foreign Language Annals Vol. 39, No. 3 501
it to PreK8 learners at various levels, and essential not only as a valuable learning
in designing teaching strategies that facili- experience for teacher candidates; it is a
tate language acquisition (p. 38). While means of addressing many of the program
designing and implementing the lessons, goals in the PreK-12 foreign language edu-
candidates used a variety of strategies to cation program.
help students understand oral and written
input and they use the target language Conclusion
to design content-based language lessons The reports of candidates and observations
(p. 38). Candidates experienced and pro- of their practice in the field point to the
vided meaningful classroom interaction success of the big book unit in bringing
and negotiated meaning with students literacy awareness and tools to foreign lan-
during interaction including spontaneous guage teacher candidates described in this
communication (p. 39). In implementing program. These candidates developed effec-
these lessons, the candidates learned the tive skills in teaching reading that include
importance of creating a supportive class- the development and use of a big book
room environment. They check[ed ] infor- and the thematic unit that accompanied it.
mation about learners, implement[ed] Candidates created context- and standards-
a variety of instructional techniques to based instruction and implemented their
address these student differences, adapted lessons in a real world instructional setting.
instruction to address students multiple To do this effectively they had to under-
ways of learning and students special stand emergent literacy theory, literacy in
needs (p. 40). They also use[d] activities a second language, second language acqui-
that promote critical thinking and problem sition, and characteristics of big books.
solving (p. 41). The task of designing and implementing a
Working in an urban school, can- big book and teaching unit afforded them
didates learned to adapt their lessons to experiences that had additional benefits.
diverse learners, and meet the challenge The value of their learning experiences
of different learning styles and classroom and opportunities was expressed in their
behavior. The big book unit provided can- own words. As such, teacher candidates
didates the contact necessary to value the became well aware of the importance of
diversity of their students as they learned learners acquisition of interpretive skills.
to address each learners special needs (p. They learned that reading, as a tool with-
42). Candidates expressed both pleasure in a familiar and meaning-based context
and satisfaction in enabling children to use (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004), is essential in
the target language. Prior to this assign- L2 learning.
ment, few of the candidates had the oppor- Two aspects of the unit that will be
tunity to work in an urban setting. changed in the future deal with inclusion
Throughout the big book unit, candi- of culture and technology. We will make a
dates demonstrated their ability to integrate concerted effort to have teacher candidates
standards into planning and instruction in incorporate to a greater degree elements of
designing and adapting instruction using the target culture in their story or unit. The
national and state standards and curricular pedagogy of culture in language learning
goals. They designed ways for the learners is essential to standards-based teaching.
to communicate by using interpersonal, Using or creating texts that are cultur-
interpretive, and presentational modes. ally specific will improve culture learning.
They created lessons in the big book unit In addition, candidates will be asked to
that develop communication, explore the enhance the project with technology and
target culture, connect to other disciplines, make electronic versions of their work.
make comparisons, and are tied to the com- To conclude, the big book project
munity goals. The big book unit proved ensures that teacher candidates make prog-
502 FALL 2006
ress toward achievement of at least two Holdaway, D. (1979). The foundations of lit-
of the six standards in a PreK12 foreign eracy. Sidney: Ashton Scholastic.
language education program. Candidates Karges-Bone, L. (1992). Bring on the big
are not only able to discuss the process of books (in the classroom). Reading Teacher,
getting learners to communicate using the 45(9), 743744.
interpretive mode, they are able to develop Louton, Z., & Louton, R. (1992). Flesh out your
instruction, apply theory to practice in a FLES program: Developmental sequencing in
class setting, and reflect on student learn- teaching units. (Eric Document Reproduction
Service No. ED 375 636)
ing. Additionally, the teaching experience
with big books in the urban school helps Martin, B. (1983). Brown bear, brown bear,
what do you see? New York: Henry Holt and
them build confidence and a sense of self- Company.
efficacy for the student-teaching phase of
their program. Morrow, L. (2001). Literacy development in the
early years: Helping children read and write, 4th
ed. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
References
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ACTFL program standards for the preparation ers: Works in the ESL classroom too. (Eric
of foreign language teachers. (2002). Yonkers, Document Reproduction Service No. ED 333
NY: American Council on the Teaching of 736).
Foreign Languages.
National Standards in Foreign Language
Ada, A. (1999). Una hamaca por la vaca. Education Project. (1996). Standards for for-
Miami, FL: Santillana USA Publishing Co., eign language learning: Preparing for the 21st
Inc. century. Yonkers, NY: Author.
Allen, J. (2002). On the same page: Shared National Standards in Foreign Language
reading beyond the primary grades. Portland, Education Project. (1999). Standards for for-
ME: Stenhouse. eign language learning in the 21st century.
Yonkers, NY: Author.
Anderson, J. (1995). Sharing big books in two
grade one classrooms: A case study. Reading Nicoll-Hatton, V. (1992). Big books revisited:
Improvement, 32(4), 236255. An interview with Don Holdaway. Newtown,
Australia: Pen 86 - Primary English Teaching
Barnett, M. (1989). More than meets the Association. (Eric Document Reproduction
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ERIC Series on Languages and Linguistics. Omaggio Hadley, A. (2001). Teaching languag-
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. es in context. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
Carle, E. (1969). The very hungry caterpillar. Pirto, J., & Pirto, C. (1988). Spotlight on
Cleveland, OH: World Publishing Company. big books for little readers. Instructor, 97(9),
3032.
Clay, M. (1991). Becoming literate: The con-
struction of inner control. Portsmouth, NH: Rasinski, T. (1990). Effects of repeated read-
Heinemann. ing and listening-while-reading on reading
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Curtain, H., & Dahlberg, C. (2004). Languages 147150.
and children making the match: New languages
for young learners. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Reed, V. (1991). Big booksbig ideas. Instructor,
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Townsend, J. (1996). Big books: Links to lit- Vacca, J., Vacca R. T., Gove, M., Burkey, L.,
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APPENDIX A
Steps
1. Adapt a big book or create your own, one that has a subject of interest to which
elementary learners can easily relate. Make the story simple.
2. State objectives and each national standard that will be addressed. Be specific by address-
ing the sub goals. Indicate the ODE Content Standards Indicators you will address.
Develop prereading activities that make learners aware of the setting and prepare
them to understand vocabulary. You may use a language experience approach to
accomplish this.
Use visuals, contextual cues, gestures, etc., and limit your use of English for instruc-
tion. Use caretaker language. Children may use English.
Introduce the book. Use an advance organizer. Have children predict what the story
is about. (Who has been to a rain forest? What did you see there?) Talk about the
author and illustrator. Read the book aloud. You will model the language. Take time
to point to new vocabulary words as they are illustrated visually, but dont interpret
the storyline. Then ask children how they like the story.
7. Read the book aloud again. You will model the language. Take time to point to new
vocabulary words as they are illustrated visually. Point to the words as you read
them.
504 FALL 2006
8. Ask comprehension questions. Use who / what questions and other interrogatives that
require one word answers, yes / no or either / or questions until learners are comfort-
able producing the language needed. Lead into a discussion with questions about the
children, what they like and how the story applies to them.
10. Create additional activities that emerge from the story. Develop two or three post-
reading activities that engage learners in the interpersonal and presentational modes.
They need to communicate using the vocabulary and storyline interpersonally, eventu-
ally involving them in a presentational mode.
11. Create vocabulary cards (visuals) for this story. Have learners add vocabulary to
their dictionaries.
APPENDIX B
1. What kind of big book did you make? What inspired your big book? Did you translate
a story written in English? Create your own story? Adapt a story to be more culturally
appropriate?
2. What did you learn from the process of making the big book?
3. What did you learn from sharing the big book with your classmates? How did your
classmates respond?
4. How successful were you in teaching the big book to children. What did you learn
from using it with children? At what level? How did the children respond?
5. If you did not get to use it with children, when and how would you use it in the
future?
6. What were the benefits to you of creating a big book? Did the benefits offset the
amount of time you put into creating it?
9. What recommendations do you have with regard to big book materials, lesson and
unit for future teacher candidates?
Foreign Language Annals Vol. 39, No. 3 505
APPENDIX C
The big book, Une visite au zoo, is a story about professions and careers that has a
clever twist. Children learn from the context as they laugh at the concept of see-
ing human beings in cages in a zoo and learn what each does: a policeman protects
people, a fireman puts out fires, a teacher teaches and students learn and play, etc.
Here are a few pages:
The El pintado del arco iris! is a big book made by eighth graders at Hudson Middle
School. Their teachers Angie Garritano and Blanca Pascher presented a unit using a
big book which inspired students to develop a lesson that they were to teach in the
second grade. This book presents a very clever way for eighth graders to teach the
colors, introducing each color on a page, and presenting the image of the rainbow.
Working in groups, these eighth grade students designed their own book and illus-
trated it. Here is one of the first pages:
506 FALL 2006
In another example, children follow as a baby dolphin discovers the ocean world by
asking, Quest-ce que cest? (Whats that?) each time he encounters a new life form.
The repetitive element is in that question and the refrain, Ils ont continu.
This hand-drawn big book is an excellent example of adapting authentic literature for
teaching Japanese.