Instructional Strategies to Promote Caring with Literature

Questions and discussion must be conducted in a manner that is not preachy or overly didactic.

Good questioning skills help students create the ideas themselves. Use care to suggest ideas rather than tell students what they should think. (see questioning strategies)

Select literature that will engage students in a quality transaction is the key to motivate them to get involved.

Don’t rush to talk. Let the students begin the discussion. It is best to begin with their ideas. You might ask if they have questions or what would they like to discuss. If they ask a questions, turn it back to the class by asking what others think.

Enjoy and appreciate student’s ideas and their communication. Let them speak freely and be careful not to pass judgment on their ideas.

Be careful not to take sides or show alarm. Talking about temptations and dilemmas is part of value and moral development.

Ask questions to facilitate discussion that focuses on how each character felt at different times throughout the literature.

Ask questions and facilitate a discussion that causes students to relate their personal lives to the situations or characters in the literature.

Ask questions and facilitate a discussions on how other people in real life are like the characters in the literature.

Watch students’ nonverbal reactions to see how they feel.

Make reading routine by setting aside a certain time each day.

You may want to choose stories with certain goals in mind.

You may want to share stories that are your favorites and let the students know they are and why. It’s easy to get carried away when we like something so be careful to make good decisions about what and how much to share.

Ask questions and facilitate a discussion to cause children to find ways that people who are significant in their life are similar to the characters or situations in the literature.

Ask questions and facilitate a discussion that celebrates differences in the characters and the situations in the literature.

Encourage students to discuss situations and characters in the literature with other people who are significant in their life. This will reinforce positive values and actions.

Encourage interactions between students and their caregivers so students will realize how the caregivers care for each of them.

Encourage interactions between students and their caregivers so students will realize how the caregivers care for other people in the community and world.

Encourage interactions between students and their caregivers so students will develop a sense of what their caregivers value and how they developed their values.

Encourage interactions between students and their caregivers so students will develop a sense of family history and relationships that developed over time through positive interactions.

Robert Sweetland's Notes ©