Using Trade Books in the Classroom
Posted by admin in Middle School Article, tags: Applicability, Classroom Activities, Elementary Students, Fiction Account, Trade BooksLooking for a way to encourage your students’ interest in a topic? Trade books can provide the needed spark. Trade books, which are primarily designed to entertain and inform outside the classroom, can be used successfully in the classroom to heighten motivation in your students. Trade books cover just about every topic under the sun, so you can probably find a book that will align with your curriculum objectives in such a way as to help your students see the applicability of the topic. Students may show a keener interest in the lively way a trade book presents material over the stilted writings in a textbook. While textbooks cover a topic in a prescribed way, a trade book may introduce or expand upon a topic by including it in a fictional setting, or alternatively, a non-fiction account from real life.
Classroom activities can be built around the book’s topic, so in addition to the reading practice and vocabulary development, all types of offshoot activities can be developed. Depending on the book, there may be several ways to explore the concepts presented in the story or account. Possibilities for math, science, social studies, geography, history, economics, and more may exist using the book as a jumping off point. Here are some ideas on how to use a trade book in the classroom.
Interest is fundamental. Since the primary reason for introducing a trade book into the classroom is to create interest in a topic, look for books which tell a story which is engaging. Humor helps since many children enjoy humor and they may read with more attention if it is presented in a funny way. The book can still present serious topics and ideas. Another tip is to select books which address the interests of your students’ age group. Elementary students tend to like stories about animals, children their own age, and fairy Continue Reading
