Program Design
Purposeful Book Selection/ Wide Reading
p.219-220
Students need to have experiences reading fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
In selecting material, the needs and interests of students should be the main
criteria. Some types of texts appropriate for students in the primary grades
include the following:
• Wordless Books: Students enjoy and learn from the opportunity to read
the pictures, creating their own stories.
• Concept Books: Concept books deal with particular concepts such as
shapes, sizes, colours, and seasons. They are useful in introducing
students to a variety of important concepts.
• Alphabet Books: Having access to a variety of alphabet books helps
students make connections between print and visual images.
• Counting Books: Counting books help students learn fundamental
mathematical concepts.
• Predictable Books: Books with predictable patterns are excellent in
The Role
of Literature
Variety of Texts
Print Materials
PROGRAM DESIGN AND COMPONENTS
220 ATLANTIC CANADA ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM: K–3
supporting beginning readers. The predictable patterns help students
become risk takers.
• Poetry, Rhymes, and Chants: Students in the primary grades need lots of
experience with rhyme and rhythm. Poetry, rhymes, and chants provide
opportunities to play with language and to learn about how language works.
These forms are the cornerstone of shared reading.
• Fiction: Students in the primary grades should be introduced to a variety of
fiction in the form of picture books and simple chapter books. The illustrations
and text of picture books should be integrated and help to expand the
students’ comprehension of the story. Even students at the early primary
level can be introduced to chapter books through read-aloud. Appropriate
fiction includes stories with simple plots with more action than description;
stories with characters about the same age as the students; stories about
everyday experiences; stories about animals, both real and imaginary;
traditional literature such as legends, folk tales, and fairy tales.
It is important to expose students to literature that reflects many cultures,
themes, and values. Folk tales are excellent for promoting multicultural
understanding. One useful activity to promote this understanding is to have
students compare versions of the same tale from different cultures.
• Non-fiction: Students in the primary grades need lots of experience with
non-fiction as well as with fiction and poetry. The most important criteria
in selecting non-fiction should be accuracy of information and an interesting
and appealing format of presentation. Currently many excellent informational
books appropriate for use in the primary grades are available.
Many of the texts used at the primary level are multimodal; that is, they
combine print, images and graphic design, involving students in both reading
and viewing. Examples of such texts are picture books, magazines, graphs,
charts, maps, and environmental print.
Other types of texts students need to experience tend to be associated more
with viewing, although many of them also involve reading:
• videos, films, and TV and radio shows (both fictional and factual)
• displays (e.g., art and other museum artifacts, wild life, science)
• computer-based multimedia texts (both fictional and factual—texts
combining written words, images and sounds, e.g., CD-ROM Encyclopedia)
• computer-based problem-solving texts (e.g., adventure games)
• electronic databases
• audiotapes of books
Students need to have experiences reading fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
In selecting material, the needs and interests of students should be the main
criteria. Some types of texts appropriate for students in the primary grades
include the following:
• Wordless Books: Students enjoy and learn from the opportunity to read
the pictures, creating their own stories.
• Concept Books: Concept books deal with particular concepts such as
shapes, sizes, colours, and seasons. They are useful in introducing
students to a variety of important concepts.
• Alphabet Books: Having access to a variety of alphabet books helps
students make connections between print and visual images.
• Counting Books: Counting books help students learn fundamental
mathematical concepts.
• Predictable Books: Books with predictable patterns are excellent in
The Role
of Literature
Variety of Texts
Print Materials
PROGRAM DESIGN AND COMPONENTS
220 ATLANTIC CANADA ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM: K–3
supporting beginning readers. The predictable patterns help students
become risk takers.
• Poetry, Rhymes, and Chants: Students in the primary grades need lots of
experience with rhyme and rhythm. Poetry, rhymes, and chants provide
opportunities to play with language and to learn about how language works.
These forms are the cornerstone of shared reading.
• Fiction: Students in the primary grades should be introduced to a variety of
fiction in the form of picture books and simple chapter books. The illustrations
and text of picture books should be integrated and help to expand the
students’ comprehension of the story. Even students at the early primary
level can be introduced to chapter books through read-aloud. Appropriate
fiction includes stories with simple plots with more action than description;
stories with characters about the same age as the students; stories about
everyday experiences; stories about animals, both real and imaginary;
traditional literature such as legends, folk tales, and fairy tales.
It is important to expose students to literature that reflects many cultures,
themes, and values. Folk tales are excellent for promoting multicultural
understanding. One useful activity to promote this understanding is to have
students compare versions of the same tale from different cultures.
• Non-fiction: Students in the primary grades need lots of experience with
non-fiction as well as with fiction and poetry. The most important criteria
in selecting non-fiction should be accuracy of information and an interesting
and appealing format of presentation. Currently many excellent informational
books appropriate for use in the primary grades are available.
Many of the texts used at the primary level are multimodal; that is, they
combine print, images and graphic design, involving students in both reading
and viewing. Examples of such texts are picture books, magazines, graphs,
charts, maps, and environmental print.
Other types of texts students need to experience tend to be associated more
with viewing, although many of them also involve reading:
• videos, films, and TV and radio shows (both fictional and factual)
• displays (e.g., art and other museum artifacts, wild life, science)
• computer-based multimedia texts (both fictional and factual—texts
combining written words, images and sounds, e.g., CD-ROM Encyclopedia)
• computer-based problem-solving texts (e.g., adventure games)
• electronic databases
• audiotapes of books