Ulv engasjerer! Erfaringer med skjønnlitteratur i tverrfaglig arbeid på mellomtrinnet

Abstract

Can stories about animals create a greater interdisciplinary engagement and interest among middle school students? Students from three schools have completed a project in the didactics of literature dealing with predators. As part of the project, the students have listened to “Ulveslaget” [Battle with wolves] (1892), a classic short story from Norway’s literary canon by Jacob Breda Bull. The study aims to explore how students experience this short story as part of an interdisciplinary project about predators in nature. Methodologically, this is a case study and the data is analyzed with the constant Acta Didactica Norden Vol. 15. Nr. 1, Art. 2 Haakon Halberg & John Brumo 1/19 2021©adno.no comparative method (Corbin & Strauss, 2015). The method is a variant of Grounded Theory where constant comparison generates a core category based on four subcategories. The results show that the short story engages the students. The core category “engagement” is recognized by the sub-categories “easy to understand”, “creates emotions”, “triggers activity”, and “triggers interest in learning more about predators”. The case shows the potential for learning by using fictional short stories, especially with regard to the interdisciplinary emphasis in the new national curriculum in Norway. Additionally, the case study shows how the content and the plot of the short story influence the students’ motivation for reading.