Terrell A. Young

Preserving Languages in the New Millennium: Indigenous Bilingual Children's Books

As increasing numbers of indigenous languages are rapidly disappearing in the new millennium, language preservation efforts through education and intergenerational language use have become crucial. This article examines the importance of bilingual childrens literature from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand as a powerful tool for reviving and creating awareness about indigenous languages. The discussions around oral storytelling practices, interlingual texts, and translation issues raise valid concerns about indigenous language preservation and their integration with majority languages.

Celebrating and Revitalizing Language: Indigenous Bilingual Children's Books

Childrens literature is a powerful means of connecting children and adults in language and literacy development, potentially contributing to multilingualism and indigeneity. This article considers how indigenous bilingual childrens books from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand can be part of language revitalization by applying three emphases of ideological theory—awareness, positionality, and multiple perspectives—in order to better understand the issues and increase the likelihood that indigenous bilingual books can be used in language revitalization efforts.

Picture Books as Mentor Texts for 10th Grade Struggling Writers

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine if picture books in high school classrooms could enhance word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions. Previous research has not fully considered employing picture books as mentor texts in high schools. Twelve participants from two low-performing 10th grade English classes were identified as low-, medium-, or high-performing students. Using action research, students were taught from an inquiry-based approach as the teacher read aloud picture books and asked students what they noticed. Students referred to the picture books as they were challenged to improve their narrative writing. Findings demonstrated that picture books helped secondary students of all ability levels improve. Conclusions shed light on the abstract nature of sentence fluency, and showed teacher modeling to be effective.

Celebrating the Arts With The Noisy Paint Box

Children’s literature offers many benefits to children, which include developing imagination, building knowledge, enhancing vocabulary, and offering pleasure. As it promotes these areas of development, literature can also serve as a gateway for curriculum integration. Literature can be a particularly powerful tool in executing a dynamic, integrated music lesson. In this article, the authors share how The Noisy Paint Box (2014), written by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mary Grandpré, provides a context for students to explore the four artistic processes identified in the National Arts Standards in a music context: create, perform, respond, and connect. At the same time, the book provides opportunities to introduce students to artistic processes and practices shared by music, visual arts, literature, and dance.