When our curriculum refers to text, it is often interpreted as print and only print. In its broader definition though, text includes oral media, visual media, and digital literacy too.
Stretch your own definition of text to include oral storytelling, spoken word poetry, songs, short films, photographs, paintings, video games, album covers…
A few favourite sites to get you started:
- The Literacy Shed
- National Film Board of Canada
- kidsloveshortfilms
- National Gallery of Canada – virtual
- MetKids
- Umbrella
- The Power of Words – spoken word poem
- Simon Mole
Before you share anything with students, be sure to read or view everything through to the end to ensure that it is appropriate for your class.
What can you do with these diverse texts? Consider the opportunities for:
- making comparisons
- exploring the creator/illustrator/artist’s purpose and craft
- discussing elements of text: beginning, middle, end; character; emotion; theme; the role of music…
- writing dialogue or description
- examining the creation of mood and tone
- reader response writing
The possibilities are endless!