Posts Tagged contemporary realistic middle-grade fiction

Do you enjoy maps and diagrams more than directions told to you aloud? Do you love listening to an audiobook while driving, cooking, or gardening? Do your hobbies include crafting, sculpting, building models, woodworking, or jigsaw puzzles?

It’s been theorized that our interests, preferences, and hobbies may point to a “type” or “style” of learning we enjoy. Different theories about learning styles exist; for example, multiple intelligence theory discusses our different “intelligences” (pathways that help us learn) such as logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, and inter- and intrapersonal. And researchers continue to study the possible ways that areas of the brain might be responsible for different styles of learning.  

Another much-discussed learning styles theory is the VAK typology: visual, auditory, kinesthetic. While evidence has not proven that overall learning is greatly impacted by one particular style of gaining knowledge, offering a variety of learning strategies with visual, auditory, and kinesthetic components may promote interest in lessons and activities, including novel and nonfiction study.

The study of charts, graphs, and tables, for example, is generally considered a visual learning technique; taking notes, typing, and flipping flashcards can be ways to get “in touch” with tactile learning options. And individuals who prefer read-aloud time or a lecture may gravitate toward auditory learning techniques.

Teachers, parents, librarians, and homeschoolers of middle graders as well as writers looking for new ways to promote their MG works might consider kicking off the new school year with some reflection on the VAK model and how it relates to a middle grader’s experience with the text in their hands. Since some readers may enjoy different “types” of learning, a varied approach with options for strategies and assessment may be most helpful in promoting interest and engagement.

As with all classroom suggestions, be sure to account for sensitivity considerations for those with individualized learning needs.

Strategies and Activities for Kinesthetic Skills Practice:

• Use sticky notes to handwrite annotations and reader reactions; peel and stick in place in a class copy of a novel. Trade copies with a partner to flip through their thoughts.
• Build a model of a setting. What tactile materials might be used, for example, to represent the rocky desert conditions near Alamo Lake in Dusti Bowling’s Across the Desert? What objects could be used to show main character Jolene’s path to rescue Addie and escape from the desert?
• Copy physical descriptions from the text onto paper, then cut and paste individual descriptive phrases onto a drawn or 3-D model of a key figure, an object, or a setting. Three-dimensional models work well to show different sides of a character and the ways they change throughout the story.
• Construct prototypes or to-scale models for nonfiction units on inventions, planets, technology, and many other subjects.

Strategies and Activities for Visual Skills Practice:

• Find, create, study, or model artwork associated with a text, such as select Vermeer works for those reading Blue Balliett’s Chasing Vermeer.
• Study and compare the cover art for a novel with different editions.
• Offer texts with some illustrations at the MG level, as well as texts with a typeface that offers a change of pace – think David Walliams’s Demon Dentist with its whole-page boldfaced character reactions, its use of page layout for onomatopoetic effects, and its use of bulleted lists.
• Read, write, and share graphic novels. Kelly Yang’s Finally Seen may lead to exploration of several published graphic novels as main character Lina becomes a fan.
• Chart or graph the visual context clues in illustrations from a graphic novel that are not included in the text.

Strategies and Activities for Auditory Skills Practice:

• Turn dialogue into a script for dramatized oral readings.
• Incorporate discussions and Socratic seminars for small and large classroom groups.
• Record an exciting passage of a novel read aloud, using vocal tone, pace, and pauses to represent suspense.
• Perform a radio show-style scene from the MG work, complete with sound effects and music cues. A spooky tale might work nicely here, or a paranormal adventure like Joe McGee’s The Haunted Mustache.

Thanks for reading, and a great school year to all MG readers, writers, teachers, and parents!