When you think of picture books, do you think low level?
Many times, when teachers think of picture books, they instantly think of Kindergarten through Second Grade – primary grades. Picture books can teach patterns and reading!
That is true, but they can also do so much more. Picture books can be used for older students, gifted students, higher level comprehension, and deeper thinking.
Picture books can have a higher reading level than chapter books.
Take the book series Magic Tree House – a very popular book among children. This book has the same reading level of some Bernstein Bears books. Along with Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing, these books are at a 3rd grade reading level. Mostly because of the number of pages. Students have to stay with the book for a while, which can be challenging; but the vocabulary and content are not difficult.
Now, take the book Freedom Summer or Emmanuel’s Dream. These books, both picture books at a 4.4 grade reading level incorporate topics of prejudice, perseverance, acceptance, and more. They require the reader to think deeply and explore topics past fiction. Other books such as Snowflake Bentley and A Lady Has the Floor also require deeper thinking for students – exploring historical events and biographies.
The questioning matters.
Yes, these picture books already have higher reading levels. They take more decoding, vocabulary, and comprehensions skills. But, students can also read these books at a quick pace and not get as much out of them. They require questioning.
This is the job of the teacher. All teachers can use picture books – AND SHOULD – but not all teachers are used to questioning at a higher level. The same book can be read to all students, but the questioning should be differentiated. There is a difference between reading and asking “right there questions” and asking deeper level questions.
When looking at the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) of questions, teachers should be focusing on the 3 and 4 level areas (strategic thinking and extended thinking). When we ask level 1 and 2 questions, we are simply asking students to recall.
What does that look like?
Think about the book Emmanuel’s Dream. When we ask students the questions “who were the characters?”, all they must do is recall. Additionally, when we ask them to draw a picture of the main character’s best character trait, they are simply recalling a character trait. Though it takes a bit more thinking and activity, this is merely a low level question.
We must begin to take our questioning further. Force students to think DEEPER. For the same book, this may look like:
- Rank the main character’s character traits from most supportive to most difficult.
- Analyze the character’s childhood – what main events caused him to have the character traits he did?
- If I changed the theme of the story to ______ , what would have had to change in the events to cause this?
- Choose a character from a different story you have read. If that character was in the story, what role would they play and how would it change the story?
Deeper questioning can be difficult.
As teachers, we are so used to coming up with questions on the fly. When we don’t purposely and intentionally plan our questions to a book, we find that our questioning is lacking. Students opportunity to think deeper instantly decreases 10 fold.
The best thing we can do as teachers to support deeper thinking (in all grade levels!) is plan our questions. Looking explicitly at DOK charts and example questions can help us get in the practice of “what truly is a deeper thinking question”.
This is why I believe choosing picture books can be incredibly beneficial. It is easy for teachers to quickly preview these books and pre-plan deeper questions. Additionally, it is easier for students to start and finish the book in one class period while also having time to discuss deeper topics. Finally, students love picture books! The detail, complexity, and organization of higher level picture books can be incredible enticing to students.
How do I start asking deeper level questions with picture books?
Where can you start? I have a few suggestions!
- There are many lists of higher text level picture books on the internet. Go to the library and find some of these books for your classroom. (Check the links below)
- Prink out a DOK chart to keep handy when you plan your questions.
- PRE-READ and PRE-PLAN your questions. Write them on a piece of paper. Write them on a sticky note. Take the 10 minutes to be intentional in your questioning planning.
- If this seems like something that may be difficult for you at first, check out the books I have created these questions for! You can purchase the questions individually or as an entire bundle here.
I promise that once you start asking deeper questions, your students will become better thinkers/readers and you will begin to naturally ask deeper questions. It just takes practice!
Great lists of higher level picture books: The Pragmatic Mom Blog, Eclectic Homeschool Blog, and The Measured Mom Blog
