Through the Looking-Glass:
Using Picture Books to Teach Visual Literacy and Intercultural Understanding
~ Philippa Janu, Abbotsleigh ~
…the books are something like our books, only the words go the wrong way; I know that, because I've held up one of our books to the glass, and then they hold up one in the other room.
Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, 1871.
Today’s students are living in a ‘flat’ world, a world in which infinite possibilities exist for transacting across cultures.
Friedman, cited in Taliaferro, 2009, p. 30.
…few interact across cultures with regularity, with grace, or with significance.
Fecho, 2001, p. 33.
Current Stage 4 Syllabus Outcomes
A student:
1. responds to and composes texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis and pleasure
4. uses and describes language forms and features, and structures of texts appropriate to different purposes, audiences and contexts
9. demonstrates understanding that texts express views of their broadening world and their relationships within it
10. identifies, considers and appreciates cultural expression in texts
Board of Studies NSW, 2003.
Educational Goals for Young Australians
Goal 2: All young Australians become:
- successful learners,
- confident and creative individuals, and
- active and informed citizens
- are able to relate to and communicate across cultures, especially the cultures and countries of Asia
MCEETYA, 2008.
Australian Curriculum Draft Syllabus
· Learning Across the Curriculum
o Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures [AHC]
o Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia [A]
o Critical and creative thinking [CCT]
o Difference and diversity [DD]
o Ethical understanding [EU]
o Intercultural understanding [IU]
§ Students develop intercultural understanding as they learn to understand themselves in relation to others.
§ The study of English offers rich opportunities for intercultural understanding and exchange. Students experience a range of literature from different cultures, including the inscriptional and oral narrative traditions of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people, as well as the contemporary literature of these two cultural groups. They also read classic and contemporary world literature, including texts from and about Asia.
· Text Requirements for Stage 4
o Across the stage, the selection of texts must give students experience of:
§ texts which are widely regarded as quality literature
§ a widely defined Australian literature, including texts that give insights into Aboriginal experiences in Australia
§ a wide range of literary texts from other countries and times, including poetry, drama scripts, prose fiction and picture books
§ texts written about intercultural experiences
§ texts that provide insights about the peoples and countries of Asia, including texts written by Asian Australians …
§ nonfiction, picture books, graphic novels …
Board of Studies NSW, 2012.
Picture Books about Culture
Author/ Illustrator / Title / Date / Culture/s ReflectedAnnelore Parot / Aoki / 2011 / Japan
Linda Sue Park, Bagram Ibatoulline / The Third Gift / 2011 / Middle East
Liz Lofthouse, Robert Ingpen / Ziba Came on a Boat / 2007 / Afghanistan (refugee)
Anh Do, Suzanne Do, Bruce Whatley / The Little Refugee / 2011 / Vietnam, Australia (refugee)
Diane Lucas,
Ken Searle / Walking with the Seasons in Kakadu / 2003 / Australian Aboriginal
Boori Monty Pryor, Jan Ormerod / Shake a Leg / 2010 / Australian Aboriginal
Jeannie Baker / Mirror / 2010 / Morocco and Australia
UNIT: Picture Books as Mirrors and Windows into
Culture
Unit Objectives
Students will:
• Develop their intercultural understanding by engaging with picture books that reflect a range of cultures.
• Understand and use analytical terms to describe the visual elements of picture books.
• Use their study of picture books to develop their understanding of narrative structure, applying this understanding by writing narratives of their own.
• Identify and demonstrate how symbols and motifs convey meaning.
Structure of the Unit
1. Prior Knowledge
o Bring favourite book to class.
o What is culture?
o Pre-test of terms used to describe picture books:
P. Janu – Abbotsleigh 2012 5 | Page
§ Audience
§ Composition
§ Endpapers
§ Framing
§ Gutter
§ Layout
§ Juxtaposition
§ Contrast
§ Saturation
§ Hue
§ Point of view
§ Reading path
§ Salience
§ Vectors
§ Symbol
§ Motif
P. Janu – Abbotsleigh 2012 5 | Page
2. Visual Grammar
3. Analysis of Picture Books
o E.g. Jeannie Baker’s Mirror (2010):
§ Pre-reading: comparing front and back covers, reading path
§ During reading: Is Mirror one story or two?
§ Post-reading activities (options for teacher modelling, student writing in groups or individually, discussion as a class or in groups):
· Writing words to match the images
· What is the effect of using a double-binding technique?
· How effective are the collages? What are the benefits of collage over other illustration techniques?
· What do vectors draw our attention to?
· What do the motifs represent?
· Paragraph Response: “Mirror is a book about cultural difference”. Do you agree with this statement? Why/why not?
4. Creative Assessment Task
1. Compose a short story using a motif or symbol inspired by one of the picture books or the film you have studied in class this term.
Your story should be 600-800 words in length.
2. Design a book cover for your story which depicts your motif or symbol in some form and uses your knowledge of visual literacy. (This section of the task will not be marked)
3. Write a 200 word reflection, explaining the link between your choice of motif/symbol and your book cover. You should aim to include the terminology that you have learned in your study of visual design (e.g., salience, symbol, framing, choice of colour).
The following criteria will be used to assess how well you:
§ Demonstrate an understanding of narrative structure in composing an imaginative and engaging short story.
§ Demonstrate an understanding of how motif/symbol shape meaning.
§ Compose a reflection which uses your understanding of visual literacy to explain the link between the story and the book cover.
5. Reflection
o Why do picture books provide an effective way to learn about culture?
Images from Baker, 2010.
Picture books are created to tell stories that provoke our emotions. When dealing with historically or geographically distant events and peoples, they are conveyors of mythic qualities. Because each book comes from a single point of view, it is particularly important that we include many different picture books for our students...With careful attention to the materials used and the age of the children, we can at least lift a corner of the curtain of the world beyond their windows.
Marantz & Marantz, 2000, p. l6.
References
· Articles
Fecho, B. (2001). “Why are you doing this?”: Acknowledging and transcending
threat in a critical inquiry classroom. Research in the teaching of English, 36(1), 9-37.
Marantz, S., & Marantz, K. (2000). Picture books peek behind cultural curtains.
Book Links, 9(3), 13-18.
Taliaferro, C. (2009). Using picture books to expand adolescents’ imaginings of
themselves and others. English Journal, 99(2), 30-36.
· Picture Books
Baker, J. (2010). Mirror. London: Walker Books.
Do, A., Do, S., & Whatley, B. (2011). The little refugee. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
Lofthouse, L., & Ingpen, R. (2007). Ziba came on a boat. Camberwell: Penguin.
Lucas, D., & Searle, K. (2003). Walking with the seasons in Kakadu. Crows Nest:
Allen & Unwin.
Park, L. S., & Ibatoulline, B. (2011). The third gift. St Lucia: University of
Queensland Press.
Parot, A. (2011). Aoki. Richmond: Hardie Grant Egmont.
Pryor, B. M., & Ormerod, J. (2010). Shake a leg. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
· Documents
Board of Studies NSW. (2003). English years 7-10 syllabus. Sydney: Board of
Studies NSW.
Board of Studies NSW. (2012). English K-10 Australian curriculum draft syllabus
version 2. Sydney: Board of Studies NSW.
Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008,
December). Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf
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