Monday, July 25, 2011
The Three Pigs: Hit or Miss?
Today's discussion of David Weisner's, Three Little Pigs, was extremely interesting to me because it sparked a lot of emotion in the class. I have not had much experience reading post-modern texts so I will agree with many of you that it was not the easiest story to follow. However, with that being said I think introducing post-modern texts in the classroom is definitely a good way to encourage students to use critical thinking skills at a young age, which are essential tools in the real world. While I definitely respect everyones opinion about reading post-modern texts to students, I am curious to know how all of you feel? Personally, I think sharing traditional literature to new readers is a great way to ease students into reading, however once students have mastered basic skills they need to be challenged so they don't get stuck in a pattern of reading. At this stage I truly believe post-modern texts will offer them a new level of difficulty that expands on their reading skills and offers them a new way to look at literature. I can't speak for the rest of you but I know I never had much experience with reading post-modern texts when I was in elementary school which is probably why it seems to strange to me as I read it now. But if students are introduced to these kinds of texts now, who knows how far they can take that knowledge as they continue their education.
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I did not like The Three Pigs. The illustrations did not go along with the words and the pictures were boring, at least for a younger audience I do not think it would be enjoyable. It would not be the first book I would pick out to read to my child. Who knows, maybe I didn't like it because I never read anything like this when I was younger. It was just such a different layout than I am used to.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I did not like The Three Pigs, I think that it could be a good book for teachers to give their advanced readers to read. I do not think the book is suited for students under the third grade. There are just so many things going on in the story that I think it could be really confusing for younger kids. I hate to think that maybe if I had read books like this when I was younger I would have better critical thinking skills.
I really like these postmodern books because I think they are creative. We have all heard the traditional stories so many times and while they have value, I think it is cool to hear a spin. It seems interesting to hear a plain story with a clever twist than just an original story. I also think it would be good for kids to read postmodern stories after having read the traditional version so they can get their creative ideas flowing. I think these postmodern stories can be humorous but also can get a little cheesy so it’s a fine line. I agree that it seems like there should be plenty more topics to write original stories on considering how much the world changes over the years and what new technologies we have to incorporate into stories, like Wall-e and Monsters Inc. I think maybe people like postmodern stories, like Shrek, because they are somewhat familiar. They contain a surprise, a twist but it’s not too far out of the comfort zone.
ReplyDeleteI also liked The Three Pigs. I thought it was fun and different. I liked that as I read, I didn't know what was going to happen next, it was creative. I think one thing that influenced our readings of the book was the assignment we were given. We each had to write a paper and prepare for a class discussion, there was probably pressure to find the "right stuff" in the text and in the pictures. What if there had been no assignment and you were simply looking for entertainment? I think this is something that all of us who are or plan to be teachers need to consider, we want students to develop critical reading skills, but we also want to instill in them a love of reading, don't we? That's one thing I was thinking about last night as I was quickly re-reading The Book Thief, I worried that because many people have to read the book in just a day or two , then write a paper on it, how much will they enjoy this book that really is very good? I understand that in college courses the reading load is heavy, especially in shortened summer sessions, but it's just good to be aware that if we pile on heavy amounts of reading, we may suck the enjoyment out of it.
ReplyDeleteI like the "new" Three Little Pigs. I'll call it new because it is a new version of Three Little Pigs to me. A new version means a new tale to tell to me. If you change any element of a book, you change the entire story. Especially, this version changes drastically. I digress, being an Advertising Design major I can appreciate the visual elements of this book because it is basically just creative exploration by the author and illustrator. It continued to change and adapt and advance to what now is a totally creative adaptation from the original tale. I enjoyed how the plot was twisted into the white world of children's tales that the pigs journeyed to. Then new characters from these tales came out of the literature and basically jumped into the story, literally. Such as the dragon from St. George's Dragon busts into the page and knocks all the letters off. I loved this. I loved it is just pure creativity. It not only lets your follow the story but it takes you out of the story, makes you step back, and problem solve. It makes you think. It makes you question "what just happened." I love that. Obviously, we're reading a children's book, but the imagery of the dragon busting through leaves you with your own imagination. Some people may argue that it is hard to read, that its impossible to read aloud to others because of text being disrupted by the characters but I just say those people have little imagination and are sticks in the mud. Its not fair to hinder other people's creativity because you haven't seen it before or you think its not the standard way of doing things. I'm a very creative person, I draw, paint, create music, I can't be away from my creativity for too long. It always draws me back in. I need to be nestled into my own creative juices for me to feel comfortable. Its necessary to me. Therefore, a person who is bland, boring, and standardized, a persona who doesn't like this book because it isn't the normal way of making a book I feel are people who I don't care to engage with because they have little imaginative creation of their own.
ReplyDeleteI like the illustrations but as an overall book...no, I did not like it. It did a lot! It was distracting. If you are a kid who has a problem focusing than this book would definitely be a good 'read' but there isn't much literary content the book so I think that it is a good book to look at but that's where it ends.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the fact that David was trying to do something new but it did not work for ME. I do like the pictures, then again I am easily amused.
I also really like the illustrations in The Three Pigs. I thought they were fun, creative, and would really attract children to the book. Also, I think the story was cute. I liked the fact that the pigs had the power to leave each story and turn the story around to make it a story that they liked. However, I really hated the word bubbles. I think the story would have worked just as well without the word bubbles and it would have made the book a lot less confusing.
ReplyDeleteI think presenting students with both traditional children's literature and post-modern literature would be most beneficial. Giving children the opportunity to compare and contrast both types of books would be a great learning experience. Also, I think post-modern texts seem to be more fun for children to read because they put a new twist on traditional stories that they are use to hearing/reading.