Dr. Mike McKenzie's Education 406 class show off their puppets
Children's
Literature Class Inspires Future Teachers
The variety of books
arranged along the walls of Room 28 in the Erskine Building leaves no
doubt that the focus of Dr. Mike McKenzie's Education 406 course is
children's literature. Then there are the brightly colored puppets that
catch the eye, an assortment that includes an octopus, a zebra, a giraffe,
a turtle, and even the three blind mice, all waiting to come to life.
Erskine education majors in McKenzie's class read 55 pieces of children's
literature, view five videos based on children's literature, and critique
10 pieces of children's literature, and also find time for creative
projects like the prominently displayed hand and finger puppets.
"All of the students in this class are creative in their own way,"
said McKenzie, indicating the puppets and other props designed to convey
the delights of literature to pupils who might tend to squirm during
story time.
"These students are applying the work we do for this class to the
field experience that most of them are undergoing at the same time this
fall," McKenzie said.
"I have taught a few lessons and I have learned how excited children
get over the activities you plan for them, especially those that are
hands-on, which is so encouraging," said junior Whitney Pugh of
Greenville.
McKenzie said that during their field experience, students move from
observation to teaching a small group to teaching a large group at assigned
schools within about a 25-mile radius of Due West.
In addition to making hand puppets that illustrate children's stories,
McKenzie's students prepare felt boards, produce children's stories
of their own, and focus on reviews of children's literature. All of
this takes time.
"It took me about a week to construct the puppet and all of its
clothes," said Rebekah Carruth, a junior from Edgemoor. "My
felt board took about three days to construct and then I had to come
up with a lesson plan. And my thematic unit on children's literature
took about three days to pick the books and come up with activities
to go with each book."
Megan Thompson, a junior from Due West, has been reading since she was
three, so she had covered a lot of ground in children's literature before
signing up for McKenzie's class. "I already owned or had read many
of the books that Dr. McKenzie required us to read," she said.
"I have a large collection of books that I was able to share with
my classmates in order to avoid a large library overdue fine,"
Thompson joked.
Carruth is building her own collection of children's literature to use
in the classroom — with a little help from her mother. "Every
holiday, my mother gives me another piece of children's literature to
add to my collection," she said.
And Carruth has found that children's literature has made an impact
on her own life outside the classroom.
"This class has shown me that children's books are not only for
children," said Carruth. "During my freshman year, my mom
gave me a book called The Kissing Hand. I never understood
the importance of a book like that to someone who is scared until my
boyfriend lost his father. "
Thompson said she was thrilled to learn how many books are presented
to children in the classroom, whether they are set aside in an individual
reading corner or read aloud by a teacher. "This class has helped
prepare me to supply a wide variety of books to children in a classroom
by showing me just how much information can be found in children's literature,"
she said.
Junior Shelly Roberts of Moore said that in McKenzie's class she has
learned not only to evaluate literature but to evaluate students. "Each
student learns in a different manner, whether it's through writing,
listening, or hands-on activities," said Roberts. "It's up
to the teacher to develop different ways to reach each of the students
on their level."
Carruth said McKenzie's class has helped her realize the importance
of choosing the most appropriate piece of literature for a child's developmental
level. In the classroom, she has seen that attention to such a challenge
is amply rewarded. "It is so awesome to see the love of learning
in a child's eyes," she said.
Roberts agreed, and said she was surprised at how quickly children respond.
"It doesn't take much to take students out of everyday school life
and get them excited and enthusiastic about what they're learning,"
she said. "And it's really satisfying to see students able to relate
what you've just taught them to their own lives."
