Issue Details: First known date: 2014... 2014 The Artful Interpretation of Science through Picture Books
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

There is a common belief that science is about objective facts while literature expresses subjective opinions and emotions. Increasingly the gap between science and literature is becoming smaller as artistic imagination and scientific inquiry enjoy unprecedented attention in the publishing world and in the media. Picture books that engage with science offer children and teachers ways of understanding science differently. This chapter will use a number of picture books to illustrate how texts for children are opening up artistic ways for developing science understanding in content areas and encouraging general capabilities with respect to information and communication technology, critical and creative thinking, and possibly numeracy. It will also demonstrate the many common features that science and literature share such as communicating curiosity, passion and awe to inspire and instruct young readers about scientific discoveries and the wonders of the world in which they live.

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    y separately published work icon Picture Books and Beyond Kerry Mallan (editor), Newtown : Primary English Teaching Association Australia , 2014 8039484 2014 anthology criticism

    'Picture books have been evolving for centuries. While early texts such as John Comenius’ Orbis Pictus (1658) demonstrated the value of using illustration in children’s education, it was not until the 1930s that picture books in the form familiar to readers today appeared. By the 1960s picture books such as Maurice Sendak’s Where the wild things are (1963) demonstrated how the genre could break boundaries by exploring psychological dramas and experimenting with visual storytelling. It was also in the 1960s that graphic novels with their popular comic-style form were developing an adventurous approach to content and style. Contemporary picture books and graphic novels continue to explore new literary and artistic landscapes, inspire adaptations by filmmakers and to other media and increasingly to digital forms with the popularity of e-versions and apps.

    'Picture books and beyond examines a wide selection of picture books, graphics novels, films, e-picture books and apps that reflects the diversity of these evolving cultural artefacts, and their opportunities for education and delight. Picture books and beyond aligns closely with the goals and directions of the Australian Curriculum: English, and considers the potential of texts for enabling students to respond critically and creatively. It also highlights links to other curricula, general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities.'  (Publication summary)

    Newtown : Primary English Teaching Association Australia , 2014
    pg. 41-60
Last amended 8 Jul 2020 13:14:13
41-60 The Artful Interpretation of Science through Picture Bookssmall AustLit logo
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