Pathways to affective accountability: Selecting, locating, and using children's books in elementary school classrooms.

READING; LITERATURE studies; READING (Elementary); CHILDREN'S literature; CHILDREN'S books; CURRICULUM

The article discusses the importance of using children's books and literature in elementary teaching. Selecting and using children's books and literature in elementary classrooms is an important element of affective accountability of teachers to their students and themselves. The inclusion of literature in the curriculum not only allows teachers to become thrilled with the reading materials but also enables them to gain an expansive menu of reader response activities that could be used to promote literacy skills. For students, the use of books, with the help of an effective teacher, enables them to improve on their vocabulary, comprehension and fluency. Several suggestions to using children's literature while allowing teachers to comply with the traditional curriculum are provided.