Journeys
...from images to words and back again
Featured Books
An important aspect of this project was selecting the most appropriate texts to use in the classroom.
We were guided by the idea that ‘horizontal and multiple readings’ (Sumara 1998:207) of texts encourages critical reading especially when the texts are multimodal and related by theme. As children read related texts their analysis of key themes develops and grows.
In the classroom we facilitated a transition from reading texts with a high visual content towards texts with a high level of printed word. Our aim was to help children gain confidence in using and applying the strategies with visual texts first and then apply these to printed word, enhancing their reading experiences of texts that are perceived to be more challenging.
Hover over the books we selected below for more information.
'Boy Overboard' by Morris Gleitzman: A chapter book consisting entirely of words.
Click to learn more.
'Gervelie's Journey: A Refugee Diary' by Robinson, Anthony and Annemarie Young, Allan, June (illus.): A Blend of images along with a greater amount of written text.
'Gervelie's Journey' is a 'realistic' picturebook. Click on the cover to find out more.
'The Rabbits' by John Marsden and illustrated by Shaun Tan: A story in images and minimal use of written text.
'The Rabbits' is a 'postmodern' picturebook. Click to learn more.
Overview in Brief
Funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, this project was based in the School of Education, University of Glasgow, and considered a new approach to teaching and learning to enhance the language and literacy of children.
Teaching Tools
Start your own journey of discovery by using our set of teaching tools, practical in-class activities, and suggestions to help children from diverse backgrounds enhance their language and literacy skills.
Research in Full
View the project reseach in full and download the extended Teaching Pack to compliment our teaching tools and suggestions. You can also discover related academic publication in visual literacy and intercultural responses.
Copyright Journeys.