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As a reading specialist, most of my experience is with beginning and/or struggling readers. Reflecting on Karen Meador s ideas about using picture book characters to model divergent thinking has given me an opportunity to compare some of her principles to lessons I've taught in remedial reading classes. What I have discovered is that it is never too early to begin guiding children towards thinking divergently. A major part of teaching this way involves discussion before, during, and after reading the book. These guided discussions improve general comprehension skills by purposefully developing a deeper understanding of each book. Using literature for the reading program also involves a wide variety of response activities, which may include discussion, writing, further reading, drawing, dramatization, or other artistic expression. These activities offer opportunities for students to demonstrate original, elaborative, and/or flexible thinking. In fact, some highly creative students later identified for our gifted and talented program are successful graduates of Reading Recovery or of the remedial reading program. The fact that this happens encourages a direct relationship between staff in these two programs.
Although classroom teachers may not state this as their primary goal, the four components of divergent thinking: fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration are important thinking tools for success in reading and language arts. Even before they can read and write independently, children can participate in activities that promote divergent thinking. Many picture books are available in both standard size and big book format, which allows greater visibility and participation. For example, after a shared reading lesson using the big book Mrs. Wishy-Washy (Cowley, 1983) kindergartners or first graders brainstorm other animals that could get in the mud. They then note that in the book, the pig rolled, the cow jumped, and the duck paddled, so they also brainstorm what other things animals could do in the mud. Each student then composes and illustrates a sentence about an animal in the mud.
Similar opportunities for fluent and flexible thinking occur after shared reading of the big book Meanies (Cowley, 1983). The book describes the disgusting things Meanies do, such as drinking their...