HOW, WHEN AND WHY CHILDREN READ CHILDREN LITERATURE. OBJECTIVES OF A COMENIUS PROJECT ON THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF CHILDREN LITERATURE IN EUROPE

Reading comprehension is one of the main objectives children should reach in their first years of primary education.
The importance of getting this competence is beyond all doubt. However, decoding a text, infering the intention of the author, learning new vocabulary and understanding increasingly complex texts, is something that the teacher should still work on once the children had learn to read syllables together.
Children literature is universally admitted to be the perfect vehicle to improve reading comprehension since it is motivating in itself and offer a great variety of texts and authors to be explored. The advantages of using children literature to improve reading comprehension and skills, to explore new vocabulary, to internalise grammar and linguistic structures, are universally recognised, apart from widen children horizons, help children to understand the world that surrounds them, get to know other cultures, other people, respect traditions, promote ethical values, develop a life-long pleasure in reading , have fun and accept other ways of being and behaviour.
The Comenius Project “The teaching and learning of Children literature in Europe” aims at knowing the way children literature is being used and taught in England, Turkey, Iceland and Spain.
The main objective of the project is to undertake a two year investigation into the learning and teaching of children’s literature in Europe. The aim if to gather, analyze and disseminate information about the current role of children’s literature in schools and in children’s lives in Europe, focusing particularly on the 8-11 age group. This will involve acomparison of reading habits, learning and teaching methods, and the cultural place of reading. The aim will be to produce recommendations with regard to a) best practice in learning and teaching, b) criteria for the choice and range of texts selected for teaching in schools and c) strategies for promoting international (and particularly pan-European awareness of children’s literatures. The project will also produce case study material for continuing professinal development of teachers, a website for discussion and dissemination, and a conference for academics and teachers from throughout Europe.