Thinking Critically in the Land of Princesses and Giants : The Affordances and Challenges of Critical Approaches in the Early Years

During the last four decades, educators have created a range of critical literacy approaches for different contexts, including compulsory schooling (Luke & Woods, 2009) and second language education (Luke & Dooley, 2011). Despite inspirational examples of critical work with young students (e.g., O’Brien, 1994; Vasquez, 1994), Comber (2012) laments the persistent myth that critical literacy is not viable in the early years. Assumptions about childhood innocence and the priorities of the back-to-basics movement seem to limit the possibilities for early years literacy teaching and learning. Yet, teachers of young students need not face an either/or choice between the basic and critical dimensions of literacy. Systematic ways of treating literacy in all its complexity exist. We argue that the integrative imperative is especially important in schools that are under pressure to improve technical literacy outcomes. In this chapter, we document how critical literacy was addressed in a fairytales unit taught to 4.5 - 5.5 year olds in a high diversity, high poverty Australian school. We analyze the affordances and challenges of different approaches to critical literacy, concluding they are complementary rather than competing sources of possibility. Furthermore, we make the case for turning familiar classroom activities to critical ends.

Recueil de portraits des roys et reynes de France, des princes, princesses, seigneurs et dames, et des personnes de toutes sortes de professions, dessinez à la main ou peints en miniature, et pris sur des monumens qui font connoistre les differens habillemens de chaque regne. T. I, Clovis - Saint-Louis

Collectionneur : Gaignières, Roger de (1642-1715)

Inventaires des meubles et des archives de diverses princesses et princes français. (XVe-XVIIe siècle).

Inventaires des tapisseries, tableaux, reliquaires, meubles et « acoustremens » de la reine Anne de Bretagne, 1495-1511 (p. 1 et suiv.). — Inventaire des bagues, joyaux, vaisselle, tapisseries et livres de la duchesse d'Orléans, 1487 (p. 253). — Inventaires des biens meubles de Charles, comte d'Angoulême, 1496 (p. 267), et de Marguerite de Rohan, comtesse d'Angoulême, sa mère, 1497 (p. 293). — Inventaire de titres concernant Vitré et la maison de Laval, XVe siècle (p. 313). — « Histoire généalogique des maisons de Lohéac et du Pleseix-Anger, composée par le Révérend Père Du Pas » (p. 413).

The barefoot book of princesses.

Culturas de todo el mundo están representadas en estas siete historias. Sólo dos de los siete cuentos son conocidos: La princesa y el guisante, La Bella Durmiente.

Les trois princesses /

For voice and piano.

Royal Elizabeths; the romance of five princesses, 1464-1840,

Printed in Great Britain.

Lives of the queens of Scotland and English princesses connected with the regal succession of Great Britain.

Mode of access: Internet.

Two penniless princesses /

Mode of access: Internet.

The adventures of the six princesses of Babylon, in their travels to the temple of virtue: an allegory. Dedicated, by permission, to her Royal Highness the Princess Mary.

List of subscribers included.

Five Stuart princesses : Margaret of Scotland, Elizabeth of Bohemia, Mary of Orange, Henrietta of Orleans, Sophia of Hanover /

Margaret, daughter of James I. of Scotland, dauphine of France, by H. E. Butler.--Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of James I. and VI., by R. H. Hodgkin.--Mary of Orange, daughter of Charles I. and mother of William III., by A. Cecil.--Henrietta of Orleans, daughter of Charles I., by J. S. C. Bridge.--Sophia of Hanover, grand-daughter of James I. and VI., and mother of George I., by the editor.

Lives of the queens of Scotland and English princesses connected with the regal succession of Great Britain.

"Elizabeth [Strickland] contributed Elizabeth Stuart, queen of Bohemia, and Sophia, electress of Hanover."--Dict. nat. biog.