LITERATURE FOR 21st CENTURY STUDENTS

Students need many opportunities to read and engage in literacy activities, however, struggling readers require additional support if they are to be successful. Children's literature provides a relevant way to introduce students to the pleasures and rewards of reading (Wood, Flood & Lapp, 1994, p. 67). Such literature is written specifically for and by children and provides personal value (enjoyment, imagination, understanding, empathy, moral reasoning) and academic value (reading, expression in speech and writing, content area subjects) for them.

Besides the traditional classroom libraries, teachers can use online libraries, computers and dvd players to engage their students. Technology in the form of electronic books can be used to engage students in children's literature. They typically replicate traditional storybooks but add multimedia effects to support student understanding of the content (Shamir & Korat, 2006). Through retellings, students are encouraged to create their own versions of the text, a technique that enhances their ability to answer questions and improve text comprehension (Caldwell & Leslie, 2005).

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has stated that technology should be employed as an active part of the learning process. So, children's literature can be transformed into an electronic format in the classroom, thus allowing students to track their own print and visual representations of the story. It can also be used to teach them about their personal fears and conditions through identifying with characters in the text; and the stories can be directly related to the curriculum. Consequently, administrators have a role to play by promoting the widespread use of children's literature to support reading in all curriculum areas; and teachers at all levels of the educational continuum should move from traditional forms of instruction to multimedia and active learning.