Georgia Journal of Literacy 2024, Vol. 46(2), pp. 20–37 https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.139 ISSN: 2833-7611 Practitioner Article CONTACT Dr. William P. Bintz, Professor of Literacy Education; College of Education, Health, and Human Services; School of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum; Kent State University, Kent, OH; email wbintz@kent.edu. Abbey Galeza, Doctoral Candidate, School of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum; Kent State University, Kent, OH; email agaleza@kent.edu. From Paired Text to Blended Genres: Pairing Picturebooks with Poems William P. Bintz Kent State University, Kent, OH Abbey Galeza Kent State University, Kent, OH ABSTRACT This article introduces the concept of blended genres and describes a rationale for using blended genres to teach important topics in the English Language Arts (ELA) classroom. It begins with a vignette that sparked curiosity about, and the motivation to develop, a variety of blended genres. It describes blended genres as rooted in traditional notions of paired text, provides theoretical background on the benefits of paired text, and highlights intertextuality as one important benefit, among others. It shares examples of blended genres and illustrates samples of instructional strategies used with blended genres to support intertextuality and student learning on important topics in English Language Arts (ELA). It ends with concluding thoughts. KEYWORDS paired text; blended genres; picturebooks; poetry; ELA instruction; intertextuality ecently, one of us (Bill Bintz, the first author) read aloud Mr. Archimede’s Bath (Allen, 1994) to students enrolled in a graduate class entitled Reading Across the Content Areas. Here is a precis: Mr. Archimedes likes to take baths with his friends, Kangaroo, Wombat and Goat. The problem is that the water in the tub always overflows and makes a mess in the bathroom. He suspects the problem is one of his friends. Mr. Archimedes conducts an experiment by filling the bathtub with water and measuring the height of the water with a yardstick. He orders each of his friends to individually get in and get out of the bathtub, watching the behavior of the water. Mr. Archimedes includes himself in his experiment and finds the surprising and unexpected solution to the problem. Bintz read aloud Mr. Archimede’s Bath for three reasons: (a) promote the use of picturebooks for teaching content area material across the curriculum, (b) demonstrate the use of picturebooks to teach about important science and scientists, and (c) introduce or reintroduce, students to the life, times, and discoveries of Archimedes, and how he used the scientific method to solve real problems throughout his life. After reading, Bintz invited students to share their understandings of the text and write reflections on the whole experience. All students responded positively about Mr. Archimede’s Bath, especially about using picturebooks to teach content area material across the curriculum. One response was particularly interesting. R mailto:wbintz@kent.edu mailto:agaleza@kent.edu Bintz & Galeza 21 I never liked science very much and was always confused about the scientific method. However, I love this picturebook because it makes the scientific method understandable. It is also a good introduction to Archimedes. This picturebook reminded me of a poem, “Bring Back Archimedes.” It would be great to read the book and the poem together to students. Bintz shared this response with a colleague (Abbey Galeza, the second author), and the response caught her attention. We recognized Mr. Archimede’s Bath and “Bring Back Archimedes” (Smith, 2016) was a paired text. At the same time, however, we realized that this combination of a picturebook and a poem introduced us to a new way to develop a paired text, one that blends two different genres. She and I started to develop blended genres of picturebooks and poems based on important topics related to reading and writing, including libraries and librarians; letters, words, and wordplay; parts of speech; school; books; and stories. We also created instructional strategies that teachers can use with blended genres to help students make intertextual connections across texts. This article introduces the concept of blended genres and provides a rationale for using this curricular resource to teach key topics in the English Language Arts (ELA) classroom. A vignette, presented earlier, sparked the curiosity and motivation to explore various blended genres. The article defines blended genres, building on traditional ideas of paired texts, and offers a theoretical background on their benefits, particularly emphasizing intertextuality. It includes examples of blended genres; alongside instructional strategies designed to foster intertextuality and enhance student learning. The article concludes with final reflections on the use of blended genres in the classroom. Paired Text A blended genre is rooted in the traditional concept of a paired text. Conceptually, a paired text consists of two texts that are interrelated in some way, e.g. topic, theme, concept, etc. (Bintz, 2015). It is based on the notion that “reading is making connections between the books readers are currently reading and their past experiences” (Short et al., 1995, p. 358). Paired texts help readers “develop both an expectation for connections and strategies for making the search for connections more productive and wide ranging” (Short et al., 1995, p. 537). The next section identifies several benefits of paired texts. Benefits of Paired Text There are many benefits to paired text for students and teachers. For students, benefits, among others, include: (a) they enable students to learn about one book from the other, and reading and sharing understandings of paired text can contribute to learning across all subjects (Neufeld, 2005, p. 302), (b) they enable students to share and extend understandings of each text differently than if only one text had been read and discussed (Short et al., 1995, p. 537), (c) they help students to read one text and in the process build background knowledge for reading a second, related text (Soalt, 2005, p. 680), (d) they provide experiences with multiple genres and content areas, (e) they demonstrate how different genres provide students with different lenses for interpreting text (Murray, 1985, p. 122) and therefore different ways of knowing about texts (Paretti, 1999), (f) they highlight different text structures, specialized vocabulary, captions, diagrams, subheadings, maps, etc., (g) they increase vocabulary by seeing same words in different contexts, and (h) they increase motivation to explore topics students are not initially interested in (Soalt, 2005, p. 681). 22 Georgia Journal of Literacy 46(2) In addition, paired have many benefits for teachers. Perhaps most importantly, paired text is a curricular resource that is based on a multiple-text, not a single-text (textbook), mentality. This mentality posits that multiple, interrelated texts help students read broadly and deeply, make intertextual connections between texts, and learn new information from, about, and through books. Paired text is also reflective of and consistent with Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2010). For example, while CCSS does not explicitly use the term intertextuality, the CCSS does provide a rationale for developing and using paired text in the classroom. One ELA standard states that students will “Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take” (CCSS, 2010, p. 10). Operationally, paired text is a curricular resource that helps teachers at all grade levels and all content areas to put intertextuality into action and address this CCSS standard in the classroom at the same time. Intertextuality The process of intertextuality is one of the most important benefits of paired text. This term was first coined in the 1960s by Julia Kristeva (Allen, 2019) and essentially means “to weave together” (King-Shaver, 2005, p. 1). Since then, much professional literature continues to focus on the importance of intertextuality, commonly referred to as making connections between texts (Harvey & Goudvis, 2017). Intertextuality refers to the “personal connections students make between the books they are currently reading and their past experiences” (Short et al., 1995, p. 358). Instructionally, paired text is one way to put intertextuality into action in the classroom. It invites and supports students in making of connections across texts. In the process, students develop both an expectation for connections and strategies for making the search for connections more productive and wide- ranging (Short et al., 1995, p. 537). The next section describes different ways to pair text. Ways to Pair Text There are many ways to develop a paired text (Bintz, 2015). One is to pair contradictory texts, two texts that tell the same story in contradictory ways. One example of a contradictory paired text is Rosa (Giovanni, 2005) and Claudette Colvin Refuses to Move (Wilkins, 2020). Another is to pair corresponding texts, two texts that address the same theme. One example of a corresponding paired text is The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage (Alko, 2015) and The Hello, Goodbye Window (Juster, 2005). Still another way is to pair companion texts, two texts that complement each other by addressing the same topic in a content area. One example of a companion paired text is Cycling: Lance Armstrong’s Impossible Ride (Sandler, 2006) and Major Taylor: Champion Cyclist (Cline-Ransome, 2004). These ways of pairing text are traditional in the sense that they consist of two texts from the same or similar genres, e.g. two narrative texts, two informational texts, two short stories, etc. Recently, however, much research has advanced the idea of the development of text sets using expanded, not traditional, formats of texts (Lupo et al., 2020; Tracy et al., 2017). For example, in addition to traditional texts like picturebooks, expanded ideas of formats include newspapers, cartoons, field guides, websites, tweets, blogs, songs, podcasts, poems, etc. Similarly, Cappiello and Dawes (2021) provide examples of linked text sets (NWESD Communications, 2019; see also Cummins, 2017; Pytash et al., 2014). These text sets consist of non-traditional texts like multimodal and multi-genre texts, including, among others, digital texts, YouTube videos, news articles, podcasts. These kinds of non-traditional texts offer students different formats to Bintz & Galeza 23 read, different voices to hear, and different perspectives to consider. Here, we share paired texts that consist of picturebooks and poetry and refer to these paired texts as blended genres. Blended Genres The concept of blended genres is rooted in traditional notions of paired text. Like paired text, blended genres consist of two texts and are used to support the process of intertextuality and enhance student learning. Unlike traditional paired text, blended genres consist of two texts from two different genres. Here, we share examples of blended genres. Because we are literacy educators, we developed these blended genres around several major categories associated with literacy. These categories include librarians and libraries; letters, words, wordplay, punctuation; parts of speech; school; books; and stories. We see these blended genres as a curricular resource that English/Language Arts teachers can use to actively engage students in learning, creating, and representing intertextual connections across two different genres. We developed these blended genres with several considerations in mind. These considerations included highlighting the important role of librarians and libraries; selecting popular topics in reading and writing like wordplay, punctuation, parts of speech; highlighting high-quality literature in the form of narratives and biographies and poetry for its content, rhyme, and rhythm; noting the power and potential to actively engage readers in the reading process and enable them to create intertextual connections and support new learning on a specific topic. We also created several instructional strategies teachers can use with these and other blended genres. Blended Genres and Instructional Strategies In this section, we share examples of blended genres about certain topics (Librarians and Libraries; Letters, Words, Wordplay, and Punctuation; Parts of Speech; Life at School; Books; and Stories) along with illustrated samples of instructional strategies (refer to Figures 1–6) used with blended genres. Blended Genres about Librarians and Libraries. The Storyteller’s Candle (González, 2013) is a narrative, and “Librarian” (Hopkins, 2018) is a poem. Each text focuses on the importance of librarians and together represent a blended genre. The Storyteller’s Candle is a dual language book (English and Spanish) that tells the story of Pura Belpre, a talented storyteller who became the first Puerto Rican librarian in the New York Public Library system. During the time of the Depression (1929–1935), many Puerto Rican people left their homeland and moved to New York City. One morning, on the way to school, three Puerto Rican children passed a library and wanted to enter. Mother explained the problem: they do not speak English, and the people inside do not speak Spanish. However, that afternoon, a woman named Pura Belpre came and read to their class in both English and Spanish. Afterward, she invited all the children to visit the public library; the children couldn’t wait to go! Inside, Pura Belpre lit a candle and read stories to the children. Afterward, she invited the children to make a wish and blow out the candle. The wish was to decorate the reading room to celebrate Five Kings Day, involving the community, all of whom heard people speaking English and Spanish at the library. “Librarian” is a poem about a man who opened a door and the world to those who stepped through it. The man was a librarian. Spheres of Intertextual Connections is an instructional strategy that can be used with any blended genre. One way to teach this strategy, along with the other strategies illustrated in this 24 Georgia Journal of Literacy 46(2) article, can include a two-stage process: teacher demonstration and student engagement. For demonstration, teachers can do the following: (a) organize students in pairs or small groups of 3– 4 to support collaboration and discussion, (b) prepare and distribute a blank copy of the strategy to each student, (c) display a selected blended genre to students and introduce each text with a picturewalk or book chat, (d) demonstrate the strategy by reading aloud both texts, pausing at strategic times to identify and record some intertextual connections between the texts on an illustrated class strategy, and (e) as a culminating experience, invite student discussions on the paired text, reflections on the intertextual connections, questions about completing the strategy on their own. For engagement, teachers can follow the same procedure with a different blended genre but this time inviting students to identify, discuss, and record intertextual connections between the two texts. Here, we used this strategy with The Storyteller’s Candle and “The Librarian” (see Figure 1). Similar to a Venn Diagram, this strategy illustrates three major intertextual connections: Power of Libraries, Potential of Libraries, and Power of Books. A fourth circle illustrates important differences between the texts. Table 1 in the appendix illustrates additional blended genres on a variety of topics and concepts about libraries and librarians. Figure 1: Spheres of Intertextual Connections The Storyteller's Candle & "Librarian" Power of Librarians Literally, both librarians opened a library door and invited people inside. Metaphorically, both librarians opened up new worlds for guests. Power of Books Both librarians knew that books can change lives. They knew that books could lead guests anywhere and everywhere. Differences (1) One librarian is anonymous, other is famous Pura Belpre. (2) In "Librarian," location is unknown. Belpre was in NY Public Library. (3) Unlike story, "Librarian" did not include multicultural perspective. (4) Historical time different in story and poem. Potential of Libraries Both librarians saw the potential of libaries for guests to build community, a place where guests of all ages and backgrounds can not only meet new faces but also bring new faces to the library. Bintz & Galeza 25 Blended Genres about Letters, Words, Wordplay, and Punctuation. Intertextual Connections Chart is an instructional strategy that can be used with any blended genre. Here, we used it with Noah Webster & His Words (Ferris, 2015) and “Dictionary” (Àmọó, 2019). Figure 2 illustrates four intertextual connections: Main Character, Need for Dictionary, Power of Dictionary, Dictionary Today. Short descriptions of how texts address each connection appear below. Table 2 after the article illustrates additional blended genre on a variety of topics and concepts about letters, words, wordplay, and punctuation. Figure 2: Intertextual Connections Chart Main Character Need for Dictionary Need for Dictionary Dictionary Today Text Noah Webster & His Words (Ferris, 2015) The main character is Noah Webster. The Webster family wanted Noah to be a farmer just like his father and continue the family tradition. Noah Webster, however, did not love farming, but loved learning and words throughout his life. At the time of the Revolutionary War in the United States, no such thing as a dictionary existed. Noah Webster created the first dictionary, the first of many to come. Webster forecasted that the dictionary would be a friend to all Americans. Noah Webster saw power in a dictionary. He saw it as a tool for people to learn, not just individual words, but also pronunciation and spelling of words, as well as words that have similar meanings. Noah Webster predicted that people would value a dictionary for generations to come. People will always search for the meaning of a word, as well as different meanings for the same word. Today, the American Dictionary is the 2nd most popular book printed in English. Poem “Dictionary” (Àmọó, 2019) The main character is an unnamed person who is also a reader, writer, and lover of words. The main character sees the dictionary as a friend and “helper to all.” It is a friend now and will be a friend with future editions. The main character realizes the power of a dictionary as a library in and of itself, and a helper to all throughout life, especially in finding and using words that add richness to the English Language. The main character also recognizes that a dictionary is universal and will be valued forever because individuals, especially readers and writers, will also need and want to search for the meaning of a word. Blended Genres about Parts of Speech. H-Map is an instructional strategy that we used with Alfie the Apostrophe (Donohue, 2006) and “Apostrophe” (VanDerwater, 2021). Figure 3 illustrates the letter H with short summaries of each text in the left and right columns and intertextual connections in the middle of the letter. Table 3 illustrates additional blended genres on various topics and concepts about parts of speech. 26 Georgia Journal of Literacy 46(2) Figure 3: H-Map Text Alfie is an apostrophe who does not want to audition for the punctuation mark talent show, even though he has perfected his work with possessives and contractions. Mommy and daddy apostrophes convince him otherwise. At the show, Bud Asterisk, master of ceremonies, starts the show. Alfie competes against Hiram the Hyphen, question marks, exclamation marks dressed in cheerleader costumes and pompoms, parentheses, commas, and a group of periods and hyphens (the “Dots & Dashes.” Alfie shows a magic trick, making one word from two (won’t vs. will not). He was the star of the show. Poem An unnamed apostrophe speaks to other letters, words, and punctuation marks, thanking them for his popularity but feels the need to set the record straight. The record is that he is a sign of ownership, like when he hangs around with the letter s. He also joins little words, like when he makes couldn’t from could not. He also talks to readers and writers, warning them to be careful when they use him. Otherwise, he’ll create distractions. 1. Both texts portray an apostrophe as a person and main character. 2. Both are cautionary tales saying the apostrophe is very popular but often misunderstood and misused. 3. Both texts stress the importance of the apostrophe for readers and writers. 4. Both texts use academic vocabulary for uses of an apostrophe, e.g. possessive, omission of letters. 5. Both texts use wordplay. Blended Genres about Life at School. Interwoven Connections is an instructional strategy that we used with A Fine, Fine School (Creech, 2003) and “Good Morning, Dear Students” (Nesbitt, 2005). Figure 4 illustrates four interwoven connections: Principal is Narrator, Disrupting the Normal, Element of Surprise, Lasting Lessons. Short descriptions of how texts address each connection appear above and below, respectively. Table 4 illustrates additional blended genre on a variety of topics and concepts about life at school. Figure 4: Interwoven Connections “Good Morning, Dear Students” Elementary school principal addressing all students. Good morning, dear students, please put your pencils down and go back to bed. Principal tells students today would different. They will spend the day playing outside not studying in class, and teachers will give them a rest, not a test, School is a place for learning and learning can be fun. Principal is Narrator Disrupting the Normal Element of Surprise Lasting Lessons A Fine, Fine School Elementary school principal addressing all students and teachers. Because everybody is learning so well, principal wants to have school all week, and on holidays and even in summer. Tillie, a student tells principal that because she is in school all the time, her dog is not learning how to climb trees and return sticks. School is a place for learning, learning can be fun, but school is not the only place learning takes place. Bintz & Galeza 27 Blended Genres about Books. Identifying & Describing Intertextual Connections is an instructional strategy that can we used with Book (Lyon & Catalanotto, 1999) and “Adventures with Books” (Blumhagen, 2015). Figure 5 illustrates intertextual connections in the middle and short descriptions of how texts address these connections in the left and right columns, respectively. Table 5 illustrates additional blended genre on a variety of topics and concepts about books. Figure 5: Identifying & Describing Intertextual Connections Book Intertextual Connection Adventures with Books The word book appears on every page and is illustrated in innovative ways. Both texts focus on the importance of reading books And I can find with one good look, Just what I want inside a book. A book is a house that is all windows and doors. A book is a chest that keeps the heart’s treasure. Both texts use metaphors on the power and potential of books Books are ships that sail the seas, To lands of snow or jungle trees… Books are trains in many lands, Crossing hills or desert sands… Learn the secret passages. Turn pages, corners, holding your breath. Book, Boon, Companion Both texts provide perceptions of books as a companion, one that is enjoyable adventurous and providing a sense of wonderment for readers. Books are gardens, fairies, elves, Cowboys, and people like ourselves Dear Friend, Dear Reader, look at the book you have just opened. What is it you hold in your hand? A book is a farm, its fields sown with words. Reader, you are its weather. Now you meet. Both texts use 3rd person narration to talk directly to the reader Come, let us read! For reading’s fun. Blended Genres about Stories. Z-Map is an instructional strategy that we used with James Marshall’s Cinderella (Karlin, 2001) and “Poor Cinderella” (Nesbitt, 2009). This strategy, like the H-Map used the letter H, uses the letter Z to illustrates intertextual connections. Figure 6 illustrates intertextual connections in the middle of the letter Z and short summaries of each text above and below, respectively. Table 6 illustrates additional blended genre on a variety of topics and concepts about stories. 28 Georgia Journal of Literacy 46(2) Figure 6: Z-Map Cinderella Cinderella has a mean stepmother who treats her differently than her two stepsisters. She was forced to work from morning to night. She started the fire and made meals every day, while others rested. One day, the King and Queen announced a ball for the prince. Cinderella was forced to make beautiful gowns for her stepsisters but was not allowed to go to the ball. On the night of the ball, Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother appeared and tapped Cinderella on her head with a magic wand. Cinderella now wore a beautiful gown, glass slippers, and a carriage waited to take her to the ball. She danced through the night and met the prince. In her haste to return home by midnight, Cinderella accidentally left one slipper at the ball. The prince found the shoe and looked for the beautiful girl who wore it to the ball. In the end, he found Cinderella, and they married happily ever after. “Poor Cinderella” Cinderella has a mean stepmother and does not allow her to see films rated PG-13, have a cell phone, notebook computer, and play video games. She has unfashionable clothes, no chauffeur to drive her to school, and no time limit for bedtime. Prince Charming announces a ball, but Cinderella has nothing to wear. She surfs the Internet to find things to wear. No fairy Godmother contacts her to help. Cinderella’s sister married the prince, and Cinderella still complains her stepmother is so mean. Concluding Thoughts We started this article with a vignette about a student who made intertextual connections between the picturebook Mr. Archimede’s Bath, and the poem “Bring Back Archimedes.” These connections sparked our curiosity and prompted new conversations about moving beyond traditional notions of paired text and towards developing and using blended genres in the classroom. We hope this article will spark some new curiosities, start some new conversations, and generate some new inquiry questions about the power and potential blended genres. References Allen, G. (2019, May 23). Intertextuality. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature. https://oxfordre.com/literature/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.001.0001/acrefore -9780190201098-e-1072 Bintz, W. (2015). Using paired text to meet the Common Core: Effective teaching across the K–8 curriculum. Guilford Press. https://oxfordre.com/literature/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.001.0001/acrefore-9780190201098-e-1072 https://oxfordre.com/literature/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.001.0001/acrefore-9780190201098-e-1072 Bintz & Galeza 29 Cappiello, M. A., & Dawes, E. T. (2021). Text sets in action: Pathways through content area literacy. Stenhouse Publishers. Common Core State Standards. (CCSS). (2010). Common Core State Standards for English language arts and literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. https://corestandards.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ELA_Standards1.pdf Cummins, S. (2017). The case for multiple texts. Educational Leadership, 74(5), 66–71. https://ascd.org/el/articles/the-case-for-multiple-texts Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2017). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension to enhance understanding (3rd ed.). Stenhouse. King-Shaver, B. (2005). When text meets text: Helping high school readers make connections in literature. Heinemann. Lupo, S. M., Berry, A., Thacker, E., Sawyer, A., & Merritt, J. (2020). Rethinking text sets to support knowledge building and interdisciplinary learning. The Reading Teacher, 73(4), 513–524. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1869 Murray, D. (1985). A writer teaches writing. Houghton Mifflin. Neufeld, P. (2005). Comprehension instruction in content area classes. 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N., Menickelli, K., & Scales, R. Q. (2017). Courageous voices: Using text sets to inspire change. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 60(5), 527–536. https://doi.org/10.1002/ jaal.613 Literature Cited Alko, S. (2015). The case for loving: The fight for interracial marriage (S. Qualls, Illus.). Arthur A. Levine Books. Allen, P. (1994). Mr. Archimede’s bath. Puffin. Àmọó, F. (2019, January). “Dictionary.” Hello Poetry. https://hellopoetry.com/tag/dictionary/ ?page=3 https://corestandards.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ELA_Standards1.pdf https://ascd.org/el/articles/the-case-for-multiple-texts https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1869 https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.59.4.1 https://www.nwesd.org/ed-talks/linked-text-sets-a-strategy-for-deeper-learning/ https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v42n1/pdf/pytash.pdf https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/v42n1/pdf/pytash.pdf https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.58.7.8 https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.613 https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.613 https://hellopoetry.com/tag/dictionary/?page=3 https://hellopoetry.com/tag/dictionary/?page=3 30 Georgia Journal of Literacy 46(2) Blumhagen, V. (2015). “Adventures with books.” Book Kids Blog. https://bookkidsblog. wordpress.com/category/book-inspiration/ Cline-Ransome, L. (2004). Major Taylor: Champion cyclist (J. E. Ransome, Illus.). Atheneum Books. Creech, S. (2003). A fine, fine school (H. Bliss, Illus.). HarperCollins. Donohue, M. R. (2006). Alfie the apostrophe (J. Adinolfi, Illus.). Albert Whitman & Co. Ferris, J. C. (2015). Noah Webster and his words (V. X. Kirsch, Illus.). Clarion Books. Giovanni, N. (2005). Rosa (B. Collier, Illus.). Henry Holt & Co. González, L. (2013). The storyteller’s candle (L. Delacre, Illus.). Lee & Low Books. Hopkins, L. (2018). “Librarian.” In School People (E. Shi, Illus.; pp. 28–29). Wordsong. Juster, N. (2005). The hello, goodbye window (C. Raschka, Illus.). Scholastic. Karlin, B. (2001). James Marshall’s Cinderella (J. Marshall, Illus.). Puffin Books. Lyon, G. E., & Catalanotto, P. (1999). Book. DK Children. Nesbitt, K. (2009). “Poor Cinderella.” In My hippo has the hiccups: And other poems I totally made up (E. Long, Illus.; pp. 136–137). Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. Nesbitt, K. (2005). “Good morning, dear students.” Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfound ation.org/poems/47154/good-morning-dear-students Sandler, M. (2006). Cycling: Lance Armstrong’s impossible ride. Bearport. Smith, D. (2016). “Bring back Archimedes.” Poetry Soup. https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/ bring_back_archimedes_807345 VanDerwater, A. L. (2021). “Apostrophe.” In L. B. Hopkins (Ed.), A bunch of punctuation (S. Bloch, Illus.; pp. 8–9). Wordsong. Wilkins, E. J. (2020). Claudette Colvin refuses to move: Courageous kid of the Civil Rights Movement. Capstone Press. https://bookkidsblog.wordpress.com/category/book-inspiration/ https://bookkidsblog.wordpress.com/category/book-inspiration/ https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47154/good-morning-dear-students https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47154/good-morning-dear-students https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/bring_back_archimedes_807345 https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/bring_back_archimedes_807345 Bintz & Galeza 31 Table 1: Libraries and Librarians Title Author Copyright Genre Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library Carole Boston Weatherford 2019 Biography “The Prologue” Carole Boston Weatherford 2019 Poem Library on Wheels: Mary Lemist Titcomb and America’s First Bookmobile Sharlee Glenn 2018 Biography “The Bookmobile” Kay Umland 1952 Poem The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq Jeanette Winter 2006 Biography “Hearing of Alia Muhammed Baker’s Stroke” Philip Metres 2014 Poem Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre Anika Denise 2019 Biography “Librarian” Lee Bennett Hopkins 2018 Poem The Book Woman Heather Henson 2008 Historical fiction “Portrait of a Pack Horse Librarian” Allison C. Rollins 2020 Poem Library Lil Suzanne Williams 1997 Fiction “In the Library” Charles Simic 2008 Poem Waiting for the Biblioburro Monica Brown 2011 Fiction “Poem-Mobiles” J. Patrick Lewis 2014 Poem The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians Carla Morris 2007 Fiction “Branch Library” Edward Hirsch 2003 Poem Bats at the Library Brain Lies 2008 Fiction ‘Don’t Go into the Library” Alberto Rios 2017 Poem Tomas and the Library Lady Pat Mora 1997 Fiction “My First Memory (Of Librarians)” Nikki Giovanni 2007 Poem Library Lion Michelle Knudsen 2006 Fiction “Don’t Go Into the Library” Alberto Rios 2017 Poem The Library Sarah Stewart 1995 Fiction “Because of Libraries We Can Say These Things” Naomi Shihab Nye 1998 Poem Splat the Cat and the Late Library Book Rob Scotton 2016 Fiction “OVERDUES” Shel Silverstein 2002 Poem Richard Wright and the Library Card William Miller 1997 Fiction “Library Card” Olivia D Michaels 2003 Poem Poetree Shauna LaVoy Reynolds 2019 Fiction “The Buffalo in the Library” Brod Bagert 2002 Poem A Library Nikki Giovanni 2022 Fiction “Library Poem” Julia Donaldson 2015 Poem 32 Georgia Journal of Literacy 46(2) The Library Book Michael L. Mark 2017 Fiction “Books! Books!” Jordan Hetrick 2015 Poem Table 2: Letters, Words, and Wordplay Title Author Copyright Genre A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams Jennifer Bryant 2008 Biography “Words” Gunadevi Rajaratnam 2022 Poem Noah Webster: Weaver of Words Pegi Deitz Shea 2021 Biography “My Dictionary” Carl D’Souza 2021 Poem Enormous Smallness: A Story of E.E. Cummings Matthew Burgess 2015 Biography “To E.E. Cummings” Brian P. Cleary 2004 Poem The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus Jenn and Jennifer Bryant 2014 Biography “Thesaurus-saurus” Charlie Brown 2023 Poem Stacey’s Extraordinary Words Stacy Abrams 2021 Autobiography “The Power of Words” Omkar Atale 2014 Poem Ann and Nan Are Anagrams: A Mixed-Up Word Dilemma Mark Shulman 2013 Fiction “The Tot and the Elder” Olin & Billy Foblioso 2014 Poem The Keeper of Wild Words Brooke Smith 2020 Fiction “Reflections” Lynne C. Fadden 2002 Poem Eating the Alphabet Lois Ehlert 1989 Fiction “Eating Alphabet Soup” J. Patrick Lewis 2014 Poem Tongue Twisters for Kids Riley Weber 2016 Humor; fiction “Toucan Can-Can” Kenn Nesbitt 2022 Poem Word Play Adam Lehrhaupt 2017 Humor; fiction “The Parts of Speech” Unknown 2017 Poem Table 3: Parts of Speech Title Author Copyright Genre Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why Every Punctuation Mark Counts Lynne Truss 2008 Informational “In a World of Punctuation” Lucy H. 2014 Poem Punctuation Takes a Vacation Robin Pulver 2004 Fiction “It’sFunToLeaveTheSpacesOut” Kenn Nesbitt 2012 Poem If You Were a Period Nick Healy 2009 Informational “Period” (In A Bunch of Punctuation) Jane Yolen 2021 Poem Bintz & Galeza 33 Exclamation Mark Amy Krouse Rosenthal 2013 Fiction “!!!!!!!!-SUPERHERO KABOOM-!!!!!!!!!” (In A Bunch of Punctuation) Julie Larios 2021 Poem Question Marks Say “What?” Michael Dahl 2019 Informational “Questions Marks” (In A Bunch of Punctuation) Lee Bennett Hopkins 2021 Poem Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why Commas Really Do Make a Difference Lynne Truss 2006 Informational “Stop Awhile” Brian P. Cleary 2004 Poem Greedy Apostrophe: A Cautionary Tale Jan Carr 2009 Fiction “Apostrophe” Amy Ludwig Vanderwater 2021 Poem The Girl’s Like Spaghetti: Why You Can’t Manage Without Apostrophes! Lynne Truss 2007 Humor; fiction “Apostrophe” (In A Bunch of Punctuation) Amy Ludwig VanDerwater 2021 Poem Code Blue – Calling All Capitals! Pamela Hall 2009 Fiction “Sisters” Lucille Clifton 2003 Poem Silent Letters Loud and Clear Robin Pulver 2008 Fiction “Silent Letters” Magiclight 2016 Poem Parts of Speech for Kids Erin Jacobs 2014 Informational “Parts of Speech” Mark Hurlin Shelton 2017 Poem Pre- and Re-, Mis- and Dis-: What is a Prefix? Brian P. Cleary 2015 Informational “POEMSICLE” Shel Silverstein 1981 Poem There Is a Tribe of Kids Lane Smith 2016 Fiction “Collective Nouns” Gregory H. Wlodarski 2021 Poem Nouns and Verbs Have a Field Day Robin Pulver 2006 Fiction “Signs” John Frank 2015 Poem Merry-Go-Round: A Book about Nouns Ruth Heller 1990 Informational “The Grammar Lesson” Steve Kowit 2003 Poem Fantastic! Wow! And Unreal! A Book about Interjections and Conjunctions Ruth Heller 1998 Informational “Sentenced” Vionet 2020 Poem Find Your Function at Conjunction Junction Pamela Hall 2009 Fiction “Conjunction” Justin Reamer 2013 Poem Under, Over, By the Clover: What is a Preposition? Brian P. Cleary 2002 Informational “Tire Attire” Hannah Borke 2017 Poem Many Luscious Lollipops: A Book about Adjectives Ruth Heller 1989 Informational; nonfiction “Life’s About The Adjectives” Michael Benton 2007 Poem Up, Up and Away: A Book about Adverbs Ruth Heller 1991 Informational 34 Georgia Journal of Literacy 46(2) “Silently” Josie Whitehead Poem Kites Sail High: A Book about Verbs Ruth Heller 1988 Informational “At the Seaside” Robert Louis Stevenson 1947 Poem Things that are most in the world Judi Barrett 1998 Fiction “Superlatives” Nae Ayson 2015 Poem Chips and Cheese and Nana’s Knees: What is Alliteration Brian P. Cleary 2017 Informational “Zzzzz” Kenn Nesbitt 2001 Poem Dear Deer: A Book of Homophones Gene Baretta 2007 Informational “Here Me Write” Babu 2016 Poem Table 4: School Title Author Copyright Genre First Grade Takes a Test Miriam Cohen 2006 Fiction “The Test” Harrison 1993 Poem The King of Kindergarten Derrick Barnes 2019 Fiction “A Kindergarten Song” (in Muse) Carrie Williams Clifford 2006 Poem Miss Malarkey’s Field Trip Judy Finchler 2006 Fiction “We Had a Field Trip Yesterday” Jack Prelutsky 2012 Poem I Didn’t Do My Homework Because… Davide Cali 2014 Fiction “I Tried to Do My Homework” Kenn Nesbitt 2018 Poem Field-Trip Fiasco Julie Danneberg 2015 Fiction And then a Flaming Pterodactyl Ate “My Homework” Evelyn Swartz 2021 Poem PECAN’S Spelling Bee Championship Roger James 2021 Fiction “The Spelling Bee” Rowe 2016 Poem First Day Jitters Julie Danneberg 2000 Fiction “Jitter Glitters” Krissy Miner Poem Last Day Blues Julie Danneberg 2000 Fiction “Teacher Blues” LYSS 2019 Poem Angela Anachonda: School is a Necessary Evil Kent Redeker 2001 Fiction “Sick” Shel Silverstein 1970 Poem Little Yellow Bus Erin Guendelsberger 2022 Fiction “The Yellow School Bus” Betty Hermelee 2019 Poem Walking to School Ethel Turner 1989 Fiction “Let’s Walk to School” Wigan Council No date Poem Big Test Jitters Julie Danneberg 2020 Fiction Bintz & Galeza 35 “Exam Stress” Lovewell No date Poem Thank you, Mr. Falker Patricia Polacco 1998 Fiction “Hero in the Classroom” Susan T. Apaarejo 2009 Poem The Recess Queen Alexis O’ Neill 2002 Fiction “All I Ask” Caitlyn Dwyer 2015 Poem A Day at Damp Camp George Ella Lyon 1996 Fiction “Summer Camp Souvenirs” Richard Thomas 2019 Poem Rondo in C Paul Fleischman 1988 Fiction “Audition” Hope Anita Smith 2016 Poem Table 5: Books Title Author Copyright Genre Wild About Books Judy Sierra 2004 Fiction “Books to the Ceiling” Arnold Lobel 2015 Poem Bookie the Book Loving Bear Sonica Ellis 2021 Fiction “I Love to Read the Books” Mohit Chahal 2013 Poem The Incredible Book Eating Boy Oliver Jeffers 2006 Fiction “How to Eat a Poem” Eve Merriam 1990 Poem A Child of Books Oliver Jeffers 2016 Fiction “Invitation” Shel Silverstein 1974 Poem Miss Brooks Loves Books! Barbara Bottner 2010 Fiction “Adventures with Books” Velda Blumhgaen No date Poem The World That Loved Books Stephen Parlato 2008 Fiction “There is a Land” Leland B. Jacobs 1990 Poem The Important Book Margaret Wise Brown 1977 Fiction “The Secret Song” Margaret Wise Brown 1952 Poem A Story for Bear Dennis Haseley 2002 Fiction “Good Books” Guest 2014 Poem You Read to Me and I’ll Read to You Mary Ann Hoberman 2006 Fiction “Read to Me” Jane Yolen 1987 Poem Read for Me, Mama Vashanti Rahaman 1997 Fiction “Read to Me” Jane Yolen 1987 Poem The Magic Bookmark Iraklis Lampadariou 2016 Fiction “I Am a Bookmark” Ryan O’Rourke 2017 Poem Look, a Book! Libby Gleeson 2017 Fiction “Adventure” Anonymous No date Poem 36 Georgia Journal of Literacy 46(2) The Reader Amy Hest 2012 Fiction “Storyboat” Bobbi Katz 2013 Poem Table 6: Stories Title Author Copyright Genre Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Famous Bear Lindsay Mattick 2015 Nonfiction “Pooh Bear” Elisabeth 2018 Poem Earmuffs for Everyone: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs Meghan McCarthy 2015 Biography “I Sing the Earmuff Electric” Mary Fons 2013 Poem The Marvelous Thing That Came from a Spring Gilbert Ford 2016 Biography “Slinky” Ima Ryma 2013 Poem The Boy Who Thought Outside the Box: The Story of Video Game Inventor Ralph Baer Marcie Wessels 2020 Biography “The Games in My Room” Kenn Nesbitt 2018 Poem Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen Marissa Moss 2004 Biography “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” Jack Norworth 1993 Poem Bill, the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co- Creator of Batman Marc Tyler Nobleman 2012 Biography “Batman” Jan Allison 2015 Poem Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story Cynthia Rylant 1987 Fiction “Appalachia with Love” Andrew Welsh 2020 Poem Kate and the Beanstalk Mary Pope Osborne 2005 Fiction “Jack and the Beanstalk” Summer Song 2006 Poem Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm Grimm & Grimm 1987 Fiction “Snow White: The Anti-Fairytale” Emily Reid 2013 Poem Little Red Writing Joan Holub 2016 Fiction “Little Red Riding Hood & the Wolf” Roald Dahl 2009 Poem Goodnight iPAD: a Parody for the Next Generation Ann Droyd 2011 Fiction “The Dragon of Death” Jack Prelutsky 1993 Poem The Wretched Stone Chris Van Allsburg 1991 Fiction “Too Much TV!” Roann Mendriq 2015 Poem The Widow’s Broom Chris Van Allsburg 2018 Fiction “The Witch Who Lost Her Broom!!!” Prarthana Gururaj 2023 Poem Bintz & Galeza 37 Playing Right Field Willy Welch 1995 Fiction “The Right Fielder” Tom Lakin 2021 Poem Received: February 18, 2024 | Accepted: August 5, 2024 | Published: November 15, 2024 Paired Text Benefits of Paired Text Intertextuality Ways to Pair Text Blended Genres Blended Genres and Instructional Strategies Figure 1: Spheres of Intertextual Connections Figure 2: Intertextual Connections Chart Figure 3: H-Map Figure 4: Interwoven Connections Figure 5: Identifying & Describing Intertextual Connections Figure 6: Z-Map Concluding Thoughts References Literature Cited Table 1: Libraries and Librarians Table 2: Letters, Words, and Wordplay Table 3: Parts of Speech Table 4: School Table 5: Books Table 6: Stories