International research has shown that theme-based learning through stories significantly increases student engagement and motivation in curriculum subjects (Cameron, 2011; Maher and Yoo, 2017). Furthermore, literary theme-based learning functions as a resource for vocabulary development, discourse skills and language motivation (Cameron, 2011). “Beyond Words: Cross-Curricular Learning through Oliver Jeffers’ Picturebooks” will take this pedagogical approach with the aim of developing a deeper sense of interdisciplinary knowledge and critical thinking. Similarly, we hope to foster a sense of whole learning across school subjects, where pupils are exposed to learning as community.

This project seeks to explore the pedagogical benefits of theme-based learning with a selection of Oliver Jeffers’ picturebooks across several curriculum subjects for upper primary school students in a Norwegian primary school. Over the course of four semesters, we will facilitate one theme-based unit per semester that will span across several curriculum subjects, including English, kunst og håndverk, naturfag, and norsk. The English subject will act as the foundation of the unit where the core theme will be introduced through a specific picturebook. Kunst og håndverk, naturfag, and norsk will further explore the theme through various activities that support input and output literacy skills.

Anchored in the theme of Community and inclusion as a counterforce to exclusion, each picturebook featured in this project will present thematic material associated with global citizenship, individual and collective identities, and belonging. For example, one of our selected picturebooks, Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth (Oliver Jeffers, 2021), challenges the reader to consider their own position as a global citizen within community and the need for kindness amongst civilisations. Our goal with this picturebook is for pupils to engage with, reflect on, and respond to the thematic content across several curriculum subjects.

Despite the numerous studies undertaken on cross-curricular teaching across the globe, little research has been done within a Norwegian context. Therefore, using literature as a foundation for theme-based learning in this context allows us to explore the pedagogical benefits of such an approach in a Norwegian school. This will be a compelling and much-needed contribution to the current research field both nationally and internationally.

Our primary research question is “How can theme-based, cross-curricular learning through Oliver Jeffers’ picturebook positively impact pupils’ engagement with English as a school subject?”. Our subquestions are “How can theme-based learning improve pupils’ understanding of community?” and “How can theme-based learning with Oliver Jeffers’ picturebooks impact pupils’ literacy skills?”. As Dalgård skole will take the national English test during our research period, we find it important to consider how our interventions might impact English language learning which justifies our primary research question. Our first subquestion directly relates to the overall theme outlined by USSiT, while our second subquestion will relate to literacy skills development associated with each of the project subjects.

The teachers will participate in workshops facilitated by the project leaders at the beginning of each unit. Data will be collected by Dr Jade Dillon-Craig through class observations, post-unit interviews with a pupil focus group and the participating teachers, and pupil classwork. The project will follow the participating pupils as they progress from 4th grade to 6th grade. 
 

Publications

Overview of all publications in The Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA)

Dissemination and outreach

• 2026, 22 April: Pecha Kucha presentation at INCLUSCHOOL conference (information only in Norwegian), NTNU.
• We plan to publish our findings in an academic article with an esteemed, peer reviewed journal upon the completion of the project in 2027. Further, we will present our findings at a seminar organised by the Children’s Literature in Education and Research (CLEAR) research group at NTNU. The Association for Children’s Literature in English in Norway (ARCLEN) has also agreed to share our findings at their annual seminar in 2027.

• The Section for English and Foreign Languages, Department of Teacher Education, NTNU
• Dalgård skole og ressurssenter