Bembo's Zoo

A good friend reminded me about a link I'd shared with her a few years ago and so we went to have another look. Here is the alphabet like you've never seen it before...
http://www.bemboszoo.com/Bembo.swf

The moon and Farmer McPhee

Margaret Mahy's new picture book is an absolute delight - exquisitely illustrated by David Elliot, it tells the story of a hardworking farmer who is oblivious to the marvellous moon that brings all the animals out to frolic and celebrate in the magical night-time, until one night...

Everything about this book is perfect - the story, the language, the art work, the book design (by Sarah Elworthy and David Elliot) with its cut-out window and open-the-flap barn door, and the whole experience leaves you with a smile on your face and the memory of all the times that you've been filled with wonder yourself at a world transformed by silvery moonlight.

Seen and unseen text for running records

Rachel from Whananaki asked a question about seen and unseen text:

One question I have for you is:

The Juls definition of "seen text" is a guided reading session and then put away to be used for testing the following day. This differs from definition in the standard where it says several readings. What is your opinion on that?

Heather replied :
In answer to your query- I have talked to some of my colleagues and they agree that the clearest statement around the use of seen and unseen text, is on page 13, Using Running Records: A Resource for classroom Teachers, (MOE, 2000)

"The text used for a Running Record will usually be a "seen" text - one that the student has previously read. It will not, however, be a text that the child has read so many times that they may have memorised the entire text."

Usually the "seen" text is one that the child has previously read once only. Emergent readers, however, may be given texts they have read several times before, because this can help them feel at ease as they get used to the process of having a record of their reading taken.

Kiwi kids' writing

Two books which teachers could imagine using as writing inspiration for students were :

Leprechaun ice-cream - Magical Tales by Kiwi Kids is the publication resulting from a competition for aspiring young authors (years 1–8), which was run by New Zealand Post in conjunction with the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2010.
It includes the work of fifty Kiwi kids from all over the country. An expert judging panel, including well-known New Zealand writer Kate De Goldi, selected the winning works from more than 7000 entries. The challenge for the competition was to “share your writing magic”, giving young writers the opportunity to interpret and explore the theme in their individual ways.

Order from Learning Media ph 800 800 565 or local bookshops $



http://www.learningmedia.co.nz/our-work/portfolio/leprechaun-ice-cream

and

20 winning stories written by New Zealand children!

When Scholastic ran a Short Story Competition through its Book Clubs, over 1300 entries were received. With the help of educator Jill Eggleton, children’s author Kyle Mewburn and What Now! TV presenter Charlie Panapa, 20 stories across three age groups were selected as the best in the country. Imaginations are thriving! Read these great stories written by NZ children between the ages of 5 and 13 and see for yourself.

ISBN : 9781869439958 Scholastic New Zealand Limited, September 2010 $20



Kevin has both of these in stock at Take Note Kerikeri phone 09 407 9721, or try your local bookseller...

Two writing teachers blog

From the Stenhouse publisher's newsletter, here is a snippet about a teaching writing blog and new book which is available to preview online...

The blog post I saw used a picture book to illustrate ways for children to write the noises a cat and dog make beyond miaow and woof...
http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2010/10/21/beyond-meow-and-woof/

and here is a post about helping student writers to "show, don't tell"...
http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/show-dont-tell/


Ruth Ayers and Stacey Shubitz, creators of the popular blog Two Writing Teachers, have translated years of wisdom on writing instruction into a cornucopia of practical advice in their new book, Day by Day. Ruth and Stacey provide encouragement and manageable, bite-sized "discussions" that teachers can review daily to continuously improve their practice.



This blog includes various quotes "words that are speaking to me" - here is one...

You have to be brave to take out that white sheet of paper and put on it words that could be evidence of your stupidity. — Sol Saks

It's a book by Lane Smith

I did a post back in January about this new book by Lane Smith, with its Youtube trailer http://libraryzest.blogspot.com/search/label/Lane%20Smith

Well, it is published now, and just as funny as I expected, and I came across this teacher guide from Walker Books Australia with ideas to extend it in the classroom - and there is a cute printable postcard at the end. http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/statics/dyn/1283737199726/Its-a-Book-Classroom-Ideas.pdf

(This is the Teacher site at Walker Books http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Teachers/Classroom-Ideas )

and check out Lane Smith's website http://www.lanesmithbooks.com/Home.html

and his blog Curious Pages in which he talks about how the book came to be and elements such as the pork pie hat in homage to Buster Keaton, and the jackass in children's literature...
http://curiouspages.blogspot.com/2010/07/lane-smith-on-its-book.html
and delights in other children's books...
"A site for all your reading disorders. Looking for books about teddy bears or rainbows or feelings? You’re at the wrong place. Here we celebrate the offbeat, the abstract, the unusual, the surreal, the macabre, the inappropriate, the subversive and the funky."

And here is a link to Kate De Goldi talking to Kim Hill about this and other books last Saturday
sat-20101009-1145-Childrens_Books_with_Kate_De_Goldi_four_new_picture_books-048.mp3

Ralph Fletcher and student writing

Ralph Fletcher http://www.ralphfletcher.com/index.html

Using your writer’s notebook
http://www.ralphfletcher.com/tips.html

Pyrotechnics on the page - preview the entire book online at
http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=9202&idcategory=108

Boy writers
http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=9033&r=&REFERER=

How to write your life story
Have a look at Writing Fix where this book was "Mentor text of the year"
http://www.writingfix.com/Classroom_Tools/MTY.htm

Kate De Goldi on writing

Here is the link to Kate De Goldi's post on the NZ Book Council blog as follow up to her visit to Northland schools in 2008, with her advice for children on becoming a writer...
http://bookcouncil.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html

How do you become a writer ?

1. First you must be a passionate, attentive and wide-ranging reader…
   
2. A good writer is second of all A Noticing Person - a good writer is alert in the world, seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling...
   
3. A good writer Records : you must note down everything you observe... keep a notebook...keep several.
   
4. A good writer Connects: once you get into the habit of noticing and recording, inevitably you start making connections between things...
   
5. A good writer takes what they have observed, recorded and connected up and gives it back in surprising ways... Two of the best tools are simile and metaphor…

And a bit more detail on encouraging that "noticing" from a talk Kate gave to teachers at REAP:

• All writers are readers and they are also incredibly observant people – they use their senses – need to encourage children to do this too – list the senses
• Ask the children to write down everything in the room that is red – from biggest to very smallest things…
  
• Then listening – their bodies, near them, in the room, outside…
  
• Be observant, notice…
  
• Smell – list a smell they love, one they hate… try to avoid bodily functions – no fart smells, also try to think beyond food - think about the smell, describe it in detail, what it is about it that they like, if it had a colour what colour would it be, what shape…
  
• Encourage children to be in the world in a sensory way and to include this in their writing… Start the day recording 5 things they noticed on way to school.

Writing Fix

This is a website worth exploring for ideas and inspiration, particularly around using picture books as "mentor texts" for writing activities in the classroom, also writing prompts / idea generators with interactive games for kids to select options...

http://www.writingfix.com/

http://www.writingfix.com/Traits_Primary.htm#forkids

The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O’Connor

A wonderful "small" story of newly formed friendships, mystery and unexpected discovery, set in South Carolina, and along the way too some great vocabulary...



Popeye (a one-eyed boy thanks to his uncle's mis-aim with a BB gun) is waiting disconsolately for the rain to stop and something to happen, when sure enough it does - a motor-home with 6 kids aboard gets stuck in the mud outside his house and things aren't quite the same again.

Popeye's grandmother knows words and gives Popeye a new one to learn each week, and these are seamlessly introduced into the story adding richness and humour. The first word is vicissitude and by the end of the book the reader has been introduced to nomad, reminisce, quandary, plethora, mesmerise, diverse, avuncular…among others, and some sparky kids and gone-but-not-forgotten coon dogs...

This would make a great little read aloud at upper primary. I also really enjoyed another book by Barbara O'Connor - How to steal a dog.
http://www.barboconnor.com/pages/books/novels/bk_popelvis.html

“Vocabulary knowledge is knowledge; the knowledge of a word not only implies a definition, but also implies how that word fits into the world.” Steven Stahl, 2005

From http://www.ldonline.org/article/Teaching_Vocabulary
Incidental vocabulary learning
The scientific research on vocabulary instruction reveals that most vocabulary is acquired incidentally through indirect exposure to words. Students can acquire vocabulary incidentally by engaging in rich oral-language experiences at home and at school, listening to books read aloud to them, and reading widely on their own. Reading volume is very important in terms of long-term vocabulary development (Cunningham and Stanovich, 1998). Kamil and Hiebert (2005) reason that extensive reading gives students repeated or multiple exposures to words and is also one of the means by which students see vocabulary in rich contexts. Cunningham (2005) recommends providing structured read-aloud and discussion sessions and extending independent reading experiences outside school hours to encourage vocabulary growth in students.

Reading and writing - influences on each other

The Reader in the Writer - Myra Barrs and Valerie Cork - this is an interesting and inspiring book based on research about what impact teaching children’s literature would have on the development of children’s writing...



1. What do children take from their reading of literary texts and how do we know? How does what you read influence your writing?
Used samples of writing throughout the year – to track progress, and changes, development in the children’s writing. Encouraged children to move out of their usual style of writing – tried out new language, found that students "took on the language of the text they were reading.”

• Children’s knowledge of writing styles extends both their writing and their reading. Here the role of reading aloud is very important – students need to hear the words. Parallels with ELP Chapter 5, page 112.

2. How far do certain classroom practices support children in learning about writing from literary texts?
Researchers used questionnaires, classroom observations, individual case studies, drama.
Most effective practices identified were:

• Reading aloud “brought to life by skillful reading aloud.” Reading aloud “makes the writer’s voice resonate in classrooms.”
  
• Discussions around the text after reading aloud
  
• Drama work around texts – led to strongly imagined writing in role
  
• Planning writing – but not too prescriptive
  
• Building in response and collaboration - working in pairs – sharing and helping each other with their writing. Reading your own writing aloud is important – need to listen to your writing to work on it.
  
• Sustained writing time – look at fewer texts more closely.

3. Are the experiences which help children to develop as writers the same as those which help them to develop as readers?
Less evidence gathered here – but suggested strongly that children’s reading was developing alongside their writing. Children much more aware of the texts they read and styles, narrative voice – curious about the way they were constructed.

4. What kinds of literary texts are particularly supportive to children learning to write?
Researchers gathered lists of books that had been used by classes and some books were used by all classes. Findings were:

• Traditional tales – demonstrate patterns and structures of narrative
• Poeticised speech
• Emotionally powerful texts – books which elicit a strong emotional response – helps children to take on another viewpoint.
  

For more information see http://www.clpe.co.uk/researchandprojects/research_01.html

What are the implications for teachers? Library teams?
Which books have you found useful to inspire and develop student’s writing?

Picture books and writing

Anastasia Suen’s Picture Book of the Day blog at http://picturebookday.wordpress.com/
and her Book of the week blog at http://asuenbooks.wordpress.com/ might be of interest.

These blogs recommend a picture book each day of the week (some days have a special focus eg Non-fiction Monday, Poetry Friday) with a 1 or 2 line plot summary, a short quote from the text (in italics), and a suggested writing activity for one of the six traits of writing

The six traits of writing were identified in the 1980s as a way to help young writers look at their own writing. They are

1. Ideas
2. Organization
3. Voice
4. Word Choice
5. Sentence Fluency
6. Conventions

The books featured in Anastasia Suen's blog are American, but many are available from National Library and may trigger ideas for similar books / activities.

Here is a link http://educationnorthwest.org/resource/503 to more information about the 6 Traits which has been expanded to now include a 7th - presentation...

The 6+1 Trait® Writing analytical model for assessing and teaching writing is made up of 6+1 key qualities that define strong writing. These are:

• Ideas, the main message;
• Organization, the internal structure of the piece;
• Voice, the personal tone and flavor of the author's message;
• Word Choice, the vocabulary a writer chooses to convey meaning;
• Sentence Fluency, the rhythm and flow of the language;
• Conventions, the mechanical correctness;
• and Presentation, how the writing actually looks on the page.

The Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate

It was going to be hard to match the original version of this story published in 1984 by Shortland Educational Publications with delightful illustrations by Jo Davies capturing the spirit of the story so perfectly, but Gecko Press have done it, with a new edition of Joy Cowley's story illustrated by Sarah Davis. As the author herself says "I’m in love with this book! Everything about it is utterly beautiful: the design, the colours, the characters... [Illustrator Sarah Davis] has turned it into a classic that people will hug for generations."



Here is a link to Joy's website, with various resources for getting to know Joy - her books and her life, and this page has some useful tips for "Getting young authors started" http://www.joycowley.com/stories.shtml

The artist, Sarah Davis is a New Zealander, now resident in Sydney, and here is a link to her website and her blog called Pseudoarmadillo, a Links page with various connections to "internet goodness" and a few pictures from her Sketchbook.

Joy Cowley’s book for new writers

Celebrated children’s author Joy Cowley distils 40 years of experience as a writer in her new book, Writing from the Heart – How to Write for Children.

Writing from the Heart is essential reading for practising or intending children’s writers – and could well be used by senior students or teachers as a guide to “best practice” creating engaging and exciting works for children of any age. Joy covers plot development, discipline, dialogue, humour, presentation and editing, and there are chapters on the special genres of early readers, fiction for children and teenagers, poetry and plays.

Writing From The Heart is published by the Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust and all proceeds go to assist Storylines in its work to promote children's books and literature. It is available from good bookshops and directly through the Storylines website http://www.storylines.org.nz
RRP $25.00

Video clips for the classroom

From the Reading Rockets September newsletter

WatchKnow Classroom Video Library : http://www.watchknow.org/
This wiki, guided by teachers, makes educational video available to any classroom free-of-charge. So far, WatchKnow has published and categorized more than 15,000 videos including offerings in literature (fables, fairy tales, mythology) and language arts (ABCs, vocabulary, writing). WatchKnow is a great kid-safe alternative to YouTube. And, you can add your classroom video to the ever-expanding library.

The epigraph on the website's header quotes Thomas Edison, talking about the film projector in 1911 "Suppose, instead of the dull, solemn letters on a board or a card you have a little play going on that the smallest youngster can understand."

Mirror - a new picture book from Jeannie Baker

This innovative and effective new picture book by Jeannie Baker is a work of art - clever, simple, powerful, gentle... The covers open to reveal two books, the English on the left, the Arabic on the right, which you can read simultaneously to reveal the parallel stories of two boys - one in inner city Sydney and one in a small, remote village in Morocco, North Africa, and how their lives are different, how they are the same...

Here is a link to Jeannie Baker's own website http://www.jeanniebaker.com/ which says about Mirror
"These worlds couldn’t be further apart, yet with the showing of the parallel lives of the two families, we see a simple truth. We see that in the context of strikingly different lifestyles, remotely different countries, landscapes, differences of clothing and all. The families are essentially the same. They care for each other, they need to belong, to be loved by their loved ones and be a part of their community. The simple truth is that even with all these differences we are all the same. We are the mirror of each other."

The Walker Books website has a fantastic Classroom Ideas kit for teachers about using this book : http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/statics/dyn/1278035825169/Mirror-Classroom-Ideas.pdf
This resource was put together by Jeannie Baker and the Western Sydney Young People’s Literature Project and is a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration for ways to use Mirror with students to generate thoughtful responses, discussion, activity and understanding...

And if you are lucky enough to be travelling to Sydney in the next month, there is an exhibition of the art work at the Museum of Sydney on until 10th October.
http://www.hht.net.au/whats_on/exhibitions/exhibitions/mirror_by_jeannie_baker

Mirror - by Jeannie Baker ISBN 9781406309140 Walker Books, August 2010
A must-buy for all school libraries.

Reading website for emerging readers

This website was shared on a library listserv - don't know if you would find it useful with your students ?
http://www.roythezebra.com/index.html

• Reading website for emerging readers.
• Free reading games, ideal for interactive whiteboards.
• Online guided reading stories and teaching resources with lesson plans.
  

Article : Second Graders’ Reading Behaviors

Here is the link to the reading from Heather Hardy's session :

Second Graders’ Reading Behaviors: A Study of Variety, Complexity, and Change
by Elizabeth L. Kaye, College of Professional Education, Texas Woman’s University
in Literacy Teaching and Learning, Volume 10, Number 2

http://www.readingrecovery.org/pdf/Journals/LTL/LTL_Vol10_No2-2006/LTL_10.2-Kaye.pdf

Motivating struggling writers

Lynne Shearman's great powerpoint on Motivating Struggling Writers is available under the "Powerpoints from Workshops" label on the right hand side...

Welcome to the Bream Bay Cluster

Hi to the teachers at the Bream Bay Cluster National Library workshop last Thursday... If you are reading this, then good on you for visiting the JuLS blog!

I've followed up by email to you with all the various bits and pieces, including the powerpoint, articles and links, but just to say that the wonderful collection of picture books we shared is available to browse online at the BBCJuls LibraryThing account.
Just go to http://www.librarything.com and log in with the details which I've emailed to you.

Don't forget that all the books are from National Library and can be borrowed from Curriculum Services - free phone 0800 356 000.