Hello from Shirley T

Hey Guys,
Hopefully I am posting a blog. Really, it's my second attempt. I tried last year but failed. If you can read this, then I HAVE SUCCEEDED!!! And if I can do it, then you can too.
I will put something more worthwhile next time.
Cheers, Shirley T.

Follow up from National Library session on picture books last term

Hi JuLS teachers - I thought I'd do a quick post on the blog to follow up from the busy afternoon session last term - from the evaluations some people liked it but some people found it too rushed - I'll ensure more discussion time next session...

The focus for the session was to celebrate the picture book and some of the ideas were :

• getting to know them yourselves - increasing your knowledge / setting yourself reading challenges / sharing children's literature in your school with other teachers - the importance of teachers as readers
  
• reading picture books aloud every day / more than once a day to your students and encouraging parents to read aloud http://www.literacyconnections.com/ReadingAloud.php
  
• borrowing from National Library Curriculum Services - here is the online order form link http://www.natlib.govt.nz/cis-online-request
  
• focussing on the wonderful rich vocabulary - word of the day, word wall...
  
• visiting LibraryThing and setting up a class LibraryThing of your favourites http://www.librarything.com/
  
• exploring the pictures / teaching visual literacy - looking for the details, allusions and references, use of colour and space etc - What is going on in this picture ? (seeing and interpreting) What else can you find ? (from observations to stories in pictures) What do you see that makes you say that ? (visual evidence to support opinions)
  
• talking about authors and illustrators - getting to know their style, discussing preferences
  
• using the language of books - jacket, spine, endpapers...
• sharing reading responses - eg using the Aidan Chambers tell me questions to facilitate thoughtful reading responses and discussion
  
• comprehension strategies such as making connections
  http://www.readinglady.com/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=2&MMN_position=4:4
  
• using picture books as mentor texts to inspire students' own writing http://www.writingfix.com/picture_book_prompts.htm
  
• using wordless picture books - teaching ideas from ReadWriteThink (IRA website) http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/creative-writing-through-wordless-130.html and here is a booklist http://nancykeane.com/rl/317.htm
  
• developing extension activities around books - examples shared around The Smartest Giant - art, reviews, website activities, writing etc http://www.gruffalo.com/index.html
  

Phew, it was a lot in one session ! You might like to look again at the powerpoint which I sent out and review the various handouts ?

We'll start our next workshop together (workshop 4 - 9th June Whangarei / 16th June Kaitaia) by sharing what things you have done with your students and picture books in your classroom and be inspired by each other's practice... As well as general feedback, please bring along at least one idea in particular that you'd like to share with the rest of the group.

How about posting something about what you have done on the JuLS blog ?! What picture books have you read read recently that your students loved ?

Did you get a chance to read the Michael Rosen talk ?

By the way, has anybody done anything with maps in their classroom ?

I'm looking forward to seeing you in week 8 and 9 of this term.
Cheers, Jeannie

The power of words

I've come across a couple of interesting books recently about the power of language - in particular how a teacher talks in the classroom - and some chapters are available to read online :

The Power of our Words : teacher language that helps children learn by Paula Denton http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/bookstore/tupowerofwords.html

Here is the first chapter : http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/pdf_files/pow/pow_intro.pdf
It is easy to read and annecdotal - these are the subheadings

• Language molds our sense of who we are
• Language helps us understand how we think, work and play
• Language influences the nature of our relationships

and the Goals of teacher language :

• Developing self-control
• Building a sense of community
• Gaining academic skills and knowledge

Choice words : how our language affects children and learning by Peter Johnston
http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=389&idcategory=0

and if you google "choice words peter johnston" it will bring up 120+ pages of the book at Google Books
http://books.google.com/books?id=tJJqZ_uSVxcC&dq=choice+words++peter+johnston&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=OHzLS6qmKIaasgOGxcyTAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false