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.

What good readers do...

Have a look at these classroom activities to help children learn to think about their thinking and the strategies they use to solve problems :

making animal creations from playdoh
http://www.wested.org/stratlit/ideas/animalcreations.shtml

and identifying what good readers do...
http://www.wested.org/stratlit/ideas/readingprocess.shtml

ICT Games

Mandy shared this resource ICT games - good for junior school, for numeracy and literacy, computer games and online activities...
http://www.ictgames.com/

Carl's Corner

Lynne shared this great resource - great for literacy conventions, alphabet etc
http://www.carlscorner.us.com/
Watch out for American-isms !

Sparklebox

Here is a resource shared by Raewyn at Juls Kaitaia today
http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/
Great resources for literacy and maths for new entrants...

Tumble Books - A Fantastic Online Resource

Hi guys, this was mentioned at an ICT course I went on a while ago and I felt it worth sharing. Tumble Books is a great website where you can find a range of books (with activities to accompany them online) at different levels. You can select a book and it will read it aloud while showing some animations/pictures to go with the story and some of the texts even highlight the words that are being read aloud. Worth a look . .

Here's what to do (this is how to get into the site the 'free' way)

1) Google Tumble Books

2) Scroll down until you get to the site that says 'Login to Tumble Books' - click

3) Click on 'click here' (this will take you to the Tumble Books site)

4) Use the search up the top to find what you are looking for

5) Select a book and click 'view online'

A fantastic resource - Good luck hope you find some use for it.

Michelle :-)

Just checking to see if I can do it. What a great day!

Book introductions

Chris just did a great book introduction for Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman - a wonderful wordless picture book about adventure and friendship, available from National Library (here is the online request form page).


Here is the link to it on LibraryThing

Book introductions - they are so effective in helping a child make some connection to a book and to excite interest, support understanding, engage...

Here is a link to a book "Catching readers before they fall" by Pat Johnson and Katie Keier which is available to read online.
Page 92 has a section on quality book introductions.

What makes a good Year 1 - 4 teacher ?

What makes a good Year 1 – 4 teacher ?
Supple joints High literacy Multi tasker Rich vocabulary Multi-listener Talking talking talking Organisation Child involvement Busy Mess Approachable to parents Flexible Focussed Clear idea of where at / where to Specific Belief in literacy Knowledge of techniques Open minded Sense of humour Different voices Aware Sensitive Creative Know your resources Able to access information Reflective Highly motivated Know your limits Affirmative with parents Empathetic not pathetic Focussed on strengths and needs Targeted teaching to strengths and needs Patient Organised Caring Intuitive Resourceful Flexible Healthy High expectations Enthusiastic Good professional knowledge Open minded Persistent Established excellent relationships with child and caregivers Knowledge of school community Knowledge of wider educational community Firm Consistent Sensitive Multi-tasker Anticipate possible problems Pro-active Creative thinker and do-er Patience Perseverance Problem solving Positive reinforcement Praise Consistency Encouragement Fun Calm Role model Passionate Child-speak Empathy Expectations Modelling Creativity Open-minded Realistic Self-reflective Approachable Knowing the learner Prepared Constant feedback

Ideas for what to do with weeded books

Some fun activities are suggested in this article available from the SCIS Connections newsletter :
eg making bookmarks and place mats, dioramas, book art, etc...

http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/connections/a_new_life_for_weeded_books.html