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

UK list of "the best children's books ever"

From The Guardian newspaper, Best Children's Books Ever by Lucy Mangan

Increasing numbers of children are starting school without having been read to. But which are the books to get them – and keep them – hooked? Lucy Mangan introduces our guide to the best. So whether it's to fight the White Witch or snuggle up with the Moomins, make yourself comfy...
The following – a combination of personal recommendations, enduring classics and currently popular borrowings from school and public libraries – are suggestions and starting points only, of course (and the age ranges attached even more so), but hopefully there will be something, somewhere for everyone.

Best books: 0-2 year-olds

Best books: 2-4 year-olds

Best books: 5-7 year-olds

Best books: 8-12 year-olds

Best books: 12-years-old and over

This article refers to a recent survey of primary school teachers which found that over half of them said they were teaching children who had never been read a bedtime story... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/primaryeducation/7652760/Children-missing-out-on-bedtime-stories-say-primary-teachers.html )

Two things :

• I wonder what the story is (no pun intended !) about bedtime reading with the children in your class - how many have bedtime stories each night / most nights ? and who reads it to them ? where do they get their read-aloud bedtime stories from ?
  
• What do you think would be on our list of "the best New Zealand books ever"
  

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

Hi All,
I have a couple of Junior novels to recommend (if they are not in your library you may like to request them)
Hunter by Joy Cowley AND River Song by Belinda Hollyer,
I have been onto Juls Library Thing to add them.
Let me know what you think
Cheers Vera