The Reading Adventures Continue

For seventy-two years the Children’s Book Council of Australia has been running the book week celebrations. In the library we honoured book week by studying the shortlisted and notable books that have been produced in the preceding year. This study culminates with our annual book parade. As usual, the students and staff went to a great deal of trouble to showcase their favourite book characters and demonstrate their love of literature.

The highlight of the parade was the arrival of Skippin the library dog, our mascot. Skippin is named after the first principal of Cromer Public School, Lyle Skippin.  The students read and enjoy literature in the Lyle Skippin library in honour of the man who imparted his love of reading to the first students in our school. His legacy burns bright in our library.

Cromer students again participated in the MS Readathon. This is the fourth year that we have participated in this event. Eighty-one students have signed up and together, have raised $2100.

Fifty-eight students completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge and will receive their certificates in November.

The students in Kindergarten to Year 2 greatly enjoyed the visit of author Rebecca Johnson to our school. Rebecca noted that the students were extremely engaged, respectful and a joy to have as an audience. The students have been very keen to borrow copies of her books as a result of this inspirational visit.

The students in the primary school were greatly entertained by author/illustrator Martin Chatterton who regaled them with the stories of his journey as a writer and illustrator and entertained them by drawing caricatures of a number of students and teachers. It is always exciting for students to meet authors in the flesh.

The Program of Study for Term Four

Kindergarten

The students in kindergarten will undertake a study of the non-fiction genre. Non-fiction texts help students to learn about the real world. The challenge is to match high interest topics with the reading ability of the student. Studies show that students who are reluctant to read fiction texts can become motivated to read when introduced to appropriate non-fiction.

I have found that past kindergarten students have really enjoyed the items in our non-fiction collection dealing with the topic of weather. They are especially interested in the subject of extreme weather such as tornadoes and hurricanes.

 Our studies of the weather this term will incorporate fiction, non-fiction and digital stories, activities and texts.

Stage One ( Years One and Two) and K/6J

Aaron Blabey is one of Australia's most loved authors for children. He has nearly four million books in print, many of which are multiple award winners. He was the 2012 National Literacy Ambassador and, in 2015, The Brothers Quibble was featured in National Simultaneous Storytime.

Blabey's books are extremely popular in our school library and in 29 other countries. He often uses the poetic genre and his stories are humorous, often with a moral. The text is always supported by his engaging illustrations.

The students in stage one will study eleven books in this unit.

Stage Two (Years Three and Four)

A unit of work has been designed to support the Stage 2 geography unit. In this study the students will focus on Uluru. The resources which will be accessed in Stile are aimed to help students acquire the skills and develop the knowledge needed to become geographically aware and active students. Themes of sustainability, Aboriginal peoples (Anangu), the natural environment and the values of different people can be seen through the links provided. Uluru is an iconic, world heritage site about which everyone has an opinion. Ultimately the value in which people hold Uluru, in turn impacts the rock itself, its surrounding environments and the traditional custodians of the land.

Stage Three ( Years Five and Six)

The students in stage three will undertake a research project investigating two significant sites in Australia, Lorna Glen Western Australia and Fraser Island. Lessons have been devised in Stile which will enable investigations of the geographical features, native fauna and the traditional owners of each region.

The aim of this unit of study is to hone the research skills of the students while helping them to gain greater awareness of the Aboriginal perspective and a deeper respect for Australian significant sites and the animals and people that inhabit them.

Annual Stocktake

The library will be closed for borrowing from week eight of this term while we undertake the annual stocktake. We ask that all books be returned to library by the end of week seven.

Escape to Everywhere with Books in Term 3.

The theme for book week this year is Escape to Everywhere. We are very excited to explore the high quality literature found in Children’s Book Council shortlist and the list of notable books for the current year. The students at Cromer are very much looking forward to our annual book parade which will take place on Thursday August 31^st.

MS Readathon 

The MS Readathon is an event in which people of all ages can read as much as possible during the month of August and make a difference in the lives of people with multiple sclerosis. Funds raised will go towards providing vital support and services for people living with MS. Each year we encourage our Cromer students to participate in this event. We have a number of staff members and students who have relatives who are suffering from Multiple Sclerosis.

You can follow the link below to register:

www.msreadathon.org.au

The Premier's Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge closes on August 25^th. Sixty-seven students have completed the challenge. All students are encouraged to make sure that their reading logs are up-to-date.

Visiting Presenters

As part of our book week celebrations two authors will visit the school in August.

On Tuesday August 15^th  Rebecca Johnson, author of the Juliet – Nearly a Vet and the Vet Cadet series will be visiting our school to talk to the children in kindergarten and years one and two  about how she writes her narratives. She will also be working with the students to hone their own writing skills.

On Thursday August 17^th author/illustrator Martin Chatterton will address the students in the primary school. Martin has been illustrating and writing successfully for over thirty years. His children’s’ books have been published in more than a dozen languages and have won many awards. He is an engaging comedic speaker whose performances feature large-scale ‘live’ drawing and audience participation.

We are greatly looking forward to these presentations.

The Library Program

Each year the Children's Book Council of Australia highlights the quality literature which has been created for children in the preceding year. The announcement of the list of notable and short listed books brings children and quality literature together and culminates with the celebration of Book Week.

A highlight of Book Week is the annual book parade and visits from authors and illustrators.

The books to be studied are listed below:  

Kindergarten and K/6J

Go Home Cheeky Animals by Johanna Bell and Dion Beasley

Chip by Kylie Howarth

Pig the Winner by Aaron Blabey

Take Ted Instead by Cassandra Webb and Amanda Francey

Little Bear’s First Sleep by Lesley Gibbes and Lisa Stewart

What Do They Do with All the Poo from all the animals in the Zoo?  By Anh do

The Whole Caboodle by Lisa Shanahan and Leila Rudge

Monster  by Andrew Daddo and Bruce Whatley

Gary  by Leila Rudge

Ducks Away by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek

Stage One (Years One and Two)

Stanley by Colin Thompson

Mr Chicken Arriva a Roma by Leigh Hobbs

Twig by Aura Parker

Blue Sky Yellow Kite  by Janet Holmes and Jonathan Bentley

Pandamonia by Chris Owen and Chris Nixon

Hattie Helps Out  by Jane Goodwin , Davina Bell and Freya Blackwod

Snail and Turtle Rainy DAys by Stephen Michael King

Somewhere Else by Gus Gordon

I’m Australian Too by Mem Fox and Ronojoy  Ghosh

Welcome to Country by Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy

Small Things by Mel Tregonning

Colours of Australia by Bronwyn Bancroft

Stage Two (Years Three and Four)

Out by Angela May George  and Owen Swan

The Patchwork Bike by Maxine Beneba Clarke and Van T Rudd

My Brother by Dee Oliver and Tiffany Huxley

The Fabulous Friend Machine By Nick Bland

Home in the Rain by Bob Graham

Cyclone by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley

Small Things by Mel Tregonning

Milo A Moving Story by Tohby Riddle

Something Wonderful by Raewyn Ciasley and Karen Blair

A Soldier Boy and his Dog by Libby Hathorn

Stage Three (Years Five and Six)

A lesson has been created in Stile for each of the following books. The students will have the opportunity to analyse each book, research the authors, answer literal and inferential questions on chapters that they have read and rank the books making recommendations for their fellow students.

Artie and the Grime Wave by Richard Roxburgh

The Unforgettable What’s His Name by Paul Jennings

Dragon Fly Song  by Wendy Orr

Magrit by Lee Battersby

Jimmy Cook Discovers Third Grade by Kate and Jol Temple

Within These Walls by Robyn Bavati

A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee

Wicked’s  Way by Anna Feinberg

Small Things by Mel Tregonning

A Soldier Boy and his Dog by Libby Hathorn

Welcome to Country by Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy

Mrs Whitlam by Bruce Pasco

Happy reading in term three!

A Future Focused Learning Project

The students in 4M have been participating in an innovative learning experience on Thursday afternoons in the library working with Mr McEvoy and me.

The lessons incorporated   project-based learning and provided the students with the opportunity to engage in real world connections. These connections were explored within the disciplines of STEAM i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.

The aim of the project was to enable the students to embark on a learning task which would equip them with skills that they need to learn in order to become flexible thinkers, resilient problem solvers and socially aware entrepreneurs.

The students read the book The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan. They then watched the academy award  winning film adaptation  of The Lost Thing and, using their visual literacy skills, discussed and compared the elements in the transition of book to film.  The central theme of belonging was also explored.

The main character in the book is a collector of bottle tops. The students were given the task of designing a bottle top which had significant meaning. They were then filmed sharing their ideas with the class.

They then embarked on the design process of creating their own lost thing. They were required to bring a variety of easily accessible, inexpensive resources from home and were required to use the design process of Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create and Improve to complete their design. They were also required to write a character profile of their lost thing.

Mrs McEvoy and I were thrilled with the results of this design task and the innovative and creative ideas that came to light in the final filming session.

 

Reading and Learning in Term Two

The Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge began on March 6^th and will close on Friday August 27^th. The challenge is best explained in the following words from the PRC website:

The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely.

The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is available for all NSW students in Kindergarten to Year 9, in government, independent, Catholic and home schools.

National Simultaneous Storytime

The students of Cromer School will participate in National Simultaneous Storytime on Wednesday May 24th.  This event aims to encourage more young Australians to read and enjoy books. The Australian Library and Information Association tells us that:

Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. By facilitating National Simultaneous Storytime, we aim to:

•promote the value of reading and literacy;

•promote the value and fun of books;

•promote an Australian writer and publisher;

•promote storytime activities in public libraries and communities around the country;

•provide opportunities to involve parents, grandparents, the media and others to participate in and enjoy the occasion.

•NSS receives positive media coverage, generates a great deal of community interest and is held annually as part of Library and Information Week.

This year the story that will be read is The Cow Tripped Over the Moon by Tony Wilson and Laura Wood.

The library program has been designed as follows:

K/6J

The students will continue with the unit of study that was begun in term one.

They will continue to read together each week using the digital books in World Book Online Early World of Learning and will follow links to the related film clips, pictures and activities incorporated in the program.

Each reading task will be supported with a related fiction or non-fiction text which will be jointly read using the interactive whiteboard.

The students will then complete each lesson with a worksheet related to the theme studied in the lesson.

 

Kindergarten

The students will undertake an author study of the work of Bruce Whatley. He is a popular author, illustrator and artist. He uses a variety of illustration medium including oil paints, gouache, pen and ink and watercolour. Bruce's style is humorous and imaginative with his aim to entertain and surprise the reader.

This study has been requested by the kindergarten teachers to complement their studies of picture books by Jackie French with whom Whatley often collaborates to produce award winning picture books.

Year One

I love to present the work of Colin McNaughton to stage one readers. His work is a wonderful vehicle for introducing young readers to visual literacy.  Visual images are becoming increasingly more important in the modern world. Most information is presented with a combination of words and images.

 It is essential that students develop the ability to decode, interpret, question, challenge and evaluate texts that contain visual images as well as or instead of words.

In the study of visual literacy students use visual images to help them read and understand texts. Visual information can support reading and help the reader to make meaning of the text .  The humorous and entertaining work of Colin McNaughton is a great place to start such a study.

 

Year Two

The students will study the work of Stephen Michael King. He is a popular author, illustrator and artist who uses a variety of artistic medium such as oil paints, pen and ink and watercolour to create amazing illustrations.

His style is humorous and imaginative. He is an author in his own right but has also collaborated with some of our best known authors to produce outstanding fiction for young readers.

 

Stage Two (Years Three and Four)

The students in stage two will enter the fascinating world of author/illustrator Anthony Browne. His high quality picture books which contain elegant art, visual jokes and deeper meaning are a source of entertainment and food for thought for all ages. I really enjoy seeing the excitement of the students as they delve deeper into each illustration and discover all the hidden symbols.

Browne’s work is entertaining and engaging. The combination of text and deeply meaningful illustrations encourage comprehension and high level communication.

Stage Three (Years Five and Six)

The students are continuing with the study of poetry that they began in term one. We have completed books of poems which can be displayed in the library. The students have been very engaged with this project and they understand that the writing of poetry requires thought and skill. It is a wonderful vehicle for capturing a moment or reflecting on an event. 

The students are now undertaking a project-based learning task in which they will design a breakfast cereal and write a lyrical poem to advertise it.  During this process the students will:

• Undertake research on food using books in the library and World Book Online
• Brainstorm what their invented cereal will contain based on knowledge gained about food and nutrition.
• Design a poster to advertise the cereal considering the target market.
• Write a lyrical poem to advertise the product.
• Present the advertisement to the class.

 

Happy reading and learning in term two!

 

Launching Into 2017

We have had an exciting start to term one in the library.  A large number of students have volunteered to be library monitors and it is wonderful to see such interest in keeping the library running smoothly. I am thrilled to be working with this new group of dedicated monitors.

The library program is well underway and is outlined as follows:

K/6J

The students will read together each week using the digital books in World Book Online Early World of Learning and will follow links to the related film clips, pictures and activities incorporated in the program

Each reading task will be supported with a related fiction or non-fiction text which will be jointly read using the interactive whiteboard.

The students will then complete each lesson with a worksheet related to the theme studied in the lesson.

Author Studies:

Author studies enable teachers to share quality literature with their students. As the students share the excitement of exposure to engaging literature the skills of comprehension and communication emerge. The students gain a deeper attachment to books and critical thinking skills, reading skills and writing skills develop and improve.

Kindergarten

The students will undertake an author study of the work of Pamela Allen. She is an award winning author who has enchanted children for over thirty years. Her books are full of the music of language and are designed to be read aloud and shared.

Year One

The students will undertake an author study of the work of Eric Carle.

Eric Carle is an international bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator of more than seventy books for very young children including his most well-known title The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Year Two

A unit of work has been designed to introduce the students to junior chapter books with a view to encouraging them to borrow from the vast and varied assortment in the library collection.

Developing a love of reading as a recreational activity would be the most important goal of this program.

Making time for exposure to high quality literature enables students to become enthusiastic readers. They are given the opportunity to travel to interesting places, understand other cultures, explore a range emotions and new experiences and broaden their horizons.

Stage Two (Years 3 and 4)

The students will undertake a study of the narrative structure. Narrative structure is the structural framework that underlies the order and manner in which a story is presented to readers, listeners and viewers. The two elements of the narrative structure are the plot and the setting.

The students will read the original Grimm brothers’ version of the story of Hansel and Gretel. They will then read the Anthony Browne version noting similarities and differences in the retelling. Particular attention will be paid to character, setting, plot, point of view and illustrations.

The students will then undertake a study of a digital retelling and analyse such elements as music, sound effects, characterisation, intended audience, salience and cinematic techniques.

Stage Three (Years 5 and 6)

Poetry is an important branch of literature. Poetry provides a gateway to becoming literate as students are given the opportunity to delight and engage while increasing their skills of critical analysis.

 Poems use a variety of techniques -- metaphor, imagery, rhyme and meter -- to convey meaning. As students identify these techniques and analyse the manner in which they function in a poem their analytical and critical skills improve.

Providing students wth the opportunity to write poetry gives them the opportunity to express themselves creatively.

This unit of study is designed in two formats. There is a digital  lesson which can be undertaken in pairs and a formal class lesson. This series of lessons will be undertaken in rotating groups.