tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8366054230950242472024-02-20T01:12:17.293+10:00Footsteps of AristotleUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-89166470792509607102009-11-19T18:05:00.002+10:002009-12-23T07:46:03.742+10:00Quick Rec - win a copy of Conferring: The Keystone of Reader’s WorkshopYou haven't got long, so race over to <a href="http://writebrainedteacher.blogspot.com/">The Write Brained Teacher</a> to <a href="http://writebrainedteacher.blogspot.com/2009/11/meet-patrick-allen-interview-with_06.html">read the great interview</a> with Patrick Allen, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Conferring-Keystone-Workshop-Patrick-Allen/dp/1571107681?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Conferring: The Keystone of Reader’s Workshop</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1571107681" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. The book looks great, and while you're over there, you also have the chance to win a copy.<br />
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Go now.<br />
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Reports cards are almost done, so I'll be back with real content soon :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-56612280471776403422009-10-11T20:25:00.003+10:002009-10-11T20:56:58.926+10:00Pulling down other teachers to get ahead?There's a facet of Australian society called the Tall Poppy Syndrome, in which successful and/or popular people must be pulled down to be like other people. Bill Clinton calls our Prime Minister one of the smartest leaders in the world? Better make a joke about Kevin Rudd's big head. A scientist helps to find a vaccine which prevents cervical cancer? Report each and every adverse reaction to the vaccine. It's supposed to be related to Australia's equality . . .<br /><br />The same syndrome seems to be ever present in teaching. Over the last two or three years I've read books by popular teacher-authors such as <a href="http://www.c-t-l.org/">Nancie Atwell</a>, <a href="http://www.hobartshakespeareans.org/">Rafe Esquith</a> and <a href="http://www.ronclarkacademy.com/">Ron Clark</a>. I haven't always agreed with everything they've written, but there is a lot there I like. I've tried a lot of their techniques in my classroom - some have been a huge, raging success (Reader's workshop, levels of behaviour), some which have needed to be modified for my students/classroom/state requirements/country, and some have had to be put aside for further reflection/rethought. Most of all I have liked the way that these teachers have made me think, and have made me feel that it's ok to be passionate about teaching (or in Nancie's case in particular, teaching reading).<br /><br />But I've noticed, whenever I've turned to the internet to learn more, that forums and blogs seem to want to tear down these teachers personally. They complain that they have specialised circumstances which would never work for the rest of us. They complain that these teachers are setting unrealistic or insane expectations which is just unfair. They nitpick every little detail, using the one or two things that don't work for them to dismiss the whole concept altogether. They call them 'super-teachers' (not in a nice way) whose ideas are instantly dismissable by mere mortal teachers 'just wanting to collect their paycheque'<br /><br />The critics always leave me with a bad taste in my mouth, because at the root of Nancie and Rafe and Ron's work I see an absolute passion for teaching and a belief that education is a pathway worth following. And I can't, for a moment, understand what it so wrong with that. If you don't like part of what they do then adapt it, or exchange it for something that will work for you. Stop blaming them for thing that aren't working for you.<br /><br />I, personally, see this too(on a different scale :) ). I am blessed, after three terms of work, with a class which lines up neatly, works hard, are considerate and seem to enjoy most learning situations. I get told that this is because they're gifted and therefore well behaved, or because they're not a real class, that I don't have to work hard to get this kind of behaviour, enthusiasm or results. Unsurprisingly, I find these comments difficult. I spent a good 3 or 4 weeks constantly drilling in my expectations of behaviour at the beginning of the year. I expect them to be lined up in two straight lines facing the front, and we will practice if it's not good enough (and we have practiced). I have very high expectations of behaviour, down to requesting students walk quietly up the stairs into our classroom (visitors are always noisier than we are now). And classroom work is aimed at the level of the students, often hands on, and surrounded in the expectation that the students can do well at it (and celebration when they do well).<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, things definately go pear-shaped from time to time, but because we've built up a good classroom environment, things generally run smoothly. So to be told I've had no part in that, or it can never be recreated with another group, is frankly a little offensive.<br /><br />Where am I heading with this? Well, the best teachers, as far as I can see, learn from each other, not by pulling other people down. I'd like to be one of those best teachers, so I'm going to keep reading books by Nancie, Rafe, Ron and others like them, because they've given the time to try to offer something to me. The considerate thing would be to take what they offer with an open mind.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-57050184188405909922009-10-05T06:28:00.004+10:002009-12-23T07:48:38.547+10:00New Term = New Books!Back to school today for the last 10 weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing my students and teaching them again, not so much to the increasingly dictatorial commands coming down from the government/department.<br />
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Once again, I've spent entirely too much money on buying books for the classroom (I get to read them first though!). New books for this term include:<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Graphic Novels</span>: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stonekeepers-Curse-Amulet-Book/dp/0439846838?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Amulet 2</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0439846838" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" />; <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kat-Mouse-Graphic-Novels-v/dp/1598165488?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Kat and Mouse 1</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1598165488" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Agent-Boo-Graphic-Novels-v/dp/1598168029?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Agent Boo</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1598168029" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Books</span><br />
-Mac Slater: Cool Hunter - The Rules of Cool by Tristan Bancks<br />
-<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Story-Time-Edward-Bloor/dp/0152052224?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Story Time</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0152052224" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> - Edward Bloor<br />
-Books 2,3 and 4 in the Samurai Kids series by Sandy Fussell (I already have the first one in the classroom and it's popular, so I grabbed these three when I found them)<br />
-<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ida-Plans-Maximize-Disaster-Possibly/dp/0060730269?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Ida B and her plans to Maximise Fun, Avoid Disaster and (possibly) Save the World</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0060730269" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Katherine Hannigan<br />
-<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Someday-Angeline-Avon-Camelot-Book/dp/0380834448?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Someday Angeline</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0380834448" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Louis Sachar<br />
-<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Starcatchers-Dave-Barry/dp/078684907X?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Peter and the Starcatchers</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=078684907X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson<br />
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I've also got the sequel to Peter and the Starcatchers, but the kids can't have it until I've finished it. And I'm keeping <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Operation-Yes-Sara-Lewis-Holmes/dp/0545107954?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Operation Yes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0545107954" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Sara Lewis Holmes (which I LOVED) to read to the class together.<br />
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Well that's enough to get me excited to go back!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-4538417831412402732009-10-04T12:46:00.004+10:002009-10-04T12:58:14.057+10:00One Term To Go<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_Mgfoj6Lr3RiP2UN8AIcS3RliAbGxJsJHzkT9ZMRBlQQvw4GPR1AO0df_iCOBH9rowHNL1EUOeVwoYS1FI9zNiKovs3ReK8Jb1anBt32Fw94euv6suIyoXi-WYINgBTqGommlERksiY/s1600-h/nanowrimo.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 222px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_Mgfoj6Lr3RiP2UN8AIcS3RliAbGxJsJHzkT9ZMRBlQQvw4GPR1AO0df_iCOBH9rowHNL1EUOeVwoYS1FI9zNiKovs3ReK8Jb1anBt32Fw94euv6suIyoXi-WYINgBTqGommlERksiY/s320/nanowrimo.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388573707904834690" border="0" /></a><br />After a lovely two week break (hello sleep and relaxation and lots of reading) I'm geared up for our last term of the year. Term 4 is an interesting one, report cards, lead up to Christmas and all the awards etc that come with that, and then the joy of finding new classes and classrooms for 2010. So within all that madness, I should plan a nice calm term without a lot of excitement, right?<br /><br />Wrong!<br /><br />November is <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a>. For those of you who don't know about NaNoWriMo, it's National (actually international) Novel Writing Month, where a whole bunch of crazy people try to write 50 000 words in 30 days. I did it way back in 2003 and 2004, but real life kept getting in the way in November and I've been unable to do it since. That part of real life is no longer, and I am back. But this time I'm draging my students along with me. The <a href="http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/">Young Writers Program</a>, associated with NaNoWriMo allows me to set this up in my classroom. Students set their own word count goals (they recommend between 5000 and 10 000 for Year 5 and between 6000 and 12 000 for Yr 6) and then set out to write their own novel in 30 days.<br /><br />The website has some good ideas for teaching NaNoWriMo (though sometimes you have to look for it a little) and I'm pretty excited, because my students love nothing more than a challenge. I'm intending to have a kick off and finishing celebration, and we may also have some special events throughout the month (breakfast writing, come on down). Throughout October we'll do a series of lessons leading up to it, and then come November - writing time.<br /><br />Along with continuing <a href="http://footstepsofaristotle.blogspot.com/2009/08/introducing-readers-workshop-part-one.html">Reader's Workshop</a> and going on with our unit it should be a fun term :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-21112977904814397752009-09-17T06:40:00.002+10:002009-09-17T06:47:32.159+10:00At the end of the term - Reader's WorkshopI had many big ideas for this term, with Reader's Workshop right up the top. At the end of the term I can confidently say it has been a roaring success for 26 of 27 students. They are reading more books, reading more challenging books, reading more widely and talking about more books. They are entering the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Zone-Passionate-Habitual-Critical/dp/0439926440">reading zone</a> with more ease and they meet me at the door every morning, excited to share what they have read the night before.<br /><br />The big turning point? When we began reading more and writing less. I talk to every student about what they're reading every day, and they write to me every two weeks, but most of the time is for reading.<br /><br />Improvements for next term: round robin discussions about general topics of character, setting, imagery, description, symbolism etc. Better record keeping for the students. Well planned mini lessons (I've got some ideas for this). Getting that last student interested. And more and more and more books!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-22134319076711627492009-09-14T06:15:00.002+10:002009-09-14T06:32:52.495+10:00Performance Framework vs. Personal LearningWow. That sounds a little dry as a title :) I'll try not to be too boring.<br /><br />Queensland Education has introduced the <a href="http://education.qld.gov.au/staff/development/performance/">Developing Performance Framework,</a> which aims to (to quote) "provide all employees of Education Queensland with a process supported by tools and resources that will assist all employees to develop their performance." In our school this means working in small groups with 'facilitators' to develop an understanding of what our job entails, what we need more work in, what professional development we might need and where our future career aspirations lie.<br /><br />It's been put together with all good intentions - they really want us to be investigating professional development which will assist our learning. But . . . well we had our first meeting last week in our small groups and it kind of bombed.<br /><br />There are a number of reasons for this - it was a Monday afternoon, just two weeks from holidays and we're all exhausted, could be one. But after a week, I realise that this way of working - sitting in a small office completing a table and talking about 'where we need to improve' - is at complete odds with the work I already do.<br /><br />Since I've started this blog I've really had my eyes opened to the ways we can use the internet to facilitate our learning. We have total control on here - we undertake our own reflection (with assistance of the people we come across and the questions they ask), we follow the blogs which cover topics which interest us, we follow the links they post to videos and articles and presentations and other websites. There is a world of expertise here, not just the skills we can find in a small group. Furthermore, this is a safe place to admit that you struggle with something, or that you want to learn more about something else.<br /><br />Since I've been blogging, I've learned about books and ideas I would never come across from the safety of the school. I've explored and questioned ideas which just don't come up, even in the professional reading I undertook. I've discovered that I can get great ideas from a band teacher in the USA or a early literacy blog in Australia. I'm communicating with brilliant minds and loving it.<br /><br />So, it's no wonder that the Developing Performance Framework felt tired and sluggish - why are we containing ourselves to a small room when there's the whole world out there!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-90883125316524292312009-09-13T16:45:00.002+10:002009-09-13T16:48:39.176+10:00Poem in Your Pocket: Wrap UpWell, all in all, Poem in your Pocket went really well. There was a noticeable buzz about poetry in the school, and many of the students remembered to bring their poems along. The special assembly was great, with a wide range of poetry shared, and a lot of people were stopping to check out the poems displayed around the school. Extra special was the poems placed into the tuck-shop bags - lots of kids got a kick from this. A really fun way to celebrate poetry!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-78029414828089452252009-09-10T07:07:00.004+10:002009-09-10T17:08:11.244+10:00Nice end to a bad day . . .<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1nn12BmZHFWeIBSkQwd3tEq7-hEdQQJES1q1DwscvUJMbcErL10Tc77dpDEB83DSa5JAm2ihsErgybwQYegVL7kRyXzS3CN9nGGNuPy2vuSC4MH2JQGlxu9C-2ZqF1kKDA1DdbyHpmw/s1600-h/Image29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1nn12BmZHFWeIBSkQwd3tEq7-hEdQQJES1q1DwscvUJMbcErL10Tc77dpDEB83DSa5JAm2ihsErgybwQYegVL7kRyXzS3CN9nGGNuPy2vuSC4MH2JQGlxu9C-2ZqF1kKDA1DdbyHpmw/s320/Image29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379579274805804642" border="0" /></a><br />So yesterday was a bit of a terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-day. After three years of teaching gifted and talented, I thought I was use to the slurs and attacks that come with it, but yesterday when someone tried to tell me that my job is easy because of the students I have and that I don't work very hard . . . oh, and gifted kids should be in the regular classroom to be 'an inspiration' and to help the others . . .well it still hurts.<br /><br />As does the strain of anti-intelligence which still run rampant through the school, the state and the country.<br /><br />But luckily, I came home to the best surprise from my parents who had picked up a book for me that I really, really wanted. <a href="http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Books/Pearl-Verses-the-World-9781921150937">Pearl Verses the World</a> by Sally Murphy, is a short story told in verse. Pearl's teacher wants her to write poems that rhyme, but Pearl doesn't have any rhyme in her at the moment. Her grandmother, part of her family of three, is fading.<br /><br />With Poem in Your Pocket day tomorrow, I really wanted to share this beautiful book with my class. Even better, I got to read this beautiful book for myself. There's something about really good books - they make you feel better about the world when you finish.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-12835033565591906942009-09-09T05:58:00.002+10:002009-09-09T06:16:33.271+10:00Fly In, Fly OutTwo years ago, my now husband worked about 8 hours away from home. He worked on a fly in-fly out roster - 11 days at work, 3 days back home. It was particularly hellish, put strain on our relationship, but made it possible for us to pay for our wedding and buy a house. And he got a lot out of the actual work he was doing.<br /><br />Why am I talking about this? Well yesterday, the <a href="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26046115-5013945,00.html">Queensland government announced 'flying squads</a>' of four, led by a school principal and 'elite' teachers will go into the 300 worst performing schools for a week to make suggestions of how they can improve. (BTW, the article has an error, we came 6th out of 7 states and territories, not last, but that's another story)<br /><br />One week.<br /><br />Yesterday this made me very angry. How dare they suggest someone can fix something in one week that we struggle year in and year out to fix! Today I'm less angry and want more information. How are they going to choose the principals? How are they going to choose the teachers? How will they persuade the teachers to participate - after all they're having trouble filling coach and summer school positions.<br /><br />What makes an elite teacher? Will it be taken from NAPLAN (National testing) results (like everything else seems to be)? Our best state schools in NAPLAN were from higher socio-economic areas, so are the teachers there really better, or do the kids come to school more prepared to learn? Will they take it from individual classes? What does this mean for teachers with gifted and talented classes who can get good results without pushing the children anywhere near their real potential?<br /><br />I really want to email my local member and ask her these questions, but frankly, I'm a little scared. If I email her, am I going to go on some sort of 'pesty teacher' list? Am I going to get a letter fom district office telling me to mind my manners?<br /><br />There's the real problem in this state. We've been put into a constant state of fear by our government. Fear over pay rises. Fear over the next statement in the media. Fear over the next set of hoops we have to jump through. We're tired and scared and that makes us feel we can't stay in this job anymore, that we just can't take the next thing they throw at us, no matter how much we love the classroom and the students.<br /><br />.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-87501178429026482532009-09-07T05:31:00.002+10:002009-09-07T05:42:29.848+10:00Two Weeks Until BreakWe have two weeks until we break for our two week long spring vacation. This means that the students are pretty tired, the teachers are pretty tired and we're slogging our way through to the end. On the other hand, my students and I are doing some exciting things, so we're tired but happy.<br /><br />Some of the things we've been doing:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.astrosociety.org/education/astro/bayarea/PocketSolarSystem.pdf">Solar system in your pocket</a>. This was an amazing way to really understand how BIG it is out there. The kids took these home and showed their parents and generally had a great time showing off their understanding :)</li><li>Reader's Workshop. This week is the first week they need to write a letter to me about a book they've read, so we'll be going through that this week.</li><li>Poem in your Pocket is this Friday, so we need to write and read some more poetry!</li></ul>What do you do in the lead up to vacations? How do you keep the 'get me to the holidays now' feeling to calm?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-72227494403255866172009-09-04T06:13:00.003+10:002009-09-04T06:32:13.833+10:00Part of a Team<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHJbag-1xoYBife0sVrPK_HM_mJhaYB01mEA4OhCB2-4G-6Jy6GQPHB0lnjXfowd54v0Dk62jiivHV8ZyqSN4kpcPKN_Ky22Xe_Fle9hv5cjWhL6taUgAWGDw93rRrD4bLfjFdiNIjTQ/s1600-h/Image28.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHJbag-1xoYBife0sVrPK_HM_mJhaYB01mEA4OhCB2-4G-6Jy6GQPHB0lnjXfowd54v0Dk62jiivHV8ZyqSN4kpcPKN_Ky22Xe_Fle9hv5cjWhL6taUgAWGDw93rRrD4bLfjFdiNIjTQ/s320/Image28.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377341375709754066" border="0" /></a><br />Yesterday we had parent-teacher interviews. At our school, we have one day of these a semester, beginning at 2pm and going through until 8pm with a break for lunch. Each parent who wants to come gets 15 minutes. How busy you are depends on your students, their ages and their parents, and I was pretty busy yesterday.<br /><br />My thoughts upon finishing was how positive the whole afternoon had been. Two years ago at my first interviews, I was terrified. I was sure that the parents were going to tear me to pieces. Now, I've been fortunate enough to know some of these parents for a couple of years, as well as being more confident in my abilities and the results I get. So there was no fear going into this lot of interviews, and I was really pleased with how these conversations went. Some things that struck me:<br /><ul><li>I'm getting better at really talking about the students. Because they're well behaved and high achieving, I used to struggle to know what to say and my interviews were about two seconds long. Now I realised I was talking for longer, the parents were talking for longer and I even went over slightly on a couple of interviews</li><li>Reading was a <span style="font-weight: bold;">massive </span>topic. We talked about the <a href="http://footstepsofaristotle.blogspot.com/2009/09/readers-workshop-further-reflection.html">books they were reading at school</a>, the kind of books they liked, how to find books at their level, book recommendations, books they read at home, how much they read at home, where they read at home, and good websites to find more books. Parents were telling me that they were thrilled with how reading is encouraged, how pleased the kids were that I've allowed them to take books home and one (whose daughter I had last year) thanked me for the book recommendations I made last year.</li><li>Little things I'd picked up at school had also been picked up at home. Makes it easier for us to come up with a plan to deal with it - we really are working as a team now<br /></li><li>I have two gifted profiles to put together for new students. Excellent!</li></ul>.<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo:<b><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#374047;"><i>Book Accident by Photos8.com</i></span></b></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-78689744222353145492009-09-01T05:53:00.003+10:002009-09-01T06:26:09.848+10:00Reader's Workshop: Further Reflection<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybOT4lft9YYiPmjt-mIPw5bIt6WhJ131iTWzNtp8VWrUPGgECZuDcQeNgHuZTQV-yCPmcRyzj9e46EXPyZWcPsJPmRKogSNSKbH0Ky7I_RX2v_cGJ_QA9c32MZEQrOr-vHwSi8CU1Q6w/s1600-h/Image18.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybOT4lft9YYiPmjt-mIPw5bIt6WhJ131iTWzNtp8VWrUPGgECZuDcQeNgHuZTQV-yCPmcRyzj9e46EXPyZWcPsJPmRKogSNSKbH0Ky7I_RX2v_cGJ_QA9c32MZEQrOr-vHwSi8CU1Q6w/s320/Image18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376226404070055218" border="0" /></a><br />So, we've had seven weeks of <a href="http://footstepsofaristotle.blogspot.com/2009/08/introducing-readers-workshop-part-one.html">reader's workshop</a>. During this time I have:<br /><ul><li>Set up a regular routine for silent reading</li><li>Bought a number of new books and graphic novels for the class</li><li>Established a routine of collecting and writing in the student books</li><li>Read more and more about reader's workshop and how it works in different classrooms around the world. (Check out <a href="http://thereadingzone.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/reading-in-middle-school-choice-independence-and-community/">this post</a> at <a href="http://thereadingzone.wordpress.com/">The Reading Zone</a>)<br /></li></ul>Yesterday I asked the students to reflect on Reader's Workshop and how it was working for them. I gave them an index card and asked them to tell me what they liked and disliked, what they thought was vital and how reader's workshop could be improved. I requested they put no names on their card, that they didn't tell me what they were writing, and I asked another student to collect them so there would be total anonymity and they could be really honest.<br /><br />The results were <span style="font-style: italic;">very </span>interesting. Almost all of the students said that they liked the reading and having time to read. A few mentioned that they enjoyed having the choice of what to read and where they got to read (we've got a nice outside area they can read it). Surprising to me was how many of them enjoyed the small group lessons we have been doing during this time.<br /><br />What didn't they like? Well they didn't like responding everyday. And honestly, when I tried to do it, neither did I. They felt that it took time out from their reading, and thus their enjoyment. They also disliked that I had set four books for them to try to read by the end of the term - again I understand that this takes away from their choice.<br /><br />What was vital? Books, funnily enough. Also bookmarks :) Students also said book talks (and we've had a couple of really exciting book talks so far) and group discussion.<br /><br />How to improve? More time for reading, less time for writing. Being able to take books home. Being able to write about books when they finish them. And one bright spark asked for more cushions :)<br /><br />So, we're going to work on this. My aim is to introduce proper mini lessons at the beginning of the lesson. We'll also do more reading, and the students will respond in letter form every two weeks. The students will be able to take books home and we'll have a simple sign out/sign in system (this is particularly vital for one or two students who don't have access to books at home). We'll continue to do group work, but probably less often.<br /><br />I'll keep you updated on how it goesUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-64027056804236455312009-08-31T06:06:00.002+10:002009-08-31T06:25:53.539+10:00Barbie Bungee: A Maths Investigation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59hVwOS7WlKw3gMZ2O2KvGJfLBRulfTGyDeZ7qQslbST2FEec7LrT50vjvEWrw43kSla5XLaZWcs3FPfiRTyuFsTglVaBMm7URMNnLXTm7Fl6nwRFN-JVu8QywKd5GKq1NKdOeFyaVag/s1600-h/Image27.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59hVwOS7WlKw3gMZ2O2KvGJfLBRulfTGyDeZ7qQslbST2FEec7LrT50vjvEWrw43kSla5XLaZWcs3FPfiRTyuFsTglVaBMm7URMNnLXTm7Fl6nwRFN-JVu8QywKd5GKq1NKdOeFyaVag/s320/Image27.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375855530132246018" border="0" /></a><br />Last week we completed one of my favourite maths investigations. Basically, we tied a string of rubber bands around a Barbie Doll's feet and threw her out of a really tall window . . .<br /><br />In reality, it's a lot more sophisticated. <a href="http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=L646">Barbie Bungee</a> is an investigation which covers a number of mathematical skills and strategies, but with my Year 5s and 6s really served to teach them that a) patterns can be graphed and b) predictions can be made from these graphs.<br /><br />To complete this investigation the class was broken into four groups (I have 4 Barbie dolls), given a Barbie Doll each and a whole pile of rubber bands which were the same size. We then broke the investigation into steps which were completed over a few days.<br /><br />Step One: Students learned about the investigation. They practiced tying the rubber bands (one looped around another then pulled through), thought about how they were going to take measurements (grabbing 30cm rulers, 1m rulers and tape measures) and practiced throwing Barbie from various places (important to get this need out of their system) We also talked about the goal - to throw Barbie from the sound box in our school hall, getting her as close to the ground as possible without touching . . .<br /><br />Step Two: Taking our initial measurements. Students staked out the best spots and dropped Barbie with one rubber band, two rubber bands, three, four and five rubber bands (and so on). They were required to complete three tests at each stage and then find an average (for accuracy) and they had to record their information in a table. This took one to two days. The best thing I saw during this was the use of different measuring methods (sticky taping two measuring tapes together) and creative placed to drop Barbie (out the classroom window).<br /><br />Step Three: Graphing the results: Students used their results to make a graph (number of rubber bands against distance fallen). They then used this graph with it's almost straight line to predict how many rubber bands they would need.<br /><br />Step Four: Test Day. We took the students and an audience to the hall and each group had three goes at tossing Barbie from the sound box. The measurements (how close to the ground) were averaged and the closest to the ground won. All in all, very entertaining and a fabulous time. We did a small write up afterwards - what steps did we take, what maths was involved, but nothing too much.<br /><br />A great investigation.<br /><br />.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-8581716212283519542009-08-30T07:46:00.003+10:002009-08-30T08:01:58.522+10:00Children's Book Week Recommendations: A Wrap UpHere are the five books I recommended over the last week:<br /><br /><a href="http://footstepsofaristotle.blogspot.com/2009/08/childrens-book-week-day-one-juggling.html#comments">Juggling with Mandarins by V.M. Jones</a><br /><a href="http://footstepsofaristotle.blogspot.com/2009/08/childrens-book-week-day-two-mahtabs.html">Mahtab's Story by Libby Gleeson</a><br /><a href="http://footstepsofaristotle.blogspot.com/2009/08/childrens-book-week-day-three-artemis.html">Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer</a><br /><a href="http://footstepsofaristotle.blogspot.com/2009/08/childrens-book-week-day-four-cherub.html">CHERUB series by Robert Muchamore</a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdL1xX496je__W0tDEjX9kMB0CUnMaXNG479coh5dABn0mehRp5f5N8nv91uB_tsEoY8YevNBQSHzVXgpCDjgv3-YSd0Hrx_UDmCm6w7FTylDYgLdMoZYu8skKSCbSh-TcJckd9Ux4o2g/s1600-h/Image26.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdL1xX496je__W0tDEjX9kMB0CUnMaXNG479coh5dABn0mehRp5f5N8nv91uB_tsEoY8YevNBQSHzVXgpCDjgv3-YSd0Hrx_UDmCm6w7FTylDYgLdMoZYu8skKSCbSh-TcJckd9Ux4o2g/s320/Image26.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375508848523065858" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://footstepsofaristotle.blogspot.com/2009/08/childrens-book-week-day-five-mail-order.html">Mail Order Ninja by Joshua Elder</a><br /><br />I'm also going to add a special teachers book which arrived from Amazon.com on Friday and I devoured yesterday. <span style="font-size:100%;"><span id="btAsinTitle" style=""><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Zone-Passionate-Habitual-Critical/dp/0439926440">The Reading Zone: How to Help Kids Become Skille</a></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span id="btAsinTitle" style=""><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Zone-Passionate-Habitual-Critical/dp/0439926440">d, Passionate, Habitual, Critical Readers by Nancie Atwell</a> was a short, easy read which let me </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span id="btAsinTitle" style="">k</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span id="btAsinTitle" style="">now what elements of Reader's Workshop I was getting right and where I might be able to make improvements. It also includes notes to the children and to the parents which would be invaluable in setting up Reader's Workshop next year.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span id="btAsinTitle" style=""><br />Even before I read this book, I was intending to review Reader's Workshop with the children tomorrow. I think this book will be invaluable in providing alternative ways of 'doing stuff'.<br /><br />.<br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-51797149992231324462009-08-29T07:00:00.003+10:002009-12-23T07:49:14.045+10:00Children's Book Week: Day Five: Mail Order Ninja<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRX4qwwOknHyKaM3_q5PEark73NFrd-BQGt4wDnjCUMnHZyKbmPsiS0W7iIjS1pDwe3s1LdRwz5lW9yerMDkgJewxeDiEv8OFs6DhM-NiOBK9ch406QrmbmorgzMT8rc6kmiGqEylRl5o/s1600-h/Image25.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375125040181864034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRX4qwwOknHyKaM3_q5PEark73NFrd-BQGt4wDnjCUMnHZyKbmPsiS0W7iIjS1pDwe3s1LdRwz5lW9yerMDkgJewxeDiEv8OFs6DhM-NiOBK9ch406QrmbmorgzMT8rc6kmiGqEylRl5o/s320/Image25.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 215px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://footstepsofaristotle.blogspot.com/2009/08/childrens-book-week-day-four-cherub.html">Check out Day Four: CHERUB Series</a><br />
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So, Book Week has wrapped up at our school, although my class doesn't do our craft activity until Monday. And that brings me to the fifth book of the week, which is actually a graphic novel. This book isn't an assigned reading, nor is it a book I'm reading to the students. Rather it's one that's being passed around and adored as soon as it's read.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mail-Order-Ninja-Graphic-Novels/dp/1598167286"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mail-Order-Ninja-Joshua-Elder/dp/1599615681?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Mail Order Ninja</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1599615681" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Joshua Elder is one of my growing collection of graphic novels. It tells the story of Timmy, the graphic novel (not comics) obsessed boy who detests bullies, 'trust-fund queens' and his bratty sister. When he finds an advertisement for a Mail Order Ninja, he has to get it. The ninja then helps him clean out the bad elements of the school.<br />
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The first one has been in my class for a couple of months now, and I just received the second one from Amazon.com. What I love about this series is the way it's drawn, there's an awful lot of information for the students to gain from it and it's a very smart book. There's also a lot of sly humour that adults would appreciate.<br />
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I highly recommend this graphic novel, especially if you're putting together a collection for a classroom.<br />
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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-15183037881657637652009-08-28T06:51:00.003+10:002009-12-23T07:49:57.791+10:00Children's Book Week: Day Four: CHERUB<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KVQF7lvxG4giFxmj3nsytM0Ahwreg3yatgn5elS6FCNdcc4AIpuW8t1pFq_YX1Vu3DTor02gCt-1e2j0suy1bZ9Dr11hx2sGehe7Q9RhPTRew2MhWoGreBisEBbfqbwf6yDgnOJnMzY/s1600-h/Image24.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374752723972814610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KVQF7lvxG4giFxmj3nsytM0Ahwreg3yatgn5elS6FCNdcc4AIpuW8t1pFq_YX1Vu3DTor02gCt-1e2j0suy1bZ9Dr11hx2sGehe7Q9RhPTRew2MhWoGreBisEBbfqbwf6yDgnOJnMzY/s320/Image24.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 214px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://footstepsofaristotle.blogspot.com/2009/08/childrens-book-week-day-three-artemis.html">Check out Day Three: Artemis Fowl</a><br />
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Day four is slightly late due to a little 9 and a half hour sleep :) But after a highly successful Book Day (with lots of brilliant costumes) I'm going to talk about one of the most successful series of books in my classrooms.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Recruit-Bk-1-CHERUB/dp/0340881534/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Recruit-Cherub-Robert-Muchamore/dp/068987779X?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The CHERUB series</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=068987779X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Robert Muchamore is a British series based around spies, who also happen to be children. The main character, James Adams (formally James Choke) is a gifted 12 year old, particularly in maths, but is always in trouble. When his mother dies, he is put in a home and steadily moves towards the criminal element. Until one morning when he wakes up in the nicest school campus he has ever seen.<br />
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There is a wide cast of characters in CHERUB, including some strong female characters and characters from diverse backgrounds. The books deal with missions ranging from environmental terrorism to unsolved deaths to gang setups. The books do grow in maturity with the ages of the characters, so some of the later ones may not be appropriate for younger children. (I have the first couple in my room, but the later ones are usually bought by parents who also read them :) They are universally popular)<br />
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What I have found with these books is that they get reluctant male readers to read - or devour. When I began reading the first one to the Year 7s I had last year a lot of them got their hands on their own copy to read themselves. I recommend these to 12 years and older, though some more mature 10 and 11 year olds could probably handle them too.<br />
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There's also a prequel series <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Escape-Henderson%60s-Boys-Robert-Muchamore/dp/0340956488/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251407051&sr=1-7">The Henderson Boys</a> which is set during World War 2 and is really good :)<br />
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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-17360969737618131442009-08-26T22:15:00.004+10:002009-12-23T07:50:26.421+10:00Children's Book Week: Day Three: Artemis Fowl<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGKXM2_7EitGrZQRXj3g4FSAMvs8HHYQJqwVobG8RnhMjNzZXodm4bc_aB69ETMl7bRJrO3oafUwyewYDItSgoqcbgoLkXkS8TM7or2bafgeNu7svlossR7DsD5jLRMACCTzs8Ob_vcA/s1600-h/Image23.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374248905957983154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGKXM2_7EitGrZQRXj3g4FSAMvs8HHYQJqwVobG8RnhMjNzZXodm4bc_aB69ETMl7bRJrO3oafUwyewYDItSgoqcbgoLkXkS8TM7or2bafgeNu7svlossR7DsD5jLRMACCTzs8Ob_vcA/s320/Image23.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 209px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://footstepsofaristotle.blogspot.com/2009/08/childrens-book-week-day-two-mahtabs.html">Check out Day Two: Mahtab's Story Here</a><br />
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And so we move on to day three, the halfway mark of children's book week. Today we're actually going back two years to a time when I taught contracts for terms rather than having my own class. At one point in time I had a non-gifted (but still some quite bright) class of grade 5s. Knowing I'd only have them for a term, I needed something which would grab them quickly and keep them going, but would be easy to complete in 10 weeks.<br />
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Enter <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Artemis-Fowl-Book/dp/0786817070"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Artemis-Fowl-Book/dp/0786817879?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Artemis Fowl</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0786817879" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Eoin Colfer. Artemis is a genius. A criminal mastermind. And a 12 year old boy. He wants gold, but not just any gold - he wants fairy gold. And he's willing to kidnap to get it. On the opposing side is Holly Short, pointy eared and occasionally neglectful of the more important things. Also, desperate to prove herself in the male-dominated LEP-recon world.<br />
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This really is a scream of a book - fantasy, action and comedy all poured into one. For reading outloud it's perfect, with plenty of opportunities for voices. I was also able to tell immediately at one point which children were really listening - they were the ones who knew there was a rip-snorter of a fart joke coming.<br />
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I've had a few kids really get into reading through these series of books and others simply devour them. Well worth a read, but even better to read out loud.<br />
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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-54717852307382306302009-08-25T19:51:00.003+10:002009-12-23T07:50:45.654+10:00Children's Book Week: Day Two: Mahtab's Story<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnuPdeYrLthAOyDZNE1JgJkP-SKn8YE9viEcL1_ogEctbS5uguT6R1pT02pHB_ivHNnZNN27y1k2g1f9vyY9pfi1aVj-ohkrIW_FdnOL0YD60y9zraZeNPoOjGw-E1o4IhUuLvSMvvpM/s1600-h/Image22.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373839421049363442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnuPdeYrLthAOyDZNE1JgJkP-SKn8YE9viEcL1_ogEctbS5uguT6R1pT02pHB_ivHNnZNN27y1k2g1f9vyY9pfi1aVj-ohkrIW_FdnOL0YD60y9zraZeNPoOjGw-E1o4IhUuLvSMvvpM/s320/Image22.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 297px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 197px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/Children%27s%20Book%20Week:%20Day%20One:%20Juggling%20With%20Mandarins">Check out Day One: Juggling With Mandarins here!</a><br />
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Onto Day 2 of Children's book week, with a book we're studying now. At the moment we're focusing on Theme, Genre, Audience and Purpose. The students are all required to read four books that cover themes such as family, children on their own, survival, conflict, bravery etc. One of these books is <a href="http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=397&book=9781741753349"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mahtabs-Story-Libby-Gleeson/dp/1741753341?ie=UTF8&tag=areascom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Mahtab's Story</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=areascom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1741753341" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Libby Gleeson.<br />
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Mahtab is a young girl in Afghanistan, before September 11th. She's terrified of the Taliban, the men in black, who rule over the streets. She's not allowed to go to school, she's not even allowed to leave her home. After the death of her grandfather, her father begins to make plans for their departure to a country he's heard of - a place called Australia.<br />
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There is some beautiful writing in the beginning - some of the most descriptive writing I've read in a children's book, which just sort of picks you up and carries you along. The setting of the story is quite universal, there are refugees all over the world. However, there are some parts which really sit within an Australian context, with recent debates over 'boat people'.<br />
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The ending seemed a little rushed to me, which was an opinion shared with the students. I think we all wanted to know more about Mahtab's settlement into an obviously strange country. However these discussions about what makes a good story or a good ending are just as important.<br />
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This is another book I'd recommend, particularly if you are doing any work on Afghanistan or on refugees.<br />
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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-48673143739978655542009-08-24T18:07:00.005+10:002009-12-23T07:51:02.518+10:00Children's Book Week: Day One: Juggling With Mandarins<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc4tSbdyGsanQBp-bOFRQHiw6lk_Dq1HZZv4mQ3bkG9cRzpvsUQRHVjBLXM2jDZLqsG0XrBWJNvysgq0M0lj6teSsdIB27Q0ztXaPAbo7maebjA-GKTgVZz1vTsvRWRBcKViaOmSWxvo/s1600-h/Image21.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373441122998085010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmc4tSbdyGsanQBp-bOFRQHiw6lk_Dq1HZZv4mQ3bkG9cRzpvsUQRHVjBLXM2jDZLqsG0XrBWJNvysgq0M0lj6teSsdIB27Q0ztXaPAbo7maebjA-GKTgVZz1vTsvRWRBcKViaOmSWxvo/s320/Image21.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 208px;" /></a><br />
So this week, as many of you in the Northern Hemisphere are heading back to school, is Australian Children's Book Week. To celebrate this, I'm going to point out some of the books I've read to and shared with my students over the last couple of years.<br />
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Today's book, <a href="http://www.harpercollins.com.au/books/9781869504625/Juggling_With_Mandarins/index.aspx">Juggling With Mandarins by V.M. Jones</a> is one I read to my Grade Sevens last year. It is a New Zealand story about Pip, the 14 year old who's good at English and bad at soccer. Sadly, it's soccer his gruff father cares about, and soccer where his older brother Nick excels.<br />
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While Pip deals with the expectations and often irrational behaviour of his father, he's also also handling his growing feelings for the girl next door. Then he discovers the new sports centre, the Igloo, and its special climbing gym.<br />
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This was a great book to read with 12 and 13 year old students who are dealing with the experiences of finding themselves and defining themselves as separate from their parents. We did some work in class with it - mostly vocabulary and writing - but most of the time we just enjoyed it. If you can get your hands on it, I'd thouroughly recommend it for whole class and small group work.<br />
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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-56119663226773194182009-08-24T05:52:00.003+10:002009-08-24T06:05:28.411+10:00Summer in Winter (and other stuff)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MOhJVgwX_kbG-qFQiuGMoitqER7d_zKo8Wm37WZpgcfSfdw7HkhcwEce63BCDjX3Q0mNYo1QlxkK_ZKI0SZmVQuRMS94LUhIX171FT_r6F5373DwYr3l60nSQ4vodIb4sLGG41EPaIk/s1600-h/Image20.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MOhJVgwX_kbG-qFQiuGMoitqER7d_zKo8Wm37WZpgcfSfdw7HkhcwEce63BCDjX3Q0mNYo1QlxkK_ZKI0SZmVQuRMS94LUhIX171FT_r6F5373DwYr3l60nSQ4vodIb4sLGG41EPaIk/s320/Image20.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373252665717790402" border="0" /></a><br />So, it's supposed to be winter here in Australia. Unfortunately, today's temperature is supposed to reach 33 degrees Celsius. Classrooms in my part of Queensland don't have air conditioning, and they're rarely well ventilated, so I'm afraid today might be a little uncomfortable.<br /><br />Luckily, we're doing heaps of fun stuff, which makes it easier. In maths at the moment we're Bungee jumping Barbies. This is basically an exercise to show the children that they can graph algebra patterns, and that they can use these to make predictions. Then it's about throwing Barbie from something tall.<br /><br />We also begin our astronomy Unit today in which the children will finish up by making a model of a community for Mars. Lots of science in this one, but today we're beginning by listening to famous 'space related' music and talking about what we know - should be a blast.<br /><br />.<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://www.public-domain-photos.com">Picture from http://www.public-domain-photos.com</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-43896586288861381302009-08-20T06:45:00.002+10:002009-08-20T06:53:21.250+10:00Returning to class - againSo, I've been away at training to learn more about <a href="http://www.daretolead.edu.au/servlet/Web?s=169694&p=RegEvent_NSW_WIIGAAY_GrahamChaffey">Coolabah Dynamic Assessment</a>, which is, quite honestly, some of the most exciting stuff I've learned about in gifted education in the six years I've been reading and learning about it. But now it's back to school.<br /><br />After three days away, I'm a bit nervous about what's been happening in my classroom. Will it be an absolute mess? Will the supply teacher have kept up the work while I've been away? Has anything happened that I needed to know about.<br /><br />There's also the next, big thing I need to prepare for - our school's Poetry in your Pocket day. I need a funky way to announce it to the students and the teachers- and I must get it done by next week. Help!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-21678801674842204732009-08-17T18:10:00.002+10:002009-08-17T18:17:02.775+10:00New Carnival of EducationOne of my favourite things about coming to education blogging has been the Carnival of Education. Now Clix from <a href="http://uncomfortableadventures.blogspot.com/">Epic Adventures are Often Uncomfortable</a> has pointed out <a href="http://uncomfortableadventures.blogspot.com/2009/08/call-me-crazy.html">that Blog Carnival is listing the Carnival of Education as discontinued :(</a><br /><br />Luckily, Clix is willing to do something about it and has set up <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_7988.html">EduCarnival v2</a>. But she needs help!<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"What's a carnival without articles, after all? Email me at uncomfortableadventures at yahoo dot com with a direct URL, or use this <a href="http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_7988.html">handy-dandy form</a> to submit your article." </blockquote>She'd particularly after summer reflections and she needs them by next Monday. I've submitted my mini-series on Reader's Workshop but it's your turn now. Go. Now. Now!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-35868778820232316682009-08-17T05:48:00.003+10:002009-08-17T05:58:31.131+10:00Handling Something New<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1IiFDVa-z36GOLgVp9it3jHzLO8ZciAbaw0nSYEhos4P-REp0ht7Z2p0fHWClAQqnqx3Ngg39uAe_JcvXSDuLeNMsXPQd4ssP98aScVH-SYwlIxhu7bY4aAPr8lwJlX-AZsrYKlM5RY/s1600-h/Image19.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1IiFDVa-z36GOLgVp9it3jHzLO8ZciAbaw0nSYEhos4P-REp0ht7Z2p0fHWClAQqnqx3Ngg39uAe_JcvXSDuLeNMsXPQd4ssP98aScVH-SYwlIxhu7bY4aAPr8lwJlX-AZsrYKlM5RY/s320/Image19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370653225178545298" border="0" /></a><br />I'm off for three days training beginning today, and although I'm incredibly excited about it, I'm also rather anxious. I mean, I'm leaving my class in someone elses hands for three days. And I'm not 100 percent sure what I'm getting into. And what if I'm no good at this. How am I going to keep my notes organised? You get the idea.<br /><br />This makes me wonder about my students. How do they feel when they are confronted with new things? Do they have the same mix of anxiety and excitement that I'm feeling at the moment? If so, how can I make sure that their anxieties are reduced?<br /><br />Making sure they have a good understanding of the criteria would be one thing. Making sure the students know what is expected from them in order to achieve. Making sure they know this as early as possible.<br /><br />What else would assist in reducing anxieties? What would you do?<br /><br />.<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://www.public-domain-photos.com">Image from http://www.public-domain-photos.com</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-13394431911588429392009-08-15T15:29:00.004+10:002009-08-15T16:10:07.878+10:00Reading, reading programs and standardised testingI was going to begin this post all angry, because I really was, but then I decided to have a coffee and a chat with my ever-patient husband (who is currently painting the back deck - looks relaxing . . .).<br /><br />It started when I read this - <a href="http://www.musingsofabookaddict.com/2009/08/venting-about-fate-of-reading-and.html">Venting about the Fate of Reading and Reading Teachers</a> at <a href="http://www.musingsofabookaddict.com/">Musings of a Book Addict</a>. I couldn't really believe what I was reading for most of the post, but this really got to me:<br /><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">If they finish a lesson early they may read one of the following books from <strong>the program's library</strong>: The Tiger Rising, Johny Hangtime, Bird, The Boy Who Saved Baseball, Night of the Twisters, Every Living Thing, Locomotion, Granny Torrelli Makes Soup.<br /><strong>Only these 8 books - OR -</strong>They may read either the Kids Discover Magazine, Cobblestone Muse, Faces or Odyssey Magazine or Footsteps.</blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote>And then there was this:<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">On day 5 and 10 if they finish their computerized lesson they are to go to the online book cart (part of the program) and pick one of their selections and read it and test on it and then go to their online books (part of the program) and read a passage and test on it.<br /><br />If at anytime they finish all of the above the only other approved book is their required novel from their Language Arts class. Due to our curriculum, all 6th graders in the county read the same novels, at the same time and follow the exact curriculum at the same time. The same goes for the 7th and 8th graders. As of this year they have implemented the core curriculum for high school and I believe elementary. That way if a kids transfers schools in the district everyone is at the same place at the same time. What? You are asking what about the child that can't keep up and never gets that book read? We are told they need to learn the skills to keep up. If they are ESE or ESL there are built in modifications that the entire district is supposed to follow.<br /><br />All pleasure reading is to be done at home.</blockquote>WHAT!?!<br /><br />At first, my knee-jerk reaction (after the spluttering) was to say 'this could never happen here in Australia.' But then I thought a little more. The program described is a response to the state reading test. And more and more we have a government and media led movement toward teaching for and from the <a href="http://www.naplan.edu.au/">NAPLAN</a> test. For example, last Saturday we were encouraged by the <a href="http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,1,25898285-952,00.html">lone state-wide newspaper to compare school data</a> when they published school-by-school NAPLAN results (from 2008, a little detail that was mostly glossed over). In my school we are currently required to prepare our Year 2, 4 and 6 students for next years test. District offices are putting pressure onto Principals to show rapid improvements. And Queensland has pretty much had a year long beat up of its teachers, schools and students because we came second last in the testing in 2008. (of only 7 states and territories).<br /><br />With all the pressure being put on schools to produce good results, and all the people out there realising there's a good buck to be made from NAPLAN (<a href="http://www.blake.com.au/Maximising-Test-Results-NAPLAN-Style-s/2176.htm">NAPLAN-style support books</a>, <a href="http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.au/schools/resources/promos/SRA_Specific_Skills_AUD__Web.pdf">expensive 'readers' sets promising better results</a>, <a href="http://www.pascalpress.com.au/Basic-Skills-Test-renamed-NAPLAN-Tests-2009-s/415.htm">NAPLAN-style tests</a>, and <a href="http://www.ogawie.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24:free-online-naplan-assessment-offered-to-swine-flu-hit-schools-&catid=7:news">even a company taking advantage of swine flu to flog their NAPLAN products</a>), surely it's only a matter of time before Principals take these programs up as a way of achieving better results, insisting that their teachers enforce these programs, no matter what. Particularly if Queensland does poorly again this year (not terribly unlikely, we've got another cohort of children here used to the Qld tests, rather than the NSW/VIC style tests used in NAPLAN).<br /><br />So I was quite angry. But now I'm just determined. I'm determined to make sure this doesn't happen. I'm determined to make sure that our Principal and our HOC give us teachers the information that we need. I'm determined to find good, tested methods of improving students learning. I'm determined to make the classroom a place which is not dominated by one test. And I'm determined to speak out more, and to stop keeping quiet because it's the easiest thing to do.<blockquote></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-836605423095024247.post-25133259885926566262009-08-14T06:14:00.004+10:002009-08-14T06:27:39.597+10:00Enjoying Moments of Beauty<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfis6ayDX3xhb-mm_MBTaOcnlADcK5sJ9Gs0YNB8aQcc_SuagTYw4ca6XCii22i2YSd59txJ1uBuKU0Z0u1VofgEkFDYT7o9nOKDBxQ47vFBviGoXJM-mFCVo1KHZa64AJPziccEJYvk/s1600-h/impressionists02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfis6ayDX3xhb-mm_MBTaOcnlADcK5sJ9Gs0YNB8aQcc_SuagTYw4ca6XCii22i2YSd59txJ1uBuKU0Z0u1VofgEkFDYT7o9nOKDBxQ47vFBviGoXJM-mFCVo1KHZa64AJPziccEJYvk/s320/impressionists02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369547443907498786" border="0" /></a><br />After a short week (agricultural show holidays on Monday and Wednesday), I'm kind of looking forward to a proper week of work. Unfortunately I won't be enjoying that next week as I have training Monday to Wednesday.<br /><br />Yesterday was another variation when the next door teacher and I took our combined classes to the <a href="http://qag.qld.gov.au/">Queensland Art Gallery</a> to see the <a href="http://qag.qld.gov.au/exhibitions/current/the_met">American Impressionists and Realists</a> exhibition. This wasn't a terribly planned excursion (although it fitted in to my museum unit, it wasn't written in) but the chance to take them to this was just too good to pass up.<br /><br />Our aim was simple - to have the kids looking, enjoying and sketching the paintings. The reality was amazing - students were completely engaged with some of them spending up to an hour working on one painting. Most of them had never been to an art gallery before, and many of them were completely awed by the beauty of the paintings - one even begged to go back and look at one painting 'just one more time.'<br /><br />It really reminded me that part of being a teacher is allowing the students to have moments like this - to allow them to explore and experience beautiful things. To let them immerse themselves in it, without a huge focus on what is 'produced'. I think yesterday is going to be a day which sticks for many of those kids, for all the right reasons.<br /><br />.<br /><a href="http://qag.qld.gov.au/"><span style="font-size:78%;">Picture from Queensland Art Gallery</span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2