Early Stage 1 and Stage 1: Josephine Wants To Dance

I read this lovely book with Early Stage 1 this term and it was quite popular. It is a charming book about Josephine- a kangaroo- who wants to dance, but can't dance like the other ballerinas. The book has messages about finding out your own strengths and believing in yourself and puts a smile on your face. Probably better suited to girls, though the messages are relevant to boys.

Cheers,

Alison :)

Stage 2: Imagine by Alison Lester

I have to admit that I LOVE picture books. Many people think they are just for really young kids, but i couldn't disagree more. Some of my favourite books (as an adult) are picture books. Their beauty lies in being able to convey such deep messages with such a small amount of words. Every word is very carefully chosen. There are no wasted words here! Plus, the pictures are always so glorious and tell so much of the story as well. Picture books are good for gifted readers who will see layers of meaning in them, but also for readers who struggle a bit, as it is achievable to get through the book. This term we read 'Imagine' by Alison Lester with Stage 2 as the basis of some imaginative writing and it was very popular with our Stage 2 students. It opens up many avenues of discussion about using your imagination and is, quite simply, a beautiful book.

Happy reading,

Alison :)

Stage 3: Parvana

We have been studying democracy in the library this term to tie in with the HSIE unit on the same topic. We have read some excerpts from Parvana by Deborah Ellis as part of this study. Parvana is set in Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban and is based around the character of Parvana. The males in her family are taken and in a society that doesn't allow women to do anything, Parvana must dress as a male and head into the Kabul marketplace each day-risking her life in the process-to trade items to feed her family. It is a remarkable story for teaching students about other places in the world and what it means to live in such a lucky country. We have a few copies available in the library for borrowing, but if you are looking for a book for a Stage 3 student, this might just be the one, though they may require some assistance with reading some of the words. It is a great book to read together and have discussions around.

Cheers,

Alison :)

Stage 3: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

We haven't read this book in class, but I can certainly recommend it for Stage 3 students. It is one of the most popular books on the borrowing list for students and is particularly good for people who don't like 'traditional' books. It is set in a schoolyard where a child is being bullied. It has some good issues, but is also very funny and written in an engaging and easy style with plenty of cartoon style pictures to keep the interest levels up. I am confident you would find this in most town libraries.

...Plus, if you have success with the first book, you could always then buy/borrow the whole series. The franchise is currently up to book 4!

Cheers,

Alison :)

Early Stage One

Early Stage One are settling in to their library lessons and have enjoyed the books they have read so far. We started with the classic 'Possum Magic' before moving on to 'Cows in the Kitchen' and 'The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.' Ask your kids if they can remember anything about these books!

Welcome!

Hello and thank you for taking the time to have a look at this blog. On here, I will place up some entries about books we have looked at in class (especially for the ES1 students) and also post entries on old classics and brand new books that have been recommended by me or in professional literature I read. So much research shows that students who have a good attitude towards reading and who do read regularly have a better chance of succeeding at school. One way you can contribute to this is to buy books as gifts or rewards for students and give a book as a birthday and Christmas present. Read with them and make it fun or visit the town library.

I hope this blog helps you to come up with some ideas of books to look out for for gifts or when you visit the library!

Cheers,
Alison :)