Tag Archives: Teaching resources

SLAV Online Book Club – March 20th, 2024 – Award Winners.

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Our thanks to those who were able to join us for our SLAV online Book Club on Wednesday March 20th, 2024, to discuss the topic: Award winners. We all purchase award winners for libraries but what are the titles that really work with young people?

We asked our members to share relevant Award Listings they have found to be successful in helping them choose titles for their libraries. As always, you had so many wonderful contributions to share with us and we had a great deal of fun!

This was our second book club meeting for 2024, and we want to say a very special thank you to all who attend and contribute to these informal and informative meetings. It was also the final book club meeting for our wonderful outgoing Executive Officer – Dr. Susan La Marca. We thank Dr. La Marca for her wonderful and tireless contributions to making our SLAV online book club such a valuable resource for our members. We also welcomed our new incoming Executive Offficer – Pam Saunders. We very much look forward to Pams future book club topics and meetings. Find details about our next meeting HERE.

We absolutely encourage you to reach out to the wonderful Deb at The Younger Sun as an invaluable resource, for further information and recommendations. The staff at The Younger Sun are incredibly knowledgeable!

Disclaimer: The lists generated as a result of Book Club discussions are not, by any means, an exhaustive list of all titles or authors for each genre/category discussed. Nor will all titles be suitable for all libraries. We advise staff discretion when referencing these lists, to properly confirm individual title suitability for individual libraries, school and student’s needs. These are suggested titles only, shared by our members and inclusion on, or exclusion from, a list does not suggest SLAV endorsement or rejection of a title.

Padlet with Links to Awards discussed can be found HERE. 

New Titles shared by Deb from the Younger Sun 

YA
One by One They Disappear Mike Lucas
I hope this does Not Find You Ann Liang
Birdy Sharon Kernot
Wombats go to Wizards Wharf Maddie Frost
Lily Halfmoon Xavier Bonet
My Aunt is a Monster Reimena Yee
Australian Middle Years
To and Fro Anton Clifford Motopi
Losing the Plot annaleise Byrd
Cora seen and heard Zanni Louise’
Leo and Ralph Peter Carnavas
Andromache Between the Worlds Gabriel Bergmoser
Overseas Middle Years
Whisperwicks Jordan Lees
The Swifts Beth Lincoln
Ferris Kate Di Camillo

 

Meet Me at the Moontree by Shivaun Plozza – Ideas for Classrooms by Prue Bon

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For those of you who attended the October 26 Reading Forum, you may understand why I was eager to read Shivaun Plozza’s latest young adult novel, “Meet Me at the Moon Tree”. We were privileged to be able to hear Shivaun speak about her inspiration for this novel, and I have to honestly say that I was excited about the potential for including this text in the curriculum.

“Meet Me at the Moon Tree” is a beautiful exploration of grief and relationships: how grief can present differently in everyone, and how important all types of relationships are to being able to manage one’s grief. When Carina’s father dies from cancer, her mother moves the family to the Otway Ranges as both a fresh start and a way of remembering their patriarch. Carina has made a promise to her father, to search for the Moon Tree that he has told her will be in the forest behind their new home. But Carina’s family are struggling in the face of their grief – her mother and brother are angry, Carina is lonely and her Grandpa is doing his best to help them all.

This is a special title for a Teacher Librarian, because there is just so much in it that can be used to support teaching and learning, and the more I searched through the curriculum, the more I was able to find. With a focus on ‘healthy relationships’ and also how grief can affect everyone differently, it’s an obvious choice to match some of the Health curriculum. However, Carina’s passion for dendrology, and her scientific approach to finding the Moon Tree also makes it suitable for some areas of Science. It covers off the Personal and Social General Capability, and it works well for an exploration of Sustainability, under the Cross Curriculum Priorities. Check out the table below for some ideas as to how you could use excerpts of this wonderful novel in your curriculum planning. You can also find teacher’s notes on the UQP website (https://www.uqp.com.au/books/meet-me-at-the-moon-tree).

This novel would be suitable for students in Years 5-8. It should come with a box of tissues – for students who have experienced the loss of a loved one, they may find themselves connecting closely with Carina, and perhaps shedding a few tears. However, this a truly beautiful story, with some incredible messages about friendship and never giving up hope.

 

Curriculum area Matching plot and curriculum Possible activities
Level 5 & 6 Science

 

VCSSU074

Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment

 

VCSSU075

The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment

 

 The plot is based around the ‘moon tree’ – an experiment from 1971 when hundreds of tree seeds were sent into space in order to understand how being in zero gravity might affect them once they were planted back on Earth.

 

 

 Students can research the original experiment and present their findings.

 

Students could identify a range of environmental conditions that may affect the growth of seedlings. They could then replicate the experiment based on their own hypothesis and observe the growth of their own seedling (for example, how might heating or cooling a seedling affect its growth?)
Level 7 & 8 Science

 

VCSSU091

There are differences within and between groups of organisms; classification helps organise this diversity

 

 Carina refers to herself as a ‘dendrologist’ and conducts a logical experiment to classify all of the trees that she finds in the forest while searching for the moon tree. Students could reproduce Carina’s experiment within an area of the school yard, searching for a specific tree and identifying and classifying others that they come across in their search.
Level 7 & 8 Health

 

VCHPEP126

Investigate and select strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing

 

 Carina’s family are dealing with the grief that results from the death of her father, from cancer.

Carina’s grandpa has also moved in with the family due to his diagnosis of Parkinson’s.

 Students can research and present their findings on the services available for managing grief, dealing with a diagnosis, specifically considering cancer or Parkinson’s. They could evaluate which options are most appropriate for Carina’s family.
Level 5 & 6 Health

 

VCHPEP110

Examine the influence of emotional responses on behaviour, relationships and health and wellbeing

 

 Each member of Carina’s family attempts to manage their grief in different ways – Carina remains positive and wants to create ‘memory seeds’ of her father, her mother withdraws and her brother becomes angry.

 

 Students can examine the differences in each character’s reactions and how they affect the family dynamics. Through a series of hypothetical scenarios, students could identify how the individual behaviours affect others, and their own wellbeing and present ideas of how each character could be better supported.
Level 7 & 8 Health

 

VCHPEP127

Investigate the benefits of relationships and examine their impact on their own and others’ health and wellbeing

 

VCHPEP128

Analyse factors that influence emotions, and develop strategies to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity

 

 

 Carina is concerned about making friends after she has moved. She recalls her ‘old’ friends, and how the relationship changes due to distance. When she meets a new friend, she is worried that Betty will be bored by Carina’s interest in trees. Grandpa helps Carina to see that friendships can be a bit like ‘companion planting’ in a garden and that you just need to find the companion that works best for you. Students can explore the relationships that occur throughout the novel, creating a mind map that identifies the different relationships.

They could explore the idea of ‘companion planting’ and analyse how that could relate to their own lives, helping them to make appropriate connections between their own relationships.
Level 5 & 6 Personal & Social Capability

 

VCPSCSE025

Explore the links between their emotions and their behaviour

 

VCPSCSE027

Describe what it means to be confident, adaptable and persistent and why these attributes are important in dealing with new or challenging situations

 

VCPSCO031

Describe the characteristics of respectful relationships and suggest ways that respectful relationships can be achieved.

 

 

 Carina and her family have a number of ‘every day’ situations that need to be managed, and many of their decisions are influenced by their grief.

–       Moving house

–       Making new friends

–       Managing anger & grief

–       Staying resilient in the face of surrounding negativity

–       Over protective parents

–       Getting lost in a forest in the middle of a storm

–       Looking after a pet

–       Being brave and speaking up

 

 

 Students can be presented with the range of different scenarios that occur throughout the novel, and examine how each of the character’s deal with those situations, and how their actions affect the others around them.

 

They can evaluate which responses work and which don’t and identify a range of ways that they may be able to apply those reactions to their own lives.

 

They could write their own scenarios and identify how they think their ‘characters’ should behave.

 

SLAV Online Book Club June 16th 2022 – Non Fiction.

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Child reading at Brookline Booksmith.jpg

 

Our thanks to those of you able to join us for our book club meeting to share your favourite Non Fiction picks. As always, so many of you had so many wonderful contributions to share with us, and it is very appreciated.

This was our fourth book club meeting for 2022, and we look forward to chatting with you again at our next meeting on Wednesday August 10 to discuss the topic: Books for Reluctant Readers. This topic has been one of our most popular in past book club meetings. We’d like to engage with new recommendations, revisit old favourites and consider strategies that help school libraries support their reluctant readers

Disclaimer: The lists generated as a result of Book Club discussions are not, by any means, an exhaustive list of all titles or authors for each genre/category discussed. Nor will all titles be suitable for all libraries. We advise staff discretion when referencing these lists, to properly confirm individual title suitability for individual libraries, school and students needs. These are suggested titles only, shared by our members and inclusion on, or exclusion from, a list does not suggest SLAV endorsement or rejection of a title.

Biography/ Auto Biography

It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: (YA edition) Trevor Noah https://www.readings.com.au/products/26362986/its-trevor-noah-born-a-crime-ya-edition

Stolen Science: Thirteen Untold Stories of Scientists and Inventors Almost Written out of History
Ella Schwartz, Gaby D’Alessandro

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33519384/stolen-science-thirteen-untold-stories-of-scientists-and-inventors-almost-written-out-of-history

The Missing: The True Story of My Family in World War II
Michael Rosen

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33504834/the-missing-the-true-story-of-my-family-in-world-war-ii

365 Real-Life Superheroes
Valentina Camerini

https://www.readings.com.au/products/31822668/365-real-life-superheroes

Looking for Heroes: One Boy, One Year, 100 Letters
Liisa S Ogburn, Aidan A Colvin

https://www.readings.com.au/products/22984731/looking-for-heroes-one-boy-one-year-100-letters

Rescue
David Long (Author), Kerry Hyndman

https://www.readings.com.au/products/32084191/rescue

Rejected Princesses: Tales of History’s Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics by Jason Porath https://www.readings.com.au/products/22054173/rejected-princesses-tales-of-historys-boldest-heroines-hellions-and-heretics

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed The World by Elena Favilli https://www.readings.com.au/products/32689349/good-night-stories-for-rebel-girls-100-immigrant-women-who-changed-the-world

Stories for South Asian Supergirls by Raj Kaur Khaira https://www.readings.com.au/products/34215640/stories-for-south-asian-supergirls

Rise Up: Ordinary Kids with Extraordinary Stories by Amanda Li, Amy Blackwell

https://www.readings.com.au/products/30005242/rise-up-ordinary-kids-with-extraordinary-stories

A Different Sort of Normal by Abigail Balfe https://www.readings.com.au/products/33474833/a-different-sort-of-normal

The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia’s First Peoples by Corey Tutt https://www.readings.com.au/products/33865889/the-first-scientists-deadly-inventions-and-innovations-from-australias-first-peoples

Heroes, Rebels and Innovators: Inspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from history by Karen Wyld, Jaelyn Biumaiwai https://www.readings.com.au/products/33495703/heroes-rebels-and-innovators-inspiring-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people-from-history

Able: Fully Updated Edition by Dylan Alcott https://www.readings.com.au/products/28423908/able-fully-updated-edition

Holocaust by DOLAN HUGH, Adrian Barbu https://www.readings.com.au/products/33406409/holocaust

Sport

Unbelievable Football: Winner of the Telegraph Children’s Sports Book of the Year 2020
Matt Oldfield, Ollie Mann

https://www.readings.com.au/products/28351559/unbelievable-football-winner-of-the-telegraph-childrens-sports-book-of-the-year-2020

Football School Terrific Teams: 50 True Stories of Football’s Greatest Sides by Alex Bellos, Ben Lyttleton, Spike Gerrell

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33549748/football-school-terrific-teams-50-true-stories-of-footballs-greatest-sides

Football School Epic Heroes: 50 true tales that shook the world
Alex Bellos, Ben Lyttleton, Spike Gerrell

https://www.readings.com.au/products/32717105/football-school-epic-heroes-50-true-tales-that-shook-the-world

Football Legends 2022: Top 100 stars of the modern game
David Ballheimer, Opta Sports

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33586092/football-legends-2022-top-100-stars-of-the-modern-game

F2: Ultimate Footballer: BECOME THE PERFECT FOOTBALLER WITH THE F2’S NEW BOOK!: (Skills Book 4)
The F2

https://www.readings.com.au/products/29937445/f2-ultimate-footballer-become-the-perfect-footballer-with-the-f2s-new-book-skills-book-4

Stars of the NBA
Kjartan Atli Kjartansson

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33595782/stars-of-the-nba

FIFA World Football Records 2022
Keir Radnedge

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33676082/fifa-world-football-records-2022

Animals/Environment

Finding Gobi (Younger Readers edition)
Dion Leonard

https://www.readings.com.au/products/23772562/finding-gobi-younger-readers-edition

The Gentle Genius of Trees by Phillip Bunting https://www.readings.com.au/products/33497412/the-gentle-genius-of-trees

Weird But True’ series by Nat Geo Kids https://www.readings.com.au/products/20987376/nat-geo-kids-weird-but-true-ripped-from-the-headlines-3

Tim Flannery Series https://www.readings.com.au/products/29598891/explore-your-world-weird-wild-amazing

Stand up for the future https://www.readings.com.au/products/26210620/stand-up-for-the-future-a-celebration-of-inspirational-young-australians

With a Dog’s Love: Clever Dogs Helping Humans by Gina Dawson https://www.readings.com.au/products/34251481/with-a-dogs-love-clever-dogs-helping-humans

Walking in Gagudju Country by Diane Lucas, Ben Tyler, Emma Long  https://www.readings.com.au/products/33523197/walking-in-gagudju-country

Book of Curious Birds by Jennifer Cossins https://www.readings.com.au/products/33748907/book-of-curious-birds

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Peculiar Pairs in Nature by Sami Bayly https://www.readings.com.au/products/33665861/the-illustrated-encyclopaedia-of-peculiar-pairs-in-nature

Popular Culture

Ninja: Get Good: My Ultimate Guide to Gaming by Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins https://www.readings.com.au/products/28770118/ninja-get-good-my-ultimate-guide-to-gaming

The Ultimate Superhero Movie Guide: The definitive handbook for comic book film fans
Helen O’Hara

https://www.readings.com.au/products/27754564/the-ultimate-superhero-movie-guide-the-definitive-handbook-for-comic-book-film-fans

The World of Avatar: A Visual Exploration
Joshua Izzo

https://www.readings.com.au/products/27628093/the-world-of-avatar-a-visual-exploration

Complex Presents: Sneaker of the Year: The Best Since ‘85
Complex Media, Inc., Marc Ecko

https://www.readings.com.au/products/32866170/complex-presents-sneaker-of-the-year-the-best-since-85

Crystals: Everything you need to know to Heal, Cleanse, Love, Energize by Cassandra Eason https://www.readings.com.au/products/24375598/crystals-everything-you-need-to-know-to-heal-cleanse-love-energize

Google It: A History of Google by Anna Crowley Redding

https://www.readings.com.au/products/33430860/google-it-a-history-of-google

Are You Afraid Yet?
Stephen James O’Meara, Jeremy Kaposy

https://www.readings.com.au/products/4687128/are-you-afraid-yet

Aliens, Ghosts and Vanishings: Strange and Possibly True Australian Stories
Stella Tarakson, Richard Morden

https://www.readings.com.au/products/21981225/aliens-ghosts-and-vanishings-strange-and-possibly-true-australian-stories

An Illustrated History of UFOs by Adam Allsuch Boardman

https://www.readings.com.au/products/32799126/an-illustrated-history-of-ufos

History

Underground: Marsupial Outlaws and Other Rebels of Australia’s War in Vietnam by Mirranda Burton https://www.readings.com.au/products/33712647/underground-marsupial-outlaws-and-other-rebels-of-australias-war-in-vietnam

Sapiens Graphic Novel (Volume 1) by Yuval Noah Harari, Daniel Casanave, David Vandermeulen https://www.readings.com.au/products/33022493/sapiens-graphic-novel-volume-1

The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell https://www.readings.com.au/products/33532144/the-bomber-mafia

Adult

The Boy Behind the Curtain by Tim Winton https://www.readings.com.au/products/23899122/the-boy-behind-the-curtain

Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au https://www.readings.com.au/products/34432167/cold-enough-for-snow

The Golden Book by Kate Ryan https://www.readings.com.au/products/33520392/the-golden-book

The Winter Dress by Lauren Chater https://www.readings.com.au/products/33810738/the-winter-dress

Careering by Daisy Buchanan https://www.readings.com.au/products/34295064/careering

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk https://www.readings.com.au/products/25586213/drive-your-plow-over-the-bones-of-the-dead

Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz https://www.readings.com.au/products/33470299/before-you-knew-my-name

Circe by Madeline Miller https://www.readings.com.au/products/26360827/circe

Joanne, Wantirna College – shared via email

Popular science:

  • Humble Pi : a comedy of math errors by Matt Parker (2020)
  • What if? : serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions by Randall Munroe (2015)
  • Gory details : adventures from the dark side of science by Erika Engelhaupt (2020)
  • Dr Karl books

Other:

  • Sport bios – mainly AFL and basketball
  • Guinness Book of Records
  • Ripley’s Believe it or Not
  • The animal book : a visual encyclopedia of life on Earth by David Burnie. (DK 2013)
  • Joke books

Pam Saunders – shared via email

Life in five seconds. 1623650127 #Humour #short

This is not a sex book 9781786693037 #sexed (constantly stolen or moved or falling apart)

Fifty _____ ideas you really need to know (various titles in series published by Quercus) #shortfunfacts

Sneakers the complete limited edition guide 9780500517284 (maybe dated by now) #fashion

The intelligent investor 9780060555665 #shares #makingmoney

Beginners guide to the stock market 978-1099617201 #makingmoney

Zen Pencils 9781449457952 #humour #short

How to: Absurd scientific advice for common real- world problems 9781473680333 #funfacts

30 Second Series (various titles) by Ivy Press eg 9781782405474 #quicksummaryoftopics

Factfulness: Ten reasons we are wrong about the world …..ISBN13: 9781473637467) #globaliization

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Periodic table of story telling – story starter activities

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The Periodic Table of Storytelling  is one of those special treats that comes through your feed and gets your mind buzzing with ideas of how it could be used with students.

 ps

As well as being pretty funny, the table covers most of the major story types and character arcs, making it a great tool for engaging students in creative writing.

Each story element has an identifier, name and is grouped under one of the following categories – structure, setting, modifiers, plot devices, heroes, villains, archetypes, character modifiers, meta tropes, production and audience reaction.

Ideas for use with students

  • Give each student in the class one story element, making sure that all categories are represented. (You could make coloured cards for each element).
  • Ask them to form small groups (3-4) and collaborate on a story that incorporates all their individual story elements. This could easily be a homework assignment or even a competition with time limits
  • You could mix up the activity by asking them to write in different genres or mediums – film, play, poem, short story, tv show etc.
  • To make this an individual task, give each student three cards and ask them to include all three elements
  • You could also use these story elements to describe the books you’re reading. This would be a great way to build a shared vocabulary for understanding story and transferring knowledge of one story to other narratives
  • The story elements could be a prompt for a library creative writing challenge – how many story elements can you get in your story? or even a weekly writing challenge with one element as the focus each week
  • Put story element cards into a box and students choose one (or more) to prompt a free writing task

These kinds of forced association activities are a great way to get kids (and adults!) thinking creatively. If you have any other ideas or find something that works well for your students, let us know.

Text to speech – supporting online information access

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There are a growing number of online tools to support students in need of literacy support. As part of a new series on web based literacy aids, this post from Catherine Hainstock talks about how text-to-speech programs can support students’ reading online.

Implementation of the Australian Curriculum  is in full swing across the nation and as a result schools are committing more resources towards their Literacy programs. The demands and opportunities for TL’s to support this literacy focus may vary, but as information specialists our core business is to ensure our students can effectively find and interact with information.

After giving a brief demonstration on advanced Google searching to our school’s Literacy Support teacher, I wondered about other ways to improve access to online information for students who may be struggling. Many of the mainstream tools students use for accessing information such as Google Search and Wikipedia do not support students with literacy needs as well as they could. There are a number of ways we can help improve this experience. First I turned my attention to browsers; I found they offered very different experiences and levels of assistance. Text-to-Speech support is available on most browsers (you can read about the options here). When I tried them I found:

  • Bing relies on Microsoft Window’s software being installed on your computer. The system was complicated and required a lot of reading to work out. The version we had installed on our computers used a very robotic voice
  • Firefox’s add-on Text to Voice app plays MP3’s of selected text so it’s very slow. Any words it doesn’t recognise, it spells out. Again it was a very robotic voice
  • Google’s Chrome Speak app (available from the Web Store) was easy to install and provided options for varying the rate, pitch and volume but once again the voice sounded very robotic
  • Once I added Google’s US English Female Text-to-speech voice extension to Chrome (available from the Web Store) and activated it in Chrome Speak’s options (found under Chrome Settings – Extensions – see image below), the voice offered pleasant web reading support.

It’s important to note different schools run different versions of software, different implementation programs and have preferred devices including mobile devices and BYOD programs. In mycase, I used desktop computers in a school library for testing. Every school is unique so it’s important to investigate and experiment with your own equipment.

Many schools in Victoria are also restricted to only one browser, usually Internet Explorer. As information specialists, it is vital that we recommend and push for technical decisions to be based on educational criteria, so explore browser tools and lobby for programs if you think they will benefit staff and students.

In the next instalment I’ll look at improving access via search engine tools and options.

Image credit: Chinese children in class with Australian kids at Carlton State School, H2002.199/1074,  State Library of Victoria Pictures Collection

 

Revamping your school library orientation

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Does your library orientation plan for next year’s students feel a bit stale? Have you been doing the same lesson for the last few years (or more)? Do you feel bored just thinking about what you have planned? If yes, here are some great ideas to help revamp your next school library orientation, from teacher librarians and library technicians across Australia:

Introducing the school library:

  • Promo video: Have current students create a promo video about what they thought the library was going to be like, what it actually has to offer, and what they think the students will like about their library. Barbara Braxton, retired teacher librarian.
  • Student presentation: If you have a library committee, get current members to create a presentation (such as a Powerpoint presentation) to tell new students the basics of the library, e.g. opening times, where the OPACs are, and how many items you can borrow. Rueleen Weeks from Dubbo Christian School

Becoming familiar with the library:

  • Prior knowledge: Ask the students what they already know about school libraries. It will open up discussion. Barbara Braxton, retired teacher librarian
  • Library relay: Each pair of students takes a question card, searches the library for the answer, then returns with the answer for their next question card. The first team to complete all the cards wins a prize. All the questions are reviewed at the end of the lesson. Sue Crocombe from The Glennie School
  • QR code QnA: Students move around the library to approximately 25 QR codes and scan them for the questions they need to answer. It gets the students moving and asking questions. Shelagh Walsh from Tennant Creek High School
  • Research Frenzy: Students are divided into two groups, one using computers, one using books. In teams they draw a question from a central bowl. Once they find the answer (either via computers or books), back goes the slip and another is drawn. The students swap from computers to books (or visa-versa), and discuss what they found at the end of the lesson. Shelagh Walsh from Tennant Creek High School
  • The Great Race: Have five junior secondary school students run this race. They create cryptic clues to help participants explore the library. In teams, the students receive their clues, and have to be the first to find all the answers to receive a prize. The same group of students running this game hand out ‘treasure bags’ at the end of the lesson, consisting of things like pen, notepad, library brochure, bookmarks, chocolate frogs and jelly snakes. Rueleen Weeks from Dubbo Christian School

Understanding Fiction and Non-Fiction shelving:

  • The coded letter: An activity to get students used to where things are in the non-fiction section is a letter from someone on holiday with words left out and Dewey numbers in their places.  Students go to the Dewey number and work out the subject there and place that in the space until their letter is complete (and makes sense).  You can have a simple letter and a more complicated one depending on the class.Peta Wilson from Lyneham High School
  • Class A-Z: Put the class in fiction order by their surname and then get them to take themselves to the shelf where they would live if they were a book. Peta Wilson from Lyneham High School
  • Marco Polo:  Call out a subject or type of resource and the students have to run to that place. Peta Wilson from Lyneham High School
  • Where in the Dewey?: The aim of this game is to get students thinking about the context of what they are searching for, and where it may be located in the Dewey system. In groups the students need to find books that have information about specific topics, such as: wood – how trees grow; a guide to Australian timber for furniture making; how trees are used as habitats, or; the environmental impact of deforestation. Peta Wilson from Lyneham High School

Remember, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Ask your colleagues for suggestions. Your State Library (such as State Library of Victoria) may offer library orientation tours and that will provide students with knowledge transferable to the school library. Thank you to all those who contributed ideas via OZTL_NET and Twitter.

Image credit: Enokson on Flickr

Story Box Library

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Story Box Library is melding the mediums of film and storytelling to create authentic online literature experiences. Australian content is delivered from a diverse range of storytellers for primary school aged students. The site also includes teacher resources, Australian curriculum links and a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the stories. Teacher librarian Sharon McGuinness has discovered the extensive toolkit of Story Box Library and shares her use of it with us:

I am the teacher librarian at Thirroul PS which is just north of Wollongong on the NSW south coast. We are a school of approximately 360 students across 15 classes, with the vast majority of students speaking English as their first language.

The new NSW based Australian English curriculum, with its emphasis on literature, presents teacher librarians a golden opportunity. At Thirroul, our Stage 1 staff have been working with students using ‘Language, Learning and Literacy’ or L3,a NSW program which encourages the use and study of literature in the classroom. Working with staff, I have further expanded the suggested literature titles and am completing a similar task with regard to the suggested titles within the new curriculum – particularly those featuring sustainability, Australia’s engagement with Asia and Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

My aim is to make it easier for staff to use literature in each classroom and avoid duplicating titles across stages and grades.

Part of this strategy also includes using related online literature resources – whether it be author/illustrator websites, book trailers, interviews or multi modal texts. Story Box Library will bring more of an authentic literature experience into the classroom with its range of online storytelling segments. It also aims to give students the background of how the books are created, and classroom ideas. As a school we have already signed up and teachers are exploring the site, using the online storytelling segments on their interactive whiteboards in the classrooms. Teachers also appreciate the accompanying teaching notes and ideas as this fits in perfectly with our Stage 1 L3 program. I have also added several of the titles on the SL website to our Stage 1 L3 list of suggested texts.

Over the past couple of years, I have noticed the staff’s usage of printed teaching resources greatly decreasing and recognize that staff now rely on resources available online. Story Box Library fills a gap in resourcing online Australian children’s literature.

We are looking forward to the site’s further growth and development as it has the ability to provide us with a ‘one stop shop’ for a range quality Australian children’s literature.

To find out more about the services provided by the site, visit Story Box Library.

Splash: multimedia resources, games and online events from the ABC

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Splash is a new educational initiative developed in partnership between the Australian Broadcasting Commission and Education Services Australia. The site includes a large library of media clips, audio, games and activities for teachers and students mapped against the Australian Curriculum.

The multimedia library provides access to the ABC’s impressive archive, including age-appropriate notes and questions. There is also information for parents, including a brief guide to the Australian Curriculum. All resources are free and can be accessed from any device.

In addition to resources, Splash is also the hub for live national events facilitated through online conferencing, connecting students to experts and each other.

This brief introductory video provides background to the project and highlights key resources.

New writers in residence on Inside a Dog

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Jordi Kerr, Learning Programs Officer at the Centre for Youth Literature talks about upcoming writers in residence on insideadog.

Ever wanted to break into a writer’s mind and find out the true story – how do they do it? What makes them tick? Where did that idea come from? Welcome to insideadog’s Residence blog.

insideadog hosts a different YA writer each month – they hang around the kennel, and write posts that give an insight into their lives and writing process. It’s a unique opportunity for students, regardless of their geographical location, to pick the brains of an author. By commenting on the blog posts, students can interact with professional writers, and have their questions about reading and writing answered.

In March, debut author Myke Bartlett provided candid and humorous explorations of his background and process, as well as exclusive glimpses at some of his unpublished work, and his upcoming sequel to Fire in the Sea.  (You can easily access all of Myke’s posts here.)

Myke has also aptly demonstrated that blog writing is an art form in its own right. In the classroom the Residence blog can be used as a launch pad to discuss and explore how writing for an online audience is different to writing for print. What makes a good blog? How is blog success measured? How can readers be encouraged to become involved?

In April, American graphic novelist (artist and writer) Raina Telgemeier was at the helm. (You may have heard of her multi-award winning book Smile?) If you’ve ever been uncertain about how to introduce graphic novels into your classroom, this is your chance. Raina’s got some great posts from how a graphic novel is born (and raised), advice for budding cartoonists and graphic novel recommendations for young readers. You can access all her posts here.

Insideadog endeavours to publish the names of upcoming resident authors ahead of time, to give teachers the opportunity to prepare and plan. Students can familiarise themselves with the author’s books, and research them online. There is also a blogging worksheet included in the site’s teacher resources, which you can use or adapt to foster discussion.

You may notice that over the next few months the writers hosted on insideadog are also involved in our Reading Matters Student Day program. For those students lucky enough to be attending Reading Matters, the residence blog gives them a chance to get to know the authors beforehand.

Bamboo Dirt: I need a digital research tool to …

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Whenever we are faced with learning new skills or new methods we tend to focus on the tools. However, when we shift our focus from  the tools to what can be done with them, real transformation occurs. Mastery and success become possible; it’s the same whether you are learning to paint with oils or teach research skills at a 1:1 netbook/iPad/BYOD school.

Bamboo Dirt is an online registry created to help educators make that shift. Its focus is on research tools and the Bamboo Dirt search function is organised around the idea of purpose.

Bamboo Dirt’s home page offers lots of browsing categories based around tasks. Categories include:

  • visualise data
  • organise research materials
  • manage tasks
  • manage bibliographic information
  • communicate with colleagues
  • author an interactive work
  •  build and share collections

Users can also search or browse by keyword, tags, recommended resources, and new resources. Each result has a short description plus information on cost, licensing and platforms.

You can make the site even better by joining and contributing. Registration is free and members can:
  • add resources
  • review them
  • comment/describe how you have used a tool
  • recommend good resources and those appropriate for beginners
  • submit tips and tricks to help others understand the value of the tool
This service is an ongoing collaborative effort between Bamboo Partner Institutions (UC Berkeley, UChicago, UW Madison), Bamboo affiliates (University of Alabama, NINES), and individuals dedicated to helping connect people with digital resources. It’s a welcome addition to any educator’s  research toolkit.