Five Ways to Explore Bowerbird Blues in the Classroom

Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker is a sweet picture book, telling the story of a bowerbird who collects many things, but is looking for something he feels is missing. This book is filled with many themes, perfect to explore further in the classroom. Here I share five different book related activities you can engage in with your students.

1.  Explore Collections

A big thing we see throughout Bowerbird Blues is collections. The bird we follow throughout the book, describes himself as a collector and in many of the illustrations we see the things that he collects. 

There are many ways we can explore collections in the classroom. We can talk about the different collections the students have themselves, we can discuss different things collected by the people important to our students and we can look at how collections can be organised and shared.

As a part of talking about collections, students can look at museums, the role they play in our society and how they organise and share their own collections. They can look at some different museum collections shared online, examine how different collection pieces connect with other collection pieces, and older students may like to examine the idea of what should and should not be collected in museums.

Students may like to make a list of the different things collected by the bowerbird in Bowerbird Blues. They can create a plan for a museum exhibit of these collectible items and reflect on how a museum might share information about this collection.

2. Investigate How Animals and Humans Coexist

In Bowerbird Blues we see the bird interact with a range of man-made objects . These are available to the bird because they have been left behind or littered by humans. While some of the objects we see in the book are useful to the bird, other objects are clearly rubbish in the natural environment or even dangerous to wild animals.

The way animals and humans coexist in the natural environment is a fascinating topic to explore for students of all ages. Younger students can look at how littered rubbish can be dangerous to a range of animals and how we can prevent this from happening. Students in the middle primary years might like to look at how native animals make use of objects or environments left behind by humans. Upper primary students may like to look at how citizen science brings humans and animals together for the benefit of the animals.

3. Experiment with Blue

The colour blue is a major feature of this picture book. From the very first page we see that blue is an important colour to the bowerbird and there are many uses of blue in both the text and the illustrations.There are a variety of ways you can explore blue and its importance in this book with your students.

Students might like to start by examining the illustrations throughout the picture book. They can look at how different shades of blue are used to create different feelings throughout the book. They can explore the complimenting colours used by the author-illustrator, and how these change as the story progresses. They can also look at the background colours and how these are used to draw attention to the main parts of the pictures.

As well as examining how the illustrations use blue, students can experiment with using blue themselves. A very simple way to do this is to ask students to draw a picture using one or more shades of blue. This can be expanded by using a variety of pens, crayons, pastels and other drawing tools. You can also look at using paint to explore the colour blue by providing students with blue paint along with either white and black paint or red and yellow paint. Ask them to create different shades of blue and then to use these to create art. 

Another way to create with the colour blue is to experiment with collage. Students can use plain blue paper or find blue in catalogues or magazines to bring together to make new pieces of art

4. Create a Bower

Towards the end of Bowerbird Blues, the bowerbird creates a special place - a bower - which helps him find what he is missing. This bower is made up of a range of natural materials and the collected items which he has found in different spaces. When you have finished reading the book you may like to look at images of bowers with your students to see if they can find similarities between the illustrations in the book and real life bowers.

A great technology activity is to challenge students to create their own bower. Students can start by examining images of powers and reflecting on how they might be made. They need to think  about what materials they might like to use - whether it’s found materials or craft materials - and what methods they would use to create a bower which stands independently. Students can create prototypes, plans and reflections as they engage with this activity.

For some ideas on how other people  have engaged with a similar challenge check this link - https://thentrythis.org/notes/2021/05/06/bower-experiment-results/

5. Engage in a School Ground Pick Up

Man made litter is evident in many of the illustrations of Bowerbird Blues and we can use this as a prompt to explore the litter which we see and the impact it has on different environments.

Students can go on to connect this to the environment around them by considering what kind of litter they might find in their own school grounds or local community parks. They may like to go on a tour of the school grounds to see what kind of litter they might find or where they might find it, before planning their own school ground pick up. 

You can challenge students to think about what safety measures they need to consider and what materials they would need for a successful cleanup of the school grounds. When they have completed their planning, they may like to invite other classes to join them in a school ground pick up.

Are you reading Bowerbird Blues with your class? You can find a full range of learning resources plus a fun activity pack at the Galarious Goods store or at TPT

Related posts to read:

• 4 Learning Activities for Give Me Some Space!

• 4 Learning Activities for Thelma the Unicorn

• 4 Literacy Activities for I Just Ate My Friend

• Exploring Australian Picture Books About Weather

Bowerbird Blues Book Studies at TPT

• Prep / Year 1 / Year 2

• Year 3 and Year 4

• Year 5 and Year 6

• Book Activities

Bowerbird Blues Resources at the Galarious Goods Shop

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Five Ways to Explore The Sleepy Sloth in the Classroom

The Sleepy Sloth by Rebecca Young is a funny and thoughtful look at a sloth called Spike who is determined to compete in The Great Race - even if there are many faster runners in the race. Here I share five ways you can explore this fabulous book in the classroom.

Five Ways to Explore the Sleepy Sloth in the classroom. A look at the book by Rebecca Young and different ways to use it in the classroom for literacy learning

Reflect on What It Means to Be Persistent

Throughout The Speedy Sloth, Spike is determined to race in and then complete the Great Race. She undertakes actions to prepare for the race and then persists even when it’s difficult.

Exploring what persistence looks like and how students can apply it in their own learning is an important part of developing a growth mindset. Students can explore what persistence looks like in The Speedy Sloth and discuss how they can show persistence in their own life. This can be extended by helping students set learning goals, helping them develop plans and actions to succeed in those goals and helping them brainstorm ways of acknowledging their successes - big or little.

Students can also explore how goals don’t look the same for different students - some students may have a goal to read a certain number of pages, others might focus on learning a range of learning facts, while others might be working hard to develop their handwriting skills. This is another thing which can be related back to the book, with Spike’s goals looking different from the other animals in the race.

Running Maths

The Great Race is a key element of The Speedy Sloth, and it’s a great topic for integrating maths. Students can explore measurement by measuring what a metre looks like - then 5, 10, 50 or 100 metres. They can extend this by thinking about how many steps they would take to run 100 metres. Older students can explore maps of a local area and use scale to plan a marathon or fun run course.

Students can look at time by timing themselves running a certain distance, exploring the time famous runners take to run different distances, calculate how long it would take them to run a marathon (older students could think about how they might slow down or speed up) or even create a time table for sports day races.

Students could also use races to develop their own maths problems and investigations - whether it’s calculating the total distance run at a sports carnival or how much money a fun run might raise.

Spike’s Next Challenge

Spike is revealed to be a very determined sloth in The Speedy Sloth - so what might her next challenge be?

This is a great writing challenge to put forward to your students - thinking about what Spike might challenge next. Students can collaborate to write a series of stories or shared stories. They could write a follow up picture book and examine the illustrations to create their own in the same style. Or they could try a new style of writing - a short story, a poem, a graphic novel or a script.

Explore Running

Spike is determined to be a good runner - even training at the gym for the Great Race. This is a great prompt for students to explore what running is and how you can get better at running.

Students can explore running by looking at videos or reading biographies of great runners. They can research different types of running races - including hurdles and steeple chase - and look at how other sports also use running - from the run up in a gymnastics vault, to running in a football game, to running while dribbling a ball in basketball. Older students can research how running works or what you need to do to become a better runner.

Students can plan their own running races - looking at where they can safely run within the school, different types of obstacles they could add to a running race or how they could turn a race into a relay race. They can examine training plans for runners and make their own training plans in the lead up to a sports carnival.

Move Like a Sloth

While Spike has great goals in mind for the Great Race, she is not the fastest of runners. Or movers. Exploring how sloths move is a great dance activity for the classroom.

Students can begin by looking at videos and reading descriptions of how sloths move. They can use these to explore how they can move slowly, looking at how they can manipulate different body parts in slow movement. Students can explore moving through different heights slowly, moving across a room slowly, or moving in small or bigger groups in slow motion.

You can also provide a range of different music to students and ask them to select which music would best suit their movement patterns. Students can experiment with different ways of recording their movements and develop longer dances with these movements.

Are you reading The Sleepy Sloth with your class? You can find a full range of learning resources at the Galarious Goods store or at TPT for Prep/Foundation, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6

Related posts to read:

• 4 Learning Activities for Give Me Some Space!

• 4 Learning Activities for Thelma the Unicorn

• 4 Literacy Activities for I Just Ate My Friend

• Exploring Australian Picture Books About Weather

The Speedy Sloth Book Studies at TPT

• Prep / Year 1 / Year 2

• Year 3 and Year 4

• Year 5 and Year 6

Speedy Sloth Resources at the Galarious Goods Shop

Looking for more?

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5 Ways to Explore Jackie French’s Natural Disaster Books in the Classroom

When Jackie French’s Flood was first published, it was clear that this book, about the 2011 Queensland floods, would be an important addition to many classrooms. With the addition of Fire, Cyclone, Drought, Pandemic and Earthquake, we have a collection of books which explain and evoke particular disasters in Australia, as well as raising awareness of how these types of events can impact the population and the environment. Here are just some of the ways we can use this important series of picture books in the classroom.

Explore the Text

There’s not a huge amount of text in the Natural Disaster books, which means every word is chosen carefully. Jackie French has crafted books which sometimes read as poetry, often with thoughtful figurative language to explore.

One thing students can look for throughout the books is personification. When the river is nibbling or flames are laughing, the reader is being presented with a mental image which makes it easier to understand the impact of the disaster. Students can identify this personification throughout the texts, discuss why the author chose those particular words and practice writing their own texts with personification.

The way verbs are used throughout the books is another element students can explore. The verbs used are often descriptive or are combined to provide rhythm and a greater understanding of what is happening. As well as identifying how these verbs are used and what would happen if different words were substituted, students can also use these as mentor texts to improve their writing.

Making Connections

Living in Australia, it is not unusual to hear about floods and fires, cyclones and droughts - in fact as I write this, my city is still recovering from a massive recent flood event, the signs of rising waters still around us. These books are easy to connect to the things we see on the television or to other media and texts which deal with the extremes of Australia.

As you explore one or all of the books, you might like to keep a space for students to record connections they find. From videos which explain what a cyclone is, to classic Australian poetry (Said Hanrahan by John O’Brien or Dorothea Mackellar’s often quoted ‘droughts and flooding rains’) to news stories, there’s plenty of material which can expand the understanding of both the natural disasters and the books themselves. 

If you’re looking for more books about weather in Australia, don’t miss this blog post which includes a short list of excellent reads.

Look For the Helpers

One of the main themes in the Natural Disasters books is that there are always people there to help when disasters happen, from the fire fighters in Fire to the mud army in Flood to the children doing their part to share food in Pandemic. 

The idea of looking for helpers in bad times isn’t a new one, but it’s an important theme we can carry throughout the books. Students can make notes of the different types of helpers and the help they provide; look at the qualities of being a good helper and discuss the impact helpers have on our communities.

Research 

As these books are based around real events which have occurred in Australia, there’s a lot of scope for researching. Students can be broad with their research, looking at what cyclones or bushfires are and how they happen, or they can focus in on particular events, either those in the books or similar events which have happened.

Students can use the books to spark their research, looking at the vocabulary and events within the books as key search terms which can guide them. They can use their research to write information reports or make a slide show or even write their own informational picture books.

Explore the Artwork

The illustrations by Bruce Whatley are an essential part of these books. Sometimes they tell the story, sharing information we don’t find in the text. Other times they help to create the mood of the story, using a range of different art techniques evoking the disaster or the time in which the story is set.

In each book there’s an illustrator’s note which is fascinating to explore. Bruce Whatley talks about some of the restrictions on his work, either self imposed or through circumstances. He also talks about elements such as the use of colour, the materials used or the techniques employed - all of which the students can identify and discuss.

Students can also experiment with these techniques themselves, looking at how they can use different colours or materials to create their own artworks. They can also take this further by looking at how they might evoke a natural disaster through art work.

Find in-depth book studies for Jackie French’s natural disaster books here

Related posts to read:

• Exploring Australian Picture Books About Weather

• Taking a Deep Dive Into Picture Book Illustrations in the Classroom

• Four Ways to Explore Family Tree in the Classroom

• Using I'm Australian Too in Upper Primary Classrooms

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Four Ways to Explore Family Tree in the Classroom

Family Tree by Josh Pyke is a beautiful and lyrical look at growth, families and the role nature can play around our living environments. But how can we use it in our classrooms? Here’s four ways you can grow learning with this wonderful book with your students.

Take Family Tree Outside

Family Tree is a wonderful book to read aloud. One way to turn this into an experience is to take the book outside - especially to a place filled with trees. If you’ve got a tree-filled spot in your school or access to a local park, you can take your students there to experience the story.

Before or after reading the book, students can engage with the trees in a number of ways - from closing their eyes and reflecting on what they can hear when they sit under a tree to using observation to see what insects or birds are around the tree (or if you are particularly lucky, you may be able to find a koala). 

If you have the time and can plan it with your administration, students might like to participate in a tree planting activity. Alternatively, students could plant seeds or seedlings in small pots and take them home. 

Create Your Own Family Tree

We usually think of a family tree as a drawing or document which shows parents, grandparents and other family members. However, in the book, the family tree is shown as an actual tree, the family who live near it and the experiences and influences on the family. 

Students can create this broader type of family tree by creating a diagram or drawing which shows the people, places, events and things which are important to them and to their growth. They might like to highlight big world wide or nation wide events which are part of their lives; smaller events which impact them or their families, places which are important to them or milestones as they are growing up, as well as the people in their family or around their family who are important to them.

Take a Closer Look at Trees

The tree is a major part of Family Tree from the seed it grows from through to being a mature tree perfect for animals and birds and small children who can climb into the sky. Trees are fabulous to explore with students because there’s so many different elements you can take a closer look at. 

Students can investigate the different parts of a tree or the different types of trees which exist in their local environment. They can look at how trees grow and what makes the perfect environment for them. Students can investigate animals who use trees as their home or for food and look at what difficulties they face, or how trees benefit us. 

This is a great opportunity for older students to start with a big topic - trees - and to develop their own questioning skills around this topic. 

Examine Origin Stories

Family Tree shows us the origin story of the tree - as a seed growing into a small plant. Origin stories are common in fiction, telling us the backstory of how a character became the protagonist - or the antagonist. Understanding the origin story of a character, and the way it influences further growth of the character, allows students to gain a deeper understanding of the character and the story itself.

Students can examine and compare the origin story of the tree and the girl in Family Tree, but they can also compare these origin stories with origin stories in other books. They can brainstorm different origin stories they know from books, television or movies and find the similarities and differences between them. They can also pose questions about well known books - why did the Green Sheep need to sleep? Why is Pig the Pug the way he is? - and write their own origin stories.

Are you reading Family Tree with your class? You can find a full range of learning resources at the Galarious Goods store for Prep/Foundation, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6

Related posts to read:

• 4 Learning Activities for Give Me Some Space!

• 4 Learning Activities for Thelma the Unicorn

• 4 Literacy Activities for I Just Ate My Friend

• Exploring Australian Picture Books About Weather

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Three Themes to Explore in The Adventures of Beekle

The Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat is a whimsical picture book about an imaginary creature who has to go looking for his friend. This is a sweet and lovely book to read aloud, while also offering opportunities to explore a range of themes in detail.

1. Friendship

Beekle is an imaginary friend who doesn’t have a real child friend. At the heart of his story is the quest to go out and find the friend who might be too busy to find him. 

In the book we see a lot of elements of friendship which we can explore further with our students. We see the difficulty of finding friends and the different steps we might have to take to make friends. We also see how friendship grows and how it can include other people.

Activities to Explore:

• Ask students to think about what friendship would look like if it was a creature. They can create drawings and write descriptions of this friendship creature

• Is Beekle a good friend? Ask students to write a persuasive text answering this question

• Ask students to reflect on how Beekle made friends with Alice and to brainstorm different ways they could make friends

2. Imagination

Beekle is from a land where imaginary friends are created and wait to be imagined by real children. He finds the real world to be a strange place, feeling more comfortable in places and situations which feed the imagination.

This element of imagination is fun for students to explore, especially when comparing The Adventures of Beekle with other books which contrast realistic and imaginary elements. Students can also reflect on the different ways imagination is portrayed in the book and the different ways they see or use imagination in their own lives.

Activities to Explore:

• Ask students to create an imaginary friend of their own. They can think about the different elements which might make up an imaginary friend and use descriptive language to write about them

• Ask students to plan and draw a piece of playground equipment which demonstrates imagination. As a group activity, students could work together to plan a whole imagination inspired playground

• Is imagination important? Students can work in pairs or small groups to explore why imagination is or isn’t important

3. Exploration

When Beekle decides he can’t wait any longer, he makes the extraordinary decision to set out on his own to find his friend. This involves sailing through many dangers to the real world, then exploring the unfamiliar places and behaviours which made up the real world.

There are many ways you can consider exploration in the classroom, from comparing Beekle’s experience with those of famous explorers, through to examining why some situations might have been confronting for Beekle in the book. Students can also simply reflect on what exploration is.

Activities to Explore:

• Ask students to draw a map showing Beekle’s exploration. Students may begin by investigating what elements a map has and ensuring that they add these to their work

• Students create a profile of an explorer. As part of this profile students can think about what qualities an explorer has

• Examine maps or get students to create a map of the local area around your school. Use these maps to write a ‘guide to exploring’ the local area. Think about what things people might see

Are you using The Adventures of Beekle in your classroom? Don’t miss this book companion which explores friendship, imaginary friends and more.

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• Why You Should Share Kamala and Maya's Big Idea in Your Classroom

• 5 Reasons to Explore The House that Cleaned Itself in the Classroom

• Exploring The Girl With a Mind For Math in the Classroom

• Choosing a Picture Book to Explore With Your Classroom

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How To Make Sure A Teachers Pay Teachers Resource Is Right For Your Class

Teachers Pay Teachers is filled with some really fabulous, high quality and engaging teacher resources. But how can you make sure the lovely resources are right for your students and your teaching situation? Here’s a few ways to make sure any Teachers Pay Teachers resource is right for your class.

1. Use the Grade Filters

When you do a search on Teachers Pay Teachers, there are a number of ways to filter down your results. One of the easiest ways to find what’s right for your class is to use the grade filter - you’ll find it on the left hand side of the page when you’re using the desktop version.

One thing that’s really great about the grade filter is that you can use it to look for more than one grade. This is perfect if you’re teaching a multi-age or composite class or if you have students who need to work up or down a grade level. You can also check out grade levels which are close to yours to see if the material will work for your students.

2. Read the Description

This is the must read section of any Teachers Pay Teachers resource listing! The resource description - under the photographs and any bundle listings - usually includes a brief description of the resource, then more details which you can use to decide if it’s the right resource for you.

Each seller includes slightly different elements in their descriptions, but in a Galarious Goods description, you’ll find an introductory paragraph about the resource, then an extended list explaining what is included and some information about whether it uses US or UK English spelling and the number of pages included. This allows you to reflect on whether the resource has the activities you would like to complete or if the format will work for your class.

3. Check Out the Thumbnails and Watch the Video

So, you’ve read the description but you really want to get the feel of the resource. This is where the thumbnail photos and the video preview - if included - are super helpful. You can find these resources underneath the main cover photograph - if there’s a video, it will be the second ‘image’, and the thumbnail photographs will come after that.

Again each seller does things in their own way, but many sellers will take photos of their resources printed out, so you can get an idea of what they might look like in the classroom. Any included preview videos can also help you get a better idea of how to use the classroom or an overview of what is included in the resource.

4. Look Through the Preview

Did you know that Teachers Pay Teacher sellers can add previews to their resources? These previews can be a great way of checking to see if the resource is the right thing for your class. Many sellers highlight included pages in their resource, allowing you to check for text density or if the design will be appealing to the age level you teach. Some sellers will include an introductory note or highlight elements which they think will help you as a teacher, while others will include a full range of the included activities so you can browse through on your own.

The preview is hands down the most useful part of a Teachers Pay Teachers resource listing and it’s well worth taking the time to look through it. Don’t forget to use the little zoom tool (the addition and subtraction symbols at the top) to look closer if you need to!

5. Ask a Question

Did you know you can ask a question on ANY Teachers Pay Teachers resource? Just above the resource description, there’s a little link bar with Q&A which will take you to all the asked questions and allow you to ask your own questions. This is perfect if you’re still not sure if the resource is right for you and you haven’t found your answers in the previews - a seller might be able to give you the little more information you need or direct you to a blog post with more info.

When you’re asking the questions, make sure you give the seller a bit of time to get back to you (after all, we’re all around the world and we do have to sleep at some point!) and make sure to check the box so you get an email when the seller responds. Unfortunately replies can’t be threaded, so you may need to ask another question if you need further clarification - that’s the best way to make sure the seller sees the question!

Just one last point - if you have a question about a specific resource, ask on that resource page or include the title of it if you’re asking the question at the general ‘Ask A Question’ page for each seller - otherwise it’s hard for the seller to know which of their resources you’re asking about!

I hope this helps you to find the right resource for your classroom!

Related posts to read:

• What is a Teachers Pay Teachers Sale? (And how can you save?)

• Starting a New Teaching Job on a Limited Budget

• 5 Great Posts for Teachers Writing Report Cards

• Using Printable Resources When You Have A Photocopy Limit

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Choosing a Picture Book to Explore With Your Classroom

You’d like to take an in-depth look at some picture books in your classroom, but you’ve got no idea where to start! Here’s some things to keep in mind when you’re trying to choose the best picture book to explore with your students.

1. What books are available?

Unless you have an amazing budget, you’re best to start off with books which are available to you. This might mean books you own, books which are available in the school or local library or books you can (carefully) borrow from teacher friends. 

This is especially important to keep in mind when you might need multiple copies of the same book. If you’re going to have more than one group working on the book at the same time or if you want to have a book for you to hold and another one for the students to look through, you’ll need multiple copies. 

Unsure where to find books? This blog post has a few ideas.

2. What topics are you exploring?

One of the easiest ways to narrow down the picture book search is to consider which topics you are covering in the classroom. This might be English topics - if you want to look at rhyme, then choose a beautifully rhyming book like a Julia Donaldson book; if you’re exploring onomatopoeia, think about a book which is rich with it, like Sally Sutton’s Roadwork, Demolition or Construction.

But you can also look at topics you’re exploring outside of English. There are many science themed picture books to suit a wide variety of science topics, and a growing number of fabulous historical books which give a different perspective to important historical topics. There’s even books related to government like Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea and If I Was Prime Minister!

3. What skills are you looking to teach?

Are you exploring vocabulary? Looking at character development? Working on visual literacy? Look at the standards or curriculum outcomes you’re trying to achieve in English and find books which support the teaching of those standards. 

You may be working with young children who are learning to read - think about books with repeating words where children can practice their new literacy skills. Or if you’re working with older children examining how you can use illustrations to tell stories, you might look to the books by Shaun Tan. 

4. Are there other books you can link to?

Many curriculum standards and outcomes ask students to make comparisons between books with similar themes, similar structures or by the same author. By looking forward to including some comparative explorations, you get a better idea of what book to start with and you can extend the learning of your students.

You might look at fables, traditional stories from a range of different cultures or different retellings of fairy tales. Or you might like to pull together a range of books which explore what it means to be a friend or which tell a story of persistence and make your selection from there. Another interesting idea might be to explore an author’s early book and a book written years - or even decades - later. Or you could look at how the work of an illustrator might compare in different books and how they might use different art techniques to tell a story. 

5. What are your students interested in?

It’s definitely worthwhile checking in with your students and their current interests and favourite books when planning a picture book study. Often students will suggest books which you might not have thought of, books which are absolutely perfect once you take a closer look at them. Students may like to create a class list of books they’d like to take a closer look at. 

Student interests can also inform the books you choose in the classroom. Students who are interested in weather might like to take a closer look at picture books which explore the impact of weather on the characters, while students who are interested in inventions might like to examine picture book biographies of notable and interesting inventors.

How do you choose the picture books you explore in your classroom? Leave a comment below to share!

Related posts to read:

• Exploring Early Childhood Books in the Middle Grades

• Challenging Students to Find Connections Between Picture Books

• Asking Students to Create their Own Picture Book Questions

• Taking a Deep Dive Into Picture Book Illustrations in the Classroom

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Why You Should Share Kamala and Maya's Big Idea in Your Classroom

One of my favourite books of 2020 was Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea by Meena Harris and Ana Ramírez González. This lovely picture book tells a fictionalised story about Kamala Harris and her sister Maya and a project they undertook as children. And - as a story which focuses on civics and community - it’s perfect for the classroom. Here’s some reasons why you should share it in your classroom and some ways you might like to explore it with your students.

1. Being aware of issues in our community

It’s hard to make improvements in our community if we don’t know about or understand the issues. At the beginning of Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea, the two girls have a very big idea to create a playground outside. They’ve spotted something which can be improved and have ideas about how to improve it.

Students can have great ideas about their community and the things they’d like to see improved when we give them the opportunity to learn more about different issues and the space to suggest a future they’d like to see. Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea is a great prompting text for students to reflect on their own community and different things they notice or would like to improve.

Activity Idea: Ask students to reflect on what their ideal neighbourhood or school would be like. While some ideas are sure to be a little outlandish, students will also have thoughts on real improvements which can be made.

2. Working with others to solve problems

In the book, Kamala and Maya don’t achieve their goal on their own. They work with other kids in the building, get help from their parents and neighbours in the building to raise interest. They build things together, raise money together and even get donations of old things from local businesses.

Big problems and big goals can be hard to solve on our own, but when people work together those big things can be broken into smaller pieces. This is a great way for students to talk about organising groups of people, about how to make decisions in these groups and how to respect the ideas of others when planning something. 

Activity Idea: Work as a group to choose a charity to raise money for. Brainstorm ways to raise the money and think about how the group can work together to make a big job easier.

3. Being persistent and trying different ways to solve problems

Getting their playground isn’t easy and Kamala and Maya have to be persistent and deal with setbacks. They have to convince the landlord that the courtyard can be fixed up, then how to source materials for their playground. Then they need to change their focus on raising money to buy an old slide for the playground. They don’t give up, but they’re also happy to change how they approach things when they need to.

This is such a great message for students to hear and to reflect on. Oftentimes it feels easier to give up when things get really hard. But by thinking about whether you need to change how you’re doing something or by just doing something again, you get another step closer to achieving your goals.

Activity Idea: Ask your students to brainstorm phrases they can say to themselves when they need to be persistent. You can use these phrases as a display in the classroom, or students can create reminder cards with their favourites. 

4. Creating community spaces

Kamala and Maya’s goal in the book was to create a happy community space. This is a great opportunity for students to reflect on what makes a great community space and what community spaces exist in their community.

You might like to look beyond playgrounds as well and look at other community spaces which cater to different groups of people. You may include libraries, community centres, communal gardens, nature reserves and walks. Students can reflect on why community spaces are important to people and the benefits of them and what community spaces they would like to see.

Activity Idea: Go on a neighbourhood journey to some local community spaces. Students might like to take photos, draw maps and write notes about the different things they see in these spaces.

Want to take a closer look at Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea? Read more about the book companion here

Related posts to read:

• Exploring The Girl With a Mind For Math in the Classroom

• 5 Reasons to Explore The House that Cleaned Itself in the Classroom

• Challenging Students to Find Connections Between Picture Books

• Asking Students to Create their Own Picture Book Questions

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5 Times Teachers Should Contact Parents (and 5 Times They Might Consider It)

Parent contact can feel like just another thing to do in a busy teacher life, but it can be a vital step to building good classroom relationships with students and their families. Here’s some times when you should get in contact with parents and carers and times when you might consider it

Five Times You SHOULD Contact Parents and Carers

1. An Introductory Contact

If you don’t have an opportunity to see parents face to face or you’re new to a class, a quick introductory email or message can be a great way to establish relationships with students’ families. These messages don’t need to be long - just a few sentences will let parents know who you are and how to get in contact with you. This can also be a great way to establish contact boundaries - letting parents know when you’ll be able to talk with them or that you’ll restrict email responses to working times.

2. When Parents or Carers Contact You

You absolutely don’t need to respond to parents or carers right away, but you should respond to any emails you receive. It can be as simple as thanking them for their email or asking them to set up a meeting time through the school office, or it might be a more in-depth response. Responding to parent contact allows parents to know that you are aware of any concerns or information they’ve shared with you - plus, it’s just good manners.

3. When Something is Wrong, Different or Changing

If students are demonstrating continual poor behaviour or disengagement from school work, a gentle message home gives families a heads up and prevents surprises when report cards or parent interviews come around. Contact with parents can also open up communication if something different is happening at home or if school and families need to work together to pursue further investigations.

If something is changing in the classroom, giving parents a heads up can prevent misinformation or anxiety at home. This might include changes in days for specialist lessons (especially if uniform changes are required and parents need to consider laundry), changes in teachers or new behaviour management systems.

4. For Positive Events

You’ve just finished a really great unit of work and you’ve got a culminating event. You’d love parents to come along, so you let students know they can invite them. But . . . students are not always the best carriers of information. Things get muddled and confused or just forgotten. A quick email home lets parents know the time, the place, what they’ll see - and you can let parents know if you’ll be taking pictures or videos to share with them if they’re not able to make it.

5. If You Want Family Engagement

Family engagement comes in many different shapes and sizes, from volunteering at the school fete to being members of parents committees to helping kids at home. But if you want family engagement of any kind, you have to communicate with them. If you want parents to read with the students, they need to know this. If you want parents to fill out book logs, they need to know. If you need volunteers for an excursion, they need to know - but they’ll also be more likely to volunteer if you’ve put in the work to communicate with them regularly.

For learning related engagement, don’t forget to explain the aims of the activity. If you can’t explain to parents why you need them to do something, you might need to consider why you’re asking them to do it in the first place.

Five Times You MIGHT Contact Parents and Carers

1. After Classroom Testing

This can vary depending on your school’s philosophy around classroom testing, but for schools which regularly move students through reading levels, spelling levels or other levelled programs, letting parents know about progress allows them to celebrate those small achievements. This doesn’t have to be a big email - a simple “Yay! Joe moved onto Level 13 books today!” would let parents know where their child is at - and that you consider it an achievement to be celebrated.

2. With Positive Stories

Has a student done something particularly well that day? Or have they shown determination, hard work or great behaviour over a period of time? Let their family know about it! A positive phone call or email home leaves everyone feeling good, lets families know what’s happening in the classroom and creates a positive foundation for working between home and school.

3. With Event Reminders

Is something coming up soon at school? An excursion? Swim lessons? After school event? A quick email home with the details prompts the memories of parents and carers, makes sure that nothing important is missed and opens the door for any questions parents may have. This is particularly helpful for parents who aren’t always comfortable navigating school spaces.

4. A Weekly/Monthly/Term update

A regular newsletter style update allows parents to know what has been happening in the classroom and what is happening in the future. It’s a good opportunity to include any reminders, to celebrate classroom achievements and to build those positive relationships. While some schools have systems which make this easy to produce regularly, you can also make it a quick and easy thing once or twice a term - at the beginning of term to share what you’ll be exploring and at the end of term to share a few class achievements and photos if you are able.

5. When Starting a New Learning Unit or Topic

Letting parents and carers know about new topics or learning units is a great way to just touch base with them. But it can also be a good way for students and your class as a whole to engage in new knowledge or material. You never know when the families of your class have experience with a topic, or can offer a book, photo or other information which will make your learning topic richer. This also doesn’t need to be over the top - you can restrict it to topics which you’re really excited about, topics where you know families can make contributions or topics which have an excursion attached.

Thanks to all the parents, carers and teachers (and teachers who are parents!) who offered their thoughts on parent contact. When do you contact the families of your students? Let me know in the comments.

Related posts to read:

• Why I Won't Share Anti-Parent Teacher Memes (and you shouldn't either)

• Making Contact With Parents

• 5 Things School Parents Might Worry About (And how teachers can help those worries)

• Don't Put My Child On Your Classroom Data Wall

• Assessing and Addressing Waiting in Your Classroom

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4 Activities for Exploring Democratic Decision Making in the Classroom

Democratic decision making is one of the early concepts students come across as they learn about civics and citizenship. It’s an important concept - one which is used in government and community organisations and even to make playground decisions - so here’s some different and fun ways you can bring it alive in your classroom.

What is Democratic Decision Making?

Democratic decision making happens when a group of people work together to ensure everyone has a say on the decisions being made. This means everyone gets an equal change to share their opinions and ideas and any votes are held in a fair manner. Democratic decision making may be written into a set of rules or may just happen when decisions are being made.

Exploring Democratic Decision Making in the Classroom

1. What Game Will We Play?

This is a great introductory activity to try when you know you are able to take students outside for a game. 

Bring this activity to the students by letting them know that they’re going to have some free time to play a game outside - but only if they can decide which game the class will play in a fair way. At this point, some classes may be fine to engage in discussion and negotiations and to work out the fairest (and most democratic) way to make a decision. Other classes may need scaffolding around what fair looks like, or help brainstorming ways they can make a fair decision.

When students have chosen the game, ask them to explain why they made a fair decision. Then you can take them out to play!

Follow up activity: Revisit the activity and the steps they took to make a fair decision. You may like to ask students to think of any other strategies they could have used. Ask students to create ‘Fair Decision’ posters to help other students to make decisions together.

2. Compare Fair and Unfair Ways of Voting

Most students engaging with civics will have had some experience of voting - either as part of classroom activities or for data collection in maths. If students haven’t experienced voting, or they’re unsure of the concept, you may like to organise a quick vote to demonstrate.

Present students with a range of scenarios showing fair and unfair ways of holding a vote. Unfair votes could include only some people being allowed to vote; certain people having to complete tasks before they can vote (like running around the oval 10 times or standing on one leg to vote); or some people getting more than one vote. Fair voting scenarios might include everyone getting one vote; voting questions being clear and easy to understand or votes being secret. Ask students to organise the different scenarios into fair and unfair ways of voting and ask them to explain their decisions - this could be a great small group or whole class activity. 

When students have organised the scenarios, they may like to discuss why voting should be fair - what the benefits of a fair vote are.

Follow up activity: Ask students to write rules for a fair vote. When students have written rules, they might like to try out some - either within the class, with another class in the year level or with a buddy class.

3. Invite a Guest Speaker to Talk About Democratic Decision Making

Inviting guest speakers into the classroom is a great way to engage with a topic. Many people in community organisations engage in democratic decision making and can explain the different ways they do that to the class.

If your school has a parents association - a P and C or P and F, this may be a great place to start. The President of the P and C would be able to explain how they became president and the way that decisions are made when they’re at a meeting. Similarly, members of community groups such as the Lions or Rotary may be able to discuss the decision making processes at their meetings. 

Alternatively, you might like to invite one of the local elected representatives - especially if you can work with different classes within the school so they can talk on a range of topics. Elected representatives are elected on a vote and participate regularly in voting. They also have different methods to make sure all the representatives have a say as well as the people who they represent.

Follow up activity: Ask students to investigate ways of running a meeting and to develop their own rules for running a meeting. 

4. Encourage Students to Have a Say

When my daughter was in kindergarten, her class was very concerned about litter in the local park. Their teacher helped them to express their concerns in drawings and paintings and they worked together to write a letter to the local council. A local councillor then came to visit them and to talk about little and what the council and individuals could do to help. This was a fabulous exercise in even the youngest students getting to have a say about an issue which concerned them.

Ask your students what they are concerned about and discuss who they could talk to about it. Brainstorm and reflect on the best ways to have a say - whether it’s attending a local meeting or writing a letter to a local representative (or even the Principal if it’s a school concern). Let students know that having a say doesn’t always mean something will be done about it, but it does let people who hold positions of power know that it is something which is important within their community.

Follow up activity: Investigate different notable people around the world who have had a say about things which are important to them.

Have you explored democratic decision making with your students? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Related posts to read:

• Elections in the Classroom - 7 Tips for Real Learning with Minimum Controversy

• Get Students Involved to Make a Better World

• Five Times Young People Got Involved and Took Action!

• Four Ways Students Can Find More Information And Get Involved

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