Refugee Week 2017: "With courage let us all combine"

Refugee Week is celebrated in Australia between 18 - 24 June 2017.  As Refugee Week draws to a close for another year, I thought it important to share some children's and young adult/youth literature about refugees and the courage it takes them to survive.

When I first began this post, I thought I would feature maybe one page of picture books that focus on the courage of refugees and their stories from around the world.  What became clear, was that this is a very big issue that affects so many people worldwide, and I started asking how its importance could be addressed significantly in just one short week?

I am going to keep this post brief, not to limit its importance, but rather to share links for further investigation.

I have several pinterest boards where I pin resources and ideas for supporting learning about refugees, migrants and other cultures.  The links are included below.

Refugees
https://au.pinterest.com/kyjac/refugees/

Refugees in Australia
https://au.pinterest.com/kyjac/refugees-in-australia/

Australian Multiculturalism
https://au.pinterest.com/kyjac/australian-multiculturalism/

Migrants
https://au.pinterest.com/kyjac/migrants/

Cultures
https://au.pinterest.com/kyjac/cultures/

Poverty
https://au.pinterest.com/kyjac/poverty/

Peace
https://au.pinterest.com/kyjac/peace/

I also have some favourite resources that I use to study refugees, and one of them is the picture book, "My Two Blankets" by Irena Kobald, illustrated by Freya Blackwood.

You can read my previous blog post about this picture book, with links to free downloads and resources here.  Click on the image above to learn more about the resource I made to support the picture book, "My Two Blankets".  

This week, I will be giving away one copy of my resource for the picture book, "My Two Blankets" and also a copy of the picture book, "My Name is not Refugee" by Kate Milner.  

I actually ordered two copies of the picture book, "My Name is not Refugee" (by mistake on different days, as only I can!), so I am happy to gift one copy to one of my followers.  Both of these picture books have won awards in their own right, so I am happy to share them with you!

Please enter the Rafflecopter below if you are interested in scoring one (or both) of these resources.  I will keep the entry process really simple :)  Make sure you use the arrows on the rafflecopter to choose which giveway you wish to enter.  You are more than welcome to enter both :)  Click on the hyperlink below "a Rafflecopter giveaway" to enter, if the Rafflecopter image is not visible.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a terrific week everyone and happy school holidays to my teaching colleagues in Australia!

Please note that I am in no way affiliated with the authors, illustrators or book providers linked to in this post.

A new resource for "Sugarplum and the Unicorn" by Julia Donaldson

I just love text sets and I just love Julia Donaldson's picture books, so when I came across "Sugarplum and the Unicorn" I just could not wait to make a reading comprehension resource for it.  You can preview that resource by clicking on the red hyperlink under the title, or here.

Below is a set of texts that would work well together as companion texts.  My reading comprehension resource for "Thelma the Unicorn" by Aaron Blabey has been really popular and one of my best sellers.  You can preview it here.  

All three picture books have similar themes of wishing to be something more than you are. 

You can view a book trailer for "Thelma the Unicorn" here.  You can view the author, Aaron Blabey reading the book aloud here.  He is one of my favourite Australian picture book authors :)

This is an overview of my reading comprehension resource for "Thelma the Unicorn".

Other titles that might work well in this text set include:
"Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great" by Bob Shea

"Bob is a Unicorn"

"Uni the Unicorn" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (song based on the book) 

These picture books are terrific for helping children realise the importance of accepting yourself as you are, which is an important life skill.

Teacher reference:

"I Believe in Unicorns: Classroom Experiences for Activating Creative Thinking" by Bob Stanish.  Has anyone used this book to support creative and critical thinking?

Can you think of any other picture books that would fit into this text set?  If so, please share in the comments.

Have a great week everyone...

Hot off the press - Reading comprehension resources for "ANZAC Biscuits" by Phil Cummings

I am so excited about my new ANZAC Day resource based on "ANZAC Biscuits" by Phil Cummings. 

The resource is 40 pages and includes:

Word Work – vocabulary development: thinking maps, definitions, inferring and synonyms
Sensory language – Y charts
Making connections
Character traits – using text evidence
Student-generated questioning
Story mapping
Summarising parallel storylines
Analysing figurative language in the story
Matching adjectives and nouns from the story
Interactive notebook activity - summarising
Exploring verbs and nouns in cooking
Close reading activities – Investigating the history of ANZAC biscuits
ANZAC writing papers
ANZAC bookmarks

This new resource is so "hot off the press" that I haven't even had time to do a preview overview of it.  I wanted to post about it because ANZAC Day is on 25 April here in Australia (next Monday).  You can check it out by clicking here or on the image below.

I made this resource as I just love this picture book and I  couldn't find any other teaching resources that use this fabulous picture book.  "ANZAC Biscuits" is suitable for the early years for a read aloud.  It was only when I was making up the resource, which I intended to initially be for the early years, that I realised the potential this picture book has, with what appears to be such a simple story, for exploring some higher order literary devices, such as parallel storylines and figurative language.

I have created two other resources for ANZAC Day based on picture books.  One is a bundle for three picture books that feature dogs during the First World War.   You can read about this bundle and view previews of the resources that accompany the three picture books in my blog post here.  See the YouTube video preview of this resource here.  View the resource on TPT here.



The other resource is a mega big resource of 70 pages based on "ANZAC Ted".  You can read about my ANZAC Ted resource here and here.  See the YouTube video preview of this resource here.  View the resource on TPT here.

Check out my TPT store to download two freebies for ANZAC Day, including ANZAC bookmarks and an outline of ANZAC Ted that can be used for a class display.

I would love to hear what other Aussies or kiwis do in their classrooms for ANZAC Day.  Did you know that the origin of the ANZAC biscuit is contested? Read more in my "ANZAC biscuits" resource in the close reading activities.

Have a terrific week everyone !

Incorporating Indigenous Australian perspectives within the curriculum

Hi everyone

This is a very brief post.  I wanted to share with you a post I did earlier this year for the Australian Teachers' Collaborative Blog on Australian Indigenous Perspectives.  

It took me a great deal of time to research and consult about the ideas in that blog post and I hadn't realised that I hadn't shared that thinking and those ideas on my own blog.

This image was reproduced with permission from Magabala Books and the illustrator, Renee Fogorty, of the children's picture book, "Fair Skin, Black Fella".

The ideas and resources I shared are just terrific for embedding Indigenous Australian perspectives within the curriculum and I also shared ideas for developing critical literacy in the middle and upper primary years - ideas that I have seen in action in classrooms in very powerful ways.

You can read my blog post about ideas and resources for embedding Australian Indigenous Perspectives within the curriculum here: 
http://australianteachers.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/australian-indigenous-perspectives-and.html

Please note that the giveaways mentioned in that blog post have been completed!

Have a terrific week!

Hot off the press! "Anzac Ted" reading comprehension bundle

I am so excited...It's a bit like giving birth when you finally finish a resource to the point where you could keep going forever but decide to stop!  Today is that day and I am happy to share with you my new 70 page bundle to support the reading comprehension of "Anzac Ted" by Belinda Landsberry.

You can read my other post about this title with links to freebies here.

This is not going to be a long post, because I am now "post-resource-creation" tired! However, I would love it if you would take a moment to view my video preview here or to click on the images below to find out more.  

To check out the contents of this bundle, please view my YouTube preview clip here: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0UkpbsRfmE 

I would love it as well if you would share the URL for this blog post with your colleagues and networks.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

ANZAC Ted and other ideas for ANZAC Day

Hi everyone

Following from my previous post about new resources for ANZAC Day, I am sharing some new ideas using "ANZAC Ted", a wonderful picture book by Belinda Landsberry.

It can be challenging introducing young students to the sensitive issues around war, death, dying and sacrifice that surround any study of ANZAC Day, however ANZAC Ted is a resource that does this is a sensitive way.

You can view a YouTube clip of ANZAC Ted here.


Peter Stanley provides a critical perspective and review on the picturebook here.

Rather than viewing the vocabulary in the picturebook as a barrier to comprehension, I saw this as a wonderful teaching opportunity and as a result I am creating a resource to support the comprehension of what I believe is a wonderful picturebook for introducing younger students to Australia's involvement in World War 1.

You can download a freebie of a template/outline that can be used for classroom displays during ANZAC Day from my TPT store here or by clicking on the image on the left.

Free teaching notes are also available online via this link.

I have uploaded a fun rhyming words game based on the picture book in my TPT store.  You can view that here or by clicking on the image below. 

It is such a fun game that can be played in several ways.  Students work with a small group to match words that rhyme.  If they draw a "poppy" card, they can either return all their cards to the centre pile, or every player has to return their cards to the centre pile (the teacher can decide which version to play).  There is also the option to include the "slouch hat" cards, which give players another turn if they draw this card.

Watch this space, as I am still working on the complete resource to support higher order thinking and reading comprehension using this picturebook.  Make sure you are following me on TPT so that you are notified when the complete resource is uploaded.  

Many thanks to Iva from etsy for the custom-made clip art used in these resources.  

Please note that you would need a copy of the picturebook to use these teacher support resources.

Have a terrific week everyone and all the best to my Queensland teaching colleagues who are returning to teaching next week.

Fresh ideas for ANZAC Day

ANZAC Day is commemorated in Australia on 25 April, when we honour and pay tribute to those who fought in wars to protect our country and our futures.

When I was putting together this bundle to support the reading comprehension of three ANZAC picture books, I was moved with great pride for the soldiers who fought in these battles, but also for the dogs that served beside them during World War 1.

There are 59 pages (including title pages and credits) in this bundle to support the comprehension of these three ANZAC picture books.  

You can view an overview of the contents of each of the resources included in the bundle, through the images below, via this link, or by clicking on the image above to view a YouTube preview video of the resource.

My friend, Nikki Tester from Ocean View Learning Resources, taught me today how to make a preview of a resource in Powerpoint and then upload it to YouTube with music.  

I am pretty proud of my very first attempt. You can view it and preview of my ANZAC Day bundle here or by clicking on the cover image above.

It was only when I was putting together the resource that I realised that all three picture books feature characters from the New Zealand troops who fought in World War 1.

The first picture book is, "The ANZAC Puppy" by Peter Millet.  This is the true story of Freda, a dalmatian and the mascot of the New Zealand Rifles during World War 1. You can view a read-aloud of the story by clicking on the read-aloud hyperlink.





"The Red Poppy" by David Hill, features New Zealand's involvement in the battles  of the Western Front, in France, through the eyes of the main character, Jim, with Nipper who is the messenger dog.    

Instructions for how to make a red poppy pin are included in the bundle.  A YouTube demonstration about how to make a memorial poppy is available here.  

Finally, I selected "Caesar the ANZAC Dog" as my third picture book within the bundle.  It more suited to the middle years (or upper years of primary school).  

Caesar is a very famous dog now in New Zealand and the picture book is based on a true story.  

Caesar, the bulldog, was the mascot for the Rifle Brigade.  Caesar worked during the Battle of Somme in 1916 as a Red Cross dog, helping to rescue injured soldiers.  

His official collar is held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum and visitors may purchase a soft toy version of Caesar, complete with a replica of his official collar.

What I learnt from putting this resource together, is that not only did our soldiers show courage and bravery during World War 1, but so did the canines (dogs) who worked beside them.  Sara Holton reminds us of this and the important role that dogs played in War on YouTube.

Author Stephen Dando-Collins speaks about some of the War dogs that inspired his writing of "Caesar the War Dog" which is a different story to the one above.  This version is based on an Australian War dog serving in Afghanistan that worked as an explosive detection dog and became a special forces dog.  You can view this interview here.

The bundle (resource) I created, includes higher order thinking reading comprehension activities for the three ANZAC picture books mentioned above and includes:

• Synonym snap game
• Adjectives cut & paste activity
• Character traits
• Story mapping
• de Bono's thinking hats
• Philosophy for children reflection - empathy, courage & enemies
• The Four Resources Model & close reading teaching notes
• Figurative language (personification & similes)
• Song lyrics
• How to make a poppy pin
• Compare & contrast Venn diagrams (including a triple Venn)
• QR code comprehension questions
• Mapping
• Close reading - Dogs at War
• Research & information report scaffold and links...and much more!

You may also be interested in my friend Nikki's new resource for ANZAC Day.  You can preview this resource here or by clicking on the image below:

To find out more about this resource, click on this link here.

Make sure you also check out Nikki's resource on first and second hand accounts of events in Australia. It is just brilliant for close reading, higher order thinking in reading comprehension and critical literacy. You can find this resource here or by clicking on the image on the right.  Find out about Nikki's other very popular resources here.

So, this ANZAC Day, when we say, "Lest we forget", let's remember our canine friends who fought beside their handlers or owners with determination, courage and bravery.  

"We will remember them."

Other teaching colleagues from Australia or New Zealand are more than welcome to share a link to their ANZAC Day teaching resources in the comments section below (choose one your favourite or most popular link to share).

More ANZAC Day resources from Aussie or NZ teachers are available using these links:


Montessorikiwi - ANZAC Day Scavenger Hunt; ANZAC Day Flip Book

Tech Teacher Pto3 - 

ANZAC Day Activity Pack - Craft, Word Search, Worksheets, Posters and more !

Lest we forget image sourced from here.

*New* Australian Teachers' Collaborative Blog

Have you checked out the new Australian Teachers' Collaborative Blog yet?  If not you can do so by clicking here.

I am very excited to be part of this amazing group of Aussie educators sharing ideas.

You can check out my first post on higher order thinking and the teaching of reading comprehension in the middle years here.

We aim to make the blog posts as practical as possible.

On the main page at the moment you can read:

Paula's post on helping writers to succeed with plenty of practical tips and links.

Jem's post on transition to school and her showbags for this.

Christie's post on cyberbullying which is a growing concern for many parents and educators.

Check out the archives for other terrific blog posts with many links to practical ideas and tips.

To all my Aussie teaching friends, only two more sleeps until Summer holidays :)

"Every Second Friday" - a wonderful picture book for Father's Day

I love this picture book by Kiri Lightfoot and Ben Galbraith.  It would make an excellent addition to support children of separated or divorced parents.  

Every second Friday Margi (aged six and a half) and her brother Totty (aged four and three quarters) spend the weekend at their Dad's house and get up to all sorts of adventures. This is a light-hearted story full of imagination.

You can read a review of the book here or find teaching ideas here.  

Click on the image below or here to find out more ideas to support this picture book.

Do you know of any other terrific picture books that can be used around Father's Day?  If so, please leave a message in the comments section below.

Have a terrific week!

Shark Week -vs- Shark Fest - There's commotion in the ocean

I have been reading lots of blog posts about Shark Week in the U.S. so I decided to investigate more about it.  To be honest, I had never heard of it before and I certainly can't see it taking off in Australia...how wrong was I?!!!

Shark Week was established by the Discovery Channel in the U.S. and is a week devoted to TV viewing about sharks, sometime in July.  Shark Fest is also a series in the U.S. that apparently is competing with Discovery Channel's Shark Week - you can read about the controversy here.

Now there is also Shark Week in Australia, again via Discovery Channel, but it starts on 1 December apparently.  Click on the links to find out more.

I started thinking about my favourite picture books that feature sharks as main characters and two of these are "Nugget and Fang" by Tammi Sauer and "The Three Little Fish and the Big, Bad Shark" by Ken Geist.  

"The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark” is an innovation on “The Three Little Pigs.”

“Nugget and Fang” has parallels to “Finding Nemo” so these are both excellent texts for explicitly teaching text-to-text connections.

Here are some links to resources for each:

"Nugget and Fang"

• YouTube Read-Aloud (There are heaps of different versions if you just do a search)
• Teaching notes
• A craft idea from Honey Bee Books
• Home Page for "Nugget and Fang" (includes a book trailer)
• Classroom discussion guide and poster  (Ooo!  This is good!)

"The Three Little Fish and the Big, Bad Shark"

• YouTube Read-Aloud (Again, there are lots of different versions)
• Teaching notes (free)
• Puppets and readers' theatre script  (These puppets are really cute)

So, to avoid studying, I created a resource for these two picture books that focuses on higher order thinking and reading comprehension.  Click on the image below to find out more.

Here are some other resources you may find useful:

Facts about sharks for kids - YouTube clip (some interesting facts that I didn't know!)

Global shark tracker - interesting...

I still can't see this taking off in Australia, because of all the shark attacks we have over here, however these two picture books are adorable for any time of the year.

"Nugget and Fang" is terrific for individual differences and friendship.  "The Three Little Fish and the Big, Bad Shark" is terrific for fractured fairytales or innovating on texts.

Enjoy!

*New* Reciprocal teaching mega bundle - on sale for a limited time!

I am so excited to share with you my latest version of reciprocal teaching for guided reading groups.  36 pages of posters, bookmarks, role cards and graphic organisers!

You can read my research behind this innovation on reciprocal teaching in English and Mathematics here.  

Meyer, Kylie (2010) “Diving into reading” : revisiting reciprocal teaching in the middle years. Literacy Learning: the middle years, 18(1), pp. 41-52.  

Meyer, Kylie (2014) Making meaning in mathematics problem solving using the Reciprocal Teaching approach. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 22(2), pp. 7-14. 

The resource includes 8 role cards with prompts for students to lead reciprocal teaching groups.  There are five questioning options for the teacher to select, depending on his/her instructional purpose.  The questioning options to support higher order thinking include:

• 4W and 1H

• Question, Answer, Relationships (QAR)

• Thick and Thin Questions

• 4H reading strategy

• Question Creator

You can read more about my approach to reciprocal teaching in my blog post here.

My reciprocal teaching resources are my best sellers on TPT (Ripper Reading Resources) and this has to be my very best version yet, which I have discounted for a limited time.  
Grab it while it's on sale :)