Dogger

This week I looked at a picture book called ‘Dogger’,written and illustrated by Shirley Hughes. The story focusses on a young boynamed Dave whose favourite toy (and constant companion) is a small, soft, brown dog- which he calls ‘Dogger’. When Dave loses Dogger one day, he is devastated-and the whole family soon becomes involved in searching for the lost toy. Atlast, Dogger is spotted at the school fete; however he is marked for sale on atable full of toys. Dave’s sister Bella comes to the rescue; retrieving herbrother’s toy, with a generous act of sibling love.

 Hughes describes theevents in the story with a charming, everyday simplicity –complemented by herlife-like illustrations which seem to capture the essence of childhood.  I believe it is this simplicity which has madethe book so popular and enduring. Hughes does not describe anything particularlyout of the ordinary, meaning that almost any small child can easily relate to thestory. While the narrative’s climax (losing a stuffed toy) may seem like aminor event to adults, it is something which children (and probably theirparents!) will easily empathise with. ‘Dogger’ has great relevance to thelife-world of a child and is therefore an excellent book to use whenintroducing children to the world of reading, as it will allow them to reallyengage with the text and images.

The story is suitable for any age, though its content isparticularly geared towards young children. I believe this book could be ofgreat use in junior primary classrooms, however I strongly feel that its valueextends beyond the classroom. I personally believe that ‘Dogger’ may be bestsuited to family reading at home, particularly with children who arepre-school-aged. The book’s storyline is one which every family member will beable to relate to, thus it lends itself perfectly to a shared family reading experience.I believe these experiences these are of immense value and are an importantstep on the way to independent reading.

Two peas in a pod

Two peas in a pod is the fourth book from the acclaimed picture book collection by Chris McKimmie. It celebrates the power of childhood friendships and also the child’s resilience when faced with loss or separation. Violet and Marvin are best friends, and not even being a very long distance apart can ever change that. But, even though they are like ‘two peas in a pod’, Marvin and Violet learn to deal with their ‘aloneness’ and to enjoy the fact that they are individuals.

Violet and Marvin have lived in Raven Street since dinosaur time – almost! They play together and dream together until one day Violet moves ‘to the moon’ and Marvin is left all alone. What is he to do with himself? He mopes around, until one day his mum tells him that he’s off on a journey... to visit Violet!

 

Violet calls me Marvellous.

My real name is Marvin.

Mum reckons me and Violet are like two peas in a pod. It's true. We go together like fish and chips, hops and skips, the OO in Moo.

We lived next door to each other until, one day, Violet left and went to the moon.
 

Two peas in a pod utilize several key ideas or themes which flow through the book including friendship, difference and individuality, belonging and imagination. These themes are quite deep and meaningful which younger students may not understand however this book is for younger students. It would be an excellent classroom tool for older students to analyse and further explore the images used as it explores the way Violet and Marvin feel and express what is happening in the text.   

Two peas in a pod can be integrated into other curriculum areas to create meaning and generate connections to other curriculum areas such as art, technology and mathematics. The use of illustrations is an excellent way for students to be engaged especially the younger years. An excellent book with a unique Australian flavour.

Billy Dog's Bad Day

Billy Dog's Bad Day is written by Richard Scarry and is a part of the Richard Scarry book and also television series. I chose to focus on this book because I can remember it being read to me by my mum when I started school to allow me understand that it important to be kind to everyone and to treat people equally. 

When Lowly Worm, Huckle Cat and Sally Cat mishear the name of the new student at school as Bully Dog instead of Billy Dog, they become frightened of him. Throughout the day at school, Huckle and his friends think they are being nice to Billy Dog however are just too scared of him to try and talk to him and get to know him. When the school day is over, Billy approaches Huckle and Lowly and asks them why they were being so mean to him throughout the day. They couldn't believe that Billy thought they were being mean and explained to him that they thought he was the once being mean. They all laughed about the situation, shook hands and decided to be friends. Billy was now excited to live in Busytown with his new friends. 

I believe that this book would be great to use for young students who are new to school. It has a great underlying message to students, teaching them that it is important to get to know someone before you judge them. It also becomes evident that is is vital that you do not listen to what others have to say about them before you get to know them yourself. I believe that this is very important for students to understand as it can ensure that the all students in the class are friends which allows for a relaxed and happy learning environment. 

Students would also be able to relate to this story as they are new to the school scene as well. They are able to understand what Billy Dog feels like in regards to making friends and trying to get to know everyone. It allows them to understand that it is extremely important to get to know everyone before judging them.  

Scarry has also used animals throughout this book which is another clever to engage students. All students engage with animals and would find it interesting to see them with such human like characteristics. The illustrations throughout this picture book is also another way to get students interested in the story because they are bright and simple, yet show all the details of the story also.

This is another picture book which I believe portrays more important messages to students about "not judging a book by its cover."

The Arrival

This week I chose to look at Shaun Tan’s graphic novel- ‘The Arrival’. I first saw this book a few years ago and loved it, so I was eager to revisit the story with my ‘school teacher’ lenses on.

 The book includes no words, however Tan tells a very moving story through his beautiful and detailed illustrations. These images are arranged in ‘comic book’ style; with some pages divided into a grid of drawings (to be read from left to right), as well as some full page illustrations. All images are printed in sepia tones, giving a sense that perhaps the story took place a long time ago and adding an element of ‘antiquity’ to the book’s aesthetics.

The story itself follows a young man who leaves behind his wife and small daughter in their impoverished city, in order to seek out better opportunities for them in a faraway land. On his arrival, the central character faces many new problems including things like language barriers, difficulty finding employment, and unfamiliarity with the country’s foods, animals and customs.

Over time, with the help of some new friends (who know first-hand what the immigrant experience is like), the young man finds his feet in his new home and is eventually able to introduce his family to their new home.

Tan has included huge amounts of detail in each image, including a whole invented culture and ecosystem (reflected in the images of strange fruits, vegetables, animals and buildings).

I particularly love this text, because I can recognise some of my own family’s story within it. My grandparents immigrated to Australia from Holland when they had a young family- and I have grown up hearing stories about the various challenges they faced. Many of these family anecdotes resonate strongly with those depicted in ‘The Arrival’, and the book’s design and imagery is reminiscent of some old photo albums which are part of my family history.

In terms of classroom use, I think this book could be useful in several ways. Not only does the story help to ‘de-foreign-ise’ those who are new to a country (such as immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees), it also requires readers to exercise multiliteracy skills (as the meaning is constructed through imagery).  I believe the text would be most suited to older students (as these children will be able to look into the text quite deeply), however I don’t see why it couldn’t be used in any year level (for very young children, just looking at the pictures would still be a worthwhile activity).

 

No Bears

No Bears by Meg McKinlay and Illustrated by Leila Rudge was published in 2011 and shortlisted for the Early Childhood and Picture Book of the Year categories of the 2012 CBCA awards.

‘Ruby is in charge of this book. And she’ll tell you something right now. There are NO BEARS in it. Not even one.’ However despite Ruby’s determination to banish all bears from her story, one bear still manages to find himself into the book, hiding around the edges of the illustration and taking a star role.

This humorous picture book is a multilayered text with illustrations that children will read over and over as it connects to the well known fairytale references throughout. The skilful fairytale conventions contain a range of allusions to well known fairytale characters, settings and events. The picture book generates it humour through revisionist and alternative fairytales and intertexuality (borrowing parts from other narratives). Some of these narrative structures have been discussed in this course’s workshops and readings.

Themes that are addressed in this picture book include fairytales, truth and stereotypes, these themes are well developed but young children may not grasp these as they are quite deep and meaningful.  The underlying messages of doing your best, understanding tolerance and inclusion and respect are the focal points of the book and can be explored in the classroom for all ages. This book can definitely be used in the classroom for all age groups and can be integrated with other curriculum areas such as English, art and science.

Rowan of Rin

Rowan of Rin Series written by Emily Rodda is adored by children and adults alike. The first book ‘Rowan of Rin’ was launched in 1993 and released in 2003 with the last book of the series ‘Rowan and the Bukshah’.  

The first book illustrates the witch Sheba’s prophecy as a riddle which Rowan must solve if he is to find out the secret of the Mountain and save his home. However to the villagers of Rin, Rowan is a timid weakling, the most disappointing child ever. Yet without his help the stream that flows from the top of the Mountain will dry and without water the village’s precious Bukshah herd will die and in turn Rin will be doomed.  The six strongest villagers set out on a brave quest of the unknown mountains to discover the answer to the riddle with Rowan being the unwanted seventh member of the group.

‘Seven hearts the journey make,

Seven ways the hearts will break.’

This book would be excellent to use the classroom because it can teach students that they should always stay positive and that things will always come around when people work together. This underlying message is obviously deep for the younger years however it is important that that students begin to read books like ‘Rowan of Rin’ and create meaningful experiences which can be related to real life even though it is based in a fictional world.

Rowan of Rin is a fast moving story which quickly pulls the readers in as it takes the form of a journey, which can be likened to the journey of the school year ahead.  The book would be suitable for all ages of students, however I think to understand some of the themes and underlying messages of the book, it is best suited for upper primary where it can explored further and integrated into other curriculum areas.

Dinosaurs Galore!

Dinosaurs Galore! is a book written by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz. 

Previous books written by the creators of this book include: Rumble in the Jungle, The Lion Who Wanted to Love and Commotion in the Ocean.  

The story takes the reader on a journey through the swampland to meet all the favourite dinosaurs known to children. They introduce the reader to T-Rex, Triceratops, Brontosaurus, Stegosaurus and more.   

The authors use the rhyming technique to engage the reader in an interesting way of reading by using it at the end of line 2 and line 4.  

Phonetic guides appear beneath each species name to help with pronunciation and the cartoon illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and enhance the humour of the text.

Younger children would absolutely love this book, especially those children obsessed with dinosaurs. From my own experience, one of my students diagnosed with autism loves this book and reads and re-reads this book!  

This book would be excellent to use in the classroom as well, if looking at dinosaurs or rhyming as there are some fantastic examples throughout the book.  

The Pocket Dogs

The Pocket Dogs is written by Margret Wild and illustrated by Stephen Michael King.The story tells of two tiny dogs, Biff and Buff, who ride in the big pockets of their owner’s coat: Biff in the right pocket and Buff in the left pocket. All is well until a hole appears in the right pocket. Both Biff and Buff try to tell Mr Pockets about the hole, but Mr Pockets doesn’t understand. One day, when Mr Pockets and his dogs are out shopping, Biff falls out, ‘On to the ground. On to his head.’

Biff is lost. Three people try to rescue him: a woman with a shopping basket, a little girl with a toy pram, and a man with a shopping trolley. Biff doesn’t want their help. He wants only Mr Pockets. At last Mr Pockets finds him. The hole in the pocket is sewn up, and Biff knows he is safe at last. He also knows how much he loves Mr Pockets, and how much he is loved in return.

Like all Margaret Wild’s picture books, The Pocket Dogs works on many different levels. On the one level it is a very simple, very straightforward story about a little dog who is lost and then found. But on and deeper reading, it is about many other things. Themes which arise in this picture book include family,vunerablility, identity, love and restoration.

In last weeks workshop we discussed narrative techniques The Pocket Dogs is an excellent picture book which uses alliteration, repetition and anthropomorphism (giving animals human traits).

 

 

The Pocket Dogs is the perfect story for young students, because it discusses feelings of love and belonging, feelings of loss and abandonment, feelings of who we are whilst also using a range of illustrations which are colourful and detailed and is something that students could look at.

Group Discussion - Week 4

This week I will lead the reading group discussion. The task is to:

·         Facilitate the discussion about the pre workshop tasks that are described on the website.

·         Post the summary of the key discussion points and any issue raised on the blog. 

The first part of the preparation for the week was to complete Activity 2 out of Winch et al book (p.269). The activity asked us to read a piece of writing by Kate, which she wrote at the age 9, and answer questions around the piece. 
1) We all agreed that the paragraph is largely recount however partially narrative element to it and it is written in past tense. 
2) We all agreed that some of the things that need attention are:
 Capital letters (daddy – used as a name), spelling, punctuation, quotation marks, joining words to make more complex sentences, change of tense
3) We all could see that she was excited and really like it however found it hard to express due to not having the vocab to express. She used words like “Terrific” and “Good fun”.
4) We all had different thoughts about what should come first, if learning how to write a story or things like capital letters. However many different ideas and ways came out of the discussion:
 - To help with the writing, she should read aloud her story and by reading it, may be able to tell if the story flows, etc.
 - For spelling words, to focus on certain types of words every week, for example, one week looks at different words for said, the next week could be focussed on words instead of good, etc.
 - Instead of just working with Katie on certain aspects, explain aspects to the whole class, so that everyone can learn a little bit more about it and it doesn't single Katie out in any way.

Arthur

This week I looked at Arthur, written by Amanda Graham and illustrated by Donna Gynell. I chose this book because when I was at school we were lucky enough to have a visit from Donna Gynell. She was an amazing speaker and basically told everyone to follow their dreams, be original and don't let anyone change you. When looking at Arthur further, we realized that what Donna had told us was a summary of the underlying message throughout the book.

Arthur is just a very ordinary brown dog in old Mrs Humber's pet shop. He lives with lots of other animals who all seem to find homes extremely quickly, leaving him lonely and longing for someone to love him.Each morning, Mrs Humber put new animals in the shop window. All of these animals seem to find homes too so Arthur tries something new. He tries being a rabbit, a snake, a fish, a frog, a bird and any other animal that seems to get sold to a loving family. Eventually Arthur becomes exhausted, collapses in a corner and tries to come to terms with the fact that no-one wants him. That afternoon, a little girl by the name of Melanie and her grandfather come into the pet shop and ask about the dog who performs clever tricks. Mrs Humber can not believe it, telling them that the only dog she has available is an ordinary brown dog called Arthur. The little girl ran over to Arthur and scoops him up. Straight away Arthur knew he had found a home with a loving family who would love Arthur for just being him.

This book would be excellent to use in the classroom because it can teach students/children that they should not try to be something that they're not and that they will always have someone around them who will love them unconditionally. The message is obviously quite "deep" for young students, however it is important that they begin to understand this and relate it back to real life.

Graham has portrayed this message in a clever way, using animals as a way to engage students. All young children like animals and understand the characteristics of them. The children/students can therefore realize how silly Arthur is for trying to be different animals, rather than just acting like a normal dog.

Gynell's illustrations are also another good technique which would engage the students as they are bright and colourful. If it had to, the pictures could tell the story alone.

Overall, this is a clever picture book which portrays an important message to young students.

Piggybook

This week I chose to revisit a book which is a favourite in my family. Piggybook by Anthony Browne is a story about the Piggott family (who share the same surname as me!). As a small child I loved this book; mostly for its illustrations and the fact that I could recognise my name on the pages. In later years I also began to recognise a moral lesson within the text.

Browne begins the story by introducing Mr Piggott and his two sons, leaving a distinct gap in the text before mentioning Mrs Piggott who is ‘inside the house’ (this placement of text gives the distinct impression that she is not as important as the other three characters). As the story progresses, readers discover that Mrs Piggott is very much taken for granted by her husband and sons- who rely on her to do all the housework. When Mrs Piggott disappears one day – she leaves a note for her family which simply reads “you are pigs.”  Mr Piggott and his sons are left to fend for themselves and find life increasingly difficult- until one day- just as circumstances become worse than ever, Mrs Piggott returns. The story concludes with the male members of the Piggott family helping out around the house, while Mrs Piggott works on the car (an interesting reversal of traditional gender roles).

Browne’s story might at first seem like simple fun and nonsense- but a closer look reveals some quite profound underlying themes. Piggybook boldly challenges gender stereotypes, and is (in a light-hearted and child friendly way) a poignant reminder that we tend not to appreciate what we have until it is gone.

Complementing the story are Browne’s bright illustrations which tell a story all of their own. The drawings in Piggybook are full of detail and provided me with much entertainment as a young child. Observant readers will soon realise as the story progresses, tiny illustrations of pigs start to become evident on each page. These hidden pigs become increasingly obvious; appearing in the wallpaper, on the doorknob, even on the buttons of Mr Piggott’s suit. Eventually Mr Piggott and the boys are depicted as pigs themselves, and are reduced to ‘snuffling’ around on the floor (all of which is reversed as soon as they start to help around the house).

I think the added complexity within the illustrations makes the book especially engaging for children- making it a fantastic book to use in the classroom. Not only does the story present some important themes (eg. challenges gender myths/ideologies), I believe it is suitable for classroom use simply because it is fun. I strongly believe in the value of reading books to children just for fun – as this is what will help them to develop a love of literature and reading. Browne’s Piggybook encourages children to relate to the text (as it tells a story about everyday life) while also providing an element of intrigue through the illustrations. It is this engaging format that made the book a favourite of mine- which was read and re-read many times.

Green Eggs and Ham

The book I have chosen to read for this week is a picture book for children. The book is famously written by Dr. Suess with the title of "Green Eggs and Ham".

This hilarious book tells the story of Sam-I-Am's relentless pursuit of a grumpy individual who refuses to eat a plate of green eggs and ham.

As anyone who know, Dr. Suess style of writing includes unique illustrations, funny rhyme and some wacky humour. With the word 'NOT' being used 84 times (yes, i actually counted them), for children this would provide an excitement and interest in reading the book.

The moral of the story is not to judge something before you have tried it. Also, sometimes things are not nearly as bad as we imagine them to be.

Spoiler Alert: in the end, the grumpy individual actually tries them to prove to Sam-I-Am that he does not like them, and finds he does actually like eating green eggs and ham.

Green Eggs and Ham is a useful book especially in the early years to encourage children to try different things whether it be food or a different game, because they may end up liking it! It also teaches children about the art of rhyming words which later can be looked into with more focus on the words that rhyme, like house and mouse, fox and box.

The Beatles - Yellow Submarine

The book that I have chosen to read this week is the 'Yellow Submarine'. This book was read on my Ipad in iBooks application. I chose this particular book not only as a picture book but I found that it would be very interactive within the classrom.

The book has sounds effects and songs that match well with the scene on the page. It was interesting how the author integrated the names of the people in the band Beatles. Although most students in the lower/primary may not have heard of them it still would be a good opportunity to reflect back in the Arts/Music lesson. Thus implementing integration with reading the book.

Each page includes terrific illustrations, bright and colourful. These would definitely catch the eyes of the students and provoke their imagination. The colours are very retro which are influenced by the era in which the band the Beatles were at their peek.

The story line works well with the background of the Beatles; song and music. The book was set in the land of pepper where they played song and music all the time and made the town and the people very happy. However the Chief Blue Meanie did not like music and wanted to sneeze Pepperland away for ever.

In summary the Pepperland people lived and loved music. However the Chief Blue Meanie and his followers slowly began to kill music. It was up to the band members of the Beatles to save the town. They had to bring the music back to the people.

This book is a great book in exploring multimodal texts within the classroom. As it includes sounds, music and interactive features. This book reflects the way technology is heading within the new technology aged class environment.

Before I Fall

This week I decided to look at books for the young adults. I found this book sitting at home, in my bookshelf, with not a clue on how it ended up there, so I chose to read it. The book is titled 'Before I Fall", Lauren Oliver's debut novel. 

This book is about a pretty high-school bully (Samantha) who meets a tragic end and is forced to relive her last day on Earth until she makes the right changes to her life.  
Samantha is part of a four-girl popular group of the school. Samantha has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. People don't speak to them unless spoken to first. Sam's last day is Cupid Day (similar to Valentine's Day, where roses are given out at school - the more you get, the more popular you are). It should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last. During the duration of the day she cheats on a test, flirts shamelessly with her calculus teacher, cuts class, gets drunk and treats her classmates like garbage--Sam and her friends are especially cruel to one girl in particular, Juliet. That night, after a party at Kent's house, the girls get in their car and as they leave, they accidentally hit Juliet, which results in a car with Samantha and Juliet dying. However Samantha wakes up the next morning and has to live  the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week. Each time trying to change the outcome however in the end to realise that she's not meant to save herself rather Juliet.

The storyline is based on the question, "what if you only had one day to live....?" Lauren Oliver questions us the readers to think about what we would do if we could relive our last day over again? If our whole life flashed before our eyes, what would we see and would we have any regrets? and are there things that we would change?

The book is written in first person from Samantha. It gives us access to her mind and her thoughts in how everyday she wakes up again to find herself in a groundhog day motion, reliving her last day alive and her thinking into how she is going to change that day. Each time she relives that day, she learns something new, like how her friend started hating Juliet, flirting with your teacher doesn't always end well, not to judge someone without getting to know them first and that she is actually in love with Kent not Rob.

Oliver is an amazing writer, so unobtrusive and descriptive. She has an incredible way with words and imagery. She captures the reader's emotions throughout the whole book, with the reader hating Samantha and her group at the start and as the book moves along, you start feeling 'sorry' for Samantha especially as you see how much she has changed her life to be a better person.

I think this book is a book definitely for the older students, particularly at the start of high school and maybe it will change their outlook on school, friends and how they portray themselves to everyone else.

Franklin is Messy

This week i decided to re-visit the children's picture book, 'Franklin is Messy' written by Paulette Bourgeois. This book is in the 'Franklin Series' and I chose to focus on it because I can remember it being read to me when I was at school. 

Throughout the book, Franklin becomes very untidy and he cannot find anything in his room. He cannot find his special sword that he made to play with his friends and he cannot find the puzzle that he borrowed from one of his friends. When Franklin is trying to find the puzzle to return to Goose, he hears an almighty crunch under his feet, only to discover his sword shattered. He becomes very upset by this, and decides that it is time to clean his room up and make special places for all of his belongings so things did not get lost and broken anymore. 

This book would certainly be appropriate for young children starting school, up to about age 8. Franklin is messy has an underlying message to children, teaching them to be neat and tidy. It is told from the perspective of how it feels to learn from logical consequences and also relate to the children by including common childhood experiences. 

I think this book would be good to introduce to your students in the first week of school, as it can remind them of your expectations of being neat and tidy in the classroom, and encourage students to always pack up and put things back where they belong. It is a very simple book however I believe it has an excellent message for young students to take notice of and encourages them to remain tidy. 

The Lorax

The Lorax by Dr Seuss is a classic tale of environmental destruction and greed with the lovable Lorax saving the Truffula Forest. The Once-ler (narrator of the book) tells the story himself. Long ago the enterprising villain finds hims self in a place filled with the wondrous Truffula Trees. Bewitched by the beauty of the Truffula tree tufts he greedily chops them down to produce Thneeds. As the Truffula trees disappear and the denizens leave, the Lorax (who speaks for the trees as "the trees have no tongues) warns the Once-ler however he doesnt listen. The Lorax leaves, leaving only a rock engraved "UNLESS".

DR Seuss teachs the reader that we shouldn't fool around with mother nature, however not all hope is lost as the Once-ler has a single Truffula seed. The fate of the Truffula trees rests in the hands of a child, who is the last chance for a clean, green future.

Dr Seuss has written a wonderful book which uses a range of narrative techniques including alliteration, rhyme and rhythm. The use of imagery is also key to this book and is something that students can explore further as well as the underlying themes of greed and the environmental impact that the Once-ler choses to go down.

The Lorax can be used by students of all ages as it can be adapted to fit students ability and level of understanding on the main themes Dr Seuss is trying to get across. Students could definately explore The Lorax, and integrate the book into science.

Memorial

This week, I again looked at a book which deals with the subject of war.  I chose to read ‘Memorial’ written by Gary Crew and illustrated by Shaun Tan.

It was Shaun Tan’s name which drew me to the book – as I have really enjoyed other examples of his work. I was also interested to see how Crew and Tan would deal with the tricky subject of war. Having read ‘In Flanders Fields’ last week – I wondered if this text would handle the subject differently, and what role Shaun Tan’s spectacular illustrations would play in the meaning making.

This book is set in a country town and focusses on a conversation between a young boy, his parents, grandparents and great grandfather.  The story woven through the conversation is about an old fig tree which was planted when the Australian soldiers returned from World War I . The tree; growing next to a war memorial, holds many memories for the family, and each generation reminisces about just what it means to them.  Eventually it is revealed to readers that the council plans to remove the tree, as its roots are lifting concrete on the sidewalk. The young boy at the centre of the story is upset by this news and suggests that the tree is a memorial in its own right. The book ends on a bitter sweet note as readers discover that the tree has been removed, but are left with an optimistic thought from the small boy about the human spirit fighting on.

Accompanying this narrative, are full page multimedia artworks by Tan, which complement the text in a beautiful way – adding layers of meaning which are not evident in the text alone. Tan’s illustrations include pencil drawings, paint and even collage (including fabric, leaves and stitching). These elements come together to give the book a ‘textured’ and almost ‘scrapbooked’ feel. The eclectic style of Tan’s imagery ties in well with the style of writing adopted by Crew- which tends to be in the form of memory ‘snippets’ ; not necessarily connected and in a way almost dream-like.  

I very much enjoyed this book and I believe it definitely has a place in the classroom.  While the story is more about memories than it is about war, it could definitely be used as a gentle introduction to a topic like ANZAC Day. I also think there is great value in what the book has to say about family, the environment and the concept of remembrance.

I think ‘Memorial’ could be used with students at any stage of primary school and may even be appropriate for use in higher grades (within the area of art particularly).  Teachers can look into the text in as much or as little detail as they choose- as there are a multitude of layers of meaning waiting to be unpacked.

Group Discussion - Week 3

This week I will lead the reading group discussion. The task is to:

·         Facilitate the discussion about the pre workshop tasks that are described on the website.

·         Post the summary of the key discussion points and any issue raised on the blog. Other group members will then make a response.

Katina chose to do the workshop tasks on 2 Weeks with the Queen by Morris Gleitzman. For her story shape she used the standard narrative presentation. 2 weeks with the Queen utilises Brooker’s plot of tragedy as it is presumed that the brother dies at the end of the story.

Katina’s other workshop task revolved around the ‘Three little Pigs’. For her story shape she used the home and away and said that the plot which the book fits best was overcoming the monster; which in this case was the wolf.

Alicia chose to do the workshop tasks based on Potato People by Pamela Allen. For her story shape she used the standard narrative presentation. Alicia said that Potato People fitted Brooker’s comedy plot as there was uncertainty as they were shut off from each other until the situation was resolved and more potato people were made. Potato People used narrative techniques such as imagery and written in 3^rd person.  

In Flander’s Field was the other book Alicia used for her pre workshop task. For her story shape she used the home away home and stated that the best of Brooker’s 7 plots that fitted ‘In Flander’s Field’ was quest because the hero goes on a journey to help free the bird, when he arrives to the bird there is frustration as the bird cannot fly, the soldier holds the bird to his heart and the bird flies away. When the soldier returns ‘silent night’ is sung and shows that even in the dark human spirit can bring light and life. The narrative techniques for this book are similar to Potato People as it is written in 3^rd person and imagery/ symbolism is important.

Sarah chose Jillaroo by Rachel Treasure to complete her pre workshop tasks. For her story shape Sarah used the home away home approach as the main character leaves and then whilst away realises that home is important and returns. Jillaroo uses a combination of voyage & return but also tragedy as the brother commits suicide, so there is no real linear plot. The narrative techniques used in Jillaroo are conflict (character vs character) and imagery.  

My Sister’s Keeper was the other novel Sarah chose to do her pre workshop tasks. She used the narrative standard presentation for her story shape as she said it didn’t really fit the others. The Brooker’s plots which best fits my sister’s keeper were interchangeable (quest, overcoming the monster and tragedy). The novel was written in 1^st person and reflected on the main characters and what and how they were feeling.

I chose to do the pre workshop tasks on The Lorax by Dr Suess and The Pocket Dogs by Margaret Wild and Stephen Michael King.

The Pocket Dogs didn’t really fit any of the story shapes so I used the narrative standard presentation.

Setting – metropolitan city, home, park

Action leading to climax – pocket dogs go shopping in pocket

Climax – pocket breaks, dog is lost and left at shop

Solution – Mr Pocket comes back

Conclusion – dog is returned with owner

Brooker’s plot of voyage and return best fits The Pocket Dogs as the dog gets lost and meets new people. The book features narrative techniques such as alliteration, anthropomorphism and repetition.

The Lorax by Dr Suess was the other book I used to complete the pre-workshop tasks. Again I felt that none of the story shapes fitted the book so I used the standard narrative presentation.

 Setting – at the far end of town, where the grackle grass grows

Action leading to climax – cutting down of truffula trees (greed)

Climax – the environment is being ruined by greed

Solution – all trees are gone and so is the Lorax (chance for a restart?)

Conclusion – once-ler throws the last seed to the boy and asks him to take care of it

Brooker’s plot of overcoming the monster and rebirth fit ‘The Lorax’ best overcoming the monster is the greed of those cutting down the Truffula trees and rebirth is when the once-ler gives the boy the last seed.The Lorax uses a range of narrative techniques including alliteration, rhyme and rhythm.

Ruth was absent for this workshop.

In the workshop we were given a chapter from Emily Rodda’s 1993 novel Rowan of Rin and asked to change the story to another character’s perspective – we chose to re tell the story from the Dragon’s perspective.  Here is what we came up with:

The dragon watched the terrified boy quiver and let out a pitiful scream. He kept the other human in place with his massive tail and growled menacingly – he couldn’t deal with intruders today, not with the unbearable pain searing through his jaws.