UEL Primary PGCE 2013-14 discussion
P2 on- course reviews
date
newest »
newest »
trick a duppy by James DuppyThe poem is great in the sense that it allows children to be aware of other cultures around them, they can also attempt to speak in Jamaican accent or even hear others do this instead. As with many poems, if this poem were to be discussed within your classroom, there can be any interpretations on this. It may be that the "duppy" was burnt or that it actually disappeared, however this clearly shows that there is room for discussion and debate which can promote and develop children's social communicative and thinking skills.
View all my reviews
The Obvious ElephantThe Obvious Elephant is one of those classic children books. The book is about how one day, an elephant appears in a village square unexpectedly, however, it turns out that none of the villagers had never seen an elephant before! So a host of people including a fireman (who tries to put out a blaze with the elephant’s trunk), and a dustbin collector (who forces the elephant to go around the streets sucking up rubbish), among others, all try to find out what this animal is. All the while, a seven year old boy by the name of Eric, tries several times to tell them that this in an elephant but all his attempts are futile, as he isn’t taken seriously (due to a long history of telling lies).
In the end, after much time wasting and endless deliberations among themselves, the group, along with the elephant turns up at the professor’s office. Here, after yet another consultation, this time with the professor consulting his friend who is a train driver, it’s finally concluded that the animal is an elephant! And one of the long-nosed variety! After discovering its proper food, they proceed to give it name and a place to live in. Everyone ends up happy, including the elephant and it’s new best friend Eric!
I love this book because of the subtle method it uses to teacher the young audience that lying, especially persistent lying, will come back to come back to haunt you. So much so that one day, even though you would be telling the truth, no one would be live because of your history of telling lies frequently.
The other reason I like this book is because of its illustrations; they link closely with each sentence which in turn enables the reader/audience follow the story easily without having to use too much imagination.
This book will suit audiences aged 4yrs old and over, and I would use it in a number of ways in the classroom, including reading to a class, guided reading, as well as having on the on class bookshelf, for independent reading.
The Dark Knight: I Am BatmanAM BATMAN is a simple book about the superhero himself, batman. He starts off by introducing the rich businessman side of himself – Bruce Wayne. He tells of some of the riches he owns and the city he lives in, etc. He then he let’s us into what seems like a secret for only the readers! This secret is that by night, he leads a double life as batman, the defender of Gotham city! He introduces the gadgets he uses as batman, and the person who makes them for him, Dr Lucius Fox. After explaining when and why he uses some of his gadgets, he ends up at a party where one of his trickiest foes, The Joker is in attendance! After a few struggles, he apprehends Joker and sends him to jail. He signs off by stating that being batman is not easy, but his gadgets help him.
I like this book because of it being easy to read because of its large and minimal text. It very much leads with pictures which is great for maintaining focus and interest among the younger audience. The other good thing about the book is that although it’s a marvel comic book, it hasn’t got any graphic violence scenes. It’s a great all around book.
This book would be appropriate for children at lower ks1 and I would use it in the following ways. I would use it for guided reading and for inspiring creative writing.
Third reviewMeg and Mog
Meg and Mog is a book about a witch (Meg) and her cat (Mog). Meg is a cute well-meaning witch who lives with Mog and her owl. This book is part of a series of Meg and Mog books; In this particular book, the readers are introduced to a witch wardrobe and a witch's breakfast! Needless to say, what we learn about them is yucky and funny. Later, after some delicious witch breakfast, Meg flies off to meet her witch friends for some spell-making at a Halloween Party. Unfortunately for meg and her friends, the spell does not go plan! Instead, the spell backfires and turns her friends into mice among other things! The book ends with her telling her friends that she will try to undo the curse next Halloween, while she flies off into the skies.
This is a picture heavy with minimal text in large font. The short sentences are complimented by colours which are so strong and are sure to hook the readers attention for long periods.
I like this book because of its large font, strong colours and short sentences. Therefore with that in mind, I would use this book to read to children of reception all the way up to yr 2, at the end of the school day. It can also be used for guided and independent reading.
4th review[book:The Flick of the Switch: How Electiricity Changed Our lives
This is a book which is full of fascinating facts and has been produced with exceptional artwork, layout and photography in such a way that will attract young readers. The book goes through the ages of electricity use and how people lived like, before, during and after, with a commentary which neither dull or boring. The book does not solely discuss electricity, but also the inventions that were inspired by its invention of electricity, such as the telephone and light bulb.
I like this book for a number of reasons. The book discusses a lot of important information in a clear, painless and interesting way which is sure to make young readers want to read to the very end of the book. This is a level 12 book, however, it’s such a wonderful book, so much so that other pupils will find it useful and interesting.
I would mainly use this book in the classroom in the following ways: To teach knowledge retrieval skills, for example asking them to find out the name of the person who invented electricity, or how electricity is generated etc. I would also use the book for guided reading, but could also be . on a class bookshelf for independent reading.
5th reviewScrapman is about Winston, an owner of a scrapyard. People bring to his scrapyard anything from worn out cars to broken gas cookers and bits of rusty iron, for him to crash however, before crashing anything, he always checks to see if there are any useful bits worth keeping. Then one day, while on his daily after work potter about in his shed at the scrapyard, something very odd happens! As he puts together some of the useful bits of metal he had saved, he notices that a face is staring straight back at him! That’s when Winston first gets the idea of scrapman. From then on, he can’t get the idea out of his head, and so over the next few months, he makes arms, legs, a body and a brain for scrapman, with a car battery as the power source. The brain is the trickiest part of the process, however, Winston uses the memory of an old personal organizer for this. On the night he completes the building of the mechanical man, Winston leaves him in the shed and goes back home. During that night, lightening strikes scrapman which makes him come alive and start functioning. He goes out of the shed and out into the neighborhood where he meets a new friend called Emma, who later on gives him talking lessons. The next day, after a few scares for the locals and the children at Emma’s school and the police being called, scrapman is found by Winston, who claims him and integrates him into the community.
I like this because of the way the story develops. It’s filled with just enough pictures to give the reader just enough for them to know what’s going on in the story, but also promotes the construction of ideas by the reader as they read the book.
This book is appropriate for key stage 2 children and I would use it in several different ways. I would use this book to read to a class, for guided reading, as well as have on a class bookshelf for independent reading.
UEL Primary PGCE 2013-14
Books mentioned in this topic
Meg and Mog (other topics)Dark Knight: I Am Batman, The (other topics)
The Obvious Elephant (other topics)
Math Curse (other topics)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Helena Pielichaty (other topics)Susie Day (other topics)
Jon Scieszka (other topics)
Jim Aylesworth (other topics)
Judith Kerr (other topics)
More...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...