UEL Primary PGCE 2014-2015 discussion
P8 on-programme reviews
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Ali
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Sep 12, 2014 06:11AM
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My friend Nigel is a book about a small boy's disinterest in his parents' magic tricks and their attempts to change his mind.
When goes through his mother's potions cupboard one day, he discovers a snail in a jar and it becomes his pet/friend Nigel.
As the story continues, Bill's parents continue to try and interest him in magic by casting spells to creating new pet friends but all Bill wants to do is play with Nigel.
Subsequently, Bill's parents' tricks and spells creates a mess and Nigel the snail saves the day!
I liked this book because it has a range of themes such as magic, creativity and friendship.
The book would be appeal to babies and small children mainly due to the use of colour and the themes. It can be read from ages 5+.
The book can be useful in the classroom as it could be used to build on previous literacy work, such as rhyming/phonics.
It can also be used for independent reading as it is a delightful story!
Keith is the story of a cat that turns an ice cream accident into a positive.
Whilst walking one day, some ice cream on a cone has fallen on Keith's head; his friends make fun of him so he pretends the ice cream cone is a magic hat.
The story surrounds Keith using his magic hat to make things 'magically' happen, until the cone is taken by a dog and Keith has to tell the truth about his hat.
I think that this story is appropriate for children between the ages of 3-7; the illustrations are eye catching and story itself stretches the imagination of the reader because I believe it is about turning a negative into a positive using your imagination as well as believing in yourself.
The smartest giant in town is about a 'scruffy' giant who changes his clothes to look more presentable.
George (the giant) buys smart clothes from a shop and wears it to look smarter but on his way home, discovers other characters in the story that are in need of help. Subsequently, George helps out these other characters by giving them an item from his smart wear for their own use.
In the end George finds that he is left looking scruffy again and has to go back to find his old comfortable clothes as he was cold and wet after giving away all his new clothes.
I liked this story as it has a spiritual aspect to it. It can show children as well as adults that it does not matter what you look like, it is about the content of your character.
I believe that this book can be used in independent reading as well as to support literacy as it uses the bases of rhymes to tell the story.
I Will Never Not Ever Eat a TomatoI will ever never eat a tomato.This children’s literature is very imaginative, full of pictorials and visuals, and educative.Children between the ages of 3-9 will benefit immensely from this book. The theme of this book is about Lola who is a picky eater, who would not like to eat any food especially healthy ones. Her Brother plays a game on her and makes her enjoy mealtimes.
It is a very educative because it teaches children different classes and types of foods especially vegetables. Children will remember this story and especially motivate them to eat their vegetables and fruits, 1-a day.It is also a fun book and very captivating, using animated pictures, illustrations and also body language to depict different moods.
Don't Put Your Finger in the Jelly, Nelly!Don’t Put Your Finger in the Jelly , Nelly.This book is very illustrative and explorative for children. Children between the ages of 4 and 6 will benefit from this literature. The theme of this book is generally about children dipping their little fingers into different foods. The author used a lot of sensory; visuals and touch which will always capture the attention of the children. The author used a lot of bold pictures which can be very appealing to children. This children’s literature can be used in arts class because it makes provision for children to put their fingers through.
This book is also very educative and can be used to teach rhyme and word play which children will remember for a very long time. I would recommend this book for Reception and Early Years classes.
Where's My Teddy?WHERE‘S MY TEDDYThis children’s literature is very illustrative, imaginative and captivating for young minds. It is about a boy Eddy, who lost his teddy, Freddy. He went all out to look for it and during his search,He found a bigger teddy and thought it was his. He began to wonder aloud how big it had gone and just at the nick of time, a gigantic bear came out of the woods, holding Eddy’s teddy bear, Freddy. They both looked surprised and quickly exchanged the teddy bear and walked quickly to their homes.
This book is very descriptive. The story line is very engaging and it has a bit of suspense that will capture the attention of children when it is been read aloud to them. The author used a lot of pictorials which is an educative way of teaching children. This literature can be used to teach rhyme as it rhymes at every two sentence. The children can also read and understand this story easily on their own as well because it is very colourful, illustrative and fun. I would recommend it for Early years and Reception classes.
Skip Across The Ocean by Floella BenjaminMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Skip Across The Ocean- Collected by Floella Benjamin
The book is a compilation of nursery rhymes from around the world with fantastic illustrations to represent the countries culture and background. Some of the nursery rhymes are written in the same language of the country which they have been generated from.
I like this pack of nursery rhymes and believe that certain nursery rhymes can be read out as a class, this book should also be encouraged to be on the bookshelf as it would be very useful for inclusion of children with EAL. Reading a nursery rhyme from a particular EAL Pupil’s heritage will enable them to feel as if they are a part of the class rather than feeling secluded. The rhyming words and literature used makes it simple for students to read and follow the book therefore I would recommend this book for nursery or reception classes.
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Come Along, Daisy! by Jane SimmonsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Come along Daisy tells the story of an inquisitive young duckling who gets lost and realises she is able to listen to what her mother says and still enjoy looking around. Mamma duck warns Daisy that she should stay close while swimming along the river. But she is too busy looking at the various creatures she encounters along the way such a dragonflies, some fish and a frog. When the frog has gone,she calls for her mother, she discovers she is alone. Her mother has gone and the strange sights and sounds frighten her. She hides in the reeds and is very pleased to see her mother return. Her mother calls her to come along once again and she still looks at the butterflies but stays close to her mother all the same.
This book is appealing to the eye and could be used in a early years or ks1 classroom, reinforcing the importance of good listening and keeping safe.
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Arnie The Accidental Hero by Joanne PartisMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Arnie is a armadillo that is scared of many things, including snakes, bats and water but especially crocodiles. His friends tease him and he has to face his fears when they leave him alone and he dares to follow them to the other side of the island. One by one he conquers his fears and eventually saves his friends from being eaten by the crocodile.
I would recommend this book for early years and Ks1. Its a colourful story with a great ending. It could be used in a classroom for work on friendships, self esteem and confidence building.
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A Chair For Baby Bear by Kaye UmanskyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A chair for baby bear is a follow on from the fairy tale of Goldilocks and the three bears. Goldilocks has left baby bear's chair in pieces and this book tells the story of what happened next. Baby bear wants a new chair and all the way to the shops he thinks of a range of possibilities such as a robin hood chair and a kings chair, however once at the shops once faced with the huge choice of chairs available, trying them out and finding a fault with each one, they return home with nothing. but on the door step is a parcel from Goldilocks with a replica of the chair she'd broken.
A lovely book that can be used in the classroom to extend previous literacy work on fairy tales and a great example of the various possible endings to a story.
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We're Going on a Bear HuntI loved the repetitiveness of this book... 'We're going on a bear hunt, we're going to catch a big one...' and I find this would be an engaging book to young children who could easily act out the actions e.g of going through the mud, and the sound of the wind 'hoo whoo' which perfectly describe the journey the family take in their search for the bear.
Michael Rosen's choice of words to describe his actions makes the reader able to imagine they too were doing the actions of the family, such as the 'squelch and squerch' of the mud, providing a captivating search for the bear.
I feel this would be an ideal book to choose for children who perhaps have communication difficulties as well as typical children, as its a great example of acting out the actions to improve comprehension of the text. Children I have worked with have greatly enjoyed signing (makaton) to describe the actions of the book.
Little Roo and the Big Wide World By Guido Van GenechtenThis book is about Little Roo who loves to be inside her 'mummys pocket' and refuses to venture away. Its a great book to read to children who may find it hard to venture far from their mummys, and it is beautifully illustrated with lots of colourful animals and plants.
The book follows Little Roo and her mummy who tries incredibly hard to persuade Little Roo to venture away by showing her other animals who could be her playmate. Despite wanting to see more and more things, Litle Roo is hesitant to go and join in with the monkeys swinging 'as its too scary,' or with the giraffes who are 'running too far away,' preferring to stay where its safe with her mummy. Finally, mummys job is complete when Little Roo meets a fellow playmate and decides to leave her mummys side, though mummy is then worried about her going to far!
The book would suit preschool/reception children who may be able to identify with the process of leaving their mummys at the beginning of nursery/school.
Around the world in 80 poems- illustrated by Katherine Lucas, selected by James BerryThis is a fantastic little book and a must for any primary school collection. Collecting poems from across the globe with beautiful illustrations, creates a text that is crosses key stages and subjects.
The poems range from simple to slightly more complex, some have even been written by children. This means that there are poems to engross pupils in Key Stage 1 and Key a Stage 2. Topics included range from dancing to nature to going shopping. This broad subject matter makes it a truest cross curricular anthology.
Off course the two key subject areas are literacy and geography, it is a global collection of poetry after all,but it is also a great introduction to other cultures and religions in RE, nature and animals in science and also has potential in drama classes as well.
There is some gorgeous artwork from Katherine Lucas that can be emulated by the children in art and design. Alternatively, children could be asked to draw their own interpretation of a particular poem, using Lucas' art as a starting point.
This book is highly recommended for it's rich verse, diversity, global framework and stunning artwork.
The Mozart Question by Michael Morpurgo is a mature, thought provoking book that has great potential for cross-curricular key stage 2 learning.A story, told via flashback about young violinists in a concentration camp, the book has clear links to WW2 history. However there are also other subject links within the pages of this short story.
There are references throughout to famous composers such as Vivaldi and Beethoven which can promote discussion about their work. Furthermore Morpurgo alludes to cities such as Venice and Paris and Michael Foreman's illustrations capture the beauty of the Italian City wonderfully. Pupils can be encouraged to see if they spot anything they would associate with Venice in the pictures.
The Mozart question uses a simple story about the power of music to introduce children to the horrors of the holocaust in a understated and sensitive manner
Some Dogs Do by Jez AlboroughA very thought-provoking book. Would be good for PSHE and Philsophy lessons where children discuss the issues of the content thats within the book.
In brief, the story starts with the bear going to school and it appears a gust of wind lifts him up high. From this, he thinks he can fly and tells everyone at the school that he flew to school. The characters within in the school do not believe him until his dad tells him his secret - he can fly too.
The last two pages are powerful because it states that some dogs don't and some dogs do. With this phrase, it can be interpreted by the children what its meaning is.
The book has not necessarily got a story narractive, however, it is a book the explains the where, how and what parts are on the body. This is a fantastic book for Early Years and also those who have English as an additional language. The book is essential like a rhythmic story. The way you read it has a poetic structure and really entices the audience into following the teacher. I personally love reading this book aloud as it has such a fun approach to it. Also with my one-to-one, a Japanese girl with Down-Syndrome, I would read this aloud to her in a sing-song way and she would be so intuitive to the way I pronounced the words she would copy me and the way I moved my mouth. Also to give each word a meaning I would perform the action therefore giving her the Kineastic approach to learning the meaning of the word.
The pictures within the book are fantastic and vibrant. They give a visual cue to the reader as to what the characters are doing whilst reading the sentence. Can be good for asking the reader of what each sentence means by having the reader explain or point to the picture.
This book could be used in a early year science class as it labels body parts. You could even use it as role-play for the class. Having the teacher read aloud and the children perform what is read. Overall a really creative fun and enjoyable book. Highly recommended.
" We're Going on a Bear Hunt is a fantastic story where a family go on a hunt to find a bear. Through their travels they go in and amongst slushy mud, swishy grass, hoo-whoo snowstorm and a deep dark cave. The story uses great onomatopoeia's and alliterations when describing scenes. This form of English language reinforces the childs memory on what words to use when describing scenes in their stories. Not only is it good for memory but the repetitiveness of the story is rhymthic therefore allowing the child to create actions or even role play to the words. Overall a fantastic book and one I love reading aloud to children. It is also great if you create your own bear hunt where the children use their imaginations to describe and set scenes.
Great for ages from early years to early KS2.
The Book with No Pictures By B.J. NovakAn excellent book which includes making an absolute fool of yourself to the children. I regularly read this with my nephew and he gets so excited by it that he wants to join in on the silly noise it asks you to say and call animals by silly names, such as 'booboo butt'.
There is no story as it is mainly for the purpose of children tricking adults into being silly. Whatever is in the book the adult has to say and the children I have read it to have thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted to create many other characters in for the book with silly names. It would be a great read for the end of term.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulan by Kate DiCamilloA chunky book I read with year 3 whilst being a TA.
The book proves to be a great stimulus for allowing the children to interpret and feel the emotions the characters have when with Edward Tulan.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is by far one of my most favorite and cherished books. It follows the story of a china rabbit named Edward Tulane who embarks on a cruel journey from owner to owner, after he is thrown overboard while his owner, Abigail, and her parents are on a cruise. Edward is a doll, but he expresses his feelings and words through thoughts.
The book proved to be a good writing stimulus for the children. We allowed the children to read aloud, predict what would happen next, interpret feelings/emotions of the characters and reasoning and also allowed them to write as if they were the Rabbit in an diary entry. This book has endless English lesson material and it very god in provoking thought in children. There is a sad scene in which some children may find distressing, however, it also teaches children that these things occur and it is prefectly normal to feel emotional towards the story.
I highly recommend this book to any teacher, person and child.
Skellig By David AlmondA brilliant book which is excellently written by David Almond a famous author.
I read this book aloud to a year 5 class in my first placement. It was brilliant to read as it includes many characters, a good story line and plenty of speech to act out.
The story is about a boy named Michael who moves to a house with his mum, dad and newly born sister. The book introduces a character named Skellig who appears to be an old man lost in life and lonely in Michael's garden shed. From this, Michael becomes obessed with this person in the shed and constantly visits him secretly.
The book introduces friendships, dreams and hope.
A great book for English and also Art. I created a lesson where I read aloud a description of Michael meeting Skellig in the shed for the first time. From this, the children would draw the scene and then used this as a stimulus for their writing. They wrote their own chapter of what else could have happened when the two main characters met.
Highly recommended.
The Lost Treasure of Skull Island by Martin Taylor.A great, short, simple and colourful book that allows children to find the treasure.
In brief, Captain Calavera hids his treasure on skull island and a band of pirates are on the search to find it. Whilst on their search, they have to overcome obstacles and dangerous characters that prevents them from accessing the treasure.
A great stimulus for early year P.E lessons. Can be made into a game where the children play certain characters (pirates and the captain) and have retrieve the buried treasure. This can also prove a great activity to build on team or partner skills.
The Snail and The Whale by Julia DonaldsonThis is a great journey (with great illustrations) to show the journey of a little snail and a big whale. The snail hitches a ride and travels the world with the snail with the help of the whale. They travel past icebergs, volcanoes and eventually the poor whale becomes beached. Now its the turn of the little snail to help his friend and raise the alarm.
Suitable for Reception/Yr1, a good story about friendship.
UEL Primary PGCE 2014-2015
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