UEL Primary PGCE 2014-2015 discussion
P9 on programme reviews
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Sep 12, 2014 06:11AM
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Please take a look at some of my reviews!Brilliant: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Flora and Ulysses: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Tornado Chasers: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Tabby McTat: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Snow Dog: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dear zoo is about a young child who writes to the zoo to send them a pet. The zoo attempt to send many different zoo animals however none are quite right. After a long think the zoo then sends a suitable pet for the child. I believe this book is best suited to an early years child aged 2-5. The flaps make the book fun and enjoyable for younger children. It also provides basic learning about the different types of animals there are alongside a nice big picture of the animal. It could be used in a classroom in an activity to do with the types of animals you may find in a zoo. This book could be used as an introduction to a lesson to do with animals or a book for children to look at themselves in the book corner. The book doesn't have many big words allowing beginner readers to read it confidently.
This book is about a little boy awaiting the arrival of his new sibling. It compares his mothers pregnancy journey to a number of humorous things. I liked this book as it was funny and easy to read with the use of rhymes.
I believe that this book could be accessed by 3-10 year olds, perhaps even older children. I say this because older children will see the humour in it and find it enjoyable. For younger children in the same situation it can be a good learning tool about becoming a big brother or sister. As the book rhymes it also makes it enjoyable to listen to.
I think this book would be better suited in a book corner or maybe to read to a small group of children. Some children that can relate to it will find the book more interesting.
This book is a lovely story of a little girl who befriends her neighbour Mathew, a young boy with autism. The story tells of their journeys together and her finding out exactly what autism is. I liked this book as it is a great way of exploring the world of an autistic child in a fun way. It differs from books that just states facts about autism making it different from other books involving autism. This book would only be suitable for confident free readers as it is quite wordy and does not contain many pictures. It requires a lot of imagination and uses complex words to create an image, therefore suited to children who can read pretty much unaided.
This book would be best suited in a reading corner where children who may be interested can read.
This book is about a little girl who goes to visit her friend with a basket of fruit. On her journey various different animals take the fruit out of her basket without her knowing. In the end a goat knocks tangerines into her basket so as she gets to her friend she is surprised to find a basketful of tangerines to give to her. I liked this book as it brings about excitement. You, the reader knows what's going on but Handa does not. I think this book would be suitable as a ficus activity for younger children as they could use it to explore different fruits and animals. Also it is a culturally different book as it is set in Africa. I think it would also be suitable for older children in a reading corner as it might gain children's interests.
My fourth review: Funnybones by Janet and Allan AhlbergThis book is about a family of skeletons who are defiantly not scary. They are very humorous and love to play. The skeletons go out one night to find someone to scare, but everybody is already asleep. However, they scare each other and then fine the skeleton animals in the zoo who they end up playing with. They are shown to be very happy and amusing. I have read this book a lot of times when i was young and i am still not bored of it.
It is a very eye catching book with great illustrations which would attract a lot of children. There is a lot of rhyming and repetition, which makes it easy for children to understand. I think this book is great for ks1 children and should be read in classrooms.
Here is my 3rd review. One of Caroline Lawrence's ,"Roman Mystery Scrolls,"- titled ,"The Poisoned Honey Cake."https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My seventh book review: 'Fly,Chick, Fly', by Jeanne Willis and Tony Rosshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
My eighth book review.I couldn't find this one on goodreads so I've no link or image of the front cover, just typing it directly here.
'Willy’s Stories', by Anthony Browne (London: Walker Books Ltd, 2014).
My rating: 3.5 stars
This latest encounter with Willy, the much-loved chimp from numerous Anthony Browne books, sees our protagonist transported off to a new and intriguing adventure ON EVERY PAGE! The story beings with what, from the illustration, looks like a boring old greyish-black set of doors. It is perhaps the door of a school as Willy has what looks like a school bag full of books on his back. Yet as soon as he passes through these doors ‘something incredible happens’ and each week he is taken off on another ‘amazing adventure’. One day he ends up shipwrecked on a desert island, with only (we think) a parrot and a dog for company. Strolling along the deserted strand, he suddenly stops, stunned as he sees a lone footprint in the sand... "Whose footprint do you think it was?", Willy asks the reader/listener. And so the book continues: next he finds himself on board a pirate ship and hiding inside a barrel of apples he hears Long John Silver coming towards him… Should he run or keep still? And what do we think happened next? Another time on a road, he meets an old woman who wants him to climb into the trunk of a tree to fetch her tinderbox. Although she promises him a lot of money Willy is not sure… "If you had been me", he asks the reader/listener, "what would you have done?"
I would say that this book is great for use in a Key Stage One classroom, either read aloud by the teacher, with children offering their ideas orally, or by children themselves. For those who have still not mastered the art of decoding text, the colourful illustrations nevertheless bring each scene to life. I liked the fact that this book it is built around the theme of inspiration, and in his dedication the author salutes ‘all the great writers and illustrators who have inspired me to make picture books’. I also liked the questions that are asked of listeners and readers, as this helps emphasize the open-ended, unfinished nature of writing and the idea of reading as a dialogue with the author. This book would perhaps be of most use as a classroom tool in creative writing and also in art, and the idea of walking thorough a door is a great way of inspiring children to imagine their own adventures. For more advanced readers, moving into early Key Stage Two, Willy’s Stories could also be used as a tool for introducing children to classic stories, helping them to expand the range of books they read.
Review 5 Teddy’s and Rabbit’s picnic outing by Mark Burgess
This is a story about teddy, rabbit, penguin, elephant and crocodile. Teddy and Rabbit were getting ready to go out for a picnic at crocodile’s place when penguin came into their shop looking fed up. They both tried to cheer him up by telling him silly jokes. He seemed to enjoy the jokes although both and rabbit and teddy forgot some parts of the jokes they were telling. Elephant also came in the shop and was told by both rabbit and teddy that they were trying to cheer up penguin, so he joined in and told his joke which penguin found amusing. By the time crocodile came to the shop, penguin had cheered up and they all went out for the picnic.
I found this book to be quite interesting as is full of jokes and pictures which can capture children’s attention. It is ideal for children in nursery and receptions. It teaches them on the importance of friendship and caring for each other. This book can be used for guided reading in class.
My sixth book review: The Worst thing about my Sister by Jacqueline Wilson https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
www.goodreads.com/review/show/1127226882A thoroughly enjoyable read, penned in the Victorian era when new technologies seemed to appear annually. This poem takes a look at, what was then, a new technology opening up to the masses, rail travel.
As the name suggests'From a railway carriage', this poem takes place at full motion on a train and uses many interesting literary features, which can be peeled apart and scrutinised. From rhyming couplets, to alliteration and emotive language, Robert Louis Stevenson, takes us along a wonderfully aural descriptive journey.
There is also more to this poem, too. It can be used as a tool to discussing history from the perspective of the poet. To delve into the lives of the subjects, which he sees, as well as the poet's mind himself. Indeed, any class can use this as a cross curricular piece of writing.
I highly recommend this as a read, whether for enjoyment or as a learning tool. Either way, it is extremely pleasurable and accessible. It can be use in Key stage 2 primary for historical and literal features, and Key stage 1 mainly for pleasure, but some literal features.
Review No. 2 'There's an Ouch in My Pouch' by Jeanne Willis and Illustrated by Garry Parsons.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review No. 3 'Mother Scorpion Country' by Harriet Rohmer & Dorminter Wilson. Illustrated by Virginia Stearns.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Review No. 4 'The Scarecrows' Wedding' by Julia Donaldson. Illustrated by Axel Scheffler.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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Katie Morag and the New Pier - Story book and CDFantastically well written book, and within the classroom setting, it can be used to elicit feelings of empathy in children. The story discusses the changes that will take place within a small community once they build a pier. Will it be the best or worst thing to hit the islanders? Will they gain more friends and understanding of the diversity the new pier will bring?
This book is also a good resource for geography as well, where children can discuss the features of the landscape. Furthermore, there is technical language (though not too tough) where children from inner cities and urban areas can develop their knowledge of coastal areas.
I have read this book with Year 2 students and we have discussed how residents felt about the impending changes that may befall their community, and how they felt about it. Whether they would accept the changes or keep it the same helping the children develop brilliant discussions.
However, this book, in my opinion can also be used further up the school to also elicit discussion.
Not Now, BernardThe story is about a little boy, who is taken for granted, neither parent truly acknowledges him or have the time of day for him. He tries to get the attention of his family through the day, only to be shunned by over and over again. When he has an information, you've guessed it. It goes unheeded.
Within this book you could delve into the deeply disturbing topics of loneliness and stranger danger. The children will be able to explore how others feel when they are ignored or shunned. Furthermore, they could discuss characters and their motives within the book and how they feel toward one another. The illustrations are bright and convey the emotions of each character, which will allow younger children to share their thoughts on what they see happening at each stage.
I would recommend this book for children in Year 1 and 2, where it could be used for the understanding of how to recognise recurring phrases and drama for story telling techniques.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/191192.Se...The Selfish Giant is a book about a troubled giant, who returns from a long vacation to find children enjoying the delights of his garden. Upon seeing this the giant frightens the children away in order to have the garden to himself, however, this ends with changes to the garden that perplexes the giant.
This story was used to discuss empathy and investigate the use of similes and metaphors with a group of Year 5 school children. In fact this book opens up a whole realm of possibilities to children of all ages. The one caveat I can interject here, is that at one point it becomes heavily religious. However, this is another avenue that can be discussed with children, possibly as an R.E. lesson, where similarities can be bridged in various other faiths.
All in all, this is a very good book, with deep undercurrents of morality and empathy of others feelings. I would personally recommend this piece of literature for children across Key Stage 2 (Year 3 to six). It has enough to delve into dialogue, emotive language, religion and drama.
All dogs have ADHD, is quite a thoughtful book. It doesn't have illustrations, which is what I was expecting, but instead is filled with photographs and small quotes about the symptoms of ADHD. This is a book which would possibly be useful in a SEAL setting. It can be used to elicit responses from children and develop understanding of certain symptoms found in those with ADHD. Furthermore, it could help to promote inclusion through greater understanding, rather than have other excluded through misunderstanding.
I would therefore recommend this book for use with those in Years 4 to six. I could not, in all honesty, see this being understood by anyone below this without a great deal of scaffolding.All Dogs Have ADHD
I thought this book was really easy to access and was also broad enough to be used from Year 2 upward, for bridging an understanding of tolerance and acceptance.
In my opinion, this book is thoughtfully laid out and allows the development of understanding from the outset. The language used is fairly simple and the illustrations add weight to the information on the page. This is a book which can be used during guided reading or circle time . Either way, it's a good non-fiction book for everyone.
The discussion about disability and inclusion is a good topic, and I would consider this book a good source for driving that conversation.
Helen Keller's Best Friend BelleThis book describes, briefly, the life and discovery of Helen Keller. Helen is born in the nineteenth century and is a bright and intelligent child. She then becomes ill in her early childhood and this would go on to leave her both hearing and visually impaired, which inhibits her development of communication skills. Helen, then becomes acquainted with Anne Sullivan and she begins to teach Helen to communicate using sign language. In each lesson Helen learns, she attempts to share with her canine companion, however, until she learns more effective means Helen can only share affection.
In my opinion, this book has a few layers that can be developed upon, mainly in the understanding of how others may feel without the ability to communicate. This can also lead to discussions of how to reach goals without limits and the importance of education for everyone. This is a book which can be used in Year 5 or six to discuss some of the book's topics and how we perceive abilities.
The illustrations are well drawn and compliment the story, which therefore allows most students to access the text. There are also examples of Braille, which can be used as a lesson activity to create small stories or sentences
and give a greater insight into living with impairments and how better to communicate.
Overall, this is a decent book on an important figure in inclusive rights and is worth a look. To get the most of it, though. You'll have to peel back the layers quite a bit.
I'm A Pretty Little Black Girl!This is a lovely little book, which in a round about way celebrates diversity within the black community. The illustrations are bright and engaging, showing the happiness of a young child as she views the world around her. One of the greatest disappointments in the black community is centered around hair. What is good hair? and, what isn't? this book also covered the various shades of people of African descent that can be found in a small area. This little girl is astounded by the diversity (I'll use a small 'd' for diversity here, as other races are not fully represented) in her circle of friends. Another avenue, which could be explored using this book is that of rhyming as well as what makes a good friendship.
All in all, I did enjoy this little book and the only real caveat for this book, is that it is based on the American view of the Black race. As discussed before, this can open up debate on who and what is pretty? Why we find certain traits attractive as opposed to others? However, I digress. A celebration is welcomed. There is so much that can be pulled from this book, that I feel I am doing it a disservice in not being able to mention all of them. Use it and see for yourself.
In my assessment of this book, I feel it can be used throughout the school in order to initiate debate. However, if push come to shove, I will suggest anything from Year 3 upward. It's not too heavy, and it could only be as heavy as you make it.
Here's my review of "Classic Poetry - An Illustrated Collection" selected by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Paul Howard.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here's my review of The Pirates of Pompeii (Roman Mysteries) by Caroline Lawrence.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here is my review of How to Write Really Badly by Anne Fine.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here's my review of "The Pirates of Pompeii" by Anne Fine (Roman Mysteries series)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
See below my review of "Christophe's Story" by Nicki Cornwell (published by Frances Lincoln)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
UEL Primary PGCE 2014-2015
Books mentioned in this topic
I'm A Pretty Little Black Girl! (other topics)Helen Keller's Best Friend Belle (other topics)
Don't Call Me Special: A First Look at Disability (other topics)
All Dogs Have ADHD (other topics)
Not Now, Bernard: Collector's Edition (other topics)
More...
