And the TUFFest Write is nearing the finish line. The Fab Five are now the Thrilling Three as they dash to the end. Results will be announced on Friday. Check out their latest entries here.
Month: October 2018
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#WATWB Why put bumps on a $50 note?
We’ve arrived at the end of another month. How do they pass so quickly? But one good thing about the end of another month is that, on the last Friday, bloggers all over the world, through We Are the World Blogfest, join together in promoting positive news.
#WATWB says, “There are many an oasis of love and light out there, stories that show compassion and the resilience of the human spirit. Sharing these stories increases our awareness of hope in our increasingly dark world.”
This month I want to share Information about the new Australian $50 note. This might seem like a strange story for #WATWB, but it’s not. It’s perfect, and here’s why.
The new note has bumps on it to assist visually impaired persons recognise what notes they are handling. The idea for the bumps came from a blind twelve-year-old boy (now seventeen) who was given money for Christmas but was unable to tell how much he had. Tactile features are also incorporated into the $5 and $10 notes.
Click to read the whole article: New $50 note as advanced as any currency in the world.
As with others, this story shows the difference that one person can make, whatever their age.
I found the article through Jens and his amazing website Creative Spirits, an exploration of Australian Aboriginal Culture. His story is also a positive one.
Below is a brief introduction to his site.
Click here to read about other features of the $50 note.
If you would like to join in with #WATWB and share positive news, these are the guidelines:
1. Keep your post to Below 500 words, as much as possible.
2. Link to a human news story on your blog, one that shows love, humanity, and brotherhood. Paste in an excerpt and tell us why it touched you. The Link is important, because it actually makes us look through news to find the positive ones to post.
3. No story is too big or small, as long as it Goes Beyond religion and politics, into the core of humanity.
4. Place the WE ARE THE WORLD badge or banner on your Post and your Sidebar. Some of you have already done so, this is just a gentle reminder for the others.
- Help us spread the word on social media. Feel free to tweet, share using the #WATWB hashtag to help us trend!
Tweets, Facebook shares, Pins, Instagram, G+ shares using the #WATWB hashtag through the month most welcome. We’ll try and follow and share all those who post on the #WATWB hashtag, and we encourage you to do the same.
The co-hosts for this month are: Eric Lahti, Inderpreet Uppal, Shilpa Garg, Mary Giese and Roshan Radhakrishnan.
Please pop over to their blogs to read their stories, comment and share.
Click here to join in and enter the link to your post. The bigger the #WATWB group each month, the greater the joy!
Thank you for reading. I appreciate your comments. Please share your thoughts.
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Reading the Iron Man to spark imagination, inspire writing and motivate making – Readilearn
One of my favourite read-aloud books is The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. The influence of poetry is obvious in this compelling modern fairy tale that begins as it might end.
When I introduce this book to children, I conceal it so they cannot see from which part of it I am reading. I tell them the title of the book and ask them to tell me whether I am reading from the beginning, the middle or the end of the book.
I then read, mostly without interruption though I do explain that ‘brink’ is the very edge, the first two pages that describe the Iron Man and how he stepped off the top of a cliff into nothingness and crashed into pieces on the rocks below.
The children listen in awe, fascinated by the size of the Iron Man, incredulous that he would step off the cliff, mesmerised by the telling of each part breaking off and crashing, bumping, clanging to lie scattered on the rocky beach.
They invariably tell me it is the end of the story. How could it be otherwise? When I tell them it is just the beginning, they are amazed and excitedly discuss how the story might continue. This could lead to writing if the children are keen, but there are other opportunities further into the story.
When this initial discussion has run its course, I go back to the beginning and read it again, stopping to encourage further discussion and to spark the children’s imaginations.
allow their imaginations to contemplate possibilities
Continue reading: Reading the Iron Man to spark imagination, inspire writing and motivate making – Readilearn
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Rodeo #4: Fractured Fairy Tales
I’m excited. It’s now time for the fourth Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Rodeo Contest, and it’s mine! Are you up for writing a fractured fairy tale? Head on over to the Ranch for contest details. I can’t wait to read your stories.
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Bonus Rodeo: Old Time Radio
Fancy yourself as an advertiser? Now’s your chance to try it out for free with a Bonus Contest at the Carrot Ranch for the Continental Fire Company. There are prizes for the three best entries. Time to get those fires lit!
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readilearn: Engaging mathematics learning with Halloween themed resources
In just a couple of weeks, people in many parts of the world will be celebrating Halloween. Even in Australia, where the festival has only recently begun to take hold, merchandise now fills our (mainly discount) stores, and children look forward to a night of fun, knocking on doors and collecting treats from family and friends.
The festival dates back two thousand years to its origins in what is now Ireland, England and France. Irish immigrants took the festival to America in the 1800s. Halloween arrived in Australia with immigrants and through its portrayal in movies and on television. Always looking for an excuse to party, Australians are ready to join in.
Originally, the festival celebrated the end of summer harvests and marked the beginning of the long dark northern winters. The festivities have evolved over the centuries with changes to focus and traditions.
I have always thought that adding a bit of fun to the school day helps the learning go down. If the children are going to be distracted by thoughts of their Halloween costumes and what booty they might score in an evening of trick or treating, why not harness those distractions and channel them into learning?
To combine fun with learning, this week I have uploaded three new interactive Halloween themed maths resources for use on the interactive whiteboard. The resources help to develop number concepts up to ten and are available to subscribers. As do other readilearn resources, they acknowledge that it is the richness of discussion occurring between teacher and children that helps to consolidate children’s learning.
Continue reading: readilearn: Engaging mathematics learning with Halloween themed resources
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Rodeo #3: Travel with a Twist
Saddle up and get ready to ride with Sherri Matthews for Contest #3 at the Carrot Ranch. Sherri’s looking for some twisty travel tales. Don’t tie yourself in a knot over this one. Just write. It’ll work itself out in the end.
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The TUFFest Ride Third Challenge
Week #3 of the TUFF challenge begins. Are you following along at home? Charli shares progress of the Fab Five’s writing and explains the process using examples by CalmKate.
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readilearn: Libraries, books and reading = infinite worlds to explore
What is your fondest memory of a library?
Books, books, and more books. More books than I could ever read.
Books to inform, books to entertain, books to amuse, books to escape the everyday world.
Libraries, books and reading
As a child, I borrowed from the school library and the public library. I remember walking the 3.7 kilometres (2 ¼ miles in those pre-metric days of my childhood) to the public library most Saturdays and coming home with an armload of books.
As a parent, I read to and with my children many times a day —morning, afternoon and evening. Books were always given as gifts, and we had shelves filled with books we owned, but these were always supplemented with books borrowed from the library. We could never have too many books.
As a teacher, I shared my love of reading with the students, making the most of every opportunity to read to them, regardless of whether it be reading time, maths time, science time or whatever time.
Many of the children I taught had not had early opportunities to fall in love with books. I believed (believe) it is imperative to foster a love of reading and learning to empower children, soon-to-be-adults, in making their own educated and informed life choices. The families of many of these children could not afford to purchase books, but with access to school and public libraries, there was never a reason for them to be without books to read.
Nowadays, libraries are not just books, and the old library cards have been replaced with digital catalogues and borrowing systems. Not only is there more to know, but there are also more ways for information to be stored and shared, and more ways to learn.
The role of teacher librarians
Continue reading: readilearn: Libraries, books and reading = infinite worlds to explore
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Rodeo #2: Memoir
The first contest is done and dusted and the second is out of the chute. This time Irene Waters is the Rodeo Leader and she has challenged writers with a memoir prompt, “She did it”. (I think she’s done it this time. I don’t think I can do it. :)) Pop on over to the Ranch for all the finer details.
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Norah Colvin 