Norah Colvin

Live Love Laugh Learn … Create the possibilities

Tag: Early childhood education

  • When you’re on a theme, stick to it

    When you’re on a theme, stick to it

    Education is my theme. It’s my passion. Sometimes I think I should get another interest, but I’m stuck with this one. Sometimes I get stuck with a theme within a theme too. That’s happening at the moment.

    Goldilocks and her Friends the Three Bears interactive innovation

    A couple of weeks ago, I uploaded an innovation on the traditional story of Goldilocks to readilearn, a collection of teaching resources for the first three years of school. I also added some suggestions for using the resource to teach reading and writing, including sight words in context. I have other supporting resources in progress to be added to the collection soon.

    While my story Goldilocks and her Friends the Three Bears is not really a fractured fairy tale, it’s simply a retelling with an alternative ending; I’ve also been thinking of fractured fairy tales for my Carrot Ranch Rodeo Contest coming up next month. (Look for further details to be published at the Ranch this week.)

    So stuck on this theme am I, that I wrote a 297 (3 x 99) word story as a response to Charli’s Tuff prompt “Papa’s Bar”. While this Free-Write contest is now closed (writers have only twenty-four hours to respond to the prompt), there will be four more chances to enter the TUFFest Ride event with the next one scheduled for September 19. Be sure to look out for it if you want to be in it.

    Note: I’m not sure where or what the Papa’s bar is that Charli alluded to, but I am sure that it’s not what I wrote my story about. In Australia, when we play tiggy, that you might know as tag or tig, or some other name, we might allocate a certain spot as ‘bar’. This means that you are safe and cannot be tagged when on or touching that spot. Sometimes, players will attempt to allocate a spot as bar just as they arrive at it in order to avoid being tagged.

    While I have no thoughts that I may win any of the TUFF contests, it is fun having a go. This is what I wrote in response to the Papa’s Bar prompt. I hope you enjoy it.

    bears sleeping

    Papa’s Bar

    Out in the woods lived a family of bears; Papa Bear, Mama Bear and baby bears five. All summer long, Papa Bear toiled, ensuring his family were contentedly fuelled, ready to sleep through the winter’s long dark. They filled up their bellies with berries hung low, with fish in abundance in streams flowing clear, and hives’ full bounty of gold. Mama and babies had no need to complain, every meal Papa made, a sumptuous feast.  When autumn arrived, and food became scarce, Papa Bear said, ‘Now’s time for bed. Close your eyes little ones, dream sweet dreams until spring.’

    The babies were restless, not ready for sleep.

    ‘We need a story,’ a little one said. ‘Tell us about life when you were a cub. What did you eat? Where did you play?’

    ‘Just one story — then sleep.’

    ‘We need a drink first,’ said the cubs.

    ‘Okay, but lickety-split.’

    They had just settled back when another voice said, ‘I’m hungry.’

    ‘Me too,’ chimed the others.

    ‘Can’t be,’ said Papa Bear. ‘No food until spring.’

    ‘Awh,’ they chorused.

    ‘I could make some porridge,’ yawned Mama Bear.

    ‘Yay! Porridge!’ said the baby bears.

    ‘But then you must sleep,’ said Papa Bear.

    But they didn’t. Before his story was through, Papa Bear was snoring with Mama Bear nestled beside him.

    ‘Let’s play tag,’ smirked one.

    ‘I’m It,’ said another.

    They took turns to run and catch, and through it all, the parent bears slept.

    At last, the littlest bear yawned. No more running and catching, he was ready for sleep. He scrambled over Papa Bear, escaping the tagger’s clutches with a warning, ‘Can’t get me. Papa’s bar.’

    His eyes closed and then, one by one, they snuggled into a big bear hug, murmuring ‘Papa’s bar’ as they drifted off to sleep.

    Pasta prompt for Carrot Ranch Flash fiction prompt by Charli Mills

    When Charli Mills of the Carrot Ranch posted this week’s flash fiction prompt, challenging writers to In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes pasta. It can be spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, or any variety. It can be a meal or a work of art. Go where the prompt leads, how could I not get the bears in on the act again.

    This is my response. I hope you enjoy it too.

    Pasta for Breakfast

    Papa Bear pushed back his chair. “Not this muck again.”

    Mama Bear stopped mid-ladle. “It’s Baby Bear’s favourite. I— I thought it was yours too.”

    Baby Bear’s lip quivered.

    “Pfft! Sometimes a bear needs real food.” He grabbed his hat. “I’m going for a walk.”

    “Papa!” Baby Bear went after him.

    Mama Bear dumped the porridge, pot and all, into the bin, grabbed her hat and followed.

    “Where are we going?” asked Baby Bear.

    “Somewhere nice for breakfast. It is spring after all.”

    Papa Bear paused outside BreakFasta Pasta, then went in.

    Mama Bear smiled; pasta was her favourite.

    Thank you blog post

    Thank you for reading. I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts.

  • readilearn: Introducing Sonia Bestulic author of Reece Give Me Some Peace

    readilearn: Introducing Sonia Bestulic author of Reece Give Me Some Peace

    This week I have great pleasure in introducing you to Sonia Bestulic author of Reece, Give Me Some Peace. While interviews with authors and illustrators have featured regularly on the readilearn blog, this interview marks a new collaboration with Romi Sharp and the team from Books on Tour. This post is but one of several celebrating the launch of Sonia’s beautiful picture book. Please read to the end of the post for details of other posts celebrating Sonia’s work.

    About Sonia Bestulic

    Sonia grew up in Sydney Australia enjoying a childhood filled with wonderful books, a passion for writing and music entwined. She played the violin until her late teens, including performances at the Sydney Opera House. Sonia is Founder of Talking Heads Speech Pathology established in Sydney in 2006. A long-term advocate for children’s learning and literacy, Sonia continues to write and speak about all things children.

    About Reece Give Me Some Peace

    Reece Give Me Some Peace is a fun-loving book about the wonderful world of music and noisy play. Reece is a very cheeky and curious boy who loves making noise. His mother’s requests for him to be quieter only seem to make him louder. As his exuberance grows, so does his mother’s exasperation. Will she ever get any peace?

    The simple rhythmic text combined with delightful illustrations by Nancy Bevington reminds us of the power of learning through play and exploration. Children will love to join in making the sounds and adults will identify with the challenge of being able to enjoy some quiet.

    Now, let’s meet Sonia.

    The interview

    Hello, Sonia. Welcome to readilearn.

    Thank you for inviting me.

    Sonia, today we will discuss your beautiful new picture book Reece, Give Me Some Peace, but first, can you tell us what inspired you to be a writer?

    Continue reading: readilearn: Introducing Sonia Bestulic author of Reece Give Me Some Peace

  • readilearn: teaching resources for celebrating birthdays in the early childhood classroom

    readilearn: teaching resources for celebrating birthdays in the early childhood classroom

    How do you celebrate birthdays in your early childhood classroom? Suggestions from readilearn help you make a birthday a special event in your classroom.

    I’m excited! Today, 24 August 2018, marks readilearn’s second birthday. How quickly those years have passed and how the collection has grown in that time.

    When I started out with the goal of reducing teachers’ workloads by preparing lessons ready for them to teach, I made a commitment to upload new resources regularly, write a weekly blog post focusing on topics of interest to early childhood teachers, including suggestions for teaching, and publish a newsletter on the last day of each month.

    I am proud to say that I have fulfilled that commitment. With more than two hundred resources added to the collection since the launch, that’s an addition of an average of two new resources each week. More than forty resources in the collection are interactive lessons for teachers to teach on the interactive whiteboard, exceeding the ten percent minimum I set as a target.

    Continue reading: readilearn: teaching resources for celebrating birthdays in the early childhood classroom

  • readilearn: Introducing Katrin Dreiling illustrator of The World’s Worst Pirate

    readilearn: Introducing Katrin Dreiling illustrator of The World’s Worst Pirate

    This week I have enormous pleasure in introducing you to Katrin Dreiling illustrator of The World’s Worst Pirate, written by Michelle Worthington.

    The World’s Worst Pirate is a captivating book about being true to yourself and unleashing your inner strengths.

    Story Synopsis

    One might wonder why Will, the world’s worst pirate, would want to be a pirate anyway. The truth is, he didn’t. There wasn’t much at all he liked about being at sea. He was happiest in the galley cooking cupcakes. The ship’s captain, his mother, on the other hand, couldn’t understand why he didn’t love being a pirate as much as she did. When the ship is attacked by a terrifying sea monster, no one could have predicted the outcome. Katrin Dreiling’s illustrations are a perfect fit or Michelle Worthington’s story. They add humour, delight, and a sub-plot of their own.

    The Illustrator

    The World’s Worst Pirate, published by Little Pink Dog Books in 2017, is Katrin’s first picture book. In 2018 the book received the CBCA Notable Book award, a wonderful achievement, especially for a first book. Prior to becoming an illustrator in Australia, Katrin studied languages in Germany to become a teacher. She loves to come up with quirky creations that inspire children to get creative themselves. Katrin’s second book, also written by Michelle and published by Little Pink Dog Books, will launch in September this year.  Katrin also enjoys writing for children and regularly teaches art classes in Newfarm, Brisbane.

    The Interview

    Welcome to readilearn, Katrin.

    Thank you for inviting me.

    Katrin, The World’s Worst Pirate was listed as a Notable Picture Book in the CBCA 2018 Book of the Year awards. Congratulations. Since it is your very first published picture book, that must have been very special. How did it make you feel?

    Continue reading: readilearn: Introducing Katrin Dreiling illustrator of The World’s Worst Pirate

  • readilearn: Interactive whiteboard resources for kindergarten

    readilearn: Interactive whiteboard resources for kindergarten

    “I’ve got an interactive whiteboard in my room but I don’t know how to use it.”

    “What readilearn resources can I use with my kindergarten children?’

    “Schools have said they want our children to come to school able to listen and follow instructions. What resources can we use?”

    These are some of the statements and questions that teachers of children in their kindergarten year, the year before they start formal schooling, have put to me.

    The main focus of my preparation of readilearn teaching resources is on the first three years of school. I hadn’t considered their application with children aged four to five. However, teachers have assured me that some of the readilearn interactive whiteboard lessons are very suitable for children in kindergarten as one part of a rich play-based learning-focused environment.

    Using readilearn lessons on the interactive whiteboard in kindergarten

    • provides variety,
    • introduces children to the use of technology and some of the skills involved such as drag and drop, and click to select items,
    • provides opportunities for children to take turns, work cooperatively, listen actively to the teacher and other children,
    • encourages vocabulary development – the lessons are intended to be teacher-led and involve discussion with the children.

    readilearn lessons support kindergarten teachers with

    • lessons ready to teach – login in the morning, keep one tab open – stay logged in for the day,
    • opportunities for children to make the connection between print and spoken language,
    • providing children who are ready to read opportunities of doing so.

    readilearn interactive resources and lessons suitable for use in kindergarten:

    Continue reading: readilearn: Interactive whiteboard resources for kindergarten

  • Intent on yellow tents

    Intent on yellow tents

    yellow tent flash fiction prompt Carrot Ranch

    This week at the Carrot Ranch, Charli Mills has challenged writers to In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes a yellow tent. Where is it and who does it belong to? Think of how the color adds to the story. Go where the prompt leads.

    I am not a camper. I had no experience of camping as a child and only two as an adult. The first, I finally succumbed to pressure from friends who assured me I’d love it. How could I not? They did. I didn’t.

    The second I only vaguely recall though I am assured it did really happen. I think I’ve obliterated it from my memory. Sadly for my children, they also missed out on the camping experience though they did attend school camps (not in tents) and occasionally go camping now that they make their own choices.

    My best experience of camping was at school with my year ones. One of the families was keen on camping and the father was a wonderful volunteer in the classroom. His shift work as a firefighter meant that he was often available to help us out. When we were reading books about camping, we had a ‘camping day’. This wonderful dad came in and set up a tent in the playground, made a little campfire, and cooked us all a camp lunch. We spent the day in the playground getting the full camping experience. It was great fun, especially for the children who didn’t get those experiences with their families, and a good way to build background knowledge and vocabulary. I enjoyed it because I got to go home to my nice comfy bed to sleep in. 😊

    Of course, children love to play camping too, building tents over furniture in bedrooms and living rooms and with whatever they can find in the back yard. It is a wonderful activity for imagination.  The construction itself can take a bit of working out and involves spatial thinking, collaboration, persistence, resilience and the ability to try new methods. I believe setting up a real tent may require some of those skills as well.

    For my response to Charli’s prompt, I couldn’t resist writing about children and their imaginative play, but I also thought I’d try my hand at a romantic piece, which is almost as rare for me as camping, so I have done two. I’d love to know which you prefer.

    With Intent I

    They dragged the upended chairs into position, stacked boxes in the middle and positioned the quoits hob on top.

    “Now a cover,” said one.

    “I know,” said the other. They raced inside.

    “What are you doing?” asked Mum.

    “Nothin’,” said one.

    “Just playin’,” said the other.

    “Don’t make a mess,” said Mum.

    “We won’t.”

    The yellow sheet refused to hide as they returned outdoors. Mum smiled.

    After some realignment of chairs and adjustments to boxes and sheet, they stood back to admire their work.

    “Lunchtime,” said Mum.

    “Can we eat in the tent?”

    “Only if I can join you.”

     

    With Intent II

    “I have to work.” She feigned disappointment.

    “That’s okay. Come after work.”

    “But I’m working late. It’ll be dark.”

    “It’s well-lit all the way.”

    “But I don’t know the way.”

    “That’s okay.” He punched the address into her navigation device. “Just follow the directions.”

    “How will I find you when I get there?”

    “I’ll be watching for you.”

    Conjuring no more excuses, she wasn’t yet ready to explain her attraction to him didn’t include camping.

    Later, when entering the campgrounds, deserted but for one yellow tent lit by solar fairy lights spelling the words, “Marry me,” her fears melted.

    Thank you blog post

    Thank you for reading. I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts.

     

  • readilearn: What place do worksheets have in your early childhood classroom?

    readilearn: What place do worksheets have in your early childhood classroom?

    How do you feel about worksheets? Love them? Hate them? Use them sparingly?

    I would say I’ve never been greatly in favour of worksheets. I’m not saying I never used them, but I used them sparingly. If I could do something as well or better without using a worksheet I would. There were a few reasons for this:

    • I valued children’s own work and didn’t feel the need to “pretty” up their books with the work of others.
    • I always looked for ways to progress children’s learning as opposed to keeping them busy.
    • I liked to reduce our paper usage.

    Available on the internet and in bookstores are oodles of collections of worksheets; worksheets for anything you can imagine. You can spend hours trawling through websites looking for a sheet to support learning or practice a specific concept. Some of that time could be better spent considering other opportunities you could provide children for learning or practice, or even doing something pleasant for yourself for a change. Now there’s a thought.

    When you think you may want a worksheet, or come across a worksheet that you may want to use, stop and evaluate its potential benefit:

    Continue reading: readilearn: What place do worksheets have in your early childhood classroom?

  • readilearn: Learning to be friends – unleash your friendship superpower

    readilearn: Learning to be friends – unleash your friendship superpower

    Sometimes we expect that all we have to do for children to make friends is to put them in close proximity to other children. We may see it happen at the park, in a playground, in a shopping centre, at school. Children are attracted to other children, but it is not always easy for them to make friends. We should no more expect them to get along than we would expect adults thrown together at a party, conference or other social situation to become friends immediately.

    While some children are gregarious and will talk to anyone, others may be more introverted and less inclined to make the first move. But whether extrovert or introvert, children need to learn how to interact with others in ways that encourage friendships to be made. The development of social-emotional skills, including empathy or understanding how others feel, is an important part of becoming a friend.

    Make friendship skills lessons an ongoing part of your program

    Lessons in how to be a friend need to be an ongoing part of any class program. While many teachers allocate some time for getting to know each other at the beginning of the school year, it is important to maintain the focus throughout the year. As children mature and interact with others, they will encounter a greater variety of situations with which they need to deal.

    It is not always necessary to timetable or set up specific lessons. Sometimes the spontaneous discussions before and after break times can help highlight needs and alert you to who is having trouble in the playground. These focused incident-specific discussions can help resolve issues and prevent them from escalating.

    As new children enter the class, they also need to be introduced and made to feel welcome and included. It is important for the introductions to go both ways. New children have many others to get to know; the existing class members have only one, and it may be difficult for a new child to settle into established groups. It is necessary to establish procedures that will help a child settle while more permanent friendships are being formed. For example, friendship buddies could be allocated to show the child around and help them become familiar with school routines and behaviour expectations.

    Establish a supportive classroom environment

    One of the best ways of ensuring that children feel friendly towards each other is by establishing a supportive classroom environment in which children have a sense of belonging, feel respected and valued.

    Previous posts about establishing a supportive classroom environment include Establishing a supportive classroom environment from day one. A search of resources using the words ‘supportive classroom’ will bring up a list of other related posts and resources.

    Continue reading: readilearn: Learning to be friends – unleash your friendship superpower

  • readilearn: Introducing Jennifer Poulter, author of Hip Hop HURRAH! Zoo Dance

    readilearn: Introducing Jennifer Poulter, author of Hip Hop HURRAH! Zoo Dance

    Meet Australian author J.R. Poulter as she discusses her beautiful picture book Hip Hop Hurrah Zoo Dance which is great for reading and getting kids moving.

    This week I am delighted to introduce you to prolific Australian author Jennifer Poulter. Jennifer writes fiction and poetry for children, education and the literary market. She has had over 50 traditional books and thirteen digital picture books published. She writes under the names J.R. Poulter and J.R. McRae and has received numerous awards for both fiction and poetry writing.

    Throughout her career, Jennifer has been employed in numerous roles including Senior Education Officer with the Queensland Studies Authority and Senior Librarian with the State Library of Queensland. She even once worked in a circus. In addition to writing, Jennifer is also an editor and artist. Now, under the banner of Word Wings, Jennifer collaborates with other creatives from over 20 countries.

    Today I am talking with Jennifer about her picture book Hip Hop HURRAH! Zoo Dance.

    What initially attracted me to this book is its ability to get children moving. What a great way to incorporate fun with movement and reading into any day.

    The book also fits perfectly with a dance curriculum that encourages children to become aware of their bodies and how they move in space, to explore and improvise dance movements. Children can be encouraged to move like the zoo animals in the book or improvise movements for other animals and objects that move.

    But Hip Hop HURRAH! Zoo Dance can also find its place in the literacy curriculum. Written in rhythmic verse, it encourages children to join in with the reading. It has a treasure of words to delight and extend vocabularies and add sparkle to writing; words like ‘limber, fandangle, prance and shimmies’. Children will laugh at the hippos with the backside wobbles and be intrigued by the combination of illustrations by Jade Potts and the variety of media used by designer Takara Beech in creating the double page spreads.

    If you throw in some counting of animals and legs, needs and features of living things, and places they live, you can cover almost the entire curriculum with this one little book. But enough from me, let’s find out what Jennifer has to say.

    Continue reading: Introducing Jennifer Poulter, author of Hip Hop HURRAH! Zoo Dance – Readilearn

  • readilearn: A week’s reading instruction with Bullfrog’s Billabong

    readilearn: A week’s reading instruction with Bullfrog’s Billabong

    The readilearn Bullfrog’s Billabong suite of cross-curricular resources can be used as the foundation for planning a week’s reading instruction including lessons with the whole class and small groups and independent work. The activities cater for different ability levels in your early childhood classroom and can culminate in a performance to be presented to other members of the class, other classes in the school, or parents.

    Bullfrog's Billabong, teaching effective reading strategies with covered cloze on the interactive whiteboard

    Begin by introducing the story as a covered cloze activity (a lesson ready for you to teach) presented to the whole class on the interactive whiteboard. Although all children are engaged in reading the same story, the activity allows them to participate at their own level. The teacher-led discussion can be tailored to student needs, allowing each to contribute according to what they already know and extending their understanding by discussing cues for reading and irregular as well as regular spelling patterns. Children learn from each other as they actively participate in the cooperative reading activity. Refer to Covered cloze — teaching effective reading strategies and Bullfrog’s Billabong — Cloze — How to use this resource for suggestions.

    As with introducing all new reading material, it is important to engage children’s interest by making connections with what they already know about the topic and explaining what may be unfamiliar; for example, a billabong, and encouraging them to make predictions about what might happen in the story. As the story unfolds, children may adjust their predictions and thoughts about the story.

    Continue reading: readilearn: A week’s reading instruction with Bullfrog’s Billabong – Readilearn