#teachingtips — Blog — Sandra Bennett

Can you believe it’s February already! The month where people take a moment to share their love.

So let’s celebrate our love of books.

Yesterday, 5th February, was World Read Aloud Day a time to celebrate sharing that joy of reading with others. Whether it’s in a classroom environment with the kids sitting quietly on the floor engrossed in the story the teacher is reading aloud, or whether it’s at home with a child snuggled in your lap on a comfy lounge or cosy bed, reading aloud to someone is a wonderful, joyous experience. There are so many reasons why reading aloud is worth celebrating, and I’m sure you know them all by now, but here are just a few as a reminder.

These are just a few reasons why reading aloud is so important.

Did you also know that this month is the 15th anniversary of Read Aloud Day. Now that’s a birthday worth celebrating.

I have some rather fond memories of reading aloud with kids when I was teaching. Some of my favourite times of the day were watching the expressions on their faces as I read a story that would fill them with wonder and laughter. Reading aloud to my own children and grandchildren over the years has created fabulous memories too. Who do you like to read aloud with?

While February 14th is known as Valentines Day to most people, it also happens to be known as Library Lovers Day by the reading and writing community. It’s a day to celebrate all the wonderful things that happen in our schools and public libraries. It’s another way to celebrate a love of reading and the important key role that libraries hold in making books available to everyone. It’s a chance to thank your local librarian for all the help they provide in encouraging a love of literacy, a passion for books, the ability to learn and explore new worlds and the essential role they play in education of children and adults.

There are lots of activities you can do to help celebrate. Listed here are just a few.

Make a bookmark
Write a book review
Set a reading challenge. How many books can you read during the month of February?
List all the reasons why you love visiting the library, perhaps add all your ideas in an image, eg, inside a heart or book shape.
Learn about the Dewey Decimal system
Recommend a favourite book to a friend. Give your reasons why you think this book is great to read.
Write an acrostic poem about reading
Make a card to thank your librarian for all the help they give you.
Write and illustrate your own picture book
Write a letter to an author and thank them for writing a book you loved.

In my November blog post I asked for some help in finally starting my newsletter. You can read it Here. Thank you so much for all your advice and suggestions. At the end of January, I managed to send out my first newsletter.

In keeping with the theme of loving books, my newsletter will be filled each month with ideas for helping raise awesome readers with tips and tricks for both parents and teachers. In case you missed it, in my first tip I talked about the importance of being a role-model for your child. If you want them to read, you need to be seen reading too. A great trick I recommended was a challenge jar, full of lots of ideas to entice your young readers to pick up a book.

Also included is a book review, a fun fact based on one of my own books and a fun classroom activity also based on one of my books. This may vary in the upcoming months, and if you have any further suggestions I would be pleased to read to them.

If you aren’t on my email list and are interested in joining the conversation each month, you can sign-up at the bottom of any page on my website, including this one. Just look for the Raising Awesome Readers subscribe button.

What would you like to see in my newsletter?

Have you read any great books lately?

Who do you love reading aloud with and why?

What makes your library worth celebrating?

I would love to hear from, you, thanks for reading and please leave a comment below.

Teaching resources for a children’s book are often part of the package. They are an essential resource to use in the classroom when reading with students for an holistic and educational response to the book. Teachers appreciate resources that cover every part of the curriculum and when they find these readily available are more likely to select your book for use. Often authors take this for granted.

Here on my website you will find resources available for Fossil Frenzy, A Lighthouse in Time and Frazzled Freya. I have had the resources for Dragons Drumming and now Tracks in the Mist, ready for some time, however I am still waiting for my website manager, my son, to get around to setting up their pages. It seems you can’t get good tech support these days when it’s free. Haha.

In the meantime, for those teacher/librarians who may wish to take advantage of the resources for Tracks in the Mist, I am posting them here. These are with great thanks to Romi Sharp from Just Write For Kids On an Educational Hike with Tracks in the Mist who spent much time reading, researching and planning these activities for me.

Tracks in the Mist the Adamson Adventures 4

Middle grade readers will be gripped with their sturdiest hiking boots in this mysterious, intrepid mission to save more than one beloved creature. Tracks in the Mist is the highly-anticipated finale in the Adamson Adventures series by Sandra Bennett for readers from age eight to twelve (and beyond). Today we will explore a few ideas to incorporate into your lessons following your reading, including English, Science/STEAM, Sustainability and Visual Arts. So, let’s get tracking!

Discussion

Before Reading: Ask students to recall the story of the Adamson siblings and their adventures so far. What do you think Tracks in the Mist might be about? What does the cover make you wonder?

After Reading:

Where did the story take place? Are you familiar with this area? Locate the area on a map.

What did you learn about the characters? Were any of their behaviours surprising, predictable, or unexpected?

How did the findings of the captive animals make you feel?

What is the main lesson or messages the author is intending to portray?

What is your favourite part, and why?

Has this book inspired you to learn more and act on wildlife conservation practices? Why, and how will you go about it?

Activities

For ages 8 to 12.

English

Character Profile

Years 3 & 4 English: AC9E3LA02 AC9E3LA06 AC9E3LA07 AC9E3LA08 AC9E4LA08 AC9E4LA11

Years 5 & 6 English: AC9E5LA08 AC9E5LE03 AC9E5LE04 AC9E5LE05 AC9E6LE05

Create a character profile sheet about one of the main characters, Luke, Clare or Zac, or Zoe the Demon Duck of Doom. Include adjectives, fun facts and a picture. Think about the way they speak/act, their impact on others and what they look like.

Persuasive Writing

Years 3 & 4 English: AC9E3LA03 AC9E3LA04 AC9E4LA03 AC9E4LA04 AC9E4LA09 AC9E4LA12 AC9E4LE02 AC9E3LE03 AC9E4LE03 AC9E3LE05 AC9E4LE05 AC9E3LY06 AC9E3LY07 AC9E4LY06 AC9E4LY07

Years 5 & 6 English: AC9E5LA04 AC9E6LA08 AC9E5LE04 AC9E5LE05 AC9E6LE05 AC9E5LY03 AC9E5LY06 AC9E5LY07 AC9E6LY06 AC9E6LY07

Choose the viewpoint of either the siblings or the researchers and write a persuasive text either arguing for or against the need to study a prehistoric creature, such as the Demon Duck of Doom or the Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger), if you were to come across one in the wild. Include an introductory paragraph with their opinion, supporting arguments and a conclusion to sum up their reasoning.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics)

Animal Study and 3D Model

Years 3 & 4 Science: Biological sciences: AC9S3U01 AC9S4U01 AC9S4H01 AC9S3H02 AC9S3I01 AC9S4I01 AC9S3I02 AC9S4I03 AC9S3I04 AC9S4I04 AC9S3I05 AC9S3I06 AC9S4I06

Years 5 & 6 Science: Biological sciences: AC9S5U01 AC9S6U01 AC9S5H01 AC9S6H01 AC9S5U04 AC9S5H02 AC9S6H02 AC9S5I01 AC9S5I02 AC9S6I02 AC9S6I03 AC9S5I04 AC9S5I05 AC9S6I05 AC9S5I06 AC9S6I06

Years 3 & 4 Visual Art: AC9AVA4E01 AC9AVA4D01 AC9AVA4C01 AC9AVA4P01

Years 5 & 6 Visual Art: AC9AVA6E01 AC9AVA6D01 AC9AVA6C01 AC9AVA6P01

Cross-curriculum priority – Sustainability: SS2 SW1 SD1 SD2 SD3

Additional information on the animals from Tracks in the Mist the Adamson Adventures 4.

Students research and write / draw about their favourite animal from Tracks in the Mist (refer to the index ‘About the Animals’), including our present-day wildlife. Find out about its characteristics, special abilities, habitat, food, breeding, and so on.

Students can:

Write and complete a detailed diagram about the animal’s life cycle.
Research and write a report / chart / slideshow all about their chosen animal, including interesting facts and information, a map of their location, and photos and pictures.
Make a 3D sculpture of their animal using natural or recycled/upcycled materials.
Find out conservation methods to ensure the survival of their animal (or what has been done in the past).
Share their findings and encourage sustainability and wildlife conservation practices amongst the community.

Animal Tracks

Students study different animal tracks with the following activities:

Refer to the index of Tracks in the Mist: ‘Animal Tracks’ for a list of species and their footprints. Discuss what you notice. Compare the shapes, sizes and patterns of the tracks.
Copy sets of these tracks and play ‘Snap’ or ‘Memory’ and identify the correct animal with the picture.
Make your own tracks using toys or tools in sand, playdough or dirt. Ask a friend to guess the animal.
Visit your local garden or park and hunt for animal tracks on the ground. Observe and predict what animal made the tracks. Sketch or photograph your findings.

Do you use teaching resources supplied by authors in your classroom? Do you find them helpful?

As an author, do you supply teaching resources for your books?