Engl

ish

K-6

FOR NSW PRIMARY TEACHERS

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying Term 2—it seems to be flying! The ‘report season’ is in full swing, and I’ve received lots of inquiries about the reporting requirements for English. The previous newsletter addressed this and there will be a formal memorandum to principals providing information about reporting requirements for all KLAs.

The introduction to the ‘English Session series’ is now available. I have attached the link to the presentation. We hope that the series will give you those ‘sparks of inspiration’ to support you in implementation of the English syllabus. Please let us know of any particular areas of the syllabus that you would like us to address in the series.

I have received some wonderful picture books over the past week. I can never stress enough the importance of immersing our students in quality literature.

Keep up the great work, Elizabeth

The English Concept Continuum UPDATE Our trial schools are off and

running with the ECC. We are looking forward to hearing about the usefulness of the document. A very big thank you to our brave team for trialing the continuum. We are sifting through all of the surveys from the consultations and the trial schools will also give us valuable feedback to help us refine the document.

Elizabeth Williams English Advisor K-6 elizabeth.anne.williams@det.nsw.edu.au

Phone: 02 9244 5192 Early Learning and Primary Education Directorate

Melissa Tracy English Advisor K-6 -Australian Curriculum melissa.strong1@det.nsw.edu.au

Phone: 02 9266 8199 Early Learning and Primary Education Directorate

Work Samples I have received multiple requests for

work samples that reflect the new English syllabus. I know you are all doing amazing things with your students, especially with using quality literature to inspire the imaginative and creative use of language. I would love for you to send me copies of some of the wonderful work that your students are producing. Your school and student names will be completely anonymous. Please contact me if you are able to assist in this area. .

The English Session: Introduction

This is a brief presentation that will give you an outline of the English Session series.

CLICK ABOVE TO SUBSCRIBE

WORK SAMPLES

that reflect the

new English

syllabus.

Book Week 2015 Saturday 22 August - Friday 28

August

It’s never too early to start think-ing about how you will celebrate Book Week! The 2015 Book Week theme will be Books light up our world. It will also be the CBCA’s 70th Anniversary this year, which re-minds me of another important anniversary —Alice in Wonderland is 150 years old.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS NSW WWW.SCHOOLS.NSW.EDU.AU

The English SessionIntroductionNSW syllabus for the Australian curriculum English K-10

Elizabeth Williams & Melissa Tracy Adobe Connect T.2 2015

English K-6 Advisor & English K-6 Advisor Australian Curriculum

Early Learning and Primary Education Directorate - Learning and Leadership Portfolio

May, 2015

8 Ways of Learning This week I attended a course on Aboriginal Pedagogy, focusing on the 8 Ways of Learning to engage Aboriginal students. One of the things that stuck with me was the importance of story sharing.

It is our role to bring out the stories of our students. We all have a story to share and some have more chapters than others. Through narrative, the human experience is shared and it is a way of relating and connecting to others and our world.

How are you promoting the sharing of stories?

Click on the above image to

access the recording.

CONGRATULATIONS to Ursula Dubosarsky

(writer) and Bronwyn Bancroft (illustrator) who have both been nominated for the 2016 Hans Christian Andersen Awards. Ursula and Bronwyn are both regular contributors to the School Magazines. Go to the link below to find out more information:

https://ibbyaustralia.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/australian-nominees-for-the-2016-hans-christian-andersen-awards-announced/

Activating the Imagination When we explore the creative and imaginative use of language, we must embrace the power it has of activating our imaginations. We need to take a moment to appreciate the ways that authors have taken us to other worlds. The art of manipulating, moulding and shaping the English language to provide an ’escape from our hectic worlds’ needs to be acknowledged and appreciated with our students.

I have been whisked away to the world of “Fantastica”. I have travelled through the Swamps of Sadness and flew on the back of a luck dragon. When I gaze up at the starry night sky and ponder on life's twists and turns, I often find myself searching for Falcor dancing through the night sky with ease and grace.

I have been fortunate enough to cheer on Harry and the Gryffindor team in a quidditch match. I remember hearing the almighty cries when Harry caught the Golden Snitch. I remember sitting by the fire in Gryffindor’s common room, watching the flickering flames while listening to Harry, Hermione and Ron. And sadly, I still remember the stillness, the ‘pause in time’ and the feeling of heaviness in my heart when Hedwig died.

We need to promote that love of reading to our students by talking about those worlds that we have visited. We want our students to enjoy that gift of being able to be whisked away to other worlds.

We want our students to enjoy the ‘escapism’ that literature offers them. We want them to breathe in the world of the imagination.

I want to instil in my students a deep love and appreciation for literature. When I sit with my class and I open a book, I want them to be completely absorbed in the world of the imagination.

I want to give my students the key to unlock the world to the imagination, and most importantly, I want them to treasure it.

If you...

“If you have never spent whole afternoons with burning ears and rumpled hair, forgetting the world around you over a book, forgetting cold and hunger-- If you have never read secretly under the bedclothes with a flashlight, because your father or mother or some other well-meaning person has switched off the lamp on the plausible ground that it was time to sleep because you had to get up so early-- If you have never wept bitter tears because a wonderful story has come to an end and you must take your leave of the characters with whom you have shared so many adventures, whom you have loved and admired, for whom you have hoped and feared, and without whose company life seems empty and meaningless-- If such things have not been part of your own experience, you probably won't understand what Bastian did next.” ― Michael Ende, The Neverending Story

In the moment...Extract from

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling

Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet.

“Come on, Harry!” Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Harry sped straight at Snape — she didn’t even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.

Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches — the next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand. The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK

Rowling

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Text Alert Pig the Pug

by Aaron Blabey

Early Stage 1 & Stage 1

This text would be great to use when exploring character. Pig the Pug is incredibly selfish and has massive tantrums when the idea of sharing his food or toys is suggested by Trevor, the friendly sausage dog. It has great rhythm and rhyme, so it would also be useful when teaching students the codes and conventions of poetry forms. Students would love to get caught up in the rhythm and beat of the story. The illustrations are fantastic as Blabey uses those exaggerated facial expressions to inject added humour into this picture book. I would use this text as a springboard for writing poetry about the funny personalities of our own pets.

Click on the image below to watch the book trailer.

Picture Book of the Year, 2015

The Duck and the Darklings by Glenda Millard Stage 2

This is a stunning story that is a wonderful example of how authors craft language to transport us to other worlds. It is a very special story and one that would be great to use when exploring representation, imagery and style.

Extract from text “Dark was a sorry place; a broken and battered place. It had been that way for so long that sunups and sundowns, yesterdays and tomorrows and almost everything in them had been disremembered by each and by all… except Grandpapa.”

Beautiful!

Bogtrotter

by Margaret Wild Illustrated by Judith Rossell

Early Stage 1, Stage 1

This is yet another beautiful story by Margaret Wild. This would be a great text to use when exploring imagery, character and style. There are some wonderful examples of how the deliberate and simplistic use of language combined with beautiful illustrations captures this story and this character so well.

Students could compare this text to The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit by Chris Wormell. The parallels between the two central characters would be great to explore and also explore the language used to represent each character.

Students could experiment with the use of imagery to bring to life an experience that evokes joy and happiness.

Click on the below images to watch the book trailers.

The non- DEC products and events listed in this eNewsletter are to be used at the reader’s discretion. The inclusion of product and event information is not an endorse-ment by the DEC.

The Dark by Lemony Snicket Stage 2, Stage 3 This text would be great to use when exploring how authors and illustrators create tension and suspense. I would explore the use of light, colour, distance and camera angles to analyse how mood and atmosphere had been created. Students could engage with the text by performing a dramatic adaptation or produce a short film of the book. To encourage creative thinking, students could adapt the story by personifying ‘the light’.

Students could view the book trailer and discuss the persuasive elements or the techniques used to engage the interest of the viewer. They could then produce one of their own book trailers for one of their favourite books.

Click on the image to watch the trailer.

In the Classroom Concepts: narrative, genre, imagery

I don’t like Koala by Sean Ferrell and illustrated by Charles Santoso

This would be a great text to use when exploring how composers create mood and atmosphere to engage readers. This text is also a perfect example of how composers inject a twist of ‘horror’ and ‘humour’ into the narrative to create an engaging story.

S2 or S3

This picture book has become one of my new favourites. I admire the way both the author and illustrator have created this ‘creepy’ koala that injects a ‘horror-like’ twist into this narrative.

What’s not to love about a cute, cuddly...creepy toy koala? This is the story of a boy and the stuffed animal he just can’t seem to shake. Adam does not like Koala. Koala is a little creepy. Adam tries explaining this to his parents. He tries putting Koala away—far away. He tries taking Koala on a long, long walk. Nothing works. Will Adam ever be rid of Koala? This darkly funny debut picture book from Sean Ferrell and Charles Santoso celebrates imagination and bravery while addressing a universal childhood dilemma: what to do about that one stuffed animal who just won’t stop staring at you.

Review by Goodreads

By exploring the way mood and atmosphere has been created in texts, students will develop an understanding of

how illustrators use camera angles, light, colour and social distance to complement the narrative

the deliberate choices made by composers to successfully achieve a particular effect

By analysing the techniques used to create mood and atmosphere (in a range of texts), students will then experiment with

imagery

visual literacy elements

plot development to create tension and suspense

Syllabus Links

EN3-2A: experiment with text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary texts, for example, using imagery, sentence variation, metaphor and word choice (ACELT1800)

EN3-5B: identify the ways in which language use in imaginative texts, including use of figurative language, character development, events and setting, creates interest for the reader or viewer

EN3-6B: select some more challenging language features, literary devices (eg irony, humour) and grammatical features (eg modality) to engage and influence an audience

EN3– 7C: recognise and explain creative language features in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that contribute to engagement and meaning

The non- DEC products and events listed in this eNewsletter are to be used at the reader’s discre-tion. The inclusion of product and event information is not an endorsement by the DEC.

Click on the above image to watch the book

trailer.

Students could compose a short film, poem, monologue or narrative from the point

of view from the creepy koala. Students would experiment with language forms and

features to create a distinctive mood and atmosphere. They could really exercise

their imaginative and creative thinking skills to create a ‘dark and twisty’ story.

This book trailer is a beauty. Think

about the:

choice of music

choice of words

mood conveyed

first impression of this book

composer’s intention