About the Author: Patricia Wrightson

Patricia Wrightson (19th June 1921 – 15th March 2010) was without doubt one of Australia's most accomplished writers of children's literature. Her first book won the Children's Book Council prize for Best Novel in 1956; this was an award she was to win three more times. She also won the coveted Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1986, won Great Britain's Carnegie Medal for a 'Little Fear' in 1983, and was awarded the Dromkeen Medal in 1984. There were many other awards spread over a period of 44 years. In her role as Editor of the NSW School Magazine she also helped many other young writers. Her integration of Aboriginal Dreamtime stories with her contemporary stories was ground breaking.

Mark McLeod in his valedictory comments said of her:

"Few Australian writers for young people have equalled and none have surpassed her achievements."

In his tribute in 'Magpies' (May, 2010) Maurice Saxby said of her:

"...she was more than a 'good writer'; she was a superb writer, able to craft her style according to the mood and emotional tone of her subject matter."

Patricia Wrightson was born in Lismore on 19 June 1921. Her early education was through the State Correspondence School for Isolated Children and later she attended St Catherine's College. She was married in 1943 and became a nurse serving in Lismore (1946-1960) and later in Sydney (1960-1964). She served as Assistant Editor of the NSW School Magazine from 1964 to 1970.

Her Work

Patricia Wrightson wrote about 30 children's books (at my count) mostly for children aged 7-14 years. Her work appealed to readers of all ages including adults. I can remember discovering her books as a young primary school teacher and reading devouring them and then recommending them to the children I taught. 'The Rocks of Honey' (1960), 'I Own the Racecourse' (1968), 'The Nargun and the Stars' (1973), and 'A Little Fear' (1983) stand out in my memories as wonderful and memorable stories, that were beautifully written.

Her stories always had a wonderful sense of authenticity. Her first novel 'The Crooked Snake' (1955) was a tale about some country kids who were battling with a gang that called themselves the 'Crooked Snakers'. Ordinary Australian kids doing ordinary things, but told in a memorable way with complexity of characters and beautiful language use. 'I Own the Racecourse' is a story focused on Andy who in spite of disability manages to teach others about life and the human condition.

'The Nargun and the Stars' was a groundbreaking novel for older readers in which she drew on Dreamtime mythology woven into a contemporary context. The Nargun is a large rock-like creature that can move whole mountains. I can recall reading this book for the first time and being challenged by it at many levels - the complexity of the plot, the use of the Dreamtime, the contemplation of the unknown and the question 'what-if?' Some criticised her use of Dreamtime stories as a non-Indigenous person, but her use of these stories was based on genuine interest in and respect for Indigenous Australians, not exploitation of their stories. For me, the pinnacle of her craft is shown in 'A Little Fear', a slim novel for younger readers that is enjoyable and challenging for all ages. The feisty Mrs Tucker is not prepared to simply give in to old age and lose her independence, and instead heads to a lonely place where she decides to live alone. Here she confronts the Njimbin, a spirit and symbol of the the way Indigenous Australian's see the enduring power of the land. Mrs Tucker not only conquers fears and regains her independence but also learns of things she has previously not understood and which she still senses are a wisdom from beyond her physical existence.

Patricia Wrightson's work is characterised by the power of her stories, the brilliance of her language use, the novelty of her stories set in the ordinariness of life in country and urban Australia. She was without a doubt one of the most influential writers and along with Ivan Southall and Colin Thiele helped to raise the profile of Australian writers around the world. Her stories, and her influence on other writers will endure.  Not many of her books are still in print but I've added links for those that are below. As well, most are available from Amazon as used titles and many are in public libraries. Australians will find most of her books in libraries and international readers will find most of her most famous books from Amazon in used editions.

'The Crooked Snake' (1955). Winner Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year 1956.
'The Bunyip Hole' (1958). Commended Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year 1959.
'The Rocks of Honey' (1960)
'The Feather Star' (1962). Commended Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year 1963.
'Down to Earth' (1965)
'A Racecourse for Andy' (1968)
'I Own the Racecourse!' (1968). Highly commended Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year 1969; IBBY Honour Diploma, 1970
'Beneath the Sun: an Australian collection for children' (1972)
'An Older Kind of Magic' (1972). Highly commended Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year 1973.

'The Nargun and The Stars' (1973). Winner Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year 1974; IBBY Honour Diploma, Writing, 1976
'Emu Stew: an illustrated collection of stories and poems for children' (1976)
'The Ice is Coming' (1977). Winner Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year 1978.
'The Dark Bright Water' (1978)
'Night Outside' (1979)
'Behind the Wind' (1981). Highly commended Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year 1982; Ditmar Award. Best Long Australian Science Fiction or Fantasy, 1982.
'Journey Behind the Wind' (1981)
'A Little Fear' (1983). Winner Children's Book Council of Australia, Book of the Year 1984; Carnegie Medal, 1983.
'The Haunted Rivers' (1983)

'Moon-dark' (1987)
'The Song of Wirrun' (1987)
'Manmorker' (1989)
'Balyet' (1989). Shortlist Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Older Readers 1990.
'The Old, Old Ngarang' (1989)
'The Sugar-gum Tree' (1991). Shortlist Children's Book Council of Australia Book Year, Younger Readers 1992; Family Therapists' Award for Children's Literature, 1992.
'Shadows of Time' (1994)
'Rattler's Place' (1997). Honour Book Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year, Younger Readers 1998
'The Water Dragons' (1999). Illustrated by David Cox

Other awards

The Order of the British Empire, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for Services to Literature, 1978
Dromkeen Medal, 1984
Lady Cutler Award for Distinguished Services to Children's Literature in New South Wales, 1986. 
New South Wales Premier's Literary Award for writing for a primary school audience was named the Patricia Wrightson Prize, 1999.

Photo Credit
Photo of Patricia Wrightson, National Library of Australia

Handwriting: The Servant of Language, Learning & Development

In this age of SMS messaging, social networking, blogging and cell phones with email and web browser access in your pocket, is there any role for handwriting with crayon, pencil or pen? Adults might rarely have the need to use a pen or pencil these days, but what about children? Are we doing children a disservice by not giving them access to keyboards almost from birth? Is the next step for parents interested in immersing their children in literacy to provide our toddlers access to keyboards rather than paper, crayons and pencils? I want to suggest that this would not be a good idea for at least the following three reasons:

• There is a complex and interdependent relationship between scribble, drawing, fine motor skills and learning.
• Research has shown that speed and fluency of handwriting has a direct impact on later writing development and learning.
• There are many pragmatic and interpersonal reasons why the ability to write with pen and ink is still important.

1. There is a relationship between scribble, drawing, fine motor skills and learning

It is obvious that for the young child writing has its genesis in scribble. Those first attempts to make marks on paper, the walls or in the dirt, are a child's first attempt to experiment with the representation of meaning. While the first strokes of the 9 month-old child may be more about play and experimentation with objects, eventually the child will attempt to represent something. They will look up at whoever is nearby and smile as if to say "Look at me, I made this!" At this point, children have begun to work out how language and meaning can be symbolically represented.

But this early use of crayons or pencils to make marks or signs is not simply a random motor task; it involves a complex blend of cognitive, kinaesthetic, and perceptual-motor abilities. Furthermore, decades of research shows that it isn't just that handwriting requires these things, it has been shown to affect cognitive abilities. For over 50 years researchers have been trying to untangle the complex links between handedness (i.e. the tendency to he left-handed or right handed), gross motor skills and fine motor skills like handwriting. Brain research has also shown us that Binocular vision (the focussing of eyes as they work together) requires the child to use two hemispheres of the brain and that fine motor tasks have a relationship to this emerging ability. Handwriting's demands for complex hand-eye coordination are related to a variety of other forms of sensory integration.  

As well, as the child moves from marks on paper to controlled 'scribble' (see my previous post on early writing HERE) the fine motor demands of handwriting helps the child to:

• Memorise letter shapes
• Develop complex concepts of print like left to right movement, the differences between letters and words and sound-symbol correspondence. This is one of the reasons that kinaesthetic approaches have been used for children with early literacy problems for decades
• Experiment with language as a representational form along with drawing - children's earliest 'writing' will usually combined marks, letters, drawing, colour and pattern.

While there are technology applications that might allow children to do some of this as they get older, their earliest steps towards written language will occur best with crayon, chalk, pencil or a finger dipped in paint or even the dirt as they try to make marks and symbolise something.

2. Handwriting speed and fluency has an impact on writing and learning

The second reason is the relationship between the speed and fluency of handwriting and the ability to write and think. Speed and fluency are important for all aspects of language - listening, speaking, reading and writing. The faster the brain processes the data, the more effective the language user. This is true of early reading and writing. There is strong evidence to show that if children are slow as they form letters then language processing may be affected at higher levels (e.g. forming words, expressing ideas, sentence patterns etc).

Researchers like Professor Stephen Peverly at Teachers' College, Columbia University have found that for children (and adults), speed and fluency of handwriting is very important if they are to express themselves well through writing.  Others like Occupational Therapist Emily Knapton have developed complete programs to help children develop the handwriting fluency and help to overcome a variety of learning difficulties.

Professor Steven Graham expresses the importance of speed and fluency in a recent article for American Educator:

"As handwriting skills become more automatic and less cognitively demanding, attention and resources for carrying out other writing processes, including those involving more reflection and careful composing, become available."

While we don't need a return to the days of daily handwriting lessons for 20-30 minutes, there is a need to give some priority to handwriting support. This might be as basic as helping a 1 year-old how to hold a crayon and pencils to reduce physical discomfort and aid fluency, but it may well extend later to help with letter formation, pattern formation exercises, line cards systematic introduction to the faster cursive forms of writing in primary school and so on. In this way, children's early literacy will be supported and the groundwork will be established for later writing on keyboards and other electronic devices.

3.  Pragmatic and interpersonal reasons

While the most significant argument for why handwriting is still how it relates to later writing, spelling, reading and find motor development, there are also strong practical and interpersonal reasons for some attention to handwriting.

Pragmatically, the majority of writing and note making at school still occurs on paper.  While this may change, until it does, children will learn more effectively if they can write fluently and neatly.  As well, it would seem highly likely that the humble note pad, diary, post-it sticker, magic sketcher or notice board still has a place in communication (at least for a while).

In terms of interpersonal writing, it is also difficult to see us losing completely the handwritten birthday card, gift tag, special letter and so on. There is still something very special about receiving a letter or card that combines careful choice of paper, design, words, images and sometimes personally drawn graphics. This is also a legitimate reason to offer some support for handwriting.

4. Summing up

As we head even further down the digital path we need to be careful that in ignoring handwriting that we do not deprive children of vital cognitive, kinaesthetic and perceptual-motor abilities and skills.

Other resources

Steven Graham (2009). Want to Improve Children's Writing? American Educator, Winter 2009-2010.
'The Writing on the Wall' (2007), Newsweek.
'Your Child's Handwriting', Kids Health.
'Handwriting Instruction: What Do we Know?' (1986), ERIC Digest

2010 Children's Book Council Awards Shortlist

The Children's Book Council Australia Awards shortlist has been announced, as has the list of 'Notable' books. The awards will be announced in Children's Book Week on the 20th August. This year the theme for Book Week is ‘Across the Story Bridge' with artwork created by Australian illustrator and author Kylie Dunstan. As usual, there are many wonderful books. I will review the winners and honour books in Book Week but I have listed all the books shortlisted and will review a few of those that I have been able to read already.

The shortlist is a valuable guide to book purchases but there many other wonderful books published each year. As a result the CBCA also publishes a Notable Book List that this year has 121 titles listed. To indicate the quality of the longer list of notable books let me list just two of the books that are on the longer list.

'Harry & Hopper' is written by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Freya Blackwood. It is one of 30 books on the list of Notable Picture Books. While it hasn't made the 2010 shortlist in Australia it is one of 8 books shortlisted for the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for picture books in the United Kingdom. While this award places a priority on illustration, it is a wonderful book that tells the believable tale of a boy and his dog.

Harry and his dog Hopper do everything together, and have ever since Hopper was a puppy. One day when Harry comes home, Hopper isn't there to meet him. Margaret Wild sensitively explores how Harry has to deal with Hopper never coming home. At first there is denial and his nights are filled with dreams of Hopper. Eventually even these fade, and as they do Harry learns to deal with his loss. Freya Blackwood's 'soft' and delicate illustrations are perfect for this sensitive and moving story.

'A Certain Music' written by Celeste Walters and illustrated by Anne Spudvilas is one of 28 books on the notable list for Younger Readers. It is a fairytale in the tradition of Hans Christian Andersen. The story offers an account of Beethoven's creation of two of his most famous works, 'Fur Elise' and 'Ode to Joy'. It is set in 1821 and is the story of a young girl who is drawn to the sound of music coming from a house in the woods near Vienna. She visits the composer regularly to hear him play. Eventually the girl and her mother are invited to a concert in Vienna to see Beethoven perform ‘Für Elise’. The author Celeste Walters has previously written playscripts for children and adults, as well as novels and picture storybooks for younger readers. Well-known and highly awarded illustrator Anne Spudvilas has illustrated the book.

The shortlisted titles are outlined below. I have chosen to comment on just 1 or 2 in each category.  I will review the winners and honours books when announced in August.

1. Older Readers (Mature readers, aged 12 plus)

'Liar' is an adolescent novel written by Justine Larbalestier.

As the publishers Allen & Unwin suggest, this is a tale of "secrets, lies, murder and betrayal". The author Justine Larbalestier explores lies and the life of a liar, Micah Wilkins. Can Micah be believed?  When her boyfriend, Zach dies in brutal circumstances, her lies and the brutal reality clash. Where does truth start and lies end? Lying comes so naturally to her. But what actually happened?  Did she see him the night he died? What family secret is she hiding? 'Liar' is a page-turner that will keep you guessing until the final page. 

'Stolen' by Lucy Christopher
'The Winds of Heaven', by Judith Clarke
'Jarvis 24', David Metzenthen
'A Small Free Kiss in the Dark', by Glenda Millard
'Loving Richard Feynman', by Tangey Penny

2. Younger Readers (Independent readers, 7-11 years)

'Pearl Verses the World', written by Sally Murphy and illustrated by Heather Potter

Pearl is a girl of (perhaps) 6-8 years who is alone and left out of the many groups that she observes around her and which don't seem to see her. She laments, "wherever I am no one sees me".

A bright and creative child she struggles to write the verse that her teacher requests; verse that must rhyme. Why does a poem have to rhyme she muses? She lives at home with her mother and Granny. That's been her household for as long as she can remember. But Granny who has always been there for her is aging. As she reaches her last days Pearl finally finds inspiration to write a special poem, from the heart, 'taught' to her by her Granny that defies her teacher's ideas on poetry and opens her eyes to see Pearl at last. This is a beautiful story for young readers aged 6-8. Essentially a short novel it also has Heather Potter's delightful illustrations 'sprinkled' throughout. I love this book!

'Matty Forever', by Elizabeth Fensham

'Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool', by Odo Hirsch

'Running with the Horses', by Alison Lester

'The Whisperer', by Fiona McIntosh

'Tensy Farlow and the Home for Mislaid Children', by Jen Storer




3. Early Childhood (Pre-reading to early reading stage)

'Kip' was written and illustrated by Christina Booth. Right from the time he emerged from the egg, Kip was going to be a special chick. When he grew to be a rooster, with a crow that could wake the dead, there was bound to be trouble. First Mr James was disturbed from his sleep - "Keep him quite Mrs Bea"! Then Kip disturbs little Lucy Cooper's cup of tea in the garden. One by one the neighbours complain until Mrs Bea has to do it; she heads for the farm. You'll need to read the book to find out what happens to the neighbourhood in its life after Kip.  A wonderfully simple predictable text that is delightfully illustrated in a bright cartoon style. It will delight readers from preschool to 6 years of age. 

'Clancy & Millie and the Very Fine House' is written by Libby Gleeson and illustrated by Freya Blackwood.  Clancy has just moved and is missing his old cosy and familiar home. He finds his new house much too big, different and lonely. It seems like he will never be able to feel like it is his home? And then one day Clancy hears a small voice from over the fence and soon, with the help of his new friend Millie, they are building box towers to the sky. Together Clancy and Millie build a friendship and a new 'home' that Clancy thought he had lost forever. Libby Gleeson is better known for her novels, but this is a an excellent story illustrated by a brilliant artist who looks set to be awarded one way or another in 2010.

'The Wrong Book', by Nick Bland
'The Terrible Plop', written by Ursula Dubosarsky and illustrated by Andrew Joyner
'Bear & Chook by the Sea', written by Lisa Shanahan and illustrated by Emma Quay
'Fearless', written by Colin Thompson and illustrated by Sarah Davis

4. Picture Book of the Year (Birth to 18 years)

'Schumann the Shoeman', written by John Danalis and illustrated by Stella Danalis. Schumann is a modern fable that tells the story of a cobbler who loves his work and turns out unique works of art for feet! No two pairs are ever the same. He is determined to make original shoes in a world where increasingly everyone wants to wear the same cheap shoes churned out from the factory down the road. But he wants to makes shoes that will last a lifetime, rather than those that last just a year. But as tastes change, and factory shoes get cheaper, he shuts his shop and moves to the factory. This is short lived and he quickly leaves it and the town forever. In a forgotten forest he finds, once again, some who will value shoes that are different and that are made to last.  A tale rich in metaphor and complexity of language, this is a picture book where text and illustrations work together in harmony, just like Schumann and his materials. The simply collage illustrations help to tell this tale with added richness. This could well win Picture Book of the year.

'The Hero of Little Street' by Gregory Rogers is book three in the 'Boy Bear' series and follows the two previously highly acclaimed wordless picture books 'The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, the Bard' and 'Midsummer Knight'. The Boy escapes a gang of bullies by running into the perfect hiding place - a gallery filled with mystery and treasures. The Boy befriends a mischievous dog and is enchanted by the magic of painting. He finds himself venturing into the world of a Vermeer painting and is transported to Delft in seventeenth century. But there are many dangers on these old streets and he needs to use his wits to rescue his new friend from the butcher's chopping block. All three 'Boy' books are brilliant wordless tales in the same league as Raymond Brigg's 'When the Wind Blows'.  Readers of the first two Boy books will enjoy looking for the characters from the previous books as they follow this new time slip adventure.
 
'To the Top End: Our Trip Across Australia', by Roland Harvey
'Mr Chicken Goes to Paris', by Leigh Hobbs
'Isabella's Garden', written by Glenda Millard and illustrated Rebecca Cool
'Fox and Fine Feathers', by Narelle Oliver

5. Eve Pownall Award for Information Book of the Year 2009 (Birth to 18 years)

'Maralinga', by the Yalata & Oak communities with Christobel Mattingley. In the words of the Indigenous people who are the traditional owners of Maralinga (a region used for atomic testing in the 1950s),  "The Anangu Story is our story. We have told it for our children, our grandchildren and their children. We have told it for you."  In words and pictures Yalata and Oak Valley community members, with author Christobel Mattingley, describe what happened in the Maralinga Tjarutja lands of South Australia before the bombs and after. This is an important and tragic account of human folly and its consequence for a people who were there first, but whose needs counted for little.

'Prehistoric Giants: The Megafauna of Australia', by Danielle Clode
'M is for Mates', produced by the Department of Veterans' Affairs in association with the Australian War Memorial.
'Australian Backyard Explorer', by Peter Macinnis
'Polar Eyes: A Journey to Antarctica', written by Tanya Patrick and illustrated by Nicholas Hutcheson
'Lost! A True Tale from the Bush', by Stephanie Owen Reeder

Related Posts

All previous posts on awards (HERE)

CBCA Notables and 2010 Shortlists (HERE)

Improving Comprehension: Using Routines or Strategies

There are many ways to think about instructional approaches to reading comprehension. One approach is to distinguish between Content-based approaches and Strategy-based approaches. Content-based approaches use varied activities to focus student attention on the content or meaning of the text. For example, previous posts on 'Sketch to Stretch', 'Reader Response' and 'Map Making' are very much content-based. There are many other approaches that try to help readers understand the content of a text and demonstrate this by recalling lots of information, being able to summarise the passage, answering varied questions and so on.  I also use some of the above as part of what many would call strategy-based approaches that was the focus of a lot of research in the 1980s. So using categories to describe comprehension is tricky.

The approach commonly referred to as 'Strategies' involves teaching children procedures or routines that can be re-used and applied in varied tasks by the reader or writer.  This approach arose from the work of psychologists like Ann Brown and Annemarie Palincsar and was related to the study of 'Metacognition' (a term first used by James Flavell in 1976).  In simple terms, metacognition is thinking about thinking, including mental activities like reading comprehension. Taylor (1999) has defined metacognition as “an appreciation of what one already knows, together with a correct apprehension of the learning task and what knowledge and skills it requires, combined with the agility to make correct inferences about how to apply one’s strategic knowledge to a particular situation, and to do so efficiently and reliably”.

As a result of metacognitive research a number of researchers began to explore the type of strategies that could be taught to children that would improve reading, writing and learning.

Reciprocal Teaching

'Reciprocal Teaching' developed by Palincsar and Brown (1984) was an early example of a strategy-based approach (Annmarie Palincsar's photo opposite). It involves teaching students four key comprehension strategies: prediction, questioning, seeking clarification and summarising. This technique has some basic steps:

Step 1 - The teacher begins by discussing the topic of the reading or study and calls for predictions of the content based on the title. If they have read it before the teacher (instead of the initial prediction) asks the students to recall the main points of the material read last time.

Step 2 - The teacher breaks the class into pairs (although you could use groups of 3 or 4) and then assigns one of the students to the role of teacher. They then read the first paragraph silently. After this, the student assigned as the teacher poses a question about the passage and then tries to answer it themselves. He or she then predicts what might be going to happen next or seeks clarification from others if confused or if they need help. Students then take turns as teacher or student for about 30 minutes.

Step 3 - The students then seek to clarify their understanding. This involves helping each other or asking questions of each other. At any stage, if the student in the 'teacher' role is having problems, the classroom teacher can intervene to offer support. As the lesson proceeds the students are reminded that the strategies that they are using (questioning, summarising, predicting and seeking clarification) will help them to understand what they are reading.

Step 4 - Students are finally encouraged to summarise or make sense of what they have learned. This step requires the reader to decide what was important and what was not.

The above is just one example of an approach that attempts to model strategies, teach them to readers and then have them apply them to real reading and study. What distinguishes Reciprocal Teaching is its highly structured nature and the way the teacher scaffolds support and effectively trains the students to think about the way they think about (and process) text, and use this understanding in future independent reading activities.

An approach that I've used

Once you have a framework in mind you can vary the nature of the tasks within each of the steps. Here's how I have used a strategy approach based on a piece of literature with children aged 9-12 years.

I always commence by demonstrating a full cycle of the strategy lesson to the class. Using a text that all students can see, I put myself in the role of the reader.  I would then explain each of the following steps. Once this has been done once I repeat it again with at least 2 other examples, inviting student help as we work through the process as teacher/reader. Here is the framework I have used. To make it more relevant I have based it on the hypothetical use of the picture book 'Fair's Fair' by Leon Garfield. I will share the first paragraph to give a greater sense of how the process works.

Jackson was thin, small and ugly, and stank like a drain. He got his living by running errands, holding horses, and doing a bit of scrubbing on the side. And when he had nothing better to do he always sat on the same doorstep at the back of Paddy's Goose, which was at the worst end of the worst street in the worst part of town. He was called Jackson, because his father might have been a sailor, Jack being a fond name for a sailor in the streets round Paddy's Goose; but nobody knew for sure. He had no mother, either, so there was none who would have missed him if he'd fallen down a hole in the road. And nobody did miss him when he vanished one day and was never seen or heard of again. It happened when Christmas was coming.....

Step 1  'Prediction based on prior knowledge' - Using, cover image, title, and/or the first paragraph of the text predict what it might be about. At this stage the reader uses the title 'Fair's Fair' to predict what it might be about; then considers the cover, and finally the first paragraph. Demonstrate how readers ask questions of themselves to gain some sense of what this book might be about.

Step 2  'Generating questions' - Demonstrate how even just the cover, title and first paragraph can generate many questions. What might 'Fair's Fair' mean? Where might this boy come from? Where is the boy going? What might it mean, "he had no mother"? Why might he have vanished?

Step 3  'Seeking to remove confusion' - The reader then moves on. Read the next paragraph or two and refer back to some of the questions generated above. Your audible thinking might go like this: "It happened when Christmas was coming.." and it's snowing (!), so it's not Australia where it's summer at Christmas. He's sitting on the doorstep and a "big black dog" comes, "Oho", what's it going to do? Is he after his pie? Where did he get the pie anyway? Jackson tells him to 'Shove off!' and then he notices something.  'Hullo! You got a collar on! You must belong to somebody. Hullo again! You got something under your collar. What you got?' What has he got? And so on.

Step 4  'Stimulating imagery' - A well written story will be stimulating imagery already just through the power of the language (e.g. the dog was "Huge: as big as a donkey, nearly, with eyes like street lights and jaws like and oven door..."), but sometimes I try to give this a push by getting children to draw (see 'Sketch to Stretch'), talk, write or (with younger children) dramatise the scene.

Step 5  'Generating more questions' - at this point I will often use questions again to predict what might be coming next. What might happen with this do? What could the key be for? Whose key is it?
 
Step 6  'Summarisation, recall or response' - Depending on the text type I might complete the strategy cycle with summarising (verbal or in writing), free recall (remember all you can) or probed recall (where you use prompts or questions to encourage recall), or maybe just use a variety of response formats (e.g. drawing, mapping, semantic webs etc). All these are designed to recap or summarise understanding of the text, to go over the meaning they have comprehended as part of the process.

The above cycle is not strictly consistent with the metacognitive approaches that researchers like Brown, Palincsar, Pressley and Paris pioneered, but it has worked for me in varied contexts. In trials with readers aged 10-12 years I have found greatly increased recall of texts when compared with traditional question and answer strategies.

References and other resources

Taylor, S. (1999). Better learning through better thinking: Developing students’ metacognitive abilities. 'Journal of College Reading and Learning', 30(1).

Peirce, W. (2003). Metacognition: Study Strategies, Monitoring and Motivation.

All posts on comprehension (HERE).

Newbery & Caldecott Children's Literature Awards 2010

The major children’s book awards in the USA are the Newbery and Caldecott Medals. The winners of both awards were announced earlier in the year but it has taken me a little while to finish my annual post on the winners. The Newbery Medal is without doubt the most prestigious award for children’s literature in the USA and is known internationally. It was first awarded in 1922. It was named after the eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) awards it annually. It is presented to the author of the book judged to have made the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The books can be works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The author must be a citizen or resident of the United States and the work written for children up to and including 14 years.

The Caldecott Medal was named in honour of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is the most significant award for picture books in the USA. The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) also awards it annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. The awards commenced in 1938.

Caldecott Medal 2010

Winner: The Lion & the Mouse, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Jerry Pinkney is a brilliant illustrator who has received many awards including four New York Times Best Illustrator Awards and a nomination for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. He is also five-time recipient of the Caldecott Honour and the Coretta Scott King Award. 'The  Lion & the Mouse' is an adaptation of the Aesop fable of the same name, but with a difference, this is a wordless version (even the cover!). The stunning illustrations are done in watercolour and coloured pencil.

Honour Books

All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon.

This is just the second book for the author Liz Garton Scanlon. The text is a wonderful poem of 18 couplets all of which use the title 'All the world' as the refrain. Marla Frazee's astonishing illustrations give a depth and richness to the work. The verses take us from an unexplored beach to a family room filled with music and then a still moonlit night.  Frazee's subtle full colour double page spreads are beautiful and add greatly to the poetry that is also outstanding. Marla Frazee's also had a Caldecott Honour book in 2009 for the work 'A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever'.

Above: One of the double page spreads from the book

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman.

Zagarenski’s playful illustrations support and enrich Sidman’s wonderful poetry as she explores the seasons and their colours. Zagarenski uses computer illustration and mixed media paintings on wood. These combine rich textures, varied graphic elements, stylised figures and rich colours. Sidman describes each season of the year with a series of poems that sometimes use the predictable colours of the season (e.g. green for spring), but sometimes she uses colours that surprise you. The scenes in word and illustration offer many a surprise (just like the seasons) as a red bird flies above singing the seasons.


Newbery Medal Awards 2010

Winner: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Twelve-year-old Miranda encounters shifting friendships, a sudden punch, a strange homeless man and mysterious notes that hint at knowledge of the future. These and other seemingly random events converge in a brilliantly constructed plot.

This is a deep and challenging book suitable for children aged 12 to 14 years.




Honour Books
 

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice written by Phillip Hoose

This book is based on extensive interviews with Claudette Colvin and many others. It tells the story of a teenager who on March 2nd 1955 was sick of the daily injustices of Jim Crow segregation and refused to give her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. The protest led to further injustice for the young women who is eventually brave and determined enough to challenge segregation as a key plaintiff in a legal case that became known as Browder v. Gayle.  Suitable for teenage readers.


The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate written by Jacqueline Kelly

Set in 1899 this is an enjoyable story about a girl trapped by time and circumstances. "Callie" (as she is known) lives with six brothers, her parents, her grandfather, and other household staff on a Texas cotton plantation. While her mother wants her to be a young lady, her passion is science and the natural world.  Her grandfather is a founding member of the National Geographic Society. Callie begins a deep friendship with him when as discovers her interest in the natural world and she sees his passion for the same things. She has to deal with the challenges of Darwinism and witnesses the arrival of the first telephone in town. But she also has to deal with the mundane like brothers who sometimes annoy her, learning to cook and sew and learning about herself.

A good book for girls 11 years and up.


The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg written by Rodman Philbrick

"Although he is underage, Homer P.  Figg’s beloved older brother, Harold, is illegally sold into the Union Army by their ruthless guardian. Now Homer must run away from Pine Swamp, Maine, and his wretched home to find his brother and save him from the war, before it’s too late.

In a story filled with adventure, humour, and danger, award-winning novelist Rodman Philbrick tells of the turbulent, passionate times–from rural Maine to the Battle of Gettysburg--in the Civil War. Here is historical fiction at its most engaging, portraying the 1860s through the observant eyes of a backwoods boy who is both courageous and funny–and always willing to stretch the truth to his own advantage. A master of plot twists and vivid characters, Philbrick sweeps readers into the unpredictable events - both colourful and tragic - of this powerful turning point in American history." This book is suitable for children 9-12 years.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon written by Grace Lin

This book is inspired by folktales of China. It tells the story of a young Chinese girl named Minli who lives in a poor village near a barren mountain. She is unhappy with her life and so heads off to find the Old Man of the Moon to seek a change in her fortunes. The story tells of her epic journey where she encounters many people and events. This fable-like story should be enjoyed by younger readers 8-12 years old. 

Related Links

OUT NOW!! 2011 Newbery & Caldecott Medal Winners HERE 

All posts on Awards (HERE)

The full list of all previous Newbery and Caldecott Medal winners and honour books can be found (HERE).

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) '2010 Notable Children's Books' (HERE)

The Australian School English Curriculum

Non-Australian readers of this blog won't be aware of the move in recent times to institute a National School Curriculum in our country for the first time. Australia's parliamentary system consists of has 6 states and 2 territories, all of which have their own separate curricula in all subjects. Many Australians, especially business groups and some parents, have seen this as a problem. While it would seem to make sense to have a national curriculum the existing system of State curriculum and syllabus documents has served Australia well so teachers have been resistant to change. While there are things that could be improved in Australian schooling, such as the results achieved by Indigenous students, overall we have an enviable record in school education.

Results from the Program for International Assessment (PISA) show that the performance of Australia's secondary students in mathematics, literacy and science is outstanding.  The program is an initiative of the OECD and the 2009 program assessed 15 year old students across 68 OECD and non OECD countries in the three key curriculum areas. The PISA program assesses all three areas every 3 years and focuses on one in depth as well as assessing functional skills across the curriculum such as learning strategies, computing and problem solving. The program commenced in 2000.  Australia has ranked in the top 10 nations in all subject areas since the program commenced (here). In the last reported year (2006) we ranked 6th in Reading, 8th in Science and equal 9th in Mathematics. This places our school performance above many developed nations like the USA, UK, France, Germany,


The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has released a draft curriculum that covers English, Mathematics, Science and History.  Draft material for other curriculum areas will follow in 2011. ACARA is seeking public and professional comments on the draft materials by 23rd May 2010.

1. What does the National Draft English Curriculum look like?

The Draft Consultation Document for English K-10 curriculum is organised around three interrelated strands. The draft document describes them as follows:

Language: The Language strand involves the development of a coherent, dynamic and evolving body of knowledge about the English language and how it works.

Literature: Students learn to interpret, appreciate, evaluate and create literary texts such as narrative, poetry, prose, plays, film and multimodal texts, in spoken, print and digital/online contexts,

Literacy: Students apply their English skills and knowledge to read, view, speak, listen to, write and create a growing repertoire of texts.

The document commences with a brief half-page rationale and then an even smaller section on aims preface the content descriptions. This is then followed by a brief paragraph description of the three strands and short statements and introductions to the achievement standards, what is meant by texts, grammar, spelling, handwriting, English as an additional language dialect, general capabilities expected, and cross curricula activities.

The major part of the document consists of the Content Descriptions organised by grade (Kindergarten to Grade 10) and within the three strands (language, literature, literacy) and the Achievement Standards.

2. Some Things I like about the Draft

a) The place of literature - One of the best things about the draft curriculum is that it has identified literature as worthy of its own strand. Readers of this blog will appreciate why I see this as so important. While literacy is very much a multimodal activity today, with varied online forms of literacy and increased emphasis on images on video and film, literature is still vital. As I have outlined previously (here) narrative has special significance and literature is a key way for children to learn about language and the world (here & here).

b) An emphasis on language - Having a special strand for language is good, although as I will comment below the current language section is a little limited (see below). Language must never become just an object of study (although close study of language is important). As Michael Halliday taught us, we need to recognise that children need to learn language, learn through language and learn about language. It's good, for example, to see greater emphasis on grammar (as one aspect of language), but the way it is included in the content descriptions is problematic (see below).

c) Content descriptions are generally good  - They are reflective of what teachers do in classrooms, and seem overall to be age appropriate, although there are issues with sequencing across the grades (see below). The Achievement Standards are also generally consistent with common practice. Some teachers will struggle to apply grade rather than stage standards but parents want grade level standards.

d) Elaborations - I liked the elaborations that gave added depth to the curriculum and enabled the content descriptions to be understandable, frankly without them some content is less meaningful. For example, in the Literature strand of the Kindergarten content descriptions we read under the heading 'Recognise and Responding' that our programs might encourage children to "Recognise and respond to familiar literary texts". This doesn't mean much until the 'Elaborations' are added:

• accessing a range of texts to listen to, read, view and browse independently
• choosing and revisiting texts
• explaining preferences for texts
• bringing favourite texts from home to share and discuss, including texts from their own culture
• recognising familiar texts. This may include oral traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples represented in art forms (eg dot paintings).

3. Things that are problematic

I have a variety of concerns with the draft curriculum but these are the most significant ones:

a) An inadequate rationale - While the Curriculum has a rationale and assumes that various State syllabus documents will sit beneath it and will offer much practical guidance and direction, the curriculum lacks an adequate description of teaching and learning. This is imperative to ensure that the implementation of the curriculum is done well. As the document stands it has an implied pedagogy that might well be misinterpreted as a fragmented curriculum based on 3 separate strands, each with many separate elements to be taught. This is in contrast to what we should be communicating; that is, while English has three strands, we must not lose sight of its integrated nature. The elaborations do not have this same implied pedagogy and are much richer in their interpretation of what English is. I'd like to see a simple (and strong) introduction to the curriculum that stresses that language is not simply a set of discrete strands that can be taught in decontextualised ways. Grammar, for example is not taught well as a series of isolated activities. Rather, grammar is best acquired as children use language in all its forms and as teachers give direction and content that helps them to understand how the English language works.

b) Lack of attention to creativity - While there is brief mention in the 'General Capabilities' section at the introduction to the Curriculum, and the non-mandatory elaborations show evidence of the importance of creativity and imagination, it is lacking in the content descriptions and the rationale.

c) Lack of recognition of first-hand experience - The curriculum content also fails to recognise that first-hand experience has significant power to stimulate learning, especially with the young. Experience stimulates language use and at the same time provides real purposes for learning.

d) Emphasis on enjoyment and love of language - Children need to love learning and see English language as more than just a tool. There is a lack of emphasis in the content descriptions on enjoyment, loving literature, playing with language, experimentation etc.   While it is more evident in the elaborations these are not a mandated part of the curriculum.

e) A lack of evidence of purpose and audience - Literacy has a number of important purposes (e.g. learning, communication, enjoyment and expression) and is used with varied audiences in mind (e.g. self, teachers, examiners, friends, employers etc). All these need to be seen and stressed in the curriculum content. To allow purpose and audience to be submerged in a curriculum is to run the risk that English will be used and taught as an isolated school subject disconnected from wider learning. If this happens, children end up simply 'learning about language', rather than being active language users 'learning through language' and applying it for varied real life purposes.

f) There is a lack of sequence across the grades - The curriculum content lacks a consistent sequence across the grades. The writers need to trace every content description across the grades to make sure that the progression is logical and consistent with what we know about children's development. As a simple test, readers might try to track (for example) 'listening and talking', 'Writing' and 'Reading' in the respective strands of Language, Literature and Literacy across the grades. You will find that at times these disappear in specific grades, or that there is inappropriate progression. This aspect of the curriculum needs a lot of work.

g) The language section is very passive and fragmented - There are at least two problems in the language section. First, in listing all elements of grammar in this section it might well imply that it needs to be taught as a series of lessons rather than in the context of language use. Second, the description of language elements fails to tap the important integration of language and its power to amuse, challenge. rebuke, hurt, express love, ridicule and so on. Language teaching should be more than simply isolated elements of instruction in grammar, vocabulary, phonics and word knowledge and text structure as the content descriptions suggest.  While I'm not suggesting that the writers of the Curriculum are suggesting this, the way the content is described could well be interpreted in this way. Once again, the 'elaborations' help but they aren't mandatory!

h) Cultural Diversity - The Curriculum Rationale makes the statement that it "places an emphasis on understanding the cultures of Asia". This seems muddle-headed to me. While Asia is important to Australia and many immigrants have become citizens after arriving from Asia, surely our aim should be to encourage our children to have a broad understanding of the whole world and its people and cultures. They also need to have tolerance and understanding of all the ethnic groups who have joined us and a special understanding of our British and Indigenous foundations of Australian culture.


4. In Conclusion

Overall, I feel that the curriculum writers have done a reasonable job within the constraints that they have been given. With further revision and the linking of existing state syllabi, teachers will find the curriculum to be workable.

5. How can you comment on the Curriculum?

If you'd like to comment on the curriculum you need to go to the ACARA website (before the 23rd May 2010), register, explore the curriculum and then respond.

Top 100 Children's Books

My Lists of Good Books

Regular readers of this blog will know that I've offered many lists of good books to read to and with your children, or for children just to read themselves. Some are grouped by theme, topic and genre, while others are grouped by age, author, gender and so on.  For example you can find:

• Books on key themes like the environment HERE, conquering fears HERE, humour HERE and death HERE (all my Key Themes you can find HERE)
• Chapter books for girls 6-12 years HERE
• Chapter books for young readers HERE
• Historical fiction HERE
• Books for boys HERE
• Books by specific authors HERE
• Shortlisted books and winners of major Children's Literature Awards HERE
• Science & Technology Books for Children 3-12 years HERE

I also have a list of 200 Great Children's Books on my personal website HERE

US Top 100 Books

An excellent new recent list has just been put out by the School Library Journal. Elizabeth Bird has worked with readers of her site to come up with what they judge to be the 100 Top Children's Novels. The list is mainly of US books but you'll notice that most of them make my '200 Great Children's Books' list.

Helping to Create an International Top 200+

I'd like to try to add to my own list of '200 Great Children's Books' and want your help. I hope to create separate lists for novels and picture books. I'd also like to have a more international flavour with the best books in the English speaking world, including the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Would you like to help? If you'd like to help build the list simply offer your Top 10 books in a comment. I'll collate them. You might also encourage others to do the same. I'll also offer a book prize to the reader who ends up with the most books in the final Top 10 of the long list.   The US Top 10 on the School Library Journal was as follows:

1 Charlotte's Web by E.B. White  
2 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
3 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
4  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
5 From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
6 Holes by Louis Sachar
7 The Giver by Lois Lowry
8 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
9 Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
10 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Related Posts

Complete list of 'Children's Literature' Posts HERE

'Key Themes in Children's Literature' HERE

'Author Focus' posts HERE