Book Week 2019
Leading up to Children’s Book Week, the six Early Childhood Books were shared with Years K-2.
In Year K, we discussed the main character of each book and will be creating a book character bunting based on the books.
Year 1 focused on the thinking routine 'Step inside the Character' and will respond to the books with drawing and writing.
Year 2 discussed and wrote about story elements such as setting, messages, symbols, and connections. They will be creating a diorama in small groups to represent the books.
Students in Years 3 and 4 were introduced to the shortlist Picture Books which were selected for their artistic and literary unity of text and illustrations.
A highlight of Children’s Book Week was the exhilarating K-3 Book Week Assembly. The atmosphere was set with the outstanding opening performance of Pure Imagination by the Primary School Choir. We sat back and relaxed as we enjoyed viewing I am Jellyfish - a captivating story set in the deep blue sea. Years K-3 sang Oompa Loompa and bopped to the tune. The book character parade allowed each student to parade across the stage and display their stunning designs. It was truly magnificent to see such a wide variety of book characters appear from favourite books and show their true style.
This year, we had three author’s visit us to share their stories and insight. Years K-2 meet Lesley Gibbes who read her award-winning book Scary Night to Year K. Years 1 and 2 learned behind the scenes information of the characters in the book series Fizz, about a fluffy white dog who wants to join the police force. Lesley’s recently published book Playing with Cicadas was written from memories of searching for the Black Prince cicada in her garden. Lesley’s advice for writing great stories was to always think about ‘What if?’
Years 3-4 met Deborah Abela who informed us that for her "every week is book week." Deborah shared stories of her childhood and hinted how her own experiences and personality are embedded in her stories. The Spelling Bee book series was inspired by her experience with spelling when she was in Year 4 where her teacher introduced a Spelling Olympics each Friday where the girls competed against the boys. Deborah’s concern and passion for the environment inspired the book series Grimsdom, New City and the newly released book Final Storm - Deborah had us sitting on the edge of our seats as she read extracts from this action-packed series. Deborah also provided advice on writing an exciting story - she highlighted that it is vital to always consider ‘I wonder what would happen if?’
Lian Tanner presented to Years 5 and 6 and shared stories from her life experiences and how she was able to take aspects of these and weave them into her books. Lian indicated that she enjoys writing exciting action scenes with characters getting into trouble. Ideas and inspiration for writing are provided on her website. Lian’s advice for writing was to take notice of what is happening around you, use your senses to imagine what it might feel like, choose interesting words, and allow time to daydream and stretch your imagination.
Written by Josephine Laretive, Teacher Librarian