Banning of Sugary Cereals is Ludicrous

January 7, 2013

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Governments need to realise that they are not our parents. It is essential that they understand that the choice to ban something from a child should almost exclusively be the responsibility of the parent:

Labour will today propose new legal limits on levels of fat, sugar and salt in children’s food.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham will say urgent action must be considered to tackle spiralling levels of obesity.

One option to be considered in the party’s public policy health review is to outlaw products with more than a maximum level of fat, sugar and salt which are targeted at children to try to reverse the trend.

A consultation paper identifies a number of breakfast cereals containing more than 30 per cent sugar according to research by Which?, including Kellogg’s Frosties, with 37.0g of sugar per 100g and Tesco Choco Snaps with 36.1g per 100g.

The latest research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), shows that in the UK, 26.6 per cent of girls and 22.7 per cent of boys are now considered ‘obese’.

Meanwhile, the National Child Measurement Programme last month reported that one-third of children in England are either overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school. Overweight children are at a greater risk of developing diabetes and cancer.

Mr Burnham said: ‘The findings of the OECD should shock us out of our complacency. It is clear that the current voluntary approach is not working. We need to open our minds to new approaches in tackling child obesity.

Click on the link to read my post School Weigh-ins Are an Insult Rather Than a Solution

Click on the link to read my post Exercising Wont Help Overweight Children: Study

Click on the link to read Charity Pays for Teen’s Plastic Surgery to Help Stop Bullying

Click on the link to read my post, ‘Sparing Young Children the Affliction of Body Image‘.

Are Kindergarten Teachers Biased Against Boys?

January 5, 2013

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A study seems to show that boys are marked unfairly in the early years:

Academics from the University of Georgia and Columbia University think they have more insight into why girls earn higher grades on report cards than boys do, despite the fact that girls do not necessarily outperform boys on achievement or IQ tests.

Christopher Cornwell, head of economics at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, UGA’s David Mustard and Columbia’s Jessica Van Parys have published a study that they say shows “gender disparities in teacher grades start early and uniformly favor girls.”

The researchers analyzed data from 5,800 elementary school students and found that boys performed better on standardized exams in math, reading and science than their course grades reflected. The authors suggest that girls are truly only outperforming boys in “non-cognitive approaches to learning” — defined as attentiveness, task persistence, eagerness to learn, learning independence, flexibility and organization — leading to better grades from teachers. The study is published in the latest issue of The Journal of Human Resources.

Cornwell said in a statement Wednesday that worse grades place boys at a disadvantage for future opportunities, adding that the divide is further worsened by increased competition for jobs as women increasingly enter the workforce.

 

Click on the link to read  Why do Boys Score Better than Girls at Maths?

Click on the link to read Should We Include Feminism in the Curriculum?

Click on the link to read Arguments For and Against Single-Sex Education

Click on the link to read The Perfect Example of Courage and Self-Respect

Welcome Back, Sandy Hook Students!

January 3, 2013

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It’s great to hear that the students of Sandy Hook are back at school after the tragedy that transpired a few weeks ago:

Since escaping a gunman’s rampage at their elementary school, the 8-year-old Connors triplets have suffered nightmares, jumped at noises and clung to their parents a little more than usual.

Now parents like David Connors are bracing to send their children back to school, nearly three weeks after the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. It won’t be easy – for the parents or the children, who heard the gunshots that killed 20 of their classmates and six educators.

“I’m nervous about it,” Connors said. “It’s unchartered waters for us. I know it’s going to be difficult.”

Classes are starting Thursday at a repurposed school in the neighboring town of Monroe, where the students’ desks have been taken along with backpacks and other belongings that were left behind in the chaos following the shooting on Dec. 14. Families have been coming in to see the new school, and an open house is scheduled for Wednesday.

An army of workers has been getting the school ready, painting, moving furniture and even raising the floors in the bathrooms of the former middle school so the smaller elementary school students can reach the toilets.

Connors, a 40-year-old engineer, felt reassured after recently visiting the new setup at the former Chalk Hill school in Monroe. He said his children were excited to see their backpacks and coats, and that the family was greeted by a police officer at the door and grief counselors in the hallways.

Teachers will try to make it as normal a school day as possible for the children, schools Superintendent Janet Robinson said.

“We want to get back to teaching and learning,” she said. “We will obviously take time out from the academics for any conversations that need to take place, and there will be a lot of support there. All in all, we want the kids to reconnect with their friends and classroom teachers, and I think that’s going to be the healthiest thing.”

Teachers are returning as well, and some have already been working on their classrooms. At some point, all those will be honored, but officials are still working out how and when to do so, Robinson said.

“Everyone was part and parcel of getting as many kids out of there safely as they could,” she said. “Almost everybody did something to save kids. One art teacher locked her kids in the kiln room, and I got a message from her on my cellphone saying she wouldn’t come out until she saw a police badge.”

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Click on the link to read Adam Lanza’s Brother: I am a Victim Too!

Click on the link to read Revealed: Adam Lanza’s Motive

Click on the link to read Do You Really Want to Arm Me?

Click on the link to read Living With Adam Lanza

Click on the link to read School Shooting Showcases the Heroic Nature of Brilliant Teachers

Click on the link to read Let’s Make Sure that this School Shooting is the Last

Click on the link to read Get Rid of Your Guns!

Click on the link to read Explaining the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting to Children

One Woman’s Plight to Overcome Shyness (Video)

January 2, 2013

 

Shyness is a very underrated issue in the schoolyard and one I have written about on this blog. Last year I wrote a post giving 8 tips to help students overcome shyness.

Emma Pickles, a once deeply shy young girl, seems to have come up with an original method of her own:

A teenager who used to be so shy she avoided parties and could not speak in class has become an internet star through her YouTube channel.

Emma Pickles, 18, found courage after years of struggling with crippling social anxiety after posting makeup tutorial videos online.

More than 1.5 million people have watched her transform herself into everything from movie characters Edward Scissorhands and X-Men’s Mystique to pop star Katy Perry and terrifying monsters.

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Emma, from Halifax, Yorkshire used to be controlled by her shyness which prevented her from speaking in front of people and caused her to shun social events.

Two years ago, her social anxiety got so bad she stopped answering questions at school and after her work suffered she began seeing a counsellor.

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She says she became self-conscious at a very young age which developed into a fear of public speaking, even to the point where she struggled to ask for a ticket at the cinema.

Emma said: ‘I wouldn’t leave the house without putting on a full face of makeup and I even panicked at answering my phone.

‘When a teacher asked me a question in class I used to go bright red and start shaking all over.

‘When I would go to the cinema I even found it hard to ask for a ticket. I don’t know why, there is no reason but I was scared.’

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But when she began posting her videos, Emma gained new confidence and her incredible makeup tutorials are now followed by thousands of loyal fans who subscribe to her channel.

She says she feels more comfortable speaking to people online and that she has YouTube to thank for her new self-assurance.

‘I’ve achieved so much through YouTube and having to speak in front of a camera has given me a lot more confidence.

‘It’s really weird that so many people have subscribed to my channel. I had no idea it would go this well but it’s so nice.

‘I even met my boyfriend through YouTube.’

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This New Craze Proves that Adults are Just Bigger Versions of Children

January 1, 2013

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I never really liked the planking craze. It was silly rather than entertaining or especially creative. Baguetting on the other hand, seems like quite a bit of harmless fun:

First there was planking and then breaded cats. Now the latest internet photo craze: Baguetting.

As a Frenchman might say, this is baguetting to be ridiculous.

A group of celebrities and comedians have launched a unique internet craze of posting pictures of themselves creatively posing with baguettes in their everyday life.

Supplementing the loafs of bread for everyday objects – and in some cases body parts – the stick of bread makes appearances in the personal lives of Star Trek actor George Takei, Bridesmaids’ actress Ellie Kemper, and actress Marcia Gay Harden among dozens of others.

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Click on the link to read Parents and Teachers Should Not Be Facebook Friends

Click on the link to read Introducing the App that will Give Parents Nightmares

Click on the link to read Facebook’s Ugly Little Secret

Click on the link to read Who Needs Real Friends When You Have Facebook Friends?

The 2013 Teacher Crystal Ball Predictions

January 1, 2013

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Happy New Year! I wish you all the very best for the start of a new and hopefully extremely rewarding year.

Below are predictions made by British classroom teachers as to what the year may bring:

 

Tom Sherrington, head teacher, Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

We are moving towards a system where teachers and heads are continually on the defensive with a curriculum and assessment framework that patently doesn’t meet the needs of all young people. In 2013 we will see a fight back aimed at filling the intellectual vacuum at the core of education policy. I’m excited about the SSAT Redesigning Schooling initiative beginning in March involving practitioners, academics and policy makers, putting professional expertise and pedagogical excellence at the heart of our thinking about a world class system. I’m hoping more heads and teachers exercise the autonomy they already have to do what they think is right but, as the next election comes into view, some clear policy alternatives will emerge. It’s challenging but exciting.

 

Sally Law, principal teacher of English, Marr College, Troon

Ever the optimist, I predict that 2013 will bring confirmation to Scottish teachers that all the hard work they’ve put into implementing A Curriculum for Excellence will have paid off and that it will become evident in the smooth transition from the Broad General Education (BGE) to the first ever National 4 and 5 courses. On the other hand, 2013 may also bring further cuts to resources and support staff; in spite of the amazing efforts of the profession to raise attainment and meet the needs of all learners there is no doubt that further cuts will impact on our young people.

 

Andrew Jones, head of religious studies and sociology, Goffs School, Cheshunt

2013 will be a year of sustained questions and answers in religious education. The questions will be asked by RE teachers and those concerned with children’s spiritual, moral, and cultural development. The answers will come from the secretary of state for education and his advisors. Questions will include what will happen to RE if GCSEs are abolished? Will RE have only one examination body? Will the RE GCSE short course slowly slide into oblivion? If the short course goes, will the statutory requirement to follow locally agreed syllabuses be bypassed by schools? Will the uptake of RE at KS5 be affected by its exclusion from the EBacc? Let’s hope Michael Gove has some enlightened answers.

 

John Taylor, head of philosophy and director of critical skills, Rugby School, Warwickshire

The spectacularly gloomy philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said that hope is the confusion of desire with probability. That is altogether too pessimistic a view to take as we look towards the New Year, but Schopenhauer’s words do remind us of how easy it is to slide from finding a prospect likeable, to finding it likely. So, setting the rose-tinted spectacles aside, what might we say about the prospects for teaching and assessment in 2013? I think it will be the year when we start to take seriously a concern, which is extremely widely shared, about how assessment and league table accountability measures distort and constrain teaching. Enough voices are now being raised, and enough problems acknowledged, for it to be high time for the ‘teach to the test’ culture, and the mechanical ‘accountability through measurable outcomes’ strait-jacket to be put under the spotlight and subjected to critical scrutiny. What might emerge instead? Is it possible that we will see the start of a renewed focus on the value of learning for its own sake, and a strengthened determination to allow teachers the freedom to teach as they know best? I’d like to think so, but whether that is more a matter of desire than probability, time only will tell.

 

Ron Glatter, emeritus professor of educational administration and management, The Open University

2013 will be the year in which the damage caused by the absurd distinction between maintained and non-maintained (in other words, academy) schools will finally hit home to policy-makers. Initiated by Labour and vigorously promoted by the coalition, it foments division, fragmentation and artificial hierarchies. We need to rebuild a unified system with all publicly funded schools brought within a common legal and democratic framework. Why do I think this will begin to happen in 2013? Perhaps because I’m an incurable optimist, but there must come a point at which the problems generated by an arbitrary and unmanageable set of arrangements will become impossible to ignore.

 

Eugene Spiers, assistant head teacher, John of Gaunt School, Trowbridge

I predict that more and more teachers will turn to Twitter as their first port of call for ideas, resources, inspiration and personalised CPD. For most of my career I often heard about the best teachers in whichever school I was working in and less often I would get to talk to them or see them teach. Twitter has changed all that. It is like having the most inspiring, supportive and challenging staff room available to you whenever you want it and wherever you are.

I also predict continued attempts to destroy comprehensive education and undermine teachers in the UK and as you would expect Twitter will represent the anger and disappointment at these policies (and also some support) but, mostly there will be continuity. A continuity of sharing and a continuity of ideas and of getting on with the job in hand whatever the politicians decide.

 

Adam Lopez, teacher, Tavernspite CP Primary School, Pembrokeshire

In 2013 the digital divide between teachers will reach a critical level. The advances in hardware, software and their applications continues at a relentless pace, with those who have resisted adapting to the evolution of modern teaching becoming harder and harder to support. The educational resources and tools offered free in most cases online provide the modern teacher with an unprecedented armoury for conducting engaging and immersive lessons. The sharing of great practice and ideas over the internet has opened the door of possibility; no longer do enthusiastic teachers have to rely on learning solely from those only in their local environment.

We are stepping beyond a threshold into a new technological era in education. The advent of thematic and student led approaches to learning has further prompted a necessity for adaptable and dynamic approaches to educating. It is time for those who educate to fully embody the values that they attempt to instill in others – that of lifelong learning coupled with an intrinsic desire to grow and thrive within the changing world around us; seeking out boundaries of possibility and not cursing the irrepressible tide of change.

Click on the link to read Who is Going to Stand Up For Bullied Teachers?

Click on the link to read 12 Tips for Managing Time in the Classroom

Click on the link to read If Teachers Were Paid More I Wouldn’t Have Become One

Click on the link to read Different Professions, Same Experiences

Click on the link to read Our Pay Isn’t the Problem

Overweight Doctors and Nurses ‘Should Undergo Stomach Stapling Surgery’

December 31, 2012

 

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The best rolemodels are the ones that act with integrity and treat others with respect. The best doctors and nurses take pride in what they do, give an excellent standard of care and are generally superb at what they do. I don’t care if they are fat, skinny, have a long nose or bushy eyebrows.

A recent report wants to point the finger at overweight medical professionals as if it’s easier for good doctors and nurses to stave off the difficulties of maintaining a trim physique. I don’t care what field you are in or what level of education you have maintaining a slim body is hard work and takes great discipline.

It beggars belief why a rolemodel must be slim before being kind, generous, caring and gratious:

Doctors and nurses who suffer from weight problems should be offered gastric surgery in order to retain credibility with patients on weight loss treatments, a report will say.

Overweight NHS staff ought to be given dietary advice and counselling as well as stomach stapling operations as they are setting a bad example for patients, the Royal College of Physicians said.

Over half of medical staff within NHS organisations are likely to be overweight, in accordance with statistics for the British population.

 

Click on the link to read Self-Esteem Crisis Even More Serious than the Obesity Crisis

Click on the link to read Our Young Children Shouldn’t Even Know What a Diet Is?

Click on the link to read Charity Pays for Teen’s Plastic Surgery to Help Stop Bullying

Click on the link to read Most People Think This Woman is Fat

Click on the link to read It’s Time to Change the Culture of the Classroom

Click on the link to read Sparing Young Children the Affliction of Body Image

 

Best Children’s Books of 2012

December 31, 2012

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As nominated by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC):

All the Water in the World. By George Ella Lyon, Illus. by Katherine Tillotson, Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

From deserts to the kitchen sink, the water cycle is lyrically yet economically described in Lyon’s poem emphasizing the importance of water conservation. Katherine Tillotson’s digital paintings splash, surge and drip off the page.

A Ball for Daisy. By Chris Raschka, Illus. by the author, Schwartz & Wade Books,

A wordless tale of an irrepressible little dog whose most prized possession is accidently destroyed. A buoyant tale of loss, recovery, and friendship. (2012 Caldecott Medal Book)

Blackout. By John Rocco, Illus. by the author. Disney/Hyperion Books.

A summer power outage draws an urban family up to their building’s roof and then down to the street for an impromptu block party. (A 2012 Caldecott Honor Book)

Bring on the Birds. By Susan Stockdale, Illus. by the author. Peachtree.

Rhyming couplets and clear, identifiable illustrations remind readers that birds vary in many ways, but all have feathers and are hatched from eggs. Colorful acrylics help provide just the right of information for preschool ornithologists.

The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred. By Samantha R. Vamos, Illus. by Rafael López. Charlesbridge.

Nothing is better than a delicious bowl of arroz con leche unless, of course, a host of farm animals have a hand in the preparation! (A 2012 Belpré Illustrator Honor Book)

Chirchir Is Singing. By Kelly Cunnane, Illus. by Jude Daly. Schwartz & Wade Books.

In this cumulative story set in Kenya, Chirchir sings as she tries to help with family chores.  Acrylic folk art highlights the activities of daily life in this rural setting.

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?, By Susan A. Shea, Illus. by Tom Slaughter. Blue Apple Books.

This book playfully challenges children’s concepts of the growth capacity of living vs. non-living things in a fun and engaging way.

Dot. By Patricia Intriago, Illus. by the author. Farrar Straus Giroux.

To a child’s delight, bright dots and brief rhyming verses cleverly demonstrate antonyms and synonyms in this clever picture book.

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site. By Sherri Duskey Rinker, Illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle Books.

Truck-loving toddlers will be willingly tucked into bed along with the vehicles in this superbly constructed goodnight poem.

Grandpa Green. By Lane Smith, Illus. by the author. Roaring Brook Press.

Elaborate topiary sculptures give visual form to memories in a wildly fanciful garden tended by a child and his beloved great-grandfather. (A 2012 Caldecott Honor Book)

Harry and Hopper. By Margaret Wild, Illus. by Freya Blackwood. Feiwel & Friends.

A poignant depiction of grief and acceptance at the loss of a beloved pet is relayed in this quietly moving story whose illustrations add emotional depth.

I Broke My Trunk. By Mo Willems. Illus. by the author. Hyperion Books for Children.

Piggie is very concerned about his best friend, Gerald the Elephant, who has broken his trunk, and Gerald tells him a long, rambling story about how it happened. (A 2012 Geisel Honor Book)

I Want My Hat Back. By Jon Klassen, Illus. by the author. Candlewick Press.

After losing his hat, Bear politely and patiently questions his fellow forest dwellers as to the whereabouts of his “red pointy hat.” (A 2012 Geisel Honor Book)

King Jack and the Dragon. By Peter Bently, Illus. by Helen Oxenbury. Dial Books for Young Readers.

Enhanced by whimsical illustrations, this story of the wonders and terrors created by a child’s imagination, shows the power of playtime and the magic of make-believe.

Little Treasures: Endearments from Around the World. By Jacqueline K. Ogburn. Illus. by Chris Raschka. Houghton Mifflin.

Raschka’s pictures give distinct personalities to the subjects of these endearments and the book is a reminder of how much children are loved in every language and culture. Translations and pronunciation guides are included.

Little White Rabbit. By Kevin Henkes, Illus. by the author. Greenwillow Books.

Little white rabbit explores the springtime world wondering what it would be like to be different – green, tall, solid, or able to fly  – but when he comes home he knows who loves him.

Me…Jane. By Patrick McDonnell, Illus. by the author. Little, Brown.

Watching birds and squirrels in her yard, a young girl discovers the joy and wonder of nature. A glimpse of the childhood of renowned primatologist Jane Goodall. (A 2012 Caldecott Honor Book)

Mouse & Lion. By Rand Burkert, Illus. by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. di Capua/Scholastic.

Mouse is the center of this retelling of a familiar Aesop’s fable.  Elegant illustrations place the story solidly in the natural world of Africa.

Naamah and the Ark at Night. By Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Illus. by Holly Meade. Candlewick Press.

As the waters rage, this lullaby reveals Noah’s wife as a nurturer of diverse creatures aboard the ark. Watercolor and collage illustrations amplify the text, a form of lyrical Arabic poetry, called ghazal.

A New Year’s Reunion: A Chinese Story. By Yu Li-Qiong, Illus. by Zhu Cheng-Liang, Candlewick Press.

Vibrant illustrations highlight a young girl’s joy when her father makes his annual visit for Chinese New Year in this tender story.

Over and Under the Snow. By Kate Messner, Illus. by Christopher Silas Neal. Chronicle Books.

While skiing cross-country with her father, a girl envisions the “secret kingdom” under the snow, where small forest animals shelter in winter. Neal’s bright, snowy landscapes contrast with his depictions of shadowed, subterranean nests.

Prudence Wants a Pet. By Cathleen Daly, Illus. by Stephen Michael King. Roaring Brook Press.

In this quietly humorous picture book illustrated in soft colors, Prudence tries out a branch, a twig, a shoe, her little brother, a tire, and sea buddies until her parents finally give her a kitten as a pet.

See Me Run. By Paul Meisel, Illus. by the author. Holiday House.

Dogs and more dogs are everywhere: running, sliding, jumping, splashing, and having fun. (A 2012 Geisel Honor Book)

Should I Share My Ice Cream?  By Mo Willems, Illus. by the author. Hyperion Books for Children.

A common human problem is posed and solved with Willems’ minimal illustration and graceful humor.

Stars. By Mary Lyn Ray, Illus. by Marla Frazee. Beach Lane Books.

A duet of spare, poetic observations and ethereal illustrations explore the realities and possibilities of many kinds of stars, embracing the immediacy of a child’s experiences. A great read aloud.

Tales for Very Picky Eaters. By Josh Schneider, Illus. by the author, Clarion Books.

Five chapters recount James’ refusal to eat yet another disgusting, smelly, repulsive, lumpy, or slimy food. (2012 Geisel Medal Book)

Tell Me the Day Backwards. By Albert Lamb, Illus. by David McPhail, Candlewick Press.

Mama bear and child reflect on the day, recounting its events in reverse order.  Gentle and reassuring, this book wonderfully illustrates a sometimes difficult concept: the flow of time.

Ten Little Caterpillars. By Bill Martin, Jr., Illus. by Lois Ehlert. Beach Lane Books.

Ten different caterpillars inch their ways across vibrantly-illustrated environs in this newly-illustrated, rhyming story. Supplemental facts widen the book’s appeal and usefulness. Ehlert’s watercolor collages are remarkably entomologically accurate.

These Hands. By Margaret H. Mason, Illus. by Floyd Cooper. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Both an affirmation of a nurturing relationship between grandfather and grandson and an explanation of one reason labor unions fought for workers’ rights, the brief text and warm illustrations tell an uplifting American story.

Tìa Isa Wants a Car. By Meg Medina, Illus. by Claudio Muñoz. Candlewick Press.

Using a cheerful positive tone, Medina depicts a warm relationship between Tia Isa and her niece and shows the strength of community as a life-long dream is realized.

Where’s Walrus?  By Stephen Savage, Illus. by the author. Scholastic.

Walrus escapes from the zoo and cleverly disguises himself around the city; the zoopkeeper and the children reading the book search for him on each bold, bright page of this wordless book.

Who Has What?: All About Girls’ Bodies and Boys’ Bodies. By Robie H. Harris, Illus. by Nadine Bernard Westcott. Candlewick Press.

In a cheerful, easy tone, Harris explains who’s got what body parts, their similarities of differences. Girls,  boys and adults of many ethnicities – even animals – are included in the loose-lined illustrations depicting the “bare” facts.

 

Click on the link to read Illustrator Quentin Blake Turns 80 and is Given a Knighthood

Click on the link to read Hilarious Menu Items Lost in Translation

Click on the link to read The 15 Most Commonly Misspelled Words in the English Language

Click on the link to read Who Said Grammar Isn’t Important?

Click on the link to read Why Spelling is Important

Illustrator Quentin Blake Turns 80 and is Given a Knighthood

December 29, 2012

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Recently I taught a unit on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I formed my wonderful Grade 3’s in a circle and we each took turns reading from this masterpiece. Using the novel as inspiration, we completed the following activities:

  1. I got the students to write and design their own Golden Tickets.
  2. I gave out a piece of bubble gum to each student and got them to blow bubbles. Then, in conjunction with our writing genre focus, procedural writing, the students wrote a procedure as to how to blow bubbles in step by step form.
  3. We watched both films and analysed the faithfulness of each adaptation.
  4. Again, in keeping with our procedural writing genre focus I got the students to look up a simple chocolate recipes. They wrote the recipe down using a procedural proforma and then cooked/baked their recipe for an end of year chocolate party. The recipes would then be collated as a cook book for the students to take home.

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Whilst Roald Dahl is to be acknowledged for providing joy to my students and many others worldwide, so too must his incredibly talented and distinctive illustrator, Quentin Blake who turns 80 years old.

Thank you on behalf of my class and all those who have had the good fortune to enjoy your fine illustrations. Happy Birthday Sir Quentin!

Click on the link to read Hilarious Menu Items Lost in Translation

Click on the link to read This is What Happens When You Rely on Spell Check

Click on the link to read The 15 Most Commonly Misspelled Words in the English Language

Click on the link to read Who Said Grammar Isn’t Important?

Click on the link to read Why Spelling is Important