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Read, respond, celebrate: engaging with the CBCA short list

By Josephine Laretive

Issue 102, Term 3 2017

ajor event of Children’s Book Week during August. The five CBCA short list book categories offer schools an abundance of opportunities to engage with reading, responding to, and celebrating literature. Exploring the short list books aligns with the Australian Curriculum and provides important opport

Emily Rodda on treasured stories

By Nicole Richardson

Issue 108, Term 1 2019

g people develop their own love of stories. His Name Was Walter Emily’s most recent book His Name Was Walter explores the power of stories, of shared reading experiences, and of long-ago hidden books as sacred as buried treasure. Weaving together fairytale and historical fiction, entwined with the m

To inspire or to instruct

By Ta'afuli Andrew Fiu

Issue 91, Term 4 2014

many students find life at school tough and often lonely. Some students are having their own 'midlife' crises. The very least we can do is to provide reading materials that have some bearing on what is happening today.If you are finding it hard to influence reading or to increase student literacy, t

The cathartic experience: understanding grief through the written word

By Nicole Richardson

Issue 106, Term 3 2018

s kept her writing novels since she was 14 — along with the love of the craft. Eliza’s debut novel, In the Quiet, landed her on the shortlist for the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction and the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, and on the longlist for the Indie Awards and ABIA Awards. Eliza’s fir

Stories that matter

By Helen Stower, Krystal Gagen-Spriggs

Issue 107, Term 4 2018

ng of their story and this clarifies both societal attitudes and the personal experience of being transgender. The glossary, resources, and suggested reading also provide wonderful tools for those wishing to better understand gender fluidity. Conclusion The power of YA fiction is that young readers

Decodables - they're a thing, right?

By Sarah Handscomb

Issue 120, Term 1 2022

Much of my time working in reading intervention has been supporting students, frequently teaching mainstream education to boys in middle and upper primary years, and teaching disengaged students in special educational settings. Virtually every student had internalised feelings of worthlessness, and

Improving literacy levels in remote Indigenous communities

By Karen Williams

Issue 111, Term 4 2019

ries of culturally appropriate books to remote Indigenous communities. Many early literacy academics and researchers argue that cultivating a love of reading is the key to developing reading and language skills. The ILF engages with close to 300 remote communities across Australia to close the liter

The importance of multicultural literature

By Marianne Grasso

Issue 96, Term 1 2016

case study confirms this, revealing that African- American students prefer to read texts they can relate to culturally, increasing their interest in reading. Familiar concepts in multicultural literature help to build security, familiarity, and confidence, which can lead to an improvement in studen

Daring to be different: celebrating diversity in literature

By Ruth Devine

Issue 105, Term 2 2018

as a disability of one kind or another, including 3.2 per cent of 0–4 year olds and 8.3 per cent of 5–14 year olds. Whether they are being read to or reading themselves, these children, all children, need to see themselves reflected in the books they read. They need stories about people who look lik

School libraries supporting literacy

By Stephanie Ellis

Issue 99, Term 4 2016

ms. These programs may aim to increase student knowledge of and skills in information and digital literacies, though it is important to remember that reading literacy underpins all of this. After all, despite the proliferation of digital devices in schools, our students still require the skills to f

Developing low-budget literacy programs in schools

By Sue Bursztynski

Issue 109, Term 2 2019

wsletter. Sometimes big name authors are in town and speak at their shops. I once took a few young fans to hear a favourite fantasy writer. Premier’s Reading Challenge Another free option for a teacher librarian is the Premier’s Reading Challenge. I only did it once, in my last year, realised how ea

The great escape

By Sarah Bakker

Issue 102, Term 3 2017

‘If you truly want to escape this reality all you have to do is open a book and your imagination.’ — Unknown This idea that reading can magically transport you somewhere else is at the heart of this year’s Children’s Book Week theme, Escape to Everywhere. With Book Week fast approaching, what better

Book launches: connecting schools, students and local authors

By Jenna Hildebrand

Issue 109, Term 2 2019

Reading culture As school library staff, we strive every day to establish libraries and resource centres as places that support our students’ reading and information literacy. In our relentless quest to promote reading for pleasure, one major challenge is the structured class context.  We need to lo

Leigh Hobbs on the invaluable, irreplaceable school library

By Nicole Richardson

Issue 106, Term 3 2018

tor Leigh Hobbs finished his time as Australia’s Children’s Laureate for 2016–17. The role is to promote the importance and transformational power of reading and creativity for young people. During Leigh’s two years as laureate, he passionately campaigned for school libraries and school librarians,

The time to read

By Gabrielle Mace, Merrilyn Lean

Issue 117, Term 2 2021

As educators we often lament that our students are no longer reading books for enjoyment. Sadly, our students are not alone. With an ever growing curriculum and the frenetic pace of the academic school year many teachers are reading for enjoyment far less than ever before – or worse, not at all. In

Celebrating Children's Book Week with the CBCA

By Jane O'Connell

Issue 98, Term 3 2016

ith the help of the handbook, library and teaching staff can select a range of options from the 2016 Notables or Short List books for students of all reading levels to enjoy. Many libraries create a special display of Book of the Year Award Short List books suited to different age groups for student

How to support early literacy with phonemic awareness

By Judith Barker

Issue 119, Term 4

ic (writing) system and the different spelling patterns – in an enjoyable and meaningful way. This propelled me to further investigate the science of reading by studying the multiplicities involved in supporting phonemic awareness and teaching phonics to young readers and students with special needs

School Library Spotlight: Forest Hill College

By Helen Farch

Issue 117, Term 2 2021

e in the school community? I like to believe that the library is central to the success of the school and its students. A library is a study space, a reading space, a social space and a safe place. But I also see that another important part of the library’s role in the school community is beyond the

Using the Medium blogging platform to teach critical and digital literacies in art

By Tania Sheko

Issue 110, Term 3 2019

rs list. Students would be able to read and respond to each other’s posts — in the form of ‘clapping’ or comments — resulting in the development of a reading/writing community. Images, videos and other media — particularly important in art teaching — could be easily embedded in the posts. Our blog a

1,000 reasons to support Australian book creators

By Jackie French

Issue 97, Term 2 2016

Dear Jackie French,What I have learned from your book is to be wary of anyone who tries to make you angry.Love James James was 14, and Hitler’s Daughter was the first book he had ever read. Yet he had found the truth behind a question I had been hunting for ever since I was ten years old: how did Hi