Literature

Utopia or Dystopia?

Grade 7 have recently finished reading the novel The Giver, a dystopian novel about how a community, though created with the best of intentions, can go horribly wrong!

The question, in fact, was raised about whether Jonas, the protagonist, would stay or run away……

With this in mind, the two classes separated into groups and planned their own ‘Perfect Communities’ with varied and surprising results. Their governments ranged from the democratic to the idea of immortal leaders! Their environments varied from a butterfly island in the middle of the ocean to a Martian community within a bubble. In one of their schools there were no exams and in another the children were homeschooled. One group were careful to include a fast food cafe while others included farming as fundamental. Even the question of curfew came up…..surely a sign of the times! 

A lot of effort and thought went into these projects and I would hope that by the end, they were not torn in the same way as Jonas, between wanting to stay or wanting to escape from their ‘Perfect Communities’!   

Mrs Nevin

Grade 7 Literature

Books, Books, Books.

Over the past week the Grade 7 classes have been presenting their independent reading books to their schoolmates.

It is always interesting to see the varied choices each student has made and this selection was no disappointment, ranging from historical fiction and reworked fairy tales to troubled teenagers and Harry Potter, paying tribute along the way to Michael Morpurgo and Louis Sachar.

We have heard about intrigue and humour, suspense and sadness, been caught up in plot overviews and shared such themes as friendship, jealousy, courage and empathy.

Most interesting of all is hearing the students’ response to their reading, especially when they have found something particularly moving or particularly entertaining. Now, hampered by masks and their facial expressions all but hidden, their spoken responses take on an increased relevance; the verve and enthusiasm which comes through when they are really absorbed or fascinated by a book is unmistakable.

Mrs Nevin 

Grade 7 Literature Teacher

Raising Readers

It’s that time of year when students in Kindergarten are turning into readers, discovering the power of illustrations to tell a story, recognizing sounds, letters and words they’ve learned in Phonics on the pages of the books they read, and developing a taste for a certain topic, author or genre. 

Very often parents ask their teachers ‘what books do you recommend’? So this week the ECC teachers are sharing their favorite classroom books to exemplify some of the qualities that turn books into classroom favorites!

1 – Choose books with big, appealing and interesting pictures – this is one of the reasons an author such as Eric Carle is loved so much and his books feature prominently in Pre-Nursery, Nursery 3 and Nursery 4. 

2 – Choose books with repetition or story patterns – children are hooked by stories that have parts which repeat, as it makes the story predictable and familiar. This also makes it a great way to support language development, as the Pre-Nursery worn out copy of ‘Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed’ shows.

3 – Choose books with a theme relevant and familiar to children – making and losing friends, discovering who you are, sharing, family stories, school life, good vs evil are topics that appeal to children as they are part of their daily lives. A book such as Elmer, which encapsulates several of these themes is a favorite in Nursery 3.

4 – Choose books with fascinating language – rhyming words, alliterations and similes, sound words, and made-up words have the power to wake up children’s curiosity and imagination. This brings us back to Kindergarten where you can hear the students incorporating phrases from familiar stories into their play all the time, as well as acting out their old time favorites. 

Hopefully this will help when you choose your next book for your child and happy reading to you!

Ms Nilva

Kindergarten Teacher and ECC Coordinator

Grade 6 Find Their Balance

The usual questions:
“Do you like reading?”
“What genre of books do you like?”
“Have you tried…..?”
and
“What does reading mean to you?”
Imagine my delight when one voice piped up, “Reading is life!” And several students stood up in support and to be photographed for posterity!

But not all…..”What about sport?” someone asked and several others backed him up with “Life is sport!”

Difficult to argue with that… not so difficult to argue when someone very tentatively and mischievously came up with “Life is Fortnite!” Luckily with a decided twinkle in his eye. “Only a virtual life, not a real one.” I answered.
“Why can’t life be both reading and sport? Surely we can find time for both. The important thing is to find a balance.”
The whole class stood and posed for that one. Phew!!!!

By a happy Middle School Literature teacher!
Mrs Nevin

Singing Hearts in Grade 5

A varied beginning

Grade 6 has already started to demonstrate their varied skills in English Literature this term. They started with visualization; reading is not just words on a page but should create images in our mind and even actual pictures. They started by illustrating a poem by Roger McGough. They also showed off their dramatic skills by bringing their reading to life. However, amidst all this, they also survived being assessed for guided reading.

Mrs Nevin
Grade 6 Literature teacher