Week 6 Workshop Discussion

This week we developed our understanding of important literature terms. Within our groups, we worked on matching terms such as grapheme and morpheme to their meanings. After reading our designated readings and being several weeks into this course, we still had a few moments of confusion while completing the worksheet. Many of these terms seem so similar!

This week it was our group's turn to research the notion of 'coherence' in writing. We unfortunately ran out of time and were unable to present these findings to the class, so I have chosen to incorporate some key points here:

Coherence in linguistics is what makes a text semantically meaningful.

‘Every paragraph, every sentence, and every phrase contribute to the meaning of the whole piece.’

Kies, D (1995) Coherence in Writing, viewed online 26-8-2012 http://papyr.com/hypertextbooks/comp1/coherent.htm

Sentence Cohesion is a key component of coherent texts.

Cohesion is the grammatical and lexical relationship within a text or sentence.

Lexical refers to the language used (also referred to as the vocabulary), while grammatical refers to the structure used to order the language.

Paragraph Unity is also key to developing coherent texts.

Unity requires that a single focus or concept is stated in the first sentence of the paragraph.

All subsequent sentences in a united paragraph should maintain the same focus as the topic sentence; but convey further information.

Paragraph Unity is important for essay style texts; however may not be relevant in all texts.

Paragraphs within fictional narratives often utilise varying paragraph structures. Similarly, journalists may divide paragraphs of the same focus to create ‘white space’, which makes texts more visually appealing and easier to read.

 

Discussion posted by Ashleigh Barnden

Anno's Journey

Author: Mitsumasa Anno


Publisher (Date):Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers (1977)
ISBN: 0-698-11433-7


Genre: Wordless Picture Book
Age Group: Primary/Middle years


Blog Contributor: Ashleigh Barnden





I love the imagery in this wordless picture book. As it is wordless, this book really opens the door for the reader to interpret the story in their own way, which allows for endless story possibilities. This is another picture book that I would use within an English classroom to have students infer, predict and ask questions about the story.

Rowan of Rin

Author: Emily Rodda


Publisher (Date): Scholastic Australia (1993)
ISBN: 978-1-86291-635-7


Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Grades 4-7

Blog Contributor: Ashleigh Barnden







This novel is a childhood favourite of mine which I keep going back to. When I was building up my 'home library' this is one of the first series' that I bought. Rowan's story is one that I find truly inspiring as he is a small boy who few believe in; yet in spite of this he demonstrates the greatest bravery and courage of all.

The Hidden Forest

Author: Jeannie Baker

Publisher (Date): walker Books, Ltd (2000)
ISBN: 0-7445-7876-0


Genre: Environmental Fiction
Age Group: Primary


Blog Contributor: Ashleigh Barnden






I recently read this picture book to my grade 5/6 'placement' (professional experience) class. They were thoroughly engaged with Baker's collages throughout and recognised the significance of Ben's final actions in the book. The students then went on to create their own 'hidden forest' in an art session. This picture book is certainly a timeless resource for the classroom.

The Midnight Zoo

Author: Sonya Hartnett


Publisher (Date): Penguin Books Australia (2010)
ISBN: 978-0-670-07405-1


Genre: Fantasy/Wartime Fiction
Age: Grade 4/5 - Adult


Blog Contributor: Ashleigh Barnden





It is difficult to give enough praise and credit for this wonderful author on yet another award winning book. Hartnett captures readers with the eloquence and beauty with which she writes. I will be reading this novel to my students ( of my professional placement class) in the coming weeks as we work on expanding their vocabulary to more accurately demonstrate meaning, feeling and opinion.

Window

Author: Jeannie Baker


Publisher (Date): Walker Books (1991)
ISBN: 0-7445-9487-1


Genre: Environmental Fiction
Age: Birth-Adult

Blog Contributor: Ashleigh Barnden





This wordless picture book demonstrates the impact that humans have on the environment within relatively short periods of time. It could be used in a SOSE classroom to demonstrate this, but the possibilities are endless within an English classroom as students could write their own text for the book, or use a variety of comprehension activities to further engage with the story.

Fergus In The Park

Author: Tony Maddox

Publisher (Date): Myriad Books Limited (2006)
ISBN: 1-84746-119-0


Genre: Children's
Age: Younger Readers


Blog Contributor: Ashleigh Barnden


I bought this book on sale and came home to read it to my daughters, only to find that the pages had been bound incorrectly. Upon discussing it in class at uni, my tutor advised that perhaps it could be used for comprehension activities. It was a good point. This would be a great book to use to demonstrate the importance of a beginning, middle, and end within a narrative; and encourage students to carefully consider the structure of their own stories.

The Wheels on the Bus

Author: Andy Cooke
Publisher, Place of Publish, ISBN: 1998, Walker Books, London,
0-7445-4890-X.
Genre: Junior Books
Year Level: R-2
Contributor: Michael Blasche






This week I read The Wheels on the Bus by Andy Cooke. The Wheels on the Bus is a children's picture book which also has actions to make the reading more entertaining for young readers. This is a great book for young readers who are still developing their reading skills, this book is part of a fun series for young readers.

Clean Up, Grumpy Bunny!

Author: Justine Korman Fontes
Publisher, Place of Publish, ISBN: 2006, Scholastic, New York,
0-439-68779-9.
Genre: Junior Books
Year Level: R-2
Contributor: Michael Blasche







This week I read Clean up, Grumpy Bunny! by Justine Korman Fontes, Clean up, Grumpy Bunny! is a children's picture book / reader book. This is a great book for young readers who are still developing their reading skills, this book is part of a fun series for young readers. It also contains a fluency activity at the back of the book.

Jane and the Dragon

Author: Martin Baynton
Publisher, Place of Publish, ISBN: 1988, Ashton Scholastic, Auckland,
0-908643-66-7.
Genre: Junior Books
Year Level: R-4
Contributor: Michael Blasche








This week I read Jane and the Dragon by Martin Baynton, Jane and the Dragon is a children's picture book. The book revolves around Jane, a teenager who saves the prince from the dragon. This book is a fun book to read, with good images, it provides different messages of bravery and friendship.

Week 3 Discussion

Hello, Barney!

Author: Mary K. Pershall
Publisher, Place of Publish, ISBN: 1988, Viking Kestral, Melbourne,
0-670-82406-2.
Genre: Junior Books
Year Level: R-4
Contributor: Michael Blasche









This week I read Hello, Barney! by Mary K. Pershall, Hello, Barney! is a children's picture book. This book looks at the life of a cockatoo, who watches the different people pass by. I think this is a great book for young readers, it has really unique artwork and tell a really nice story.

Week 7 Reflection

Lecture and Tutorial week 7

Topic: Reading

During the week 7 lecture and tutorial we continued our study on reading within the English curriculum.
We discussed in our groups important points that occurred in the lecture and identified the relevant concepts. The concepts identified were key points that we thought teachers should have an understanding of.

The poem "Clancy of the overFlow" was  discussed as it is a very interesting peice of poetry, we looked at syllables within this poem and brainstormed what younger readers could gain from it. We completed the workshop activities which included bringing a ceral box or newspaper to class and discussing the type of text that it is. Shared reading, guided reading, group reading, partner reading and indiviual reading was also talked about, the positives, negatives and how this would occur in a classroom.

As a class we watched a YouTube video of a small child in a toy store, where she was displaying early signs of being a text analysis and was frustrated and how she had to shop in the girls section. This was a very cute video and was very relevant to teachers. This workshop really extended on what we found out about in week 6 and also gave us some ideas for our digital narratives. We will be bringing the storyboards for these narratives next week.

Contributor: Keelan Mackle

Families are Funny

Author: Nan Hunt
Publisher, Place of Publish, ISBN: 1990, Angus and Robertson, NSW,
0-207-16980-2.
Genre: Junior Books
Year Level: R-4
Contributor: Michael Blasche




This week I read Families are Funny by Nan Hunt, Families are Funny is a children's picture book. This book looks at the family of a young boy, at the ups and downs, the things that make a family. I think this is a great book for young readers.