Year+7+and+8

Hi all. I want to communicate more closely with you in term 2 to better understand how we can work together to create a strong platform for English learning in later years.

For me the best platform to share ideas is this wiki. At least I want to make it available. It will work if we want it / need it.

Could you please go to the discussion area (where the number is top right) and respond to the thread called 'term 2 7/8 English'.

__English texts for 7/8__ I have had year 8s enjoy "Frog whistle Mine" by Des Hunt and "A Handful of Blue" by Vince Ford - both Kiwi authors. They also like some of the "My Story" series ... “The Graveyard Book” and “A Monster Calls”?

‘Boy: Tales of Childhood’ – Roald Dhal is always engaging and this was a good introduction to non-fiction for year 7s. ‘The Giver’ by Lois Lowry – an easy introduction to dystopian fiction. I have heard of teachers using this at year 9, but it worked well for me with younger students. ‘The Graveyard Book’ by Neil Gaiman – Some of my ‘non-readers’ said it was the first book they enjoyed. ‘The Call of the Wild’ by Jack London – an age-appropriate classic. Can stretch students’ vocabulary and theybecome outraged at the animal cruelty. ‘When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit’ by Judith Kerr – like ‘The Boy in the Striped PJs’, this is a war story from the perspective of an innocent narrator. The ending isn’t so grim though. ‘Parvana’ by Deborah Ellis – Simple language. I used it with my lowest readers and also with an ESOL group once. The ideas and characters are not simplistic. It is about a girl in Afghanistan under the Taliban ‘In the Sea there are Crocodiles’ by Fabio Ceda – A boy flees Afghanistan. Has a modern day ‘I Am David’ vibe because of the ‘boy alone, fleeing from war and tragedy’ premise. ‘My Summer of the Lions’ – I don’t know the author because my personal copy has been stolen. Even though this is frustrating, it does show how much my year 8s last year liked the book. A New Zealand text about a boy coping with grief by hanging out at the zoo and stealing hubcaps. A bit cooler than I made it sound. ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’ – gave this to my extension readers. Clearly, I love war contexts.

You can also take a look at the American Library Association’s Newberry Award winners. They have a pretty good list.