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25/3/2014

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What a busy few weeks! I hope you're all gearing up to the Easter break and the chance (hopefully) to relax and unwind. So much has been going on here, that I'm excited to update you on.

Firstly, our sock monkey mascot has a name! Murray has settled in beautifully and is adored by our children (and parents). He especially loves reading and that leads me on to the next exciting piece of news.

I've been asked to guest blog for Kidz First Childcare and my first post appeared a couple of weeks ago on the topic of reading. Check it out at
www.kidzfirstchildcare.co.uk/community/the-blog Part two is coming in a week's time, so look out for that too.

I visited the Education Show at the NEC in Birmingham last week. For those of you who don't know what it is, imagine a massive hall with hundreds of companies, on various size stalls, all trying to get your attention and get you to buy their products. It can be a little overwhelming. Luckily this is my seventeenth year running of going, so I'm an old hand! It can take some super sleuthing to discover some gems and discover them I did.

The first is a fantastic new game brought out by a company who have recently started out. It's brilliant! It's called Cognosis and you can find out more by visiting their website
www.cognosisgames.com I can't wait to use it with my older pupils and I'm fairly certain my sister will love it!

The second thing that stood out is The Phileas Fogg Theatre Company. They conduct a First World War Experience with Secondary schools and were so engaging it was just wonderful to see. Anyone with a child in Secondary school or who has influence should definitely recommend them! They can be found at
www.phileasfogg.org.uk 

The last thing to note was a talk given by comedian Dara O'Briain. I was lucky enough to be just a few centimetres from him as he gave his talk and it was both fascinating and inspiring. It was just a shame that we ran out of time to ask more questions. Dara was talking about Maths and Science in the curriculum - he studied Maths and Theoretical Physics at university - and he told us a little about his experiences. A truly interesting individual.

Well, that wraps up the news over here. I have a couple of lessons to teach and a new little one to assess, so I'd better get cracking. Ooh, that reminds me of one more thing. Wallace and Gromit have a Cracking Ideas competition. It runs every year and this year it's food related! Open to children aged 4-16 check it out at
www.crackingideas.com/competition/ Let me know how you get on!
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World Book Day

6/3/2014

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Picture
It's World Book Day today! Hurrah! As an avid reader I love today. All over the country schools are getting involved and children are dressing up as their favourite book characters. I'm often asked what my favourite book is. I find it an almost impossible question to answer. It's like asking a teacher who their favourite child is! Or a parent the same question. I just love books!

However, I have developed a response over the years. When I was tiny I adored The Enchanted Wood and over the years I've read it to every single class I've ever taught. Children of all ages engage and enjoy it, especially boys. It's also from this book that I choose my character to dress up as. Everyone I've ever taught can tell you who my favourite character from the book is...The old Saucepan Man.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the book (go and read it!) The Saucepan Man is introduced part way through. He is covered in saucepans and they make quite a lot of noise, so he gets a bit deaf and mishears things - usually for rhymes. For example when he's asked if he'd like to go to tea he mishears it for sea and bee. He's hilarious and I get to spend the whole day 'mishearing' the children and hearing rhyming words instead. You certainly have to think quickly to come up with the rhymes and the children will often do the same. I love their enthusiasm and the fact that they're practising rhymes without even knowing it.

Another thing I'm often asked is when children should start reading. The answer is, it's never too early to start reading. Obviously I'm not expecting newborns to read, but that doesn't mean that they can't enjoy books. I know of several people who have introduced books to their babies from a couple of weeks old, usually integrating it in to their bedtime routine. These children will always pick out books as one of their favourite toys and have gone on to be avid readers themselves. Besides, snuggling up with a book is a brilliant way to spend time together.

From a child's point of view, some children will start to read at three, others not until they're seven. All children are different. Most children however, will start to learn some sight words and be able to sound out simple words from Reception. As they progress through Infants they build on their knowledge and the aim is for children to be reasonably fluent readers by the time they leave Year 2.

If you want an idea of what level they should be by the end of Year 2, pick up a standard picture book. They should be able to read it with 90% accuracy and answer questions about the text. I'll be going over this in more detail next month, so check back if you'd like to know more.

Until then, grab a book and get reading!

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    My name's Alison and I run the Daisy Education blog. Get in touch! I'd love to hear from you.

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