March 10 – 14, 2008

A Celebration of Publications

[NB: This was our last Book Week.  Look for information about a new, upcoming Book Week in late February 2009.]

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In honour of the Year of the Writer, Book Week will focus on celebrating the act of writing and publishing. All classes are encouraged to think about publishing their writing in some form to share with others. See, for instance, the two books by 4DGo — Small Moments from our Lives, and Tales from Sibu Island — already on display in the library. I would be more than happy to help any class publish their writing online, e.g., on their own wiki page.

Special Author Visits– click here for a timetable

James Roy, an award-winning Australian novelist (you can find his books in the library), will be doing writing workshops over three days (Mon-Wed) with each of the Grade 5 classes. His Captain Mack and Billy Mack’s War tie in with their unit of inquiry on “War Through the Eyes of a Child”. A book order form to buy his books ahead of time has been given to every Grade 5 student, though note Bookaburra Books will also be selling his books at the book fair.

Jan Latta, an Australian wildlife photographer and author (you can find her books in the library) will present a Powerpoint show of 100 photographs she’s taken of endangered animals in the wild — for Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4 — on Monday, March 10th. A book order form to buy her books ahead of time has been given to every student in Grades 1, 2, 3 & 4, though note Bookaburra Books will also be selling her books at the book fair.

Local Authors and Storytellers — click here for a timetable

Shamini Mahadevan Flint, who writes picture books as well as books for adults, will be speaking to students in K1, K2, and Grade 1 on Wed., Mar. 12th. A book order form to buy her books ahead of time has been given to every Infant student, though note Bookaburra Books will also be selling her books at the book fair. For details about her books, see the Sunbear Publishing website.

Martha Keswick, one of the authors of the Max and Mei series of bi-lingual (Mandarin/English) picture books, will be displaying (and selling) her books during the Infant Specialist conferences on Wed., March 12th, in the David Watson Library.

Jill Birch, UWC parent and author of the recent picture book “Turn the Page, Squeaky Sqworm”, will be speaking to the K2 students on Monday, March 10th. Her illustrator, Shamine King, is a current Grade 11 student at UWCSEA! Order forms for pre-ordering the books have been sent home and Bookaburra will be selling this picture book at the book fair.

Michelle Lin (illustrator) of the picture book Naughty Nigel, authored by Matthew Philips, will be performing her picture book, with the help of two actors, for the K1 students on Thursday, March 13th. Bookaburra will be selling this picture book as well.

Alison Lester, a UWC parent who is an author as well as a stand-up comic and communications specialist, will be presenting interactive storytelling to the Grade 4 students on Thursday, March 13th.

Bookaburra Book Fair

Bookaburra Books will be selling books in the Roy Bennett Theatre/Reception lobby from Monday, March 10, through Wednesday, March 12. NB: the library earns 10% of total sales in book credits, so when you buy from Bookaburra, you are helping to increase the number of books in our library!

– Infant parents are invited to accompany their children to the fair from 2:00 pm onwards.

– Junior classes visit the fair with their teachers during schooltime.  Parents are asked to send money in with the children on their fair visit day.  See the schedule for when each junior class is scheduled to visit the book fair.

“Recycle and Read” Primary School Book Swap

Friends of the David Watson Library, a parent group, are holding a will be organizing a “Recycle and Read” Book Swap on the morning of Wednesday, March 12th, similar to the one held last spring. Children can bring in a book they’ve read and are ready to pass on — and swap it for another book. A great way to recycle reading material! Read here for more information.

NOTE: We are looking for parent volunteers to work the tables. Contact Elena Jensen, jmaj@pacific.net.sg.

D.E.A.R. = Drop Everything and Read

What else should we be doing during Book Week but reading?! Each class will have D.E.A.R. at least once a day during Book Week (to be scheduled by each grade level). Some classes might like to allocate a whole day just for reading — on the beach, in pyjamas, etc.

“Dress Up as a Book Character” Day — Friday, March 14th

On Friday all students — Infant and Junior — are encouraged to dress up as a favorite character from a book or story. Start thinking of who you will be…

Reading Buddies

Each class has a reading buddy class, e.g., a Grade 5 and a Grade 3, or a Grade 3 and a K1, and during the week they will be reading with and to each other. (Check the official buddy class pairing list here.)

Guest Readers

Secondary-school teachers and parents are invited to come in and read-aloud to primary school classes. Either contact a primary school teacher directly, or e-mail Katie Day (kda@uwcsea.edu.sg) and indicate what age group you prefer.

Library Extravaganza

The library will, of course, serve as Book Week Headquarters, with extra activities for students during morning break and lunch break. Double borrowing limits, quizzes, etc.

Wine & Cheese… & Professional Development Books

The Tuesday afternoon primary school staff meeting will be a casual affair in the library — have a glass of wine and snacks, and peruse the latest professional development books. Visiting author James Roy will be in the crowd.

Parent Workshop on Inquiry into Literacy

A workshop for parents, run by the primary school Curriculum Unit, on Inquiry into Literacy will be held Thursday, March 13th, in the RBT from 1:45 – 3:30. Click here for an invitation and more information.

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Teachers, need some more ideas for classroom activities?

Try this list from the Welsh Book Council or these 25 ideas to motivate young readers.

Here are book ideas and activities from Primary Resources (UK).

See also the 25 suggestions for book week offered by the Children’s Book Council (US) .

Booktrust in the UK has a wealth of ideas on reading — and writing — for children. They also produced a 24-page PDF booklet on ideas for Children’s Book Week, which is worth reading.

Watch this space for more links…