Roald Dahl Day

Roald Dahl Day is on the 13th Sept. A chance to reacquaint yourself and your children with this brilliant author, either by reading one of his books or watching a film adaptation. 

http://www.roalddahlday.info/

Quentin Blake is the most famous illustrator of Dahl's books and he has helped set up an organisation to preserve the illustrator's legacy. I went to an exhibition of some of his work at The Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle a couple of weeks ago. It is on until the 14th of October.

http://www.houseofillustration.org.uk/

I get regular newsletters from LoveReading4Kids. This month's featured writer is Jeanne Willis who I don't know and who writes for very young children. The illustrator of the month is Michael Foreman who is unbelievably prolific (try collecting all of his books!) and who's book One World I have often used to introduce environmental issues. One of the pages could be the beach at Redcar with industry in the background.

http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/genre/iom/Illustrator-of-the-Month.htm

I'd also like to plug the reissue of Coraline by Neil Gaiman with illustrations by my favourite illustrator Chris Riddell. Chris's original artwork is for sale, and although a bit pricey, it is well worth a look at The Illustration Cupboard website:-


http://www.illustrationcupboard.com/default_flash.aspx




Neil Gaiman is an ilustrator himself and I was lucky enough to buy one of his illustrations for the Richard Dawkins book, The Magic of Reality. The work I have is an illustration of a Native North American Indian view of the origins of life. Maybe I'll get round to doing a bit on Dawkins and his attempts to get evolution into primary schools. I'd like to get involved in that.

Finally, in my ANIMATION blog, I forgot to mention the Wallace & Gromit Animation Soundtrack Competition for young children. Get the details from:-


http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/teachers/wallaceandgromit/

Animation

Almost everyone loves animations. They go back a hundred years. Making an animation can address many teaching and learning areas in a fun way, exploiting IT. 

I've listed below some of the software that I've used or am about to evaluate. Some is free but most costs.

PC 
     - 2Simple 2Animate 
     - Adobe Photoshop 
     - Animation Shop
     - Digital Blue
     - Pivot Stick Figure (free)
     - PowerPoint 
     - Scratch (free)

Mac
     - I Can Animate 

iPod/iPad (Lite versions are usually limited but free)
     - I Can Animate 
     - Flip Boom Lite
     - Flip It Lite
     - Animation Lite
     - Animation HD
     - Stop Animator
     - Stop Motion

Android (sorry haven't explored apps yet)

Materials used in animation range from pencil and paper through plasticine to toy figures (e.g. Lego and Playmobil)

I'm only going to provide one link to an animation (which has had over 32 million hits) that you might not have seen:_

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs

....and recommend you look out The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore as recent excellent examples.

Finally, if you'd like more depth, please feel free to email me.

In the post today

Just a quickie.
The postman brought the latest copy of Primary Science Review (no 124) which I've just been blogging about. It's subtitled Pattern Seeking and is all about Science and Maths. 

He also brought the latest issue of The Phoenix comic. Now at Issue 35 and featuring The Pirates of Pangea on the cover. 
Animation is next I promise.

ASE etc

I sat down to write about the ASE (Association for Science Education), Science teaching and Science teachers. I was going to praise The Primary Science Review as an exemplary journal. I was going to include the Institutes of Biology and Physics and The Chemistry Society for all their good work liaising with the government on behalf of teachers. I was going to praise all the wonderful, caring teachers that I've met. I was going to call on my experience as research worker, Head of Science, privileged teacher of primary children, lover of IT and my iPad.

Why? Because membership of the ASE is falling. 

We seem to have lost touch with teachers.

So? I haven't a clue how to help. Life and Society move on and maybe something new is needed, though what I don't know. I'm not even sure I want to be part of the debate anymore.

Bravo if you've waded through this. I promise no repetitions in future- just thoughts and resources. Next time - Animation.

Songs

 I was playing Alex Harvey's The Soldier on the Wall in the car today. It's an Auden poem about the feelings of a Roman soldier on Hadrian's Wall. (It was the best Photostory video I ever made.) It was rather spoiled later when following a link in the BBC's Education Newsletter I encountered a video of Jedward on the very same wall.

Luckily, things picked up when, over the ironing, I watched a documentary on the Small Faces. I never realised that the basic theme for their album Ogden's Nut Gone Flake was what happens to the Moon during the month. I intend to play some poor children Stanley Unwin's gobbledy-gook recitation from the album.






I can't leave the use of songs in teaching there, I'm afraid. There are so many I'd like to get reaction to (and many I have already). Here's a few:-
     Victorians & Mining - The Testimony of Patience Kershaw by The Unthanks 
                                - Close the Coal House Door by Alex Glasgow
                                - Blackleg Miner by Steeleye Span
     Environment          - Neptune by the Poozies
                                - Earth Song by Michael Jackson
                                - The Earth was once green by Runrig
                                - The people are scratching by Pete Seeger
     Capital Punishment - Hangman by Roy Harper
                                 - Derek Bentley by Ewan MacColl
                                 - Death Row by Pete Seeger
      War                     - Waltzing Matilda by June Tabor
                                 - Universal Soldier by Donovan
                                 - My Youngest Son Came Home Today by Mary Black
                                 - Masters of War by Bob Dylan

Better stop there. I get a bit obsessive.

DIckens - Last Chance

We were shopping in Morrison's yesterday and noticed all the Christmas goodies were on sale. 
This year has been the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens birth. Lots of events have been held during the year to celebrate one of the world's greatest writers. If you haven't taken part, why not plan A Christmas Carol into the run up to the festivities.
This book has been made into films, animations, musicals, plays, TV programmes and comic books. It has been illustrated by many talented artists.

Light & Shadow

Being a Science teacher, I love it when someone asks about a Science topic. This time it's Light & Shadow. 

First thoughts were for a Funny Bones book (Shine A Light, Heinemann ISBN 0-434-80386-3) by Janet & Allan Ahlberg where you have transparencies that you shine a torch through to help tell the story on the ceiling. Then my thoughts turned to those fantastic Thai shadow puppet displays and a rather expensive book I have called Shadow Puppets and Shadow Play by David Currell (Crowood ISBN 978-1-861269-24-9). 

Finally, a video on You Tube advertising Shadowland by Pilobolus which totally knocked my socks off when I first saw it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgvmlqqkofM&feature=relmfu

These resources should engage the children and make the Science content fun to teach.

Oh! The school are also doing Peter Pan who lost his shadow! Another train of thought takes me to Jan Pienkowski who has illustrated a number of books with silhouettes. 

Nosferatu!