Library Term 4
How quickly Term 4 has flown by!
The students at SJV have been wonderfully kind and patient, and I’m so grateful for the warm welcome into the Library.
A reminder for all library books to be returned as soon possible please.
We kicked off the term by diving into stories from one of Miss Counihan’s favourite author/illustrators, Mo Willems. The Junior school enjoyed one of his much-loved Pigeon books, while the Middle and Senior students had a great time reading This Is Not a Good Idea! Mo Willems’ hilarious storytelling was a clear hit and as soon as they were returned they were borrowed again!
After that, each year level jumped into an exciting author study, exploring new writers and discovering fresh favourites.
Foundation
This term, our Foundation students have loved diving into an author study focused on much-loved Australian author and illustrator Alison Lester. We explored a range of her wonderful books, including Imagine, Tricky’s Bad Day, My Dog Bigsy, The Very Noisy Baby and Noni the Pony.
Throughout the study, students enjoyed discussing each story, making predictions about what might happen next, and sharing ideas about how the endings could unfold. We looked closely at adjectives and how authors use them to describe characters and settings. The children also reflected on their favourite parts of each story and explained what made those moments stand out to them.
Year 1/2
This term, our Year 1 and 2 students have been busy exploring the work of popular Australian author and illustrator Aaron Blabey. We noticed his distinctive illustration style, in particular the expressive and oversized eyes on his characters, and discussed how his stories blend humour with meaningful morals.
Students enjoyed reading a selection of his books, including The Dreadful Fluff, Noah Dreary, Stanley Paste, Pig the Star and Don’t Call Me Bear.
Each week, we revisited the idea of a moral and identified the key message in the story we read. After diving into Pig the Star, students had great fun brainstorming what the next Pig the Pug adventure could be. They even designed their own creative book titles and front covers!
Year 3/4
This term, our Year 3 and 4 students enjoyed an engaging author study focusing on beloved Australian author and illustrator Bob Graham. At 83 years old, Bob Graham is still creating wonderful stories—his latest book, A Hatful of Dreams, published only earlier this year.
We read a selection of his books, including Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten, Let’s Get a Pup!, Maxine and Ellie’s Dragon.
Throughout the unit, students practised using clues and inference skills to record their visualisations while reading. We also explored Bob Graham’s distinctive illustration style, noticing features such as the simple dot eyes on his characters and their large noses.
Students examined character traits, discussed how characters can change from the beginning to the end of a story, and completed compare-and-contrast activities to deepen their understanding.
We also talked about how Bob Graham’s books feel so relatable for children, often highlighting everyday family life. Students noticed the charming details in his illustrations, including a bit of untidiness here and there, really capturing what a typical family home can really look like!
Year 5/6
This term, our Year 5 and 6 students took part in an author study exploring the work of the talented Jackie French. Out of her hundreds of picture books and novels, we focused on a small yet powerful selection from her natural disaster series, specifically Flood, Fire and Drought, all stories that reflect events commonly experienced in Australia.
As we read each book, students identified key themes and messages woven throughout the texts. Hope, community spirit, helping others, and the resilience often described as the “Australian spirit” were themes that appeared consistently across all three stories.
We also discussed the remarkable illustrations by Bruce Whatley. Students were fascinated to learn that at the end of each book, both Jackie and Bruce share personal reflections, either how they were affected by the natural disaster or how they developed the unique illustration style for that story.
Students used a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the three natural disaster books, identifying similarities and differences in themes, characters and messages.
After reading The Fire Wombat, students put their growing knowledge to work. We explored research on how natural disasters affect native Australian wildlife. Students then chose one natural disaster and one native animal, identified a problem that species faces during or after the disaster, and worked creatively to design a thoughtful solution using their critical thinking and design technologies skills.
