Can Marcel make the ride of his life? Marcel loves riding his bicycle, whether he's racing through the streets of his small town in France or making bread deliveries for his parents' bakery. He dreams of someday competing in the Tour de France, the greatest bicycle race. But ever since Germany's occupation of France began two years ago, in 1940, the race has been canceled. Now there are soldiers everywhere, interrupting Marcel's rides with checkpoints and questioning.Then Marcel learns two big secrets, and he realizes there are worse things about the war than a canceled race. When he later discovers that his friend's entire family is in imminent danger, Marcel knows he can help -- but it will involve taking a risky bicycle ride to pass along covert information. And when nothing ends up going according to plan, it's up to him to keep pedaling and think quickly... because his friend, her family, and his own future hang in the balance.
"This book deals with the questions which concern teachers, practitioners and parents- Why is it often harder to get boys to write than girls? Why are many boys who love stories and have vivid imaginations so reluctant to write their ideas down? Why is boys' writing often so awful? What sort of writing matters to boys and what can teachers, classroom assistants and parents do to encourage boys to write?"--Publisher's website.
Why you need a writing revolution in your classroom and how to lead it The Writing Revolution (TWR) provides a clear method of instruction that you can use no matter what subject or grade level you teach. The model, also known as The Hochman Method, has demonstrated, over and over, that it can turn weak writers into strong communicators by focusing on specific techniques that match their needs and by providing them with targeted feedback. Insurmountable as the challenges faced by many students may seem, The Writing Revolution can make a dramatic difference. And the method does more than improve writing skills. It also helps: Boost reading comprehension Improve organizational and study skills Enhance speaking abilities Develop analytical capabilities The Writing Revolution is as much a method of teaching content as it is a method of teaching writing. There's no separate writing block and no separate writing curriculum. Instead, teachers of all subjects adapt the TWR strategies and activities to their current curriculum and weave them into their content instruction. But perhaps what's most revolutionary about the TWR method is that it takes the mystery out of learning to write well. It breaks the writing process down into manageable chunks and then has students practice the chunks they need, repeatedly, while also learning content.
This second edition of Supporting Boys’ Writing in the Early Years shows how you can help boys to become confident and capable writers by supporting them to write in ways that make sense to them – on the move, outside and inside, in dens, in bushes, in mud, or sprawled on the floor dressed as superheroes. The book reveals that a playful, child-centred approach can allow boys and girls to develop a writers’ voice, raise attainment in writing and enhance all aspects of young children’s development. This new edition includes: brand new examples, case studies and photographs from over 200 recent early writing projects; up-to-date references fully in line with the latest Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) documentation; a response to the increased focus in schools on handwriting, in particular on cursive handwriting; a questioning of the place of objective-led print in the classroom and a recommendation that environmental print should reflect learning rather than teaching; imaginative ideas for developing oral and written storytelling; a consideration of some of the ways in which challenging active play, such as superhero and weapon play, can be channelled into playful writing; a greater discussion and challenging of the emphasis placed on outcomes, over the process of learning and development. Supporting Boys' Writing in the Early Years will help you to create a truly enabling environment for writing and supports the belief that writing experiences should be EPIC: Everywhere, Playful and Purposeful, Inspirational and Contextualised. It is an essential read for all practitioners who want the children in their setting to flourish as motivated and creative writers.
Writing test scores indicate that boys have fallen far behind girls across the grades. In general, boys don't enjoy writing as much as girls. What's wrong? How can we do a better of job of creating boy-friendly classrooms so their voices can be heard? In Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices Ralph Fletcher draws upon his years of experience as staff developer, children's book author, and father of four boys. He also taps the insights from dozens of writing teachers around the US and abroad. Boy Writers asks teachers to imagine the writing classroom from a boy's perspective, and consider specific steps we might take to create stimulating classrooms for boys. Topic choice emerges as a crucial issue. The subjects many boys like to write about (war, weapons, outlandish fiction, zany or bathroom humor) often do not get a warm reception from teachers. Fletcher argues that we must widen the circle and give boys more choice if we want to engage them as writers. How? We must begin by recognizing boys and the world in which they live. Boy Writers explores important questions such as: What subjects are boy writers passionate about, and what motivates them as writers? Why do boys like to incorporate violence into their stories, and how much should be allowed? Why do we so often misread and misunderstand the humor boys include in their stories? In addition, the book looks at: how handwriting can hamstring boy writers, and how drawing may help; welcoming boy-friendly writing genres in our classrooms; ways to improve our conferring with boys; and more. Each chapter begins with a thorough discussion of a topic and ends with a highly practical section titled: "What can I do in my classroom?" Boy Writers does not advocate promoting the interests of boys at the expense of girls. Rather, it argues that developing sensitivity to the unique facets of boy writers will help teachers better address the needs of all their students.
Julie Cigman uses a vast range of personal vignettes to explain best practice when encouraging boys to write. The theory is brought to life with these recollections, making this a very informative and enjoyable book to read. The ideas for working together with boys are beautifully simple and are tried and tested. This book would support both experienced practitioners and those who are just starting out, because it is so accessible and uses examples in such a delightful way - Kathy Brodie, Early Years Consultant, UKEarly Years Consultant, UK. Julie Cigman has given us a practical and principled way forward in supporting boys' writing. This book is shot through with rich examples of effective practice and deserves to be widely used. Young boys' writing is bought alive for us in these pages, and the groundedness in practice demonstrates how boys' achievement in writing can be appropriately supported from an early age. This is a book for everyone interested in promoting early literacy development. An excellent read and a practical compendium -Professor Cathy Nutbrown, School of Education, The University of Sheffield. How do we give young children a ‘writers’ voice’ and allow them to become creative and inspired writers? Supporting Boys’ Writing in the Early Years shows you how you can help boys to become confident and capable writers by supporting them to write in ways that make sense to them – on the move, outside and inside, in dens, in bushes, in mud, or sprawled on the floor dressed as superheroes. Drawing on four boys writing projects involving over 80 practitioners, the book reveals that a playful, child-centred approach can allow boys and girls to develop a writers’ voice and raise attainment in writing as well as enhancing all aspects of young children’s development. With a strong focus on observation-led assessment and planning, the book is full of practical ideas to improve the writing environment and provide writing opportunities that will be enjoyable and motivating for children. Featuring a wide range of case studies, it covers: the stages that children move through in learning to write; how you can change and develop your learning environments to give children inspiring resources and opportunities to write; helping children to find a purpose to write through their play; practical ways to create a partnership with parents that builds on their strengths as educators at home. This book will help you to create a truly enabling environment for writing and is essential reading for all those that want the children in their setting to become confident, motivated and creative writers.
"Writing test scores indicate that boys have fallen far behind girls across the grades. In general, boys don't enjoy writing as much as girls. What's wrong? How can we do a better of job of creating boy-friendly classrooms so their voices can be heard? In Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices Ralph Fletcher draws upon his years of experience as staff developer, children's book author, and father of four boys. He also taps the insights from dozens of writing teachers around the US and abroad. Boy Writers asks teachers to imagine the writing classroom from a boy's perspective, and consider specific steps we might take to create stimulating classrooms for boys. Topic choice emerges as a crucial issue. The subjects many boys like to write about (war, weapons, outlandish fiction, zany or bathroom humor) often do not get a warm reception from teachers. Ralph argues that we must widen the circle and give boys more choice if we want to engage them as writers. How? We must begin by recognizing boys and the world in which they live. Boy Writers explores important questions such as: What subjects are boy writers passionate about, and what motivates them as writers? Why do boys like to incorporate violence into their stories, and how much should be allowed? Why do we so often misread and misunderstand the humor boys include in their stories? In addition, the book looks at: how handwriting can hamstring boy writers, and how drawing may help; welcoming boy-friendly writing genres in our classrooms; ways to improve our conferring with boys; and more. Each chapter begins with a thorough discussion of a topic and ends with a highly practical section titled: "What can I do in my classroom?" Boy Writers does not advocate promoting the interests of boys at the expense of girls. Rather, it argues that developing sensitivity to the unique facets of boy writers will help teachers better address the needs of all their students" ... Book Jacket.
A fully up-dated second edition of Sue Cowley's wonderfully accessible guide to helping teachers develop writing strategies for children in the classroom. The new edition contains three new chapters: two on writing in elementary and high schools and a third on developing writing strategies in different subjects. With the practicality, humour and optimism that characterize all her teaching and writing, Sue Cowley guides colleagues through all the stages of teaching writing-from motivating students to want to write through helping them shape, structure and correct their work.
Children, Film and Literacy explores the role of film in children's lives. The films children engage in provide them with imaginative spaces in which they create, play and perform familiar and unfamiliar, fantasy and everyday narratives and this narrative play is closely connected to identity, literacy and textual practices. Family is key to the encouragement of this social play and, at school, the playground is also an important site for this activity. However, in the literacy classroom, some children encounter a discontinuity between their experiences of narrative at home and those that are valued in school. Through film children develop understandings of the common characteristics of narrative and the particular 'language' of film. This book demonstrates the ways in which children are able to express and develop distinct and complex understandings of narrative, that is to say, where they can draw on their own experiences (including those in a moving image form). Children whose primary experiences of narrative are moving images face particular challenges when their experiences are not given opportunities for expression in the classroom, and this has urgent implications for the teaching of literacy.
