Esther and William will be 7 months corrected age next week. Developmentally they are at the stage where they love cuddles with people and stuffed toys. They are starting to develop preferences for certain toys and stories. They are beginning … Continue reading
When I first started Edspire it was a website for my Year 5 class to use as part of the curriculum and in ICT clubs. They each had a page of their own to edit and publish. It was a … Continue reading
The Silver Sword is a book that has stayed with me all of my life, or at least since I first discovered it in primary school when it was read to me by my teacher, Mrs Foster.
The Silver Sword is a story based upon true fact that touches my heart every time I read it.
It is an inspirational story of tremendous courage, hope and determination in a terrible situation. It is the tale of four children’s struggle to stay alive as they journey through war-torn Europe, during the years of Nazi occupation.
This is a book that I will definitely hare with my own children and one that I have used in my teaching with children from Years 5 and 6. As well as being a story to share for its own sake it can also be a powerful text to use as part of a literacy or history lesson.
Personally I would incorporate the novel into a half term topic about war and conflict focusing on children and refugees. I believe that this would enhance the children’s understanding of the setting of the story, time and place, and help them to empathise with the characters and their situation. It would also give opportunity for looking at war poetry and other related texts such as When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit and I Am David, two of my other most favourite books!!
I believe that The Silver Sword is a strong story, appealing to both boys and girls. I also feel that it is a novel that children can become really involved with and feel passionate about as the main characters are the same age as them and share similar likes and dislikes. They can really try to put themselves in their shoes.
At different points in the story children can further their understanding of and empathy for the characters by using hot-seating. One person would assume the role of a character from the novel and the other children would ask them questions about how they are feeling at a certain time, what are their fears, their worries, their thoughts about the other children and characters in the book. This would be a good way of considering what happened to Edek before the other s find him and or to Jan before he finds the others, or to the mother. It helps to enhance the understanding and enjoyment of the story by encouraging children to really read between the lines and think what could have happened based on what they already know about the novel and the war situation. It also helps to ask children o try to relate what they are reading to their own lives in some way, perhaps through emotions and feelings. When have you felt sad and lonely? Who is your best friend and why? If you had a treasure box like Jan’s what three objects would you put into it and why?
This book lends itself to being a platform for discussions about refugees and children’s experiences of war. It would be interesting to work with different charities such as The Red Cross to really develop understanding and compassion in this area.
On a creative note it would be good practice to watch the television serialisation of The Silver Sword, with children at home or at school, and notice and discuss any points that are different from the book. This would include evaluating the performances of the actors playing the main characters. Is it well cast? Do the characters loo as you imagined them to? Who would you cast in each role?
With my own children at home and pupils at school I would ask them, at the end of each reading session, to make a prediction of what they think might happen next in the story. Anticipating what might happen next in a text is an important part of reading, it is how we link what we know, what we think and what we have read together. It helps us to make sense of what we are reading and it uses imagination and creative thought.
I believe that as well as being great to read The Silver Sword provides a springboard form which many forms of writing can be launched (or sprung! ) – diaries, letters, stories, poems, reports, recounts, information texts, arguments and many more. The book has strong characters and a good plot with some chapters that could potentially lead to very powerful, creative interpretation, particularly Chapter 27, The Storm.
This book gets me so excited!
English is a subject that I have always been passionate about and I hope that through this passion, my knowledge of children’s literature and my ability to meet educational objectives through that literature, I will be able to inspire my own children and the pupils that I teach in my classroom to love English and books just as I do.
The story of The Silver Sword takes children on the journey of The Balicki Family but it is also a very personal journey where it is possible to discover many new ideas, new words, new thoughts and new inspirations. I truly believe that children take something from every story they read that moves them a little further on in their journey of discovering exactly who they are and what they want to be.
On this World Book Day 2011 I recommend this book as a winner with children aged 9 – 99.
Every journey begins with a single step so perhaps reading The Silver Sword could be yours.
My Top 5 Mummy Buys is a Blog Hop started by the brilliant Bod for Tea, as a Mum in my mid 30s I was a huge Bod fan as a child, as a Mummy I am a fan of … Continue reading
To answer this question properly I need to mention a series of people, each of whom played a similar role in my life. The first is Rachel who ran Gillingham Youth Spotlights many years ago, the second is my 4th year junior teacher Mrs Foster, the third is Lynette Burroughs my GCSE Drama and A Level Theatre Studies teacher and the fourth is Kath Langley-Hamel my English tutor at university. Each of these women were exceptional at their jobs and each of them noticed something in me that they helped to develop. They each inspired me and led to me enjoying my greatest hobby – acting – and my chosen profession – teaching. They each fuelled my love of reading and encouraged me to enjoy the magic of stories. These are the people from my past who have influenced me the most and I thank them with all my heart.
Rachel King
When I was 9 years old my family moved back from Cyprus to our hometown Gillingham, Kent. I started back at school with my old class that I had not seen since I was 6 and I joined the local drama group, Gillingham Youth Spotlights at the Parochial Hall (picture above). My first role was as one of the children in The King and I before being spotted by Rachel as a potential talent and chosen to audition for one of the Von Trapp children in The Sound of Music. I was successful in that audition and loved playing the role of Louisa in the musical. Through all of this I idolised Rachel. I have no idea how old she was at the time, I am guessing between 18 and 23? She had curly hair, pouty lips and always wore long flowing skirts which in my memory were always brown. We started every drama session with a meditation and visualisation exercise which was led by Rachel. Her voice was mesmerising, I loved listening to it. She could really paint a picture in your mind with her rich, gentle tones. Rachel was really good to me and she noticed during The King and I that I had a good singing voice so one day when no one else was in the hall she asked me to stand on the stage and sing to her, which I did. She said, “I knew that you had a good voice under there!” I have never looked back, she told me to audition for The Sound of Music which I did and won the part of Louisa. Since then I have played lots of lead roles in pantomimes and muscials and my belief in myself to do this was definitely started by Rachel. Rachel also influenced my younger sister Julie’s amateur acting career. When casting The Sound of Music we were struggling to find a Gretl. I clearly remember one little girl auditioning who when asked to sing Do Reh Me, sang Don’t Blame Me. Very cute but not what Rachel needed. At the end of one rehearsal evening my Dad was waiting for me at the back of the hall with my 6 year old sister in his arms. Rachel saw her and just said, “Who’s little sister is that?!” Our Gretl was born! I hope that one day I will run a children’s drama group like Rachel and that I too will be able to help some children realise their talents and achieve their dreams.
Rachel now runs http://spotlites.co.uk/
Mrs Foster
Mrs Foster was my fourth year junior teacher at St Barbara’s School in Wulfen, Germany. She was wonderful! She, like Rachel, encouraged my love of singing and drama. She cast me as Mary in the school Nativity, Only A Baby. A visiting music teacher, Mr Parfitt, led that production but I know that it was Mrs Foster that ensured I play Mary. In assemblies and music sessions Mrs Foster encouraged us all and ‘fostered’ our talents and enthusiasms. Mrs Foster also helped me with my creative writing, praising my stories and poems. I remember one poem that we had to write from a starting line given by Mrs Foster,
What’s in Santa’s sack
Heavy on his bright red back?
Mrs Foster was the teacher that first made me want to be a teacher myself and it was the way she read to us that did it. For years when reading I Am David, The Silver Sword and Children of the Oregon Trail I would see Mrs Foster’s lips when reading. I used to love watching her and listening to her read. These three books are still my three all time favourites and ones that I always share with classes of my own, books I chose to write about at University too. I owe much to Mrs Foster and feel sad that I do not know where she is in the world anymore and I would love to see her again and thank her for setting me on my way.
Miss Burroughs
Lynette Burroughs taught me drama and theatre studies. She introduced me to Brecht and Stanislavski and she lead me to love the theatre the way I still do today. In my theatre studies class there were only 6 of us and we were a close group that worked hard and were lead by Miss Burroughs. She also cast and directed the school plays and she chose me to play Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors which I loved. Miss Burroughs was the reason I settled on becomng a teacher. I wanted to be just like her. I still do. When I chose my teaching degree I chose to focus on primary but when I return to teaching I may follow my heart and my dream to teach secondary English and Theatre Studies. Thank you Miss Burroughs x
Kath Langley-Hamel
Kath was my tutor at St Martin’s College, Ambleside. She taught English, my subject specialism on my Primary Education degree. I used to talk to her a lot about my work and my worries. She always had faith in me and believed that I would be a good teacher. She told me that it was okay to worry and because I was worried she knew I would do well because of the care and throught that I put into my work and my teaching. It was Kath who told me, as the end of our course drew near, that I had acheived my dream of getting first class honours in my degree. A very special moment, getting such brilliant news from someone I looked up to so much. Someone who for me has really made a difference.
These are the people who have influenced me the most, my past, my present and I am sure my future.
This post is written as part of the Bloggy Moms Blog Dare.
I am following Kate Takes 5’s Listography. I am going to share with you information about me and my life through a framework of lists, beginning with – My Top 5 Good Things About Having Kids. As I write this … Continue reading
Tonight I have decided to share the original Personal Statement that I wrote during my final year of University when applying to be a primary school teacher. I think it says a lot about me and the teacher I wanted … Continue reading