January 2009

This is a short initial list of books which I hope will provide some useful professional resources for teachers of the Primary Years of the International Baccalaureate. I have tried to choose books which do not have a narrow focus but which are transdisciplinary in concept. I am gradually adding to the list and improving it as I have time to add to it and as I get more feedback from teachers and librarians.

Titles recently included are marked •

I have always been reluctant to recommend teacher reference materials as I am not teaching in a classroom and therefore cannot test or put into practice the strategies suggested in the books. However I have received many requests for recommended books and since I have access to many books which teachers in International Schools do not see, I have put together this short list of teacher resources. It is not at all a comprehensive list. However it does contain a selection of books which I think PYP teachers will find helpful. The books put forward ideas and strategies and although some do have activity suggestions that is not their main focus. Many of the books have been published recently.

Please Note All prices are in Australian dollars and include the 10% GST tax. However this GST does not apply to exports from Australia.

If you would like to order any of the books on the list, send the orders to Austral Ed by post, fax or by email. Payment can be made with bank cheques in Australian dollars, by direct bank transfer or by Credit card. Freight is sent by the most economical method within Australia or overseas, depending on urgency.

Recommended by Kate Shepherd

Classroom Connections: Strategies for Integrated Learning by Kath Murdoch pb $39.95
This is an immensely helpful book. It puts the case for an integrated curriculum and also for using inquiry as a framework of learning. However the emphasis is on a wide range of very practical strategies to support teacher's plans and teaching of integrated units of work. Strategies suggested are structured to support the various stages of implementation of a unit of work. These stages come under the headings of Tuning In, Finding Out, Sorting Out, Going Further, Making Conclusions, Taking Action and Sharing. The final chapter, Putting It Altogether contains two sample integrated units of work; Night and Day for grades 1 & 2 and Water, Water Everywhere for grades 4 – 6. These sample units show how strategies from each stage can work together to enhance planning. The book also shows how the strategies suggested can be adapted for different age levels and topics and how these ideas will help in the development of flexible learners. The book is written in very readable, accessible language.

Planning Curriculum Connections: Whole-School Planning for Integrated Curricu lum by Kath Murdoch and David Hornsby pb $39.95
Some schools which are enthusiastic about integrated curriculum find there are difficulties in its implementation because of problems with planning, management and organisation. The main purpose of this book is to assist teachers in planning and implementing integrated curriculum both within individual classrooms and across the school. It provides a range of ideas to assist with planning, documenting, record keeping, assessment and evaluation for an integrated curriculum and is therefore useful for administrators as well as classroom teachers. As a non-teacher, I found the section where the authors challenge some of the misconceptions that have arisen about an integrated curriculum especially interesting and also their discussion of the development from a thematic approach to the advantages of an integrated curriculum. Again this is a very practical book which will help in basic planning and documenting and also in discussion about what constitutes an integrated curriculum.

How to succeed with Creating a Learning Community by Kath Murdoch and Jeni Wilson pb 29.95 (One of the series of Little Books of Big Ideas)
A constructive learning community is a place where students want to come each day and is also satisfying and motivating for teachers. Feeling valued as a team member can encourage risk taking and motivate learners to think, perform and make responsible learning decisions. As well as discussing the advantages of creating a learning community, this book introduces structures and strategies for building a constructive student-centred classroom environment. The role of the teacher, the physical environment and assessment and record-keeping tasks and techniques are all discussed. It is a very helpful reference which is engaging and always interesting in its practical ideas for teachers.

How to succeed with Cooperative Learning by Kath Murdoch and Jeni Wilson pb $29.95 (One of the series of Little Books of Big Ideas)
This is another title in this series of small books concentrating on one aspect of classroom learning. The authors discuss the benefits of a group of students working together as a team, sharing resources, ideas and a shared goal. They also stress that cooperative learning works best when used with a variety of teaching approaches. The book outlines the essentials for developing cooperative learning skills for use at school and beyond. It suggests strategies and structures for developing cooperative learning in the classroom, including the role of the teacher, the organization necessary and recording and assessment and recording tasks and techniques. Again a very accessible and helpful book.

• How to Succeed with Learner-Centred Assessment by Jeni Wilson and Kath Murdoch  pb $29.95

Strategic leaner-centred assessment is primarily intended to inform students and teachers about how students can improve their learning.  By using a range of assessment types all students can demonstrate what they know and what they can do.  This book includes practical suggestions for planning and managing assessment and ways to actively involve students in the process.   

• Improving Student Achievement: A Practical Guide to Assessment for Learning by Toni Glasson  pb $42.00  (2009)

This book provides practical guidance to teachers in the way they consider and use assessment in the classroom.  It highlights the learning partnership between students and teachers as they plan, set goals and respond to feedback to improve student learning and teaching focus.  There are chapters on, Learning Intentions, Success Criteria, Strategic Questioning, and Effective Teacher Feedback.   Many helpful examples are given.    

Knowing me, knowing you:  Exploring identity and difference through an integrated curriculum  by Kath Murdoch and Julie Hamston  pb $44.95

Another very helpful book by Kath Murdoch.  The authors explain in the first chapter that they are endeavouring to “challenge students’ concepts of difference and identity; teach them about how differences between people, cultures, and lifestyles are constructed; teach them how to examine and critique representations of difference embodied in texts; promote understandings of the similarities that exist within and across cultures, and promote students’ understanding of the fact that people’s identities are crafted and remade throughout their lives.” 

Focus on Inquiry: A practical approach to integrated curriculum planning by Jeni Wilson and Lesley Wing Jan pb $39.95
I have had positive feedback from teachers regarding this title. It aims to assist teachers to plan, implement and assess inquiry-based integrated curriculum units. The first three chapters deal with these aspects. The fourth chapter contains 12 sample integrated curriculum units.

Learning Links: Strategic teaching for the learner-centred classroom by Kath Murdoch and Jeni Wilson pb $39.95
This is an extremely readable and interesting discussion of the reasons why we need to build up a learning community where students work collaboratively and how it can be done. The authors show how important it is to help students develop the capacity to become lifelong learners. They examine the key elements that contribute to a learner centred classroom and provide practical guidelines and strategies to improve teaching practice. As the authors explain in their introduction "The ideas within this book encourage systematic application of beliefs rather than haphazard implementation of strategies. It is organised in a way that shows the important link between beliefs and practice; between what we do and why we do it." The book is organised in a way that encourages exploration by teams of teachers or a whole staff. As well as chapters on constructing a learning community and helping students work collaboratively, there are also chapters on how to engage individual learners (since each student learns differently), on how to establish community connections and on teaching thinking skills and strategies. The final chapters link assessment to learning and set up pathways for curriculum planning.

• Learning for Themselves: Pathways to Independence in the Classroom  by Jeni Wilson and Kath Murdoch  (includes CD-ROM)  pb  $45.00

Another very helpful book from this impressive team.  It is increasingly recognised that classrooms are places where students learn to learn and learn how to become effective, independent learners.  This book aims to give teachers a repertoire of effective strategies and structures which will give students the opportunity to be independent in their learning.  The chapter are organised into four broad areas: Thinking, Learning preferences, inquiry and personal challenges.  The learning tasks given draw from commonly addressed topics in primary school curriculums and are designed to be adapted by students and teachers to suit particular interests and a range of teaching and learning goals. The accompanying CD-ROM provides all learning task proformas as well as a further 28 proformas to assist teachers and students when planning, managing, monitoring and keeping records associated with independent learning.     

• Thinking Globally: Global perspectives in the early years classroom by Julie Browett and Greg Ashman  (includes CD-ROM)  pb $39.95

This book, published just in 2008, incorporates and acknowledges many of the ideas and activities from Think Global: Global Perspectives in the lower primary classroom by Rebecca Reid-Nguyen - now out of print.  The first part discusses what it means to teach with a global perspective and considers the theoretical basis for this.  However I especially like the many practical activities which are incorporated into the discussions of the ideas.  There is an emphasis on various types of thinking and how the understanding of this can be encouraged as well as ideas of how children’s literature can be used to help develop a global perspective.  The second part concentrates on Teaching and Learning Experiences and discussions are organized according to the following learning emphases:  Interdependence, Identity and Cultural Diversity, Dimensions of Change, Social Justice & Human Rights, Peace Building & Conflict and Sustainable Futures.  This book will be immensely useful to teachers as it has so many ideas about how these concepts can be taught across a range of early years subjects.  Many of the fiction books suggested are included in the lists that I have compiled for the Primary Years Project.   The accompanying CD-ROM has many additional resources for teaching with a global perspective including digital content, photographs, graphic organising and a video.                  

Literature as a Way of Knowing by Kathy G Short pb $42.00
This is an extremely comprehensive and interesting book full of anecdotes and examples of classroom use and student response to a wide variety of literature. It is a well thought out analysis of why literature is so important and how it can be integrated into the curriculum. Kathy Short outlines four roles that literature plays in the classroom. It helps students learn the language and it can also be used to help students explore the content areas of social studies, science, mathematics and the arts. It is an important pathway to knowing and understanding the world around us and it opens an awareness of society and culture. Kathy Short shows how to use real books in the classroom and how to implement a variety of teaching strategies using literature including independent reading, partner reading and sharing, literature circles and reader's theatre. Descriptions of a wide variety of novels and picture books that she and other teachers have used with success in the classroom are interspersed through the book. Kathy Short concludes with a discussion of evaluation as part of the curriculum and gives examples of specific evaluation techniques which can be used.

Speaking Rules! Games and activities for creating effective speakers, presenters and storytellers by Cathy Miyata pb $39.95
Many students find public speaking intimidating. This book has an excellent collection of ideas aimed at helping students enjoy speaking and performing in public. I was surprised to find it such an entertaining book. Its many anecdotes and instructions are so explicit and vivid that it is easy to imagine putting into practice many of the games and activities. It is divided into two major sections. The first section focuses on oral communications with suggestions for imagining, for listening skills, for remembering and retelling stories, for developing rapport with an audience and using body language. The second section deals with performance. The book shows how these skills can gradually be developed through many rewarding activities. (For Upper primary and Middle years)

Young Writers Guide fourth edition by Rodney Martin pb $29.95
This is really intended as a guide for young writers but I think that it would also be very helpful as a teacher resource. All the entries are very clearly set out and explained and pertinent examples given. It has proved very popular in schools and the third edition has been extended and revised. I find it fascinating. As the book explains, it is not at all a grammar textbook. It is a style guide and should be used as a reference book. It explains and gives examples of English language in use and techniques for writing. The setting out is very simple and makes for easy browsing. I guess the main attractions for me are the examples of usage and writing styles. Many are very funny and all are interesting. There is also a very interesting section on word histories. This guide is an excellent reference to help young writers think about the different ways of structuring reports, recounts or arguments etc and it is also full of information on writing conventions. I have had some feedback from teachers who also think that that it is an excellent resource.  This edition is revised and expanded and updated.  It is also available as an e-book (4th ed)   $29.95   E-book users licence for 2 – 5 users is $49.95   Site licence is $199.00.  The site licence is valid for all future updates.  For upper elementary and also middle school students. 

Martin’s Junior Writers Guide   pb $21.95

This Junior Guide was published in 2006.  It is aimed mainly at Grades 3 to 5.  It is an alphabetical reference for 8 – 10 year old students and offers basic explanations and examples on a wide range of writing-related subjects such as abbreviations, capital letters, grammar, confusing words, punctuations, style, and text types.  The language is simple and many of the examples are humorous.  It is extremely well set out and easy to use and will be a very helpful resource for the library, the classroom and also for each student.   

There is also an e-book $21.95.  e-book 2 – 5 users licence $49.95       e-book network licence $149.95.   

For Librarians

These books are not specifically for PYP Librarians.  However I think they will be helpful generally for librarians and therefore have included them here.

• The Connected library: A handbook for engaging users  (2006) by Suzette Boyd  pb $ 82.50 

I had meant to review this some time ago but it got buried under a large pile of books!  This is such a challenging book with a wealth of practical idea.  It is an extremely creative, lively and engaging account and gives an amazing number of ideas on how to increase the level of engagement with users of the library.  It is written in a very clear format, and is compact and accessible.  John Marsden has written the very complimentary foreward to the book and he writes that a “ librarian’s success in effecting change depends on her ability to achieve status and influence in school and to assert herself “ and The Connected Library has many ideas on how this can be achieved.  As a result the book is not just a how-to manual but has considerably more significance.   It emphasises the importance of building connections and trust with students, of communicating with and enlisting the support of all users, of being positive, upbeat and enthusiastic, of marketing and promoting the library, and in becoming the cultural and education hub of the school.  Perhaps a problem could be that there are so many ideas that some librarians, especially new librarians could find it overwhelming,  In addition I am very aware that many libraries do not have the staff levels which would be necessary to put many of these ideas into practice. However I do think it is a very worthwhile book and so have reviewed it here.   (Apologies for the cost of the book but we get very little discount and have to cover the cost of postage for sending the books to us.)

Learning for the Future: Developing information services in schools  2nd edition 2007  pb $35.95

Many librarians have found this book to be extremely helpful.  Prepared by the Australian School Library Association and also the Australian Library and Information Association, it focuses on the advancements in technology over recent years and the ever increasing role of Information and Communication technologies in the school learning environment.  It gives guidelines for developing information and ICT literacy in the school, and also a planning structure for ICT implementations.  (It was originally published in 2001.)     

Books about Reading for parents (and teachers)

It’s interesting that the three recent books on learning to read by Australian authors are each very good and yet each has a different focus.

Rocket Your Child into Reading by Jackie French pb $19.95
Jackie French wrote this book because she has dyslexia and is the mother of a dyslexic child and the aunt of another. Her problem of dyslexia is surprising since she is a well known and loved writer of many books. However she has seen how reading problems can take over a child's life and wrote this book in order to give some guidance in how to spot reading problems in children. She also suggests different ways of helping children to read. Naturally she first talks about how children can be encouraged to love books so that they want to learn to read. However this book is different from others I have read in its emphasis on the difficulties some children have in reading and how this can be helped through coordination skills. Many suggestions are given for games that are fun but which also help with developing focus and coordination. Jackie French also outlines problems to watch out for and steps which can be taken to get professional help. She emphasises that there is no one way to learn to read and that a combination of methods is often best.

In Mem Fox's book Reading Magic pb $7.95 you can hear Mem's own very distinctive voice talking about the wonders and delights of sharing books with children.

The Reading Bug ... and how you can help your child to catch it (new revised edition in 2008)  by Paul Jennings pb $29.95 also emphasises the delights of sharing books with children but he also analyses in much more detail the various methods of teaching reading and I found this fascinating.  Paul Jennings cuts through the jargon and the controversies and explains in simple terms about reading and how parents can help their child catch the reading bug.  The book also contains many very helpful book lists containing suggestions of books to read to children at all age levels.  These have been updated in this new revised edition for 2008.  There is also a supplementary chapter on the special reading needs of boys.

The Ultimate Book Guide : Over 600 great books for 8 – 12s  editors Daniel Hahn and Leonie Flynn and Susan Reuben  pb $35.00  A second updated edition is due in April 2009.  This edition 2004.  This is a very inviting book for browsing.  Dozens of well-known writers have written lively reviews of some their favourite books.  As a result there are many classics but also recent titles.  A few of the books listed are out of print but most are still available.  The book is organised as an A – Z by title.  But from time to time there are also lists of the top ten best adventure, or fantasy or school stories or stories from other cultures and with each review there are some other suggestions of books that may be similar in some way.   It is lively, inviting easy to use and extremely helpful.  A good book for parents for teachers or for students.   

Right Book Right Time:  500 great reads for teenagers (2007) by Agnes Nieuwenhuizen  pb $35.00   Agnes Nieuwenhuizen has an extraordinary knowledge about books for young adults and has written over the years a number of books on this subject.  I was especially impressed with this book, just published in 2007, because its layout makes it so accessible and it is a book which invites browsing.  Books are reviewed by a variety of reviewers and discussed under various subject areas such as action, adventure and crime, life, love and loss, extreme & edgy, this sporting life and fantastic worlds.  About 200 of the entries are recent books, by writers from Australia and also from many overseas countries.  Throughout the book there are suggestions of other titles that teenagers could try next.  If you like this author, then try … If you like crime, then try this classic.  Agnes hopes that this will provide stepping stones and links for readers to take them to more books that they will enjoy.  A number of translations are also reviewed.  This is an extremely helpful reference for teachers, librarians and parents and it is also a book that teenagers can browse through and where they will hopefully be directed to other books that they will love.    (12 years up)

All prices are in Australian dollars.

If you would like to order any of the above books, send orders to Austral Ed by fax, post or email.

For additional lists of recommended books and newsletters from Austral Ed, visit our website www.australed.iinet.net

© Kate Shepherd 2008.