WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.290 Hello, and welcome to another episode of blooming curious. 00:00:04.740 --> 00:00:07.739 I want to start today by thanking you for tuning in. 00:00:07.890 --> 00:00:12.480 It's wonderful to have you here, and I truly feel honored that you are choosing 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:15.899 to listen to this podcast when you have so many others to choose from. 00:00:16.259 --> 00:00:18.570 So thanks for listening and being here. 00:00:19.380 --> 00:00:24.810 Now, as I mentioned in last week's episode, episode 34, teachers 00:00:24.810 --> 00:00:28.140 are currently enjoying a very well-deserved break from the classroom. 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:33.270 But as a teacher, I also know that it doesn't last long before we 00:00:33.270 --> 00:00:37.020 start thinking about going back to school and our lesson plans. 00:00:37.710 --> 00:00:42.060 In last week's episode, I gave you some tips about how to approach your 00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:46.050 planning so that you lighten the load, not just by sharing it with 00:00:46.050 --> 00:00:50.940 colleagues in the same year group, but also by using an integrated approach 00:00:50.940 --> 00:00:52.410 when it comes to your planning. 00:00:53.100 --> 00:00:57.360 Today, we're going to talk about the role of picture books in our planning. 00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:02.220 Picture books are a valuable provocation for any lesson. 00:01:02.790 --> 00:01:08.760 They can be a powerful catalyst to spark wonder and curiosity 00:01:08.790 --> 00:01:10.110 and get kids thinking. 00:01:10.440 --> 00:01:15.450 And of course, be a powerful resource for teaching a variety of literacy skills. 00:01:16.170 --> 00:01:19.950 Did you know that there is scientific evidence for the powerful benefits 00:01:19.950 --> 00:01:23.220 of reading picture books, to children on their brain development. 00:01:24.180 --> 00:01:28.770 In a study done by the reading and literacy discovery center of Cincinnati 00:01:28.800 --> 00:01:32.300 children's hospital, they discovered the children who were ready to 00:01:32.360 --> 00:01:37.760 often, showed growth in the language and literacy areas of their brain. 00:01:38.270 --> 00:01:42.140 Whereas children who spent two hours per day on screens, which 00:01:42.290 --> 00:01:46.640 actually included television, showed under development in the organized 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:48.950 white matter area of their brains. 00:01:49.490 --> 00:01:53.030 Now the white matter area, which actually, I only thought that we only 00:01:53.030 --> 00:01:56.720 had gray matter, but no, apparently we have a white matter area as well. 00:01:57.350 --> 00:02:00.649 That's the area that's really important because that's where the 00:02:00.679 --> 00:02:02.810 brain communicates with other areas. 00:02:03.290 --> 00:02:06.950 And if this white matter is not well-developed, then the brain's 00:02:06.950 --> 00:02:10.940 processing speed slows down and learning is negatively impacted. 00:02:11.490 --> 00:02:15.050 I'll link to the study in the show notes so you can read it for yourself. 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:20.089 Now in the same study of 47 children, I know it's not huge, but still it's 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:24.860 a study found that children who use screens for more than one hour a 00:02:24.860 --> 00:02:30.920 day and let's face it most do, had poorer emerging literacy skills, 00:02:31.420 --> 00:02:37.040 poorer expressive language and tested lower in the rapid naming of objects. 00:02:37.760 --> 00:02:41.240 On the other hand, they found that children who were read to frequently 00:02:41.660 --> 00:02:43.910 scored higher on cognitive tests. 00:02:44.480 --> 00:02:46.640 But it doesn't just end there. 00:02:47.240 --> 00:02:51.230 In another study done by the same institution, they studied the 00:02:51.230 --> 00:02:56.450 effects of three different formats of stories on children's brains. 00:02:56.870 --> 00:03:03.020 Audio only, a picture book being read to children and an animated cartoon version. 00:03:03.950 --> 00:03:07.610 Can you guess which format was best for learning? 00:03:09.050 --> 00:03:14.240 If you guessed the picture book being read to children, you would be correct. 00:03:14.930 --> 00:03:18.590 Now I have written a blog post about this topic where I have linked the 00:03:18.590 --> 00:03:23.030 studies, so go to the show notes and read more about it in the blog post, 00:03:23.030 --> 00:03:24.530 once you've listened to this episode. 00:03:25.780 --> 00:03:30.130 Now, when it comes to using picture books in our classrooms, it's safe to 00:03:30.130 --> 00:03:32.920 say that not all books are created equal. 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:38.590 So as educators, we do need to find those books that have rich language, 00:03:38.860 --> 00:03:44.560 great illustrations, and also work to help us meet all the other criteria for 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:47.140 planning our lessons around a curriculum. 00:03:48.430 --> 00:03:53.200 When you think and plan for setting up your provocations in your room remember 00:03:53.200 --> 00:03:58.120 that picture books, just like your non-fiction texts are also provocations. 00:03:58.840 --> 00:04:03.220 They can be the starting point for exploring nonfiction topics. 00:04:03.880 --> 00:04:08.440 And a good picture book provides a well constructed narrative that can 00:04:08.440 --> 00:04:12.609 be used to teach narrative writing and it should have that clear story 00:04:12.609 --> 00:04:16.930 mountain so that the children can easily identify the events that happened in 00:04:16.960 --> 00:04:18.430 the beginning, the middle and the end, 00:04:18.430 --> 00:04:23.620 and it should lend itself to rich character descriptions and analysis and 00:04:23.620 --> 00:04:28.090 make it easy for children to spot the dilemma or the problem, and of course 00:04:28.090 --> 00:04:30.280 the resolution at the end of the story. 00:04:31.210 --> 00:04:35.330 I love using picture books as a catalyst for inquiry too. 00:04:35.860 --> 00:04:40.030 For example, as you plan for the term or your quarter ahead think 00:04:40.030 --> 00:04:45.010 about picture books that you can use that do a lot of heavy lifting. 00:04:46.270 --> 00:04:51.310 This is where it's really helpful to chat to your school librarian, so that 00:04:51.310 --> 00:04:56.110 you can use picture books that not only have high literacy value, but 00:04:56.110 --> 00:05:00.580 simultaneously link to other subject areas like your humanities or your social 00:05:00.580 --> 00:05:02.890 studies or your science or maths areas. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:08.620 In the blog post that I've linked, I also linked to Kath Murdoch 00:05:08.650 --> 00:05:12.550 was she has a fabulous list of books linked to inquiry topics. 00:05:12.880 --> 00:05:16.930 So don't forget to go to the show notes once you've listened and follow that link. 00:05:17.950 --> 00:05:23.230 Now I have two integrated lesson plans on my website under 00:05:23.540 --> 00:05:26.120 bloomingcurious.com/resources 00:05:26.140 --> 00:05:27.070 you'll find them there. 00:05:27.610 --> 00:05:32.560 One is for a delightful picture book, Q Pootle 5 by Nick Butterworth, which is 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:37.030 great if you're learning about the letter Q for example, or perhaps you've got 00:05:37.030 --> 00:05:42.280 children that are interested in aliens or space as a fun topic, then this is great. 00:05:42.760 --> 00:05:47.650 The integrated lesson plan provides you with inquiry questions, problem 00:05:47.650 --> 00:05:52.690 solving tasks, and a scope for creativity through hands on tasks 00:05:52.720 --> 00:05:54.520 and experiences across English. 00:05:54.880 --> 00:05:57.790 Mathematics and Design and Technologies. 00:05:58.750 --> 00:06:02.530 Another integrated lesson plan on my website is around the picture book 00:06:02.530 --> 00:06:04.960 The Curious Garden by Peter Brown. 00:06:05.410 --> 00:06:09.670 This is great for integrating Science where you and your students 00:06:09.670 --> 00:06:13.030 could plan and plant a garden, explore the seasons and the needs 00:06:13.030 --> 00:06:15.250 of living things, especially plants. 00:06:15.790 --> 00:06:21.070 Both these lesson plans are suitable for K to two, and I will place links to 00:06:21.070 --> 00:06:23.560 both these resources in the show notes. 00:06:24.370 --> 00:06:29.020 So how often should we be reading picture books to our students and children? 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:32.560 The answer of course is daily. 00:06:33.310 --> 00:06:39.390 You will probably also in addition to other stories, want to be reading 00:06:39.390 --> 00:06:44.850 the picture book that you're linking your planning to every single day. 00:06:45.870 --> 00:06:51.600 Young children, begin learning the rhythm of language, the rhythm of the story. 00:06:52.020 --> 00:06:58.080 And it's great in the early years, because as we know talk comes before writing. 00:06:58.470 --> 00:07:01.800 Phonological awareness comes before writing. 00:07:02.340 --> 00:07:05.100 And when they are being read too often. 00:07:05.550 --> 00:07:09.480 Just like that research I mentioned in the beginning of the episode shows, 00:07:09.900 --> 00:07:13.740 it helps them brains to organize that information and benefits that 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:18.120 processing, which is so important for understanding and language development. 00:07:18.690 --> 00:07:23.430 So, yes, a good picture book, has a rich language and literacy 00:07:23.430 --> 00:07:28.080 component, but it should also lend itself to other curriculum areas 00:07:28.080 --> 00:07:31.980 to make your life easier when it comes to cross curriculum planning. 00:07:32.610 --> 00:07:38.730 And so the children can make connections to different areas and they can see how 00:07:38.760 --> 00:07:40.650 different areas are actually linked. 00:07:41.620 --> 00:07:45.969 Now, aside from picture books that link to other subject areas, that you will 00:07:45.969 --> 00:07:49.900 be planning your learning experiences around for the term or quarter ahead, 00:07:50.409 --> 00:07:55.989 picture books also useful when you're having to talk about or introduce 00:07:55.989 --> 00:08:00.999 sensitive topics to children, things like bullying or death in the family or 00:08:00.999 --> 00:08:07.049 friendship issues and rhyming picture books also play a crucial part in 00:08:07.049 --> 00:08:11.279 the early years when we are developing children's phonological awareness. 00:08:11.669 --> 00:08:15.569 And here rhyming picture books are not just fun to read, but 00:08:15.569 --> 00:08:19.319 they're crucial when it comes to developing phonological awareness. 00:08:20.849 --> 00:08:24.509 I have a list of rhyming picture books in my resource library. 00:08:24.899 --> 00:08:28.379 And I'll leave a link where you can download your free PDF 00:08:28.769 --> 00:08:30.929 of that in the show notes too. 00:08:31.749 --> 00:08:35.109 So let's do a quick recap of the most important takeaways here. 00:08:35.979 --> 00:08:39.369 When you're planning your learning experiences and your provocations 00:08:39.669 --> 00:08:44.049 find picture books that not only lend themselves to rich literacy experiences 00:08:44.349 --> 00:08:49.089 but also link to other subject areas so that you can plan integrated 00:08:49.089 --> 00:08:51.549 units of work across the curriculum. 00:08:52.909 --> 00:08:56.179 Try and include hands on experiences in all your lesson 00:08:56.179 --> 00:08:58.819 plans that link to the story. 00:08:58.849 --> 00:09:02.989 For example, in The Curious Garden, It lends itself to planting 00:09:02.989 --> 00:09:04.859 and planning your own garden. 00:09:05.239 --> 00:09:08.719 So when you're looking for those picture books, make sure you can link them 00:09:08.719 --> 00:09:13.399 to hands on experiences, to design and technology and other areas which 00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:15.019 are really going to save you time. 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:19.819 And lastly, remember that picture books and reading to children are 00:09:19.819 --> 00:09:24.169 essential for creating those neural pathways in the brain that ultimately 00:09:24.169 --> 00:09:29.479 benefit brain development and learning in a much better way than watching 00:09:29.479 --> 00:09:31.999 a video or a cartoon of the story. 00:09:32.809 --> 00:09:38.029 And if we truly value children and they're learning switch off the smart board, 00:09:38.299 --> 00:09:43.369 switch off the screens get out the books and let's read them because 00:09:43.369 --> 00:09:45.499 they are far superior to screens. 00:09:45.559 --> 00:09:47.419 As the research now shows. 00:09:48.229 --> 00:09:51.739 So hope you found this episode useful as you begin thinking and planning for 00:09:51.739 --> 00:09:53.659 the new term or your quarter ahead. 00:09:54.049 --> 00:09:55.549 I'd love to know your thoughts. 00:09:55.579 --> 00:09:59.389 And if you have any other ideas that you would like to share around picture 00:09:59.389 --> 00:10:04.699 books and their use in planning, an integrated learning experience you can 00:10:04.699 --> 00:10:08.329 send me an email at contact@edlessons.com. 00:10:08.329 --> 00:10:09.319 It hasn't changed yet. 00:10:09.349 --> 00:10:12.499 It will change soon to blooming curious.com. 00:10:13.009 --> 00:10:15.649 And once again, thanks so much for listening. 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:19.669 And if you found anything in today's episode useful, could you 00:10:19.669 --> 00:10:22.969 please do me a favor and share it with a friend or colleague? 00:10:23.569 --> 00:10:29.029 You can also go to bloomingcurious.com/podcast where you will 00:10:29.029 --> 00:10:35.329 find all the links and an easy to read and easy to share link for this episode. 00:10:35.779 --> 00:10:38.659 I look forward to being in your ears again next week. 00:10:38.959 --> 00:10:43.039 And until then, remember to stay blooming curious.