Migration library display

In Term 3, Year 6 are working on an Inquiry unit of work related to aspects from the Stage 3 History curriculum:

  • Who were the people who came to Australia? Why did they come?
  • What contribution have significant individuals and groups made to the development of Australian society?

This library display acts as a stimulation for ideas related to migration and immigration. Resources featured within the display include:

The Treasure Box by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Freya Blackwood

Hedy’s Journey: the true story of a Hungarian girl fleeing the Holocaust by Michelle Bisson

Books inside the suitcase: The Sound of Freedom by Kathy Kacer; Cry Little Girl by Alyza Barak-Ressler; Hana’s Suitcase: a true story by Karen Levine.

Images from the following books: Gittel’s journey: an Ellis Island story by Lesléa Newman; Waves: for those who came across the sea by Donna Rawlins; Ten Pound Pom by Carole Wilkinson; Migrations: open hearts, open borders edited by the International Centre for the Picture Book in Society.

Photos: Migrants arrive in Sydney – National Archives of Australia: A12111; English class at Bathurst Reception Centre 1951, National Archives of Australia: A12111.

Sourcing resources for learning is one of my favourite tasks as a TL. One resource that I found in my searches is this highly engaging, emotional and thought provoking video Waves of Migration lightshow (2016) by the Australian National Maritime Museum.

National Reconciliation Week Library Displays

The 2019 National Reconciliation Week theme is Grounded in Truth Walk Together with Courage. The library displays feature a selection of our nonfiction and picture book collection.

Books featured: Welcome to country – welcome words by Aunty Joy Murphy with illustrations by Lisa Kennedy; Custodians of the Land by Ellen Rykers; Indigenous Australians Before and After British Settlement by Melanie Gulie; Albert Namatjira: Gordon and Marilyn Darling’s gift to the nation artwork; and Postcards by Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr featuring illustrations from Little Bird’s Day written by Sally Morgan.

Bronwyn Bancroft picture book selection and Aboriginal artwork.

Books featured: Why I love Australia; Patterns of Australia; Kangaroo and Crocodile; and 1 2 3 of Australian Animals.

New displays for the library

The first two library displays for 2019 featured being kind and friendship. The theme linked in with school values and recent staff professional learning and implementation of the URSTRONG program.

Following that, we assembled a Roald Dahl and Mem Fox author focus for our library. As always it is a delight to gather resources for the displays and enjoy watching children and teachers look into the display cases.

Trove – access to primary sources for student research

Recently I was asked to provide Year 6 classes with historical research skills focused on inquiry to investigate primary and secondary sources. The students were at an early stage of a historical inquiry unit involving investigation of stories of groups of people who migrated to Australia and the reasons they migrated. In addition, students will be inquiring into their personal history that has shaped who they are, their community and identity.

By coincidence, I am currently completing the subject – Describing and Analysing Education Resources which involved investigation of Trove as an example of a federated search system managed by the National Library of Australia. Knowledge of Trove’s access to extensive online resources enable me to demonstrate to students a way to search and access digitised primary sources such as photos, journal entries, and newspaper articles from the past. As Trove is comprehensive it was important to provide students with suggestions of what to search, how to search and how to review the search results.

What to search:

Bonegilla from Migration Blake Education, 2014

Start with a nonfiction book at the student’s level. Highlight images and image captions as a source of information and keywords that would be useful to use in a search. For the migration example, I used Bonegilla Migrant as the keywords and then demonstrated a search. We were able to view various images, including the photo of a group of men playing volleyball on Trove which was the same photo in the text. We also accessed a Certificate of identity, for Irena Terkiewicz, relating to her immigration to Australia, 1949 after viewing this in the Migration text. From the book Coming to Australia: post-war immigration by Australian Geographic, 2015, we located important keywords such as displaced persons, refugee camps and the name of the Minister of Immigration in 1945, Arthur Calwell which lead us to newspaper articles from that time frame.

How to search:

Trove has created a video explaining how to search, taking a few minutes to view this and then some time to explore is highly recommended.

How to review the search results:

Understanding the different zones assists with viewing the results. Two important things to refine a search include selecting a time period or decade and clicking the Available online option.

Although we are at an early stage of investigation, Trove provided a platform to guide students to sources of information for their research rather than just using Google. Searching for family names was very stimulating for students, one student searched for the name of an invention by a great-grandparent and came across a newspaper article from 1913.

Trove provides a wealth of opportunities for teaching and learning purposes. Being able to access articles, photographs, and letters from the past is extremely valuable for historical research and inquiry learning.

National Reconciliation Week

During the week we set up our library displays for National Reconciliation Week, 27 May – 3 June 2018. This year we also created a display for the school reception. Sourcing the information and artworks for the displays is always a stimulating experience. Our workbench was covered in texts and illustrations until we linked the pieces together to create a theme and exhibit an outstanding range of resources.

For information about National Reconciliation Week, a visit to the official website is a must.

National Reconciliation Week

Peter Rabbit library display

The Tale of Peter Rabbit was first published in 1901, Beatrix Potter self-published and printed 250 copies. Over the years Peter Rabbit has been read, shared and loved by so many children, parents and grandparents alike. In 2016 a first edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit sold at auction for £43,000!

The Peter Rabbit library display features my son’s Peter Rabbit soft toy (now 18 years old), a Bunnykins sculpture that was given to me by a wonderful teacher I previously worked with, author profile books, and newly released Beatrix Potter books. It is always a pleasure to see children enter the library, stand close taking time to admire the displays.

For more information on Beatrix Potter and The Tale of Peter Rabbit visit https://www.peterrabbit.com/

References

Armitstead, C. (2013). How Beatrix Potter self-published Peter Rabbit. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2013/dec/17/beatrix-potter-peter-rabbit-self-publishing

BBC News. (2016). First edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit sells for £43k at auction. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-36865074

Frederick Warne & Co. (2016). Beatrix Potter. Retrieved from https://www.peterrabbit.com/

Sony Pictures Entertainment. (2018, March 17). Peter Rabbit – official trailer. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/cfAaGhvRmmg 

K-6 Library Review 2017

As the final days of the school year wrap up it is great to look back and reflect.  It has been a busy but productive year, and we have worked tirelessly in the past weeks revamping the library collection, reorganising shelving and running a stocktake of the fiction books – it will be a fresh start next year!

I would like to acknowledge and thank the support and commitment of the library team and teacher librarian who taught the Year 6 classes.

The review is a snapshot of teaching and learning, special events, loans, resource use and top books loaned. What worked well, what requires change and improvement is in mind, but rest first is required.

Click the link to open the full review K-6 library review 2017

PS I used www.canva.com to create the Infographic.