Introduction - quigley-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com · Proof from the text or illustration Happiness Sadness Anger Fear ... Night Sky Dragons ... placement and purpose within the narrative

More Brilliant Books - Milestone 1 © 2018 Chris Quigley Education 3

Introduction

Teacher notes

Following the huge success of our first series of Brilliant Books, we are very proud to presentMORE BRILLIANT BOOKS!

We selected fifteen different, inspirational books that we know teachers will love to use with theirclasses. A new and updated format has been created to help motivate, engage and actively promotechildren to acquire, retrieve, retain and explain their understanding of reading.

It is our goal to motivate children to think differently and positively about books, making readingirresistible.

We hope you love these books as much as we do.

Alex Bedford Chris Quigley


Three cognitive domains

You may increase the depth of children’s understanding by ensuring the learning experience demands cognitive challenge. Children can learn the same objective but the depth at which they access it is dependent on the prior experiences and evidence of success. Here is our depth of learning approach to get you started:

BASIC ADVANCING DEEP

Low level cognitive demand. Involves following

instructions.

Higher level of cognitive demand. Involves mental processing beyond recall. Requires some degree of

decision making.

Cognitive demands are complex and abstract. Involves problems with multiple steps or more than

one possible answer. Requires justification of answers.

fluency, application, understanding


The FIVE essential features included in each book:

1. KNOWLEDGE of the world vital information about the people, places, time, setting and culture within the book.

2. VOCABULARY in context essential words and phrases you need to know, use and apply throughout the book.

3. S.M.S.C. philosophical activities and questions to inspire and integrate Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural education within each book.

4. Introductions & finishes Brilliant Beginnings help acquire knowledge and interest whilst Fabulous Finishes promote the ability to recall, retain and explain understanding.

5. Depth activitiesBasic, Advancing and Deep activities are designed around the book that stimulate and promote different types of thinking. All depth activities are cross-referenced to the Essentials and National Curriculum expectations.


Resources

THINKING TEMPLATES

We have created over 50+ unique templates to encourage children to explore and to actively participate with a book. It is our intention that children think critically about reading.

These are called the THINK-it maps. Each one is referenced against individual depth activities.

Like the verbs we use to illustrate the types of activities - Basic, Advancing and Deep, the THINK-it templates are not always exclusive to just these cognitive domains.

They are flexible and can be used to directly teach (instruction), as reminder prompts or through coaching techniques.

Use them to encourage critical thinking and develop understanding of reading and writing with the children you teach.

EXAMPLES

We have also included a few examples of pupils work, showing how Brilliant Books comes to life in classrooms. We hope these inspire you and your pupils.


Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy

Get to know the cheeky Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy, and follow him on his troublesometrails. Accompanied by his fellow dogs, including: Hercules Morse, Bitzer Maloney, Muffin McLay,Bottomley Potts and Schnitzel Von Krumm, the six dogs go out for a walk from their homes. They areunaware that Scarface Claw, the toughest tomcat in town, is lurking round the corner…


Knowledge of the World

PeriodThis tale is in the present day, possibly in a town.

PlaceA town with a range of different sized houses, including bungalows. Each house is connected to one of the dogs.

A park is located nearby and it is connected with a variety of roads. Each house has a different boundary, some hedged, some wooden fenced whilst others are made of stone or suggest a grander entrance with brick walls.

Shops are nearby and beyond them is a park to the far end of town where something frightening is lurking in the shadows…

ContinentAustralia

CountryMore than likely it is set in a town in New Zealand although it could be a town in England.

DogsHairy Maclary is a Scottish Terrier or lesser known Aberdeen Terrier. They are small, short-legged and have a hard wiry, weather resistant coat. Lives at number 60.

Hercules Morse is a Mastiff. They are a very large dog with big heads but have a gentle and loving nature. Lives at number 54.

Bottomley Potts is a Dalmatian. These dogs are medium in size and have a black or brown (liver) spotted coat. When puppies are born they have a white coat and their spots usually appear after 3 weeks. Lives at number 52.

Muffin McLay is an Old English Sheepdog. These large dogs can grow a very long coat that covers their face and eyes. Some people believe that their history can be traced back to a similar dog captured in a painting by Gainsborough, 1771. Lives at number 48.

Bitzer Maloney is a Whippet, sometimes known as an English Whippet or Snap dog. Medium in size, they are smaller than their descendants – Greyhounds. There are examples of this type of dog found in Ancient Egyptian artwork! Lives at number 38.

Schnitzel Von Krumm is a Dachshund. They have short legs and long bodies. Their front legs are designed for digging and their front paws are paddle shaped and large. Sometimes they are known as a ‘sausage dog’ because of their shape!

CatScarface claw


EMOTION-it (Single character)

Key event 1 Key event 2 Key event 3 Key event 4 Key event 5

Character emotion

Proof from the text or illustration

Happiness

Sadness

Anger

Fear

Disgust

Surprise

Love

Shame


DESCRIBE-it - Hairy Maclarey from Donaldson’s Dairy


Night Sky Dragons

Yazul loves making kites with his grandfather, but all he truly desires is the approval of his father.Yazul’s father is a powerful Lord of the protective camp called a ‘han’. These were places of safetyalong the Silk Road in Mongolia. Yazul’s love of kite-making only seems to bring aboutdisappointment from his father.

When the “han” is attacked by bandits, Yazul has an idea. With the help of his grandfather, hemight just be able to use his kite-making skills to scare the bandits away and save the day. Findout if Yazul’s courage and creativity make his father proud.


Vocabulary in context

Great Emperor exceptional leaders or generals of the time. Perhaps the leader of China?

medieval a period of time that describes the Middle Ages.

merchants people who engaged in selling and buying desirable items, such as: spices, silk, metals and ceramics.

ancestors a relative who is older than a grandparent.

Han a Chinese dynasty believed to exist from 206 BC to AD 220. Also thought to be a place of safety for caravans and travellers on the Silk Road trade route.

bandit a robber or outlaw who belongs to a gang.


Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education

• An expressive and/or creative impulse

Grandfather nurtured Yazul’s love for kite making and kite flying. How did this help him to win the respect of his father?

• A readiness to challenge all that would constrain the human spirit: for example, poverty of aspiration, lack of self-confidence and belief, indifference, force, fanaticism, aggression, greed, injustice, self-interest, sexism and racism.

Yazul thought creatively and was ready to challenge the bandits without using force. Was this the best course of action?

• Respect for others’ needs, interests and feelings, as well as their own.

Father was a strong leader, but his love for Yazul was a sad and heavy thing. Why was this?

• An ability to think through the consequence of their own and others’ actions.

Yazul paid a heavy price for his mischief, and he lost the respect of his father. Do you think this was fair?

Spiritual Moral


Basic

MAP-itRecall the events of each chapter, such as: the people, the place and the weather, workshop, father, mischief and consequence. Recall and summarise main ideas.

DRAW-it

Draw what you think each of the main characters look like, such as: the watchmen, Yazul, Father, Grandfather or Grandmother. Ask questions to improve understanding of a text; Draw inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidences.

DESCRIBE-it

Use the text to help describe the characters’ physical and emotional appearance. Place the illustrations and the descriptions side by side. What do you notice? You could focus on key characters, including: Yazul, Father, Grandfather and the Watchmen. Explain and discuss understanding of reading, maintaining focus on the topic.

ACQUIRE-it

Get to know the words used in this book. Look carefully at their meaning, placement and purpose within the narrative. Write definitions and recall them to others. Create a word wall with useful vocabulary within the story but go further and visualise, connect and tell others what they mean. Test others on these words so they recall and remember them, accurately. Identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning.

VISUALISE-itWhat does the sentence, “The low red sun spilled light into the valley and painted shadows on the endless, snow-smothered mountains that surrounded it,” look like? Illustrate it. Discuss words and phrases that capture the imagination.

SAY-it

Choose important physical or human features from the text, such as: the mountains, the sunrise or the han. Take turns to notice and describe the feature using a correct sentence. Each time improve the sentence. Use digital talk tins to record, listen and improve the description. Write down the improved sentence. Explain and discuss understanding of reading, maintaining focus on the topic.

NOTICE-itThink aloud: use one of the pages, such as when Yazul scares his Grandmother by putting bamboo in the fire. Find and show others where and how the author uses punctuation and similes. Ask questions to improve understanding of a text, discuss words and phrases that capture the imagination.


INFER-it - Night Sky Dragons


The Pearl Diver

Saeed is a six-year old boy who is on the cusp of an amazing adventure in the Arabian Gulf. Heand his father, Abdullah, are going out to dive for pearls. Abdullah is one of the finest pearl diversin the Arabian Gulf. Discover how Saeed adapts to life on board the sambuk and how he copes onhis first adventure out to sea with his father and the rest of the divers. What challenges lie ahead inthis perilous but potentially lucrative trade?


Sparkling StartAcquire

Fabulous FinishRecall, Explain, Retain

• Describe life on the pearl diving boat. What was it like to live during those times?

• Use watercolours to recreate images in the style of the award-winning illustrator. Describe these images through painting and words.

• Find out about the bivalve mollusc’s known as oysters. How do they grow, see, breathe and eat?

• Write a persuasive letter to new pearl diving recruits. What would you include to tempt them into this ancient and traditional trade?

• Describe what you can see from the deck of the sambuk. Create poems to share your imagery and description.


Deep

INVESTIGATE-it

Use the story maps to summarise key events in the story. What if you were to change an event? How would this affect the characters and their actions. Use the INVESTIGATE-it page to help. Identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning. Make comparisons within and across books.

RECOMMEND-it

There are so many beautiful and well written sentences in this book. Choose one and analyse it. Why is it well written? An example could be, “The men on the boat were excited: the day before the diving began was full of expectation.” Use the RECOMMEND-it page to help. Recommend books to peers, giving reasons for choices.

WONDER-itSpeculate about the many possibilities that lie within this story. Use the WONDER-it page to help teach others about your thoughts. Participate in discussion about books, taking turns and listening and responding to what others say.

ASSESS-itUse a key event and character to investigate further. Justify how the character has got into this situation and assess his/her predicament. Use the ASSESS-it page to help. Provide reasoned justifications for views.

CRITIQUE-it

You need a view of the whole book and notes to help you remember. Justify and convince others about the important parts of this book that stood out for you. Give reasons for your choices and examples from the text. Use the CRITIQUE-it page to help. Identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning. Provide reasoned justification for views.


VIEWPOINT-it (Two characters)

Character:

I am explaining what this character felt and thought.

What was similar?

Character:

I am explaining what this character felt and thought.

What was different?

I am describing the key event:


EMOTION-it - The Pearl Diver

Documents

Introduction - quigley-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com · Proof from the text or illustration Happiness Sadness Anger Fear ... Night Sky Dragons ... placement and purpose within the narrative