This week, we finally managed to install our new (not new ) item of furniture - a mid-18th Century grandfather clock. It's not bright and shiny like more modern ones, but a dark oak with a warm patina which the beeswax polish is drawing out. In order to set it up, we had to do a certain amount of research - how to hang the pendulum, where the weight went on the endless chain - and it got me thinking... where and when did certain divisions of time come from? The time periods which I have written either had household clocks or didn't, I have not written novels from the time of their invention. Clocks have been around for a long time, and the obsession with measuring time in an ordered fashion dates back to at least the ancient Sumerians. It was they who established a circular reading of time and, I imagine, the sixty seconds/minutes came about as much because it was an easy way to divide a circle as anything else. But it wasn't until much later that the precision of seconds ...
I've been clearing out my school cupboard over the last couple of weeks, and trying to clear some books. Most of them, I send my sister's way, and let her pick out which ones she wants for her classroom. The others go towards the Bring and Buy Sale one of my colleagues is organising. Some, a select few, I chose to keep. So here's a list of books that I wouldn't be without as a teacher:
First Aid for Fairies and Other Fabled Beasts by Lari Don
It's one of my favourite class novels, and the kids love it. What's more, there's three more books. I was once a little star struck when I arranged for Lari Don to come and do an author visit with the class. The class were delighted that the author of their class novel was coming to talk to them, and she was great. There was the option for the children to buy signed books, but Lari Don also brought some signed postcards as not every child could afford a book. One pupil, in particular, was thrilled with this gift.
Can you tell she's one of my favourite authors?
Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine
I remember it from when I was at school, and it's a great length for a class 'novel' if you don't have much available time in your day. It's funny, too, and the class love a good laugh!
The Goosebumps Series by R L Stine
Now, if ever there was an author who really understood what kids wanted to read...
These spine-tingling books are great for kids who really want to get their teeth into something gritty. Cliff-hangers galore, they are in themselves a masterclass for keeping children interested in their books. I was not great at reading aloud when I was little but I remember reading my Goosebumps school book to my family one evening. Mum wrote in my Reading Record that I had everyone sitting on the edge of their seats.
The Story Orchestra Books
These are books with a difference. Each tells a story, originally portrayed in music, and on each page, they have a 'play along' button which plays the original music! How awesome is that! The book I have is The Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg, and I read it to my P3/4s during a music lesson. The hope of being the one to press the button kept them sitting nicely, if nothing else!
There's just a few of the books I wouldn't be without. I'm sure there are more, which I'll find this week when I continue clearing. What books would you not want to be without in a classroom?
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