Finding Olaf Picture book
Standard 3 - Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
Standard 3.4.1- Select and use resources
Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.
During one of my science units at University, we were asked to create a picture book addressing a scientific concept for a specific stage. I decided to create my book for Early Stage 1 – Earth and Space, targeting the outcome ‘identifies how daily and seasonal changes in the environment affect humans and other living things (Ste-6ES-S). (Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus, 2017).
The picture book ‘Finding Olaf’ was centred around the character Olaf and his friends. After Olaf became distracted by a beautiful lady beetle, he realised his friends had left without him. Startled and confused, he decided to try and find his way home with the help of a new friend, Periwinkle. However, he stumbled upon some obstacles which he had to overcome on the way.
In order to provide effective teaching, students must be engaged in their learning. I purposely ensured that the characters in my picture books were characters which students would already be familiar with, as this would automatically increase their engagement. This could also permit the students to engage in visual thinking, as they would try to imagine these familiar characters in this story’s unfamiliar setting.
I believe this picture book addresses Standard 3.4.1 as it is an effective resource which engages the students who listen to it. As the book continues on, it encourages students to partake in experiments and brainstorm some questions whilst addressing some common misconceptions along the way. (Meier, 2011). The experiments in the picture book require students to partake in a hands-on inquiry lesson, as they must delve into the experiments to discover the end result.
In terms of ICT incorporation, there is a section of the book in which students are encouraged to scan the QR code to discover the different types of animals that hibernate.
I believe creating picture-books such as this will be implemented in my own future teaching, as I experienced first hand the high levels of engagement from the students as they helped Olaf find his way back home.
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