Celebrating Togetherness

LISTEN, I READ
BOOK: VIRGINIA WOLF
ILLUSTRATED BY: ISABELLE ARSENAULT

One of our classes this year is going to be exploring family relationships. Our school is in a transient, high-immigrant neighbourhood and amidst the pressures and struggles of surviving, togetherness and connectedness sometimes takes a backseat. We would like our students to appreciate the importance of families and how they are always there for them, in times of sorrow to cheer them up, in times of joy to celebrate with them. Virginia Wolf, a story that explores sibling relationships in a sensitive manner, while loosely being based on real characters, will give us a chance to introduce the idea and build upon it. With an individual copy of the story, the students will be able to read it with their families which will help them strengthen their connections, thereby enabling them to THRIVE in harmony. The theme of the story is based on visual arts and therefore will reach out to them powerfully while giving them an opportunity to realize the potential and power of art – not just as a subject they learn at school but something that holds a deep, subtle value in how they think and who they can become. It will be a special bonus to have a meeting with the author of the book. The students are learning to write and are being taught to think about how to write. Direct interaction with the author will open the learning space beyond the four walls of the classroom for them.

Update (April 5, 2013)

We were so excited to receive a class set of the book 'Virginia Wolf'. The teacher held a special ceremony where she opened the big cardboard box and took out one book after the other and handed them out to the students. The students were super-pleased to receive a copy in their own hands. They all read the book as a class.

Update (May 23, 2013)

We had the most amazing visit with Author Kyo Maclear on April 4th. The news of her visiting us was posted on our Board's "Good News From Schools" page:

Grade 3 students at Corliss Public School met Kyo Maclear, a novelist and children’s author. Her visit was the result of a grant called 'Listen I Read', which provided the grade 3 class with a class set of the book Virginia Wolf and a chance to meet the author. The book explores how we can all be in a wolfish mood sometimes and how some things and people around us lift us out of that mood. Maclear did an activity called the 'Glad Day Box' and signed students’ books. The students presented Kyo Maclear with a self-created book called 'Our Happy Places'.