How to Spark the Love of History in Children...

I have found the perfect book that will do just that...

Book Review : The Raucous Royals, by Carlyn Beccia


…I dare you to judge this book by its cover…



Trust your feeling about this one-You’ll be right on.

Instantaneously this book will grab your attention with its gorgeous cover, regal writing, royal colours and cleverly amusing illustrations. A deliciously tempting visual fest, The Raucous Royals is filled with the most outrageous historical rumors that instantly captivate the interest. Your child will want to find out –Did that happen? That’s so funny! That didn’t happen!...Or, did it? No way to find out but to keep on reading; and that’s what will happen cause your child won’t let you put it down.

Carlyn Beccia (check out her blog)is a fantastic author! She has devised a sure way to whet a child’s appetite for history. The book is filled with guessing games, secret codes, experiments, quizzes and the most hilarious, almost caricature-like illustrations ever. And that’s only the half of it…the best part is savored in the history! That’s where you discover whether King Richard really did murder his nephews; or whether Anne Boleyn had six fingers; if Mary Queen of Scots plotted to assassinate her cousin Elizabeth I-or- if King Louis XIV took only three baths in his life! What?!

All rumors? Or fact? You won’t be misled. Everything is explained with clarity, fun, and complete accuracy. Carlyn Beccia’s work reveals itself as intelligent, witty, creative and well researched. The Raucous Royals is filled with interactive, thought provoking questions and topics that trigger the mind. Your child will love using his detective instincts to search and find out the truth while learning interesting historical facts. I just can’t say enough about the presentation and content of this book. Well written and beautifully illustrated; the book will captivate young children, while being sophisticated enough to keep older teens just as enthralled.

The perfect blend between historical accuracy and splendor in creative entertainment, The Raucous Royals depicts history through an amazingly unique and enticing approach that will have kids falling in love with the past.

Ages: 7…(adults will absolutely love this book too – along with the whole experience!)

What does Sophia have to say?



What I liked:

I liked reading about Henry VIII so much! He was so fat that his servant people carried him around. He’s my favourite and that was so funny. I even learned how to write the code like Mary the Queen of Scott. That was fun too.

What I think:

Right now this is my favourite, bestest book in the world.


Rating: 5 Castles butI want to give it 6!


FOR a Fantastic GIVEAWAY of this book see: http://enchantedbyjosephine.blogspot.com/2009/09/day-5-of-hf-bloggers-round-table-book.html

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Literacy Lava 2, Coming Soon!!

Making literacy part of our everyday family life is often just a matter of remembering. We need to make sure our kids see that reading, writing, and communicating are important to us, and give them lots of opportunities to participate too.


Literacy Lava 2 is a free magazine that will bring you ideas: for motivating reluctant readers, for literacy on the go, for developing the imagination muscle, for linking math and literacy, for having a pirate party and a book picnic, for rhymes, games, activities and more!

Brought to you by bloggers and writers who are passionate about children's literature and literacy, Literacy Lava 2 is erupting with no- or low-cost activities parents can do with kids to promote literacy.

Coming September 1 to The Book Chook blog!

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Literacy Lava Magazine- FREE Download!!

The Book Chook is offering this wonderful magazine For FREE






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Literacy Lava is a free digital magazine (in pdf format) for you to read, download and use, share with others, or print and keep. The combined work of a brilliance of bloggers, Literacy Lava is erupting with great tips for parents, and suggestions for literacy activities to share with kids.



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In the first issue, you'll find:

Tips for Reading Aloud
When Do I Start Reading Aloud?
Garden of Reading
Bedtime Stories Grow Up
Literacy Through Play
Putting the Ate into CreAte
Reluctant Reader vs Despondent Mom
Online Extras
Activity Page
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The Session is Coming to an End...

I’m just rounding up my last teaching sessions with a few reports left to write- …University courses are finished and so are my business classes. It looks like summer is actually on its way. I usually take a break from teaching starting at the beginning of June up until the end of August.


Although I do make sure to get some well deserved rest during the summer, I also take the time to research and set up for new courses beginning in the fall. The summer revitalizes me so much. I find that ideas just keep popping into my head and I take off with it all and plan ahead.


The summer is also for me to work on my writing, since most of my manuals get created at this particular time of year. It’s perfect because I feel rested and am able to fully dedicate myself to this activity that I absolutely love.


This is also the time where I plan and go over my consulting projects with clients regarding all aspects of teaching and cultural organizational competencies in their firms. It’s a good time for reevaluation and setting new objectives for the following year.


Although this might seem like I’m taking on a lot, I actually have quite a bit of time to manage it all, and frankly, all of it is secondary to my family. The summer is really when we all unwind and get to spend time together.


So, the session might be over, but there’s still so much to do! I’ll be looking forward to redirecting my focus onto slightly different things (that are still somehow connected) for the next couple of months; research, planning and lots of reading (for pleasure too, of course…as some of you may already know; I’m a history lover, but that's another blog...)


How is your end of session going?

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Stuck In Limbo: An Intermediate Phase

Having gone through the often exhaustive pacing and repetition required when teaching beginners, most teachers jump at the opportunity to teach an intermediate class. Let’s face it; most of us often crave actual conversation. With intermediate students the hurdles of beginners’ struggles seem a thing of the past. We look forward to a participating class where students actually understand eachother. We prepare exciting activities and discussion topics as though we’ve just had a revelation. Lesson plans become works of art. We envision the endless possibilities. The sky is the limit…or- is it?


Unfortunately, an intermediate learner’s perception may reveal a different picture. More often than not it is at this stage that many students feel they may have reached a plateau. They want to continue to progress but complain that this is not happening for them. They feel stuck and begin to think that the whole learning process has become insignificant in terms of results.


They feel that they continue to make the same mistakes; they should be advancing more rapidly; they’re less motivated to self-correct or to do additional work; they feel loss of confidence as a language learner; they may also be demanding on teachers in terms of methods, learning material; they are unsatisfied and less motivated.


Typically, the intermediate student enjoys the early stages of this level. This is where he/she practices expressing meanings in many situations in which he or she id regularly involved. Successful communication at this stage becomes incredibly rewarding. However, at a later stage, where language acquisition and rendition becomes more intricate and sophisticated; self perception changes and the student begins to second-guess everything he/she says. Some students revert to making the same old mistakes…Sound familiar?


Teachers need to help students handle their learning process and motivate them to progress. My suggestion is for teachers to explain the typical learning progression that occurs in language acquisition. The usual progress entails students making steep progress initially to gradually level off in the latter stages of learning.


At the beginning, setting markers for students that will help them recognize each objective as they tackle it can be especially meaningful in projecting a clear course ahead. As vocabulary and grammar are being simultaneously learned through conversation and relevant activities, students work their way up to a functional level. Whether the grammar, syntax, or structure is consistently correct is not of major importance at this point. The student knows he/she has come a long way from barely uttering a word- to speaking in full sentences. The progress they have made is clear to them.


The situation, being quite different at an intermediate level, teachers must emphasize to students that this is the stage where they are deepening their knowledge and gaining confidence. As ‘speakers’, they are becoming much more autonomous. This new flexibility allows them to apply the language in individual ways. Students should be encouraged to set personal targets to help them measure what they have achieved. Teachers can prepare a beginning-of session test that might show them the gaps and weaknesses in their knowledge. A teacher can also set up a list of learning targets that the student could select from. Specific linguistic functions, tailor-made to the student’s needs, can benefit learners by optimizing communication in directed areas.


Help your students understand that this transitional period is normal and often necessary to aid in re-evaluating their objectives in order for them to move on. Gear your students to focus on their abilities and strengths as a communicator. In turn, this will help the student regain confidence while helping him/her understand and manage the learning that is taking place. Remember to be supportive and to remind them that with every great work of art, it is at the stagnant stage that all the ‘polishing’ occurs- and that’s when something spectacular usually evolves.


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Context Explanation and Synonyms Versus Translation

Too often when my students can’t express a word or thought in English, they simply revert to their own native language to find the right term. Sure, this is a lot easier and quicker, but it doesn’t necessarily help the learning process. The fact that their teacher understands them makes it all the more comfortable. (As a teacher, there are pros and cons to speaking, or understanding your students’ native language...but I’ll leave that for another post).

So how do we get them to stop doing that? I usually encourage my students to scribble in their notepads as many synonyms as possible to describe the thought or word they're looking for. As they write they are encouraged to speak the words out loud. Only after the student shows that he has been able to communicate his thought, other students may offer the correct word, if stll needed.

Surprisingly, help is often not necessary since the student either finds the term on his own, or he/she is satisfied with the replacement synonym. With time, these synonyms form a personal sort of dictionary that is a very useful reference tool for the student. The process I use is a bit mechanical, but it does become automatic after some practice. This requires mental work along with the sustained practice within conversation.


Conceptualizing the context and describing it, is much more effective than stopping to find the one correct term needed to express oneself. Therefore, my students are encouraged to keep on talking and describing until we all get the picture. Of course, this takes a bit more time, but it helps to further develop the learning process. Other students get involved and they learn as they expand their own language repertoire. At the end, everyone realizes that there is more than just one specific way to express a thought. And, ultimately, there's a lot of satisfaction, as well as increased self-confidence in knowing that you got your message across.

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Telephone Teaching

Ever notice how visual support is almost essential when teaching a new language? Many students heavily rely on this in order to grasp a better understanding of what is being said or taught. This is perfectly fine. As teachers, we want students to be equipped with all that is necessary for them to achieve their learning goal. But, sometimes…


…I worry that my students become too dependant on their visual skills. This can pose some difficulties where listening skills are concerned. There is a big difference between ‘watching’ and ‘listening’; the first is rather passive, while, the second is more active. Notice your students when they watch a movie. Notice the difference when they listen to an audio tape, or the radio. Their focus becomes more intent when listening. Some students may even look worried that ‘they’re missing’ something being said. This is a good indicator that their listening skills need practice.


Telephone teaching can be an interesting way to complement in-class lessons. This gives the student the opportunity to recognize language as it is spoken, without visual dependence. It is a way of training the ear in order to sensitize the student to different sounds, accents, intonations and blends. This provides two-way communication that is not otherwise attainable through regular aural activities, such as for example, listening to the radio or a recording.


A simple fifteen to twenty minute follow- up telephone lesson once or twice a week can help students improve not only their listening skills, but, their fluency as well. Initially, students may find that speaking on the telephone makes them a little nervous, but this usually lasts for the first couple of minutes. It’s our duty as teachers to pace ourselves accordingly in order to make sure that this new learning process is given a fair chance. Especially since the rewards for increased fluency strongly depend on good listening skills.


Lessons can be used to review what was previously learned in class, to catch-up on material, to work on specific areas of difficulty, to practice functional language with specific purpose, to practice dialog or presentations…or to simply work on ‘small talk’ and conversation. The possibilities are endless.


This exposure obviously lends to a broader communication vehicle for students since speaking opportunities in the real world are not only limited to face- to- face encounters. Much of our daily dealings, for personal or business reasons, are conducted over the telephone. Telephone lessons as an accompaniment to in-class lessons, are an excellent way to promote language learning for purpose.



Picture source: http://www.talktech.co.uk/