General Literacy Support - Finalist Critique
2 Oct 2009
The activity suggestions provided are designed to encourage children and students of all ages to be come actively involved in reading, writing and illustrating.
Use these as a starting point to stimulate your own ideas for working with the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards finalists in the classroom, in the library or at home.
Finalist Critique
General Activities
- Arrange a display of the New Zealand Post Book Award finalist titles.
- Make up a display board with information on the finalist titles using pupils' art, book covers, reviews etc
- From the covers of the finalist titles try to guess what the story or subject of the book will be.
- You be the judge - have a class or group vote on the finalist titles and choose which books you would like to win the New Zealand Post Book Awards this year. Enter the votes in the Children's Choice Award.
- Judge the books on different criteria - illustration, story, most informative, most fun to read, best production.
- Discuss the finalist titles in one category. Why would the judges have selected them? What lasting qualities do they have? What makes them particularly interesting or different?
- Guess which books the judges will choose as the winners and why.
- Debate or discuss which books should win each category.
- Discuss the characters in one or more of the finalist stories. Are they realistic or fanciful?
Analysis
Analyse the components of the books in different categories:
Picture Book
- How does the cover convey the story?
- How is the story structured?
- What role do the illustrations play in telling the story?
The Novel
- What is the plot of the book?
- How is the book structured to create impact?
- Are the characters believable?
- Is the language used believable?
Non-Fiction Book
- Is the subject well covered?
- Is it easy to find information?
- Is there a contents list and index?
Early Childhood
- Read the stories out loud.
- Encourage art activities based on the finalist stories.
- Keep a scrapbook of information about finalist titles - cut articles from local and national papers, record which books your group has read, and what the reaction to each book was.
- Choose an appropriate book from the finalists and play "let's pretend" around the subject.
- Mark on a map of New Zealand where the authors and illustrators of the finalist books come from.
Primary and Intermediate
- Design stamps based on award finalists and display them in the library or at your local bookshop.
- Design posters to advertise the New Zealand Post Book Awards - display them in the school library, or offer them to a local bookshop for display.
- Organise a "Book Week" concluding with a celebration parade involving other classes, the local library and bookshop.
- Check this site on 13 May 2004 to find out the award winners and make an announcement to the school or library. Hold a celebration party.
Secondary
- Compare the Non-Fiction and Fiction finalist titles. What are the differences? Look at how other books in the library are classified as fiction and non-fiction.
- Have students write book reviews about finalist titles. Display these, then compile as a set.
- Have a group select a finalist book to "sell" to the rest of a class with a stand-up presentation.
- Invent advertising "strap-lines" or slogans for the New Zealand Post Book Awards.
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