Story Box Library- NOT just for little kids!
Myth: Story Box Library is a Lower Primary resource.
Fact: Almost one quarter of our library is, not only, relevant for children in upper primary, but also targeted to this age group.
Story Box Library most certainly has a place in the Upper Primary classroom. Our online library and Classroom Ideas are designed to support the work teachers do in the classroom, and we cater for all primary school levels; therefore Story Box Library provides engaging learning opportunities for children in Levels 5 and 6.
There are five simple ways we recommend using Story Box Library segments in the Upper Primary classroom.
1.      As engaging Viewing and Listening Post texts
Once students reach the Upper Primary year levels they have become seasoned users of technology and, with access to computers or handheld devices, students can independently access our stories for Viewing and Listening Posts that might make up Literacy Hour or Literacy Rotation schedules. The QR codes on our Classroom Ideas PDFs and our Play Queue feature allow teachers to direct students to specific stories if preferred. It is also important to note that students will be able to safely navigate our site without encountering advertising or inappropriate content.
2.      As Mentor Texts
SBL is the perfect resource for modelling specific text structures and language devices because the big screen allows details to be easily seen and discussed in class or group settings. Â The media format of SBL also makes it easy for teachers to pause and replay parts of the story that they or students wish to highlight for discussion.
Our PLAY QUEUE feature also allows teachers to group stories accordingly and play them consecutively, making the process of comparison easier for students.
We recommend the following mentor texts for modelling:
Dialogue: Little Lunch or Shake a Leg
Onomatopoeia: Don’t Look Now, Herman and Rosie, Wendy, or Crunched
Metaphors/Similes: A Bus called Heaven, The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon
Idioms: The Worm who Knew Karate, Don’t Look Now
Symbolism: My Two Blankets, One Minute’s Silence or The Treasure Box
Imagery: One Step at a Time, The Lone Pine, Once a Shepherd or The Treasure Box
Personification: The Family Hour in Australia, Fox, The Stone Lion or The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon
Circular Narratives: Once a Shepherd, The Stone Lion or Mr Huff
3. Â Â Â To explore sophisticated themes.
There are some picture books that are written for Early Childhood, and then there are picture books that are written for an older audience, including adults! These particular picture books explore more complex themes that are sometimes too confronting for younger children, such as war, depression, human rights, death and grief. They also provide an ideal springboard into discussions on contemporary, human and ethical issues.
In addition, our team is familiar with the Australian Curriculum and is particular in selecting stories that align with the content and Cross-Curriculum Priorities set out in the Australian Curriculum, particularly in the areas of Social Sciences and Humanities, Science, and Health and Physical Education. This means our resources support the learning programs developed by teachers in accordance with the requirements of Levels 5 and 6 of the Australian Curriculum.
HUMANITIESÂ AND SOCIAL SCIENCES:
Beth for the study of convicts and Australian colonisation (ACHASSK106/ ACHASSK107/ACHASSK108/ ACHASSK135/ ACHASSK111/ ACHASSK112)
Herman and Rosie for the study of North America (ACHASSK111)
Suri’s Wall, My Two Blankets and The Treasure Box for the study of war, refugees and migration (ACHASSK135/ ACHASSK136/ ACHASSK139/ ACHASSK148 + Ethical Understanding, Intercultural Understanding)
One Step at a Time for the study of landmines and Asia (ACHASSK138 + Ethical Understanding, Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia)
Lone Pine, One Minute’s Silence, I Was Only Nineteen for the study of War and the effects of Australia’s involvement (ACHASSK137)
Tea and Sugar Christmas for the study of Australia’s early development and the role played by migrants and Indigenous Australians. (ACHASSK108/ ACHASSK110/ ACHASSK112 + Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures)
Rules of Summer for the study of civics and citizenship (ACHASSK117/ ACHASSK147/ ACHASSK118)
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT:
The Duck and the Darklings for the study of depression, mental health and community (ACPPS506)
Fox for a study of friendship, relationship and bullying (ACPPS051/ ACPPS055/ ACPPSO56)
The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon for the study of community, diversity, acceptance and inclusion (ACPPSO51/ ACPPSO55/ ACPP5057 + Ethical Understanding)
Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek and Mulga Bill’s Bicycle for a study into language variation and change (ACELA1500)
4. Â Â Â In Makerspaces or STEM/ STEAM initiatives
Stories provide great inspiration for Makerspace projects or STEAM-focused activities because they can pose questions, plant ideas, invite exploration, or students might be even feel compelled to test a theory or event presented in the story. They also allow students a creative and investigative way to connect to the story.
Some of the stories in our library lend themselves perfectly to open-ended investigations in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Â There are two ways that SBL can be used in this way:
a) Â Â Â By viewing a story before setting a related STEM-based task.
b) Â Â Â By displaying a device (set to one of our stories) alongside materials in a Makerspace environment; thereby creating an open-ended invitation or challenge to students.
Our story segments and short films can be viewed for pure entertainment, they can lead to some educational opportunities and they can also inspire creativity.
Our short films can be viewed by students in the Upper Years to provide creative inspiration or they can provide further insight into the training, history, research and inspiration behind the work and minds of Australia’s best authors and illustrators.
Our stories have the potential to inspire students to film and edit their own stories, or they might feel compelled to create their own animation after viewing our song and film clip. Both of which, provide students with learning opportunities in Digital Technologies.
We recommend viewing the following short films:
Danny Katz and Mitch Vane
or Meet Australia’s Children’s Laureates
