Reading about Winter

One of my favourite activities in Winter is to curl up with a good book on the sofa, whatever the weather outside. Take a look at this selection of books about winter, both stories and non-fiction, to share with the children in your setting and use the activities to help them discover more about the changes of the seasons.

The Use of Content Analysis to Assess Letterland Book for Kindergarten Students

Most of previous researches investigated the use of Letterland method in teaching English. However, only few researches concern with the Letterland book that have many differences with local story books in Indonesia. This research was aimed to find out how the quality of Letterland book refers to listening, reading, and vocabulary skills, language content (topic, subject content and social and culture values) and the effectiveness of Letterland book. Content analysis method was applied in this research. There were two instruments which are used in this reseach, they are : document and interview that involved teachers in Star Kiddy Preschool and Learning Center. This research used Cunningsworth theory as guidance to analyse the quality of Letterland book. The findings showed that listening, reading, vocabulary skills in Letterland book are categorized as good book. The language contents of Letterland book is qualified as good EFL book criteria. Teachers in Star Kiddy Preschool Star Kiddy Preschool and Learning Center stated that Letterland book is effective to learn English for children. However, there were problems in the implementation of Letterland book such as: limited time, new teachers that had not expert on Letterland book. Therefore, this research was expected to be the an overview of teachers that learnt English by using Letterland book for children.

EFL Teachers’ Perception toward the Use of “Beyond” International Textbook

This study aims to explore the teacher’s perception on using the “beyond” textbook that is from an international publisher. The study used descriptive qualitative design. The open-ended questionnaire was used to explore the teachers’ perception. The participants of the study were three English teachers, two of them are from SMPIT Al Muqorrobin-Depok and one is from SMPI Al Ikhlas-South Jakarta. The finding revealed that the teacher has a positive perception of the textbook. It has accordance with the requirements of the good book. The content is aligned with the Indonesia curriculum. It also involved four basic language skills as well as its language knowledge. However, the textbook has very minimal local cultural understanding and doesn’t facilitate all learners’ cognitive level. For further research, it is suggested to have the study in Bilingual or senior school in order to find the maximum result toward the implementation of the textbook.

How And Why I Coined The Term “Cellular Dust”

I was partly inspired to coin the term “cellular dust” from the theological concept of the original immortality, fall and subsequent mortality of man. The Good Book says in Genesis 2:7 “and The Lord God formed man of the DUST of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living soul”. The scriptural phrase “for DUST thou art, and unto DUST shalt thou return” in the 19th verse of the next chapter evoked in me the concept of the de-coordination of the microzymas at the point of death. [1] Dust also serves as a medium for creating non humans in scripture viz “….Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice….all the dust in the land became lice” (Exodus 8:17).

Review essay: When the dancing turned to mourning: Theological responses to the pandemic

This review essay considers four books published within the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. It guides us through how each of these texts offers a timely Christian response to, and not explanation for, the challenges that we face: innumerable deaths, the inability to worship together, deserted streets and shut-up businesses, the place of viruses in the Earth’s ecology, and the apparent absence of God as the innovations of modern science seem to be our only salvation. Reviewed works:John C. Lennox, Where is God in a Coronavirus World? (Epsom, Surrey: The Good Book Company, 2020)Tom Wright, God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and its Aftermath (London: SPCK: 2020)Walter Brueggemann, Virus as a Summons to Faith: Biblical Reflections in a Time of Loss, Grief, and Uncertainty (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2020)Robert Keay, Reframing Pandemic (The Window of Christianity series; New York: Basiliad Publishing, 2020)

Engaging readers through choice

School Library Policies usually include, .”the development of a life long love of reading/literature”. Choosing a good book to read is like choosing an artwork for your house. It is subject to personal taste, artistic preference and personal experiences. The Teacher Librarian can play a pivotal role in supporting students reading for enjoyment, both formally and informally within the school. By personalizing and developing choice as part of formal reading programs, they can assist students to develop their love of reading and indulge their passion for certain types of literature in a supportive and encouraging environment.

Arguments behind Closed Doors

This chapter addresses inconsistencies and disagreements within the Bible, the sorts of things that sometimes lead people to dismiss the Good Book out of hand. In general, there are at least four kinds of disagreement. The first is a function of the Bible’s disparate literary sources. The second is that the Bible reflects an evolving theology or worldview. The third shows how a particular issue considered in different contexts might generate conflicting claims. Finally, in some cases, the fourth reveals late biblical texts wrestling with received texts that were simply wrong but by then immutable. Yet another kind of disagreement may not be one at all, but is more a function of modern readers' interpretations than contradictions within the texts themselves. In the process of discussing both broad differences and specific inconsistences, this chapter also tempers readers' haste to toss out the Bible altogether. By bringing background information to bear, one can, if not make sense of these oddities, then accept them for what they are.