The Poster Poem/Story Project – Free Resources for Teachers, Librarians and Parents

Dear Carers and Educators of our beloved children!
Would free resources be useful for you as teachers, teacher librarians or parents? If you answer is YES, read on....

My name is Jennifer R. Poulter. I am an Australian author/poet/editor/illustrator with 9 published books for children and education, and two more coming this year. A list of my works can be seen on JaketFlap an international networking site for anyone interested in children’s literature and literacy [ http://www.jacketflap.com/profile.asp?member=JRPoulter ].

I have also collaborated with numbers of illustrators from around the world on the Poster Poem/Story & Minibook Project. I initiated on Sharing Books [http//:www.sharing-books.com].

 I have worked as an assessment package writer for the education department in my state and know what teachers need. Feedback from my links to educators across the globe and various educational organisations indicates that many schools and teachers have enthusiastically utilized the materials on Sharing Books in their lesson plans. The material has had various applications:

      as reading material - the strong visual appeal of the works adds to the attraction for students,

      as worksheets for discussion centred around topics raised by the poem or story,

      as material for use in translation classes [eg.,  Ukrainian children have responded very enthusiastically to the material ],

      as colouring in material printed in Black and white, 

      as decorative posters in the classroom,

      print outs of their favourite poster in colour as a reward to students  for work well done!
 

All of the books, posters and mini-books listed on Sharing Books.com are free to download from the site.

For authors and illustrators it represents promotion globally for our work and we do receive a percentage of site earnings for downloads, which is generated through advertising, affiliation and donations to the site. This amounts to one third of total income generated by the site which author and illustrator split. Sharing Books.com receives one third of the incoming funds to maintain the web site. The final third of all donations received goes to Room to Read, a not-for-profit organisation providing books, libraries and literacy tuition for children in third world countries.

The Sharing Books.com site is a great tool to combat illiteracy and to augment sorely needed classroom resources! The more teachers, parents, librarians and students who download books and posters, the more funding is attracted to the site to be able to expand and provide even more resources and keep them free of charge!

These are some of the responses I have received since the first poster went up on site in late December 2008 [not even two months ago!].

The kids and I did the Expelling Spell poem on Friday and they LOVED it as well as the illustration…

American teacher, preschool and lower primary grades

Im going back to work next week to teach two days a week in a grade 2/3 so these will be most helpful in my ideas and programming.
Great stuff                                            

Australian primary school teacher 

I downloaded your posters, thank you. Most of all I liked the ones about pandas and cats. My little daughter will be in a rave - shes a fan of animals, especially cats. Susie Dreaming is very nice and cute.
Teacher from Ukraine

I have to tell you that I took it to school with me to read to my preschool students and they LOVED it! (So you know its good now! They are truly the best sounding boards!)

The poem was a hit with the three and four year old age group, good job!

Teacher review, USA

I loved your poems. I shared them with the fourth graders in my class, and they enjoyed them too.
Thanks for sharing!

Teacher USA

Now at school were having an English week. And I gave your poems to children to work with them as translators - to translate in poetical style. They like this type of work - so creative! So this way I use your poems, they are funny, I love people with the sense of humor, and I hope the students and I will  laugh together listening to the kids (your) poems in our native language.

Teacher  Ukraine

You know, today weve had a lesson using your poems - and my kids translations (Expelling Spell, Pandamonium, Ten of Them and Little People...), if you could hear and understand Russian, it was brilliant, fabulous and funny, of course... lots of laughter!
They (age-11) translated the poems themselves and did not only translate, but rewrote them in rhyme. To my delight they caught the heart of your works, and some of their works were not worse than the originals :)
And they asked me for more! Ive just downloaded your other posters, though I havent read them yet.

Thank you from me and from my students.

All the best

Teacher, Russia

Materials super.......will activate people within QSA to develop some literacy enrichment learning materials around your work  

Teacher, assessment package writer /senior education officer   Australia

I enjoy the poem very much, [I saw an Angel…]. Especially for children. Last week our topic in class was "Earth in danger", we were talking a lot about this,…. So your poem will be a good continuation.

Teacher Ukraine

This is a great resource. Thanks for updates….

cheers

Assistant Director, Assessment Resources Branch, Teaching & Learning Division

Queensland Studies Authority

I will forward this on to my boss ….to forward it to schools in our district! Looks like really great stuff!

AVT Behaviour Management Teacher & outgoing Artistic Director QPF

Go to      http://www.sharing-books.com/ and ENJOY!