Chapter 5 Creatively engaging readers in the later primary years

FOSTERING IMAGINATIVE ENGAGEMENT: EXTENDED EXPLORATIONS

Creative teachers of reading find imaginative ways to journey inside a book on extended explorations as outlined throughout this book. For example, several teachers using the book Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons by Dr Ernest Drake, shared their ideas and found a myriad of ways of firing children’s imaginations and heightening engagement.

In one class, children received a letter telling them that their application to take the secret and ancient Society of Dragonologists Course ‘Working with Dragons’ had been accepted (see Figure 5.2). Each morning thereafter, the class repeated the oath of the Dragonologist Society and their teacher ‘found’ an old school report that showed the most famous dragonologist and the ‘author’ of the book, had attended school nearby (see Figure 5.3). The report gave them evidence about his interests and skills that led to some informed and engaging hot-seating.
On another occasion, the teacher created a nest of stones and rocks in the middle of the classroom. Inside were thirty dragon eggs waiting to hatch. Candles were burning and music playing as the children entered the classroom. The teacher spoke of the tangible sense of awe and wonder present. How long would it take for them to hatch? What care would a baby dragon need? The book might provide the answers.
Other children watched a video their teacher had filmed in advance. Face to camera, in documentary style and using formal language, she confessed to being a secret dragonologist and showed them sites in a nearby forest where she claimed there was evidence of dragon occupation. Thus a dead tree had been killed by the heat of the dragon’s breath, broken branches showed the dragon’s fight path, a large heap of brushwood was the remains of a dragon’s nest and so on. Still on camera she told them that they would be visiting the forest the following week to undertake their own search for evidence. What other signs might their be? Would they recognise them?

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[caption]■ Figure 5.3 The invitation to join the Ancient Society of Dragonologists

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[caption]■ Figure 5.4 Ernest Drake’s school report

A real purpose for reading was established in these classrooms, imaginations were fired and the motivation to read was high. For several weeks the children read books about dragons, found a wealth of stories and myths about dragons, role-played dragons, created a dragon’s den in their classrooms, and produced live and exclusive TV news reports as well as newspaper articles. The writing that arose from this engaged reading was unsurprisingly of consistently high quality. The teachers’ creative approach inspired intense levels of imaginative engagement.