Literacy and Science: A high potential and gifted education (HGPE) collaboration

My colleague Lara Curtis has recently had an article published in the current edition of ACCESS by the Australian School Library Association.

Her article focuses on a collaborative project between her and a teacher in the Science faculty at my school. This involved a Year 8 Science class working on a project to present a short film in which they explain various systems in the human body.

The collaboration involved allocating one Science lesson on a weekly basis as a literacy lesson. Like in an English lesson, there were a text in focus (Cells at Work by Akane Shimizu, a manga series serialised between 2015-2021). Extracts were selected and students analysed the text as they would in their study of English along with a factual analysis. It also introduced many students to Manga texts, which itself is a unique form of storytelling. Apart from developing critical thinking skills, it would also support development of ethical storytelling skills.

As Lara's colleague, I am very proud of her efforts in delivering this project. I look forward to seeing where the delivery of the jnit goes. I hope I can contribute to it or even adapt this to another subject area.

R U OK Day

R U OK Day will be on Thursday, September 11. My school decided to bring the day forward by two weeks to enable the Year 11 students to partake in the day ahead of their Preliminary Exams next week. 

Our Library Prefects run the Book Club, which meets fortnightly, and one of our Year 12 Library Prefects conceived the idea of operating a stall where students could make their own bookmarks, complete a quiz, but also write a message on a bookmark that they could insert into any book in the library, ready to be discovered in surprise by the next borrower.

The stall was part of a student-led and run fete that was held yesterday (August 28), running alongside other activities such as a BBQ, wet sponge throwing at (volunteer) teachers.

Our strongest response came from the junior students who were more keen to engage in making their own bookmarks. For those who did, they were able to use textas and pencils to come up with a bookmark that could be truly theirs as opposed to one that would be "mass produced" or "manufactured". Each bookmark featured an object, such as a flower or an elephant, made with pipe cleaners and then pasted onto the cardboard.

The rest was up to the individual. 

Below are some pictures of what was organised for the students.

Raising Readers - Megan Daley

The Sydney Weekend magazine in The Daily Telegraph (July 26-27, 2025) recently published an extract by Megan Daley, author of Raising Readers: How to Nurture a Child's Love of Books. A new edition of her 2019 book has just been published. 

She believes in the Science of Reading, which draws from neuroscience, linguistics, and cognitive psychology, asserting that reading and writing are not natural skills like speaking but need deliberate teaching.

Daley also suggests parents:

• Advocate for evidence-based literacy instruction
• Understand how reading works
• Support children at home with rich oral and print language environments
• Collaborate with educators and specialists (e.g., speech pathologists, psychologists)

For me, this reinforces what I see in the library each day. Children need more than access to books. They need explicit support and encouragement to become confident readers. The research is important, but so too is the human side of teaching — the conversations, the joy of sharing stories, and the chance to guide a student towards a book that sparks their interest.

As teacher librarians, we can bridge research and practice. We create spaces where reading feels valued, support colleagues in evidence-based literacy, and help families see the vital role they play. Each child who moves from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” is a reminder that raising readers is both science and art.

Decline in Reading ("Good Weekend" Magazine Article - 5 July 2025)

An article was published recently in Good Weekend Magazine (The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age) on July 5 that raised concerns about the decline in reading amongst Australians, particularly school students. 

A number of issues associated with reading and literacy were raised, which included the following:

• 29% of secondary school students no longer read for pleasure.
• Year 9 writing standards have slipped to the standard of a primary schooler.
• As many as one in three students in a typical classroom struggle with reading.
• Debates over how reading should be taught.
• Under-resourcing of school libraries and, in some schools, the removal of their libraries altogether.
• Decline in reading for leisure has resulted in poorer writing skills.
• Less critical engagement with texts in the classroom as a result of less reading.
• Difficulty in publishing successful titles. Fewer and fewer titles are being released each year that become "best sellers"

The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Social Media was also explored, and the impact it has on reading and writing, e.g. ChatGPT can produce essays that cannot be detected as being AI-generated. 

A warning is given: if we as a nation fail to address the decline in reading and literacy skills, there will be significant social and economic consequences in the years ahead. 

I have always believed that reading underpins success in life.  I believe that reading is an essential skill that one should possess, as it forms a foundation for success in learning and active participation in society. 

This article will assist in library advocacy, particularly in highlighting the importance of reading to ones broader development, but also to boost reading and writing skills.

Reference:

Callaghan, G., 2025, ‘A ticking time bomb’: How Australia’s reading slump is making us stupid, The Sydney Morning Herald, viewed 1 August 2025, <https://www.smh.com.au/national/a-ticking-time-bomb-how-australia-s-reading-slump-is-making-us-stupid-20250501-p5lvoe.html>.

Collaboration and team teaching with teacher librarians and classroom teachers

In the current issue of SCIS Connections (#133, Term 2 2025), Vicki Bennett wrote about how she is applying evidence-based practice to collaborate with classroom teachers and engage in team teaching at one primary school she works at, referred to as "School B" to highlight its benefits as part of research in teacher librarian practice.

This stood out for me from reading the article because it is a fundamental part of our role: 

Collaborating with the teacher librarian empowers teachers and students by enhancing their knowledge and skill sets.

As part of her research, Vicki is trying to highlight the benefits that stem from collaboration and team teaching with students over a longer period each week, focusing on School B. It means that she can provide more support to the students and provide content that aligns with the curriclum. 

Her research is ongoing. 

Also, the article highlighted the need for access to research material from Australia. While it is beneficial to have access to overseas practices, Australian material is likely to be more relevant, as it aligns more closely with the Australian curriculum and education system. 

Historical Fiction on the up for youngsters?

The Australian recently published an article (below) on the increasing appeal of historical fiction among youngsters, especially those with plots focusing on spies, bombings, and young resistance fighters. As a history teacher, it's also a fun and entertaining way to learn about the history of our world. 

Source: Tranchtenberg, J.A. (2025) ‘World War II turns another page’, The Australian, 12 May, p. 14.