Going back to a school at which I was once a teacher was a whole new experience for me! Despite all the reasons I quit, I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I walked around the school. This time, I was not there an employee, but as an independent trainer from the British Council. Going to the buildings where I taught English and ToK, visiting the library and the refectory, and, most importantly, meeting all the lovely people I worked with ... What a grand day!MIT Gurukul has taken on the Reading Challenge, and I worked with the PYP section today, reading out stories and teaching the children about book reviews. With Grade 1, I did a book I had not read before - There's a Shark in the Bath! It's a delightful story, one of those that is enjoyed differently by each reader. What does young Dulcie do when she sees a shark in her bath? I chuckled as I read … [Read more...]
Reading Challenge at Dr Kalmadi Shamrao High School
Today was the closing ceremony of the Reading Challenge Programme at Dr Kalmadi Shamrao High School. Look at all the proud faces!I conducted two workshops for the children: one on idioms, the other on myths from different parts of the world. During the first one, we solved a crossword puzzle, played team games differentiating between idioms and proverbs, and attempted to guess the meanings of several idioms. I was very impressed by the number of idioms the children were able to explain!The second workshop I conduct as part of the Mythical Maze Reading Challenge is always more fun for the children. I divide them into groups and give each group a myth from some part of the world. All five groups work with myths explaining the same phenomenon - rain. They perform a skit, make a chart, explain the major ideas ... It was such fun, as always!This is just the beginning of a … [Read more...]
Lari Don
I was introduced to Lari Don thanks to the Mythical Maze Reading Challenge, and if for nothing else, I'm glad of the challenge for that! Of the First Aid for Fairies series, I read the last one first, and then I had to read the others.Once again, I realised why children like series. A single book is not like a short story. A short story delivers what it promises to deliver - a picture. A book makes you want more - a sequel, a prequel, a continuation. If you fall in love with a book, you fall in love with the characters. When the characters are your friends, you want to spend more time with them and get to know them better.That's how it was with this series. Despite the fact that I did not read the series in order, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I love brave, loyal Yann and Lee who cannot be trusted. Helen Strang with her violin - I could hear the melodies … [Read more...]
Mythical Maze – Workshop II
The Mythical Maze Reading Challenge is nearly over!After Reading and Role Play and Idioms Are My Cup of Tea, today has Myths from around the World and Myths and Fables.I showed the little ones a map of the world. These children are in the age-group 5-7.We were reading a 'story from Arabia', Where There is Will. "Do you know where Arabia could be?" I asked.One child stood up. "I think it is here," she said, pointing to the entire Gulf region."Good!""Do you know how I know?""How?""See, this is India. Over here, this sea is called the Arabian Sea. So the Arabian Sea has to touch Arabia, right?" … [Read more...]
Idioms are my Cup of Tea!
That was the title of my last workshop at the British Library.We tried translating "It's raining cats and dogs" to Hindi and Marathi to giggles, shouts of laughter.We compared the literal meaning of "He kicked the bucket" with its figurative meaning.We performed the Herculean task of linking mythology with idioms, and then the children spilled the beans about the fact that most of their knowledge of Greek mythology came from Percy Jackson. When it came to Norse mythology and Biblical terms, their knowledge collapsed like a house of cards and they commented, "We have a long way to go and a lot to learn. We're just knee-high to a grasshopper!" A crossword puzzle proved to be their Achilles heel, but we continued to see the glass as half-full, as the children and I got on like a house on fire! … [Read more...]
Free Workshop for Parents
Here's some media coverage of the free workshop I conducted for parents ... Looking forward to the Reading Challenge: details in the news clip! … [Read more...]
Reading Challenge Sakaal Times
Varsha Seshan's workshops in the Sakaal Times today!With the Reading Challenge just around the corner, I conducted a special curtain-raiser today on getting children to read."My children don't read at all!" "I keep asking him to tell me about what he's reading; he never tells me anything!" "His friend reads so much, but he doesn't read at all!" "We made him join the library, but still he doesn't read!"After every workshop, I face these responses, so I thought of conducting a session for parents before the actual launch of the reading challenge. It was a free session, open to everyone - and what fun it was! … [Read more...]
Mythical Maze
"Mythical Maze" - that's the theme for this years reading challenge at the British Library.What is a reading challenge all about? What does it achieve?Here's a bit about it. Children are divided into two age brackets - 5-7 and 8-13. Each age bracket has a select list of books that fit under the theme "Mythical Maze". These books are carefully selected, and are especially useful to parents who want to know what their children 'ought' to read. The main advantage here is that a whole group of children is reading the same books, a kind of temporary book club. This means that they have things in common to talk about and discuss - and the arena for this is the workshops conducted at the library. More than anything, the reading challenge achieves two things: 1) Getting over starting trouble: what to read, where to begin 2) Meeting children with common interests: Many children (and adults) … [Read more...]