The Growing Minds Inspiring Readers project is an initiative that was created to align the Catholic Schools Office L!FT professional learning within the context of our schools and for students to co-create a picture book with a practicing author / illustrator. Schools with a Literacy SIP focus for 2023 have been part of the Literacy L!FT learning, led by our academic partner, Professor Beverley Derewianka. The literacy learning focuses on creating meaningful texts by teachers engaging students in the Literacy Teaching and Learning Cycle; building the field and learning about the context through a range of reading, writing, talking and listening activities.
To deepen this learning within the context of a school, the Growing Minds Inspiring Readers (GMIR) project of creating a book to be published and shared was proposed, with St Pius X, Windale being the first school to take part. The project leaders at the school; Georgia Kirkland and Shelly Baker, spent 6 weeks immersing the students in the Literacy Teaching and Learning Cycle, allowing students a vast range of opportunities to connect their learning in literacy to their context. The educators spent time with the students to build the field in the focus genre of Aboriginal Dreaming Stories and developed ideas for their narrative, including writing setting descriptions and character personalities and traits that would then be used as the basis for their narrative.
Sami Bayly was the local author and illustrator that worked with the GMIR team in the lead up to her week in-residence; providing valuable advice and suggestions on planning, logistics, and ideas that would be put in place for the Author in Residence (AiR) week. In Week 7 of Term 2, the students spent a week with Sami and the teachers at St Pius X, to storyboard, plan, write, edit, and illustrate a picture book. Every student in the school was part of the writing and illustrating process. The final version was then sent to our amazing Communications Team, where they made all the ideas come alive!
Since then, St Pius have created a sequel to Stolen Heart titled ‘Torn Apart’, which is due to be released in November 2024.
