Teacher's weblog

Message posted by Sebastian Swan
Hi there. We would love to hear how you have used the Sebastian books and resources in your class. We would also love to show any photographs of work or displays.
Many thanks, Sebastian Swan and the team!

Message posted by Thursday 3th April 2008 by L Edwards
I am a teacher of students with autism, ages 5-8, in Marietta, Georgia, USA.  I am also working on my masters degree in special education. I found Sebastian Swan's webpage when I was researching some online interactive books that would help my students access our state's science curriculum. Sebastian's stories are perfect for helping my students learn about science even though they struggle with understanding even spoken language concepts. I like how the books are straight-forward, with simple language, but they are not babyish. I would like to include Sebastian's stories in a paper I am writing for one of my classes. Thank you for your time, and thanks again for a wonderful website!

Message posted Wednesday 20th September 2006 by D Dunston, Highbury School, Hillcrest, South Africa
Thank you for this wonderful story. Our Grade R (reception year) boys have so enjoyed reading one of Sebastian's books each time they come to an ICT lesson. They usually have a half hour lesson of ICT skills and then they have a story using the Interactive White Board. Sebastian has taught us so many new facts. As we are a school based in South Africa , our climate is a little different to yours in England . Sebastian's books have stimulated a lot of discussion around seasons, animals and their babies, insects and most importantly the ability to listen for rhyming. Our pupils only learn formal reading in their Grade 1 year at school (6 turning 7) and we try to spend a lot of time preparing them for this skill using rhyming and sounds . Please keep up the good work and we would love some more Sebastian Swan adventures in the near future. We are a very fortunate school in that we have Broadband connectivity so we are able to use the Internet to gather so many wonderful resources. Maybe one day Sebastian would like to visit Africa and discover some of our wonders to share with his friends in the rest of the world?
Des Dunston
Foundation Phase ICT co-ordinator

Message posted Tuesday 12th September 2006 by Michael, John Scurr School in Tower Hamlets, London
I am an AST with responsibility for Creative Arts and EAL based in John Scurr School in Tower Hamlets. I think the site is
very impressive and accessible. I particularly like the table offering questions and a very non-threatening analysis of the questioning hierarchy. Very empowering. Do you have any other outlets or similar sites?
Thank you, Michael

Message posted Friday 12 May 2006 by C R. Krick, Mohave Community College in Bullhead City, Arizona, USA
Dear Sebastian Swan and the Kent County Council,
I am attending  Mohave Community College in Bullhead City, Arizona, USA.  As part of our Children's Literature program, under the direction of Doctor Carolyn Salerno, we have been asked to contact a Children's Literature author.  While checking Children's Literature sites on the Internet I happened upon your website. 

I had an opportunity to look at your site for sometime and have made notations to use in my everyday workplace as well as completing the assignment for the college course.  I work with Special Education children many of whom are Autistic and Downs Syndrome students at Mohave High School, also in Bullhead City, Arizona.  I work with them on a one-on-one basis providing them with Speech and Language Therapy.  I often use many Phonemic lessons with these students.  The higher functioning students are able to read at a kindergarten, first or second grade reading level.         

The Literacy Links, and Teacher's page,  on your website has given me many new ideas and resources. I love the many ideas listed under the Foundation Stage Diary, as well as the information listed under the Science Links such as Thinking Questions, Possible teaching activities with learning objectives .  The Interactive Big Book and Web Enquiry--All About Swans is just fantastic and offers great interaction for students.      

Do you have future plans for other Interactive Web-site activities for children? If you have other sites similar to this, please include the URL when you respond.  I think you have done a tremendous job in promoting on-line interactive schooling for children. I am looking forward to use your on-line information with the students with whom I am responsible for. 

Keep up the great work.Thank you for your time and consideration in regards to responding to my e-mail.    
Sincerely Carolyn R. Krick

Message posted Monday 15 February 2006 by D. McKay, St. Joseph & St. Teresa's Doncaster
I have enjoyed using the Sebastian the Swan website with Year 1 children for the past few years. The children love it and usually produce great work. This term I planned a week's literacy and art work on The Lost Cygnet (we also included some geography and ICT work when we visited our local lake to see the swans and take photographs as part of 'Around Our School', ) in previous years I have included numeracy through problem solving activities.

I find that the Internet format appeals to some reluctant readers (especially boys). We read the story together on the computer. The children then retold the story in four parts on differentiated story boards. We did some hot-seating of Sebastian, Sarah and the baby and the children then wrote their own endings for the story. I had just started in using the Ros Wilson ideas from Strategies for Immediate Impact on Writing Standards so the children tried to apply the V (vocabulary) and P (punctuation) objectives to their writing.

During our sessions in the ICT suite the children worked in pairs and were able to read Sebastian's Rhyme together and visit the pinboard - they were really excited to find an e-mail from our present Y3 when they were in Y1.

For the artwork we looked at the photographs from the site, did big, bold charcoal drawings, faded them by rubbing over with a paper towel and then used soft pastels to complete.

We then took photographs of our work, composed an e-mail by working in talk partners, and waited for a reply!
I have already promised we will have another Sebastian Swan week next term and the children are eagerly awaiting the new book!
Thank you for the site - we love it!
D. McKay,Year 1. St. Joseph & St. Teresa's, Doncaster

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