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The Children’s book council of Australia have published the Book of the Year Awards Short List 2015

There are many great books on that list and I am sure you have read many in your classrooms (and the other places you like to read)!

This list provides a great opportunity to have your say and share what you think makes each book special (or maybe not so special in your eyes). There is no better place to do this than the State Library of Victoria’s site – Inside a dog.  

Insideadog has always primarily been a website for young people to share their love of books and reading. From the earliest days, however, it has found a place in school libraries and classrooms as well. There are teacher notes, designed to help teachers integrate Insideadog into their classroom and your school.  Here are some quick ideas.

Insideadog is open to anyone and is an ideal activity to undertake with a Sister School or even a cluster of schools.

Students would need to be signed up to the site and teachers should check they have parental consent before signing their students up to any site.

Book reviews 

The main focus of insideadog is user-generated book reviews. Students can log on and write about books they have read, and then share their reviews with the site. Each user has a profile page which can be accessed to see what they have reviewed and any comments they have made.

Book clubs 

Book clubs allow readers to join groups based around specific books, series or themes. There they can share reviews, news, fan art they have created, other books they have enjoyed, and more. These clubs can become the basis for a rang eof classroom activities.

Literature Circles 

Literature circles are an approach to reading and responding to books that takes into account student interests and abilities. Insideadog’s book clubs feature can be integrated with literature circles to enhance the in-class experience, or to take part or all of it online.