Embedded Files
Infants readers published by the NSW Department of Education from the late 1940s through the 1960s.
About the object
About the object
These infants readers were published by the NSW Department of Education from the mid 1940s through to the late 1960s.
With the advent of colour printing, these colourful readers replaced the one-colour infants readers used previously.
Student work books accompanied some of the readers, containing literacy activities specific to the reader.
Whilst the readers were owned by the school, the work books could be written into and were owned by the students.
The First Grade readers and work books in the series were:
A Book to Read
Work Book for A Book to Read
It's Fun to Read
Work Book for It's Fun to Read
Gay Days
Work Book for Gay Days
We Look at Words, First Book (word study)
My Story Books 1, 2, 3 (supplementary readers).
Second Grade readers and work books were:
Stories to Read
Seaside Story
Open Road to Reading
Travelling On
We Look at Words, Second Book (word study)
We Look at Words, Third Book (word study).
Others in the series were At the Farm and Fay and Don.
Significance
Significance
These infants workbooks are the first literacy workbooks published by the NSW Department of Education.
They provide a glimpse of society at the time, particularly in regard to family structures and the roles of boys, girls and family members.
Object details
Object details
Date – 1945 to late 1960s
Creator – NSW Department of Education
Place – NSW
Materials – paper, light card
Dimensions – 15.2cm x 20cm
Look closer
Look closer
Covers and pages of My Story Books 1 (blue), 2 (green), 3 (orange), published as supplementary First Grade readers by the NSW Department of Education, 1950s.
Covers of the series of infants readers published by the NSW Department of Education from mid 1945 to the late 1960s.
First Grade reader titled Gay Days and work book for Gay Days, NSW Department of Education, circa 1950
Infants work books titled We Look At Words, NSW Department of Education, circa 1950
Think and wonder
Think and wonder
See
See
What do you notice first in the infants readers?
How do the writing and font change between the readers?
What do the illustrations depict?
What do you notice about the clothing of the children in the pictures?
Think
Think
Why does the font style and size change between the readers?
Why do children feature in so many of the illustrations?
Why do you think the readers were only published for infants grades?
What was used for reading in primary grades that is still in use today?
Wonder
Wonder
What do you wonder about these readers and work books?
What questions do the infants readers and work books raise?
Do
Do
View the video reading of The Rolling Plum.
What words are not commonly used anymore?
What do the illustrations tell you about society at the time?
Use a flow chart or story map to map the sequence of the narrative.
Explore and connect
Explore and connect
Reading cardsYouTube | NSW Schoolhouse Museum of Public Education (0:57min) | Video transcript | Alternate video link
Reading Cards video
Reading Cards video
Boxed sets of cardboard reading cards were used as aids to help infants students learn to read.
Activities included word and sound recognition, picture and word matching, phonics and word and sentence making.
View the YouTube video to learn about reading cards used by infants students.
Double page from hand-made infants 'big book' by teacher C Doughton, Balgowlah Infants School, 1961
Infants 'big book', 1961
Infants 'big book', 1961
Written for an infants class by teacher C Doughton at Balgowlah Infants School in 1961, this hand-made big book has a focus on weather and seasons.
The book's dimensions are height 51cm and width 38cm. Opened out the book is 75cm wide.
This book has been created for her Transition class – a class between Kindergarten and First Class.
The handwriting models the infants manuscript style used at the time. Each page has one or more pasted in pictures.
The books were probably used for shared reading with the students. Open pages may have been on display on a stand.
Other books by C Doughton are a sounds book, reading book, natural science news book, book on homes, book on seasons and a news book – recording students' news items.
Why would infants teachers make books for their class?
Breakthrough Sentence Maker, 1977.
Breakthrough Sentence Maker, 1977
Breakthrough Sentence Maker, 1977
The Breakthrough Sentence Maker was originally published by Longman in 1970 and revised in 1977. It was part of the Breakthrough to Literacy program undertaken by some infants students.
Students used the word cards to form sentences then they read them aloud.
Each printed card had its own place in the folder. Blank cards came with each 'kit' for additional words to be written.
What are the positives and negatives of this literacy resource?
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands of people using this site. Is, always was, always will be – Aboriginal land.
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