Reading Groups Term 3

Laura Robinson

Reading Group B Program Term 3, Ms Robinson

During Term 3, Reading Group B will: Develop a better understanding of visual literacy through the study of a graphic novel Smile by Raina Telgemier Participate in drama activities related to the story Make connections between texts themselves and world events Complete spoken and written comprehension activities in small groups, as a class and independently Draw expression and emotion to tell a story

Explanation and Rationale Semester 1 Reading assessment results showed that students need to develop skills in making connections between texts read in class, their personal experiences and the outside world. The Term 3 program has been built around the learning gaps identified in assessment results and thus has a strong emphasis on comprehension skills; making connections and answering open ended questions about texts read. This terms book study also placed value upon visual literacy, to build students knowledge of t his area of learning to prepare them for the new English syllabus, which places an emphasis on visual grammar, digital and multimodal texts. Reading Groups have been programmed to provide students with a balanced literacy program and are differentiated to cater for the wide range of ability levels within Reading Group B (middle ability group in Year 3). Reading Groups are scheduled every Monday (11:20-12:20), Tuesday (11:20-12:20) and Wednesday (11:20-12:05). During this time, students participate in guided and independent reading activities. Each reading session is aimed at building reading skills based on the four roles of the reader, outlined below: (http://www.myread.org/what.htm, 2002):
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Roles/Resources Code breaker decoding the codes and conventions of written, spoken and visual text

What successful readers know and do Understand

the relationship between spoken sounds and written symbols the grammar of texts the structural conventions of texts

Text user understanding the purposes of different written, spoken and visual texts for different cultural and social functions

Know that

different types of texts have different purposes these purposes shape the way texts are structured and formed this knowledge in using (eg comprehending, creating,

Apply

transforming) text Text participant comprehending written, spoken and visual texts

Make meaning by drawing on own experiences and prior knowledge knowledge of similar texts

Text analyst understanding how texts position readers, viewers and listeners

Is aware and can identify how

texts are not ideologically natural or neutral but are crafted to represent the views and interests of the writer

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information, ideas and language in texts influence reader perceptions

Learning Experiences

Topic & Outcome

1

Activity 1 Students are given a copy YouTube clip of the story: http://www.scholastic.co m/raina/smile/index.htm Students Think/pair/share reasons why Smile is a graphic novel Class jointly construct a list of features of a graphic novel and provide known examples of other graphic novels. Students make a bookmark and commence reading the story.

Activity 2 With the teacher, students event in Smile Raina falling over and breaking her teeth, then returning to school embarrassed. Making connections: teacher asks class to think of a time when they had an accident or felt embarrassed. Students share ideas in circle time. Students write down their experiences into their Reading Groups Books.

Activity 3 Students are given a comic book style sheet of paper divided into 6 squares. Students need to sequence the events they provided as an example in prior lesson, into these squares.

Introduction to graphic novels

TS2.1 Communicates in informal and formal classroom activities in school and social situations for an increasing range of purposes on a variety of topics across the curriculum. RS2.5 Reads independently a wide range of texts on increasingly challenging topics and justifies own interpretation of ideas, information and events.

of Smile. They are shown a read the first significant

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Creating a comic strip about a personal experience connected with the story.
RS2.6 Uses efficiently an integrated range of skills and strategies when reading and interpreting written texts.

Students continue their comic strips of own experiences

Students colour, complete and share their comic strips with connected experiences with the class.

Students are allocated 20 minutes reading time. Class discuss themes that have been arising in the story and create a mind map/title page in Reading Groups books.

Understanding characterisation in graphic novels.

TS2.1 Communicates in informal and formal classroom activities in school and social situations for an increasing range of purposes on a variety of topics across the curriculum.

Teacher asks students to describe Rainas character. Why do you feel this way about Raina? How has the author/illustrator drawn Raina and quoted her to make you think this about her? Students write a description of Raina

Students label emotions in different pictures of Raina throughout the story. Class discusses how a picture says a thousand words, which is why graphic novels have very few words in them. Students complete activity 1 of how to draw people on the

Students share and describe the emotions they have portrayed in their drawings. Students read their stories independently.

Smile website below:

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http://www.scholastic.c om/graphix/howtodra w.htm

Understanding
TS2.1 Communicates in informal and formal classroom activities in school and social situations for an increasing range of purposes on a variety of topics across the curriculum.

Students brainstorm and create a timeline. Teacher asks students for background knowledge about earthquakes- what is an earthquake? Are they common? What happens when an earthquake occurs in a large city/under water? Students give examples e.g. tsunamis).

Students research groups and feedback information to class.

Students watch YouTube News footage about the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. Teacher asks students to consider what would happen if there was a 15 second earthquake in Sydney what would be destroyed in the school? What could happen in the CBD? What kinds of feelings would you have?

characters in the text significant events in the story earthquakes in jigsaw

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Connecting story with world events.

RS2.5 Reads independently a wide range of texts on increasingly challenging topics and justifies own interpretation of ideas, information and events. RS2.6 Uses efficiently an integrated range of skills and strategies when reading and interpreting written texts.

Students read Huffington

Students write about how they would have felt if there was an earthquake while they were at school and the events that would likely take place.

20 minutes independent reading. Discussion: what emotions have been shown throughout the story?

Post article (*attached) about

the anniversary of the San Francisco earthquake. Students complete comprehension questions detailed in handout. Students Class discusses minor characters in the story and how they may have felt about events in the story. hot seating pretending to be characters interviewed about events in the story.

Thinking about the story from perspective of minor characters.

TS2.2 Interacts effectively in groups and pairs, adopting a range of roles, uses a variety of media and uses various listening strategies for different situations.

Students select one minor character in the story and draw a mind map of what they might have thought story, e.g. the San Francisco Earthquake as experienced by Rainas mum. They independently create a mind map of thoughts and feelings based on the emotions portrayed in pictures and

Students proofread their mind-maps, share ideas and amend.

In groups of , students play about a key event in the

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words used in the book. 7 Thinking about the story from perspective of minor characters.
TS2.1 Communicates in informal and formal classroom activities in school and social situations for an increasing range of purposes on a variety of topics across the curriculum.

Teacher shows students an example of a diary entry on Other journal samples are shown to students. The class discuss the purpose of a journal, who might keep them and how they differ from a recount.

Class jointly construct a journal entry written by Rainas teeth being pulled out (*document attached). Students use their mind map (week 4) to plan writing journal entries by other minor characters in the text. Students brainstorm the themes they have uncovered while reading the story. They use these themes to create a new cover for the book Smile with a different titles and alternative images.

Time allocated for students to write journal entries based on their planned work.

WritingFun (via Spellodrome). Rainas mother about

Thinking about the story from perspective of minor characters/Understa nding themes in story.
RS2.6 Uses efficiently an integrated range of skills and strategies when reading and interpreting written texts. RS2.7 Discusses how writers relate to their readers in different ways,

Students share their journal entries with each other, justifying and giving examples of why characters made specific statements/personal or emotional comments in their journal entries, e.g. I am worried about poor Rainas operations because the

Students share their new covers of the book Smile and justify their design based on understanding of the story.

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how they create a variety of worlds through language and how they use language to achieve a wide range of purposes.

Laura Robinson

accident was so nasty might be quoted in Rainas mums diary based on the worried facial expression on her face throughout the first 2 chapters and the fact she had to phone Dr Golden for advice on how to preserve Rainas tooth after it fell out.

Dramatising the story

RS2.6 Uses efficiently an integrated range of skills and strategies when reading and interpreting written texts.

Students are broken into groups 3-4 and allocated an event in the story to rein act. They are given time to build a story board and to script.

Students have 20 minutes to rehearse their enactment of story. Students show the class in one whole sequence of book. Look at 3 key images from story look at the salient/vector and explain visual grammar.

Students write a review of

Smile, justifying reasons for poor/positive ratings.

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Look at 3 key images from visual story look at the grammar/Assessmen salient/vector and explain t visual grammar.
Introduction to
RS2.6 Uses efficiently an integrated range of skills and strategies when reading and interpreting written texts.

Summative assessment (*attached).

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Reflection and Evaluation

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