Friday, April 28, 2023

April 24 - 28, 2023

Blog # 20

Wordless Books In Older Grades

Wordless picture books allow the reader (or viewer) to create their own story using the illustrations provided. They allow for thought, creativity, and interpretation. They allow for change and adaptation.

"Raise a Reader" Scholastic Books Canada Blog

The Journey Trilogy by Aaron Becker

This is actually a collection of 3 wordless picture books. The three books are Journey, Quest, and Return.  They all tell a story of a girl who goes on a journey to a magical land.  She can somewhat control her adventure using a crayon/marker. Even though these are wordless books, students have to pay close attention to detail to follow the story.

Wordless books can be used to teach a variety of skills including predicting,  point of view, elements of a story (character, setting, plot and conflict etc.), questioning, literary devices (metaphor and simile) and summarizing.

    The grade fives have been using the wordless book "Journey" to practice descriptive writing.

"Gray clouds drifted across the sky covering the sun and making the city dark and gloomy. One young girl sat on the stairs leading up to a small house. A small bright red scooter balanced on the stairs below her. She seemed to be watching the clouds float across the sky..." by Acasia

"...Lola was ignored. She was never acknowledged by anyone, not even her cat. All that Lola could think about was everyone else smiling and giggling and she was lonely. Lola felt like a ghost and somebody who just creeps in  walls. All that Lola could do is sit in her room and sulk in her bed...." by Juliet

Questions to ask when looking at wordless books at any age...

• What is happening?
• Tell me about the characters. What are their emotions?
• What is the character thinking? How do you know?
• What is the character's goal/mission? How will they achieve their goal?
• Why did the character make this choice? Could they have made a better choice?
• What is the character going to do next? How will their actions affect the story?
• What do you think the character is saying? Why?
• What is the setting of the story? What do you notice about the setting?
• What will happen next? How do you know?

Adapted from " 7 Reasons Why You Should Use Wordless Books" 

The Children's Library Lady

 

Friday, April 21, 2023

 Asking Questions While Reading

Throughout the year students in grades three to six have been encouraged to enhance their questioning skills while reading fiction and nonfiction texts. In previous months, we have discussed four types of questions Quiz, Wonders, Thinking and Author all of which can help clarify our understanding. 

To refine our skills we are now taking a closer look at the questions we ask. Do the questions limit our answers to one correct answer? Or do they encourage further inquiry and a "deeper understanding" of the material?

Puddle Questions

Puddle questions are specific and focus on a particular detail or aspect of a topic. They can be described as "shallow" and are limiting. Puddle questions only have one “correct” answer. These questions often start with when, who, where, what etc. You do not need a "deep understanding" of a subject to answer these questions as the information is usually found directly in the text. Puddle questions do have purpose and can help build a foundation for topics.

Examples of Student Puddle Questions While Reading Plant Texts:

• Where can you find Venus Flytraps?
• How big is the largest Durian?
• What is the cause of the Durian's horrible smell?

Ocean Questions

Ocean type questions are broad and will have more than one answer. Often the first question will lead to other questions. Ocean questions require a person to have a "deeper understanding" of the topic. These questions may also require you to use critical thinking skills and possibly explore the topic further to find the answers.

Examples of Student Ocean Questions While Reading Simple Machine Texts:

• How does the contraption work that lifts the sign? Does it make it easier? What happens when he pulls or drops the rope?
• I wonder how many simple machines are in this picture (of a factory).

Friday, April 14th

April 11-14,  2023

Blog #18

Reading Informational Texts

    Reading for information is a life long skill. In the upcoming weeks the grade fours will be revisiting informational texts. During the room one rotation, readings will be chosen based on concepts from the science curriculum ie) "Wheels and Levers", "Building Vehicles and Devices that Move" and "Plant Growth and Changes". Students will be focusing on the literacy learning outcomes.

I can....

• clearly identify the main ideas in an informational text
• use textual cues such as headings and subheadings to enhance my understanding of ideas
• ask and answer relevant questions to clarify my understanding of a chosen science topic
• locate information using a variety of texts to develop my understanding 
• use a variety of tools such as indices, charts, glossaries and guide words to access information
• rewrite new information in my own words
• create jot notes of important information
• make note of key words and phrases while reading 
• make connections to the text based on my own background knowledge or experiences

Building Devices that Move

Plant Growth and Changes

Please encourage your child to follow their own interests and natural curiosities about the world around them by exploring non-fiction books. In addition to the school and public libraries, Andrew Sibbald students have access to Epic Books an online reading platform that has a plethora of informational texts. The link below will take students into the Epic login page. Students will know there login information.

Epic Books