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Diving into Books

Integrating the Arts and Literacy

Learning Module

Abstract

This learning module, for students aged 6-8 years, focuses on literacy and the Arts, using three narratives, "A Surprise for Dingo", "Button Boy", and "Mulga Bill's Bicycle". Students also explore drama, art and visual literacy, and cumulatively develop their understanding of how to write a narrative.

Keywords

Narrative, Action Words, Description Words, Orientation Stage, Sequence of Events, Evaluation Stage

Knowledge Objectives

As a result of completing this learning module, students will be able to:

EXPERIENTIAL OBJECTIVES

Literature and Literacy Year 1

Responding to literature

Discuss characters and events in a range of literary texts and share personal responses to these texts, making connections with students' own experiences. (ACELT 1582)

Connecting to a range of stories

Connect to the text

Listen to a range of narrative stories and connect with them by making predictions and connections to your own life and experiences.

Literature and Literacy Year 2

Responding to literature

Compare opinions about characters, events and settings in and between texts. (ACELT 1589)

CONCEPTUAL OBJECTIVES

Language and Literacy Year 1

Expressing and Developing Ideas

Compare different kinds of images in narrative texts and discuss how they contribute to meaning. (ACELA 1453)

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating

Read supportive texts using developing phrasing, fluency, contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge and emerging text processing strategies, for example prediction, monitoring meaning and rereading. (ACELY 1659)

Language and Literacy Year 2

Expressing and Devloping Ideas

Identify visual representations of characters' actions, reactions, speech and thought processes in narratives, and consider how these images add to or contradict or multiply the meaning of accompanying words. (ACELA 1469)

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating

Read less predictable texts with phrasing and fluency by combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge using text processing strategies, for example monitoring meaning, predicting, rereading and self-correcting. (ACELY 1669)

ANALYTICAL OBJECTIVES

Language, Literature and Literacy Year 1

Language for Interaction

Explore different ways of expressing emotion, including verbal, visual, body language and facial expressions. (ACELA 1787)

Text Structure and Organisation

Understanding that the purposes texts serve shape their structure in predictable ways (ACELA 1447)

Understand patterns of repetition and contrast in simple texts. (ACELA 1448)

Recognise that different types of punctuation, including full stops, question marks and exclamation marks, signal sentences that make statements, ask questions, express emotion or give commands. (ACELA 1449).

Expressing and Developing Ideas

Identify the parts of a simple sentence that represent 'What's happening?', 'Who or what is doing or receiving the action' and the circumstances surrounding the action. (ACELA 1451)

Literature and Context

Discuss how authors create characters using languagge and images. (ACELT 1581)

Examining Literature

Discuss features of plot, character and setting in different types of literature and explore some features of characters in different texts. (ACELT 1584)

Language, Literature and Literacy Year 2

Language for Interaction

Identify language that can be used for appreciating texts and the qualities of people and things. (ALELA 1462)

Text Structure and Organisation

Understands that different types of texts have identifiable text structures and language features that help the text serve its purpose. (ACELA 1463)

Understand how texts are made cohesive through resources, for example, word associations, synonyms, and antonyms. (ACELA 1464)

Recognise that capital letters signal proper nouns and commas are used to seperate items in lists (ACELA 1465)

Expressing and Developing Ideas

Understand that simple connections can be made between ideas by using a compound sentence with two or more clauses and coordinating conjunctions. (ACELA 1467)

Literature and Context

Discuss how depictions of characters in print, sound and images reflect the contexts in which they were created. (ACELT 1587)

Examining Literature

Discuss the characters and settings of different texts and explore how language is used to present these features in different ways. (ACEKT 1591)

APPLIED OBJECTIVES

Literature and Literacy Year 1

Creating Literature

Recreate texts imaginatively using drawing, writing, performance and digital forms of communication. ( ACELT 1586)

Creating Texts

Create short imaginative texts that show emerging use of appropriate text structure, sentence-level grammar, word choice, spelling, punctuation and appropriate multimodal elements, for example illustrations and diagrams. (ACELY 1661)

Reread student's own texts and discuss possible changes to improve meaning, spelling and punctuation (ACELY 1662)

Construct texts that incorporate supporting images using software including word processing programs. (ACELY 1664)

Literature and Literacy Year 2

Creating Literature

Create events and characters using different media that develop key events and characters from literary texts. (ACELT 1593)

Creating Texts

Create short imaginative texts using growing knowledge of text structures and language features for familiar and some less familiar audiences, selecting print and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose. (ACELY 1671)

Reread and edit text for spelling, sentence-boundary punctuation and text structure. (ACELY 1672)

Construct texts featuring print, visual and audio elements using software, including word processing programs. (ACELY 1674)

1. What do you Know about Dingoes?

For the Student

Learning Intention:To draw on your own knowledge to predict what a story is about.

In a Think-Pair-Share discuss what you know about dingoes in real life.

Where do they live?

What do they look like?

How do you think they behave?

What do all the animals that are on the front cover have in common? ( Australian animals that live in arid areas/ nocturnal animals ).

Predict - Lets read the title 'A surprise for Dingo'. What do you think the story will be about?

Look at the pictures on the front cover. What do you think the animals are planning? Will it be a good surprise or a bad surprise? What might the surprise be?

When and where is the story taking place?

Create an image - Listen to the beginning of the story and draw what you imagine the picture would be.

In groups of 4 share your illustration and explain the key words you used to create it.

View the texts illustration and compare with your image.

Listen to the whole story read by your teacher.

Fig. 1: Dingo

For the Student

Connecting, Predicting and Inferring

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is for students to connect text to self drawing on personal knowledge and experiences and predict the story using the title and visual cues. They will also use the inferring strategy to create an image of the orientation by drawing on key words such as: moon bright night, star speckled sky, the edge of the Great Sandy desert and a dingo howled.

Resources

'A Surprise For Dingo' by Rina A Foti & Sandra Kendell.

Drawing tools and paper for students.

Teaching Tips

Use the Think-Pair-Share strategy to find out what students know about dingoes in real life. Record student responses on class chart.

As a class predict the storyline and possible events by viewing and discussing the title and front cover.

This will bring out discussion about the setting such as: when it is taking place i.e moon/night time and where it takes place in the desert. These are aspects of the orientation.

This is an authentic opportunity to locate the Great Sandy desert on a map of Australia.

Students will use the reading strategy of inferring to create an image from the text orientation. Compare and contrast students images with the illustration in the text noting similarities and differences and why.

2. A Surprise for Dingo

For the Student

Learning Intention: To infer meaning from a narrative.

Listen to the text being read and answer these questions.

What was your favourite part of the story and why?

Did anything surprise you? Are dingoes really friends with other desert animals?

On a whiteboard or post it notes record new and interesting words from the story and discuss the meaning of them with the teacher and the class.

As a class discuss the reading strategy 'Inferring'. Listen to the definition and as a class record a class definition.

With your class view some illustrations and writing from the text and make inferences.

Complete a retrieval chart together.What do I see?

What do I see

 What do I infer
I see...................... I infer .....................
   
   
Fig. 2: A Surprise for Dingo

For the Teacher

Focus text: A Surprise For Dingo

Resources

A4 laminated copy of the First Steps reading strategy 'Inferring'.
Post it notes or mini whiteboards.
A3 copy of retrieval chart for whole class modelling.
Copies for small groups.

Teaching Tips

Give each student a post it note or whiteboard to record any new or interesting words to share and investigate with the class.

Display vocab as a class chart with definitions around a colour copy of the front cover.

Display the reading strategy poster of inferring and discuss its meaning with the students. Write out a class definition for display.

Create a retrieval chart to model inferring.

3. Inferring through Words and Pictures

For the Student

Learning Intention: To infer meaning from a text.

As a class discuss what it means to infer something.

Come up with a class definition from the discussion.

In groups of 4 view a double page spread from the text and complete a retrieval chart by inferring. Answer the questions: What do I see and what do I infer from it?

 
What do I see? What do I infer
I see...................... I infer that .............
   

Come together as a class with your group and share your inferences.

For the Teacher

Resources

Double colour page spread for groups of students to complete retrieval chart for inferring.

Teaching Tips

Provide groups of 4 with a colour double page spread from the text that they can use to infer through the colours, word size and shape and the position of the animals. Provide a retrieval chart for them to fill in around their copy of the text.

4. Looking Closely at the Words and Pictures

For the Student

Learning Intention: To understand the effects created by light and colour.

How has the author created the feeling of fear and suspense?

Look at the colours the illustrator has used. Why has he used dark colours? Does night time make it more scary?

Look at the words and the size of the words and they way they are written. How does this affect the way you feel about the animals?

Fig. 4: Reflection of the Moon

For the Teacher

Building suspense through words, colour and pictures

Teaching Tips

Concentrate on words like 'howled' on page 2 and how it has been written, the words that build suspense like 'whispered' and how the words have been written and set out on the page like 'Dingo,,,,,,crept closer,,,,,and closer.

Refer to the colours which start off dark and lighten as the story moves on to the surprise. Talk about the colour of the animals eyes with the reflection of the moon.

5. What if?

For the Student

Learning Intention: To understand how the author creates effects in the story

In a think-pair-share answer these questions: What if it was day time in this story? How would that change the way you felt about the dingo? Would it have been as scary? How does the lighting/colours in the illustrations help to build your suspense and fear of the dingo?

What if the main character was not a feared predator, for example a butterfly. How could this change the feel of the story?

Share your answers with the class.

In your guided reading group think of some words that mean the same or close to the same as some of the action words in the story e.g. howled - screamed or roared

Other words to use could be: slithered, whispered, shuffled, flapped, hid, slid, crept, clambered, stared.

Fig. 5: Is a butterfly scary?

 

For the Teacher

What if scenarios? Guided reading lesson ideas.

Teaching Tips

In a Think-Pair-Share, students discuss the what if scenario of what if the story was set in the daytime. Discuss the effect of the lighting in the illustrations.

As a guided reading activity or small groups students could think of synonyms for the action verbs in the story. They could make a chart or poster for these words.

6. Looking at Colour, Word Shapes and Shot Type

For the Student

Learning Intention: To analyse the effects in images/pictures.

View the illustrations and participate in Think-Pair-Shares to share your ideas about the effects created from use of colour, close-ups and long-shots of the animals and shape and size of text.

Look at the images below. Which one is scarier? Why?

Fig. 6a. Close up of a bear
Fig. 6b: Long shot of a bear

For the Teacher

Visual Grammar

Teaching Tips

Discuss the effects of visual grammar in the text including shape of words/text, colour and shot type (close up or far away).

Complete a retrieval chart with the students.

Mode Example Effect

shape of text

wavy

staggered

the feeling of her tail curling up

feeling of suspense building
colour dark blue night time
shot type: close-up close-up of dingo's face feeling of the dingo being very close and threatening
shot type: long shot dingo on the horizon there is still time to get away before the dingo gets there
     

7. Illustrators and Authors Make Deliberate Choices

For the Student

Learning Intention: To look at word and language choices and their effects.

1. Look closely at the way the author has written some of the words in the story. Why has the author written some of the words wavy, going up, going down, different sizes and staggered?

Look closely at the illustrations. Discuss with your class why the illustrator has used different colours, shot type (close up, far away) and how this affects the way you feel about the characters and does it make you feel a certain way about the storyline.

2. When reading the text as a class locate and circle the action verbs. Act out the action verbs from the text. Discuss the effects of them in the sentence. What feeling or image does it give you?

With a partner think of another action verb to describe the action that is happening in the story. Write the word into the sentence. Act it out with your partner.

3. Adjectives are used to give more information to the nouns. They create a more detailed image for the reader.

Let's look at the orientation and find the adjectives/words to describe night, sky and desert.

With your teacher think of other words to describe night, sky and desert.

With a partner think of new describing words and write them into the sentences. Illustrate your orientation.

Fig. 7: What is the effect of the size of "boomm"?

 

For the Teacher

There are three activities in this update that focus on how the author's choices position a reader.

Purpose:  The purpose of this activity is for students to identify the mode and the effect it has on them as readers/ text participants.

Teaching Tips

Copy examples from the text that show shot type (near and far), use of colour and text shape to create feelings. In groups students record around the picture the effect/ or feelings they get from the mode.

2. Action Verbs

Purpose:  The purpose of this activity is to identify action verbs in a sentence and how they create an image for the reader.

Teaching Tips

On the smartboard as a class read the text and have students circle the action verbs as they arise. Record these words on a class chart. Invite students to act out these words.

Prepare sentences from the text and have students in pairs think of another action verb to replace the original. They then act it out with each other.

Come together as a class and choose partners to act their action verbs out.

Add students' action verbs to class chart for future reference.

3. Adjectives

Purpose:  The purpose of this activity is for students to identify adjectives and their purpose in a text.

Teaching Tips

As a class discuss the adjectives that describe the nouns night, sky and desert.

Model changing the adjectives as a class to create a new orientation.

Prepare A3 pages with the sentences leaving space for students to insert 2 adjectives to describe night, sky and desert.

8. Does it Matter What Order the Who, What, Where and When?

For the Student

Learning Intention: To understand how to write an orientation.

1. Label the orientation with who, when, where and what. Complete the orientation template to show the features of an orientation.

2. With you teacher play with the orientation by moving the when, who, where and what text around. Does it still make sense? Does it matter what order it's in?

With your own cut up copy of the orientation move the who, what , where and when around to the way you would like the orientation to sound like. Stick it together on card and share with your class.

Fig. 8: Which questions do you ask in an orientation?

 

For the Teacher

1. Orientation

Purpose:  The purpose of this activity is for students to identify the language features of an orientation: when, where, who and what.

Teaching Tips

Have an enlarged copy of the orientation and label when, where, who and what.

Have typed copies of the orientation for each student to highlight the 4 language features colouring each part in a separate colour.

2. Orientation - Transformation

Purpose:  The purpose of this activity is for students to physically manipulate the who, what, where and when of the orientation to see if it matters what order it's in.

Teaching Tips

Have an enlarged copy of the orientation on strips of card. With the class cut up the who, what, when and where language parts and move them around while discussing whether it matters what order they go in.

Have copies for each student to cut up into the language features who, where, when and what and arrange the language features to the way they like it.

E.g. Under a star speckled sky, one moon bright night, a dingo howled, at the edge of the Great Sandy Desert.

Come together as a class and in a share circle each student reads their version of the orientation.

Students could comment on which version they like the best.

9. My Orientation

For the Student

Learning Intention: To understand how to write a good orientation.

Using the orientation language features (orientation template), write your own orientation showing when, where, who and what.

Fig. 9: Ask when, where, who and what in an orientation.

 

For the Teacher

Independent orientation

Purpose:  To transfer their understanding of orientation language features to write their own independent orientation.

Teaching Tips

Make when, who, where, and what tubs with orientation features with examples in each for students to use.

Students can choose to use their own ideas for when, where, who and what.

Show students the success criteria for a quality orientation

  • Language features: when, where, who, and what
  • Action verbs to create feeling of movement
  • Adjectives to create a more detailed image

10. Connecting to Text

For the Student

Learning Intention: To create an image of the main character.

I want you to draw what you think Button Boy might look like (In the first box of the template). Button Boy is one of the main characters from the text we will be reading. Share your image with a partner.

Lets look at how the illustrator has created the image of Button Boy. How does this compare with your image?

Learning Intention: To connect to the text

Button Boy likes to collect things and in this story he collects buttons. Think-Pair-Share what do you like to collect?

If you were the main character in the story, who collected things like Button Boy, what would you look like? Draw your image in the second box.

Learning Intention: To predict events in the story

What do you think the story will be about?

Fig. 10: Button Collection

For the Teacher

Button Boy

Purpose:  The purpose of this activity is for students to make connections to the text by creating images and sharing what they like to collect.

Teaching Tips

Students complete the creating image activity of Button Boy without seeing the front cover of the text. The front cover is shown once they have shared their images.

Prepare a double-sided page for students to create their image of Button Boy and an image of themselves if they were a main character (eg. Stamp Girl).

Button Boy ________ Boy/Girl
   

11. Read and Respond to Text

For the Student

Learning Intention: To read and respond to the story.

Listen as I read the story. What was your favourite part? What did you think of Button Boy?

Fig. 11: Button Boy

For the Teacher

Purpose: Students engage with the text, sharing their thoughts.

12. Inferring

For the Student

Learning Intention: To infer meaning from the story.

Review and discuss what inferring means. Look at the class definition written when reading A Surprise for Dingo.

In pairs, record what you see and what you infer using an image from the text.

Share your inferences with the class and justify your reasons.

What do I see What do I infer
   
   

 

For the Teacher

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is for students to delve deeper into the illustrations and make inferences about what they see.

Teaching Tips

Copy pages from text showing Button Boy doing what he likes and the other kids playing together.

13. Character Profile

For the Student

Learning Intention: To identify the character traits of the main characters in "Button Boy".

In small groups, use your inferences from the whole text and create a character profile for Grandma and Button Boy, recording character traits as a mind map around the image of the characters.

Share your profile with the other groups.

Fig. 13: Mind Map

 

For the Teacher

BB Character Profile

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to identify character traits using their inferences to develop a character profile.

Teaching Tips

Paste a visual image of Button Boy and Grandma onto an A3 sheet. Students then create a mind map around the image recording character traits.

eg. Button Boy: shy, lonely, likes collecting, lives with his grandmother, kind, helpful, generous.

Grandma: loving, kind, loves sewing, loves her grandson.

 

14. BB - What is a Complex Sentence?

For the Student

Learning Intention: To understand how to write a complex sentence.

Watch as your teacher models how to write a complex sentence about Button Boy using the pyramid.

With a partner, using the pyramid, write your own complex sentence (noun group) using words from your character profile.

Watch as your teacher models how to identify/name the features of a complex sentence.

Using your complex sentence identify the parts and write into a table.

Fig. 14: Draw a pyramid to write a complex sentence.

 

For the Teacher

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to identify what a complex sentence (noun group) is and its parts.​

Teaching Tips

Model writing a complex sentence using a pyramid, explaining what each step is. Starting at the point of the pyramid add a part to the sentence each time:

1. Object/Character - students write name eg. Grandma

2. Article - "The" in front of name. eg. The Grandma

3. Opinion - your opinion of what Grandma is like eg. The loving grandma.

4. Fact - something we know about Grandma that has been stated or seen in the picture eg. The loving woolly-haired grandma.

5. Classifying - Classifying a group they belong eg. The loving, woolly-haired, elderly grandma.

6. Write a phrase;

adjectival phrase with a preposition (by, next to, with, over, under, along side, in, on), adjectival clause (which, who, that)

eg. The loving, woolly-haired, elderly grandma who lived in the city with her grandson enjoyed knitting.

Model to the class the break down of a complex sentence into its noun group parts in a retrieval chart.

Article Quantity Opinion Factual Classifying Noun Adjectival Clause Adjectival Phrase Rest of sentence
The   loving woolly-haired elderly grandma who lived in the city with her grandson enjoyed knitting
                 

#Note that quantity relates to a group, e.g. 5 children

15. Recognise the Parts of an Orientation

For the Student

Learning Intention: To deepen my understanding of how to write an orientation.

Orientation usually includes when, where and who.

Compare the orientation for Button Boy with the orientation for A Surprise for Dinner. Add the information to our class retrieval chart.

  A Surprise for Dinner Button Boy 
when    
where    
who    
     

What does it mean if the when is not mentioned in the story? Why does the author not include a time?

For the Teacher

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to identify the features of the orientation for Button Boy.

Teaching Tips

In a table list the features of the orientation for A Surprise for Dingo and Button Boy.

Orientation A Surprise for Dingo Button Boy
Who    
Where    
When    

Discuss that when the time is not mentioned, it can make the story timeless, which can allow the story to be relevant at any time.

16. Write Orientation Using Complex Sentences

For the Student

Learning Intention: To make my orientation more interesting by writing complex sentences.

Read through the orientation you have already written.

How can you add detail and make it more interesting?

Rewrite your orientation using complex sentences.

Fig. 16: Use a Sentence Pyramid to write your complex sentence.

 

For the Teacher

Writing an Orientation with complex sentences

Purpose:  The purpose of this activity is for students to make a more descriptive and interesting orientation by writing complex sentences in their orientation.

Teaching Tips

Get students to refer to the noun group pyramid or retrieval chart criteria to assist them with writing complex sentences.

17. Identify Sequence of Events

For the Student

Learning Intention: To identify the sequence of events of a narrative.

After the orientation comes the sequence of events. Can you identify the sequence of events from the story? Identify the main parts and place them in the correct order.

In small groups act out different parts of the story.

Fig. 6: Little Girl Sobbing

For the Teacher

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to identify the key events of Button Boy in sequence and to act out the events.

Teaching Tips

List events on a retrieval chart. In small groups students write about one event from the story on a strip of paper. Glue this on to the class retrieval chart.

  What happened
Event 1 A little girl sobbing
Event 2 Old man
Event 3 Boy in a tree
Event 4 Lots of people asking for buttons
Event 5 Grandma's button - has no buttons left, what would he collect now

Place all of the characters for each event in a hat and get students to draw them out, this is who they will play when they act out the scene.

18. Sequencing of Events

For the Student

Learning Intention: To deepen my understanding of the sequence of events in a narrative.

Can you change the order of events?

How does this affect the story?

Does it still make sense?

What if there was no problem?

Fig. 18: Sequence

 

For the Teacher

Purpose:The purpose of this activity is to understand that the sequence of events is important and for a story to be interesting there needs to be a problem.

Teaching Tips

Type the events onto the IWB so that each event can be moved around.

Reorganise the events and read them to the class.

Try this a few times to see what order of events still makes sense and what doesn't.

Discuss that without a problem the story loses interest. If it was just event after event with no problem will it keep our interest in the story. E.g. I woke up, brushed my teeth, did my hair, got dressed, ate breakfast and went to school. Is this a good story? Why/Why not?

Discuss how the problem in a story comes after the orientation and initiates a sequence of events to solve the problem. Some stories have problems after each event.

19. Sequencing Words

For the Student

Learning Intention: To understand the effects of using sequencing events in a narrative.

1. As I read through the story listen for the sequencing words.

What are the sequencing words used in the story?

Can you think of any other sequencing words that we could use in our narratives?

Write your words on to post-it notes and add them to our class poster.

2. Read your orientations that you have written.

What can happen to the characters now? This will be your problem.

Write a sequence of events that includes at least 3 parts. Refer to the class poster of sequencing words to assist with your writing.

Narrative Sequence Complete this column with your ideas
Problem  
Event 1  
Event 2  
Even 3  

 

For the Teacher

There are two parts to this update.

1. Sequencing words

Purpose:  The purpose of this activity is to identify sequencing words and how they are used to connect and order events in a story.

Teaching Tips

Sequencing words from text:

- One morning

- On this day

- The next morning

- In the morning

Options for locating sequencing/time words in the story:

1. Students record sequencing words on post it notes as the story is being read.

2. Read story off the smartboard as a class and students circle the sequencing words. Have 4 people to scribe the words on to paper for the class poster.

Create a class poster to brainstorm other sequencing words. Get students to search through guided reading texts to find more words to add to the poster. Use post it notes for students to add ideas to (eg. after, next, then).

2. Writing a sequence of events

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is for students to add to their orientation, identifying a problem and writing a sequence of events.

Teaching Tips

Refer students to the class poster of sequencing words. Students are required to identify a problem and write at least 3 key events that use sequencing words from the poster.

 

20. Identify Lines in Buildings

For the Student

Learning Intention: To identify different lines.

We are going to go for a walk around the school. Take notice of what types of lines you can see in buildings.

What sorts of lines do you see in buildings?

Fig. 20: Straight and Curved Lines

For the Teacher

Purpose:  The purpose of this activity is to identify lines that students could use when drawing buildings.

Teaching Tips

As students suggest what lines are used, draw them on the board and name them.

Horizontal

Vertical

Diagonal

Curved/Wavy

Demonstrate how these lines can go together to create a building.

21. Create a Street Scape

For the Student

Learning Intention: To understand how the illustrator uses line in Button Boy.

Look at the page in the book of O'Malley's Alley. What lines has the illustrator used?

Create different textures on cardboard by scraping lined patterns into the wet paint.

Use the cardboard to create house with rooves, windows, chimneys, etc, and place in a row to create a street.

Reflection: Share the lines you chose to explain these effects. Would you change to another line.

Fig. 21: A Streetscape

For the Teacher

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to experiment with the use of line to create texture in a street scape.

Teaching Tips

Follow the steps set out in "Textured Houses" pg 30 of The Usborne Book of Art Skills.

Get students to place their houses in a row so that it looks like a street, they can add a road to the bottom as well.

This could be completed in pairs or as a whole class mural.

22. Describe Your Bike

For the Student

Learning Intention: To connect to the story of Mulga Bill.

Use a Think-Pair-Share to describe your bike to your partner.

Draw your bike, thinking about its colour and appearance.

Pair up, square up to share your illustration, talking about where you like to ride.

What type of bike is it? Where do you go riding?

Fig. 22: Describe your bicycle.

For the Teacher

Mulga Bill Connecting to the text

Purpose: To connect with the text

Teaching Tips

Teacher models connecting with the text by sharing a personal experience.

23. What do You Think the Story will be about?

For the Student

Learning Intention: To read and respond to Mulga Bill's Bicycle.

Look at the front cover of the text.

In a round robin, share your ideas about:

When do you think this story happened? Where do you think this story takes place? What do you think will happen in the story? What kind of a character do you think Mulga Bill will be?

Now as a whole class share your ideas.

Fig. 23: Mulga Bill's Bicycle

For the Teacher

Purpose: To predict time, setting and possible events of the story

Teaching Tips

Show the front cover of the text to the class. This could be scanned onto the smartboard and enlarged.

Organise the students into groups of four to participate in a round robin activity.

For each question give the students a minute to verbally respond.

As students, share their ideas and record them on a retrieval chart.

Setting (time and Place)  
Characters  
Events (plot)  

24. My Favourite Part of Mulga Bill's Bicycle

For the Student

Learning Intention: To connect with Mulga Bill's Bicycle as a text for enjoyment.

Listen to, for enjoyment, the story of Mulga Bill's Bicycle.

As a class discuss the story, What did you think? Was it a good story?

Think-Pair-Share your favourite part of the story with a member of the class.

In a sharing circle take turns to share what your partner's favourite part was.

Fig. 24: What was your favourite scene?

 

For the Teacher

First reading of Mulga Bill's Bicycle

Teaching Tips

Read the text with expression and fluency to emphasize the pace and rhythm to the story.

Share your own favourite part and why to help prompt the class but encourage unique responses to avoid your own ideas being copied.

Remind pairs to listen carefully and give good detail as they will be sharing their partner's and not their own favourite parts. 

25. Inferring with Mulga Bill

For the Student

Learning Intention: To infer the thoughts and feelings of Mulga Bill through illustrations.

Look at pages 8/9. Infer what you think Mulga Bill is thinking in each of the different states of him riding. Ask 'what did I see to make me think that?'

As a class record these ideas on a 'What do I see/ What do I infer' chart. One example is done for you.

What I see What I infer
Mulga Bill's horse pulling on the stump He still wants to be Mulga Bill's horse
   
   
   

For the Teacher

Teaching Tips

Show the class the image on pp.8-9.

Probe the students for evidence of their inferences by asking about facial expression and posture.

Revise students' understanding of what an inference is.

26. Writing Inferences with Mulga Bill

For the Student

Learning Intention: To link understanding of inferring with the text.

In pairs study the picture from the story you have been given. What do you see? What do you infer?

Using speech and thought bubbles, add your own text to the illustrations using your knowledge of the story.

In a sharing circle, present you and your partner's work to the rest of the class, giving reasons for your choice of thought/feelings.

Fig. 26: The character is thinking that........

 

For the Teacher

 

Teaching Tips

 

Model an example to the class using the smartboard.

During the circle time prompt answers from the students by referring to key images from their sheet.

27. Illustration Shot Types with Mulga Bill

For the Student

Learning Intention: To identify shot types and their effect in Mulga Bill's Bicycle

As a class discuss the three different types of shot type, come up with names for each one in regards to its appearance and effect. What is interesting about each one? What effect do they have?

As a class discuss three images from the text that portray these shot types and the effect they have. List these ideas on a class chart.

Shot Type Page Effect
Close Up p.21 Sense of fear/something coming
     

 

Fig. 27: Types of Shots

 

For the Teacher

Teaching Tips

After class discussion, explicitly teach each shot type.

Close up: face and shoulders

Mid shot: 1/2 body

Long shot: full body in context i.e. I can see where the character is.

Provide example from Mulga Bill's Bicycle

Record student information on class chart. 

28. Mulga Bill Shot Type Art

For the Student

Learning Intention: To extend an image to convey my understanding of shot types.

In pairs, take turns in photographing each other using different shot types and analyse the effects these shots have.

Look at the close up shot of Mulga bill on page 18.

Paint a mid range shot of the same scene taking into account the landscape and current events.

Extend this concept into a long-range shot of the same scene.

Fig. 28: Here is a close up of a child. What would you add to make it a mid shot? A long shot?

 

For the Teacher

Teaching Tips

 Revise elements of each shot type with the class.

Taking photos enables students to practise setting up shots and using language to articulate their understanding.

With pencil, model the extension of the image on your own sheet. 

29. Read the Text and Give Descriptions of Mulga Bill

For the Student

Learning Intention: Create a character profile to show the changes in Mulga Bill.

Listen to the orientation of Mulga Bill up to page seven.

What kind of a character do you think Mulga Bill is so far? Give some words and phrases you think describe him. Use the inferring reading strategy this is what good readers do.

Continue listening to the story to page 23.

Has his character changed? What kind of character is he now? Give some words and phrases that describe him now.

Finish listening to the story.

How has Mulga Bill ended up? Is he a different character from the beginning of the book? What are some words and phrases that describe his character at the end of the book?

Fig. 29: How is Mulga Bill feeling? How do you know?

 

For the Teacher

Teaching Tips

Prompt the students for information about the character.

Do you think Mulga Bill was very impressed with himself? What's a word we can use for that?

Record the words given by students around each image that depicts his character profile in appropriate page columns on a chart.

page 7 proud
page 23 terrified
page 27 grateful

30. Evaluations in Narratives

For the Student

Learning Intention: To define an evaluation and locate it in Mulga Bill's Bicycle.

As a class listen to the whole story of Mulga Bill's Bicycle.

What did Mulga Bill learn from his experience?

The author, Banjo Paterson, wanted us to learn something. What can we learn from Mulga Bill?

As a class discuss what an evaluation is and why stories have them.

Individually write a definition for an evaluation/moral and stick it on the board. As a class discuss the best parts from the definitions to make a whole class definition.

In groups write a sentence that explains the moral of Mulga Bill'sBbicycle.

Fig. 30: Banjo Paterson, the author of Mulga Bill.

 

For the Teacher

Teaching Tips

Prompt students with evaluations by providing examples from other texts e.g. The Rainbow Fish taught us the value of sharing when the fish was happier with friends rather the scales.

Explain that good writers include evaluations so there is purpose in their stories and so they can teach people things.

Give students paper strips to write definitions on and stick them as a border around the class definition.

Give groups (mixed ability) a picture from the last page of Mulga Bill with writing lines beneath and have them write their moral on that so that it can be presented on wall space.

 

31. Moral-Free Mulga

For the Student

Learning Intention: To understand the importance of coda in narratives.

Whole class discussion

What would have happened if there was no complication i.e. Mulga Bill was good at riding and never had an accident? Would the message of the story still come through?

Does a character need to change for a story to have a moral?

Complete the change flowchart showing in pictures and words what the story would look like with and without a change.

 

For the Teacher

Teaching Tips

Model thinking processes out loud to help prompt student understanding. 

32. Winning and Losing in Mulga Bill

For the Student

Learning Intention: To identify winning and losing concepts in Mulga Bill's character change.

When characters change they win some things and lose others.

What did Mulga Bill gain? What did Mulga Bill lose?

Record these concepts on a class T-chart.

What did Mulga Bill gain? What did Mulga Bill lose?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

For the Teacher

Teaching Tips

Connect winning and losing to Button Boy. He lost buttons but won friends.

Record ideas on T-chart.

 

33. Writing a Moral

For the Student

Learning Intention: To write a short story that contains a moral.

Think about how we learn from character change in stories.

As a class, brainstorm values like sharing, friendship, kindness etc. that could be used in a story.

Individually, write a short story that shows one of these used as a moral.

Fig. 33: Giving

 

For the Teacher

Moral Writing

Teaching Tips

Display a range of examples from familiar books to add more familiar morals to the class brainstorm.

Prompt students by thinking of a time where they learnt about sharing/friendship/courage etc. and how they could tell it as a story. 

34. Your Very Own Narrative

For the Student

Learning Intention: To apply what you know about how to write a narrative.

The first step in creating your story/narrative is to make a plan for your writing. It must include a setting (orientation), events and resolution. You may also wish to include a coda or lesson the main character(s) will learn from their adventure.

For your storymap draw a pathway on an A4 piece of paper that moves like a snake back and forth across the page. This is the path your character will follow during the story.

At the start of the path draw a setting (who, what, where and when).

In the middle parts of the path draw the events your character will go through. Start with a drawing of the complication.

At the end of the path draw the ending to your story.

If you wish you might like to draw a storyboard instead of the storymap.

2. Next, create a character profile to help describe your characters more effectively.

3. Welcome to your first draft! This is where you get all of your ideas down on paper and start sorting what will go where, who will say what, and what will happen! In later lessons we will be concentrating on spelling, editing and grammar so don't worry too much about those things now! Have Fun!

4. Publish your narrative.

 

 

For the Teacher

1. Publishing Your Text

To begin writing their own narratives the teacher will need to refer to the displays created throughout the learning element. Ensure these are on accessable to the class and keep reminding students to use the strategies they have investigated.

The first lesson involves students creating a plan for their narratives. They will use a storymap or a storyboard to help visualise a orientation, series of events and resolution. A storymap is where students draw a pathway on an A4 sheet of paper. The beginning of the path is the orientation and should include detailed pictures of setting(s) and the main character(s). As we continue down the path students draw pictures of events that happen during the story, there could be one or many events. Finally at the end of the path the students draw the ending or resolution. A storymap differes from a storyboard in that it has a single page with a continuous line, wheras a storyboard has separate boxes for drawings.

2. Character Description

Learning Intention: To create a descriptive character profile

Students write and draw a character profile for their main characters in their narratives. the objective for this activity is for students to use descriptive language to portray their characters. They will need to refer back to their work on complex sentences.

You will need an A4 piece of paper for each student with a frame in the top half for a portrait, then lines for writing a complex sentence about the character.

Extension students might like to do multiple character profiles with more than one complex sentence to describe them.

35. Acknowledgements

The original version of this learning module was designed by Margaret Doykas, Jayne Queripel, Robyn Kiddy, Jim Gray, and Luke Marsden

Title: (Source); Fig. 1: (Source); Fig. 2: (Source); Fig. 4: (Source); Fig. 5: Butterfly (Source); Fig. 6a: Bear close up. (Source); Fig. 6b: Bear long shot (Source); Fig. 7: Boom (Source); Fig. 8: Questions 1 (Source); Fig. 9: Questions 2 (Source); Fig. 10: Buttons ((Source); Fig. 11: Button Boy (Source); Fig. 13: (Source); Fig. 14: Pyramid (Source); Fig. 16: Pyramid; Fig. 17: (Source); Fig. 18: Word Art; Fig. 20: (Source); Fig. 21: (Source); Fig. 22: Photograph by Chad Heininger; Fig. 23: (Source); Fig 24: (Source); Fig. 26: Thought Bubble (Source); Fig. 27: Basic Shot Types (Source);  Fig. 28: Child (Source); Fig. 29: (Source); Fig. 30: Banjo Paterson (Source); Fig. 31: Cyclists (Source);  Fig. 33: Giving (Source).