oral language shemes

September

Theme – Our Planet Activity MenuWeek 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

Day 1 Story

Talk and Discussion

★ Preview: The Treasure Hunt

★ Talk and Discussion – Character traits

★ Introduce theme: Planet Earth

★ Introduction: Guess the topic

★ Demonstration: Make a volcano

★ Read: Feena’s Second Book of Facts – pages 6-7

★ Read: The Three Little Pigs

★ Demonstration: What causes an Earthquake?

★ Word prediction

★ Talk and Discussion: Poster 2 (Set D)

★ Writing: Fact or Fib statements

Day 2 Play and Games

★ Game: Whats the connection?

★ Preview: Content vocabulary

★ Read: Feena’s Second Book of Facts – pages 4-5

★ Game: Label the parts

★ Game: Step on a volcano

★ Quiz: Classroom challenge

★ Game: What am I?

★ Game: Newspaper hopping

★ Game: Colour the sentence

★ Map making

★ Game: Doughnut dilemmas

Day 3 Improvisational Drama

★ The thirty second monologue

★ Mime: Luscious landscapes

★ Improvisation: The Goldilocks Planet

★ Introduction: The effects of volcanos

★ Report: Eye witness account

★ Hot seating

★ Mime: Earthquake disaster

★ Role Play: Town meeting

★ Improvisation: Successful rescue

★ Game: Cross the circle

★ Game: Scene selection

★ Hot-seating: Interview a character

Day 4 Poetry and Rhyme

★ Poem: The Aliens Have Landed

★ Tongue Twister

★ Poem: All My Great Excuses

★ Read for fun: Explosive Tale

★ Poem: Earthquake

★ Jokes and riddles

★ Poem: The Little Plant

★ Poem: I’m Glad

Day 5 Other Ideas

★ Demonstration: Similating day and night

★ Read: The Reason for Seasons

★ Demonstration: How Earth experiencs the different seasons

★ Read: Sunshine makes the Seasons

★ Read: Volcanos

★ Experiment: Make your own volcano

★ Read: Time for Kids: Earthquakes

★ Experiment: Simulate an Earthquake

★ Research: Earthquakes

★ Experiment: Can plants grow in the dark?

★ Introduce: Simon the Summarising Sweeper

★ Summarise: The Teasure Hunt

★ Read: Planet Earth / Inside Out

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Oral Language Development Scheme D September

Week 1: Day 1 ★ Story / Talk and Discussion Theme: Our Planet

1. Preview: The Treasure Hunt ★ Display the cover of The Treasure Hunt in book form or on the IWB.

★ Read the title and take a brief picture walk through the book.

★ Photocopy PCM 1. Introduce Priscilla, the Predicting Princess, holding her crystal ball. Explain to the children that Priscilla is one of the ‘Castle Characters’ who will help them understand text they read and hear read. Tell them that Priscilla will be helping them make predictions about the story The Treasure Hunt as it is read.

★ Have them move their hands around an imaginary crystal ball, in a swirling motion, and say Priscilla’s favourite phrases – ‘I predict that...’ / ‘I imagine...’ / ‘I’ll bet...,’ ‘I think...will happen because...’ / ‘I wonder if...’

★ Model making a prediction, e.g. I predict that there will be lots of cheating because I think both the boys and the girls will really want to win the treasure hunt.

★ Have the children make predictions about the story.

2. Talk and Discussion: Character Traits ★ Read pages 3 – 8 of The Treasure Hunt aloud.

★ Photocopy PCM 2 and make the words into flashcards.

★ Read each character trait and discuss its meaning. Brainstorm synonyms for each one, e.g. cheerful – happy, jovial, positive; confident – sure of oneself, having no doubts; impatient – irritated, edgy; patient – uncomplaining, calm; etc.

★ Divide the children into five groups and give each group three flashcards.

★ Have each group discuss the three character traits that they have been assigned. Ask the children to consider if any of the traits are applicable to Orin, GG or Winchilla, based on what they have heard of the story The Treasure Hunt, so far.

★ Have the children refer explicitly to the text to show examples of behaviours that demonstrate the trait. Ask them to say also why certain traits may not be applicable to a character.

Objectives: Respond to characters and events in a story [B(R) 4.6] / Predict future events and outcomes in a book that is being read aloud [B(R)3.6] / Develop comprehension strategies - recalling details and events; assimilating facts [B(R)3.4] / Continue to experience the reading process being modelled [B(R)1.1] / Focus on the subject under discussion and sustain a conversation on it [B(OL)2.4]

Lesson Menu1. Preview: The Treasure Hunt 5 Mins2. Talk and Discussion: Character traits 20 Mins3. Introduce theme: Planet Earth 10 Mins

Oral Language Development Scheme C: Photocopiable Master (PCM) 1

Priscilla, the Predicting Princess

Maybe... will happen because...

I predict that… I think that...

I’ll bet... I wonder if...

I imagine... I suppose...

I think... will happen because...

I think I will learn... because...

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★ Write each character name on a large chart and fill in the traits assigned to the character by each group. Have other groups say whether or not they agree with how other groups have assigned their character traits.

★ A character profile of Winchilla, based on what has happened in the story so far, might look something like this. [See chart above.]

3. Introduce theme ‘Planet Earth’. ★ Remind the children that the Wandsville friends decided to meet at the car park in Snow

Valley the following morning for the treasure hunt.

★ Look at the pictures on pages 9 – 24 of The Treasure Hunt. Talk about the route of the treasure hunt. Have the children label all the physical features evident in the illustrations, i.e. a valley, hill/mountain, cliffs, waterfall, swamp, forest.

★ Point out that these are all features found on Earth. Explain that ‘Planet Earth’ is the theme that will be explored this month.

★ Divide the children into groups and ask them to share what they already know about Earth. Write the following words on the board and have each group talk about what they know about each topic: continents, seasons, day and night, equator, inside the Earth.

★ Give each child an index card and ask him/her to write a question that s/he would like answered. Place all the cards in a box and explain that at various times during the month, cards will be taken from the box and the question read.

Character Name Trait Synonyms Action

Winchilla inconsiderate selfish, thoughtless She didn’t consult the others about what they would like to watch.

bossy domineering, interfering

Wouldn’t allow GG to change the channel.

argumentative quarrelsome, contrary

Disagrees with GG when he says that the show is silly.

irritable short-tempered, prickly

Turns the remote control into a cactus.

arrogant big-headed, smug Points out that she was right in her opinion that the boys would beat the girls. Makes a sweeping statement that ‘girls are better than boys at things like that.’

playful good-humoured, jokey, teasing

Teases GG and Orin about the girls beating the boys in the treasure hunt on the television show.

confident self-assured, assertive, firm

Challenges the boys to a treasure hunt.

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Week 1: Day 2 ★ Play and Games Theme: Our Planet

1. Game: What’s the connection? ★ Place a jar of honey, an apple and a ball of pizza dough on a table in front of

the children. Ask them to guess how any of the items might be used to show a comparison with Earth.

★ Explain that if you could cut the Earth open, you would find that it is made up of layers. The crust or outer layer is made of solid rock. On the inside, the mantle is made of hot, melted rock and metal that swirl around inside the Earth, almost like honey being stirred. In the centre, like an apple, there is a core. The core is made of solid metal.

★ Take up the ball of pizza dough and begin to spin it quickly in the air. As it spins, the ball of dough flattens out until it becomes a flat disk rather than a ball. The Earth also spins but because it is hard on the outside and not soft, it doesn’t flatten out like the pizza dough. Instead, just the top and bottom become slightly flattened.

★ Have the children create a Fact File in their Writing Journals on what they have learned.

2. Preview: Content vocabulary ★ Give each child a photocopy of PCM 3. Ask him/her to cut out the words.

★ Introduce words in pairs. Provide two definitions and have the children say which word they think each definition applies to. For example, you might say ‘One is an imaginary line that runs around the centre of the Earth and the other is a blanket of gases that surrounds Earth.’

★ Ask the children to sort the words into categories under each of the pictures on PCM 4, i.e. Inside Earth / Equator / Surrounding Earth.

★ Have the children work in pairs to discuss the placing of each word.

Objectives: Engage with a wide variety of text: picture books, poetry, stories, informational material [B(R)4.3] / Continue to experience the reading process being modelled [B(R)1.1] / Experiment with more elaborate vocabulary and sentence structure in order to extend and explore meaning [B(OL)2.2] / Write about something that has been learned [B(W)3.3]

Lesson Menu1. Game: What’s the connection? 10 Mins2. Preview: Content vocabulary 10 Mins3. Read: Feena’s Second Book of Facts 15 Mins

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3. Read and Discuss: Feena’s Second Book of Facts ★ Display pages 4 and 5, Feena’s Second Book of Facts on the Interactive White Board.

★ Preview the text structure. Talk about the difference between fiction and non-fiction texts. Explain that a non-fiction text is organised differently to a fiction text. Unlike fiction, there is no story with a beginning, middle and end, no characters, problems or resolutions. A non-fiction text is organised around specific topics and main ideas and gives information that is true. A non-fiction text often has headings, photographs, captions, labels, words in bold print, maps, and comparisons.

★ Show examples of some non-fiction conventions on pages 4 – 5 of Feena’s Second Book of Facts. Have the children work in pairs to make predictions about what they expect to learn.

★ Make a K-W-L-F chart and display it for the children to see. Activate prior knowledge by having the children list information that they know about the topic ‘Earth’. Write this under the K heading (i.e. what we know). Next list questions (that the children expect or want to learn) and write them under the W heading.

★ Discuss each question and answer. Write the following sentence frame on the board and ask various children to orally complete it: I already knew that _________ but I learned _______.

★ Ask the children to say whether any of the words they sorted in the previous exercise might need to be placed under a different picture.

★ Have the children write about what they learned under the L heading.

★ At the end of the lesson, fill in the ‘F’ section on the K-W-L-F chart with a list of further questions that the children wish to find answers to.

K W L F

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Week 1: Day 3 ★ Improvisational Drama Theme: Our Planet

1. The thirty second monologue ★ Ask the children to get into pairs, one child sitting opposite the other. Have them take it in

turns to brainstorm different topics relating to the theme ‘Earth’, one word at a time. For example, if brainstorming Bodies of Water on Earth each pair might call out the following words in turn: sea, ocean, river, bay, stream, lake, waterfall, pond; or Landforms: hill, mountain, valley, island, volcano, peninsula, cave, cliff, plain. Other topics to brainstorm: Plants; Weather; Seasons; Animals on land; Living in water; Underwater, etc.

★ Ask each pair to count the number of words they got for each topic. Have them award themselves a point for each of the words and deduct a point for every ‘er’ or ‘um’ said.

★ Choose one of the topics that the children brainstormed, e.g. Weather. Invite children to talk on the topic for exactly thirty seconds. Assign a child to be the ‘um/er’ counter.

2. Mime: Luscious landscapes ★ Divide the children into groups of four. Have them work with the others in the group to

mime a scene where they are travelling through a particular type of landscape, e.g. a rainforest, a desert, a Polar region, a mountain, a beach, a meadow, a valley, a marsh, a swamp, etc.

★ Encourage the children to keep the story line simple. Remind each group to begin by setting the scene in a particular landscape. Ask them to think of a problem or difficulties that might arise as a result of being in that particular landscape. The mime should be ended by showing a solution to the problem or difficulties.

★ As each team presents its mime, ask the other children in the class to write down the name of the landscape they think that the group is travelling through.

★ When the mime is complete, ask each child to hold up his/her slip of paper. Count the number of correct answers and award that number of points to the group who has just performed. The group with the most points after all groups have displayed, wins.

3. Improvisation: ‘The Goldilocks Planet’ ★ Some scientists call Earth the ‘Goldilocks planet’ because just like the porridge of Baby Bear

that Goldilocks eats, it is not too hot and not too cold. Earth is just the right distance from the Sun which gives us heat and light, allowing life on the planet.

★ Have the children work in pairs, one to play the part of an alien, the other someone from Earth. The ‘Earthling’ tries to convince the alien to come to live on Earth by describing the advantages of living there.

Objectives: Engage in real and imaginary situations involving language use [B(OL)3.5] /Give a description, recount a narrative or describe a process, and answer questions about it [B(OL)3.1] / Become more adept in using appropriate verbal and non-verbal behaviour in order to secure and maintain the attention of the listener [B(OL)1.4] / Re-create stories and poems in improvisational drama [B(OL)4.5]

Lesson Menu1. The thirty second monologue 15 Mins2. Mime: Luscious landscapes 20 Mins3. Improvisation: The Goldilocks Planet 10 Mins

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Week 1: Day 4 ★ Poetry and Rhyme Theme: Our Planet

1. Poem: The Aliens Have Landed!

2. Tongue Twister

Objectives: Listen to, read, learn and recite a varied and appropriate repertoire of rhymes and poems [B(OL)4.4] / Experiment with more elaborate vocabulary and sentence structure in order to extend and explore meaning [B(OL)2.2] / Express feelings in order to clarify them and explain them to others [B(OL)4.2]

Lesson Menu1. Poem: The Aliens Have Landed! 20 Mins2. Tongue Twister 5 Mins

The Aliens Have Landed!

The aliens have landed! It’s distressing, but they’re here. They piloted their flying saucer through our atmosphere.

They landed like a meteor engulfed in smoke and flame. Then out they climbed immersed in slime and burbled as they came.

Their hands are greasy tentacles. Their heads are weird machines. Their bodies look like cauliflower and smell like dead sardines.

Their blood is liquid helium. Their eyes are made of granite. Their breath exudes the stench of foods from some unEarthly planet.

And if you want to see these sickly, unattractive creatures, you’ll find them working in your school; they all got jobs as teachers!

Kenn Nesbitt

Talk and Discussion

★ Read the title of the poem and the poet’s name. Have the children predict what the poem might be about.

★ Before reading the poem, ask the children to form a picture in their mind of an alien. Tell them that you want them to listen carefully and visualise the aliens as described by the poet in the poem. Ask whether the description in the poem matched their image of an alien.

★ Display PCM 5, Clarence, the Clarifying Clown. Explain that Clarence’s job is to help them clarify or understand words or parts of a text that they find difficult to understand.

★ Read the poem again and have the children signal if there is a word or words that they don’t understand. Encourage the children to use context clues to help them figure out unfamiliar words.

★ Brainstorm synonyms for the following words: engulfed [surrounded by, encircled by]; immersed [covered, steeped, soaked]; burbled [gabbled, rambled]; exudes [gives off, radiates, emits]; stench [pong, stink, unpleasant smell/odour]. Have the children choose their favourite word from the poem and illustrate it.

★ Talk about the rhyming words in the poem. Discuss rhyme schemes. Have the children identify the rhyme scheme in the poem, i.e. ABCB [2nd/4th lines rhyme].

★ Discuss the ending of the poem. Ask if the children were surprised/shocked etc. with the ending.

★ Have the children rate the poem, giving it a mark out of 10

Whether the weather be fine or whether the weather be not. Whether the weather be cold or whether the weather be hot. We’ll weather the weather whether we like it or not.

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Week 1: Day 5 ★ Other Ideas Theme: Our Planet

1. Demonstration: Simulating day and night ★ Ask two children to stand in front of the class, one representing Earth and the other, Sun.

★ Remind them that Earth is always spinning and takes 24 hours to make one complete turn.

★ Give the child representing the Sun a torch. Ask the child representing Earth to turn slowly. As s/he turns, explain that it is daytime on the side of the body facing the Sun and night time on the side turned away from the Sun.

2 . Read: The Reason for Seasons ★ Read: The Reason for Season by Gail Gibbons

ISBN: 978-0823412389 Publisher: Holiday House

★ This book explains how the position of Earth in relation to the sun causes seasons.

3. Demonstration: How Earth experiences the different seasons ★ Blow up a balloon. Draw a line around the middle of the balloon. Explain that the balloon

and the line around it represent the Earth and its Equator.

★ Sit the balloon into a bowl so that the Equator is sloping.

★ Stack up a number of books a few metres away from the balloon. Place a torch on top of them so that it is shining on Earth, just above the Equator.

★ Explain that the torch represents the Sun. Where the Sun’s light is brightest, these countries will be experiencing summer. Countries where the Sun’s light is furthest away will be experiencing winter.

★ Explain that light from the Sun does not fall evenly on to Earth because our planet is round and is tilted. The Equator is the hottest part of the planet because it is closest to the Sun and is where the Sun’s light and heat is the strongest.

Objectives: Engage with a wide variety of text: picture books, poetry, stories, informational material [B(R)4.3] / Continue to experience the reading process being modelled [B(R)1.1] / Initiate discussions, respond to the initiatives of others, and have practice in taking turns [B(OL)2.5]

Lesson Menu1. Demonstration: Simulating day and night 5 Mins2. Read: The Reason for Seasons 15 Mins3. Demonstration: How Earth experiences the different seasons 5 Mins4. Read: Sunshine Makes the Seasons 10 Mins

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4. Read: Sunshine Makes the Seasons ★ Read: Sunshine Makes the Seasons by Franklyn M. Branley

ISBN: 978-0060592059 Publisher: Collins

★ The sun shines down on us, giving warmth and light. But did you know that the sun also makes the seasons? As the Earth makes one complete rotation around the sun every year, the seasons on the Earth change – from winter to spring to summer to fall and back to winter again. Find out how the light from the Sun affects life on the Earth for all living things in this look at the only star in our solar system.

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Week 2: Day 1 ★ Story/Talk and Discussion Theme: Our Planet

1. Introduction: Guess the topic ★ Write the following words on index cards: explosion, blast, noisy, smoke,

ash cloud, lava.

★ Display each card, one at a time. Have the children guess the topic the words might relate to.

★ Introduce the topic ‘Volcanoes’. Make a K-W-L-F chart and display it for the children to see. Activate prior knowledge by having the children list information that they know about the topic ‘Volcanoes’. Write this under the K heading (i.e. what we know). Next list questions (i.e. what the children expect or want to learn) and write them under the W heading. Continue in the usual way.

2. Demonstration: Make a volcano ★ Place a plastic cup with some baking powder on a tray

★ Add a dash of liquid soap detergent and a few drops of red food colouring to the cup.

★ Next, pour some vinegar into the cup.

★ Talk about the result. Explain to the children that the cup represents the volcano. The foam inside the cup is called magma, the liquid rock inside the volcano before it comes out and the foam that spills out of the cup onto the tray represents lava.

3. Read: Feena’s Second Book of Facts ★ Display pages 6 – 7 of Feena’s Second Book of Facts in book form or on the

IWB. Read the introduction. Recap on what a volcano is.

★ Read the first question, ‘How are volcanoes formed?’ Tell the children that after you have read the answer, you want each group to choose three words that will help them retell the answer. For example, one group might choose the words crust, magma and lava.

★ Choose one of the other groups to answer the question ‘How are volcanoes formed?’ using these three words. Allow them time to compose their answer. Discuss if the words chosen were words that helped with the retelling. Compare these words with the three words the ‘retelling’ group had picked. Ask the other groups to share the words they had selected.

★ Select other questions and repeat the process.

Objectives: Focus on the subject under discussion and sustain a conversation on it [B(OL)2.4] /Engage in shared reading activities [B(R)1.2] / Ask questions that will satisfy his/her curiosity and wonder - what? why? when? where? who? how? what if? [B(OL)3.6]

Lesson Menu1. Introduction: Guess the topic 5 Mins2. Demonstration: Make a volcano 10 Mins3. Read: Feena’s Second Book of Facts 15 Mins

K W L F

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1. Game: Label the parts ★ Give each child a copy of PCM 6. Have them cut out the words above the

diagram of the volcano. Ask them to place each word where they think it should go on the diagram.

★ When the children have finished, read each word. Ask individual children to say where they placed the word on the diagram. Encourage them to provide reasons for the placing of the word, e.g. I know that magma is found inside the volcano and when it flows out it is called lava, so I placed the words ‘magma chamber’ deep inside the volcano.

2. Game: Step on a volcano! ★ Get a set of A4 cards. Write the word ‘Extinct’ on some of the cards, the word ‘Dormant’ on

some others and the word ‘Active’ on some more. Ensure that there are more cards than children e.g. 25 children, 25 ‘Extinct’, 3 ‘Dormat’ and 2 ‘Active’ cards.

★ Place the cards like stepping stones around the room. Have the children step from one card to another as music is played. When the music stops, any child standing on a card with the word ‘Active’ is out of the game. Children standing on a card with the word ‘Dormant’ lose a life and are out of the game if they step on ‘Dormant’ a second time.

★ Remove the appropriate number of ‘Extinct’ cards for each child eliminated after each round. The last two children left in the game are the winners.

3. Quiz: Classroom challenge ★ Display pages 6 – 7 of Feena’s Second Book of Facts on the IWB.

★ Divide the class into groups. Have each group prepare six questions based on pages 6 – 7, ‘Volcanoes’. Display PCM 7. Explain that Queenie, the Question Queen carries her magic microphone everywhere she goes because she loves asking questions. She loves asking ‘quiz’ questions that begin with the words who, what, when, where, why and how; wonder questions that start with ‘I wonder why...’ and thinking questions that begin with ‘Why or How do you think....?’

★ Encourage the children to use the language prompts displayed on PCM 7 as they generate their questions.

★ Have groups challenge each other, by posing their prepared questions. Award a point for each correct answer. The team with the most points at the end wins.

Objectives: Experiment with more elaborate vocabulary and sentence structure in order to extend and explore meaning [B(OL)2.2] /Ask questions that will satisfy his/her curiosity and wonder - what? why? when? where? who? how? what if? [B(OL)3.6]

Lesson Menu1. Game: Label the parts 10 Mins2. Step on a volcano! 10 Mins3. Quiz: Classroom challenge 20 Mins

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1. Introduction: The effects of volcanoes ★ Divide the class into groups of 5/6. Have each group brainstorm the effects of volcanoes.

★ Assign a group leader to report back from each group. Make a list of effects, e.g. Fast moving lava can kill people and animals. Falling ash can make it difficult for people and animals to breathe. People can develop illnesses such as pneumonia as a result of the ash and dust. Buildings can be destroyed, leaving people homeless. Poisonous gases from the volcano can kill people and animals. Volcanoes can cause the weather to change. Strong winds and heavy rains can follow for many months after the eruption.

2. Report: Eye-witness account ★ Read an eye-witness account of a volcanic eruption. For example, the account below by

Gina Christie, describes a volcanic eruption in Iceland in 2010. ‘We are still on alert but have not been evacuated. We are luckier than those in surrounding areas as our village is not under direct threat at the moment. The farmers in the Flotsdalir area who were evacuated again last night have returned to their farms. Because of the ash, people are being advised to wear a mask if they go outside and to keep windows shut. Luckily for us, the gas is still drifting eastwards, so we are not getting a huge amount but there’s a lot falling in other places. The threat to livestock is great - they breathe in the ash, it settles in their lungs and after a while they just cannot breathe and die.’

★ Have the children identify the effects of the volcano that Gina speaks about, i.e. the ash, the gas, the danger to animals, the need to be evacuated. Talk about the precautions that people are advised to take, e.g. wear a mask, keep windows shut.

3. Hot-seating ★ Sit in the ‘hot-seat’ in the role of Gina, the person who has written the account above of the

Icelandic volcanic eruption.

★ Allow the children time to prepare questions. Encourage them to use information from Gina’s eye-witness account when formulating questions, e.g. Will you be upset if you have to be evacuated? From where did everybody get the masks? Are you worried about the gas from the volcano? Are you worried about relatives or friends that live in areas where the gas is falling? What can the farmers do to protect their animals from the falling ash?

★ Invite various children to sit in the ‘hot-seat’ in the role of Gina. Provide new information as each child takes the seat, e.g. Gina is annoyed because she feels the government hasn’t done enough to help. Gina is worried because her brother has a farm and most of his animals have died. Gina has a holiday booked but because of the volcano there are no flights out of Iceland.

Objectives: Engage in real and imaginary situations involving language use - explain, persuade, enquire, report, agree, dissent, discuss a point of view, justify opinions, provide solutions to problems [B(OL)3.5]

Lesson Menu1. Introduction: The effects of volcanoes 5 Mins2. Report: Eye-witness account 5 Mins3. Hot-seating 15 Mins

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1. Poem: All My Great Excuses

2. Poem: Explosive Tale

Objectives: Focus on the subject under discussion and sustain a conversation on it [B(OL)2.4]

Lesson Menu1. Poem: All My Great Excuses 20 Mins2. Read for fun: Explosive Tale 5 Mins

All My Great Excuses

I started on my homework but my pen ran out of ink. My hamster ate my homework. My computer’s on the blink.

I accidentally dropped it in the soup my mom was cooking. My brother flushed it down the toilet when I wasn’t looking.

My mother ran my homework through the washer and the dryer. An airplane crashed into our house. My homework caught on fire.

Tornadoes blew my notes away. Volcanoes struck our town. My notes were taken hostage by an evil killer clown.

Some aliens abducted me. I had a shark attack. A pirate swiped my homework and refused to give it back.

I worked on these excuses so darned long my teacher said, “I think you’ll find it’s easier to do the work instead.

Kenn Nesbitt

Talk and Discussion

★ Read the title of the poem. Have the children predict what ‘All my great excuses’ could refer to.

★ Read the poem. Discuss the excuses put forward by the poet for not doing his homework. Ask if there is any realistic/plausible excuse among those given by the poet that a teacher might accept.

★ Talk about the rhyming words in the poem. Have the children identify which lines in each stanza rhyme.

★ Ask the children to say which their favourite ‘excuse’ is. Ask them to add to the list of excuses by composing some more, e.g. My dog chewed through my schoolbag, / He drooled, spit slopping down his chin, / When I took out my homework, / It was fit just for the bin!

★ Have the children compare this poem with ‘The Aliens Have Landed’, also by Kenn Nesbitt. Use a Venn diagram to chart differences and similarities between both poems. For example, similarities might include the following: Both poems are funny, mention teachers, have the same rhyme scheme, use descriptive words, have a ‘twist’ or surprise at the end.

★ Provide some biographical details about Kenn Nesbitt. Ask if there are any words in the poem that might give clues about his nationality. Have the children read other Kenn Nesbitt poems from his website.

★ Have a ‘Best Excuse’ competition, with a prize of a night free of homework for the winner!

Explosive Tale

There was a volcano called Dot- once on maps just a minuscule spot. But, “I’m hungry!” Dot grumbled as her insides rumbled. “And what’s more, I’m feeling quite hot!”

Judith Nicholls13



1. Read: Volcanoes ★ Read Volcanoes, by Anne Schreiber

ISBN: 978-1426302855 Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books

★ Anne Schreiber’s narrative gives readers a little of the science, a little of the history, and a lot of the action. National Geographic photography fires the imagination on dramatic spreads alive with vivid images of lava, ash, molten rock, weird rocks, and steaming seawater.

2. Make your own volcano ★ Have the children make their own volcano. Print off or write the

instructions below for the children to follow. This must be done under the supervision of the teacher or an adult.

★ Instructions:

★ Get a sheet of A3 cardboard. Place a 7-up or Coke bottle upside down in the centre of the cardboard. Draw a circle around the mouth of the bottle.

★ Cut straight from the bottom of the cardboard to the drawn circle in the centre. Cut around the circle.

★ Holding the cardboard at both sides of the cut, fold one side around the other to make a cone shape. Tape it together so that it keeps its shape. This is the volcano.

★ Cut the top off the cone so that the neck of the bottle fits snugly into it. Tape it in place.

★ Paint the volcano (the white cone).

★ When the paint has dried, turn the cone upside down and pack crumpled newspaper around the bottle. Then place the cone down on a sheet of cardboard and tape it in place.

★ Fill the bottle almost to the top with warm water. Add two or three drops of red food colouring. Squeeze a few drops of washing up liquid into the bottle. Add two spoons of baking soda and a few drops of vinegar. Watch your volcano erupt!

Objectives: Engage with a wide variety of text: picture books, poetry, stories, informational material [B(R)4.3] / Continue to experience the reading process being modelled [B(R)1.1] / Listen to stories, descriptions, instructions and directions and respond to them [B(OL)1.2]

Lesson Menu1. Read: Volcanoes 10 Mins2. Experiment: Make your own volcano 25 Mins

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Week 3: Day 1 ★ Story / Talk and Discussion Theme: Our Planet

1. Read: The Three Little Pigs ★ Read the story ‘The Three Little Pigs’, Fairy Tales, Book 2 (available online at

www.CJ.Fallon.i.e.) or have the children tell the story in their own words.

★ Discuss the types of house built by the three little pigs. Talk about the features that made the brick house the sturdiest house, e.g. the foundations, the materials used, the bricks cemented together, the height, etc.

★ The houses of the first and second little pigs collapsed because the power of the wolf’s huffing and puffing was too great. Have the children brainstorm natural events that could damage modern buildings, e.g. storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, Earthquakes.

★ Introduce the topic ‘Earthquakes’. Activate prior knowledge by having the children list information that they know about the topic ‘Earth’. Write this under the K heading (i.e. what we know). Next list questions (that the children expect or want to learn) and write them under the W heading. Continue in the usual way – see part 3.

2. Demonstration: What causes an Earthquake? ★ Explain to the children that under the surface of the Earth, there are huge slabs of rocks or

plates that move around like rafts on the bubbling liquid rock (magma) below.

★ Make flat rectangles using three different colours of playdough. Flatten one on top of the other. Explain that these three pieces of playdough represent the Earth’s crust.

★ Make two sections by cutting through the middle of the playdough, explaining that each section represents a plate.

★ Place the two ‘plates’ side by side, pushing them together. Explain that sometimes two plates get stuck and push hard against each other.

★ Pull the two ‘plates’ apart. Explain that when the plates suddenly jolt apart again this sudden movement causes the violent shaking at the Earth’s surface known as an Earthquake.

Objectives: Engage with a wide variety of text: picture books, poetry, stories, informational material [B(R)4.3]/ Experiment with more elaborate vocabulary and sentence structure in order to extend and explore meaning [B(OL)2.2] / Ask questions that will satisfy his/her curiosity and wonder - what? why? when? where? who? how? what if? B(OL)3.6]

Lesson Menu1. Read: The Three Little Pigs 10 Mins2. Demonstration: What causes an Earthquake? 5 Mins3. Word prediction 15 Mins

K W L F

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3. Word prediction ★ Have the children predict words that they would expect to find in a text about

‘Earthquakes’.

★ Make a list of the predicted words. Read page 8 of Feena’s Second Book of Facts. Discuss each question and answer. Place a tick beside any of the predicted words that appear in the text. Talk about the predicted words that didn’t appear in the text. Fill in the ‘What we learned’ section of the KWLF chart. Make a list of further questions the children have about Earthquakes.

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1. Game: What am I? ★ Divide the class into teams.

★ Read out a word for each team. Allow them time to confer and decide which description best fits the target word. Award a point for each correct answer.

★ The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

★ Focus: The spot in the Earth’s crust where an Earthquake starts / A huge wave from an Earthquake under the sea / A mountain with a crater / A report about an Earthquake

★ Epicentre: The ground directly above the focus of an Earthquake / The place people call if an Earthquake happens / The size of an Earthquake / The first aid centre for people injured in an Earthquake

★ Richter scale: A band of numbers between 1 and 10 that tells you: the strength of the Earthquake / how long the Earthquake lasted / how many people were injured in the Earthquake / how strong the next Earthquake will be

★ Crust: The top layer of the Earth made of solid rock. / The deepest layer of the Earth / The centre of the Earth / A type of river

★ Plates: huge slabs of rock under the surface of the Earth that push and slide against each other / huge slabs of rock found only in Asia / molten magma sitting underneath the crust / slabs of rock made from lava

★ Tsunami: A giant wave caused by an Earthquake under water / A beach made by an underwater Earthquake / A giant wave caused by a high tide / A wave caused by melting snow

★ Magma: red-hot, sticky rock under the Earth’s surface / hard, cold rock found in the centre of the Earth / long slabs of rock found on land / rocks with the footprints of dinosaurs

★ Aftershock: A smaller Earthquake that takes place after a larger Earthquake / the shock people get after an Earthquake has happened / a medicine people take to calm them after an Earthquake / A siren that alerts people that an Earthquake is about to take place

★ Tremor: the shaking movement caused by an Earthquake / the point where an Earthquake begins / the top layer of the Earth’s surface / a wave caused by an Earthquake

★ Fault lines: The points where the Earth’s plates meet /A line of people who cause an Earthquake / Another name for a valley / Imaginary lines around the top of a mountain

Objectives: Experiment with more elaborate vocabulary and sentence structure in order to extend and explore meaning - experimenting with descriptive words /combining simple sentences /elaborating simple sentences [B(OL)2.2] / Listen to stories, descriptions, instructions and directions and respond to them [B(OL)1.2]

Lesson Menu1. Game: What am I? 15 Mins2. Game: Newspaper hopping 10 Mins3. Game: Colour the sentence 10 Mins

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2. Game: Newspaper hopping ★ Place sheets of newspaper on the floor, a short distance apart from each other.

★ Divide the class into teams.

★ Call out a word, e.g. aftershock. If the word relates to the topic ‘Earthquakes’ the children step onto a new sheet of newspaper. If the word does not, they remain standing on the same sheet. Any child who moves on a non-related word incurs a penalty point.

★ The team with the least points at the end of the game wins.

Sample words: epicentre, tremor, fault line, Richter scale, plates, magma, crust, tsunami, focus Distractors: crater, vent, lava, extinct, active, dormant, ash

3. Game: Colour the sentence ★ Display Poster 1 (Set D).

★ Ask the children to focus on one of the sections, e.g. the photograph of the volcano.

★ Compose a sentence based on the photograph, e.g. There is a cloud of smoke coming from the volcano.

★ Have the children repeat the sentence. Then throw a soft ball/beanbag to a child who must say the sentence and change it in some way, e.g. There is a cloud of ash and smoke billowing from the volcano.

★ The ball is then thrown to another child who must repeat the sentence of the previous child before changing / adding to it, e.g. There is a cloud of ash and smoke billowing high into the air from the volcano’s crater.

★ Repeat using other sentences.

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1. Mime: Earthquake disaster ★ Divide the class into groups of five/six.

★ Ask the children to visualise a scene where there has just been an Earthquake in a city. People have fled from their homes and come out onto the streets. There is chaos everywhere as some people are injured and others are frantically searching for family members, neighbours or friends.

★ Have the children work in groups to mime a scene from the disaster-struck city.

★ Ask each group to perform for the class. Call ‘Freeze Frame’ at one point during each performance where the children hold a still picture or tableau for a few moments before continuing with the mime.

2. Role-Play: Town meeting ★ Divide the children into five groups.

★ Write the following names on slips of paper: Fire fighters; Doctors and Nurses; Policemen; Reporters and Television Crew; Parents

★ Put the slips of paper in a jar and have each group pull one.

★ Explain that a school building has collapsed and children and teachers are trapped inside. A meeting has been organised to plan the rescue operation. Each group must say what they can do to help. Ask each group to select one person who will be the spokesperson for that group. You will take the role of the city mayor and chair the meeting.

★ In role, hot-seat the spokesperson for each group and ask him/her to explain what the group can contribute to the rescue operation. Have other groups question and challenge. For example, there might be opposition to the television crew filming or getting in the way.

3. Improvisation: Successful rescue ★ Have the children work in pairs. One child takes the role of a chat show host who is

interviewing a child/teacher rescued from a school building that collapsed during an Earthquake.

★ Allow time for the children to plan their questions and answers. Encourage open-ended questions that explore feelings and emotions.

Objectives: Express in mime various emotions and reactions, and interpret the emotions and reactions of others [B(OL)1.6] / Engage in real and imaginary situations involving language use - explain, persuade, enquire, report, agree, dissent, discuss a point of view, justify opinions, provide solutions to problems [B(OL)3.5] / Express feelings in order to clarify them and explain them to others [B(OL)4.2]

Lesson Menu1. Mime: Earthquake disaster 15 Mins2. Role-Play: Town meeting 15 Mins3. Improvisation: Successful rescue 20 Mins

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1. Poem: Earthquake

2. Jokes and Riddles

Objectives: Listen to, read, learn and recite a varied and appropriate repertoire of rhymes and poems [B(OL)4.4] / Experiment with more elaborate vocabulary and sentence structure in order to extend and explore meaning [B(OL)2.2] / Listen to, learn and tell riddles and jokes [B(OL)4.8]

Lesson Menu1. Poem: Earthquake 15 Mins2. Jokes and Riddles 10 Mins

Earthquake

Rattle rumble, Shook and shake, Tremble trouble, An Earthquake! Beneath the Earth, Nothing waits, Strikes and slips, Tectonic plates... Pushing grinding, Will it halt? What will happen, To the fault? Rattle rumble, Shook and shake, Tremble trouble, An Earthquake!

Mr. R

Talk and Discussion

★ Read the poem.

★ Talk about the movement words in the poem. Discuss if the words help create an image of how destructive an Earthquake can be.

★ Talk about the compound word ‘Earthquake’. Discuss what the word ‘quake’ means and have the children provide synonyms for it, e.g. tremble, quiver, shake, shudder, wobble

★ Discuss the words ‘tectonic plates’ and ‘fault’ and revise what they mean.

★ Have the children identify the rhyming words in the poem and generate others that rhyme, e.g. waits, plates, gates, dates, baits, etc.

★ Ask the children to illustrate the word ‘Earthquake’.

Question. What do you get if you milk a cow after an Earthquake? Answer. Milk shake!

Question. What did one mountain say to the other mountain after an Earthquake? Answer. It’s not my fault.

Question. What did the ground say to the Earthquake? Answer. You crack me up!

Talk and Discussion

★ Talk about the double meaning in each joke.

★ Invite the children to prepare a joke or riddle to perform for the class. Encourage them to speak clearly, with appropriate expression, tone and volume.

★ Have the children write their favourite joke or riddle on an index card. Place the cards in a box. Have various children pick a card from the box at selected times during the day (e.g. while changing activities) and read it to the class.

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1. Read and Discuss: Time for Kids: Earthquakes! ★ Read Time for Kids: Earthquakes!

ISBN : 978-0060782115 Publisher: Harper Collins

★ A small Earthquake may just rattle some teacups. But a rare, huge quake can bring down cities. Those rumblings are a reminder to pay attention to our Earth. Scientists keep careful records of quakes around the world. They try to predict when the next one will happen.

★ Remind the children that a non-fiction text often has headings, photographs, captions, labels, words in bold print, maps, and comparisons. Draw attention to some of these features as you read and discuss Time for Kids: Earthquakes!

2. Experiment: Simulate an earthquake ★ Get two pieces of cardboard and punch a hole in the side of both pieces.

★ Tie the two pieces of cardboard together by threading a string through the holes and knotting it at the ends.

★ Lay the two pieces of cardboard flat on a baking tray so that the ends are in line but not touching each other. Tape them together.

★ Cover both pieces of cardboard completely with soil.

★ Pull the string outwards and watch the soil simulate an Earthquake.

3. Research: Earthquakes ★ Photocopy a large map of the world.

★ Ask the children to research major Earthquakes that have happened in the world and plot them on the map.

★ Have the children use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast two major Earthquakes.

★ Ask them to write a fictional report for a local newspaper about one of the Earthquakes.

Objectives: Engage with a wide variety of text: picture books, poetry, stories, informational material [B(R)4.3] / Focus on the subject under discussion and sustain a conversation on it [B(OL)2.4] / Listen to stories, descriptions, instructions and directions and respond to them [B(OL)1.2] / Experience an abundance of oral language activity when preparing a writing task [B(W)2.1]

Lesson Menu1. Read: Time for Kids: Earthquakes! 10 Mins2. Experiment: Simulate an earthquake 5 Mins3. Research: Earthquakes Special Project

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Week 4: Day 1 ★ Talk and Discussion Theme: Our Planet

1. Talk and Discussion: Poster 2 (Set D) ★ Display Poster 2 (Set D) and have the children talk about each of the

diagrams.

★ Divide the class into teams.

★ Play the game ‘Fact or fib’. Read a statement for each team and have the members decide whether the statement is a fact or a fib. Award points for each correct answer. (Remove Poster 2 from view.)

Sample Statements ★ Earth is perfectly round. Fib (It is slightly flattened at the North and South Poles.)

★ Earth is blue when seen from space because more than half of it is covered by sea water. Fact (Two-thirds of Earth is covered with sea water.)

★ The Earth is made of rock and metal. Fact

★ The ground underneath your feet is called the Earth’s core and it is made of solid metal. Fib (The ground underneath your feet is called the Earth’s crust and it is made of solid rock.)

★ Under the Earth’s crust, there is a layer of red-hot, melted rock. Fact (This layer is called the Earth’s mantle.)

★ The Earth turns once every twelve hours. Fib (The Earth turns once every 24 hours.)

★ The blanket of gases around the Earth is called the atmosphere. Fact

★ The Earth’s atmosphere is made of water. Fib (The Earth’s atmosphere is made of air.)

★ The Equator is an imaginary line that runs from the top of Earth to the bottom. Fib (The Equator is an imaginary line that runs around the middle of Earth.)

★ Under the Earth’s crust there is layer of red-hot, sticky rock called magma. Fact

★ A volcano vent is an opening in the Earth’s surface through which magma flows. Fact

★ When magma flows out of a volcano it is called lava. Fact

★ A volcano that erupts quite often is called a dormant volcano. Fib (A volcano that erupts quite often is called an active volcano.)

★ The spot in the Earth’s crust where an Earthquake starts it called the focus. Fact

★ The ground directly above the focus of an Earthquake is called the epicentre. Fact

★ A tsunami is an Earthquake under the sea. Fib (A tsunami is a giant wave caused by an Earthquake under the sea.)

Objectives: Engage in real and imaginary situations involving language use - explain, persuade, enquire, report, agree, dissent, discuss a point of view, justify opinions, provide solutions to problems [B(OL)3.5] / Initiate discussions, respond to the initiatives of others, and have practice in taking turns [B(OL)2.5]

Lesson Menu1. Talk and Discussion: Poster 2 (Set D) 20 Mins2. Writing: Fact or fib statements 15 Mins

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2. Write Fact or Fib Statements ★ Have the children write their own Fact or Fib statements.

★ Provide large index cards. Ask the children to fold a card, write a statement on the outside and the answer on the inside.

Fact or Fib?

Lava is the liquid rock

inside a volcano.

FibMagma is the liquid

rock inside a volcano.

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1. Map making ★ Talk about the story The Treasure Hunt. Discuss how effective it would have

been if Globby had given verbal instructions for finding the treasure. Talk about the difficulties that might have arisen if this method was used. For example, part of the instructions might be forgotten or followed in the wrong order. Discuss whether it would have been a good idea for Globby to write a set of directions to the treasure chest. Talk about the difficulties that might arise if this method was used. For example, if the contestants went off course, then the directions would no longer be of any use because they describe a journey only from one point to another. Explain that using a map solves these problems. A map is a visual description of an area.

★ Have the children look at maps and talk about what is shown on them, e.g. roads, towns, cities, parks, etc. Explain that maps show the important things on the surface of the Earth.

★ Have the children make their own treasure map based on the story The Treasure Hunt. Show them how to create a legend or key to explain the

symbols used on their map.

2. Game: Doughnut dilemmas ★ Arrange the chairs in the classroom into two circles, with children seated in

the outer circle looking in and children in the inner circle looking out.

★ Pose a question based on the story The Treasure Hunt, e.g. Do you think either of the groups cheated on their way to find the treasure?

★ Allow the children to think about the question and then ask them to discuss their answer with the child facing them.

★ Walk around listening and offering support as the children discuss their answers.

★ Then ask those sitting in the outside circle to move one place to the right and discuss the same question with their new partners.

★ Continue switching partners until each child has shared with at least three others.

Objectives: Engage frequently in informal discussion of books with teachers and others [B(R)4.8] / Respond to characters and events in a story - talk and discussion, writing, drama, visual arts [B(R)4.6] / Engage in real and imaginary situations involving language use - explain, persuade, enquire, report, agree, dissent, discuss a point of view, justify opinions, provide solutions to problems [B(OL)3.5]

Lesson Menu1. Map making 20 Mins2. Game: Doughnut dilemmas 25 Mins

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★ At the end, ask individual children to share their opinions with the class. Ask if any child changed his/her original opinion based on what any of his/her partners had to say. Sample Discussion Starters

★ Which group do you think took the competition the most seriously?

★ Do you disagree with any of the tactics used?

★ As you were reading the story, which group were you hoping would win? Why?

★ Which group had the best plan? Why do you think this?

★ Which team would you choose to be on? Why?

★ If you could only pick two other members (from the Wandsville friends) for your team, who would you choose? Why?

★ What do you think of the ending? If you were the author would you have had a draw? How would you have ended the story?

★ Did any of the characters irritate or annoy you? If yes, how did s/he annoy you?

★ If you could ask one of the characters a question, what would that question be?

★ Which of the characters is most like you? In what ways are you similar?

★ If The Treasure Hunt was made into a film, what part would you like to play? Why?

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1. Warm –Up Game: Cross the circle ★ Ask the children to sit in a circle. Assign each child a number: 1, 2, 3 or 4.

★ Call out a number and ask all of the children who have been assigned this number to cross the circle in a specific way, e.g. skiing across snow like Orin and GG; plodding through the snow like Ella, Winchilla and Feena; climbing a steep hill; skating across a frozen swamp; darting among trees; strolling through a forest.

2. Game: Scene selection ★ Sketch a scene on the black / whiteboard from the story The Treasure Hunt. Ask the children

to guess which scene it is.

★ Invite a child to read the specific part of the text that s/he thinks you drew. Confirm if the text refers to the sketch on the board.

★ Have the children work in groups to act out the scene. Follow –up: Thought tracking

★ Ask the children to choose a scene from the story and create a ‘still picture’ or tableau of it.

★ Tap individual children on the shoulder and ask the child to say (in role) what his/her thoughts and feelings are at that particular point in the story. Demonstrate what you mean by modelling first. For example, if Winchilla was asked to give her thoughts as she stands at the top of the waterfall watching Denzel breathe fire on the ice slide, you might say (in role) ‘I feel so cross and annoyed with Denzel. It’s so mean of him to melt the slide before we can go down it. That’s cheating. He’s trying to stop us from passing the boys out!’

3. Hot-Seating: Interview a character ★ Choose a child to sit on the ‘hot-seat’ and role play one of the characters from

The Treasure Hunt.

★ Play the part of a television chat-show host who lends his/her roving microphone to members of the audience to ask questions. Variation: Have both teams on the show as guests. Audience members direct their questions to a character of their choice.

Objectives: Express in mime various emotions and reactions, and interpret the emotions and reactions of others [B(OL)1.6] / Respond to characters and events in a story - talk and discussion, writing, drama, visual arts [B(R)4.6] / Explore different attitudes and feelings by imagining what it would be like to be certain characters [B(R)4.7]

Lesson Menu1. Game: Cross the circle 5 Mins2. Game: Scene selection 20 Mins3. Hot-Seating: Interview a character 10 Mins

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1. Poem: The Little Plant

2. Poem: I’m Glad

Objectives: Experiment with more elaborate vocabulary and sentence structure in order to extend and explore meaning [B(OL)2.2] / Engage in activities designed to increase awareness of sounds - focusing on the sounds associated with letters and letter-clusters, patterns of sounds in words [B(R)1.5]

Lesson Menu1. Poem: The Little Plant 15 Mins2. Poem: I’m Glad 10 Mins

The Little Plant

In the heart of a seed, Buried deep so deep, A tiny plant Lay fast asleep. “Wake,” said the sunshine, “And creep to the light.” “Wake,” said the voice Of the raindrops bright. The little plant heard And it rose to see, What the wonderful, Outside world might be.

Louise Brown

Talk and Discussion

★ Read the poem.

★ Have the children answer true or false to the following statements based on the poem: • A tiny plant lay asleep in a pot.

• Plants need darkness and dry conditions to grow.

• The sunshine told the plant to stay where it was.

• The raindrops told the little plant to wake up.

• The plant rose from the ground to see the world.

★ Have the children provide synonyms for the following words: heart (middle, core); buried (hidden, concealed); creep (crawl, edge towards).

★ Talk about antonyms or opposites. Ask the children to find the opposites of the following words in the poem: shallow (deep), huge (tiny), slow (fast), awake (asleep), dark (bright); big (little); inside (outside).

★ Have the children make a list of the words in the poem with the long e (/ē/) sound, e.g. seed, deep, tiny, asleep, creep, see, be

★ Ask the children draw a plant and label its parts. Have them research the conditions needed for plants to grow.

I’m Glad

I’m glad the sky is painted blue; And the Earth is painted green; And such a lot of nice fresh air All sandwiched in between.

Anonymous [From Read Me and Laugh]

Talk and Discussion

★ Read the poem.

★ Have the children add new lines to the poem, describing things in the world that they are glad about, e.g. I’m glad the grass is painted green And the sun is painted yellow When we play on gorgeous days We shout and roar and bellow!

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1. Experiment: Can plants grow in the dark? ★ Poke some holes in the bottom of two plastic cups and then fill them with soil.

★ Plant a seedling in each cup.

★ Place each cup on a saucer and water both plants.

★ Then place one cup on a window sill and the other in a cupboard with the door shut.

★ Leave both plants for a few days. Observe what happens.

★ Have the children record their observations and write a conclusion, i.e. Plants need sunlight to survive. Follow –up:

A. Can plants grow without fresh air? ★ Ask the children to investigate whether plants can grow without fresh air. Have them place one seedling in a pot of soil placed on a saucer of water and another seedling in lightly watered soil in a closed jam jar. Conclusion: Plants need air to survive.

★ Explain that plants take a gas called carbon dioxide from the air. They need this gas to survive. People also need plants. Plants breathe out oxygen. This is the part of air that people need to help them breathe. Without plants there would not be enough oxygen in the air for us

B. Can plants grow without water? ★ Have the children then investigate whether plants need water to grow by placing three pots of soil with a seedling in each one on a saucer. Have them fill the first saucer with water and the second with coca cola or any fizzy drink. Nothing should be put in the third saucer. Conclusion: Plants need water to grow.

★ Explain that the minerals that are dissolved in water help plants to grow. Extra things like sugar and additives in fizzy drinks are not good for the plant.

Objectives: Engage with a wide variety of text: picture books, poetry, stories, informational material [B(R)4.3]/ Engage in shared reading activities [B(R)1.2] / Develop comprehension strategies - recalling details and events, assimilating facts, retelling stories [B(R)3.4]/ Write about something that has been learned [B(W)3.3]

Lesson Menu1. Experiment: Can plants grow in the dark? Ongoing Project2. Introduce: Simon, the Summarising Sweeper 5 Mins3. Summarise: The Treasure Hunt 20 Mins4. Read: Planet Earth / Inside Out 10 Mins

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2. Introduce: Simon, the Summarising Sweeper ★ Introduce Simon, the Summarising Sweeper, who lives in the castle

with Priscilla, the Predicting Princess, Clarence, the Clarifying Clown and Queenie, the Question Queen.

★ Display PCM 8. Explain that Simon, the Summarising Sweeper uses his brush to sweep through a story and pick out the main events. He loves to use the following phrases: The most important ideas are... /This part was mostly about...

★ Simon summarises the beginning, middle and end of a story. He uses the words ‘First, Next, Then, Finally’ to do this.

★ Remind the children that a story summary gives the main points or events. When summarising a story, it helps to talk about the setting, characters, problem, events and resolution. Some of Simon’s favourite phrases are: The story takes place ... / The main characters are ... / A problem occurs when ... /

3. Summarise: The Treasure Hunt ★ Display the book The Treasure Hunt in book form or on the IWB.

★ Model how to summarise pages 3 – 8 of the story, e.g. ‘Let’s look at the first six pages of the story. What is happening? What is this part mostly about?’ (First, Winchilla challenges the boys to a treasure hunt because she wants to prove that girls are better than boys ‘at things like that.’)

★ Continue through the book in a similar manner, picking out the main events, e.g. Next, the boys use some dodgy tactics to get ahead after the treasure hunt begins. (pages 9 – 14); Then, because the boys lose their treasure map the girls succeed in getting to the treasure first. (pages 15 – 20); Finally, because the box is too heavy for the girls, GG pulls it from its hiding place and Globby declares the treasure hunt a draw! (pages 23 – 24).

★ Using PCM 9, have the children sketch/draw a picture for the main events in the story. Ask them to write the character names or draw the characters in the centre circle.

4. Read: Planet Earth / Inside Out ★ Read Planet Earth /Inside Out by Gail Gibbons

ISBN: 978-0688158491 Publisher: Harper Collins

★ What if we could open up our planet and look inside? From its red-hot core to the highest mountain peak, come see Earth as you’ve never seen it before in a colourful introduction to the powerful forces shaping our home.

★ Have the children prepare an oral report to present to the class on the topic ‘Planet Earth’.

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Month: September ★ Theme – Our Planet Assessment page (1 of 2)

Pupil Name: _________________________________________ Class: _______________________

Teacher Name: _______________________________________ Date: _______________________

Objective: Respond to characters and events in a story [B(R) 4.6]

Contexts: Story; Talk and Discussion; Improvisational Drama Based on: The Treasure Hunt; Character traits; Doughnut

dilemmas; Scene selection; Thought tracking; Hot seating: Interview a character

Learning Outcomes The child can: 3or 7 Notes 1. Make predictions and explain reasoning

2. Explain character motives

3. Refer explicitly to parts of the text

4. Identify character feelings

5. Relate a story to real-life experiences

6. Compare a story character to him/herself

7. Sequence and retell a story

Objective: Develop comprehension strategies [B(R)3.4]

Contexts: Talk and DiscussionBased on: Feena’s Second Book of Facts; Classroom Challenge;

Word Prediction; The Treasure Hunt; Fact or Fib Statements

Learning Outcomes The child can: 3or 7 Notes 1. Preview or skim the text

2. Use titles, headings, bold print, captions to predict [Non-fiction texts]

3. Use background knowledge to help him/her understand new information

4. Combine information from two different parts of the text

5. Trace characters and plots across multiple story events (read over a number of days)

6. Ask open-ended questions

7. Use specialised vocabulary

Objective: Focus on the subject under discussion and sustain a conversation on it [B(OL)2.4]

Context: Talk and Discussion; Play and GamesBased on: Posters 2 and 3 (Set D); Feena’s First Book of Facts;

The Treasure Hunt

Learning Outcomes The child can: 3or 7 Notes 1. Express opinions

2. Use reasoning and background knowledge to examine arguments

3. Describe in his/her own words new information gained from a non-fiction text

Objective: Listen to stories, descriptions, instructions and directions and respond to them.[B(OL)1.2]

Contexts: Play and GamesBased on: Content Vocabulary; Label the parts; Step on a

volcano! Newspaper Hopping

Learning Outcomes The child can: 3or 7 Notes 1. Listen to instructions/directions

2. Signal comprehension by his/her actions

3. Stay on-task for duration of activity

4. Collaborate with peers to solve problem

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Month: September ★ Theme – Our Planet Assessment page (2 of 2)

Pupil Name: _________________________________________ Class: _______________________

Teacher Name: _______________________________________ Date: _______________________

Objective: Give a description, recount a narrative or describe a process, and answer questions about it [B(OL)3.1

Context: Talk and Discussion; Play and GamesBased on: The Thirty Second Monologue; Feena’s Second

Book of Facts; Poster 1 and 2 (Set D)

Learning Outcomes The child can: 3or 7 Notes 1. Talk about what s/he thinks or experiences

2. Give extended descriptions of objects, events, people and concepts

3. Describe feelings

4. Recall facts heard during Shared Reading

Objective: Engage in real and imaginary situations involving language use [B(OL)3.5].

Context: Improvisational DramaBased on: The Goldilocks Planet; The Treasure Hunt;

Eyewitness Account; Hot-Seating Role-Play: Town Meeting; Successful Rescue; Thought Tracking; Hot Seating

Learning Outcomes The child can: 3or 7 Notes 1. Label feelings

2. Role-play an agreed scenario

3. Suggest solutions to problems

4. Devise dialogue and engage in role

5. Relate comments and actions to what has gone before

Objective: Express in mime various emotions and reactions, and interpret the emotions and reactions of others [B(OL)1.6]

Contexts: Improvisational DramaBased on: Luscious landscapes; Earthquake disaster; Cross

the circle; Scene selection

Learning Outcomes The child can: 3or 7 Notes 1. Follow directions and respond through mime to a

teacher-led narrative

2. Work with others to sequence and mime a number of scenes

3. Hold a ‘frozen moment’

4. Describe what is happening in a mime

Objective: Listen to, read, learn and recite a varied and appropriate repertoire of rhymes and poems [B(OL)4.4.]

Contexts: Poetry and RhymeBased on: The Aliens have landed; All My Great Excuses;

Explosive Tale; Earthquakes; Jokes and Riddles; The Little Plant; I’m Glad

Learning Outcomes The child can: 3or 7 Notes 1. Use context clues to identify unknown words

2. Understand that words can have multiple meanings

3. Understand and produce synonyms

4. Visualise and describe ‘mind pictures’

5. Synchronise words and actions

6. Respond to a poem by drawing/writing

7. Use multiple meanings of words for jokes

31


Month: September ★ Theme – Our Planet Home/School Links

Our Planet

Did you know that Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest in the Solar System?

These are some of the facts that your child has learned this month as part of a curriculum unit titled ‘Our Planet’. The theme has been explored using posters, stories, fiction and non-fiction books, games, drama and poetry and experiments. Ask your child to talk about some of the games / mimes / improvisations (acting without a script) and experiments that s/he took part in as part of this exploration. Topics such as the seasons, day and night, volcanoes, Earthquakes and tsunamis were researched and written about. Encourage your child’s interest in these topics by looking up interesting and fun facts for children about each one on the Internet.

Moon Theory

I dug a hole. I kicked a ball. I scored a goal. I had a swim. I learned to skate. I played with toys. I stayed up late. It’s fair to say I do like school, but even more, though, weekends rule!

Kenn Nesbitt

Fast Fun Activities

• Readthepoemaloudtoyourchild.

• Talkaboutthesurfaceofthemoon.Discuss why the poet thinks there are craters on the moon. Talk about what actually caused craters on the Moon’s surface. (Rocks from space crashed into the surface).

• Readthepoemagainandtalkabouttherhyming words. Have your child circle the sets of rhyming words [cheese/agrees; craters/graters; boast/toast.]

• Haveyourchildcountthesoundsinthesewords: right - /r/-/ī/-/t/ [3]; find - /f/-/ī/-/n/-/d/ [4]; giant- /j/-/ī/-/n/-/t/ [4]. Ask what vowel sound the three words have in common. [The long i sound]. Have your child find other words in the poem with the long i sound. [scientists, satisfied]

• Writethewordsbelowonindexcardsoron slips of paper. Ask your child to sort them into two groups: words with a short i sound (ĭ) or with a long i sound (ī): think, evidence, is, discover [short i (ĭ)] find, right, giant [long i (ī)]

• Writeoneortwohighfrequencywordsfrom the poem, e.g. through, sure. Stick them on the fridge and have your child practise spelling them daily.

Reading

If your child enjoys reading, then it is more likely that s/he will read widely and become a proficient and skilled reader. There are many things you can do to help your child enjoy reading.

Help your child choose interesting material to read. Read with your child, sharing the reading for the first few chapters to help your child ‘get into’ the book. Talk about the story, comparing characters to people you both know or to characters in other stories. Help your child choose books and authors that s/he enjoys and reread favourite stories. Books in a series allow your child to build on connections formed with the characters in earlier books.

Discuss stories and ask questions about the characters. Ask your child to think about what s/he might do if in the same situation as a particular character. Stop at various points and have him/her predict what might happen next.

Encourage your child to read different types of materials – stories, poems, informational or non-fiction books, magazines, comics, newspaper articles. Talk about the graphic features in non-fiction materials, such as photographs, illustrations, diagrams and charts. Explain to your child how they are used and what their purposes are.Introduce new and interesting words from stories and non-fiction texts into conversations.

Read articles on sports, nature or science aloud to your child or articles on other subjects that interests him/her. Discuss the main idea in an informational piece such as a newspaper or website article.

32

Oral Language Development Scheme D: Photocopiable Master (PCM) 1

Priscilla, the Predicting Princess


Cha

ract

er T

rait

s

chee

rful

confi

dent

impa

tien

t

pati

ent

selfi

shar

roga

nt

play

ful

cons

ider

ate

argu

men

tati

ve

irri

tabl

em

odes

tin

cons

ider

ate

boss

ysu

ppor

tive

calm


Content V

ocabulary Earth

crustatm

ospheregases

blanketm

antleim

aginary

Equatoroxygen

core

middle

lineair


Pic

ture

s of

Ear

th


Clarence, the Clarifying Clown


Parts of a volcano

ash cloud crater

vent lava

magma chamber


Queenie, the Question Queen

?


Simon, the Summarising Sweeper


My Story Wheel Name: ________________________

Title of story: ___________________________

start

Characters

oral language shemes

Documents

treasure hunt talk

circle game

games game

parts game

discussion preview

teasure hunt

successful rescue game

classroom challenge