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““OOwwll BBaabbiieess””

A Parraraps Early Childhood Book Rap

TERM 2, 2005

Three owlets, Sarah, Percy and Bill wake up one night to find their mother has GONE! Will she be coming home soon? Together they sit on a branch and THINK …. (all owls think a lot!) You are invited to THINK and SHARE in our “Owl Babies” Book Rap as we consider all the possibilities.

These teaching notes can also be found on the Parraraps Website on Staffnet

“Owl Babies” Early Childhood Rap _Teaching Notes

Intended Audience: Early Stage 1 and Stage 1

Date: Weeks 3 – 7, Term 2, 2005

Project Objectives: To provide opportunities for students and their teachers to become familiar with the use of a form of electronic communication technology (email) through participation in a collaborative email Literacy project.

To encourage students to respond personally to a Literary text and develop an appreciation of the viewpoints of others

To assist students develop skills in the area of Visual Literacy, through the exploration of

Martin Waddell’s Picture book “Owl Babies”. In particular they will:

o gain a greater understanding of the relationship between text and illustrations o explore and interpret ideas, themes and issues expressed visually in picture book

texts o develop an awareness of the role of an illustrator and how the illustrations of a text

are constructed to achieve their purpose

Learning Outcomes:

English

RES1.7/RS1.7 Demonstrates and emerging awareness that written and visual texts convey meaning. Recognises that there are different kinds of texts that serve different purposes

RES1.8/ RS1.8 Understands that texts are constructed by people and identifies ways in which texts differ according to their purpose

Retells and comments on incidents from a children’s storybook with attention to plot elements such as setting, character, conflict and resolution.

Discusses the relationship between images and written text Recognises stylistic features of Patrick Benson’s illustrations

WES1.9/ WS1.9 Engages in writing texts with the intention of conveying an idea or message

Recognises some of the textual features of an email message eg address, subject, message, signature.

Contributes to discussions about literary texts with others through joint construction of texts- email messages.

Knows some of the conventions of an on-line book Rap Discussion (raplingo; rap map etc.)


Maths

DES1.1 Represents and interprets data displays made from objects and pictures.

DS1.1 Gathers and organises data using column and picture graphs and interprets the

results WMES1.2

Uses objects, actions, images to explore mathematical problems WMES1.4

Uses pictorial representations to support conclusions

Creative Arts

VAES1.1 Makes simple pictures and other kinds of artwork about things and experiences

VAES1.2

Experiments with a range of media in selected forms

VIP Messages For Teachers

The pages in the picture book “Owl Babies” are unnumbered. To enable us to have a common identifier for referring to various illustrations we will use the convention of describing each double page spread as an OPENING.

This set of teaching notes is intended to support you in “unpacking” the rap points. It is not intended that you to undertake all the activities. Rather they provide choice, giving teachers different strategies /starting points for developing and enhancing discussion thereby allowing your students to engage more deeply with the text.

Project Coordinators

Thanks to the following members of our “Owl Babies” project team

Carole Cividin, Our Lady of Lourdes, Seven Hills Sue Colyer, Our Lady of Lourdes, Seven Hills Robyn Clarke, Holy Family, Luddenham Karen Ferrante & Nicole Sprainger, Primary Curriculum Unit, CEO Parramatta Cheryl Kersivien, our Rapmaster.


Considerations for teaching and Learning Rap Points 1A Step 1: Initial predictions. Look at the cover, title page and first page of Owl Babies. Ask students to make predictions about what they think the book is about based on those three pages.

Step 2. Set purpose for initial reading. (Generate Questions/encourage higher order thinking) Read to Opening 2, ask the children to suggest what the problem is for the Owl Babies As you continue to explore the text, model additional possible questions. Encourage unusual or thoughtful questions, where the questions may not be provided by a literal interpretation of the text eg: Why do owls think a lot? Where is Dad?

Consider also the following grammar discussion points to explore the nature of questions. Fat – (open ended) questions and Skinny (closed) questions. Play games like 20 Questions or Hot Seat which use closed questions that have a sIngle response or yes/no answer to illustrate the difference between open and closed questions Step 3 Record questions as modelled writing (possibly using a data projector) making explicit your choices for use of the print conventions eg spacing between words; concepts of letters, words, use of sentence punctuation including question marks. Step 4 Additional Exploration Return to the Owl Babies text and generate your class list of questions in response to Rap Point 1. Encourage chn to identify their questions as fat or skinny questions.

“Owl Babies” Early Childhood Rap _Teaching Notes Examples of some “fat” questions about the story.

Where did Owl Mother go? Why did she leave the baby owls? Why didn’t Owl Mother tell her babies she was leaving? Why is Owl Mother different? Why do owls think a lot? Why wasn’t Sarah upset? Were the baby owls scared because it was dark? Where is Dad?

Considerations for teaching and Learning Rap Point 1B

Read to opening page 8 and predict whether Owl Mother will return. Discuss reasons for answers. Read the rest of the story to find out.

List possible responses to chosen question and construct a graph. (eg. Where did Mother Owl

go in the night?)

Conduct a class survey to answer your chosen question.

Research information using non-fiction texts and the internet. Use information collected to jointly construct an information report or a power-point presentation. (eg. Why did it happen at night?)

Record your class response during a guided writing activity using a data projector.


Considerations for teaching and Learning Rap Point 2 Using the text, explore the images of the four different owls, their physical features, and personality traits. Decide which owl is which. When deciding which owl is Sarah, Percy, Bill and Owl Mother, encourage the children to justify their choices with reference to the text or illustrations Some strategies for supporting this exploration could be

• Construct a Mindmap using Kidspiration to explore the question – what do we know about these particular owls?

OR • Construct a Venn Diagram- how are the owls similar and different eg: mother owl/baby

owls/”big brother/big sister” owls. Other ideas for exploring the characters and the relationships within the Owl family could include:

• Using Reader’s Theatre techniques, make a mini owl movie using the digital camera and Movie Maker that shows some of the dialogue from the text. Some masks could add interest.

• Recreate a dialogue between the owls and place them into a power point presentation.

Record vocals to accompany.

• In Kidspiration or Max Write, draw or make speech bubbles or thought bubbles to record what the owls were thinking or saying to each other.


Considerations for teaching and Learning Rap Point 3A

Explore the notion that words can create images and sounds – examining groups of words that can make a movie in your mind.

Find all the alliteration in the text.

Create an animation using power point or movie maker to show groups of words that create

an aural or visual images, using music, sounds and pictures.

write poems to accompany the text –

acrostic poem for the owls’ names, eg:

Sleeping in a hole in a tree

Afraid when she wakes.

Ready to protect

All whom she loves

Happy to see her mother at last.


diamante poems that compare two characters, eg:

Sarah

Makes Decisions

Looks after her brothers

Wakes up to find Mother Owl missing

Wants his mother

Frightened

Bill

• catalogue poems, eg:

Sarah is the eldest

Sarah is the decision maker

Sarah is afraid, but tries not to show it

Sarah is happy when her mother returns.

Note: (Refer to English K-6 teaching Kits: ES1 Raps, Rhymes and Twisters, BOS for details of poetry forms)


Considerations for teaching and Learning Rap Point 3B

Explore the grammatical and print conventions used in the text – (use of capital letters; upper case font style; speech marks; use of brackets; italic font style for emphasis when reading aloud, use of hyphen, “dropped capital” letter for the start of the story.)

Copy a line of dialogue from the text into a program such as Kidpix; Max Write; or

Powerpoint, and change the font style to see what effect this has on the look of the writing. (eg: change a word to italics, change a word to upper case lettering, change the colour of the writing, change the background of the document)

Explore the different colours of the text as it appears in the book. Discuss the colours used

and what they may represent (eg: yellow- “warm and fluffy” and safe, blue- cold and scared). Examine the changes in font hue as the owls begin to leave their home/ are outside waiting/ on Mother Owl’s return.


Considerations for teaching and Learning Rap Point 4

Look at the illustrations throughout the book. Discuss the techniques used by the illustrator to create a mood or send a message. Some points/techniques to discuss:

Texture: Of the background, the owls, the trees.

Colour: Within illustrations and backgrounds. Note that it moves from yellow initially, to green, to blue and back to yellow. How does this reflect the mood of the characters?

Light: Light and dark are used to reflect emotions as well as the time of day that the story

takes place. How does the dark background affect the mood?

Perspective: How is perspective used to convey a message.? Perhaps the Close ups of the

baby owls highlight their emotions. A distant view of them within the tree highlights their small size as opposed to the vastness of the wood. Consider the position and size of the Owl Mother in relation to the babies when she returns.

“Owl Babies” Early Childhood Rap _Teaching Notes Ideas for creating your own “Owl Babies” illustrations:

Create your own textured painting. Colour with crayons and then paint surface with black

paint. Drag combs, sticks or similar through the painted surface to reveal the colour underneath.

Or Paint a solid colour onto paper and apply a contrasting colour over the top using sponges.

Create silhouettes of owls and experiment with them by placing them against different

coloured backgrounds. Talk about which looks best.

Create a scene from the story using a variety of techniques to build up a textured effect.. Use bark chips, leaves, twigs for trees, wool, crepe paper, cotton wool for owls, crayon rubbings over a textured surface for background.

Make your own fluffy owl. Discuss what materials could be used inviting creative responses.

Give names to your owls and explain why names were chosen.

Make your own owl’s nest from collected materials. Go on a nature walk and collect suitable

materials along the way. Invite children to bring materials from home. Discuss what materials would be best to make a comfortable nest. Scan or take digital photos of your artwork to share with other rappers.

When scanning remember to use low resolution – 72dpi is sufficient for images to be shared digitally.

If using digital photos, use the software that comes with your camera to reduce the image file size.

o One useful option is to “save for email”. o You may also be able to reduce the physical size of the image . 300pixels X500

pixels is a suitable size for on screen display

The best way to share your photos is then to insert them into a Word Document or a Powerpoint Document. You can then send them as a single attachment.

If you need help with this part of your project, don’t forget to ask your LTST or Teacher Librarian for assistance.


Classroom Management Strategies

How do I make this Rap Activity work in MY classroom?

Prior to the rap, send a letter to parents advising them of your class participation. A sample letter is available on the website. Ensure you have parental permission if you wish to share student photos.

Read and discuss the Rap points each week. Compose your class response as a joint construction /Guided Writing activity

Composing responses could be done with your class using a data projector. This allows you to highlight the features and conventions of a written reply, similar to an email message.

Another strategy is to ask a support teacher/aide/parent (LTST; Teacher Librarian; ESL or Special Education teacher) to assist by working each week with a group of Rap Reps to send the response on behalf of the class. (Note: Students may use first names, but full names must not be disclosed for privacy and security reasons).

Build up a Rap Record in your classroom on a notice board (Rap Wall) or in a scrapbook or display folder. You may also like to create a Rap Map showing the location of participants or make a tally of participating classes

Your Rap Wall could include:

o Rap Points o Rap map or list of participating schools o Make an “Inbox” sign: Display some messages you have received o Make a “Sent” sign: Display the messages your class has sent o Student work samples

All too soon your rap will end. Respond to the last Rap Point. You may also like to send

some stories or student artwork. Be careful of file size and file formats to allow other rappers easy access to your uploaded files (See Online Guidelines for Raps).

Celebrate your rap experience and share student work with your school community.


ONLINE GUIDELINES FOR EMAIL RAPS

The sending and receiving of email rap messages should always occur under adult supervision, during school hours. Raps are classroom based activities and individual student responses are generally not acceptable. However, class responses may be sent by groups of rap reps on behalf of the class..

Share your responses by sending an email to the Owl Babies email Rap list. The address of this list will be sent to you once all participants are registered. Check the website regularly for updated information concerning the formation of the mailing list.

Always use a subject line in your message. Make it descriptive. eg RAP1: Response_St Anywhere

Email messages are often written in text only. This means writers can only use letters, numbers and punctuation marks. Formatting features such as colour, bold and italic styles are not available. The following hints may be helpful

o Don’t type all your message in capitals. It is considered to be shouting. You can use capitals for emphasis, however eg the title of a book “OWL BABIES”.

o Emphasis can also be created by using “quotation marks” or asterisks. This can be *very useful*.

o A whole screen of text can be difficult to read. For long messages, try to break your message up into short paragraphs with breaks in between. White space makes text easier to read.

Include a “signature” with your attached document – identify your class and school so that other participants know who they’re replying to.

Students should not disclose full names (last names), for privacy and security reasons. Classes usually enjoy using nicknames for their rap groups.

When uploading documents, keep files to less than 1Mb in size, and create them in file formats suitable for sharing e.g. Word, or Acrobat pdf for documents, .jpg for photos and .gif for graphics. Use export options when using Inspiration or Kidspiration. Keep photos and graphics to no larger than 350 x 500 pixels.


Congratulations and thank you for participating in the

“Owl Babies” Book Rap

These teaching notes have been developed by staff of the Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Parramatta. Permission is given for their reproduction, distribution and use for educational purposes by classroom teachers. They may not be reproduced commercially without permission of the authors. For all enquiries please contact Nicole Sprainger, Education Officer, CEO Parramatta. Phone: 029840 5627. Email [email protected]

© March 24th March, 2005

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