We read the beautiful picture book ‘A Sick Day for Amos McGee’ by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead.

In this story, Amos McGee is a friendly zookeeper who always makes time to visit his good friends: the elephant, the tortoise, the penguin, the rhinoceros, and the owl. While reading the story, we:

• took time to notice and talk about the way messages are shared through illustrations
• wondered why the author chose to include the animals in the story
• made personal connections with the text
• discussed the message the author wished to convey through the story

The students wondered:

• what a uniform was
• if the man was rich
• why the owl was scared of the dark
• why Amos kept his shoes in his wardrobe
• how the animals knew where Amos lived

After the read-aloud, the students were introduced to the ‘Literature Circle’ role ‘The Artful Artist’. The job of the Artful Artist is to draw something about the story that interested them and explain why it was chosen. This could be about…

• a character
• an event
• a setting
• a problem
• a prediction of what will happen next.

In the next few weeks, the students will be introduced to other Literature Circles roles to help them think and connect deeply with the texts they read.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s):

• understand the ways in which images and language interact to convey ideas
• speak and express ideas clearly and logically in small and large groups
• state opinions clearly, logically and respectfully