How are dinosaurs different from one another?

27th May 2026 shemogani Leave a comment

How are dinosaurs different from one another?

Our journey began with a shared curiosity about the ancient world. Before opening any books, we mapped out our existing knowledge with our own words and imagination. We exchanged initial theories, listening closely to one another’s ideas and posing questions to guide our exploration.

Our initial brainstorming session erupted into a vivid exploration of the prehistoric world.

The researcher shared their foundational theories, mapping out their current understanding of what a dinosaur is, how they lived, and how they relate to the world we know today.

Reptilian Connections: “They are like crocodiles.” / “They are like dragons.”
Biological Needs: “They are animals.” / “They drink water.”
Habitats and Movement: “They live in the jungle.” / “They walk on 4 legs.”

“They are big because they eat people.”

A pivotal moment emerged as the child began to grapple with the timeline of coexistence, asking whether people existed when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Then, the dialogue shifted from abstract concepts to lived, personal memory as the young researcher shared a personal connection to bridge the past with their present reality:

“I saw big dinosaurs in Malaysia!”

In the Reggio tradition, we view this not as a factual error, but as a profound moment of prior knowledge activation. The child is actively filtering the concept of “dinosaur” through a real-world visual memory—a museum exhibit, a theme park, or a large-scale statue. This memory serves as their personal proof that these magnificent creatures are tangible, real, and accessible.

Visualising and Meaning-Making

To deepen our investigation, we introduced the text ‘Many Kinds of Dinosaurs‘. The book served as a collaborative tool, where detailed illustrations and clear language acted as a springboard for deeper research. As the reader engaged with the pages, we constructed vivid mental pictures—translating words into inner visual landscapes. This process of visualisation allows us to not just read, but truly feel and see the scale, textures, and diversity of the dinosaur world. As the inquiry deepened, the child’s focus shifted from passive observation to the active mechanics of prehistoric life. We began to wonder about how “dinosaurs lived, moved, or roared, [and what] they used” to interact with their environment.

Co-Constructing Relationships: Alike and Different

Driven by our discoveries, we sought ways to make sense of the vast information. We chose to organise our findings by exploring connections, finding patterns of similarity, and celebrating stark differences.

Through this active process of comparing and contrasting, we were learning to categorise the world around us, transforming isolated facts into a deeply understood web of relationships.

Our Inquiry Into the World of Machines: Connecting Home and Text

20th May 2026 shemogani Leave a comment

Initial Theories and Curiosities

Our exploration began with a question: What is a machine?

We thought about the tools and objects that use energy to help us work at home, activating prior experiences to draw direct links between concepts in our heads and the physical world we navigate daily. This shift transformed the abstract definition of a “machine” into a tangible, shared study of everyday life.

Meeting the Text: Making Thinking Visible

When introduced to an informational book about household tools, the researchers did not just read—they actively constructed meaning. By closely studying the cover and detailed photographs, they practised the art of visual literacy and decoded the visual language.

“We use many machines at home.”

This central theory became our anchor. By writing this concept down, the writers manifested their comprehension, showcasing how an engaged researcher actively synthesises new data with old memories and rich life experiences.

Investigations and Gathering Data

Researchers know how to collect and document their observations and learning through active investigation. To practice these skills and test their theories, we went on a hunt around the learning space—treating our environment as the third teacher—to learn about, identify, and document the different machines we use each day.

The Educator’s Reflection

This documentation captures more than a reading comprehension lesson. It reveals the children’s deep competence as capable researchers. They effortlessly bridged text, home environments, and personal theories. Moving forward, we wonder:

How do the children distinguish between a simple tool and a complex machine?

What can you do at the beach?

14th May 2026 shemogani Leave a comment

We began by discussing the different activities we can do at the beach and our favourite things to do there. Next, the writers used drawings, words and sentences to share these ideas with others, using inventive spelling as a strategy for writing and spelling.

Then, we read the title of the nonfiction/informational text using what we know about letters and sounds to break apart unknown words to read new words.

This is a strategy that readers use to decode unknown words. As we began to read the text, we used our imagination to visualise in order to understand the ideas shared in the text. The readers paused to describe the information provided by the photographs and used it as a word-attack strategy. We discussed the questions:

What do most people wear at the beach?
What do you see at the beach?
What are the two kids digging in at the beach?
How do you think the kids eating on the beach feel? How do you know?
What are the kids using to build a castle?

Throughout the reading process, readers were encouraged to point to the words they were reading to track their reading independently.

The comprehension skill in focus was identifying the main idea and supporting details included in this informational text. Most stories have a main idea, which is the subject of the story. The title of the story, as well as the pictures, can give us clues to the story’s main idea. When a story has a main idea, it also has supporting details, which are descriptions that help the reader better understand the main idea.

The writers used illustrations, words and sentences to share the different activities the characters engaged in during their time at the beach.

They were encouraged to capitalise the beginning of sentences and include punctuation at the end of a sentence. Leaving spaces between the words helps readers read the information with the appropriate pausing and understanding.

As we continue to discuss and read new texts, we will practice using these strategies to grow as readers and writers!

Literacy Circle Roles

25th September 2025 shemogani Leave a comment

A literature circle is a small-group instructional approach that supports the development of comprehension, independence, and reading enjoyment. The young readers took on different roles in our literacy circle to help them develop their reading skills.

To prompt thinking, we used the following role cards:

Literacy circle (or literature circle) roles provide structure for student-led discussions about a text, with specific roles such as:

The Artist
The Connector
The Passage Picker
The Summariser

We read the story ‘The Rabbit Listened’ by Cori Doerrfeld, which is a wonderful picture book about ‘empathy’. The character Taylor doesn’t know where to turn or what to do when something terrible happens. One by one, the animals try to tell Taylor how to cope with this loss and frustration, and one by one they fail, until the rabbit arrives to simply ‘listen’.

After listening to and discussing the story, the readers used the different roles to share their thinking and perspectives.

The Writing Process

20th September 2025 shemogani Leave a comment

The young writers continued to follow the writing process to create a story that captures their audience’s interest. They began by creating a ‘plan’ and documenting their ideas on a ‘storyboard’.

Then, they drafted their story, narrating all the different events that take place in it.

The writers narrated the sketch of the story using interesting details and events, sharing problems that arise and how these are solved as the story unfolds. Including a powerful ending for the story was a key focus.

Next, they revised their story to ensure it made sense. They edited their work, using the dictionary and their knowledge. They used the acronym ‘CUPS‘ to help them check their capital letters, usage of language, punctuation and spelling.

We look forward to reading the young writers’ final stories!

Details that HOOK the Reader

13th September 2025 shemogani Leave a comment

We wonder how authors and illustrators hook their readers.

What are some of the strategies and techniques they use to capture the attention of their readers?

The young writers started by revisiting their stories. Their stories were inspired by snakeskin, using this idea to create their own pieces of writing. As authors, they were encouraged to think about the characters, how they feel, what they say, and how they act in their story. We used a mentor text to learn more about stretching a story to expand on small moments. We read ‘Shortcut’ by Donald Crews.

This is a story about seven children who decide to take the shortcut home along the train tracks. It is an exciting story that keeps the children on the edge of their seats. In this text, the author uses multiple strategies to hook the reader and keep them in suspense.

The details in the words and illustrations help transport the reader into the story, allowing them to see, feel, and imagine the children on their journey through the shortcut. The writers discussed these details, gathering information about the messages and specifics the author shares throughout the text. We wondered how we might use some of these techniques in our own writing.

The writers then started to write their stories, exploring ways to include these techniques. They discussed how to convey ‘time’ and ‘sequence’ by using time words, such as ‘the next day,’ ‘one morning,’ or ‘late in the afternoon.’ They were encouraged to add more details to help readers follow the story effortlessly. Rereading what they had written before helped ensure their stories flow smoothly.

Zooming In!

30th August 2025 shemogani Leave a comment

We have been exploring the different elements of a story through analysing picture books. We have observed that writers craft engaging stories by:

Generating meaningful ideas for writing
Stretching out small moments
Zooming in to include lots of details
Rereading to make sure the writing makes sense and…
Crafting powerful endings.

The children were invited to create a story inspired by a snake skin. They started by making a ‘story plan’, using what they had learned about the ‘Story Ark’ to decide the key details of their narratives.

Next, they used those ideas to sketch out a ‘storyboard’ with more detailed information about the characters and events. The writers were encouraged to use their senses to add more details about the setting.

Including how the characters feel at different stages helps readers visualise the story as it develops. We discussed the importance of adding dialogue and strong actions, which also help to create stories that keep readers engaged throughout.

Finally, the writers began to tell their story using words, creating their first draft.

What is a Story?

23rd August 2025 shemogani Leave a comment

What might a story need to have?

We began by brainstorming all the different elements of a story. These were recorded in one colour (brown).

Next, we read the story ‘A Cat and a Dog,’ written by Claire Masurel and illustrated by Bob Kolar, to help us reflect on other elements that might be present in a story.

These new ideas were added to the initial brainstorm (green). Then, the children were given a provocation to help them use their imagination and creativity to plan and write their own story.

They began by jotting down their ideas, considering the characters, the setting, and the structure of the story. It was important to think about how we might use our senses to describe what is happening in the story.

The initial brainstorm helped the children to organise their plan, allowing them to add more details and interesting events to keep their readers more engaged.

The plan was used to create a storyboard, which will help the writers with their story creation. We look forward to sharing our stories with you!

Hummingbirds

16th August 2025 shemogani Leave a comment

We began our Reading and Writing Workshop by introducing ourselves to each other. Getting to know one another and discovering commonalities between a learning group helps establish a positive and safe learning community.

We used a nonfiction text about ‘hummingbirds’ to stimulate conversation and discussion about literature. The focus of the lesson was to connect with prior knowledge, ask questions to learn more, and make connections with the text.

The children began by writing what they already knew about hummingbirds. Next, they listed their questions and wonderings about this fascinating creature.

Then, we started to read the text, pausing to discuss the key information in each section of the nonfiction piece, making connections and noting wonderings as we turned the pages.

At the end of the shared reading experience, the children recorded what they had learned from the book, including new information and interesting words they encountered during the activity.

We wonder who we are as readers and writers and hope to learn more about ourselves and our learning community @theseedatelier.

A Plan for Learning

3rd August 2025 shemogani Leave a comment

At the Seed Atelier, assessments are viewed as a valuable tool for learning. The children have engaged in reading, writing and comprehension activities in preparation for the Reading and Writing Workshop.

Workshop Focus: To develop reading and writing skills through the world of books and storytelling. Guiding Questions: – How might picture books help us develop a love for reading? – What strategies develop strong comprehension skills? – What techniques do authors and illustrators use to write creatively? This workshop will help young children develop their identities as readers and writers. We will delve into the world of books to explore strategies and techniques that foster strong reading and writing skills. You can register for the Reading and Writing workshop through the link: https://forms.gle/cKEGZtvTcdtt7QnH6

Just Right Books

10th March 2025 shemogani Leave a comment

We gathered to talk about choosing and reading appropriate texts that are ‘a good fit’. When independent reading texts are too difficult, readers are often unable to recall important information from the text, which can also impact their understanding or comprehension.

We talked about how people make choices about the books they read. Readers read for pleasure, or to learn more about something that they are interested in.

But, how do we know that a book is just right for us?

The children were introduced to one strategy using the ‘five finger rule’.

We also referred back to our previous discussion about the different ways we can read books:

reading the pictures
reading the words
retelling the story

Next, the readers chose three books for their book box and found a quiet bubble space to read independently.

Retelling the story of ‘Floof’!

8th March 2025 shemogani Leave a comment

The children were excited to talk about and share the story of their favourite picture book ‘Floof’ by Heidi McKinnon.

We began by talking about the different characters included in this picture book. We used chart paper to document the ideas and the events they recalled from the story.

Jacob “A dog, his ears are black.”
Ricardo “Mouse.”
Evan “9 mouse”
Dahyun “Floof has friends, the mouse.”
Junsu “9 mouse.”

Next, we discussed the setting, or the places where the story takes place. The children connected these places with the different objects and events.

Isabella “Kitchen, there was a pizza.”
Dahyun “There was some toilet paper.”
Jacob “He was watching TV.”
Evan “There was a computer, he broke the computer.”
Dahyun “The guitar, he broke the guitar.”
Junsu “Coffee.”
Isabella “A tennis ball.”

We used blue Post-it notes to draw and talk about the events in the story.

Dahyun “Floof is in the house, he is eating a pizza.”
Jacob “He was working then he is using computer and put the coffee to the computer. “
Dahyun “Then the computer was broken, then he broke the guitar.”
Jacob “He just lying down on the pot, then he broke the plant.”
Isabella “He sleeping on the books.”
Evan “He played with the toilet paper.”
Suzy “The dog is sleeping and he took the ball.
Jacob “The dog is yellow and his ears are black.”
Suzy “The dog was doing this.” (putting out her tongue to show)
Adalyn “The dog was sleeping when Floof took his ball and Floof broke the window.”
Isabella “The mice were in the kitchen and were eating pizza.”
Evan “He was playing with the strings and it was broken (on the curtain).”
Evan “It was a nice busy day from the end of the story.”
Jacob “That is a messy day.”
Dahyun “Then the story is finished.”

We placed the events in the story in sequence based on the children’s recollection of this story.

Finally, we were ready to read the story. As we turned each page, we checked back to our Post-it notes. We began to see that changes needed to be made for the story to be retold in sequence.

We used pink Post-it notes to include events that were not included in the original retail.

The children’s storytelling shows how the children were actively engaged in the process of retelling the story of ‘Floof’. They included the key details, characters and settings, and answered questions related to the picture book.

Fiction and Nonfiction

8th November 2024 shemogani Leave a comment

The children have been talking about their favourite books and looking for these texts in the library. While browsing through the books we noticed that the children showed an interest in many different types of books. We decided to ask the children to gather several of their favourite books to bring back to class. The books were displayed in the classroom and the children often gathered around the table and flipped through the pages, talking about the pictures, stories and information that lived within the pages.

What clues from the book that tell us what types of texts they are?

We began by choosing two books, reading a few pages from each of them and inviting the children to talk about how they might be the same or different. As the children shared what they noticed we documented these ideas on chart paper. We continued to look through and sort all the books that the children had chosen at the library.

They decided that the books about dinosaurs, mushrooms and sports:

Were about ‘true’ things
told us ‘about’ things
included photographs and pictures
shared information

The books about princesses, superheroes and animal characters:

were ‘imaginary’, ‘fake’, ‘not true’ or ‘didn’t really happen’.
They have characters and animals that can talk
included a story
had the beginning middle and end
had illustrations (drawings)

Two books about fairies caused a debate.

Were these stories about something real or imaginary?

Some children believed that fairies were not real, people used their imagination to tell stories about them. Several children disagreed explaining that they were real because ‘the tooth fairy visited them in the night and gave them money for their teeth when they had fallen out’. For these reasons, the class decided to place the two books in the middle, in a pile that was ‘undecided’.

Often, the children are invited to choose and borrow books from the classroom library.

We wonder how the children would use their new understandings of different types of texts to choose reading materials for different classroom spaces, provocations and projects.

Guided Reading and Word Work

22nd October 2024 shemogani Leave a comment

The children are working in small groups to explore reading, working on developing their understanding of phonics and decoding (understanding of the alphabetic principle — the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language).

A small group were reading a pattern book with predictable text, making connections with what they already knew about the topic and learning new information from a text.

While reading we practiced reading behaviours that develop their reading identity.

– caring for books

– turning the pages

– taking a picture walk

– connecting words with images

– following the reader by tracking words

– identifying the title, cover, pictures, pages, blurb at the back

– identifying letters, words, sentences

– practising word attack strategies

– discussing information, making connections and developing comprehension

– listening to others read and practising reading

– waiting for our turn

– celebrating reading

Zooming in to look for digraphs (sh), and vowel teams (oo) that make a long vowel sound in pattern books.

We will continue to dive into fiction and non-fiction texts, to learn about and through books, to read, explore and celebrate the wonderful world of ‘books’.

3 Ways to Read a Book!

13th September 2024 shemogani Leave a comment

Picture books play an integral role in the literacy programme in K2. A few times a day, we sit down to explore texts, to give the children opportunities to read to themselves or listen to adults read to them.

Often the children pick out their favourite books to retell the stories to each other. The teachers often observe the experiences children have with books to help them develop good reading behaviours.

We watched a video of Archie and Riccardo sharing this experience, using the pictures and what they recall of the story to read a book again and again.

Sharing this example, we reminded the children of 3 ways to read a book because we know that children learn to read by engaging in the act of reading by “Reading the pictures”, “Reading the Words” and “Retelling a Familiar Story”.

We used the picture book ‘Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me’ designed, illustrated, and written by Eric Carle in a mini-lesson, to practice the 3 ways to read. As we turned the pages, the children helped retell the story, sharing the character’s feelings and actions. We discussed the concept of ‘real’ and ‘imaginary’ ideas in the story and invited the children to explore this further in their stories-making.

We know that reading and exploring books helps children:

develop an awareness of print (understanding that print carries meaning, that books contain letters and words, and how a book “works” — such as identifying the front and back covers and that pages are turned)

develop phonological awareness (the ability to recognise and manipulate the spoken parts of words — including rhymes, syllables, and phonemes)
explore phonics and decoding (understanding of the alphabetic principle — the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language)
develop new vocabulary (using the words they hear orally to make sense of the words they see in print)

Non-Fiction Books: Learning Through Books

30th April 2024 shemogani Leave a comment

Learning about Worms and Silkworms

The children have been exploring and playing with worms and other living things in the earliest playground.

In the last week, we have documented their questions and observations about silkworms.

Considering the children’s ongoing interest in living things, we read a nonfiction book about earthworms. The children were amazed to read and learn facts about earthworms, how they survived and how they help us. While reading the text, we identified the different features of nonfiction books:

The cover of the book has a title that tells us the topic. It could have a picture which helps the reader understand what the contents of the book might be about.
A blurb at the back of the book gives us a brief indication about the content of the nonfiction book.
There is a contents page which helps the reader find specific information.
The pages are numbered to help the reader find the information quickly.
Photographs, drawings and diagrams are included on pages.
Information is shared about a topic.
Labels and descriptions help the reader understand information about images.

Next, we noted all the information the children knew about worms and silkworms. We decided to organise the information into two columns, similarities and differences between worms and silkworms.

Key ideas and observations that the children shared offer opportunities for an in-depth study into worms and silkworms. In the coming days, we will reach out to experts who can give us more information about these living things.

Non-Fiction Texts

18th January 2024 shemogani Leave a comment

We have begun to explore nonfiction texts during read-aloud sessions. To figure out what a book is mostly about, it is helpful to pay attention to the word or words we see repeated.

What repeats on each page in the words?
What repeats on each page in the pictures?
What is this mostly about?

As we read the book ‘Sleeping Baby Animals’, the children looked for what was the same on each page. We noted words that were the same on different pages and wrote them down on a whiteboard.

The children joined in with the reading as the text was repetitive. We looked for familiar high-frequency words in the sentences.

Snow is a beautiful sight, but sometimes it can get in the way. We read a non-fiction text to explore the many ways snow can be removed in ‘Goodbye Snow’. We discussed the engaging photographs to learn about the different tools used to remove snow. While reading the simple sentences, we explored initial consonant blends (sn, br, tr) and digraphs (th, sh).

Next, the children were invited to create their own non-fiction page. They decided on the theme or topic they wanted to write about. Then they drew a picture and finally included letters, words and sentences to talk about the drawings.

Sharing Information through Non-Fiction Texts

16th November 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

What more could we learn about birds and nests?

We decided to read some nonfiction books about birds. As we read the books, we noticed pictures, photographs, labels, words and sentences, key features of nonfiction texts.

During ‘Writing Workshop’, the children were invited to create their own nonfiction stories or books.

Some children chose to create books about birds, drawing and writing to share their ideas and information.

We chose one piece of writing to share with the class, helping the children notice key strategies and features that were included in the story.

There was a clear idea of a topic. The pages included words and sentences that talked about the pictures. We know that good writers think about questions readers might have about a topic and then find ways to include this information through drawing and writing.

While writing words and sentences, the children were encouraged to say the word out loud, stretch out the word to hear the sounds and then write all the sounds that they heard.

The children began to show an interest in sharing and reading their stories to their friends and teachers.

They understood that bookmaking is a way to share important messages and information with others and began to look for ways to celebrate their work with the community.

We look forward to exploring all the different opportunities that allow us to share the work we do as readers and writers.

Mouse Paint – A Shared Reading Experience

18th September 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

We read the book ‘Mouse Paint’ by Ellen Stoll Walsh. We began by looking at the image on the back cover. Does it share any clues about the story?

A few children made predictions about the image (tapping into their prior knowledge):

Eli “Maybe a cat will come to eat the mice.”
Oliver “A tiger might eat all the mice.
Wyatt “A crab is fighting and eating the mice.”

Then, we discussed the front cover. What might this book be about?

The children decided that it had to be about mice and paint, as the title was ‘Mouse Paint’!

Next, we read the book. The children noticed that some words were covered. They used their observational skills and knowledge of letters, sounds and words to suggest possibilities. The children helped sound out and spell the words while using their whiteboards to note their thinking. The alphabet card helped them look for letters and sounds they were unsure of.

We know that children develop their reading skills as they engage in shared reading experiences, practising competencies such as phonemic awareness and comprehension skills.

As we continued to read the book, the K2 readers were able to recognise and read familiar words, ask questions, and make predictions all while developing their reading identities.

Illustration Study: Distance Perspective

28th August 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

The goal of an illustration study is to help the children become more aware of how we can be more intentional and use details in pictures to help us become better storytellers and writers.

We began by introducing the children to the picture book ‘Emperor’s Egg’ written by Martin Jenkins and illustrated by Jane Chapman.

We took time to look through the first pages of the book, to talk about what we noticed about the way the story was presented.

While reading the story, we encouraged the children to think about what was happening using the pictures.

We documented the children’s ideas on chart paper, using marks, symbols and words to take note of the observations.

When discussing the pictures on the first page, Lydia explained that it is hard to see who is standing far away on the ice because the image is so small.

Wyatt agreed and added that the pictures aren’t very clear because it is dark. The illustrator has drawn it this way because they want to show that it is nighttime.

The children continued to share their observations about the image discussing the different elements that share information about time, the weather and the environment.

On the second page, Eli noticed that the author printed words in different sizes.

We wondered how and why authors make choices about the size and shape of words.

While listening to the story, we observed how the children made predictions and questioned to learn more about the story. We continued to document the children’s ideas and observations on the

We wonder how the children will use distance perspective when drawing pictures and creating their own stories.

We wonder about the different techniques and decisions authors and illustrators make when creating books for readers.

During time for writing, we will continue to practice using some of these techniques to improve our own pieces of work.

3 Ways to Read a Book

20th August 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

We have been looking at books, reading different picture books, listened to adults read and retold our favourite stories in K2. We introduced the readers to 3 different ways to read because we know that children learn to read by engaging in the act of reading by “Reading the pictures”, “Reading the Words” and also “Retelling a Familiar Story”.

Each day, we spend time with books to develop good reading habits. We know that reading and exploring books helps children:

develop an awareness of print (understanding that print carries meaning, that books contain letters and words, and how a book “works” — such as identifying the front and back covers and that pages are turned)

develop phonological awareness (the ability to recognise and manipulate the spoken parts of words — including rhymes, syllables, and phonemes)
explore phonics and decoding (understanding of the alphabetic principle — the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language)
develop new vocabulary (using the words they hear orally to make sense of the words they see in print)

Non-fiction Texts

12th May 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

What are the key features of non-fiction texts?
How are they different to stories?

The children explained that non-fiction books tell you about things. They share true information or facts. They teach us about different things in real life.

We looked at non-fiction books to see how authors and illustrators use pictures and photographs to share information. We noticed how a lot of information can be found by “reading” the photos within nonfiction texts. They noticed the labels, close-ups of pictures and different ways information may be displayed.

While looking through the mentor texts (examples) we brought the children’s attention to the following:

The cover of a non-fiction text has a title, pictures or drawings about the topic and the authors and/or illustrators name.

There may be a ‘blurb’ at the back of the book that gives you a clue about what the book might be about.

Non-fiction books may have a contents page that tells us where each section or chapter begins. The glossary is like a dictionary as it provides an explanation of key words in the text. The index lets you know where to find words.

We began to put down the different features the children noticed about the non-fiction texts.

Some of them include:

Photographs
Drawings
Numbered pages
Many pages
Writing about the topic
New/different information
Facts
Labels
Arrows
Captions
Headings
Close up – Zoom in

When creating non-fiction books we need to:

Think of a topic
Plan (what we want to include in the book)
Think about questions the readers may have.
Include pictures and information across pages.

The children were invited to think about a non-fiction book they can make on nature. They used a graphic organiser to help them plan their ideas. We used a KWL Chart to:

Share what we KNOW about the topic
Reflect on what we WANT to KNOW
Share what was LEARNED

We will use a checklist to help us plan and create our non-fiction books.

The children wanted to learn more about the rain, animals, insects plants and more!

Through this process, we will explore a range of non-fiction texts. We will begin to create our own non-fiction texts. We look forward to sharing these books with the community.

Robots All Around!

15th February 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

We have visited many different design spaces in the school. We noticed the interest the children showed in the different machines and robots in these spaces. We decided to read a book about robots.

What do we already know about robots?

What can robots do?

We began by drawing and writing what we already know about robots. Then, the children shared their ideas with a buddy. The children explained how robots:

help us stay safe
clean the house
help us have fun

We noticed that the children were exploring the concepts form, function, systems and jobs.

Next, we read the book ‘Robots All Around!’ together.

We discussed the main idea, made predictions as we read and shared text-to-world connections. We looked carefully at the pictures and discussed new vocabulary.

Then, the children drew what they have learned about robots.

We wonder what robots the children have at home.
We wonder what these robots help us do.
We wonder what more we can learn about robots.

3 Ways to Read a Book

2nd February 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

We have been looking at books, reading different picture books, listened to adults read and retold our favourite stories in K2. We introduced the readers to 3 different ways to read because we know that children learn to read by engaging in the act of reading by “Reading the pictures”, “Reading the Words” and also “Retelling a Familiar Story”.

Each day, we spend time with books to develop good reading habits. We know that reading and exploring books helps children:

develop an awareness of print (understanding that print carries meaning, that books contain letters and words, and how a book “works” — such as identifying the front and back covers and that pages are turned)

develop phonological awareness (the ability to recognise and manipulate the spoken parts of words — including rhymes, syllables, and phonemes)

explore phonics and decoding (understanding of the alphabetic principle — the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language)

develop new vocabulary (using the words they hear orally to make sense of the words they see in print)

Rosie’s Walk

4th November 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

Distance Learning Provocations

Focus: Communication Skills, Literacy and Mathematics

Rosie lives in a farmyard. Each morning, Rosie sets off on a walk across the farm. She is unaware that a sly fox is following her.

You can click the link to listen to the story ‘Rosie’s Walk’ by Pat Hutchins. Notice how the pictures are illustrated. There are lines, patterns and shapes on the different characters and the environment.

You might want to act out the story using your own animals or props. You can even use boxes, cushions and blankets and any other suitable props to create a farmyard to go on your own walk. You can go across, around, over, past, through, and under.

Your own story can be in a different place such as a forest, an island or even a city. You might want to act out your story in the park or on the playground!

If you create a story, share it with us!

: Using props to act out the story.

: Making stories.

: Using props to retell the story.

: Going on a walk around the neighbourhood.

The Present

19th March 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

We watched the beautifully animated story ‘Penguin‘ by Polly Dunbar. This is a story about a silent penguin who has a very special way of expressing himself.

For the story read by the author Polly Dunbar click HERE!

Writing Task:

Imagine that you rip open a present just like Ben does. Which animal would you like to find inside and why? What adventures would you have?

This writing task encouraged students to:

write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences
develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach
use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others

Literature Circle Roles – Passage Picker

19th March 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

We read the story ‘A New Home for Beaver‘ by Henna Goudzand Nahar, illustrated by Jeska Verstegen. This is a wonderful story about 3 friends (Elephant, Pig and Beaver) who learn about the importance of kindness and inclusion.

After reading the text, the students were invited to pick out their favourite part of the book and explain why they chose it. This could be…

an interesting part
an exciting part
an happy part
an sad part
an scary part

Technology

3rd March 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

We gathered to think about ‘Technology’ and what we already know about it. The students used the thinking routine ‘I used to think… But now I think…’ to consolidate new learning as they identify new understandings, opinions, and beliefs.

First, they noted their ideas about ‘technology’ on their paper. Then, they went on to Epic to explore several books, to see what more they can learn about ‘technology’.

Then, they completed the next step of the task, to record their new understandings and opinions. They reflected on how their ideas have changed or developed as a result of their explorations into non-fiction texts.

Next, we documented these ideas on a chart paper. We noticed that the students made connections between the different ideas, sharing their experiences and knowledge with others. We identified common themes that would help us with our research.

Finally, we were ready to make a plan for research. The students decided on the type of technology/invention they wanted to learn more about. They followed the steps to document their initial ideas on chart paper. They helped each other out by listening to different perspectives and ideas presented by the group.

The students will be responsible for documenting their own learning journey as they plan, gather and record data, interpret and communicate their findings.

Non-Fiction and Informational Texts

9th February 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

We know that readers of nonfiction books do an extra-brainy, intense kind of thinking. Readers pay attention to details and think, “How can I put together what I am seeing, to grow ‘knowledge’ about this topic?”

As readers, we don’t just grab on to one detail that we notice. We look at all the different parts of the page, and the text, as we try to put what we are learning together in our minds. Instead of ‘glancing’ at the diagrams, we need to look closely at the details. Then, put what we know together to build a deeper understanding.

We can go back to the text to find the facts that are most connected to the idea.

Reading Strategy: We can use Pictures, Illustrations, and Diagrams

Illustrations give clues about the meaning of words and text. Paying attention to the pictures may confirm the meaning of words. Picture books are not the only texts where pictures convey meaning. Readers are exposed to pictures in much of their nonfiction reading. Knowing how to figure out words by using background knowledge, looking at the picture, and inferring its meaning enhances vocabulary.

How might we know if a text is fiction or nonfiction? We discussed and the different Features of Fiction and Nonfiction Texts.

Then, we took a closer look at nonfiction texts to see if we can identify some of the terms related to nonfiction texts.

We read the non-fiction text ‘Kelp Forests, Exploring a Floating Habitat‘ by Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris to help us explore how these texts share information and help us understand topics, concepts and big ideas.

Here are some ways to talk about our thinking:

I’m noticing…
I’m learning…
I’m wondering…

Reading Strategy: Ask questions to engage with the text.

We can engage our minds by asking questions as we read. When reading fiction, we might ask, “What comes next? Why did the character do that?”

When reading nonfiction, we might ask questions about the topic, “How do I know?”

When we ask and answer questions while we read, we know our minds are turned on to a book, this means we are coming to the text with curiosity. It can feel like we are having a conversation with ourselves as we question and inquire, wondering what will come next. We can read on to answer our questions!

Reading Strategy: Use Word Parts to Determine the Meaning of Words

Looking at parts of words helps readers break the word’s meaning apart and supplies them with a strategy to understand new words they encounter. While looking at the distinguishable parts of a word, readers use their back- ground knowledge of the word parts along with their knowledge of the text to infer the meaning of the word.

Reading Strategy: Use Dictionaries, Thesauruses, and Glossaries as Tools

Readers use many strategies to increase their understanding of words and texts they are reading. Although there are many different strategies to use, one of the most widely known strategies is using a dictionary, thesaurus, or glossary as a word learning tool. Readers use this strategy when they need a precise definition of a word or a list of other words that mean the same thing. In order for readers to be successful at using these word learning tools, they must first understand how they work.

Two students create a poster to share the reading strategies they have been using during Guided Reading lessons.

As researchers, we have been reading books, watching videos and engaging in dialogue to learn more about living things. We have looked for ways to share our own understandings with others. As writers, we have been wondering what techniques we might use to teach our readers about the different things we are learning.

We are learning that writers can include introductions. They help readers know what they will learn about. Informational texts:

can start with an action
start with a little story to hook and pull the reader in
start with a big idea
start with questions to get the reader to think

Writers can include conclusions. They can also leave the reader with a big thought or idea.

Bringing all these ideas together, the students have been working on creating their own piece of informational text. This would accompany their 3-Dimensional model or audio book projects.

5 Finger Retell

8th January 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

The students have been practicing how to retell or recount a text. In previous weeks, we used the ‘story mountain’/’story arc‘, to help us retell and discuss the characters, settings, main events, problem, solution (resolution) and end of a story.

The students have used the 5 finger retelling technique to retell a fictional story. We have also explored and practiced how to make connections with what we read.

PDF available here

As part of our inquiry into non-fiction resources, we have focused on finding the main idea and related facts in non-fiction texts. The students will continue to practice these skills by using graphic organises and responding to their reading.

Book Talks

26th November 2021 shemogani Leave a comment

The students have been reading a variety of books over the last few weeks. They have been talking about books, sharing their favourite stories and making choices about the books they read. It was time to practice talking, and sharing opinions about books!

The students have used the attached information to help them talk about and recommend their favourite fiction and non fiction books.

What books would YOU recommend?

Temporal Words

15th November 2021 shemogani Leave a comment

Temporal words are transitional words that refer to time. They can add meaning and context to writing and can help a story move or flow. Together we decided on what words might describe or show the passing of time or sequence of events. We documented these words on chart paper.

Next, the students worked in groups to look for these words in picture books. They continued to add these words on the chart paper.

Then, they organised different temporal words, deciding when they might occur in a story, at the beginning, middle or end.

Finally, they reflected on their own writing.

– How can we show the passing of time or sequence of events in our own writing?

– What words would help my story move forward?

Perspectives

25th October 2021 shemogani Leave a comment

We observed students tuning into the different perspectives shared by others during the various experiences offered for the launch for the new Unit of Inquiry. The students commented on the way different groups acted with the projected images, sounds and Chinese character.

Next, 3 different black and white printed images were shared with the students. They gathered in small groups, turned the papers around in different directions and talked about what they noticed.

“I think it is a windy tree!”

“I can see just the duck!”

Picture 1

Seoyeon “Eyes, nose, mouth, people.”
Fedo “I didn’t know that!”
Yuchan “Maybe it is hair.”
Diego “It has 3 people.”
Ella “We didn’t saw the face but now I do! It is like old people.”
Alejandra “First the young people, then medium and then the old.”
Yuchan “A student, adult and a grandma.”
Ella “People that have different types of hair.”

Picture 2

Amber “I see these are all correct, because when you turn it, it is a 9 and when you turn it, it is a 6.”
Hyun Seo “I see it like a 6 because I usually don’t write a 9 like this, it’s like a ‘g’.”
Gihyeon “I think it is ‘e’ and ‘g’.”
Grace “I think the right one is 6 because the 6 speech bubble is bigger so that is a clue.”
Teacher “Why does the speech bubble matter?”
Grace ““Because when I do some task on the iPad, I always choose the bigger one.”
Ella agreed. “Both are correct. But maybe if he comes to here, he will agree with him and if he comes to here he will agree with him (people move to swap their position).”
Agata “If he is on that side he will see a 6 and if he goes to the other side he will see it.”
Fedo “If you put it all the way upside down he will say it is a 9 and he will say it is a 6.”
Alejandra “I think it is a 9 because when I see this picture I always see only a 9.”

Picture 3

Hayoon “If this is the mouth it’s a duck, if this is the ears, this is a rabbit.”
Ella “It might be a rabbit and a duck.”
Alejandra “If we turn the paper, no matter which way we look at it, it is always a duck and a rabbit.”
Yuchan “This picture has 2 mouths, one for rabbit and one for duck. I think it’s a duck.”
Amber “When you turn it you can see the duck’s body and when you turn it it’s a rabbit’s body.”
Yuki “Rabbit or duck.”
Yuchan “It’s a rabbit and a duck but the body is vanishing.”
Teacher “Why do we see things differently?”

Ella “I think I know what these things are called, its something that many people see the same picture but many people see it a different way. Which way you see it, it matters.”

Why do perspectives matter?

To explore this further, the students listened to the story ‘Hey, Little Ant’ by Philip and Hannah Hoose.

Teacher “Have you ever had an experience of squishing an ant under your feet?”
Lawrence “I like to squish mosquitos.”

As the story was read, the students made connections with the text.

Gihyeon “This is a fiction book because ants can’t really talk.”
Alejandra “Ants are very strong even though we are bigger. They can carry like 20 ants even. They are very strong.”
Lawrence “Ant grew bigger like us, then the ant will be able to lift himself.”
Diego “I see some ants carrying some little brown things in my home yesterday. Maybe it’s their food?”
Grace “The kid might not squish the ants. Under the shoes we have some lines and maybe they will not get squished.”

At the end of the story, the students were invited to reflect on the author’s words…

Should the ant get squished? Should the ant go free?

Teacher “What do you think will happen next?” Why do you think that?”

The students reflected and shared their ideas with each other. We had two groups share the different perspectives.

Teacher “Now that you have heard different perspectives, would you change your mind? Why?

We were not surprised to see some of the students change their mind after hearing the different perspectives!

We wonder what YOU would do…

Activating Prior Knowledge

19th October 2021 shemogani Leave a comment

What do we already know about a topic?
How can we use our 5 senses to activate our prior knowledge?

Activate Prior Knowledge: Activate Your 5 Senses

We used the picture book ‘Seashore’ by to help us explore this strategy.

The Text:

‘The Seashore Book’ written by Charlotte Zolotow, and illustrated by Wendell Minor shares a story about a young boy, who has never seen the sea. The child asks his mother to describe the sea. The author carefully chooses her words to create a poem full of the colours, sounds, and sights of a day at the beach.

Task:

First, we looked at the cover, the title and wondered what we already know about the seashore. Then, we used a graphic organiser to help us record our thoughts. The 5 senses chart helped us organise our ideas into groups.

Next, the students referred to their 5 senses task and contributed to create a web of information about the topic.

This strategy helped students understand how thinking about the topic and their 5 senses before reading helps them understand the text and makes the text a more enriching read.

Creating Images

When we listened to the story, we began to create an image in our mind. We wondered what we could visualise while we read/listened to the story. We thought about our senses and how we connect with the story.

What we we see when we close our eyes?

The students drew a picture of the image they had in their mind. They recorded their own thoughts, feelings and ideas.

Through this task the students had opportunities to:

connect with what they already know
express ideas and thinking clearly
use images and writing to make thinking visible
listen to multiple perspectives and ideas

Making Text-to-Self Connections

1st October 2021 shemogani Leave a comment

A Text–to-Self connection occurs when we make connections between personal experiences and the text.

A student chose the picture book ‘Night of the Veggie Monster’ by George McClements as a class read aloud.

As we always do, we read the title, the back blurb and took a closer look at the image on the front cover. We were curious, excited, and eager to dive right into the text. By the second page, we began to make connections with the images and the fonts in the text. The text features included all capitals, bold print and speech bubbles!

We noticed that the story included real images AND drawings (with interesting facial expressions!). Some words were coloured, bigger, slanted and crafted in interesting ways. The students wondered if this book was nonfiction or a fictional text.

The story is about a little boy who does not particularly like eating vegetables. The students were quick to make personal connections as each page was turned. They told their own stories as they gasped at the images and ideas in the book.

They connected with the character and his dislike for certain foods, sharing reasons and experiences with the class. We hope that this funny story might inspire a few veggie monsters to give peas (and other vegetables) a chance!

Reading Culture

15th September 2021 shemogani Leave a comment

In Second Grade, we continue to work towards creating an environment where reading is valued, promoted, and supported.

We began by discussing the behaviours of readers.

What do great readers do?
How do readers choose their books?
How do we solve challenges while reading?
What strategies help us become stronger readers?
Why are these behaviours important?
What keeps us curious about reading?

Then, the students reflected on their own reading behaviours. They wrote their ideas down on paper.

Next, we came together to share and document these ideas on chart paper.

We discussed the different ways we can ‘read’ and ‘choose’ books. We used the strategy ‘I-PICK’ to think about why and how we make choices about books.

Discussing the different feelings we have when we read books, helped us think more about ‘JUST RIGHT BOOKS’.

Then, we went to the library to practice these skills. We continue to work on developing our own reading behaviours, to learn and celebrate reading and learning through books.

We continue to wonder how we can create rich environments for readers.

What would a reading culture at school and home look like?
How can we create and maintain these spaces?

We talked about a perfect reading spot. What might this look like? We created a choice board to help us stay focused as we read each day.

What is a STRUCTURE?

8th March 2021 shemogani Leave a comment

We decided to collect our thinking and suggestions on paper. We first discussed the word structure. “What IS a structure?”

Students: A hotel, restaurant, tower, apartment…

We wrote these as labels on post-its and included them in our brainstorm. Then, we wondered why we NEED these structures.

The students shared their views about the ‘PURPOSE’ of a structure.

A restaurant – for people to go out and eat together
A waterfall (man-made) – to make a place look nice
A field – for people to run and exercise
A pool – for people to swim

The discussion led to the decision to sort the different structures into categories.

structures that are needed for everyday life
structures that are needed for specific purposes but not everyday life
structures that fit both these categories

The students decided that some structures:

were created to make a place look beautiful
were man-made
were created by the natural world
could fit into both man-made or natural (caves)

Next, the students listed different materials that are used to create structures. Again, they decided the materials could be sorted into three categories:

natural materials
man-made materials
both

Then, the students were invited choose and read a unit related text from EPIC. They needed to look for information about the materials used to create the structure, the purpose and any other information they deemed important.

As the students shared the information they had uncovered, we documented their ideas on chart paper.

Finally, the students were excited to learn about roads, dams, bridges, towers and other interesting structures. They spoke in detail about the concepts, purpose, materials, design, plan, models and function.

We have begun to wonder how scientific principles help us problem solve and design structures. (causation)

Approaches to lLearning (ATL’s)

Thinking Skills

Critical thinking – Analysing and evaluating issues and ideas, and forming decisions

Analysing:

Take knowledge or ideas apart by separating them into component parts.

Evaluating:

Consider ideas from multiple perspectives.
Synthesize new understandings by finding unique characteristics; seeing relationships and connections.

How People Learned to Fly

4th February 2021 shemogani Leave a comment

Have you ever dreamed about flying?

For thousands of years people have wanted to fly. We read the non-fiction narrative text ‘How People Learned to Fly’ by Fran Hodgkins, illustrated by True Kelly. There were many failed attempts and different inventions along the way and this book describes the history of flying and explains the scientific principles that make it possible for people to fly.

People discovered gravity, air and drag. By studying these principles and the flight of birds, people designed wings and built gliders. Finally, in 1903, the Wright Brothers figured out how to combine well designed wings with an engine to invent an airplane.

By asking questions about the world around us, people are able to invent wonderful things. Thinking like a scientist can help you come up with interesting ways to solve problems. The illustrations in this book helped us explore and learn more about scientific principles such as gravity and lift.

While reading the text, we discussed the illustrations and concepts included. We asked questions, before, during and after reading. We focused on developing the following strategies throughout the activity.

The students then documented their own ideas about flight, gravity and lift.

We wondered how the concepts of ‘change‘, ‘technology‘, ‘connection‘ and ‘transformation‘ have impacted flight.

Visualizing

27th January 2021 shemogani Leave a comment

Goal: Comprehension

Strategy: Make a Picture or Mental Image

When students listen to or read text, they can create pictures in their mind or make a mind movie. When readers visualize what is happening in the story, they remember more of what they read or hear.

To help us practice this strategy, we used the text ‘Cactus Hotel‘ by Brenda Z. Guiberson.

First, we thought about the TITLE. What images come to mind when we think of ‘Cactus Hotel’? (for the purpose of the activity, they did not see the book, text and images from the story)

The students transferred their image into a picture on a whiteboard. Then, they shared their ideas.

We discussed how images correspond to information.

While listening to the read-aloud, the students created their own images that represent information. We drew these images as sketches on paper.

Here are some of the images that tell a story.

Why Children Need This Strategy: Making a picture or mental image assists readers in understanding what they read by creating images in their mind, based on the details in the text and their prior knowledge.

Visuals from Into the Book

Nonfiction Texts – Part 1

1st December 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

At the second grade level, nonfiction texts might focus on a single topic, or on a larger topic with subtopics. Topics and ideas are familiar, authentic, and relevant to children’s lives, with a few topics that may go beyond children’s immediate experiences. We began by identifying the different features of nonfiction texts.

We discussed the topic, subtopic, language and illustrations.

We looked for key words that help us understand the text as we look for facts.

The students worked in groups to sort and identify the different features we discussed.

How might we know if a text is fiction or nonfiction?

We discussed and sorted the different Features of Fiction and Nonfiction Texts

Then, we took a closer look at nonfiction texts to see if we can identify some of the terms related to nonfiction texts.

We identified these features in different texts.

We continue to wonder about nonfiction texts and the information they convey. How do nonfiction texts help us?

Exploring Nonfiction Texts – Part 2

1st December 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

How might we know if a text is fiction or nonfiction? We discussed and sorted the different Features of Fiction and Nonfiction Texts.

Then, we took a closer look at nonfiction texts to see if we can identify some of the terms related to nonfiction texts. We identified these features in different texts.

We have been sorting through the books in our classroom library, organizing the texts and deciding how we want to group them together.

We know that readers of nonfiction books do an extra-brainy, intense kind of thinking. Readers pay attention to details and think, “How can I put together what I am seeing, to grow ‘knowledge’ of this topic?”

As readers, we don’t just grab on to one detail that we notice. We look at all the different parts of the page, and the text, as we try to put what we are learning together in our minds.

Here is a page from ‘Knights in Shining Armor’ by Gail Gibbons

First, we took a quick glance at the diagram. It’s a castle! Does that deepen our knowledge?
Then, we took a closer, deeper look. We paid attention to details and put the parts of the text together in our mind. The water around the castle, the towers.

The big thing we are learning is that castles are built to protect people. Instead of glancing at the diagram we need to look closely at the details. Then, put what we know together to build a deeper understanding about castles.

Here are some ways to talk about our thinking:
Reading Strategy: Ask questions to engage with the text.
We can engage our minds by asking questions as we read.
When reading fiction, we might ask, “What comes next? Why did the character do that?”
When reading nonfiction, we might ask questions about the topic, “How do I know?”

The Main Idea and Supporting Details:
After reading a section or whole book, we can start by saying what the whole book is mostly about.
Then, we can ask ourselves, “How do we know?”.
We can go back to the text to find the facts that are most connected to the idea.

Readers pay attention to details and think, “How can I put together what I’m seeing to grow knowledge about this topic?

We read a book about worms to practice these strategies. Then, we decided what the main idea and supporting details were. We looked for key words in the text that provide details about the topic. As we discussed the text, we asked and answered questions that helped us develop a deeper understanding about the topic.

‘Give Up, Gecko!’ – Character Traits

11th November 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

We read the story ‘Give Up, Gecko!‘ by Margaret Read MacDonald Illustrated by Deborah Melmon.

This folktale is about a persevering Gecko who becomes the Chief. We discussed the moral of the story, the setting, and the students helped list the characters in the text.

We discussed the beginning, middle and end of the story.

What can we learn about the characters in the story?

We brainstormed different character traits. We talked about opposites, and also explored some spelling patterns we have been working on during Work Work.

The students worked in 3 groups to compare the traits and agree on how they would describe the different characters in the text.

They continued to work in groups to complete an independent activity.

Through this activity, the students had opportunities to:

ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how
recount stories
determine their central message, lesson, or moral
describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges
describe the overall structure of a story
demonstrate understanding of the characters, setting, or plot

Stop and Jots

29th October 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

How might jotting notes help us remember key information from a text?

Instead of using post-it notes, we used a graphic organiser to practice this strategy.

We have been inquiring into ‘TIME‘. Therefore, we chose to read a non-fiction book to see what more we could find out about time. We took turns to read the book.

At the end of each page, we stopped to think about what we read.

Then, we recorded our key points using pictures, key words or sentences.

We discussed some of the concepts in the text. We used materials and tools around the classroom to help us recreate some of the different examples that were included in the book.

We continued to capture our thinking on paper.

We will practice this strategy as we read to gather information about the different topics we are researching.

Here is an activity the students were invited to create at home!

The book ‘It’s About Time‘ can be accessed through the app Learning A-z (RAZ)

Choices and Interactions

23rd September 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

We have been exploring ‘how our choices affect our interactions‘. We decided to read ‘When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry…‘ by Molly Bang.’

We first read the Title and the Back Blurb.

How does THIS book want to be read? What does the author want us to feel? How might the author want us to connect with the story? We reflected on a few different feelings/emotions.

We used paper and markers to document our thoughts and ideas as we read the story. What do the characters feel? What choices do they make? How do their choices affect their interactions? Were they choices that help people feel/stay safe?

Then, we cut up our sketched emotions and assembled them on a Story Mountain/Story Arc. We talked about the Beginning, middle, problem, resolution and end. The students talked about the different zones (Zones of Regulation) the character may be in. The students connected with the story, sharing personal experiences of when they felt like Sophie.

Next, we retold the story in our own words, using the story planner. We reflected on the Choices and Interactions the characters experienced in the story.

How do YOUR ‘CHOICES’ affect your INTERACTIONS? We wonder…

Readers Grow Like Beanstalks!

19th September 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

“Readers Grow Like Beanstalks!”

The students were invited to discuss this further. If we want to stay healthy and help our bodies grow, we need to provide our bodies with nourishment, eat healthy food, drink plenty of water and get lots of sleep. In Second Grade, we know that we get better at reading, when we read, read and read!

But how do we become better readers? How do we develop our comprehension, accuracy and fluency while expanding our vocabulary?

We used the mentor text ‘Katie Woo Has the Flu‘ by Fran Manushkin, to help us learn more about developing as readers.

First, we had to decide ‘How the book wanted to be read‘.

We looked at the cover, the image, read the title, and discussed what we noticed. How should we read this book? Can we make any personal connections with the image on the cover? What emotions does the image and the title evoke? We discussed our prior knowledge and wondered how we might read this story.

Next, we read the ‘Back Blurb‘. Were there any clues about the story? How did the author and illustrator want THIS book to be read?

Then, we read the ‘Table of Contents’. We discussed the title of each chapter, and the emotions and feelings these titles evoked. We decided how we wanted to read the book.

Then, we began to read the story…

As we read a few pages, we thought about the different strategies we had practiced during ‘Readers Workshop‘. We focused on our COMPREHENSION, and revisited three strategies that help us understand what we read.

Next, we used post-it notes to tag a page that we wanted to share with the class during our ‘SHARE’, at the end of the lesson.

Here is Ms. Shemo’s Favourite page!

“This is my favourite page because…this picture reminds me of a time when I told the children that they won’t melt if they get caught in a slight drizzle!”

It was time to practice our strategies!!

We chose ‘Just Right Books‘ from our book tubs to practice our strategy. We know that reading books that are too hard does not help us develop and practice our reading.

We partnered up and reminded ourselves of the different behaviours when ‘Partner Reading’.

Reading Partners Work Together

we work as a team, sit side by side with a book in the middle, we take turns to read
we build good habits together by taking sneak peaks at the books and rereading books together
we may choral read or seesaw read
we give each other reminders about the different strategies we can use/try
we grow together through discussion
we provide book introductions
we don’t just tell – we HELP!
we can do something at the end – reread, retell or share ideas

Finally, the students gathered at the meeting area to share their favourite pages, pictures or parts of the story they were reading.

We continue to become better readers by practicing our reading!

Empathy

3rd September 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

What IS EMPATHY?

How do we develop empathy?

We read the story ‘Cleversticks’ by Bernard Ashley, illustrated by Derek Brazell.

This is a story about a little boy, Ling Sung, who hates going to school. There are too many things the other kids can do that he can’t. When he discovers everyone admires his ability to use chopsticks, Ling Sung is empowered.

The illustrations and story encourage the reader to reflect on feelings of helplessness, pride, discouragement and joy. The students retold the story using picture clues. We made a list of the characters in the story and discussed the setting (where the story takes place).

We talked about the beginning, middle and end of the story as well as the problem and the resolution (how the problem was solved). We created a ‘Story Mountain‘ to help us visualise and document our thinking.

We used a graphic organiser to document key details from the text.

This story encourages us to think about about how ‘Our choices affect our interactions with others.’

To explore this further, we discussed the different characters in the story. We wondered what message the author wanted to convey through this story.

I think the authors message is…

… we know that some people know some things and some people know other things. – Kavel
… everybody needs to be united. Friendship. Help each other. Learn from other’s strengths. – Sam
… do not laugh when someone can’t do something. Be kind. Be caring. – Sky
… letting us try things.- Hannah
… be helpful. – Miranda
… play kindly with friends. – Eunseong
… know different feelings and learn things. – Carlotta
… if you don’t know something you can keep on practicing and you will get better at it. – Elena
… nobody can do everything. – Ryder
… some people are good at writing and anyone can help to do writing. – Dohoon
… we also need friends. – Stella
… work at whatever you want. – Chanwoong

Next, the students used a thinking routine ‘I Used to Think… Now I Think…’ to document their initial ideas about the word ‘EMPATHY’.

What do you do when you feel sad or when something terrible happens? What would you do if you notice someone else feeling sad?

We listened to a story ‘The Rabbit Listened’ by Cori Doerrfeld

In this story, something terrible happens to Taylor. While he is trying to manage his feelings, his friends try to give him some solutions. One by one, the animals try to tell Taylor how to work out his feelings, and one by one they fail. Then the rabbit arrives and something wonderful happens…

After listening to the story, the students documented their thinking, reflecting on how and why their thinking changed.

I used to think ‘EMPATHY’ was…NOW I think ‘EMPATHY’ is…

What does empathy mean to you?

Writer’s Workshop – Small Moments

27th August 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

The students were introduced to their ‘Writer’s Workshop‘ folder. The folder will be used to store pieces of writing at different stages of the writing process. The folder includes a laminated copy of the Word Wall Words and letter sounds we use when writing.

What shall we write about?

We began by generating and collecting ideas to write about.

what are we passionate about?
what do we know a lot about?
What events and memories can we capture in our writing?

The students documented their ideas.

We wonder how authors and illustrators hook their readers. What are some of the strategies and techniques they use to capture the attention of their readers?

We used a mentor text to see what we could learn. We read ‘Shortcut’ by Donald Crews. This is a story about 7 children who decide to take the shortcut home, along the train tracks. They know they should always take the road. It is an exciting story that keeps the children at the edge of their seats. The author uses multiple strategies to hook the reader and keep them in suspense.

First, we talked about the cover, title, picture/illustration on the cover, authors name and spine of the book. We read the blurb at the back of the book, which helps us learn more about the story. We noted the author’s dedication.

As we read the book, we noticed and discussed strategies the author/illustrator used to make this story more interesting to the reader. We wondered how we might use these techniques (that Donald Crews uses) when creating our own stories.

We created an Anchor Chart to help us document what we have noticed. How might WE craft powerful small moments?

We will continue to explore different techniques authors and illustrators use, to make our own stories more interesting to our readers.

……………….

The students wanted to write their own stories about personal experiences that were significant or memorable to them. To learn more about how authors create these stories, we read ‘The Roller Coaster’.

Have You ever been on a roller coaster? What did it feel like?

Get ready to experience the thrill of riding a roller coaster for the very first time in this vibrant new adventure from acclaimed picture book by Marla Frazee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIIsXNE6NTc

We wonder how this story might inspire us to create our own small moment story…

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