EN2-4A uses an increasing range of skills, strategies and knowledge to fluently read, view and comprehend a range of texts on increasingly challenging topics in different media and technologies
EN2-2A plans, composes and reviews a range of texts that are more demanding in terms of topic, audience and language
EN2-6B identifies the effect of purpose and audience on spoken texts, distinguishes between different forms of English and identifies organisational patterns and features
EN2-8B identifies and compares different kinds of texts when reading and viewing and shows an understanding of purpose, audience and subject matter
Discuss Alphabet books - why do people write them or read them? Your teachers will show you some different kinds of alphabet books.
Read through these books, including A - My Name is Alice. Notice what makes these alphabet books different from other alphabet books you have read.
Working in groups of 5, you will choose to create your own alphabet book, following one of the styles of alphabet book you have explored. Your group is to produce their own book.
You may find this Alphabet Books planning sheet helpful for:
Working out the features you want to write about (animals, names, places, food etc)
Choosing the letter you will be writing about
Writing a draft of your sentence before creating a published copy
Begin to set up your Literacy notebook with your teacher's guidance.
Discuss the differences between Fiction and Non-Fiction texts, and record in your notebook.
Discover how the Year 3 Library works, and choose a book to read silently for yourself. Discuss with your teacher how to make the best choice so that the book you choose is the right reading level for you to enjoy.
Have a look at these three pictures. What connections or relationship would you normally expect between any of these animals?
Working in groups of three, have a look at the first page of our book for today, and predict what you think it is about, what you think will happen, and what you think has just happened before this introduction.
Why do you think it is written all over the page like this?
Now read the book Fox by Margaret Wild.
Do you think the author wrote this book to persuade us of something, to entertain us or to teach us something?
This book is a narrative - a story.
Using the 5 finger retell shown here, tell another student the important details about the book Fox.
Fill out this sheet and then glue it into your Literacy journal.
In addition to the 5 finger retell describe which of our school values you have seen in the book, and explain how they appeared.
What kind of a friend are you?
Reading Is Thinking – Now that you are in Year 3 and have become skilful at working out, and reading the words that make books, reading is really all about thinking. When we read we do lots of different things:
we predict what we think is going to happen next
we can explain in one or two sentences what we have just read about (summarising)
we are reading detectives, noticing lots of clues in what we have read (inferring)
we make movies in our minds (visualising)
we ask ourselves lots of questions about what is happening
we make connections with other things we have read or know about.
All of these things help us to really understand what we are reading.
Now draw a poster for your Literacy Workbook to illustrate all these strategies.
Have a look through two or three different non-fiction books and see what features you notice in these books that you do not find in storybooks/fiction texts.
How would you recognise a non-fiction text?
Label the different parts of this non-fiction text in your Literacy journal.
Choose a non-fiction book from the class library and complete the Scavenger Hunt.
Your teacher will read you part of Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown.
Think about some of these questions as you hear the story of Flat Stanley.
Chapter 1
What is politeness?
What words would Mrs Lambchop have preferred over “hey”?
What word shows that the bulletin board is big?
How do you think the Lambchops felt when they saw that they bulletin board had fallen on Stanley?
Why is Stanley flat?
Why will Stanley’s clothes need altering?
At end of chapter, predict if Stanley will return to normal.
Do you feel sorry for Stanley? Why?
Why does Mrs Lambchop decide to wake the boys up?
How flat is Stanley?
Summarise what happened in this chapter in less than 20 words
Chapter 2
What is a ‘grating’?
Mrs Lambchop replies ‘sharply’. What does this mean? Why does she reply this way?
What do the words ‘hasty’ and ‘limber’ mean?
Why did Arthur bang his head when he tried to go under a door?
Why did Mrs Lambchop cry when her ring fell?
Why do you think Mrs Lambchop pretended not to notice the police?
What do the police mean by a cuckoo?
Why does Mrs Lambchop put a sandwich in the envelope?
Explain why they sent Stanley in the mail. Was this a good idea? Why?
When did Stanley start to enjoy being flat?
How did Stanley get the ring back?
How does Stanley get to California?
Summarise the character of Stanley in one word.
Chapter 3
What does ‘jostled’ mean?
Find a word that shows Arthur is embarrassed.
How does Stanley being flat make it easier to take him out?
Why does Arthur get mad?
Why does Arthur pile encyclopaedias on top of himself?
How do you know it was a good day to fly a kite?
Why is Stanley so cross?
Predict what will happen based on the title of the chapter.
Predict if the boys will make up.
Do you feel sorry for Arthur? Why?
Why was it difficult for Mr Lambchop to take the boys out?
Why does Stanley get less wet than Arthur?
How is Stanley nice to Arthur?
Summarise what happened at the park in less than 30 words.
Visualising, or making a picture or movie in your mind, is a really helpful strategy to help you really imagine and understand what is happening in a book or story.
Glue this sheet into your Literacy journal.
Then think carefully about one of the events that happened in Flat Stanley and draw what you imagine the scene looked like.
Glue the sheet above into your Literacy journal.
“Great readers ask themselves good questions while reading”
With a partner, brainstorm all the questions you have when you look at the cover of this book. What do you wonder about? Add these questions on the "Questioning" page in your Literacy journal.
We don't realise it, but we are asking ourselves questions in our minds all the time. When we read, we ask ourselves questions
before we start reading - when we look at the title and cover of the book.
while we are reading, and
even after we finish reading the book.
Add two questions to your journal that you have while we are reading the book, and then add another two questions that you have when we have finished the whole book.
Your teacher will read you the preface (a bit like an introduction).
Can you already answer some of your questions?
Do you have more questions now?
Your teacher will now read you the first three pages.
Think about one question you would ask yourself during reading of these pages.
Your teacher will continue reading the next three pages - keep thinking about what questions come into your mind.
Now that you have finished reading the book, I am sure that many of your questions have been answered, but I reckon you have some new questions now.
Some of my questions after finishing the book are:
Why did Dr Patterson want to tell this true story? and
How would this book make other people feel about gorillas?
All these questions help you connect to and understand the story. Everyone will come up with different questions – that’s ok.
Here are some words that go through my mind when I am asking myself questions:
· I wonder …
· I wonder why …
· Why did …
· What does this word mean?
· This bit doesn’t make sense – did I read it right?
Now watch this video clip about Koko.
Describe which of our school values you have seen in the book, and explain how they appeared.
Part A - Fantasy Fiction
There are several different types of fiction books.
One type is Fantasy Fiction. - These are imaginative stories which could never truly happen - like animals talking in words, like travelling in time, imaginary/made-up creatures - like dragons and monsters.
Is Flat Stanley an example of Fantasy Fiction? Explain your reasoning.
Can you name any other stories you know that might be called Fantasy Fiction?
Glue this clip into your Literacy journal.
Then have a look through some of the books from the Year 3 library and draw the cover of one of them in your Literacy workbook and explain why you think it is a Fantasy Fiction book.
Part B
Participate in other reading activities as directed by your teacher.
Glue this sheet into your Literacy journal, and choose a new word that you have learnt from one of the books we have read and explain how you could work out what it means.
Part A - Word Wizard
When authors write, they carefully choose the words they use so that they help the reader to really understand and get an idea of exactly what is happening in the story. Be on the lookout for any unusual or interesting words when you are reading. Think about how they change the meaning of the story.
Think of words from Flat Stanley like grating, hasty, limber, jostled.
When we read a "new" word, there are lots of things we can do to work out what it means. We can:
think about how the word fits into the story, and if it makes the story more interesting
think of another word that could do the same job
read on to the end of the sentence
read back the previous sentence and think about what might make sense
look at any pictures to see if they give us clues
try using a similar word
ask a friend
Part B
Participate in reading activities as directed by your teacher.
Your teacher will read some more of the Flat Stanley book. Think about the following questions.
Chapter Four
Predict what will happen from the title of the chapter.
What is the difference between cheerful and gloomy?
What is ’sneakery’?
What word shows you the thieves had arrived?
Why was Mr Dart gloomy?
Why doesn’t Stanley like the disguise? Why does he put it on anyway?
Why do you think they put Stanley across from the world’s most expensive painting?
Why does Stanley get a medal?
Explain the ‘a rest’ joke.
Who lives above the Lambchops?
What is Mr Dart’s job?
How had the thieves been getting in?
Write a short newspaper report about this chapter.
Chapter 5
What does ‘skip it’ mean?
What is a ‘rummage’?
Why was Stanley Lambchop a famous name?
Why were children being rude to Stanley? How did it make him feel?
Why does Stanley need to shut his mouth tight?
Predict what Arthur will do with the bicycle pump.
Explain why Stanley decided to be normal again.
Why does Stanley cry?
What does Arthur find in the toy box?
Why do Stanley’s pyjama buttons fly off?
Tell what has happened in the whole story using less than 50 words.
Part A
Good readers are like detectives. When you read, you pick up lots of clues which help you work out what is happening in the story. We say things like:
I think ...... is what is happening because ......
I think ..... is a clue to ......
Because it says ......., I think ............
This kind of detective work is called making inferences.
Glue the Making Inferences sheet into your Literacy journal and tell about an inference you have made from our Read Aloud book this week.
Watch this short video clip.
Then complete the worksheet about the video.
Using your detective skills, think about what clues help you know that the mouse is lonely.
Why does the roly poly act the way he does? What makes the boy notice the mouse?
Part A
Watch this short video clip. Try being a detective as you watch this and watch for clues that help you learn some extra information.
Then complete the worksheet about this video.
How do you know that the man has been on the island for a long time?
Why is there a tombstone on the beach?
Why does the man use a telescope?
How many objects has the man knocked out of the sky?
What does "Next level at 20" mean?
Part B
Participate in independent reading.
Part A
Read the book Baloney by J Scieszka. This book is unusual in that it uses lots of nonsense words that are not part of the English language.
The book is about an alien who is explaining to his teacher why he is late to school!
As you read, make notes on this worksheet of what the nonsense words mean, and how you worked it out.
Part B
Participate in independent reading activities.
Your teacher will read you the book Sparrow Girl. As you read this book, think about what connections you can make to our work on Food Chains in Science this term, and how this story fits in with this topic.
See if you can pick out the main idea of the story, so that you could give someone who hadn't read the book, a really good idea of what it was really about.
Did you know that there is a verse in the Bible which talks about sparrows?
This verse should remind us that, just like the little girl cared about saving the sparrows lives, our God also knows about little brown birds, and if He cares about them, just think how much more He cares about you.
Isn't it amazing how God has created animals in just the right combination so that there is just the right balance in nature for all creatures to live well, as long as humans don't mess around with things?
Reading groups.
Part A
An imaginary story where the author is telling a story that could actually happen is called Realistic Fiction.
In Realistic Fiction you find:
everyday events that didn't really happen, but possibly could
stories of everyday type people doing everyday things
modern times and realistic places
Glue the Realistic Fiction sheet into your Literacy journal. Then find two different Realistic Fiction books from your class library and draw their covers in your Literacy books, and say how you know that they are Realistic Fiction.
Part B
Choose a book from your classroom library and read quietly to yourself.
Reading groups.
Think about what we have been learning in our Science lessons, about how the weather and other big events like bushfires and storms affect the animals in our environment. Today your teacher will share with you the story of Tortuga, a turtle whose life was affected by a big storm.
Perhaps you can pause after every three or four pages and predict what you think is going to happen next.
God made things in our environment to look after each other, and He also gave us the responsibility of looking after our environment. He created each animal with its own lifecycle, and He is working in our environment even though we can't see Him.
Reading Groups
Part A
Think back to when we started reading Tortuga. When we were first introduced to Tortuga, what did you think was going to happen?
When you are reading a book, it is good to pause from time to time and make predictions about what you think will happen next in the story. You might use statements like these below:
I predict that … because …
I think that ... will happen next because ...
I predict that the problem will be solved by ... because ...
Glue the Making Predictions sheet into your Literacy journal. Then choose a book you are currently reading, and write down some predictions that you can make about what you think will happen. Make sure you explain what it is that helps you make that prediction.
Part B
Your teacher may give you an activity sheet or task cards to give you a chance to improve your skills at predicting. Remember to always think about the clues that might be in the story to help your predictions to be realistic.
Part C
Choose a book from your classroom library and read quietly to yourself.
Reading Groups
Do you have a special toy that you take everywhere with you?
Have you seen people's travel photographs that have a particular soft toy in all of them? Keep this idea in mind as we read this next book.
See what connections you can make with your own life as you read the book. When you can make connections with something that has happened to you, it helps you understand better what the author of the book is talking about.
Your teacher will read you the book Sydney of the Antarctic, by Coral Tulloch.
When you are making connections with what you already know you are thinking things like:
It reminds me of the time I ..... because .....
It reminds me of something I heard about ..... because .....
This text makes me think of ..... because .....
The text reminds me of when I ..... because .....
The problem in the text reminds me of ..... because .....
It is really important to explain why it reminds you of something else.
Glue the Connections: Text to Self sheet Into your Literacy workbook, write down at least three things that this book reminds you of.
What connections can you make between Sydney's experiences and how God looks after us.
Part A
When we read a true story of someone's life, it is called a Biography.
In our class library we have some book boxes where the books have fluoro green spots on them. These books are all biographies - the true stories of someone's life.
Glue the Biography sheet into your Literacy journal, draw the cover of a biography that you have chosen from the class library, and say whose life story it tells.
Your teacher will share the story of an animal's life with you - an animal biography! The story is Owen and Mzee - the story of a hippopotamus and a tortoise.
Are you a good friend like Owen and Mzee were - even to people who are quite different to you, who maybe look different, or who like different things?
Owen and Mzee showed that we can make good friends even when people are different from us.
NAPLAN week
NAPLAN week
In Science we have been learning about the importance of the habitat for animals. Keep that information in mind as you read the book The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry (even if you have read the book before).
As you read, think about what connections you can make with other things you have learnt about the environment. When you are making these connections you may be thinking:
It makes me think of ..... that I heard on the news because .....
It reminds me of ..... that I learnt in ..... because .....
I know about this topic because .....
What is going on in this text is just like what's happening in .....
Glue the Connections: Text to World sheet into your Literacy journal. Then write two or three connections you can make from The Great Kapok Tree to the World in your Literacy workbook.
To discuss
What do you think makes the Amazon rainforest special?
What were the many reasons that the man heard in his dream as to why it was important to save the rainforest?
Why do you think people might be fighting to protect the rainforest?
Remember as we read that God created our world, and gave us the responsibility of looking after it, and that everything in our environment is interconnected.
Part A
Carefully watch this video clip and then complete the worksheet that your teacher gives you.
This is to help you be able to summarise - and give the most important information about a story in just a few sentences without having to retell the whole story.
Sometimes it helps to work out what a story is about by thinking about the following words:
Somebody (who?)
Wanted (what?)
But (what was the problem?)
So (how was it fixed?)
Or you might like to think about including short answers to all the following questions in your summary:
who was it about?
what was it about?
when and where did it happen?
why and how did it happen?
Look on Google Earth or Googlemaps to see where Alaska is. Then find the cities of Nome and Anchorage in Alaska. That will give you an idea of where this week's story takes place.
You will now read the story of Akiak. As you listen to the story think about these things:
What are the main events in the story?
What changes take place? Describe them.
What are you reminded of as we read the book?
What do you wonder about - what questions do you have as we read?
Would you recommend this book to others? Why/why not?
Now write a letter to your teacher explaining what the book is about and including the things you have been thinking about as you read.
Begin your letter by saying ...
Dear Mr/Mrs ...
We have just read the book Akiak, by Robert Blake. It is a true story.
Then go on to share your thoughts, using some of the questions above.
What values can you see in this story? How can you show the same values in your life?
Reading groups.
Part A
Your teacher will give you the text The Circus Comes to Town to read, and some questions to answer. Remember to read the text two or three times to be sure you get the whole story. When you read the questions, be a really great detective and go and look for the clues in the text.
Part B
Participate in independent reading activities.
Reading groups.
How many of you have watched whales swimming along the Coast, and seen them blowing air or jumping out of the water?
They do this when they are migrating - they swim north alongside the Central Coast as they go north for winter to warmer water where they have their babies, and they come south again in spring.
We will now read the book Migaloo, which is about a whale on its journey. Remember to use all the thinking strategies you have learnt this year while we are reading.
Reading Groups.
Part A
Your teacher will give you some summarising activities or task cards to work on.
Part B
Participate in independent reading activities.
Reading Groups.