Term 4 Radical Readers Plan!
Welcome Back everyone. After our chat last term, I have incorporated your ideas into the plan. Check out your challenge board below. You will also have a log in your book to keep a record of your challenges, what you are adding to Seesaw and when you have conferenced with Miss Jones.
Week 7-10: Pick your own challenge!
After our discussion last week about what you would like to see in your reading programmes, some of you suggested activities that you wanted to investigated that interested you and also talked about having reading set at the beginning of the week and working through this at your own pace. You spoke, I listened. Each week you will have three tasks:
1- Your set reading to do at your own pace. This will be set in a group discussion on a Monday.
2- A summary of what you have read.
3- One challenge from your challenge board (see below).
On a Friday, we will come together as a group and discuss our reading for the week, share our challenges and set goals for the following week to ensure we are challenging ourselves and improving on the previous weeks work.
Check out the challenges below for each group:
RED ROCK
1- Your set reading to do at your own pace. This will be set in a group discussion on a Monday.
2- A summary of what you have read.
3- One challenge from your challenge board (see below).
On a Friday, we will come together as a group and discuss our reading for the week, share our challenges and set goals for the following week to ensure we are challenging ourselves and improving on the previous weeks work.
Check out the challenges below for each group:
RED ROCK
Project Huia
WONDER
WEEK 6: Check it out...
Red Rock this week:
Activity 1: Creative writing prompt: If he could be transformed into another creature Jake would like to be a bird or a
dolphin (p. 125). Imagine you could turn into an animal for a day. Which would you choose and why? Write about your
transformation and your day as the animal of your choice.
Activity 2: Create a new book cover, but let's do some investigating first...
Activity 1: Creative writing prompt: If he could be transformed into another creature Jake would like to be a bird or a
dolphin (p. 125). Imagine you could turn into an animal for a day. Which would you choose and why? Write about your
transformation and your day as the animal of your choice.
Activity 2: Create a new book cover, but let's do some investigating first...
Wonder, what is happening?
This week we have a couple of activities around Part 3 of the book: Summer. Then we are going to look at comparing character traits, scroll down to find the character traits list on the weebly earlier in the term to help you!
This week we have a couple of activities around Part 3 of the book: Summer. Then we are going to look at comparing character traits, scroll down to find the character traits list on the weebly earlier in the term to help you!
Project Huia. Debate time! This week we are going to construct a list of arguments in the form of a persuasive text about the following topic, “New Zealand should get rid of all its introduced predators and create a land where the native animals would once again thrive”. Get your thinking caps on and see Miss Jones for your support material! Who will be the most persuasive?
WEEK 5: What's On?
RED ROCK this week:
Activity 1: WALT describe a character. Check out the descriptions on the following pages. What images pop into your head while you are reading them? How do you see the character? Why do you think you see them this way?
Draw a picture of one of the characters based on their physical descriptions. Be sure to read the descriptions carefully and be ready to justify why you have drawn a character in that way. For example:
• Ted (p. 11)
• Jessie (p. 61)
• Dan (p. 149)
Activity 2: Mini Mythical Creatures Project. Jessie tells Jake about selkies or seal people (p. 81). What other mythical creatures can you think of? If you were a mythical creature what would you look like and which magical powers would you choose to possess? Briefly describe how you came to have these powers and create a profile for your creature! What kinds of things are important to include in a profile? Bring your thoughts to our discussion group!
WONDER this week:
Check out the following questions. Remember to use the question as a sentence starter in your answer.
Comprehension Questions:
What are some of the ways Via has had to fend for herself in order to take pressure off of her parents?
What does Via say about Daisy?
Inferring Questions:
Do you believe Via has any feelings she didn’t express in this chapter?
Is she okay with being a “planet” when August is the “sun?” What do you think Via means when she says “the galaxy is changing?”
Did August make any references to this?
Figurative Language:
1- What is a metaphor?
2- Write about what you think these metaphors mean.
Metaphor – “August is the Sun. Me and Mom and Dad are planets orbiting the Sun.” p. 82
Metaphor – “a shift in the cosmos. The galaxy is changing. Planets are falling out of alignment.” p. 83
PROJECT HUIA this week:
Check out the following questions to explore. Remember to use the question in your answer for a sentence starter.
Comprehension Questions:
Why is it difficult to control the parrot population?
• Why does Jim stare at the man who enters the pub?
• Who is buried in the Ashhurst cemetery?
• What do Logan and Ana discover when they catch up to Jim in the trees? How does Logan stick up for his grandfather? Why do the boys listen to Ana?
• Why do the boys accost Jim? How does Ana convince them to give her their names? How does Jim know Daniel’s name?
• How did Daniel’s grandfather die? Why do the Carsons hate the Whitakers? How does Daniel demonstrate this hatred to Jim?
• What do Ana, Logan and Jim discover when they get back to their car?
• Why does Logan ring his grandmother that night?
• Why do you think Jim decides to stop telling his story about the huia?
Activity 1: WALT describe a character. Check out the descriptions on the following pages. What images pop into your head while you are reading them? How do you see the character? Why do you think you see them this way?
Draw a picture of one of the characters based on their physical descriptions. Be sure to read the descriptions carefully and be ready to justify why you have drawn a character in that way. For example:
• Ted (p. 11)
• Jessie (p. 61)
• Dan (p. 149)
Activity 2: Mini Mythical Creatures Project. Jessie tells Jake about selkies or seal people (p. 81). What other mythical creatures can you think of? If you were a mythical creature what would you look like and which magical powers would you choose to possess? Briefly describe how you came to have these powers and create a profile for your creature! What kinds of things are important to include in a profile? Bring your thoughts to our discussion group!
WONDER this week:
Check out the following questions. Remember to use the question as a sentence starter in your answer.
Comprehension Questions:
What are some of the ways Via has had to fend for herself in order to take pressure off of her parents?
What does Via say about Daisy?
Inferring Questions:
Do you believe Via has any feelings she didn’t express in this chapter?
Is she okay with being a “planet” when August is the “sun?” What do you think Via means when she says “the galaxy is changing?”
Did August make any references to this?
Figurative Language:
1- What is a metaphor?
2- Write about what you think these metaphors mean.
Metaphor – “August is the Sun. Me and Mom and Dad are planets orbiting the Sun.” p. 82
Metaphor – “a shift in the cosmos. The galaxy is changing. Planets are falling out of alignment.” p. 83
PROJECT HUIA this week:
Check out the following questions to explore. Remember to use the question in your answer for a sentence starter.
Comprehension Questions:
Why is it difficult to control the parrot population?
• Why does Jim stare at the man who enters the pub?
• Who is buried in the Ashhurst cemetery?
• What do Logan and Ana discover when they catch up to Jim in the trees? How does Logan stick up for his grandfather? Why do the boys listen to Ana?
• Why do the boys accost Jim? How does Ana convince them to give her their names? How does Jim know Daniel’s name?
• How did Daniel’s grandfather die? Why do the Carsons hate the Whitakers? How does Daniel demonstrate this hatred to Jim?
• What do Ana, Logan and Jim discover when they get back to their car?
• Why does Logan ring his grandmother that night?
• Why do you think Jim decides to stop telling his story about the huia?
WEEK 4: Questions, Questions & more Questions!
Hello Radical Readers. How amazing to hear that Avril has meet Rachel King! Super exciting. I hope you all enjoyed finding out more information about your author last week. This week we are looking at questioning. What is a question? What types of questions are there? Why are they important? What kind of information can be generated? What is the purpose of asking different questions? Phewwww, they are my questions, I wonder what yours will be! Check out the question card below. This week we are looking at KNOWLEDGE questions. Have a think about how you could use these questions in your discussions.
WEEK 3: Who is your author?
Hi Team. Firstly, great job with your 3 Way Learning Conferences. You are all amazing and we are very proud of you. This week, we are looking at finding out information about your author. We are going to begin by creating a success criteria and a list for what we think needs to be included. Here are a couple I have stumbled across, have a look and see what you like, don't like, want to change or want to keep. You may have your own ideas too!
What information do you think is important to include? As a reader, what would you like to find out about?
Term 3 Week 2: Let's go Radical Readers!
RED ROCK: Hello everyone. Your independent activity for the week is as follows:
WALT describe a setting and think about the words the author using to create this image. The author includes many descriptions of exteriors and interiors throughout the book, including:
• Ted’s shack (p. 10 and p. 41)
• Dad’s house (p. 16)
• The cottage with the windmills (pp. 28–29)
• Dad’s writing shed (p. 54)
• Mum’s house in Auckland (p. 91)
Draw one of these places based on their descriptions in the book, then describe and draw an interior and exterior space of your choice. Think about the clues Rachel King has given us in her descriptions to ensure you can justify why you have chosen a particular design. Please do this in your reading books and add a description also, discussing your setting and why you have included elements within in. This should be at least half a page long. Have fun!
PROJECT HUIA
WALT combine the question into the answer.
For example, the sentence starter for the first question could be, “Damon can’t land in the gorge because…”.
1-Why can’t Damon land in the gorge? Why is it dangerous to walk through the tunnels?
2-What are Ana and Jim arguing about when Logan returns to them in the car park?
3-Why is Project Huia so important to Ana?
4-What does Logan say that eases the tension? How do the others respond?
5-Why is it important that Ana organises the trip quickly?
6-Why does Ana give Jim the MP3 player?
7-How does Jim know that the huia arrived in springtime?
8-How old was Jim when he saw the huia? What year was it? What “daily reminders” remain of the Second World War?
Please complete these in your reading book. Then go through your work with your highlighter and highlight all your sentence starters showing that you have combined the questions into the answer.
WONDER
Hi "Wonder" children. This week you have a Hapara document to work on please. It has been sent to you. Please read the instructions carefully. Below are a couple of bits and pieces that might come in handy. These have been referred to in your google doc, and there is a link automatically in the document to take you to them. I can't wait to see how August is feeling about life at school now, or how children change as they get to know him! Enjoy.
WALT describe a setting and think about the words the author using to create this image. The author includes many descriptions of exteriors and interiors throughout the book, including:
• Ted’s shack (p. 10 and p. 41)
• Dad’s house (p. 16)
• The cottage with the windmills (pp. 28–29)
• Dad’s writing shed (p. 54)
• Mum’s house in Auckland (p. 91)
Draw one of these places based on their descriptions in the book, then describe and draw an interior and exterior space of your choice. Think about the clues Rachel King has given us in her descriptions to ensure you can justify why you have chosen a particular design. Please do this in your reading books and add a description also, discussing your setting and why you have included elements within in. This should be at least half a page long. Have fun!
PROJECT HUIA
WALT combine the question into the answer.
For example, the sentence starter for the first question could be, “Damon can’t land in the gorge because…”.
1-Why can’t Damon land in the gorge? Why is it dangerous to walk through the tunnels?
2-What are Ana and Jim arguing about when Logan returns to them in the car park?
3-Why is Project Huia so important to Ana?
4-What does Logan say that eases the tension? How do the others respond?
5-Why is it important that Ana organises the trip quickly?
6-Why does Ana give Jim the MP3 player?
7-How does Jim know that the huia arrived in springtime?
8-How old was Jim when he saw the huia? What year was it? What “daily reminders” remain of the Second World War?
Please complete these in your reading book. Then go through your work with your highlighter and highlight all your sentence starters showing that you have combined the questions into the answer.
WONDER
Hi "Wonder" children. This week you have a Hapara document to work on please. It has been sent to you. Please read the instructions carefully. Below are a couple of bits and pieces that might come in handy. These have been referred to in your google doc, and there is a link automatically in the document to take you to them. I can't wait to see how August is feeling about life at school now, or how children change as they get to know him! Enjoy.
Pick your challenge for the final two weeks...
Who is the greatest elephant expert?
In preparation for our Kahoot quiz, you may link to do a little research. Check out these websites for some fast facts...
http://www.livescience.com/27320-elephants.html
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/elephant.html
http://www.elephant-world.com/elephant-information/
Week 9 Challenges- Your Choice!
Challenge 11:
Mack and Helen raised Ivan from when he was a baby. Using the information in the book as well as the information you know about gorillas from your own research, create a "Growing Up as a Gorilla Brochure". You may want to reread starting at page 127! Your brochure should contain pictures as well as information. You may want to include sections on: feeding, bedtime, recreation. You can present however you like, think about your audience and the information you want to get across before selecting a presentation type.
Challenge 12:
Become the author. Write the final chapter of the book. What do you think will happen? What kind of ending will it be (cliff hanger maybe)? What kind of emotions can you provoke? Think about how to create an ending that will linger in the reader's mind.
http://www.livescience.com/27320-elephants.html
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/elephant.html
http://www.elephant-world.com/elephant-information/
Week 9 Challenges- Your Choice!
Challenge 11:
Mack and Helen raised Ivan from when he was a baby. Using the information in the book as well as the information you know about gorillas from your own research, create a "Growing Up as a Gorilla Brochure". You may want to reread starting at page 127! Your brochure should contain pictures as well as information. You may want to include sections on: feeding, bedtime, recreation. You can present however you like, think about your audience and the information you want to get across before selecting a presentation type.
Challenge 12:
Become the author. Write the final chapter of the book. What do you think will happen? What kind of ending will it be (cliff hanger maybe)? What kind of emotions can you provoke? Think about how to create an ending that will linger in the reader's mind.