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EDUCATION PACK

Resource for Years 6 - 8

NotesforTheVeryHungryCaterpillarShow2015www.hungrycaterpillarshow.com©MichaelSiedersPresents2015.Allrightreserved.

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Basedonthebooks:TheVeryHungryCaterpillarTheVeryLonelyFireflyMisterSeahorseTheArtistWhoPaintedtheBlueHorseThemesincludethepoweroftheimagination,connectedness,change,growth,time,creativityandtransformation.SuitableforYears6–8.Duration:3–4weeks.UnitWriter:AlexanderWhartonhastaughtinprimaryandsecondarycontextsandiscurrentlyanEnglishTeacherinSydney'sNorthWestatWilliamClarkeCollege,Kellyville.Hehasdeliveredprofessionallearningforteachersatlocal,stateandnationalconferencesontopicsincludingexplicitliteracyteachingandreading.HeisaregularresourcecontributorforNationalLiteracyandNumeracyWeekaswellasdevelopingotherlearningmaterialsforstudentsandteacherstoassiststudentengagementofliteratureintheclassroom.AustralianCurriculumcrosscurriculumprioritiesand/orgeneralcapabilitiesaddressedinthisunit:CrossCurriculumPrioritiesSustainabilityGeneralCapabilitiesInformationandcommunicationtechnology(ICT)capabilityCriticalandcreativethinkingCurriculumSummaryLANGUAGELanguageforInteraction

Understandthatstrategiesforinteractionbecomemorecomplexanddemandingaslevelsofformalityandsocialdistanceincrease(ACELA1516)Understandhowauthorsofteninnovateontextstructuresandplaywithlanguagefeaturestoachieveparticularaesthetic,humorousandpersuasivepurposesandeffects(ACELA1518)

LITERATURERespondingtoLiterature

Analyseandevaluatesimilaritiesanddifferencesintextsonsimilartopics,themesorplots(ACELT1614)Reflectonideasandopinionsaboutcharacters,settingsandeventsinliterarytexts,identifyingareasofagreementanddifferencewithothersandjustifyingapointofview(ACELT1620)Comparethewaysthatlanguageandimagesareusedtocreatecharacter,andtoinfluenceemotionsandopinionsindifferenttypesoftexts(ACELT1621)

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Discussaspectsoftexts,forexampletheiraestheticandsocialvalue,usingrelevantandappropriatemetalanguage(ACELT1803)Share,reflecton,clarifyandevaluateopinionsandargumentsaboutaspectsofliterarytexts(ACELT1627)

LITERACYInterpreting,analysing,evaluating

Analysehowtextstructuresandlanguagefeaturesworktogethertomeetthepurposeofatext(ACELY1711)Usecomprehensionstrategiestointerpretandanalyseinformationandideas,comparingcontentfromavarietyoftextualsourcesincludingmediaanddigitaltexts(ACELY1713)Analysestrategiesauthorsusetoinfluencereaders(ACELY1801)Applyincreasingknowledgeofvocabulary,textstructuresandlanguagefeaturestounderstandthecontentoftexts(ACELY1733)Exploreandexplainthewaysauthorscombinedifferentmodesandmediaincreatingtexts,andtheimpactofthesechoicesontheviewer/listener(ACELY1735)

THEARTSDrama

Exploredramaticaction,empathyandspaceinimprovisations,playbuildingandscripteddramatodevelopcharactersandsituations(ACADRM035)Developskillsandtechniquesofvoiceandmovementtocreatecharacter,moodandatmosphereandfocusdramaticaction(ACADRM036)Analysehowtheelementsofdramahavebeencombinedindevisedandscripteddramatoconveydifferentforms,performancestylesanddramaticmeaning(ACADRR045)

THEARTSVisualArts

Exploreideasandpracticesusedbyartists,includingpracticesofAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderartists,torepresentdifferentviews,beliefsandopinions(ACAVAM114)Developandapplytechniquesandprocesseswhenmakingartworks(ACAVAM115)Presentartworkdemonstratingconsiderationofhowtheartworkisdisplayedtoenhancetheartist’sintentiontoanaudience(ACAVAM122)

Sourceforcontentdescriptionsabove:AustralianCurriculum,AssessmentandReportingAuthority(ACARA)LANGUAGELanguageforinteractionLearningintention:toexplorethetext

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Beforereading,havestudentsexaminethefrontcoversofthefourpicturebooks(TheVeryHungryCaterpillar,TheArtistWhoPaintedABlueHorse,MisterSeahorseandTheVeryLonelyFirefly).Facilitateawholeclassdiscussion,askingstudentsforinitialimpressionsofwhattheyseeandreactionstothecoverart.Discussionquestionsmightinclude:

- Whatmediumaretheimagesinandisthereanexpectationthatthiswillbeconsistentthroughoutthewholepicturebook?Whyorwhynot?

- Whatmoodissuggestedbytheseimages?- Askstudentstoconsiderwhatsimilaritiesanddifferencesexistbetweenthefour

covers(responsesmayincludetheauthorsname,particularstyleofillustration,useofcolourswithawhitebackground,titles,animalsandnaturethemed).

(ACELA1516)(ACELA1518)

Dividetheclassintofourgroups,givingeachgroupadifferentpicturebook.Usingthefrontcoverandthetitleofthepicturebookastheirstimulus,askthegroupstopredicttheplot.Onceaplotoverviewhasbeendecidedasagroup,thegroupsthencreateashortdramathatreflectsthepredictedplot.TheseskitscanbereferredbacktoattheendoftheUnittoseehowaccuratethestudentpredictionswere.(ACELA1516)(ACELA1518)

Exploretheconceptof“timelessstories”viaathink-pair-shareactivity.Studentsthinkindividuallywhattheythinkthephrase“timelessstories”means,bywritingashortdefinitionandlistingexamplesoftextstheycanthinkofthatmightbeassociatedwiththisconcept.Individualstudentscanthenpairupwithanotherstudent,readingbothdefinitionsandtalkinginpairsabout“timelessstories”.Havestudentslookforanysimilaritiesand/ordifferences.Thenhavepairsfeedbacktheirideasandshareasawholeclassonthistopic.ExplainthatthefourCarlepicturebooksinthisunitareconsidered“timelessstories”.

- Basedonpriorknowledgeaboutthesefourtexts,whywouldtheybeconsideredtimeless?

- Howmanystudentswerereadthesebooksaschildren?- Andwouldthesestudentsbelikelytoreadthesebookstotheirownchildren?

(ACELA1516)(ACELA1518)OptionalAssessmenttaskIfyourstudentsarefamiliarwiththesebooks,havethemwriteapersuasiveparagraphaboutwhichofthefourpicturebookstheywouldliketolookatfirstinthisunitandwhy.Theymustusewordsofhighmodalitythatreflecttheirargumentandimplorethereadertosupporttheirproposeddecision.Readaloudthemostpersuasiveparagraphsforeachtext,andhavestudentsvoteonwhichparagraph(andthusbook)convincedthemtobelookedatfirst.Talkaboutthedevicesusedthatmadetheparagraphpersuasive.(ACELA1516)(ACELA1518)LITERATURERespondingtoliteratureLearningIntention:toreadthetextsdeeplyandrespondHavestudentsplayfullyexplorethefourpicturebooksthroughtouchandplay.Notethateach

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ofthetextshasaestheticfeatures(Fireflywithflashinglights,Seahorsewithsee-throughpages,Caterpillarwithholesinpages,BlueHorsewiththepaintingsizeandcolours).Havestudentsreflectonhowtheseelementsaddtotheexperienceandreadingofthebooks?Oncehavingreadallfourtexts,havestudentswriteonpost-itsonethingtheylikedaboutthetextandonethingtheyfoundinterestingoraquestiontheyhaveafterreadingthetext.Placethesepost-itsonthefrontcoverandtheteachercansharethecomments.(ACELT1614)(ACELT1620)

Asyoureadthepicturebooks,experimentwiththeroleofthenarrator.Havedifferentstudentstakeonthedifferentvoicesandpersonasastheynarratethestoryanddiscusshowthisimpactsthemoodofthestoryandit’simpactonusasresponders.Isthereaparticularnarrativevoicethatfitswellwithaparticulartext?Somestudentsmayalsoliketoaddtheirownsoundeffectstothestoryastheyreadit(thiscanbeaidedfromtheresearchinactivity).(ACELT1621)(ACELT1803)

Havestudentsdesignandthencreatetheirown3Dmodelsofacriticalmomentinoneofthescenesinoneofthefourpicturebooks.Thestudentdesignsmightincludethecaterpillareatingthroughtheapples,theseahorseundertheseaoranotherkeyevent.Thesemodelscanbeusedtoretellthestoryandlaterbedisplayedaroundtheclassroomandreferredbacktothroughouttheunit.Studentsintheirplanningshouldsourcematerialsthattheythinkwouldbesuitableaswellasconsidersize,spaceandcolour.Agoogleimagesearchwillrevealahostofdifferentdesignsandideaswithaccompanyinginstructions.Allthemodeldesignsshouldbesharedwiththeteacherbeforeconstruction,ensuringvarietyinthemodelscreatedsothataspectsofallfourpicturebooksarerepresented.(ACELT1803)(ACELT1627)RichassessmenttaskInsmallgroups,havestudentspresentanarrateddramaofoneofthefourpicturebooks.Thisdramashouldbetruetotheoriginalstoryandshouldincludedramaticconventionsofmovement,offers,gesturesandspace.Studentscanpresenttheirdramastotheclassandcouldfollowupwithwritingareflectionabouttheexperienceofthegroupdevisedproject,theroleofteamworkandthestrengthsandchallengesintheirperformance.Alternatively,aftereachperformance,therecouldbesomeinformalpeerfeedbacksharedthroughwrittenreflectionsorconversations.(ACELT1620)(ACELT1627)LITERACYInterpreting,AnalysingandevaluatingLearningIntention:toreflectonthetextsTheteacherwilldistributetheseBloomsTaxonomyQuestionstotheclassonTheVeryHungryCaterpillarwww.saisd.net/dept/sped/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=318&Itemid=62andhavestudentsanswerthesequestions.Theteachercancorrecttheanswersasaclass,explainingthedifferentstagesofquestioningandthinkingineachsection.Followingthis,studentscouldthenbeallocatedoneofthethreeremainingCarlepicturebooks

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inthisUnitandcreatetheirownquestions(andanswers)usingthesameBloomsstructure.Thequestionscouldagainbecompletedandmarkedasclass(studentscandrivethisactivity).(ACELY1711)(ACELY1713)

Inpairs,studentscancompleteasurveyofadoublepagespreadfromoneofthepicturebooks,asdirectedbytheteacher.Havestudentsapplytheirknowledgeofspecificvisualliteracytechniquesandmakeconnectionswithhowthetechniquesmakemeaninginthetext.Somepromptingquestions:

- notethecoloursthathavebeenusedinthetwopages,whateffectdoesthecolourjuxtaposedwiththewhitebackgroundpresent?

- Whereisthetextpositionedandwhatistheeffectofthisonusasreaders?- Commentonthestyleofthetypography?Howdoesthisdoublepagespreadfitinto

thewiderstoryofthetext?Followingtheiranalysis,studentscouldpresenttheirdoublepagespreadinorderbacktotheclass.(ACELY1801)(ACELY1733)

ExplaintostudentsthattheworldCarlehascreatedinthesefourpicturebooksuseslistsandstructuretohelptellthestory.Askstudentstoidentifyanyexamplestheycanseeinthetextsthatreflectthis.Asaclass,completeaclosereadingofTheVeryHungryCaterpillarandnotetheuseoflistsandstructure(daysoftheweek,numbers,listsoffood,daytonight).Havestudentsconsiderstructureandsequenceintheothertexts.Askthemhowthestructureisusedandtowhateffect?Whatothertexts(picturebooks,storiesorothertextsstudentsknow)includelists/clearsequencesandhowdoesthisaidthestorytelling?(ACELY1733)(ACELY1735)RichassessmenttaskStudentscompletearesearchtaskwheretheycanchoosetoresearchanyofthefourcoveranimals(seahorse,horse,caterpillar,firefly).Beforestudentsresearchtheirchosenanimals,brainstormasaclassalistofquestionsthatstudentswouldliketoknowaboutthatparticularanimal(thesemightinclude:wheretheycanbefound,whytheyareunique,whatdotheyeat,andwhatwordswouldbeusedtodescribetheircolourandmovement,whatexperiencesstudentshavehadwiththeseanimalsbefore).Studentspresenttheirresearchintheformofaposter,glogsterorshortspeechorpresentationtotheclass.(ACELY1711)(ACELY1801)THEARTSDramaLearningIntention:toreflectofthestageproductionandtechniquesusedStudentsaretoreflectontheirexperienceofthestageproductionthroughwritingatheatrereview.Explaintheconventionsofatheatrereview(title,dates,director,location,price,plotsummary,evaluativecomments)andthenhavestudentswriteareview.Studentscanstructuretheirreviewincolumnsasperanewspaperandsourceapictureforinclusionorasitmightappearonawebsite(seeexamplesinresources).(ACADRM035)

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Havestudentsreflectonthemovementofparticularanimals.WatchsomeYouTubeclipsofcaterpillars/fireflies/horses/seahorseactivity.Havestudentsbrainstormwordsthatcouldbeusedtodescribethismovementandembodythesewordsastheyplantomoveliketheseanimals.Considerwhatsoundstheymake(ifany)astheymove,andthedirectionthattheymove.Oncestudentshavephysicallycapturedthemovementofaparticularanimal,haveastudentshoutoutparticularemotions(e.g.sad),howmightasadhorsemoveabout?Continuetocalloutemotionsanddebriefattheendwithstudents,whateffectdidchangingtheemotionhaveontheanimal’smovement.(ACADRR045)

Inordertohavestudentsbetterunderstandpuppetryanditsplaceintheatre,havestudentsreadanddiscussthisarticle.Studentscanexperimentwithpuppetryandusingprops/softtoysasafocalpointintellingastory.Havestudentsexperimentwiththelogisticsofwheretheyareplacedonthestageaswellasthechallengeofcreatingrealisticmovement.Studentscancreateabriefpuppetpresentationusingclassroomresourcesaroundthetopicof‘change’.(ACADRM036)RichassessmenttaskHavestudentsexplorewaystodramaticallyretellstories.Ingroupsof4-5usetheplotofoneofthefourpicturebooksandretellthestoryinawaythatisdistinctivelyAustralian.Howmightstudentsdramatiseauniquenarrator,setting,characterandplot?Theycouldretellthestoryinotherformsuchascomedyorromanceandreflectonhowthechangingofthemoodpermeatesawholeperformance.(ACADRM035)(ACADRM036)THEARTSVisualArtsLearningIntention:togainanunderstandingintothecreativeillustrativeprocessofEricCarleHavestudentsresearchEricCarleandhisparticularillustrativestyle,worksandprocessofillustrating.Whatarethemostcommonartmaterialsusedinhiswork?Havestudentscreatealistoftenkeywordsthatwouldsumuphisstyleofillustration.(ACAVAM114)(ACAVAM115)

Studentsdeveloppracticalskillsthroughdesigningapicturebooksingleordoublepagebasedonanexcerptfromanyofthefourpicturebooks.Havestudentsreflectontheirartworks,identifyingthemostchallengingaspectofthistaskandsomethingthattheyfelttheydidwell.Theartcanbedisplayedaroundtheclassroom.(ACAVAM122)

Studentsfurtherdeveloptheirpracticalskillsbydesigninganeye-catchingposterforthetheatreproductionofTheVeryHungryCaterpillar.ThisistobecreatedinthestyleofEricCarleandtopresentthekeyinformationrelatingtotheproduction(dates,location,title,recommendation).(ACAVAM114)RichassessmenttaskExplaintostudentstheimportanceofwhitespace(background)inCarle’swork.Googlefor

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completepagesofthepicturebooksonline.Usinganimageeditingtool(paint,photoshop,illustrator)havestudentsmanipulateandsubvertthecoloursofthepagesothatthewhitebackgroundisnolongerwhiteandtheanimals/mainfocusswapcoloursandbecomewhite.Havestudentswriteabriefextendedresponsediscussinghowcolour(includingwhite)issuchacrucialaspecttomakingmeaninginCarle’stexts.(ACAVAM115)(ACAVAM122)

FinalAssessmentTaskAskstudentstoreflectonpotentialconnectionsbetweenthedifferentpicturebooksandactivitiesthroughoutthisunitinthefollowingactivitythatsynthesisestheirlearning.

Askstudentstodeliverathree-minutespeechbasedonthetopic“WhatIhavelearntthroughthisunit.”Forthistask,studentsaretoconsiderwhythesefourtextsareworthstudying,howtheybeenengagedviathedramaticandcreativeprocesses(theymustrefertoatleasttwoofthefourpicturebooksinthisunit).Thiswillhelpthemmakeconnectionsbetweenthetextsandthewidersignificanceoftheirmessageinrelationtotheworld.(ACAVAM114)AdditionalResourcesTheVeryHungryCaterpillar-BloomsQuestions

Article:‘PuppetTheatre:whyit’sanythingbutwooden’(2011)ReviewofasimilarshowintheUSAPreproductionarticleonTheVeryHungryCaterpillarShow