Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Term 4 Novel Study time!

Pretty much mine and my students favourite part of each term.
I am such an avid reader and I love getting students excited about the books we read.
I usually try to find a book with a movie as a reward/comparison study or books that are in a series to encourage further reading. Every term I have so much fun trying to decide what our novel study will be. I spend time looking for books that fit our terms inquiry and resources that will engage and suit all my students.

This term I had decided on 'Hatchet'. I had made all these resources and had everything super organised and ready to go, only to find on the first day of term half my students had studied the novel in year 5. That will teach me for being so eager!

I had a dilemma that needed to be solved quickly. I had the hard copy of' 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' in my cupboard to pre-read for next year. I just decided to give it a go, thankfully another teacher had read it and could vouch that it would be perfect for my kiddies.

I read them the brief synopsis and showed them the cover. I was trying to gauge if this would suit them and think on the spot of how to hook them in. It didn't take much, they loved it, they were so excited the begged me to start straight away.


"A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive." 

We read the prologue and first chapter. I only had my students listen at first, pausing occasionally to discuss themes, characters or vocabulary. After I had read the prologue and chapter one I showed them the book trailer. We discussed some of the themes that were already arising from the text and began building our wall of predictions. The students got really excited because they thought the book trailer was a movie trailer, had to burst their bubbles on that one. However it is going to be a movie in 2015.

We started our third session by using Kahoot. I had created a brief quiz to check their understanding. It was great to be able to introduce them to a new ICT tool, have a little fun and assess their needs. Students over the next fee weeks in their reading groups will be creating their own Kahoot quiz. They are going to create them about their favourite books, general knowledge and topics we have covered this year.

I found a PDF copy of all the images in the book and ran them off. Each time we come across a new image in the book I pin it up on the wall for students to analyse. Each morning as I have come in students' have been crowding the wall discussing the images and sharing their predictions with another. It is awesome to see and hear!

Students also are beginning to create a web of the characters. They are drawing relationship lines between them explaining how they are connected and writing adjectives around them. They will continue to add to these as we read.

P3 are loving the book so far. Some have gone home and read ahead (Couldn't stop them with any amount of bribing) and even I am struggling to not read ahead.

Blackout Poetry

Another amazing freebie from teachers pay teachers.

Check out the prezi at this link - Click me

My students loved this!

They loved it so much they have asked if it can be part of our guided reading rotation. 

It is perfect for everyone and everyone can be successful with this poetry lesson.

I photocopied random pages from Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Divergent and Maze Runner.

All books they are familiar with, I did this so that the language they came across would have relevance and meaning to them.

We didn't practice on newspaper like the Prezi suggested, we just got straight into it.

Each student found an anchor word (a word that stuck out to them) and shared their anchor words with a buddy.

They then began hunting throughout the passage for more words that could help bring that anchor word to life.

They were very excited as they found words to make their poems work, this was quickly followed by frustration when they knew what they wanted to say but couldn't find or make that word happen.

This was a great activity for students to think about their vocabulary and share their poems with their peers without fear of judgement. 

Pros:

My lower readers and writers can create amazing poetry in a non threatening way

My top readers and writers are pushing themselves to think outside of the box to come up with illustrated poems

Students are all excited to share their poems with no fear or judgement (I believe this comes from them not actually writing the words but sharing what they 'found' in their passage)

Cons:

You need start in pencil (We didn't) and box around the words large enough that when you use the vivid it doesn't cut any of your words off

We didn't have enough black vivids - make sure each child has one

Next time I need to remember to discuss grammar 

Examples of some completed Blackout Poetry by P3 students:

White teeth

Oval Eyes

Dark Skin

Standing waiting for him

He looked inside to see the strange boy

Harry and Hermione drew their wands at the silver cat

Silence spread in cold ripples 

Then somebody screamed

Old and thin

Dark lord had tears pouring down either side of his snout

Violently Harry sped forwards

Pointed his wand at the unsteerable invisible barrier

Death Eater shot a curse

So close

I'm coming Harry, I'm Comin! 

Hoot (Minecraft)

New Minecraft Project!

P3 begged and begged until I finally gave in and said yes we can start a new Minecraft project.
Last year I did a similar project with  'The City of Ember' and it was hugely successful. We used the novel to help visualise and create alternate endings to the book.

This year with Hoot we will be using it in a similar way. I like the students to be able to take meaningful notes and then use those notes to support the design process. Once they have completed the town they will use it to give a guided tour, retell a chapter and recommendations for the novel.

Students have been keeping specific notes about the characters and settings we have been introduced to in the story.

Coconut Cove:

- Golf Course – 18 holes and a driving range 

- The camp of Mullet Fingers was off the golf course through a small forested area

- Roy’s House 

- Roads + Bus Stop + Bus 

- Police station

- Mother Paula’s Pancake house Construction site - Caravan, big fence and 4 dogs

- Auto parts yard - Ice Cream Truck

- Garage - Bike Repair

- Trace Middle School - Classrooms, cafeteria, teachers lounge, car park, bus bay

- Beach 

- Dana’s House - has a front porch

As they kept these notes they began developing a birds eye view map of 'Coconut Cove' the town from 'Hoot'. Once students had finished this we had a class vote on whose map they thought was the best depiction of the town.

No students have seen the movie so they were only going from description and and their imaginations.

Josh's map was the map the class chose as the best to use as a guide.
I printed out a copy of his map for each student to put into their reading book to help with planning out the city

We initially all went onto our own class server together but discovered that it was pointless until the roads were completed and each part of the map was plotted out because everyone was just building in random areas.

We nuked the server and started again. This time the roads groups went onto our class server first. Having a class server has been awesome, I have set it up to only allow 28 players (my class + myself) and they need my IP address to get on and this changes each day so no one from other classes can get on. I also have to have my direct server open on my computer for it to work, so no one can 'sneak' on during class time.

Once the roads are finished students will begin construction of their chosen buildings.

We will be blogging more about this process and students will be reflecting on their own blogs as we get further into the story.


UPDATE 10/9

Here are some pics of the buildings students have completed so far. We are aiming to be done in a week and then begin filming.

30 Day Book Challenge

30 Day Book Challenge

The challenge is for students to get excited about reading. I want student's to read a new book for the next thirty days that they haven't and may haven't come across. It is important for them to realize not to judge a book by its cover but by its themes/content. I encourage all of them to give their book ago, they picked it for a reason (based on descriptors).

Organisation/Set Up

- Look around at the words that describe each book

- Think about three that would interest you to read

- No one unwraps a book until the end 

- We will random name generator.

- When your name comes up, you can get up and choose a book

- Tell the class the three words used to describe your book and keep it face up on your desk

- Just because you have this book doesn't mean you are safe

- The next person who gets up can take a book and then they can choose to keep the book or steal another

- You only get one steal at the time of your turn 

- The person who goes first gets to steal at the end

- Before opening you are allowed 30 seconds to try and swap with someone if you are not happy – however swapping is not compulsory. Stealing is!

- Once everyone has a book we will open them up one by one. 

Where to next:

- Students to blog about their book

- They can take the book home and read it during silent reading time after each break for 5mins

- Added into homework rotation 

- They can swap their books once they have completed it 

P3 Reflections:

Ronan

P3's teacher contacted the National Library and asked for a load of new books. She spent time wrapping them up and writing key words on them. We returned from the weekend to a surprise, a whole lot of books were wrapped up and we got to pick our own book based on three key words. It was great we didn't judge a book by its cover. I got a book called 'Call of the Rhino'. I think it's great and I can't wait to do it again. 

Estelle

Today we had a session in the second block where did a form of  'Secret Santa' with books. 

Miss Downard wrapped up 23 books, one for each student, making the cover non-visible only writing key words from the story on the wrapping so we couldn't judge it by its cover and used the random name picker to let us pick from the books one at a time, However you were also allowed to steal, but only once because you either steal or pick from the piles of books in the center of the mat. 

Once it got to me I chose a book with the words "Dystopian, save the future and girl main lead" but this book got stolen off me by Maya so I had to pick a new book of the floor. I ended up with 'Perks of being a wallflower' and so far I am enjoying it. 

Alexa

#kidsbookchat

Today my top reading group engaged in a literary discussion with other classrooms around New Zealand. 

They were having to think critically about texts that have read and engage in discussions with peers and teachers from around New Zealand.

It was awesome to hear them getting excited with the interactions and creating a list of books they now want to read on the board.

Here are the questions below along with a storify of the chat and some pictures.

When : Monday 1 September

Time: 10am

Hashtag: #kidsbookchat

Here are the questions we are going to ask.....

Q1: What is the best book you have read this year?

Q2: Who is your favourite author at the moment?

Q3: What is your favourite genre?

Q4: Do you have a class read aloud/ novel at the moment? What is it?

Q5: What is your favourite spot for reading?

Q6: How do you find books to read?

Q7: Recommend some titles you'd like to share.

Thanks to the P3 tweeters! 

Hoot Novel Study

In the term 2 holidays I drew up my long term plan for term 3. I had decided that I wouldn't do a novel study because I felt like I needed to put more focus on a solid guided reading programme., however my lower readers are out most days receiving additional help during our reading time. This leaves me with 1/3 of my class who are all reading above their level. They love novel study and begged and begged to begin another one. 

Our last novel was so successful/popular that I ended up buying my class the set of books, which are always out of the library because they are all trying to finish the series. 

Before we began the book we analysed the cover.
We look at the text and what that suggested about the book and then we looked at the pictures and made predictions on what we thought the book would be about. 
This started a lot of great literary discussion of all the elements of the cover. 

- Title
- Image of the three children
- What the relationship between the children was
- Why the owl was at the front of the children, suggest the owl was leading the children somewhere

We read the first chapter together and made notes on all the characters and information about them in their reading books.

We then had a discussion lesson. I presented them with 10 statements that relate to the book. This was extremely successful and the students had so much fun debating and arguing their positions.
Statements:

1.  All animals should be protected.

2.  All children should have a voice in a move to another state.

3.  Parents should allow young people to make their own decisions without asking too many questions.

4.  Land animals should have more rights than fish.

5.  All children should have a safe place to live with parents.

6.  All young people of school age should have an education and be in school.

7.  Students in school are smarter than students not in school.

8.  Police do everything right.

9.  Administrators / Principals are always fair.

10. The good guy always wins in the end.

I then had students choose one of the ten statements they felt most passionate about and write it in their book. They then wrote their argument for or against that statement.

We read a few more chapters and had a lot of discussion and comprehension activities. 

Sometimes when I want to ensure my students are listening I will have them go on Tagxedo and make a key word chart from the chapter we read.

My students are loving this book and I am having to growl them for attempting to read ahead when I am not looking! 

Marnie's Tagxedo:

Estelle's Tagxedo:

Literacy Shed

Another amazing website to use to enhance writing.

Literacy Shed

My student's loved this. I asked one of them to choose a random number and then selected the corresponding thumbnail that went with this. We found ourselves on the ghostly shed page. 

I played the class the video clip without the sound. 

This started a big class discussion about how the character was feeling, what was happening, what sound must have been happening in the background and lots of other great questions. 

We watched the clip twice and students made notes about what they thought was happening.

They then used these notes to rewrite their version of the story.

Once they had written their own versions of the story and shared with the class, we watched the short story with sound.

Student's loved this writing exercise and have been begging to do another one, except this time they want to try it with only hearing the sound and not seeing the visual.

The website has great teaching points and content. 

Here some examples of student's work from this session:

Student 1:

The Escape

I shuffled carefully out of the unzipped tent, the night was cold but beautiful. My bare feet skimmed the soft dirt as I slipped them into my boots. I reached into my pocket, well half pocked and clasped my bony fingers around my unlit cigarette. 

I started walking through the dark forest, the stars look exceptionally amazing tonight. As I walked I noticed a long winding jetty with a wooden boat tied to the end. I gingerly stepped onto the boat and started paddling, the moonlight glimmering on the lake. I lay on my back and pulled out my cigarette.

Student 2:

What Happened?

I've been planning this for as long as I can remember, but as the cool air nips my nose I feel a shiver slide down my spine. I quietly get into my shoes and creep across the leaves.I walk to the jetty, I feel like something is watching me, I shake it off and carry on. I climb into the boat, drift for a bit and start my journey .

I look around and see this is the place and stop, lay my head back and pull out my cigarette. My parents still don’t know I smoke and I plan to keep it that way. I look out into the night sky, beautiful. Something rocks the boat, I sit up and look around, nothing, so I lay back down. There it is again, I sit up a second time as the boat rocks violently, that’s it, I start to row but I see I'm going nowhere. I sit back this is hopeless I sit back and write in my book 'Help Me' that’s when the last rock makes everything go black     

Student 3:

Is this the end?

I made my way carefully out of the tent, stepping over everything in my path. The fire is still blazing, red hot embers flying in the air. I wrap my hands around the lantern, clutching it, my heart pounding. My hands have suddenly gone cold and clammy. I ignore it and carry on.

The forest is alive around me. The trees are whispering and leaves rustle quietly on the forest floor. I keep walking until I reach the lake. The moonlight shimmers on the lake, as I step out onto the dinghy. I row out to the middle of the lake and stop there. I lay on my back, gazing at the endless stars of the sky. I light my cigarette and take a deep breath in. 

A splash sounds in the still night air. I stand up uncertainty on my face and worry in my eyes. 

Student 4:

Quetico Lake Mystery

I crawl out of my tent, my feet sinking into the soft soil, the heat of the camp fires flame fills the camp ground. I slip into my fur boots and start walking as quietly as possible into the dense forest, not knowing the foreign dangers that lie ahead. I tip toe along the jetty and crawl into the boat at the end, I use my kerosene lamp to light my cigarette, get out my book and start to paddle.

I decide this is a good spot, roughly around the middle of the lake. I rest for a while, my cigarette in one hand and one behind my head, not knowing this would be my last night under the stars.

“SPLASH” the boat starts to rock, sending ripples through the moonlit water, I start to worry I lift my lamp and hold it above the water…

Storybird Website

Today in class P3 had a play on the website Storybird.
I set very little guidelines. I told them they were going to write a picture book and that they could spend some time selecting the artwork to tell their story. They had not done a brainstorm or done any pre-writing. They used the images as a guide to sequence their story and then built on their stories from there.

We only spent one session on their stories and they came up with a range of different topics and story types. Some wrote humorous short stories. some created sophisticated pictures and other created how to guides.

They then had a buddy check and edit their work for spelling errors and missing punctuation. I still need to conference with each student on their story because when they presented there were still minor errors.

I was very pleased with the quality of work and it is definitely a website I am going to use again.

Tegan's Sophisticated Picture Book



Casey's Rhyming Tale



Tanner's How to Guide



Marnie's Funny Tale

Starting a New Book Club

Today was the start of P3's new 'Book Club'. Last terms book club was so successful that we decided as a class to start a new one. The kids enjoyed opting into a book of their choice and completing different tasks independently. We looked at about 10 books (most that were series to encourage reading, and most were dystopian because that is the new 'thing'), read the synopsis for them and watched some trailers. This helped narrow down the selections to six. 

In a previous post I showed off some of the work my student's had completed independently during book club time and how I run it.

The student's read the first chapter and began working on a blog post about their new book - why they chose it and what they think is going to happen.

This term the books we are reading are:

P3 Book Club

P3 are avid readers!
They love to read and are always on the lookout for new and exciting books.
Children's literature is one of my biggest passions. I love getting my students excited about reading.
That is exactly what book club has done for my class. I carefully selected 5 books at varied levels and on varied topics to get their interest. I made sure to choose mostly books that are in a series to encourage student's to continue to read after book club is complete. The bonus was also that two of the books are going to be coming out at theatres this year!

We do book club twice a week. Our reading programme consists of  2 sessions of our novel study, 2 sessions of book club and 2 sessions of guided reading based on their ability (grouped). This way I am covering independent, guided and intensive comprehension in my reading programme.

The books I chose were:

- Divergent
- The Maze Runner
- The Recruit
- Holes
- Gone

I also had audio books for Divergent, Maze Runner, The Recruit and Holes. This was a huge hook in for most students, who were begging to listen to their books while they completed other work.
To counter this I made sure that students were also reading along to the books on their computer at the same time. We use an app called 'Readium', student's are able to load the books into their readium library and read at their own pace.

I created a clear sleeve for students with set tasks in each sleeve.
Students worked through these tasks in order:

1. Create a title page for your book
2. Answer the 'At Beginning' reading questions for your novel
3. Visualizing concept poster
4. Asking questions concept poster
5. Predicting concept poster
6. Main character poster - specific physical and personality traits
7. Tagxedo on their blogs about the books
8. Participate in a literacy circle with your book club peers

* Divergent book club - google maps activity to map out locations from the book.

These are the activities we have done so far, I am constantly trying to spice things up and adding new activities to their folders.

Students have already started recommending books for next term. I am so pleased with the results of our book club. Please recommend any other amazing books in the comments below!

Recommended book club books for term 2:

-      Harry Potter

-      Tomorrow When the War Began

-      The Seekers

-      The Hunger Games

-      The Host

-      The Rangers Apprentice

-      Enders Game

-      Inheritance Cycle (Eragon)

-      Roald Dahl Month (All Books)

-      The Book Thief

-      The absolutely true diary of a part time Indian

-      It’s kind of a funny story

-      I am number four

-      The city of ember