Thursday, August 12, 2010
Group D Reader Response Discussion
Please make a plan as to how you might share this book with the rest of the class. To what does the book lend itslelf? How can you develop a feasible and engaging group share:PoemsCharacter websPerson on the Street InterviewDifferent Endings: ABC book (electronic format?)Act out a dramatic scene from the bookPlease respond to each other's entries on how to share this book.
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There are so many possibilities on how to share this book. If I were able to use it this year in my classroom I would use it with my character study unit. There are so many internal and external character struggles going on I would focus on that. I might assign he students to create a journal as if they were Vanessa and keep a journal after the read aloud each day. I might also have them create a suitecase or memory box from the character 's perspective, filling it with items that important to the character. I would also consider, if this was a literature circle or book club (as we call it) book, having the groups extract key lines that are shining moments in the haacter's transformation and recreate them in a reader's theater kit. This book lend itself so beautifully to a character study unit. I will be incorporating it into my unit next year...most definitely!
ReplyDeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely think that the character study unit idea is a great choice for this book. Vanessa is a such a dynamic character with pursuit and intrigue. I think the idea of having students write a journal entry after each read aloud in the shoes Vanessa is a wonderful idea. This will not only help with comprehension, but will also allow the students to have empathy for her character and understand her journey of finding Nessie better. When I student taught in 5th grade I did a character study unit and had the students create character suitcases. I love this idea! It was a real success! It would also be a great choice for such an interesting and complex character such as Vanessa. In addition, I like your idea of having the students extract key moments in the character's transformation. I think that is a great way to give the students a chance to fully understand Vanessa as a character. I think this book is such a perfect choice for a character study unit!!
-Janice
I think a character study is a great idea! But, I have to say I would probably use research on the Loch Ness monster to teach critical thinking skills by having students evaluate the validity of statements made on the various websites.... determining bias, for example the statements of "believers" could sound convincing that the monster does exist... but how can that be in light of the lack of evidence. I would then have them research the "tree octopus"! We'd have a great discussion on why students shouldn't believe everything they see and read on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI could totally see using this book as a springboard into a study of valid and credible research. I feel like that is something I lack time to do in the classroom but I know my library media teacher goes over this with the fifth and fourth graders. I would suggest this book to her as part of her unit on internet research and credibility. Great idea.
ReplyDeleteBoth the incorporation of this book into a character study unit and as a model for teaching critical thinking skills are great ideas. I mentioned this in my Golden Lines post, but I think this book would be useful in teaching students how to "show-don't-tell." There are numerous examples where Flitcroft uses sensory details to show the readers what is happening. Therefore, excerpts from this book could be used to teach this to children of all ages.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the idea of using this book for discussing internet research and media. This is something that played a huge part in the creation of this story. Flitcroft had to do some careful research on the internet for many of the facts and beginning sections of each of the chapters; therefore, this book could definitely be incoorporated into a unit on research on the internet.
ReplyDelete-Janice