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Anticipation Guide and Lesson Plan for WHALE TALK Kim Hamilton, Molly Brotherton and Sinead Turner Waters Read an Excerpt To view the full text, click on the "read an excerpt" link. Excerpt Anticipation Guide for Chris Crutcher WHALE TALK by Kim Hamilton and Molly Brotherton KidReach Reading Center Circle "False" if you feel the statement is incorrect. Circle "True" if you feel the statement is correct. 1. Athletics are the most important part of a school. True or False 2. An athlete can "get away" with doing things that a regular student couldn't. True or False 3. It would be bad to be adopted. True or False 4. When someone loves you they don't try to hurt you. True or False 5. People with only one arm or leg could never be athletes. True or False 6. If it's your fault that someone got really mad and hit you, it's ok to give them a second chance. True or False 7. Parents never hurt their children on purpose. True or False 8. Sometimes it's better to live with strangers than to live with your own family. True or False 9. Only physically fit people belong on a school sports team. True or False 10. It's ok to make fun of someone who isn't as smart as you. True or False Now, please take a few moments and give your opinion on the following questions. Answer each with a paragraph or so. 1. Have you ever been in a situation when you had to (or wanted to) stand up for your beliefs? What happened? 2. What are some of the basic things that you know about yourself (for example: you are a sucker for underdogs; you can not accept hypocrisy)? Give an example of this characteristic in your life. The following are questions regarding word recognition and comprehension when using the anticipation guides. The questions should be asked before and after reading the story. 1. What words are the most difficult to pronounce in the story? (List the words and look for similarities in the words. For example, list words with the "ide" spelling pattern). 2. What do you do when you come to a difficult word to pronounce when you are reading? (Share strategies and suggestions for word recognition). 3. What strategy do you use to help you understand what you are reading? A Lesson Plan for Chris Crutcher's WHALE TALK by Sinead Turner Waters KidReach Reading Center MAJOR PROJECT FOR UNIT There are many Americans who accomplish amazing things and yet never receive national acclaim. These Americans have changed the lives of those around them in some way. Students will choose someone to do an in-depth research project on. This person should meet the following qualifications: -- They are a minority (woman, African-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American, person with a disability, etc.). --They achieved or attained something of importance (i.e., invented something; represented a "cause"; worked for great change). --They are not well known by mainstream America (MLK, Jr., Rosa Parks, Chief Joseph, and others like them are incredible people and exemplify amazing characteristics, but they are not eligible to be subjects for this project). Students will research the life and achievements of this person and put together a 2-5 minute presentation (including some type of visual aid!) for the class. TIME Set up for approximately one week of 90 minute block classes, but could easily be modified for other class schedules. Include an extra two days for project presentations. TEACHING Students will read Whale Talk at home. This way some class time each day can be devoted to the research project. CURRENT EVENTS DISCUSSION Each day of class students are required to bring a current events article (newspaper, magazine, or internet (**internet sources must be documented and reliable!)) that discusses one of the topics in the novel. Sample topics: -- abuse--physical, emotional, or sexual -- racism -- adoption -- physical or mental disability -- athletic bias Spend 15-20 minutes discussing these articles and the issues that they raise. **It is important to establish a classroom of respect before you begin these discussions. Students must understand that these discussions are to be issues-based and not to become personal attacks on anyone's beliefs or ideas. Do not tolerate any name-calling or like behavior. Teach students that a position presented in a calm manner is much more likely to be persuasive than a heated, angry yelling match. Think Aloud reading groups For another 20-30 minutes, have students meet in Think Aloud reading groups See here for instructions on these groups. They should use their reader's journals (journals in which they keep track of any questions or comments they may have about their reading as well as passages or phrases that they liked) to initiate discussion and Think Aloud protocols. Utilize remaining class time for research Discussion Once students have finished their week of reading and research, hold a whole class discussion. You may want this to be an open ended discussion or you may choose to provide more structure by having each Think Aloud reading group bring up one topic at a time. Presentations--Two days of student presentations of Minority Accomplishments Final Evaluation Once presentations are finished, have students work together to compile their information to create a Minority Accomplishments web page. You may want to group students according to their presentations or according to their talents (artistic, computer savvy, etc.) Make-A-Difference Project An additional activity for this novel would be to assign students to complete a Make-A-Difference project. For this project they need to do something to make a difference in their school or community. Examples of student projects are volunteering at a Boys and Girls Club, helping to feed the homeless, tutoring students at the local elementary school, hosting a food drive, working with Habitat for Humanity, etc. The possibilities are limitless! Encourage students to do a variety of things. They will need some proof of their project (signatures of supervisors, etc.). Please share the results of this project with us! Think Aloud Protocol procedures by Gwen McAlpine © Copyright 2000 [Directions: Remember to divide the allotted time among all the group members, so that every group member gets an equal chance with the microphone. The minimum requirement of each group member is to talk on tape about your reading of ONE of the PASSAGES you marked while reading the group book at home. You are welcome to respond to more than one passage, time permitting. It's all right for more than one of the group members to respond to the same passage in a book. Each group member needs to answer at least FOUR of the QUESTIONS written here while performing your protocol.] Regarding each of the passages you marked in the book... 1. WHY did you select that passage? 2. Read the passage aloud if you like. 3. Read it aloud as you first read it, if you can reconstruct that reading. Did you go back over troublesome or intriguing text? Did you stumble on a word? Did you speed through the passage to learn what would happen next? Once you finished the passage, did you reread it or relate it to another passage in this book or in another one? Regarding your reading of the book as a whole... 4. Were you able to predict the book's outcome? If yes, how? If no, where did you go wrong? 5. Did your opinion of the book change after your reading group discussed it? 6. What did you do when you encountered a word you didn't know? 7. How would you describe the pace at which you read this book? 8. What is your usual reading pace? 9. What kind of books do you usually read? 10. How is this process similar to or different from the way you usually read a book? |
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