Squirrels Bundle - Higher order thinking reading comprehension activities for three narrative picture books featuring squirrels

I am so excited to share my new bundle with you based on three picture books - terrific for studying narrative texts - "Scaredy Squirrel", "Those Darn Squirrels" and "Errol".  I have discounted the price of this brand new resource in my TPT Store.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Narrative-Squirrels-Bundle-HOT-Reading-Comprehension-for-3-picture-books-1826163 

Click on the image above to find out more.  A preview of what is included is in the images below:

Contents of the bundle:

“Those Darn Squirrels”
• Making connections
• Character traits
• Vocabulary – word work (inferring and synonyms)
• Narrative text structure - retell
• 4H reading strategy – posters, bookmarks and questions sort
• Visualising – drawing the birds
• Designing a device to protect the bird seed from the squirrels
• Procedural text
• Plot profile
• QR codes – multiple choice comprehension questions
• Compare and contrast Venn diagrams


“Scaredy Squirrel”
• Making connections
• Character traits
• Narrative text structure - retell
• 4H reading strategy - posters, bookmarks and questions sort
• de Bono’s thinking hats
• Story Map
• Listing
• Advantages/disadvantages of avoiding the unknown
• Time sequencing, recording analogue times, sequencing 
events.

“Erroll”
• Making connections
• Character traits
• Vocabulary – word work (inferring and synonyms)
• Close reading and inferring
• Narrative text structure - retell
• 4H reading strategy - posters, bookmarks and questions sort
• QR codes – multiple choice comprehension questions
• Compare and contrast Venn diagrams
• Triple Venn

U.S. & Australian spelling included.

Have a terrific week!

ANZAC Day reading comprehension bundle based on 3 picture books - on sale

For your chance to win a copy of my latest resource (59 pages) with higher order reading comprehension activities for three picture books about dogs in World War 1, please follow me on blog lovin' (button on the right) and leave a comment with your email address below, and I will chose three winners at random. 

I had a lot of fun putting this resource together and it's the largest one I have made so far.  
I have discounted it from $9 to $7.50 in honour of the 100th year of ANZAC Day.

The three picture books are:

• "The ANZAC Puppy" 
•    by Peter Miller
• 
  
• "The Red Poppy"
•     by David Hill
• 
  
• "Caesar the ANZAC Dog"     by Patricia Stroud  

          

This bundle includes:

• Synonym snap game
• Adjectives cut & paste activity
• Character traits
• Story mapping
• de Bono's thinking hats
• Philosophy for children reflection - empathy, courage & enemies
• The Four Resources Model & close reading teaching notes
• Figurative language (personification & similes)
• Song lyrics
• How to make a poppy pin
• Compare & contrast Venn diagrams (including a triple Venn)
• QR code comprehension questions
• Mapping
• Close reading - Dogs at War
• Research & information report scaffold and links.

It showcases some of my approaches in my other resources on TPT that support higher order thinking and intellectual demand in the teaching of reading, all together in the one resource.

Some of these links show the important role that dogs had during World War 1:

1910s war dogs sending messages in WWI trenches

War Dogs - WW1 Uncut: Dan Snow

Red Cross Dogs (1914) - First WorldWar | BFI National Archive

Companions In The Trenches -Animals of World War 1

SergeantStubby ~ World War I Hero Dog

I have pinned other ideas for ANZAC Day on my pinterest board here:

https://www.pinterest.com/kyjac/australia/

You can find out more about my ANZAC Day higher order thinking reading comprehension bundle in my TPT store or by clicking on the images above.  Just print and teach :)  

These truly are some of my favourite picture book titles for ANZAC Day

Don't forget to leave a comment below with your email address if you would like to win a copy of this huge bundle for studying dogs in WW1, as part of ANZAC Day studies.

Kylie

Close reading and the Four Resources Model for NAPLAN preparation

Happy Easter everyone!  Back in January I blogged about my work linking the Australian research on the Four Resources Model with the U.S. research around close reading.  You can read those blog posts here and here.

Today I would like to share with you another resource that links the Four Resources Model and close reading, but is specifically designed for NAPLAN preparation (NAPLAN is Australia's National Testing in Literacy and Numeracy).   The focus text is a poem which comes from a previous Year 5 NAPLAN reading magazine and has been reproduced with permission.  

Instead of practising past tests, this resource provides prompts for each of the four resources, to support multiple re-readings of the text for different purposes and higher order thinking.  The resource also includes graphic organisers to scaffold students' thinking and QR codes for inferring vocabulary.  Other vocabulary and figurative language activities are also included.

You can find out more here or my clicking on the image above.

References:

Freebody, P. & Luke, A. (1990). Literacies programs: Debates and demands in cultural context. Prospect: Australian Journal of TESOL, 5(7), 7-16. 

Lehman, C., & Roberts, K. (2014). Falling in love with close reading: Lessons for analysing texts - and life. Portsmouth, NH.: Heinemann.

NAPLAN Year 5 Reading Magazine 2010 https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/naplan_year5_lit_read_mag_10.pdf

Close reading and the Four Resources Model (con't)

Last week I posted about a new project I was working on, linking the U.S. research on close reading with the Australian research around the Four Resources Model (Freebody & Luke, 1990).

I created three resources to use with a school I was working with this week.  The first one is based on the picture book, "Blossom Possum - The Sky is Falling Down-Under" (see below):

This resource was designed for students in the early years (up to Year 3).
The second resource is based on two original poems by Angela Yardy - Seaside Senses and The Shell. 

Each resource includes purposeful reasons for the students to re-read the text and engage with it in different ways to deepen their comprehension.

Please click on the images above to find out more.

My third resource is based on figurative language, using a poem called "The Snake" from the NAPLAN (Australian National Testing) Year 5 magazine.  I am just waiting for copyright clearance on that one before I post it to TPT.  

Both of the resources based on poetry are quite challenging for students in Year 5 and above.

By linking close reading to the Four Resource Model prompts, students engage multiple times with the text for different purposes.  To me, this is much more rigorous NAPLAN preparation than practising past tests.

If you would like to win a free copy of one of these resources, please make sure you are following my blog.  You can do this for free by clicking on the "follow me by bloglovin' " button, or via email.  Please leave a comment below with your email address and which resource interests you the most.  I will choose 3 winners randomly over the next week.

A very big shout out to all the Australian teachers who follow my blog - enjoy your first week of the new school year, next week :)

Close reading - bringing the U.S. and Australian research together

I am so excited about my latest project.  I have been dabbling at linking the U.S. research on close reading with the Australian research by Freebody and Luke (1990) on the Four Resources Model.  Find out more about the Four Resources Model here.

After reading, "Falling in Love with Close Reading" (Lehman & Roberts, 2014) these are the links I have made:

I am flying up north to work with a school this week around the teaching of reading.  I will be focusing on reciprocal teaching and you can read about my innovations on that in English and Mathematics here. 

My colleagues and I are also working with another couple of schools around improving their student data in reading, so I am very blessed that the poet Angela Yardy (click on her name to see her great website) has allowed me to use two of her works to develop a resource that focuses on close reading and figurative language.

In Australia, our national assessment program is NAPLAN and I wanted to be able to show the teachers that if, for example, figurative language was an area wanting in the data analysis, that close reading could be used, using the Four Resource Model as a lens, so that rather than drilling kids with past tests and practice tests, we can actually teach them explicitly in the areas where gaps have been identified for a cohort.

I will be sharing both resources I have created via TPT, so please make sure you are following me on TPT (Ripper Reading Resources) to be updated as new resources are posted.

A new "Creepy Carrots" resource to supplement my best seller + pick up freebies :)

Hi everyone

I was so thrilled about Felicity's feedback about my "Monster Chef" resource, that I made a new resource to support my best-selling "Creepy Carrots" resource for a not-so-scary Halloween.

You can read more about Creepy Carrots and pick up a freebie here.

You can read more about Monster Chef here and save a heap on my new bundle of two other not-so-scary Halloween titles (newly published) here.

My new resource includes QR codes for vocabulary extension and reading comprehension. It includes complex vocabulary from the text (which the students infer the meanings of and then check using the QR codes) and reading comprehension questions with QR code answers that support close reading of the text.  You can find out more about it here.

Thank you to all those readers who already have purchased my "Creepy Carrots" vocabulary extension resource.  

Please leave a message below if you purchased my original resource and are interested in receiving my QR code supplementary resource as a freebie (leave your email address)...please remember, I can check on TPT if you did actually purchase the original :)

Happy Halloween everyone :)