240 Literacy Place for the Early Years—Grade Two © 2014 Scholastic Canada Ltd.

Comic Strip Cards # 17, 18 The Show Must Go On

Extend Language (see page 11) Help students to expand their language use and incorporate more specific, varied, and academic vocabulary into their repertoires.

one 30-minute lesson or two 15-minute lessons

- Comic Strip Cards # 17, 18, and/or digital version to use on the interactive whiteboard

partners and whole class or small groups

Grade Two Oral Language Assessment Scale (see pages 30–31)

• Show students the two cards and discuss how to “read” a comic strip and the order for the cards.

• After students have had a chance to look at the four segments of the two cards, invite them to share with a partner what they think is happening in the comic strip. As you take some of their comments, use the time to model extending language.

• Discuss the difference between words like sprayed out, trickled, dripped, or dribbled.

Oral Language Teaching Strategy:

Time:

Materials:

Grouping:

Assessment:

FOCUSING ON THE PICTURE

Before introducing these cards, activate students’ background knowledge of plays, what goes into a performance, and the rehearsals that take place before the production is presented to others.

Tip: Teaching

Analyzing/inferring When we look at these two cards, we can see that there are numbers on the bottom left of each card. We also see a title on card # 17. Using these two bits of information, study the cards and share with a partner which you think would be the first card and why.

In frame two, Maya indicated that the glue is “coming out of the tube.” Another way you could say that is it is “squirting out of the tube.” Are there other words that we could use for “coming out” or “squirting out?” Let’s jot some down.

If we look at the word “trickled,” how does that differ in meaning to the word “sprayed” or “squirted”? When would we use one and not the other? Let’s try some sentences for each.

© 2014 Scholastic Canada Ltd. Literacy Place for the Early Years—Grade Two 241

• Offer prompts to stimulate discussion: - Where do you think this comic strip takes place? Why do you think that? - Who are the characters in this story? Why do you think that? - What do you think is happening? Why do you think that? - What clues help you figure out what is happening in the pictures? - How do we know who might be speaking in each of the pictures?

• Offer open-ended prompts to help students interpret the events and emotions in each frame:

- In the first frame, how are the characters feeling? - What has changed in the second frame? Why has the change taken place? - How does the illustrator let us know what the characters are feeling? - If you were the boy with the glue in the second frame, how would you feel

and why? - How do you think the girl is feeling in the second frame? Why? What would

you have done? - What can we say about the boy in the third frame? Why do you think that? - How do you think the characters are feeling in the final frame? Why do you

think that? What clues have you used?

• Use the discussion feedback again to extend language, having word usage be clearer, more varied, and specific.

You may conclude the lesson at this point and do the second part on the next day, or you may decide to continue and do Connecting and Predicting as part of the first lesson.

• Ask students to look at frame two of the comic strip and think of any situation that had that “oops” moment for them or someone they know. Offer prompts when needed:

- Describe a time when something went wrong for you or someone you know. What did you/they do? What happened as a result of what went wrong?

- Was there any change in plans as a result of what you did? What happened? - Would there be anything you/they would do differently now? What did you/

they learn from the experience?

GOING DEEPER

Inferring/evaluating

Hannah was talking about how the people are looking at the glue. What other words could we use for “looking”? Let’s chart some of our suggestions (gaped, stared, gazed, peered, glowered, glared, peeped) How could we put those into a sentence? Which word would be most specific or clear? Which suggestion would not work and why?

CONNECTING

If you decide to do Connecting and Predicting on the second day, begin your lesson by reviewing the comic strip with the students.

Tip: Teaching

Making connections

242 Literacy Place for the Early Years—Grade Two © 2014 Scholastic Canada Ltd.

• Ask students to think about each of the characters and how they might feel being one of them.

• Decide on a script for one scene and role-play that scene.

• Use the feedback from the students to extend language by discussing other words that could be used. Focus on clarity of word choices.

• Ask students to think about the play that is in the comic strip as these four scenes are only part of the whole story. Invite them to make predictions about what might happen after frame four. Have students give reasons for their next storyline. Provide prompts when needed:

- What do you think may happen after frame four? Why did you think that? - What do you think the play is about? Why? - What parts will the other students play in the story? - How will the sword be used in the play and why? - How important is the sword to the story? - How will the knight come into action? - Who do you think the play is being performed for and why?

• You may wish to brainstorm the rest of the play, ensuring that students are building on the characters and the scenes portrayed in the comic strip. Encourage specific word choice.

• Take one of the suggestions for the play given in Connecting and Predicting to model, and provide students with the opportunity to perform a segment of the play. They may do this in Readers’ Theatre format or students actually performing the scene(s).

• Have students create speech bubbles for frame two of the comic strip. Attach the speech bubble using sticky notes. These speech bubbles could be used for reading during a Literacy Centre or for Readers’ Theatre.

If you could be one of the characters, which one would you like to be and why?

Aallyah, you indicated that in frame four, you had an idea for what the girl is saying. Pretend you are that girl and give us your line as if you were on stage. Nanook, you said that you wanted to be the boy in frame three. Tell us what you would say.

PREDICTING

Predicting When we are providing the sequence of what is happening, we can vary the words we use. David said, “After that, the girl stepped on stage in her newly decorated outfit.” But we can use different words for “after that.” We could say, “Before long, the girl stepped on the stage… .” We can provide the sequence of what is happening in different ways.

LESSON EXTENSIONS

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• Show students that they can retell the comic strip in words. Model how to use the first frame to retell the story. Be sure to use clear, specific words in your retelling of frame one. Invite groups of three to retell the rest of the comic strip with each member taking one frame. Encourage them to use clear, specific language and sequencing words. Have some of the groups “perform” their retell.

• Display the two cards and have students use sticky notes to make speech bubbles for each of the characters in frame one of the comic strip. These sticky notes can be posted on the card and can be used during Literacy Centre time for others as a Shared Reading activity.

• Provide students with a blank page divided into four sections to develop a new comic strip following one of the ideas suggested during Connecting or Predicting discussions or a funny event that they remember.

• Provide students with computer time to generate a three- or four-frame comic strip using one or two characters in their strip. Invite students to have speech bubbles for each character.

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES