Introduction
This week we are going to read another story that uses dialogue effectively to develop characters. Look at the front cover. What sort of book do you think this is going to be? (Dramatic? Humourous? Scary? Serious?) Why?
Watch the following book trailer and see if you still agree with your predictions at the end of it.
Watch the following book trailer and see if you still agree with your predictions at the end of it.
Read Pages 1 -17
While reading allow the students to follow along with the printed copy of the text.
Class Discussion
After reading the opening scene, discuss your initial impressions of the story and characters. Some points to consider are:
What is the purpose of an opening scene like this one?
What is distinct about the way the characters are named?
How do the different characters talk – what language do they use, and how has the author shown us this?
Do you feel as though you are getting to know the characters through the way they talk? How?
It's different to other stories that use direct speech. What's missing?? (Eg he said, she said etc)
Do you find it confusing? It's almost written like a play format without the character's name beside the speaking parts.
What has the author and illustrator done to make it easier to follow the conversation? (the graphics that run along side the text help us to follow who is speaking)
Do you think it is helpful to use different voices when reading aloud from a text like this? Why?
If you have time...
Give the students a chance to work in pairs and choose a double page spread to read out loud with a partner. Encourage them to use character voices to bring the dialogue to life.
After reading the opening scene, discuss your initial impressions of the story and characters. Some points to consider are:
What is the purpose of an opening scene like this one?
What is distinct about the way the characters are named?
How do the different characters talk – what language do they use, and how has the author shown us this?
Do you feel as though you are getting to know the characters through the way they talk? How?
It's different to other stories that use direct speech. What's missing?? (Eg he said, she said etc)
Do you find it confusing? It's almost written like a play format without the character's name beside the speaking parts.
What has the author and illustrator done to make it easier to follow the conversation? (the graphics that run along side the text help us to follow who is speaking)
Do you think it is helpful to use different voices when reading aloud from a text like this? Why?
If you have time...
Give the students a chance to work in pairs and choose a double page spread to read out loud with a partner. Encourage them to use character voices to bring the dialogue to life.