Leaving it to you - Before reading
This is another of Wendy Orr's longer novels that we will introduce you to today. You may find that this one is a little different to the themes and style of her other books.
If you like a bit of a mystery, than this is the book for you.
Linda's class has to visit an old person in a nursing home and write a weekly report on their visits. Each chapter opens with Linda's journal entry for her previous visit and then it is followed by the story of her next visit.
What do you think this story might be about? What will happen when Linda starts visiting the old person she has been assigned to?
What does the title mean, Leaving it to You ? Have you ever heard someone say that before? When?
What are your experiences of visiting old people? Perhaps a grandparent or great grandparent?
What are they like? What do they do? Does anything seem peculiar to you?
Complete the Y chart on the easel for old people.
If you like a bit of a mystery, than this is the book for you.
Linda's class has to visit an old person in a nursing home and write a weekly report on their visits. Each chapter opens with Linda's journal entry for her previous visit and then it is followed by the story of her next visit.
What do you think this story might be about? What will happen when Linda starts visiting the old person she has been assigned to?
What does the title mean, Leaving it to You ? Have you ever heard someone say that before? When?
What are your experiences of visiting old people? Perhaps a grandparent or great grandparent?
What are they like? What do they do? Does anything seem peculiar to you?
Complete the Y chart on the easel for old people.
Read the first 2 chapters
Give the students a copy of the first 2 chapters so that they can follow along in the book as you read (Share 1 between 2).
The first two chapters introduce us to both Linda and Mrs Pugh.
Wendy Orr uses descriptive language to beautifully describe Mrs Pugh and Mrs Pugh's house. Choose your favourite descriptive part and share it with the class and say why you like it. Here's mine!
My favourite descriptive part is:
"And the house was dark and crowded and full of stuff, not just furniture and ornaments on shelves but things like an iron soldier holding the kitchen door open and big jugs and vases all along the hall. Vases big enough to hold Ali Baba and some of his thieves, though not all forty."
I like it because it makes me picture the forty thieves bulging out of the vases, not quite able to all fit in there!
How would you describe Linda? What words would you use about how she is feeling about the visits?
How would you describe Mrs Pugh? What words would you use to describe her?
In some ways they are similar? How?
What words would you use to describe their relationship so far? Can you predict how their relationship might change over the course of this story?
How does this story compare to other Wendy Orr books we have looked at so far? It is written in the first person. What does this mean? Is it better than having the story told by the narrator? Why?
Would you want to read the rest of this book to see what happens?
The first two chapters introduce us to both Linda and Mrs Pugh.
Wendy Orr uses descriptive language to beautifully describe Mrs Pugh and Mrs Pugh's house. Choose your favourite descriptive part and share it with the class and say why you like it. Here's mine!
My favourite descriptive part is:
"And the house was dark and crowded and full of stuff, not just furniture and ornaments on shelves but things like an iron soldier holding the kitchen door open and big jugs and vases all along the hall. Vases big enough to hold Ali Baba and some of his thieves, though not all forty."
I like it because it makes me picture the forty thieves bulging out of the vases, not quite able to all fit in there!
How would you describe Linda? What words would you use about how she is feeling about the visits?
How would you describe Mrs Pugh? What words would you use to describe her?
In some ways they are similar? How?
What words would you use to describe their relationship so far? Can you predict how their relationship might change over the course of this story?
How does this story compare to other Wendy Orr books we have looked at so far? It is written in the first person. What does this mean? Is it better than having the story told by the narrator? Why?
Would you want to read the rest of this book to see what happens?