The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I have started reading this fascinating novel about Hugo Cabret, an orphaned boy who lives in the Paris Railway Station, to the class.  Admittedly, the class was a bit taken aback when I told them Part 2 of the story started at page 257 (how long would it take to read the novel?) but at the end of day one we had reached page 80 because of how the book is constructed- lots of illustrations and some pages have very few words.




Each morning we build on our knowledge of the story, the characters and the plot by expanding our concept web.  This is to help students understand how they can improve their own writing by determining all the myriad details, and the connections between the details, at the beginning of the writing process.  Over the next few weeks watch the web grow as I add new connections.

Some illustrations from the book:

DogoNews reading activities- Sahmara's Dead Sea article

Reading- Sahmara's reading from DogoNews:  Giant Sinkholes along the Shore of the Dead Sea Cause Concern

1. Where is the Dead Sea and why is unique?

The dead sea is in between Israel Jordan and it is really unique because of its salty waters.

    2.  Why does it attract so many visitors?  

Because of the massaging mud and the relaxing water where it is easy to float (because of the saltiness (salinity) of the water).                                                                                                            

    3.  What is causing so many sinkholes to form around the Dead Sea?

The buried minerals are touched the fresh water and that causes them to dissolve.  

    4.  What is one possible solution to prevent the Dead Sea disappearing all together?

Make it illegal to take water, salt and minerals (What is the water being used for?  The text states it is the water from the River Jordan being diverted for drinking and agriculture that is lessening the amount of water entering the Dead Sea).

    6.  Why are environmentalists concerned?

Because the Dead Sea is shrinking fast and one day it might be all gone.

Read the article here: Giant Sinkholes Along The Shores Of Dead Sea Cause Concern

Reading- Making Connections and Questioning strategies

Edward's questioning of a text- 'High Flyers (sic)', about NZ's own Richard Pearse

School journal part 4 number 3 2003

Making Connections(with the text, with the wider world (TV, News, reading)

• Richard Pearse was not the first person to fly a plane
• I have watched fair go ad awards
• Richard Pearse could not turn his plane when he made his first plane
• TVNZ Studios- I have seen before
• I Know that Richard Pearse Crashed his plane when he was flying
• Richard Pearse was one of the pioneers making the planes
• people believed that it was Richard Pearse who flyed first.  
• Richard Pearse was a quiet inventor
• Richard Pearse was a farmer
• Richard Pearse made several planes

Questions

• Where did they make the parts?
• How did the community know that they were making the model?
• How long has the ad competition been around ?
• Was all the classes from year 6,7 & 8 helping to make it?
• Why did they choose Richard Pearse ?(Book Cover)
• What materials did they use ?(Book Cover)
• What motivated the classes and school to enter the Fair Go Ad Awards?
• What made them win the Fair Go Ad Awards and why?
• How heavy was the plane?
• Where did he get his engine?  
• Where was the engine placed? It was put at the front of the plane on top   
• What motivated Richard Pearse to build his plane?
• Why did Richard Pearse keep quiet about his invention?
• Could Richard Pearse have waited to finish his plane?
• Was Richard pearse building fast when everyone started to make planes?
• Why did richard pearse put the propeller on the top of the plane?
• What type of wheels did Richard Pearse’s plane have?
• did the kids in the ad actually fly in the plane?
• Did he have a timetable for when he would make the plane?
• Did he have a job or any social life?
• what held Richard's plane together?       

Reading task: Interesting facts and questions re Te Tititi o Waitangi

We have been using the Treaty2U site for Reading. Students had to read for information (the 'interesting facts') and then ask interesting, higher-level questions about the Treaty. The following examples are from Rebecca:-

I.F. What the Maori and the British agreed to in the treaty is still unclear. 

Q: What did they actually agree on?

I.F. James Busby met William Hobson at the Bay of Islands and set off to fulfill their governments intentions. 

Q: What were their governments intentions?

I.F. Most chiefs signed the Maori text of the treaty. 

Q: Why didn’t they sign the English version as well?

I.F. The Maori text and the English version have many different parts to the treaty.

Q: Why didn’t they translate to exactly what the Maori text says?

I.F.   Most Maori chiefs signed the Maori text of the treaty and only thirty nine signed the English. 

Q: Why did so few chiefs sign the English version of the treaty?

I.F. William Hobson did not have every signature of each Maori leader. Some because they didn’t agree with the treaty and others didn’t get the chance because the treaty didn’t come to their region. 

Q: Why didn’t William Hobson go to every place that the Maori chiefs were at?

Here is a video of the Treaty we have watched in class

summarising strategies- "The chicken-leg effect", by Ellie

In reading we have been learning to search for key words in the text to give us a better understanding about what the text is explaining and to help us summarise.


Key Word Hunt

Write notes in the boxes about things you think are important in the text eg details, what’s in the pictures if any, and possible key words.

                                                                  ⇩

Gravity pulls the blood from your legs down.

Your heart rate gets faster when you move your body around.

your blood goes red when exposed to oxygen.

when you lay down  your blood goes to your chest making your legs shorter.

your body has 5 litres of blood in it

                         ⇩

I think the key words and phrases are: blood , gravity,oxygen, heart rate, legs, body.

                         ⇩

Use the key words and phrases to write a brief summary: When you lay down your blood travels from your legs to your chest making your legs shorter and this is called The Chicken Leg Effect .

Using the Actively Learn reading programme in class

We are using the Actively Learn website as part of our reading programme.  Room 10 pupils link into the site through their class 'portal', and then read a selected text.  To read on they must answer questions as they appear and these are later graded by myself.  There will usually be a relevant video at the end of the reading.

Our first task was the Maori myth, 'How Maui slowed the Sun'.  Below is the video clip with subtitles.  These will often be used so students can read the text in time with the narration.