Story Time

Tuesday - Thursday, 10:25-11:05am

Our daily story time is an opportunity for students to have more complex texts read to them and to hear what fluency and appropriate expression sound like. Students are exposed to come complex vocabulary, text structures and concepts. It's also an opportunity for the class to have a common reference which can then be extended in discussions or later units.

This week's Story Time Read-Aloud is the Non-Fiction Book

“The Story of Chocolate” by C.J Polin (48 pages) with photographs and illustrations which introduces kids to chocolate, from its raw state in cacao trees to candy bars to be eaten.

This book is an ideal read-to-self book for the average Grade 2-4 student hoping to deepen their knowledge about one of their favourite foods - chocolate. This text is still too challenging to read-to-self for most of our students, but is ideal for a class read-aloud. As a re-aloud we are able to model fluency, expression, and reading comprehension strategies as we explore knowledge acquision through different text structures and genres. This book also introduces new vocabulary and easily builds on, and can lead to extensions in math, science, and social studies.

(Click on C.J. Polin's Book for link to see inside).

Support Resource:

Global Exchange: Fair Trade Chocolate Book (for Kids) - Ideas for social justice initiatives related to chocolate.

http://www.globalexchange.org/sites/default/files/ChocolateActivityBook.pdf

Cross Curriculum Connections:

Social Studies: Grade 6: Canada’s Interactions with the Global Community

Science: Grade 5: Conservation of Energy and Resources; Biodiversity

Math: Number Sense, Data Management

Food Groups

Knowledge Building
Vocabulary
Reading Comprehension Strategies
Text Structures and Genres
Fluency and Expression
Motivation for Literacy
Oral Language

Extensions:

Next Week's Guided Reading: simpler “The Story of Chocolate" by Katie Daynes. This book is filled with colourful illustrations which communicate almost as much as the words do. Also non-fiction, Katie Daynes' book is written in a more lyrical, playful, and story-like fashion as compared to the C.J. Polin's book from our story time. The vocabulary and sentence structures in Daynes' book are also much simpler and therefore allows students to practice fluency and expression as well as reinforcing the information gained in the more complex C.J. Polin's book. (Click on Katie Daynes' Book for link to see inside).

Upcoming Writers Workshop: Extend "The Story of Chocolate" for students to share what learned and found interesting from book(s) about chocolate through any method they choose (poem, letter, poster, short story, skit, visual art piece etc.). Students will first present to their classmates then we will post their learning on the class bulletin board to share with the rest of the school in time for Valentine’s Day.

Adaptation of “If the World Were A Village” Recipe

http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/balancedliteracydiet/Recipe/50390/

Previous Story Time Activities with Non-Fiction Books:

Non Fiction: Read Books “If the World Were a Village”, During Math unit on Data Management Unit, prior to starting current Social Studies unit on Canada’s Interactions with the Global Community. Students did similar culminating activity was a class presentation in any form they would like.

Non-Fiction: “Every Day is Malalah Day” - Lead to writing letter to personal hero.

Non Fiction: books from Katie Daynes and Usbourne Young Reading series including “See Inside Your Body” during our Science: Human Organ Systems and Elements of Physical and health Educations. Students did similar culminating activity where showed learning on noticeboard.