Program Department NCDSB 2008

Junior Mentor Text Lesson Plan Just Another Ordinary Day

Lifelong Learning: Generalization, Critical Thinking Literacy Strategies: Visualization

Overall Expectations: Reading 1.3 Identify a variety of reading comprehension strategies and use them appropriately before, during, and after reading to understand tasks 1.5 Make inferences about texts using stated and implied ideas from the texts as evidence 1.6 Extend understanding of texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, other familiar texts, and the world around them Writing 1. Generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended

purposed and audience Oral Communication 1.4 Demonstrate an understanding of the information and ideas in a variety of oral texts by summarizing important ideas and citing important details 1.5 Make inferences using stated and implied ideas in oral texts 1.6 Extend understanding of oral texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights; to other texts, including print and visual texts; and to the world around them Religion Created and Loved by God Living in Relationships Growing in Commitment Visual Art 1. Produce two- and three-dimensional works of art that communicate ideas (thoughts, feelings, experiences) for specific purposes and to specific audiences

Assessment: Observation, Anecdotal Notes, Work Samples, Response Rubric

Prior Knowledge: Students should understand the term visualization and how it helps the reader to make or maintain meaning.

Program Department NCDSB 2008

Materials/Teacher Preparation: • Just Another Ordinary Day by Rod Clement • Water Dance or Cloud Dance by Thomas Locker • Pachabel’s Canon or other inspirational CD • 8 x 10 blank white paper • Pencil, Pencil Crayons, Crayons, Markers • Construction or mural paper • Reading Response Journal/Writer’s Notebook • Religion Book

Modifications/Accommodations: Identified students are listening and illustrating so will not require any modifications. The reflection piece may be completed on the computer if necessary. Prep: the MT by covering the book’s cover with plain paper (i.e. construction or mural) as you want the students to have no clues other than the title about the story beforehand Instructions: Day 1 – Double Period (Religion – Guided Imagery) Dim: classroom lights and have music playing quietly in background Invite: students to get into a comfortable position (laying heads down on desk, etc.) Explain: that what the students will be doing is Guided Imagery and it will be a way to take a journey using “their mind’s eye”Reinforce: that the students must take it seriously and try to relax and just set their minds free Guide: the children through a series of relaxation exercises including deep breathing. (School libraries also have reference materials in the teacher section to help with guided imagery). Allow: students about ten minutes to relax just by speaking in a gentle calming tone…relax your arms – feel the tension move from your shoulders...down to your elbow…into your hands to the end of your fingertips…and out the ends of your fingertips Determine: if the students are relaxed enough and then begin the guided imagery Elucidate: that the students are about to go on a journey. Tell the children to float from their bodies and look down to see their own body relaxing in the classroom. Have them go up through the ceiling of the school and fly to about 20 metres above the school and look down. Ask them to pay attention to what they notice about the top of the school. Have them fly. Be very descriptive here so the students can create vivid mental images i.e. Feel the wind gently caressing your face and feel your hair freely flowing…notice the blueness of the sky, white marshmallow clouds and the abundance of the corn fields below you. Continue in

Program Department NCDSB 2008

this descriptive manner until you have the children floating down into a lush green space Challenge: students to look into the distance at a large red maple tree and notice that there is a man resting below it. Have the students walk towards the tree and sit beside the man. Explain that the man is Jesus and he holds a closed hand out to them and encourages the student to take what is in his hand. Students will examine closely what Christ has given him or her for several minutes noting the size, shape, colour of the object. Ask Christ what he wishes that s/he do with the object or item Instruct: the students to place the object into a pocket in their pants, say goodbye and walk back to the place that they first landed Explain: that is now time to return to the school and take them back the same way as they came, finally coming back through the ceiling and reconnecting with their body Invite: the students to sit up when they are ready and take out their Religion Book, RRJ, or Writer’s Journal and using pictures and words describe the experience, what object Christ gave him or her, and what its relevance is and Christ’s purpose for giving the object to him or her Provide: time for reflection and writing Share: whole group when students have completed their reflective journey (don’t do this beforehand as some students may borrow ideas) Link: visualization to cognitive awareness and comprehension (note: that there will probably be a few students that have difficultly relaxing enough or will be too worried about peers to truly partake in this activity. You may need to try this several times with different scenarios for these reluctant students to feel comfortable enough to “Let Go…Let God!) Day 2 – Double Period Prep: the MT by covering the book’s cover with plain paper (i.e. construction or mural) as you want the students to have no clues other than the title about the story beforehand Activate: students schema by reviewing how we use the metacognition strategy of visualization to help with our comprehension (the importance of having that mini movie playing in one’s head) Cite: possible times in the past were visualization has been beneficial by giving some of your own examples as well as student responses Explain: that the students are to listen to the story while you read it aloud and try to create mental images in their head. Remind the students that this is an active listening lesson and they are not to interrupt or ask questions during the story Read: Just an Ordinary Day through without stopping Ask: the students if they would like you to read through the story a second time Challenge: The students to now draw the mental image that was the most vivid and speaks to them on a blank 8.5 x 11

Program Department NCDSB 2008

Explain: that students are not to talk or share their ideas with anyone rather just get that mental image onto paper Distribute: the paper and have the students begin working independently Provide: a good amount of time to complete their visualization (at least a half of an hour if not longer) Invite: the students back Explain: that you will re-read one page at a time and invite the students who had illustrated that particular page to share their visualizations whole group and then show the author’s (illustrators) interpretation of the scribed words. Follow: this method for several pages. The students will be very surprised because their schema will have prompted them to illustrate the words much differently than the author’s interpretation represents Question: why the students would have such a different take since the title is “Just an Ordinary Day”. Discuss: the above question prompting the response that our ordinary day is based on our own schema – what an ordinary day looks like to us. Whereas the main character’s ordinary day is very different from ours but ordinary for her. State: that although our schema activates prior knowledge and is helpful in aiding us in our comprehension, it can also bias or influence us in a way that may limit our thinking. Therefore readers must be aware of making generalizations based on what is already in one’s “backpacks” Predict: prior to reading what a particular page’s illustration will look like based on what you know from the previous pages. Soon the students will begin to use what they have recently learned about the story to predict upcoming pages Compare/Contrast: students’ illustrations to the author’s illustrations for the reminder of the story sharing thinking along the way Extensions:

• Writing – Using a text such as Water Dance or Cloud Dance have the students create a story or poem based on just the pictures

• Art – using the same texts above read the words but do not share the pictures. Using pastels create a piece of art that tells the story of the words. Type the line that reflects the piece and attach it to the bottom of the piece.