Ocean

Being a code breakerExplore the following language features:• Hearing words: the children couldlisten for words in the text with twosyllables. They could clap each timea word with two syllables is read:didn’t, ocean, seahorse, stingray.• Hearing sounds: the children couldlisten for words with the /s/ sound:octopus, saw, sea, seahorse, see, star,stingray.Being a text userRefer to the text and the list made priorto reading the book when discussingthese questions:Which of the animals in the book were on ourlist? Which were not?What does this book teach you about theocean?What kind of book is it? How do you know?Being a text criticCould this story be true? Why or why not?Would you ever go diving in the ocean? Whyor why not?Responding to textCreate underwater murals on theclassroom windows. Provide thechildren with coloured paper, felt tippens, cellophane, shiny paper, glue andscissors. Ask the children to work incooperative groups to make anunderwater scene using some of theanimals from the book.Provide books, posters and accessto CD-ROMs about the ocean.The children could select an animal thatlives in the ocean and write two or threesentences about it and illustrate theirpage for a class book.Create a memory game. Providethe children with twelve smallcardboard cards. Ask them to select sixanimals that live in the sea, and draweach one on six of the cards and write thename of each one on the other six. Thechildren can then play a game of memorywith a partner and share their games.WritingInnovate on the text of In the Ocean.Point out the pattern of the familiarrhyme used throughout the book. Ask thechildren to work with a partner to createtheir own version of this book.AssessmentCan the children:• recognise errors and attempt to correct them?• read the text with an understanding of its rhythm and rhyme?whole text activity sentence activity word activity