- Story
- Countdown, Year 3
- Issue 5, 2019
Duck for Dinner
Learning resource
Outcomes
Worksheet: Digraphs
Understanding EN2-4A
Character: Complete a character development worksheet to illustrate how Sheryl Gwyther reveals clues to help students get to know the characters in ‘Duck for Dinner’. This Character Development worksheet helps students focus and analyse four ways in which an author develops characters. Explore further the English Textual Concept ‘Narrative’.
Create a detailed story map of ‘Duck for Dinner’ using this scaffolded Mapping Your Story worksheet.
Mini review: Using the scaffolded Mini Book Review worksheet students can complete and share a review of the story, ‘Duck for Dinner’.
Engaging personally EN2-2A
Write a poem about a favourite pet or other animal. Imagine being like Nina and having lots of dangerous experiences living a farming life. A variety of poetic styles/resources can be accessed at On Butterfly Wings English: Term 3 Stage 2 Poetry Unit of Work.
Complete this Reading Response worksheet, which prompts student answers to the text.
Perform a Hot Seating activity where students can explore the point of view (sometimes written as POV) of each character. Perform in groups, or as a class. Students can pose questions to each character.Explore further the English Textual Concept ‘Point of View’.
Connecting to the text EN2-11D
Background reading: Strategy explained: text-to-text, text-to-self, text-to-world
- Text-to-text connections occur when we make connections between other texts in relation to the text we are reading.
- Text-to-self connections occur when we make connections between personal experiences and the text.
- Text-to-world connections occur when we relate the text with what we already know about the world.
Text-to-self: How do the ideas in this text relate to your own life, ideas and experiences?
- What I just read reminds me of the time when I …
- I agree with/understand what I just read because in my own life …
- I don ‘t agree with what I just read because in my own life …
Students complete this Text to Self Connections worksheet and discuss as a class.
Engaging critically EN2-2A & EN2-7B
Intertextuality: Create a persuasive flow chart or infographic, using Canva, about the importance of safety and first aid, especially in Australia, where five of the world’s ten deadliest snakes live. Scaffold arguments using this Persuasion Map worksheet to organise thinking and slogan generation. Adapting structure and styles of texts draws on the English Textual Concept ‘Intertextuality’, where texts can be appropriated for audience, purpose, mode or media.
Create a mind map for ‘Duck for Dinner’, using Bubbl.us, that shows each character’s point of view regarding Fluffy Duck. What emotions were Nina, Marco, Mama and Gino feeling? How did their feelings change? How did they feel when Fluffy was in danger? How did each character’s feelings change?
Experimenting EN2-10C
Adapt ‘Duck for Dinner’ into a pensée poem using these explanatory Pensée Poem worksheets. Option to record using Audacity.
Write a paragraph about what students think the moral of ‘Duck for Dinner’ is.
Write a summary of the story using this scaffolded Retell Summary worksheet to briefly retell the story.
Outline the main events in ‘Duck for Dinner’ as explained in Using a Story Arc to Find and Summarise a Theme.
Journal: Write about how a near-death experience can change a life forever. Have students write about a near-death, or other life changing, experience they may have had.
Create a first aid poster (procedure) about how to treat/help a snake bite victim.
Reflecting EN2-12E
Conduct an I used to think ... But now I think … routine to help students to reflect on their thinking about a topic or issue and explore how and why that thinking has changed. It can be useful in consolidating new learning as students identify their new understandings, opinions, and beliefs. Record responses on this I Used to Think … Now I Think … worksheet.