- Story
- Countdown, Year 3
- Issue 6, 2019
The Sirens of Sigsbee Deep (part one)
Learning resource
Outcomes
Worksheet: Choosing your verbs wisely
Understanding EN2-4A
Create a detailed story map of ‘The Sirens of Sigsbee Deep’ using this scaffolded Mapping Your Story worksheet.
Create a True/False quiz from information found in the text, using this True False Quiz worksheet. Students can generate many questions from the text to demonstrate their understanding.
Support: Students can complete this Question Creation Chart (Q Chart)
Extension: Students create a Kahoot
Engaging personally EN2-2A
Create a LOST poster/flyer for one of the ship’s crew who has gone in search of the sirens. Students may utilise a Creating a Lost or Found Pet Flyer template or one of these downloadable/editable Missing!/Lost! Pet Writing frames.
Write an ‘I Wish’ poem about things students wish they owned. Prompts and scaffolding are provided in this I Wish Poetry worksheet.
Connecting EN2-11D
Text-to-self connections occur when we make connections between personal experiences and the text.
Text-to-Self: Have a class discussion on how do the ideas in this text relate to students’ own lives, ideas and experiences. Ask students to consider:
- 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 can complete a Connection Stem worksheet. Discuss as a class.
Teaching Strategy explained: Text-to-Text, Text-to-Self, Text-to-World Rationale.
Engaging critically EN2-2A & EN2-7B
Write an opinion/review about the text and give reasons to support, using examples from ‘The Sirens of Sigsbee Deep’ as evidence. For example, Captain Ahab is irresponsible, or possibly mad. All opinions based on facts from the story and personal inferences are welcome. Students could use an Opinion with Reasons worksheet to record their responses.
Complete a PMI chart. Encourage students to use their PMI chart to highlight three elements (in three different colours or use coloured post-it notes) within the narrative that are positive, negative and interesting:
- Plus/Positive: Good/Positive experiences, themes, messages, events and happenings in the text.
- Minus/Negative: Events in the text that are negative/bad experiences in the text, things that go wrong etc.
- Interesting: Anything that appeals to the student; questions, feelings and emotions that arise, morals, messages and connections that resonate with the students.
Experimenting EN2-10C
Create five questions where the answer is ‘spider’. For example, What is another word for arachnid? Spider.
Adapt the story, ‘The Sirens of Sigsbee Deep’ into a short clip using iMovie or Microsoft Movie Maker.
Create the next adventurous chapter in the series, when the Webweaver crew arrive at Sigsbee Deep. Brainstorm ideas as a class to support students. Use a detailed Planning Chart worksheet to organise student ideas and guide writing.
Reflecting EN2-12E
Conduct an I used to think ... But now I think … routine. This routine helps 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.
Exit Slips are a formative assessment that can be used to quickly check for understanding. The teacher poses one or two questions in the last couple minutes of class and asks student to fill out an ‘exit slip’ (e.g. on an index card) to ascertain student thinking and understanding. Here are Instructions on filling out an Exit Slip and two Exit Slip worksheets.
Further reading
Resources
Harvard Thinking Routines