Participating Classes in 2015
Fish in a Tree, the Chapter!
If the author chose the name of this chapter (29) to be the title of the book, it had to be an important chapter! We were alert for Reading Signposts from the start! Here are some that we spotted:
- Again and Again: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Ally running out of rooms
- Memory Moment: remembers swinging with grandpa
- Tough Questions: “Why can’t I read?”
- Kiesha’s Words of the Wiser: “Hunched over and silent is no way to meet the world.”
- Albert Einstein’s Words of the Wiser: “Everyone is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking that it’s stupid.”
Character Hot Seat gave us a chance to ask these characters the hard questions we have been wondering about. After making a Character Wheel, texting in character for a couple of weeks, and much discussion as we read, we were ready to become Ally or Shay or Albert…or a Halloween character, perhaps!
5SK – Skyping with Miss Wagenhauser
We were super lucky this morning to Skype with Miss Wagenhauser in New York State. She read chapters 30 and 31 from Fish in a Tree and participated in our Character Hot Seating. Both Miss W and the students asked many deep questions that really made our ‘characters’ think about how they behaved in the story towards others.
5SK and I look forward to Skyping again in Week 6 with Miss Wagenhauser.
5SK’s Class Lipogram
This is a lipogram we created as a class.
Our Lipogram
Skyping with Ms. Fishman
Today we enjoyed Skyping with Karaline Fishman from the State University of New York (SUNY) Geneseo. She read Chapter 30 and 31 to us and asked us questions. We enjoyed the skype session and can’t wait to do it again.
Lipogram by 3FS Vegemites
As Ms Farrer-Stevens had been away ill for a number of days we were running short on time, so we changed the letter E. So far we have only changed one sentence.
We changed :
Billy cut several bats out of construction paper.
Into:
Billy cut many bats out of construction card.
Billy cut lots of bats out of plastic.
Billy cut two bats out of card.
Lipogram By Mrs Boyd’s Bunch
We changed words with the letter ‘A’. So:
Billy grabbed Papa’s sleeve. He stared up at him. “Don’t worry Dad,” he said. I’ll never forget you.”
“I’m not worried,’ said Papa, “Not one little bit.”
And they went into the house, side by side, to spread the good news.
Became:
Billy held Pop’s sleeve. He looked up to him. “Don’t worry Pop,” he replied. I’ll never forget you.
“I’m not worried,” replied Pop, “Not one little bit.”
So they went into the house, side by side, to tell the good news.
Fish in a Tree Chapter 25
Is the poetry award an authentic award? Support your answer with evidence from the book.
The Year of Billy Miller: Sister; 3 – Sister, 5
Character Hot Seating
You have been in Billy’s world for a few weeks now and have learnt more about him and some of the other characters in the book. In a classroom students often have different opinions on why or what motivates a character to do and act a certain way. This activity allows you to form opinions about a character.
TASK
1. In pairs choose a character you would like to ask specific questions to.
2. Create a list of 5-10 questions.
3. Have one child at the front of the room sit in a chair.
4. This child assumes the identity of one of the characters from the text.
5. The class then asks the character questions.
6. The child in the seat answers questions in character.
Fish in a Tree: Chapters 25 – 33
Character Hot Seating
You have been in Ally’s world for a few weeks now and have learnt more about her and some of the other characters in the book. In a classroom students often have different opinions on why or what motivates a character to do and act a certain way. This activity allows you to form opinions about a character.
TASK
1. In pairs choose a character you would like to ask specific questions to.
2. Create a list of 5-10 questions.
3. Have one child at the front of the room sit in a chair.
4. This child assumes the identity of one of the characters from the text.
5. The class then asks the character questions.
6. The child in the seat answers questions in character.