Literature - Jackdaw/Book Talk

Day 2

Goals:

1. The students will select a piece of adolescent literature dealing with the Caribbean.

2. The students will become familiar with how to create a jackdaw and a book talk.

Time:

one and a half hours

Resources/Materials:

see list of adolescent literature on day one of the first week - Introduction lesson, see list of adolescent literature on day two, three, four each week - Literature Circles lesson

Arroz con Leche by Lulu Delacre

The Cat's Purr by Ashley Bryan

The Chalk Doll by Charlotte Pomerantz

Coconut Kind of Day by Lynn Joseph

Come on into My Tropical Garden by Grace Nichols

An Island Christmas by Lynn Joseph

My Grandpa and the Sea by Katherine Orr

My Little Island by Frane Lessac

Not a Copper Penny in My House by Monica Gunning

Tukama Tootles the Flute by Phyllis Gershator

Turtle Knows Your Name by Ashley Bryan

Under the Sunday Tree by Eloise Greenfield

Ajeemah and His Son by James Berry

Caribbean Canvas by Frane Lessac

Caribbean Carnival: Songs of the West Indies by Irving Burgie

A Caribbean Dozen: Poems from Caribbean Poets by John Agard and Grace Nichols

The Future-Telling Lady and Other Stories by James Berry

Junius Over Far by Virginia Hamilton

My Name Is Not Angelica by Scott O'Dell

Spiderman Anancy by James Berry

A Thief in the Village and Other Stories by James Berry

A Wave in Her Pocket: Stories from Trindad by Lynn Joseph

pencils, paper, library

Procedure:

1. The teacher will have a variety of adolescent literature books dealing with the Caribbean displayed in the classroom.

2. Students will select a book from those displayed, or they can go to the library to find one of their own, that relates to the Caribbean area.

3. The students will read their books silently for one hour.

4. Then, the teacher will explain a new way to give a book report, a jackdaw or book talk (a jackdaw is a collection based on a historical event, historical figure or period, often includes facsimile copies of diaries, letters, newspaper articles, advertisements, or other evidence from the time. A book talk is a creative way to get people interested in reading the book by representing a small portion of a book. A few ideas are a television commercial, a brief act or play, becoming one of the characters, or designing a new book cover as a few examples).

5. The students will then take some time to think about how they want to get other students interested in reading the book they began reading.

6. The teacher will inform the students that they need to finish the book by Thursday of this week and be ready to explain their book talk or jackdaw that day through a brief five minute presentation.

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on participation. (See participation rubric found at the end of the week's lesson.)

Curricular Strands:

English - reading, writing, creating, literature

Social Studies - facts learned about Caribbean through literature

Art - self expression, designing something for jackdaw or book talk

Possible Extensions:

Students could work in small groups to recreate a scene from a book that they read. Student could also cook food that people in their book may have eaten.

Carribean Unit - written by Trina Collins, Richard Wheeler, & Daniel Shimek

This page submitted by St. Norbert College Ocean Voyagers Program