Guided Reading Handbook Blue to Turquoise

The Mermaid and the Octopus Book Band: Blue A mermaid plays a clever trick on a greedy octopus in this fantasy story.

Skills focus • Draw on knowledge of vocabulary to understand texts • Make inferences from texts

• Predict what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far • Check reading makes sense

Guided reading session You will need

Heads together

• Multiple copies of Collins Big Cat The Mermaid and the Octopus • Photograph of an octopus

Look at page 2 together. Discuss the picture on page 2 and ask children to find the following items: a tea cup, two buns, a teapot, a spoon, chair, a necklace and a crown. Read the text on page 2 together as a group, with the children pointing at each word and joining in where they can.

Tune in Display a photograph of an octopus.

Ask the following questions: • What do you know about octopuses?

• How many arms do they have? (eight) • Where do they live? (in the sea)

Ask the following questions: • What was the mermaid doing? (having tea) • Who saw the mermaid? (the octopus) Read page 3 together.

Introduce the book by looking at the front cover together.

Ask: How do you think the mermaid is feeling? (scared, shocked)

Ask: What characters do you think are in this story? (an octopus and a mermaid)

Ask: What did the octopus say? (I’m going to get you!)

Model reading the title using fluency and accuracy. Write the word ‘Mermaid’ on the board for the children to see.

Model segmenting and blending the word ‘mermaid’ m-er-m-ai-d. Point out the ‘er’ and ‘ai’ sounds.

Explain that this is a fantasy story, about an imaginary character – the mermaid (a creature that doesn’t really exist in real life). Ask children to describe a mermaid.

Look at the title page. Reread the title. Read ‘Written

by Julia Donaldson’.

Ask the following questions: • Does anyone know of any other stories written by Julia Donaldson?

• Who has heard of the Gruffalo?

Turn the book over and read the blurb. Recap that a blurb tells us more about the book. Can the children predict what will happen?

Discuss different strategies for reading the book, for example: segmenting and blending the words ‘get’ g-e-t, ‘lot’ l-o-t, ‘cup’ c-u-p, ‘bun’ b-u-n, using picture clues, checking for sense and high frequency words.

Recap the sounds ‘ea’, ‘ar’, ‘oo’, by looking at the words ‘eat’, ‘sea’, ‘tea’, ‘beads’, ‘arms’, ‘spoon’.

Practise reading the words together.

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Point out the exclamation mark and model reading with expression. Ask children to practise reading page 3 in pairs using expression. Can the children predict what will happen next?

Ask children to read on in pairs. Recap the strategies for reading. Move around the group, listening and supporting where needed.

Wrap up Look at page 7 together. Can the children find the word ‘teapot’? Show children this is a compound word and how to split it: ‘tea/pot’.

Turn to page 13.

Ask the following questions: • How is the octopus feeling? (cross) • Why is the octopus angry? (the mermaid has gone, she tricked him) • How did the mermaid trick the octopus? (She gave him eight things to hold so he couldn’t get her.)

Explore pages 14 and 15. Ask children to name all the items the octopus is holding.

Split the children into two groups. Ask one group to think of words to describe the octopus and the other group to think of words to describe the mermaid.

Share the children’s ideas. © HarperCollinsPublishers 2017

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Big Cat Guided Reading Handbook: Blue to Turquoise

Vocabulary boost session You will need • Multiple copies of Collins Big Cat The Mermaid and the Octopus • A selection of fantasy stories

Vocabulary table Focus word Child-friendly explanation

Example sentence

Tell me…

mermaid

An imaginary creature that is half-girl and half-fish.

The mermaid swam in the sea. Tell me what a mermaid looks like.

fantasy

If something is a fantasy, it is make-believe.

I read a fantasy story about a dragon.

Tell me what other fantasy creatures you know of.

imaginary

If something is imaginary, it is not real.

My little brother has an imaginary pet.

If you had an imaginary pet, what would it be?

Tune in

Heads together

Explain that in this lesson the children are going to look in more detail at some words linked to the text.

Write the three focus words clearly for the children to see. Read the words together. Discuss and explain the child-friendly meaning of each word.

Explore a selection of fantasy stories.

Reread the text.

Ask the following questions: • What type of text is this? (fantasy story) • Which creature is imaginary in this story? (mermaid) Ask children if they know of any other stories about mermaids.

Ask: What fantasy creatures are in the stories?

Make a list of imaginary creatures found in fantasy stories. For example: unicorns, dragons, monsters, mermaids, fairies.

Ask children to work in pairs and discuss their own make-believe creature. Could it be half-human and half-animal? Share ideas.

Wrap up Recap the three focus words by discussing the questions in the ‘Tell me’ column of the table, above.

Challenge children to think of a sentence using one of the focus words.

Follow-up independent sessions You will need • • • • • • • •

Non-fiction books about octopuses A collection of fantasy books Collage materials Resource sheet: Role on the wall: Octopus Resource sheet: Role on the wall: Mermaid Magnetic letters and boards Paper and coloured pencils A collection of Julia Donaldson books

Explore a selection of non-fiction texts about octopuses. What can the children find out? Can they find one fact they didn’t know before?

Ask children to look at a selection of fantasy stories.

What creatures are in the stories? Can the children make a list of the creatures in the fantasy stories?

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Let the children create a collage of the setting ‘under the sea’.

Role on the wall for either the character of the octopus (Resource sheet: Role on the wall: Octopus) or the mermaid (Resource sheet: Role on the wall: Mermaid). The children label the picture with adjectives to describe their character on the inside and their appearance on the outside.

Ask children to create the high frequency words from the book using magnetic letters and boards: ‘the’, ‘and’, ‘was’, ‘an’, ‘had’, ‘said’, ‘you’, ‘he’, ‘going’, ‘do’, ‘want’, ‘took’, ‘them’, ‘ask’, ‘my’, ‘gone’. Can the children find the words in the book?

Ask children to design, draw and label their own fantasy creature: part-human and part-animal.

Ask children to look at other stories written by the author, Julia Donaldson. Which is their favourite character? Which is their favourite book? Can they choose a character and describe them?

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Fly Facts Book Band: Turquoise This non-chronological report explores the life of common flies and explains how they can be both dangerous and useful.

Skills focus • Draw on knowledge of vocabulary to understand texts • Identify/explain key aspects of fiction and non-fiction texts, e.g. character, events, title

• Identify/explain the sequence of events in texts • Read words accurately and fluently

Guided reading session You will need

Heads together

• Multiple copies of Collins Big Cat Fly Facts

Before you start reading, tell the children that in this lesson you will be focusing on reading fluency (reading ahead to each word so that your reading is smooth and moves quickly) and the life of a fly.

Tune in Introduce the book by asking children to read the title together.

Ask the following questions: • What kind of book do you think this is? (information) • What makes you think that? (title, photograph) • Do you know what a fly is?

• What do you know about flies?

• What do you want to know about flies?

Before you turn to the title page: Ask the following questions: • Can you name the features of an information book? (contents list, photographs, captions, labels, diagrams, glossary, index) • Where in the book can we find the contents list? (title page) Turn to the title page and read the contents aloud, encouraging the children to follow and join in with you. Look together at the words ‘fly’ and ‘flies’. Write them both on the board and check that the children understand that ‘flies’ is the plural for ‘fly’.

Ask: How does the spelling of ‘fly’ change when it becomes ‘flies’.

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Read page 2 aloud and encourage the children to follow as you read. Model reading smoothly, demonstrating how you read ahead so that you have already thought about the next word as you reach it.

Ask children to read up to page 20 alone. As they read, move around the group, listening to each child.

If necessary, support them in reading longer words and observe how fluently they are reading.

Wrap up Return to the book, praising the children for reading fluently. You may want to ask children to demonstrate how they read a line fluently.

Ask the following questions: • What did you find out about the life of a fly?

• Is there a part of the book that is about the life of a fly? (pages 12 to 15) • Can you use the book to help you find out what happens after the mother fly lays the eggs? Next?

After that?

• In the whole book, what did you find most interesting about flies?

• Was there a part of the book that you didn’t like? Why? • Did you like this book? Why?

© HarperCollinsPublishers 2017

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Big Cat Guided Reading Handbook: Blue to Turquoise

Vocabulary boost session You will need • Multiple copies of Collins Big Cat Fly Facts

Vocabulary table Focus word Child-friendly explanation

Example sentence

Tell me…

tiny

Tiny means very, very small.

He had a tiny cut on his finger.

Tell me about something that is tiny.

sticky

If something is sticky, it is soft or thick and wet and it sticks to other things.

When the drink spilled, Tell me what things are sticky. it left a sticky mark.

invisible

If something is invisible, it means it cannot be seen, maybe because it is hidden or very small.

The green caterpillar was invisible on the green leaf.

Tune in Explain to the children that in this lesson they are going to look closely at some of the words the author has used and what those words mean.

Read the book aloud to the children, asking them to follow and join in as you read.

Refer back to each of the focus words within the context of the story, writing up the word, giving a child-friendly explanation and asking children to say the focus word with you. For example: The book tells us that flies have tiny pads on their feet. Tiny means very, very small. Now, say the word with me – ‘tiny’.

You may wish to use the examples in the table, above.

Refer to each of the focus words that you have written up and give the children the example sentences. Then ask them to interact with the word meanings by asking the questions in the ‘Tell me’ column. You may wish to demonstrate by giving some examples of your own.

Ask children to say the words with you once more.

Tell me about a time when something has been invisible.

• On my birthday, I brought in a cake. Everyone in the class had a big piece. The cake was tiny. (no) • When the chocolate melted in the sun, it went sticky. (yes) • Everyone could see the spider. It was invisible. (no) • The ant was tiny. (yes) • When they washed and dried the cloth it was sticky. (no) • The germs on a fly’s feet are invisible. (yes) Encourage the children to make links to their own lives and experiences to help them.

Wrap up Review the word meanings by doing the following activity. Turn to page 7.

Ask the following questions: • It says that the fly has ‘tiny’ pads on its feet. Can you tell me what ‘tiny’ means?

• It also says that the pads are covered in ‘sticky’ hairs. Can you tell me what ‘sticky’ means?

Heads together

Turn to page 8 of the book.

Explain to the children that you are going to say some sentences that make sense and some that don’t make sense. They have to decide – if it makes sense, they should say ‘yes’; if it doesn’t make sense, say ‘no’. Tell them to listen carefully!

Ask: It says that the fly brings ‘invisible’ germs with it.

Can you tell me what ‘invisible’ means?

Challenge the children to use the words as often as they can, both at school and at home.

Follow-up independent sessions You will need • Multiple copies of Collins Big Cat Fly Facts • Resource sheet: Questions for Fly Facts Ask children to work with their Reading Partners and to read the book aloud. Encourage them to practise

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reading smoothly by reading ahead and getting ready for the next word.

Give children a copy of Resource sheet: Questions for Fly Facts. Say that the children are going to be the teacher! They make up some questions to ask their partner about the book.

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