Making Friends with Rosie

Making Friends with Rosie Student Book 4c, pages 74 75 Applying Strategies Instructional Focus EVALUATING POINT OF VIEW Evaluating point of view is the process of thinking about the purpose and values of the writer (or of a character), thus gaining a deeper understanding of the text. Instructional Approach GUIDED OR INDEPENDENT READING Making Friends with Rosie Student Book 4c, p. 74 Guided and Independent Reading Kit Selection available on audio CD. Expectations LANGUAGE O: Oral R: Reading W: Writing ML: Media Literacy O Identify and question the point of view in oral texts R Express and support opinions about ideas in texts R W Identify the point of view presented in a text and suggest alternative perspectives Identify their point of view and other possible points of view, and determine whether the information supports their view About This Selection This free verse tells about trying to get enough courage to talk to a new classmate. It looks at how to initiate a friendship through common interests. The poem has few challenging words, but the format may make it less accessible to students who have had little exposure to this spare writing form. ACCESSIBILITY Easy Average Challenging ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING Ongoing Observation Students who understand will look for clues that tell them what the writer thinks is important look for evidence that the writer sees different sides of a problem think about what the writer wants them to do or believe explain how evaluating point of view helped them to understand the selection Differentiated Instruction If students do not understand, provide extra support in a guided reading lesson (See Differentiated Instruction: Guided Reading, p. 25) If students find this text difficult to read, use a shared reading approach, or choose an alternative selection from your school collection Assessment Demonstration Task, p. 28 Key Assessment Questions What words or sentence(s) help you figure out what the author thinks is important? What evidence showed you the author looked at different sides of the problem? What do you think the author of this poem wants you to do or believe? How did evaluating point of view help you understand Making Friends with Rosie? Assessment Tools BLM 2: Oral Language Tracking Sheet BLM 3: Small-Group Observation Tracking Sheet BLM 4: Self-Assessment Checklist and Personal Goal Setting BLM 6: Strategy Rubric Strip Evaluating Point of View BLM 8: Demonstration Task Thinking about Points of View Making Friends with Rosie 23

Before ACCESSING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE 1. Tell students they will be reading a poem called Making Friends with Rosie. Have them predict who or what Rosie might be. Ask students to think of times when they have made friends. What did they do? 2. Direct students to turn to their partner and pretend they are meeting for the first time. What will they say? What will they ask? Encourage pairs of students to share their ideas. During INTRODUCING THE TEXT 1. Invite students to preview the selection. Ask: What text form is Making Friends with Rosie? (poem) Why do you think the author might write a poem about making friends? (making friends can be hard or scary; making friends is about emotions and poems are sometimes about emotions) 2. Review Applying Strategies on Student Book page 74. Ask: How will evaluating the author s point of view help you understand the poem? (helps me know what the author thinks is important, whether the author sees different points of view; helps me see what the author wants me to do or believe and I can decide if I agree) READING THE TEXT INDEPENDENTLY 1. Tell students to read the poem independently. Remind them to think about the characters points of view as they read. Ask them to see if more than one point of view is indicated. Applying Strategies Evaluating Evaluate the author s point of view, values, and beliefs while you are reading: Look for clues that tell you what the author thinks is important. Look for evidence that the author sees different sides of a problem. Think about what the author wants you to do or believe. 74 Getting Along Vocabulary Written by Jean Little Illustrated by Cybèle There s a girl in my class I want to make friends with. When something is funny, the two of us smile At exactly the same moment. I like her already. She came a week ago But I haven t spoken to her yet. I ll do it though As soon as I figure out how to begin. It is tricky because she is blind. Everybody else is fussing over her. I ll help you, Rosie, they coo. They tell her stuff she doesn t want to know And they grab her elbow and push her around As though she s a walking doll Or a puzzle piece. They ask her dumb questions like How do you get dressed? and What do you think colours look like? coo a soft, murmuring sound figure out think out, come to understand fussing a lot of bother, excited activity Izzy, Willy-Nilly title of a book Rosie is reading Strategy Tip: Read ahead, then reread As students come across unfamiliar words or phrases, have them read to the end of the line or section. Then return to the beginning of the line and see if they now understand the new word(s). Ask students to locate and read the last three lines of the poem. Ask: What is Izzy, Willy-Nilly? How did you figure this out? 24 Nelson Literacy 4 Teacher s Resource: Getting Along

2. Provide students with sticky notes to mark places in the text where a point of view is indicated. 3. Give students BLM 5: Considering Different Points of View. Encourage them to include a range of characters in their chart, for example, the girl who is telling the story, Rosie, other students, the teacher. OR FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT I want her to know right away That her blindness is not what I like about her. It s her laugh I like And the things she says. She s reading Izzy, Willy-Nilly on tape. I love that book. Maybe I could start with that. Word Study Reflect on Strategies: Why do you think the author wrote this poem? How does thinking about point of view help you understand the poem? Connections: Think about other stories with characters who are blind. How are these characters treated? Word Choice: Antonyms 1. Ask students to suggest synonyms for friend. You may want to remind them of the synonym task completed when reading Dear Caroline. 2. Then ask them to suggest antonyms for dumb. Remind them that an antonym is the opposite of the original word. Record their suggestions. Try to help them find several choices. (smart, clever, intelligent, bright, brainy, brilliant) 3. Write the following words on chart paper: funny, like, love, tricky. 4. Ask students to work with a partner, and direct each pair to copy the list and write an antonym for each word. You may wish to use Word Study Master 2. 5. Together, list all the antonyms the pairs have found. (funny: solemn, stern, humourless, sober, grave; like: dislike, hate, detest; love: hate, abhor, detest, loathe, can t stand; tricky: simple, easy, effortless, no problem; friend: opponent, enemy, foe, rival, opposite team, adversary) Discuss how these words can be used to make writing more interesting. 6. Add words to the ongoing class chart. 75 DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: GUIDED READING 1. Review the discussion the whole class has just completed. 2. Read the first eight lines of the poem to students. Ask: Who is telling the story in this poem? (a girl in school; probably one of the girls in the picture) What do we know so far about her point of view? (she likes a new girl in the class; she likes Rosie because they smile at the same things) 3. Direct students to read to the bottom of page 74. Ask: Why hasn t the storyteller spoken with Rosie? (Rosie is blind and everybody is fussing over her) How are other students treating Rosie? (treating her like a doll; asking dumb questions) What is the storyteller s view of how the other students are behaving? (she doesn t like it; she says they grab her, treat her like a doll, ask dumb questions ) 4. Have students finish reading the poem. Tell them to think about what the storyteller wants to do. CONTINUED Making Friends with Rosie 25

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: GUIDED READING 5. After they have finished reading, ask: What does the storyteller like about Rosie? (her laugh; things she says; Rosie is reading a book the author likes) Why does she say her blindness is not what I like about her? (the other kids are treating her differently because she is blind; the storyteller is looking at things that make them the same not different; the storyteller can see that they like the same things, and Rosie being blind doesn t change that) 6. Copy the chart from BLM 5: Considering Different Points of View onto chart paper. 7. Have students suggest characters that can be written on the chart. (storyteller, Rosie, other students, teacher) Ask: What is the storyteller s point of view? (she thinks Rosie would be a good friend, and the other kids are acting silly; she doesn t know how to meet Rosie) What is your evidence? Where did you find it? (in the text, the storyteller says: I like her already; It s her laugh I like/and the things she says; I love that book; They ask her dumb questions) 8. Have students think about one of the other students in Rosie s class. Ask: What is his or her point of view? (blind kids are different; I don t know how to treat her; she needs my help) What is your evidence? Where did you find it? (in the text, everybody is fussing over Rosie; they grab her elbow and push her around; they ask her dumb questions) 9. Have partners discuss other characters, and then complete the chart together. After These questions and activities give students the opportunity to share and consolidate their learning about evaluating an author s point of view. You may use BLM 2: Oral Language Tracking Sheet and BLM 3: Small- Group Observation Tracking Sheet to track students progress through the unit. REFLECTING ON THE STRATEGY 1. Remind students that when we evaluate the author s point of view we try to decide what the author thinks is important. Ask: How did you evaluate the author s point of view in this poem? (looked for what the author thought was important; tried to figure out whether the author saw different points of view; thought about what the author wanted me to do or believe) What did the author think was important? (making friends with Rosie in a sincere way; not treating Rosie as different because she is blind) Did the author see different points of view? (not really; she described how other kids behaved and she didn t like what they were doing) What do you think the author wants you to do or believe? (that blind people are very capable and should be treated with respect; that you should make friends with people who share your interests) 2. Read the Strategies questions on Student Book page 75 to students and give them a few minutes to discuss them with their partner. Circulate as students talk. Share common responses and ideas with the whole group or class. 3. Read the Connections question on page 75 to students and ask: What are some other stories featuring characters who are blind? How are these characters treated? Where do you think the author got some of her ideas? (talked to blind people, thought about her own friends) (If students are not familiar with Jean Little, you may wish to point out that she is visually impaired, and she may have written this poem from personal experience.) ORAL: DISCUSSING THE TEXT 1. What is this poem about? (making friends with a new girl in the class; being friends; treating blind people like everyone else) 2. What are some attributes you look for in a friend? (loyal; funny; good athlete; smart; honest) 3. How do you make a new friend? (talk to them; share something; show them around the school; help with homework) 4. What was the author s idea of how to make a friend? (talk about a book they both like) Do you think that will work? Why? 26 Nelson Literacy 4 Teacher s Resource: Getting Along

WRITING: FRIENDSHIP FREE VERSE 1. Discuss friendship with students. Ask: What are some important ideas from this poem that could be used to describe friendship? (treat people like you want to be treated; find things you both like) What are some words and ideas that come to mind when you think of friends or friendship? (loyal; fun to be with; do things together; like the same stuff; funny; good feelings) Have you ever had a time when you made a special friend or lost a friend? How did you feel? 2. Have students brainstorm ideas about a friend or friendship, and ask them to write down their ideas (for example, they could write about making or losing a friend, or things they like to do with friends). 3. Ask them to read over their words and combine them in a free verse. 4. Encourage students to share their writing. Ask: Is the writer s point of view clear? About the Author: Jean Little Jean Little was born in Taiwan in 1932. When she was seven, Jean and her family moved to Canada. Jean was born with severe visual impairment but knew from an early age that she loved reading and writing. With great determination and optimism, she attended regular classes at elementary and secondary school. Later, she graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A. in English language and literature. In 1962, Jean wrote her first children s novel, Mine for Keeps, about a child with cerebral palsy. The book was inspired by Jean s early teaching experiences among children with different abilities. It went on to win the prestigious Little, Brown Canadian Children s Book Award. Since then, Jean has published 26 other books. Her stories celebrate all abilities and all aspects of life and they provide realistic happy endings. Jean herself could be a character in one of her own books: she is legally blind; has won eight literary awards; has taught children s literature at the University of Guelph; and has travelled widely, talking to children about the joys to be found through reading and writing. Making Friends with Rosie 27

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING Checking Progress Demonstration Task Distribute BLM 8: Demonstration Task Thinking about Points of View. Direct students as follows: In the first row (Author thinks), write what you think Jean Little believes is important. In the second row (Other children think), write what the other children think is the right way to act with Rosie. In the third row (Rosie thinks), write how you think Rosie feels. In the fourth row (I think), write what you believe after reading this poem. Use examples to support your ideas. Key Assessment Questions Students may respond to the Key Assessment Questions either in writing or orally in a conference. Ask: What words or sentence(s) help you figure out what the author thinks is important? What evidence showed you the author looked at different sides of the problem? What do you think the author of this poem wants you to do or believe? How did evaluating point of view help you understand Making Friends with Rosie? Record individual progress on BLM 6: Strategy Rubric Strip Evaluating Point of View. Next Steps Use the following resources to give students further opportunities to practise the reading strategy of evaluating the author s point of view. Nelson Literacy Guided and Independent Reading Kit #31 Easy: Conflict: On the Table #32 Average: Frank Advice #33 Challenging: Difficult Dilemmas Other Nelson Resources PM Library, Ruby Level: Train Music PM Library, Sapphire Level: Somebody Moved in Next Door PM +, Ruby Level: Needing a Friend Power Magazine, Volume 4: Animals at Risk Strategy Rubric Strip: Evaluating Point of View A full-size version of this rubric, suitable for recording assessments, is provided on BLM 6. Criteria Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 identifies clues that indicate what the writer thinks is important with some identifies evidence that the writer sees different sides of a problem with some identifies what the writer wants the reader to do or believe with some connects the reading to personal experience with some explains how evaluating point of view helps the reader understand what is read with some Cross-Curricular Application recognizes different points of view in other areas of the curriculum with some Student Self-Assessment Encourage students to think back to their learning with Dear Caroline and Making Friends with Rosie and reflect on their ability to use and understand evaluating point of view as a reading comprehension strategy. Ask them to describe, while conferencing with you or a peer, how they might have used this strategy in other subject areas. Then ask them to check off the appropriate box on BLM 4: Self-Assessment Checklist and Personal Goal Setting. 28 Nelson Literacy 4 Teacher s Resource: Getting Along