Session 5

Focus objectives

• To contribute to decisions about ways to perform a text
• To learn to perform a text and make it come alive

Key teaching approaches

• Readers theatre/scripting

Give each child a copy of the first three pages of Chapter 3 from 'Jim and his mother walked for most of that day' until 'The boy pushed his cart out and slammed the door shut'.

During shared reading, use an enlarged version of the text displayed on a flipchart or IWB to demonstrate how to mark this up as a script. Give individual children sections of dialogue or narration to read. Ask children to work collaboratively to mark their own scripts to show the parts that they will be reading. Rehearse the reading and then discuss with the class ways this could be improved, for example by reading some parts all together, some parts loudly and some softly, or by adding sound effects. Provide guided support as appropriate.  Then perform the script again. Discuss with children what they know about how Jim was feeling at this point in the story.

Before the next session, read Chapter 5 'Behind Bars', Chapter 6 'Tip' and Chapter 7 'The Wild Thing'.