Connecting to prior knowledge
Connecting with the book
Look at the front cover and ask students if the picture reminds them of anywhere they have been. Point out the boat and ask if anyone has been on a boat before. Ask students to predict the importance of the boat and its occupants, i.e. ‘Do you think the boat will be important to the story? Who do you think the people in the boat are?’
Turn through the pages of the book without displaying any of the words. Have students guess what is happening in the pictures and the story. Ask whether they think the name of the boat is significant.
Ask students if they have read a Jeannie Baker book before. If so, does that experience help them predict anything about this book?
Read the book as a class and discuss students’ predictions. Were they correct? What was different? Was the book what they expected?
Exploring the text in context of our community, school, and ‘me’
Community walk
Take the class for a walk around the school community, including the school grounds and the surrounding areas within approximately half a kilometre. Have students carry a clipboard with paper to note down anything significant or of interest. If possible, have students take photos; if not, you will need to take some photos for them.
When students get back to the classroom, they can engage in a think-pair-share activity about their experience using the notes they took on the walk.
Share and discuss some photos from the walk as a class. Jointly construct a Y chart about what students saw, felt, and heard.
Rainforests and coastal environments
Using a digital platform like Flickr or YouTube, show students pictures or footage (including sound) of coastal and rainforest environments. Ask them to reflect on these images and any personal experiences they have had with these environments. Jointly construct Y charts on both environments.
Using different coloured markers, highlight the similarities and differences between the coast and the rainforest. Then use different colours to highlight the similarities and differences with their school environment.
Rich assessment task
Have students create pictures of themselves with the characters from the book in each of the three environments, i.e. a rainforest environment, a coastal environment, and their school environment. Students can incorporate drawing, painting, or other artistic mediums. They will also create speech bubbles and written dialogue for one or more of the characters and place them in an appropriate spot on the pictures.
Through a short oral presentation, students should demonstrate an understanding of the features of the different environments, and how the characters interact with them.