Connecting to prior knowledge
Before reading
Read the title and show the front cover to introduce Amy and Louis, explaining that these are special friends who live next door to each other and love to do everything together. Ask students to share with a partner responses to questions such as:
- Do you have a friend who lives close to you?
- Do you have a special friend?
- What do you like to do with your friend/s?
- How do you get in touch with your friend?
- Do you have a special way of greeting/talking to each other?
During reading
Tell students that Amy and Louis have a special way of calling for each other and ask them to listen for this. Also have them listen for things that Amy and Louis do together to see if these match what they like to do with their own friends.
Exploring the text in context of our community, school and ‘me’
After reading
In groups of four, have students discuss questions such as:
- Do you have any special words you use in your family or with friends?
- Do you have different ways of saying ‘hello’?
- Have you ever moved away?
- Have you ever had a friend or someone in your family move away?
Ways of greeting/calling each other
As a whole class, collect special words and different ways of greeting/calling each other. Discuss when and why we use different ways to communicate. Explain to students the origin of the word ‘cooee’. They could use this during outdoor activities and greet each other using a different language or system (such as signing) each day.
Experiences of people moving
Ask students to stand in one part of the room if they have had a friend/family member move away, and in another part of the room if they were the one that moved away. In these groups have students share:
- How they felt
- Whether they still communicate with friends/family and if so, how?
Ask students who are in neither group to imagine how they would feel and how they could still communicate.
Have the groups share their responses in a whole class discussion. Record key feeling words. Ask students to notice if the feelings of different groups are similar or different.
Rich assessment task
Jointly construct OR model how to make a short video clip, on an iPad or other device, to show the special way that Amy and Louis call each other AND explain the origins and uses of this special call. In groups of three, have students make their own videos to show a special way of greeting/calling someone, and briefly explain when and why it is used.
Responding to the text
Use think-pair-share and have students discuss:
- What makes someone a special friend?
- Why do you think Amy and Louis are such special friends?
As a whole class, share group responses. Record key ideas, words and phrases. These could be used to create a ‘friendship’ word wall.
Exploring plot, character, setting and theme
Tell students that you want them to help look for clues in the words and pictures that show:
- Amy and Louis were special friends
- Why their friendship was special
Display the front cover. Using think-pair-share, ask students to look at the picture and see what they notice about how Amy and Louis are drawn. As whole class, share observations, being sure to elicit features such as:
- they are facing each other
- they are sitting close to each other – close enough to touch each other
- both are looking at what Louis is holding
- looks like Louis is talking and Amy is showing she is listening and interested
- they are playing with the same things
- they are sitting the same way, but opposites, like in a mirror
Scaffold students to interpret what this shows the reader about Amy and Louis’s relationship. For example they:
- are close
- are interested in the same things and each other
- listen to and show respect to each other
- are equals
- are like a reflection of each other
Continue modelling/jointly deconstructing the book, recording clues in a table (PDF, 124KB). Depending on students’ familiarity with this process and their knowledge about language and images, you may want to look at language and images separately.
Stop at the point where Amy moves away and ask students in small groups to examine the two double pages, seeing what differences they can find in how these pages are drawn compared to the first part of the story.
Model a Venn Diagram (PDF, 95KB) to show what was similar and what was different for Amy and Louis when Amy moved away.
(AC9E1LE01) (AC9E1LE02) (AC9E1LE03) (AC9E1LY05)
Rich assessment task
Making connections with characters, events and own experience, sharing personal responses
Have several students take the ‘hot seat’ as Amy and Louis and ask them how they felt about being separated. Then have them complete Venn Diagrams (PDF, 294KB) comparing Amy and Louis’s events, experiences and feelings to those of them and their friends.
Students will then film each other orally sharing their response to the book, drawing on the information in the Venn Diagrams to support their connections and preferences.
Examining text structure and organisation
Revise with students the stages/parts of a narrative:
- orientation/setting (beginning)
- complication/problem
- resolution/solution (ending)
In pairs, have students locate where they think the complication begins (when Amy moved away) and where they think the resolution begins (when Louis called out to Amy). Confirm these two points as a whole class.
Building on their previous work, model finding and recording clues in the words and illustrations (in the orientation stage) that show how things usually were.
In pairs, have half the class examine the page where the complication begins, and the other half the page where the resolution begins. Ask students to find clues in the words and illustrations that show a new stage of the story is beginning. Join each complication pair with a resolution pair, and have them share their findings.
As whole class discuss findings and record the clues. Below is a suggested format for recording these findings.
| Stage of the story | Clues in words to show how things usually were | Clues in picture to show how things usually were |
| Orientation | Begins with Amy and Louis and tells us what they do together
Amy and Louis’s names are on every double page It uses ‘they’ a lot to show the two are together |
Begins with Amy and Louis close and show us what they do together
Amy and Louis are on every double page |
| Stage of the story | Clues in words to show it is beginning | Clues in picture to show it is beginning |
| Complication | ‘But one day’ (a signal that something different happened that changes the usual)
Only talks about Amy and her family – Louis’s name is not on the page |
The colour has gone
We can only see Louis and then on the next double page we can only see Amy |
| Resolution | ‘So’ (a signal that something is going to happen – Louis is going to do something to try to solve the problem)
Louis used the special signal word again – the first time since the problem started |
All the colour has come back
The signal words are written very big – first time they go across double page and looks like they are stretching out to reach Amy |
Examining grammar and vocabulary
A closer look at language clues – words that tell us ‘where’
Explain that the author uses words that give extra details (circumstances) telling us where Amy and Louis are. This is important to show us about their friendship and how it changes when Amy moves.
For the orientation stage only, have half the class look for details about Amy and the other half details about Louis, completing relevant tables (PDF, 135KB) showing where each character was.
Reform as a whole class to share and discuss what this shows: Amy and Louis were never far apart, even if they were doing different things in different places. They were in the same yard, or the same room or next door. Point out the importance of this in relation to being able to call out to each other with their special word.
In the same pairs, have students record in relevant tables the ‘where’ details for the complication and resolution stages.
As whole class share and discuss findings and importance for the story.
Provide colour-coded cards (PDF, 112KB) for students to build sentences. The ‘where’ cards could also be used to complete a cloze activity.
Rich assessment task
Review discussions of visuals that depict the stages of the narrative, relating these to showing feelings. Ask students to note body language. List findings:
| Happy | Sad |
| Lots of bright colour Sun shining Smiling faces Looking up |
No/not much colour – dark/dull Raining Small mouth/mouth turned down Looking down, shoulders down |
In groups of four, have a pair of students act/pose for a photo to show Amy and Louis in the orientation stage, with the other pair providing feedback and taking a photo. The pairs will then swap roles for complication stage.
Innovating on Amy and Louis to plan and create stories
Deconstruct the plot of Amy and Louis (PDF, 104KB) as a class using teacher modelling and guided questioning.
Demonstrate how to improvise on the plot to plan a class story using questions based on the book. For example, have students:
- suggest names for the characters (preferably imaginary characters) and then as a class choose TWO
- brainstorm things the characters could do and then decide on THREE
Record these brainstorms under headings and make them accessible for students to draw on when constructing their plans.
Jointly construct a class story from the brainstorm. Filling in the template from top to bottom, it will read as a story. Where several options have been provided, it is recommended you choose just one, e.g. one summarising statement about what life was usually like.
Ask students what kind of visuals could be drawn/created to go with the three different parts of the story, being sure to draw out comments reflecting the study of images in Amy and Louis, such as:
- use of full colour and bright colours versus no/little colour and dull colours
- showing the characters together and close or separated
- the body language and facial expression of the characters
- what the characters are doing
Model or jointly construct THREE visuals, one to accompany each stage of the story:
- the two characters playing together
- page divided in two halves, with each side showing one friend alone after one has moved/gone away
- page divided in two halves, showing how the friends now communicate: one side showing one friend calling/sending a message and the other hearing/receiving the message
These could be hand drawings or created using digital tools or staged photographs.
Model placing/pasting the written text onto/next to the visual, either on paper or in digital form.
In addition, students could work in pairs or small groups and, writing in role as either Amy or Louis, jointly construct text to accompany the three visuals. These could then be compared and displayed.
Rich assessment task
Using techniques modelled in class, have students innovate on Amy and Louis to plan, write and illustrate a story about them (the students) and their special friend (real or imaginary).
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