Some favourite picture books have become constants in classrooms because they fulfill particular curricular needs. For example, Rosie’s Walk provides prepositional language frames for developing stories, and Move Over, Rover! is a favourite for developing retelling skills. Chicken Cheeks provides valuable synonym exploration, and Something From Nothing is a traditional folk tale with a message. Flipping the Familiar is an instructional activity that begins with these familiar read-aloud stories and provides an opportunity for students to give voice to another perspective or story the author or illustrator has embedded within.
Strategies/Skills Used
Writing Skill 6: I choose the tone and point of view that suit my writing purpose.
(1) Recall with the class a previously explored book, and reflect on the main idea that students remember from the reading.
(2) Introduce a character from the story whose circumstance is the result of the main character’s antics. From the above stories, you will find these examples: the fox that follows Rosie on her outing, the skunk that sneaks into Rover’s house, the two ants making their way up the animal tower to the honey, and the mice who gather the scraps beneath the floor of the sewing room.
(3) Wonder with the students what these characters’ stories might be. Introduce a carpet remnant that has been cut into a speech balloon shape large enough for a student to stand on. Invite students to come forward and stand on the speech carpet to acquire the voice and tone of the character. Students can practice retelling a part of the story from the other character’s perspective, thereby flipping the familiar.
(4) Interactively with students, create language for speech balloons that would accompany these characters. The revised, class-written text can be presented in read-aloud format along with the author’s original text or as a story within the story.
Primary
Intermediate
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Secondary
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