by Philip C Stead
A little girl named Sadie goes on a long journey to deliver an elephant to her great aunt Josephine who she believes is very lonely and in need of company. However, Sadie soon discovers that she will need to come up with a creative way of delivering this special present.
Strategies/Skills Used
Reading Strategy 6: Connect what you read with what you already know.
Reading Strategy 9: Identify and interpret literary elements in different genres.
Reading Strategy 11: Make inferences and draw conclusions.
Reading Strategy 12: Reflect and respond.
Writing Skill 2: I organize my ideas based on my purpose for writing.
Writing Skill 6: I choose the tone and point of view that suit my writing purpose.
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: PRE-READING
(1) Explain to students that good readers must figure out the hidden messages in texts and passages, and that this is called inferring. Explain that authors use inferring in their writing in order to “leave spaces for the reader’s thinking. Good authors don’t like to spill the beans all at once in their stories.” – Adrienne Gear (Reading Power).
(2) Introduce the activity “Inferring from Clues” from Adrienne Gear. Have students practice being text detectives and look at each picture and with “mindful eyes.” Have students (i) infer what the characters are feeling; (ii) give two clues why they believe the characters are feeling this way; and (iii) give a reason or a “maybe” why the characters would feel this emotion.
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: DURING READING
(3) Introduce the picture book by showing students the front cover illustration. Elicit student responses to the following questions: Why is the plane upside down? Why is the cover in the shape of a stamp? Why do you think there is an elephant on the plane?
(4) Begin reading the first few pages of the book. Then, stop at the page of the conversation between Sadie and the alligator. Using the Bubble Thinking strategy and the Thinking and Talking Bubble Graphic Organizer, instruct students to write in the Talking Bubble, “Will you guide me down the river?” Then, in the Thinking Bubble, instruct students to write and/or illustrate what the alligator is probably thinking after Sadie asks him that question.
(5) Remind students to look closely at the pictures in the book for clues, such as the expressions on characters’ faces and the sizes of the characters, to help students make inferences.
(6) Continue reading the story and repeat this process halfway through the book, and again near the end when the elephant is delivered. Allow time for students to fill in the Graphic Organizers.
(7) Ask students to share their responses with a partner or in a small group, sharing ideas to further develop their thinking about the story. Ask students if they expanded or realized new meanings in the text after conferring with each other.
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: POST-READING
(8) Using the activity Flipping the Familiar or Story Within a Story, reflect on the main ideas that the class remembers from the reading.
(9) Introduce a character, such as the elephant, whose circumstance is the result of the main character’s antics. Wonder with the students what the elephant’s story might be.
(10) Interactively create tone and language for speech and thought balloons that would accompany this character.
(11) Invite students to write the story within the story from this character’s point of view.
(12) Have students share stories in a read-aloud format or any other way you see fit.