Classroom Activities
Daily Reading
The format for day-to-day reading will be the same, with variations in time due to the length of the chapters. Assuming that stamina is there, we will read one chapter per day, with the exception of chapter 2 which will take 2 days. If we are still working on building stamina, we will read half a chapter in the morning and finish the reading in the afternoon. Since I am in a self-contained classroom, I have the flexibility to re-arrange my schedule in ways that work best for the students. Most classrooms will not have this luxury.
We will begin each day by looking at the graphic novel chapter from the day before in order to refresh our memories of where we were in the story. The illustrations will help give visual prompts to encourage speech and conversations about the previous reading. Next, we will look ahead in the graphic novel to the pages which will cover the next chapter. Ideally, each student would have their own copy of the graphic novel, realistically, I will project my Kindle version onto the board, and we will discuss based off of that. Students will make predictions as to events in the upcoming chapter based on the graphic novel illustrations, as well as by discussing the chapter title. Notes will be taken by the teacher and remain visually prominent in the classroom during the activity.
Listening while reading will be the next activity. Each student will have their own copy of the novel The Golden Compass. They will each have scaffolded support to assist them in tracking while we read. Some students might use index cards, others visual color trackers, if a student needs full support to remain focused and tracking, they will have a teacher or paraprofessional to sit with them and assist. The audible version of the chapter will be played while students listen and track. I will most likely play the audio at a slowed down pace to make following along and processing easier for the students. Listening times listed in content reflect normal speed, so you will need to adjust your schedule accordingly. It is important that you monitor the students’ tracking ability during this time. Paras that are in the classroom will be expected to assist or to follow along in their own copy as a model of a positive reading experience.
After reading the chapter, we will summarize what happened in that chapter onto our chart. We will then read the same chapter pages in the graphic novel. Students may use inference to predict what is happening in each panel and what the characters might be saying. We will then read the text within the graphic novel. We will note any differences between the book and the graphic on our chart. Finally, we will re-visit our predictions for the day to determine if we were right. If there are any burning questions or predictions for the next days reading we will note those as well.
As a final comprehension exercise, or an “exit ticket”, I will create a single panel comic frame that summarizes the days chapter. It will have a missing element, a setting, character, statement within a speech bubble, that the student will need to fill in. While students work on this frame, I will circulate the room, talking to each of them about what they are adding and why, and assisting them with any spelling or visual techniques.
An extension activity for each chapter will be a short Blooket or Kahoot quiz. These can easily be found pre-made, or you can create your own. When done in my classroom, I read the questions and the answer choices out loud and focus on accuracy percentage and not on speed.
An additional extension activity would be to focus specifically on vocabulary within each chapter. Since my focus with my Life Skills class is on building stamina and comprehension, I am not focusing on vocabulary for this unit.
Character Sketches
These graphic organizers will be completed as information is gathered on the characters in the story. Students, with help of the teacher, will list physical descriptions of the characters, using inference based on words in the novel, or from the pictures in the graphic version. They will list character traits of the characters based on what they have read. They will list information about the Daemon of the character. What it is? If there isn’t one why? After the brainstorming is done and logged on the shared slide show, I will help the students to write and AI prompt to generate an image of the character and their Daemon if they have one, and cut and paste this image onto the graphic organizer as well. The Graphic organizer will be a slide show that is presented to all the students and worked on collaboratively as a class. Should students be on a higher level, they can have their own blank digital or print version to fill out as we go. Otherwise, they will have access to the shared slide show to review. The individual character sketches will also be printed out and added to a classroom character wall once they are complete.
Final Project: Classroom Daemons
Towards the end of the book, students will start brainstorming ideas based on the question, “What form do you think YOUR Daemon would take?” They will use visual storytelling techniques to create and introduce their personal Daemon to the class. Students will create a poster to introduce their Daemon to the class. They can do this in several ways, using traditional art techniques such as drawing, or painting, or they can choose to create a digital image using the website storyboardthis or even using AI to create an image. A rubric will be created giving them suggestions to choose from as well as a point structure for grading.
Presentation and Celebration
Students will present the poster of their personal Daemon to the class. They will be expected to show the class their visual poster as well as give an oral presentation about their Daemon. Students will have the option to present using visual reminders of key discussion points, or even having what they want to say prewritten and use text to speech to share with the class. Students will practice their presentations with teachers or paras before they present in order to build confidence.
Following the presentation, the class will watch the movie version of The Golden Compass.
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