Sammy’s Choice by Mallory Lefland

TP: Good readers can identify with characters 26/11/15 IDENTIFICATION TP: Good readers can identify with characters Bell work: We are going to read the short story “Sammy’s Choice” by Mallory Lefland. In your copy book, write down some ideas as to what you think this story is about.

TP: Good readers can identify with characters 26/11/15 IDENTIFICATION TP: Good readers can identify with characters Bell work: Think about any story/novel you have read. Which characters did you identify with and why? For example, in the story What’s the Worst that Could Happen? I could identify with Murphy Murphy because I can be quite clumsy too and often trip or fall.

PAIRED TASK The picture on the next slide shows the words that appear most often in Lefland’s story. The larger the word, the more often it appears. TASK: With your partner, discuss what you now think the story is about, based on the words in the picture. Write down your ideas in your copy books.

PREDICTION TIME! “Hi! I’ve wanted to get to know you for a while. Want to sit with me at lunch?” How do you think Lucy will respond? Why?

DISCUSSION TASK Sammy lies to her mum about where she is, and the dare she is given involves lying to Lucy about wanting to be her friend. TASK: In groups, discuss times when you told a lie. What did you lie about? Who did you lie to? Why? How did you feel about lying? Did they ever find out the truth? In your groups, choose one person for each of the following jobs: Chairperson – makes sure everyone contributes and stays on task Recorder – writes down what you discuss Reporter – reports back what you discussed to the class Time keeper – monitors time & moves group along as necessary

30/11/15 MAKING CONNECTIONS TP: Good readers make connections Bell Work: If Sammy goes through with the dare – by pretending to be Lucy’s friend – what could go wrong?

TP: Good readers make connections 30/11/15 MAKING CONNECTIONS TP: Good readers make connections Bell Work: Sammy lies to her mum about where she is, and the dare she is given involves lying to Lucy about wanting to be her friend. Think about a time when you told a lie. What did you lie about? Who did you lie to? Why? How did you feel about lying? Did they ever find out the truth? Write your answers In your copybook.

TP: Good readers make connections 29/11/15 MAKING CONNECTIONS TP: Good readers make connections Bell work: Think about any story/novel you have read. Which characters did you identify with and why? For example, in the story What’s the Worst that Could Happen? I could identify with Murphy Murphy because I can be quite clumsy too and often trip or fall.

THINK, PAIR AND SHARE “She kind of froze when I waved to her.” TASK: Why do you think Lucy reacted this way? Share your ideas with your partner and write down your suggestions in your copy book.

CLASS DISCUSSION “The fight started because she started to sit with me.” Why would Lucy choose to have lunch with Sammy over sitting with her best friend?

30/11/15 DIARY ENTRY TP: Understand and apply the features of diary writing. Bell Work: Copy out the sentences below, making any necessary corrections. The students desks are lined neatly in a row. She doesn’t hardly get any sleep at night. Their are too many cooks in the kitchen.

SUCCESS CRITERIA FOR A DIARY ENTRY In pairs, discuss the features of a diary entry. Points to consider: What is normally included at the start? What point of view is it written in? (1st, 2nd or 3rd person) What tense is it mainly written in? What kind of things do people write about? Are events told in the order that they happen (chronologically) or not? What style would you expect it to be written in? (formal or informal)

11/12/13 DIARY ENTRY TP: Understand and apply the features of diary writing. Bell Work: Write down as many features of a diary entry as you can remember.

WRITTEN TASK Imagine you are Lucy. Write a Diary entry about the first day you Sat with Sammy and her friends. Refer to events in the story to make it believable. Things to think about How did you feel about being asked to go to lunch with Sammy? What did you think of her and her friends? Why do you think she asked you? What are you hoping to gain from this?

Swap your book with the person sitting next to you Swap your book with the person sitting next to you. Read their diary entry and write down 2 stars (things they’ve done well) and 1 wish (something they need to improve) in their copy book. IMPORTANT: Make sure your comments are specific! Refer to the success criteria we created.

15/12/14 DIARY ENTRY TP: Edit and redraft our diary entries. Bell Work: Write down as many features of a diary entry as you can remember.

The students desks are lined neatly in a row. 16/12/14 DIARY ENTRY TP: Edit and redraft our diary entries. Bell Work: Copy out the sentences below, making any necessary corrections. The students desks are lined neatly in a row. She doesn’t hardly get any sleep at night. Their are too many cooks in the kitchen.

If you have finished your first draft: Circle or underline all your sentence openings in one colour. If you see a lot of repetition, try to change the sentence structure. Use another colour to mark missed punctuation. In another colour, underline words or phrases that are not very exciting and change these. For example, ‘went’ could become ‘raced’. You can use a thesaurus to help. Check that you have included all the features of a diary. Check that what you have written is accurate: it matches with the events of the story. Create a final draft of your diary entry, with improvements. ONLY once you have done this, you can read quietly.

10/12/15 Reading Comprehension TP: Review our answers for the reading comprehension assessment Bell work: Copy the sentences below, making the necessary corrections. 1. alaskas waters are rich in seafood salmon crab halibut and herring 2. would you like to fish in alaska 3. their are fishing tours you can go on 4. whales can be seen off the coast of alaska two 5. eye wood enjoy going on a whale watching tour

15/12/14 Reading Comprehension TP: Practise our reading comprehension skills Copy out the correct version of each sentence. A. The runner's clothes were thrown out the window. B. The runner clothes were thrown out the window. C. The runners' clothes were thrown out the window. D. The runners clothes were thrown out the window. A. He wasn't at the game because he was sick. B. He was'nt at the game because he was sick. C. He wasn't' at the game because he was sick. D. He wasnt at the game because he was sick. A. The paper edges show lots of wear and tear. B. The paper's edges show lots of wear and tear. C. The papers edges show lots of wear and tear. D. The pape'rs edges show lots of wear and tear.

2/12/15 Determining importance TP: Good readers are able to determine importance Bell work: Write a short summary (5 – 6 sentences maximum) about what happens in the story “Sammy’s Choice”

3/12/15 Theme Teaching Point: Good readers are able to identify the themes of a story Bell work: Copy and complete the sentences below by choosing the correct word for each space. 1. She couldn’t eat _________. (anything, nothing) 2. I didn’t see ___________. (nothing, anything) 3. We ___________ hardly see through the fog. (could, couldn’t) 4. She did not have __________to read. (anything, nothing) 5. I could not see ______ way to help. (no, any)

CLASS DISCUSSION “I don’t really understand why, but for some reason I was starting to feel bad for what I was doing.” Why did Sammy send the letter if she didn’t want to hurt Lucy’s feelings? Who do you think was more upset, Lucy or Sammy? Why?

What do you think the main message/moral of the story is? TALKING POINT What do you think the main message/moral of the story is?

DISCUSSION TASK Sammy chooses her popularity over doing what she thinks is right. By doing so, she doesn’t just hurt Lucy, but ends up hurting herself too. TASK: In groups, discuss the concept of popularity. What do you see as the benefits of popularity? What about the drawbacks? Is being popular always worth it? If not, why not? In your groups, choose one person for each of the following jobs: Chairperson – makes sure everyone contributes and stays on task Recorder – writes down what you discuss Reporter – reports back what you discussed to the class Time keeper – monitors time & moves group along as necessary

5/1/14 Analysis Teaching Point: Good readers gather evidence to support what they say about a text Bell work: Write a short summary (5 – 6 sentences maximum) about what happens in the story “Sammy’s Choice”

9/12/15 Analysis Teaching Point: Good readers gather evidence to support what they say about a text Bell work: What are the similarities between ‘Sammy’s Choice’ and ‘What’s the Worst that Could Happen?’ What are the differences?

13/12/15 Analysis Teaching Point: Good readers gather evidence to support what they say about a text Bell work: Do you think Sammy made the right choice at the end of the story? Give a reason for your answer.

8/1/15 Analysis Teaching Point: Good readers gather evidence to support what they say about a text Bell work: Copy and complete the sentences below by choosing the correct word for each space. 1. She couldn’t eat _________. (anything, nothing) 2. I didn’t see ___________. (nothing, anything) 3. We ___________ hardly see through the fog. (could, couldn’t) 4. She did not have __________to read. (anything, nothing) 5. I could not see ______ way to help. (no, any)

BACKING IT UP! It’s not enough to just make a sweeping statement about a text, we need to also become literary detectives and look for clues (evidence/quotations) to support what we say. EXAMPLE: Sammy is a dishonest person. (point) At the beginning of the story, she admits: “During October I had cheated on a math test.” (evidence)

THINK, PAIR AND SHARE What is the major problem Sammy faces in “Sammy’s Choice”? Write your answers down in your copy book.

TASK 1 What is Sammy’s reaction when she is first given the dare? How does she feel about pretending to be Lucy’s friend? Find evidence to support what you say. Create a table in your copybook. POINT EVIDENCE

TASK 2 How does Sammy feel towards Lucy as the dare goes on? Does her problem get better or worse? Find evidence to support what you say. Create a table in your copybook. POINT EVIDENCE

TASK 3 Is Sammy’s problem solved by the end of the story? How is she feeling about what has happened? Find evidence to support what you say. Create a table in your copybook. POINT EVIDENCE