Teacher Notes
Who's Hiding?
Published August 2008
A note for teachers
This story can be used for the following:
* Understanding and using a visual text to become increasingly skilled as speakers, listeners, readers and
writers
* Reading a story with a predictable structure
* Shared reading
* Enjoying re-reading opportunities, combined with letter sound knowledge
* Progressing to reading as an independent text
* Maths and Art activities
Follow up with Who’s Driving?, also from Gecko Press.
Resources
Books showing animals in their habitat, a book on drawing simple facial expressions, individual white boards and markers.
Learning Intentions
* To match one written to one spoken word when reading, establishing careful pointing
* To learn to read and write the word "who"
* To distinguish between a question and a positive sentence
* To understand and learn about opposites
Session 1
Prior to reading
* Explain learning intentions
* Develop vocabulary that relates to books: title, author, illustrator, etc
* Give clear explanation about the word "who", hear and find the "h" sound
* Query why these animals might be hiding?
* "Who’s hiding?" is a question. What is a question? How did I know it was a question?
* Evolve purpose of book and children’s role
* Name the animals together, use initial sound for justifying when necessary
* Explain and model matching one spoken to one written word, (point under initial sound)
Read the story and find out who is hiding, the answers are on the back page, just in case!
* Children to look and identify, explaining who is hiding… after each page
* Question "how was …hiding"?
* Why couldn’t we see him?
* Can you name all the animals from their eyes at the end? Think of criteria that could be helpful.
Discussion points
* Why couldn’t we see the animals that were hiding? Develop the idea of why animals hide in the
wild and how. Show examples from non-fiction resources, or find later, to reinforce. Make a list of
words that relate specifically. Keep for revisiting.
* Think of real or imaginary reasons why rabbit might be crying, bear is angry…
* Make angry faces, show the person next to you. How do you feel when you see an angry face?
* Why do animals have horns?
* What does backwards mean? Who can show us? Who can use words to explain? What is the opposite of
backwards?
Follow Up Activities
Animals: Look at other resource material
* With partners or in groups find an animal that can hide, is hard to find, is camouflaged in it’s
environment/habitat. Share with each other how these animals behave. (Model first with a child using
the kinds of questions and thinking if they are not used to this type of activity). Report back. Show
and explain how their animal blends in with their environment, explain what or who they need to hide
from
* Ask the children to think of occasions when people might need to blend in with their environments.
* What is the opposite of hiding? Who wouldn’t they want to find them? Who knows the special word
that means animals or people can hide because their colours or clothing helps them to?
* Feelings: Make a list of feelings, expressions, children to show on their faces, talking/remembering
why, when
* Tell a little story to a partner. Model first, partner will think how you were feeling. Circulate to help.
Children share some stories.
* Discuss the opposites of movements (easier) than feelings. Show exact face/expression, then the
opposite. Play an Opposites game.
* Referring to a resource with children and individual whiteboards or paper show how to practise
drawing faces with expressions
* Share read the story together, pointing as you read , reminding children that clever readers look
carefully at beginning sounds.
* Reflect on/draw out what we learnt today…relate back to learning intentions
Session 2
Who’s Hiding? As a context for writing
Learning Intentions
* To form a question
* To learn to write the word who, for differentiation - contractions who is becoming who’s
* To learn to write a question aided/unaided (diff) and perhaps an answer (diff)
* To learn to write a question mark
Revisit the book
Explaining that we will write our own question beginning with who is ..., and an answer to go with it if we can. Read aloud the story, carefully pointing and matching one written to one spoken word. Reflect on what was discussed previously.
Animals: Can they think of other ways/in other places in which creatures hide, eg make a list of creatures like crocodiles, elephants or you could just choose to do creatures native to NZ. Draw from the children what they know, how do these creatures hide, why?
or.
Feelings: Reflect on moods and feelings. Encourage really interesting vocabulary by asking how would you feel if won a helicopter ride /why and create a question who is …nervous, terrified thrilled…really try to unearth a range of feelings, children’s own experiences…
What is a question? Think of 2 or 3 appropriate questions together and write up, modelling desirable writing strategies.
* Before going to write independently, warm up to writing by thinking first about surface features that
will, as appropriate to the level, run through letter sound knowledge with alphabet cards.
On individuatl whiteboards write the word family to do, then who (remember the silent w). Check pencil
grip, direction and orientation.
the ? of course that goes at the end of a question
any other high frequency words needed such as is the
Contraction of who is, explain and think of others.
the ing phoneme- generate and write a few ing words on w/bs – show
for diff. look at verbs that end with e when we add ing like hide… make…smile.
Refer back to learning intentions.
Children to think of their own question beginning with who (to do) with animals or feelings, as the focus. Tell the person next to them. Listen carefully to make sure it is a question. What is the answer to your question? Share the answer with the person next to you. What you will draw to help explain your question. Circulate to listen in and help. Find great examples to share with the whole class.
Independent writing time, scaffolded for those who require teacher assistance.
Ask who can tell what you are looking for when you go to write independently today (learning intentions).
Explain you would love to read an answer to their question if they would love to write one.
Think carefully about the words you learnt to write earlier. Clever writers listen carefully for sounds they need in their writing and use their alphabet cards to help them. Remember spaces between words. Keep reading back over what you have written to see what will come next. A question will have a …(question mark).
Let’s have fun writing!
Share examples at the end of the session, finding/proving how learning intentions have been fulfilled.
Who’s Hiding? As a Whole Class Maths Warm Up or Activity
Sorting
Discuss, whole class, how these animals can be grouped. Children will offer a range of criteria using colour, size, habitat, attributes such as horned, number of legs, mammals/non mammals and one that doesn’t belong to either, wild/farm, pets/ not pets, plain/patterned, climate, those that can swim.
Use as a group activity (model first, assigning roles within the group, deciding together what roles there will be) –
Give criteria and a p/c of the animals. They will need to cut up. Ask them to talk, decide and sort as a group. They will need to listen to each other.
As individuals give each a copy and ask children to differentiate and group. They can decide criteria…these animals are all….these animals are not…. They may need to justify.
Shape
Discuss the range of shapes the artist has used to draw these very simple but effective animals and describe. On individual w/bds give verbal instructions using shape, positioning and size to recreate an animal.
Develop by inviting one child to give clear instructions on where to begin, which shape, size…to the class as they listen, think and draw
With a partner can they give careful instructions?
Who’s Hiding? as an art activity
Discuss shapes and draw. Look at how the hippo for example looks like an oval that has had two parts pinched and pulled upwards. Model and have children draw their own. Have them choose an animal. Describe the shapes, and any changes to that shape, they can see to a partner. What other features will they need to include. How could they embellish their animal further, discuss patterns, colours, habitats, preferences, real or imaginary. Could be a simple drawing or a collage activity. They could create own animal by combining different features from different animals. Can they create a habitat or put their animal into a context of some kin d?