Sophisticated Picture Books

In Grade 5, we use sophisticated picture books to help the students develop the ability to infer meaning beyond the literal. This unit aims to help students:

• Hypothesise the author/illustrator’s message
• Identify the choices the author/illustrator has made

LEARNING EXPERIENCES:

Click on the links below to view learning experiences and resources related to this highly engaging unit. 

Sophisticated Picture Book Unit weekly plans is a planner split up into weeks

 

General:

• Sophisticated Picture Books Vocabulary List

Devices Authors and Illustrators Use:

• Writing Devices – referenced from First Steps Reading Map of Development this glossary of devices authors use can support discussion about the author’s purpose for writing a text and the devices authors use to target audiences. Select from these Discussion Questions to focus discussion on the reasons authors choose particular devices and how effective they are.
• Illustrator’s Devices – PDF listing devices used by illustrators
• Devices used in Sophisticated Picture Books
• Devices, Meaning and Connections table – docx  pdf
  
• I-see-I-think-I-connect-table (similar to above)
  

Below are some resources specific to particular titles.

Dust by Colin Thompson:

• Literal vs Inferred.(2-4 periods): – For first viewing of Dust without text. 
• Text and meaning. (1-2 periods): – Reading the text and adding a final page. 
• Dust Text– Text only version of Dust
• Dust-study guide-students use this guide while looking at the pictures from Dust slideshow minus text. They are focusing on the difference between what is literally being shown, and what the actual meaning may be.
• Devices Illustrators use and then Comparing and Contrasting Two Pages – good to introduce the techniques illustrators use. Need Venn diagram with this. (Jan. 2013)
  
• Write a wrong – Site for the two books, Dust and its ‘sequel’, The Bicycle

Varmints by Marc Craste:

• Varmints – Awesome animated short film based on the book. (25 minutes)
• The Message of Varmints – Activities for the video (40 – 60 minutes)
  

Zoo by Anthony Browne:

• Zoo. (2-3 periods) A fantastic book for practicing summarizing and looking at the difference between literal and inference. 

Colin Thompson:

• Author study – (2-3 periods): Students individually study a Colin Thompson book and respond to questions. Need a collection of his older books. Student example from 2012
• Video sharing the responses from the Author Study (post needed)
  
• Group Sharing of Book – (2 periods): Students share book read in author study lesson above.

Picture Book Rotations:

Place your students into reading groups and give each group a new Sophisticated Picture Book each week.

• Activities to use with the books:

1. What is the Meaning of the Book? – Chart to fill in and questions to answer for a blog post or video.
2. 6 hats Discussion Questions – Students could each take a hat and discuss the book using them or they could do a blog post using some or all of them in their response.

ASSESSMENT TASKS:

•  Summative assessment task (2-3 periods) – Students write a short narrative to convey a message (eg. their Exhibition issue), then select some devices to use in storyboarded images.