Developing Comprehension
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Oral Narrative
•
Dramatise/step out the story using/following
retell scaffold
The Old Frangipani Tree at
Flying Fish Point
The Story is called the Old Frangipani
Tree
When
Who
Phonics: Blends: Fr, Tr, Pr, Br, Str, wr, gr
Alliteration: favourite flower
Fine, fresh, fragrant frangipani flowers
Fine, frangipani flowers fragrance floats;
Beautiful ballerina
Phonological Awareness:
Phoneme level: Categorisation
Where
tr
tree
Trina
First
Event
By Trina Saffioti & Maggie Prewett
Event
Event
Event
Event
Conclusion
Comprehension
Semantics
• Word Relationships & description
Before reading the story ask students to listen for
these words
fragrant flowers
enormous
sweet fragrance
shiny black
waves
squashed & red
beautiful
•
•
Blank or Barretts’ comprehension questions
Visualising: The fragrance of frangipani flowers,
what does it remind you of?
Character analysis
• Describing: Describe the characters: Faithy girl,
Noelie boy, other family members
• Comparison: Compare Faithy girl and Noelie
boy
Faithy girl
long black, wavy hair
Island princess
pretty
scared/afraid, embarrassed
kind, sharing
proud
Noelie boy
short black hair
Aboriginal warrior
brave
kind & caring, supportive
wr
wrapped
wrists
wrong
excited
twisted old
branches
freshly picked
•
The Arts
jewelled sandals
•
•
•
Definition, synonyms & discussion of the
above vocabulary
Connecting & building up prior knowledge: what prior
knowledge do you have of the topic in the text (going to a
fancy dress party)
Describe this e.g. a time when this happened to you or a
friend (when, where, who, what, why, how did you feel?)
& then relate this back to the main character in the story.
pr
princess
prize
pretty
br
branches
braid
brushed
breathed
brave
braver
str
strings
instrument
dr
dress
Detection: Odd one out: Which one is the odd one out?
tree, frangipani, fragrant?
Branches, brave, pretty?
old
After reading ask the students to remember what the
words relate to/which part of the story?
fr
frangipani
fresh
fragrant
fragrance
front
Freddy
afraid
gr
granny
•
•
Still life: Drawing/painting Frangipanis flowers/tree
Textiles & printing: designing, printing and
creating a fancy dress costume from calico or
recycled materials
Music & movement: listen to & compare Torres
Strait ‘island’ music, traditional Aboriginal
percussion music & contemporary Aboriginal
artists, create movements to, follow instructions to
remember a sequence of steps.
Create traditional music & dance using sticks,
boomerang clap-sticks, handclapping, rattle &
didjeridu for a school performance
Drawing & drama: Using the ‘word relationship
words’, students draw quick sketches or represent
the words through movement and drama
Predicting
Creating images
• Sensory experience: smelling Frangipani flowers
• Do they remind you of a special time, place,
occasion and feeling?
• What images are created in your mind when you
smell these flowers? How did you feel?
• Represent these images onto paper
• Relate your experience to the characters in the
story e.g. mother, family, teachers, students.
• Introduce the students to the text by
showing them the front cover
• ‘Think aloud’ how to predict what the story
is about e.g. look at pictures and describe
– main character
– the environment e.g. in the garden, the
Frangipani tree
– location e.g. a tropical/hot place
Provide justifications: “I think this because…”
Word Relationships
Connecting
• Before reading the story ask the students to
carefully listen for some of the following words.
• After reading ask them to remember what the words
relate to/what part of the story?
• Prior knowledge: what prior knowledge do you have
of the topic in the text (going to a fancy dress party).
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
fragrant flowers
twisted old branches
enormous
sweet fragrance
shiny black waves
freshly picked
beautiful
squashed & red
old
jewelled sandals
excited
• Describe this e.g. a time when this happened to you
or a friend
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
When
Who
Where
What
Why
How did you feel?
Positive or negative experience
Share with your partner
• Relate this back to the main character in the story
Comprehension Question Paddles: Print, laminate, cut out and add pop sticks to the
back of the cards. To be used during news telling or story time to teach students how to
ask different types of questions e.g. give specific students a specific ‘wh’ card, model how
to ask the ‘wh’ question, and during question time they have to think of a ‘wh’ question to
ask about the story/news. Alternatively tell the student that you are going to ask them a
‘wh’ question (according to the card they have) during/after the story.
When
Who
Where
Why
What
How