Storm Boy by Colin Theile – A Mini Unit of Lesson Plans and Activities

By
Kalinda Knight
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Summary of lesson plans:

This unit of nine lesson plans is focused around the book Storm Boy by Colin Thiele. Activities have been designed around the themes covered from reading the required pages in each lesson. Multiple activities have been provided to engage learners of mixed learning abilities and learning styles. The activities have been explicitly designed for the Year 4 Australian Curriculum outcomes, but can be easily adapted to suit other year levels.

The unit includes a workbook that students will use to complete activities. Student workbooks can also be collected and marked for text understanding.

Australian Curriculum Links:

  • Make connections between the ways different authors may represent similar storylines, ideas and relationships (ACELT1602)
  • Use interaction skills such as acknowledging another’s point of view and linking students’ response to the topic, using familiar and new vocabulary and a range of vocal effects such as tone, pace, pitch and volume to speak clearly and coherently (ACELY1688)
  • Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations incorporating learned content and taking into account the particular purposes and audiences (ACELY1689)
  • Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning to expand content knowledge, integrating and linking ideas and analysing and evaluating texts (ACELY1692)
  • Write using clearly-formed joined letters, and develop increased fluency and automaticity (ACELY1696)
  • Discuss how authors and illustrators make stories exciting, moving and absorbing and hold readers’ interest by using various techniques, for example character development and plot tension (ACELT1605)

Lesson Plan Sequence:

Lesson Plan One

  • Display the different Storm Boy book covers.
  • What clues do they give us about what the story might be about?
  • Which cover do you prefer and why?
  • What is the same and what is different about the covers?
  • Begin reading the story up to page 11.
  • Imagine you are stuck in a big storm. How would you feel? What things would you expect to see in a storm?
  • If the wind could talk what would it say?
  • What would you expect a storm to sound like?
  • Students will participate in a storm soundscape. As a class they will try to recreate certain sounds to imitate the sound of a storm.
  • What materials should we use? Have certain groups responsible for rain sounds, thunder sounds etc…
  • Be aware of noise control and behaviour management. Use your arms so students can see when to start making sounds, when to make soft and loud sounds and when to stop.

Lesson Plan Two

  • Play the storm boy trailer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7bkqGvpb4A
  •  What did you notice about the setting in the story? Describe it to a partner.
  • Read from page 11-17.
  • Discuss the setting of the story. What is a humpy? What would it look like inside?
  • Students will research the Coorong – this is where the story is set.
  • They will write a detailed description about the Coorong and will research interesting facts.
  • After this step is complete, students will illustrate the setting. They will focus on drawing only the things that they have seen and have researched. What colours were seen? Are the colours dull and grey or bright and happy?
  • PAGE 1 OF BOOKLET TO BE COMPLETED.

Lesson Plan Three

  • Read from page 17 – 25.
  • Have students discuss the characters in the story.
  • Students to stand up. Take a huge jump and step into the characters shoes. They are now the character of storm boy.
  • Imitate how storm boy walks, moves etc… How do you feel as storm boy? As storm boy what things do you know?
  • What do you like about Storm Boy?
  • PAGE 2 OF BOOKLET TO BE COMPLETED
  • Students will describe what they like about Strom Boy, Fingerbone Bill and Hideaway Tom. They will illustrate what they think each character looks like.
  • Who is your favourite character and why?

Lesson Plan Four

Lesson Plan Five

  • Read pages 34-38.
  • What is the answer to this question: Who is the main character? – StormBoy.
  • What are some other questions we can ask where the answer is StormBoy?
  • Students to think of interesting questions where the answer must always be Storm Boy.
  • Students will write these questions on PAGE 4 OF BOOKLET. Have students share their most interesting question with the class.

Lesson Plan Six

  • Read pages 39-44.
  • If you found a pelican what would you do with it? What would you name your pelican? What sorts of things would you talk to your pelican about?
  • Students will write an interesting conversation between Mr Percival and Storm Boy.
  • PAGE 5 OF BOOKLET.

Lesson Plan Seven

  • Read pages 44-49.
  • Students summarise what happened in the pages read.
  • If you saw a boat stranded, what would you do? What could be the positives of saving the boat? What could be the negatives?
  • I want you to pretend that you actually saw a stranded boat. You need to conduct a rescue mission to save the sailors on board. What could be a creative and imaginative way to rescue the boat? Think about the resources that you have available to you on the land and in the sea. Will you use Mr Percival to help you out? Plan your rescue mission with a partner. Illustrate your rescue mission on PAGE 6 OF BOOKLET.
  • Once completed, students will act it out to class.

Lesson Plan Eight

  • Storm Boy has lost his best friend Mr Percival.
  • If you were given some clay to create something symbolic from the story what would you create?
  • Discuss how some objects are symbolic in Storm Boy. E.g: feather, lightning etc…
  • On PAGE 7 OF BOOKLET, students will draw a sketch of their clay creation.
  • Students will be given some clay to make their drawing. Play reflection music during this task.

Lesson Plan Nine

  • After reading Storm Boy, students should now have a comprehensive understanding of the story.
  • Students will complete a reader’s review and will rate the story out of 5 stars. PAGE 8 OF BOOKLET.
  • Students will have the opportunity to design their own activity based on the story. Like the many activities they have participated in, they must design an activity that directly links to a section of the book. This could be their favourite section, saddest section etc…
  • Students can present their activity to the class.
  • Choose 2 of the activities for the class to participate in.

Assessment:

  • Anecdotal records of students reading the text with you.
  • Observations
  • Collect work booklets for understanding.

Resources:

 

Booklet image references:

http://australianetwork.com/guide/ep_00046536.htm

http://clubpenguin.wikia.com/wiki/File:Life_Ring_Pin.PNG

http://www.coloring.ws/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.coloring.ws/animals/birds/pelican2.gif

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