Educators' Guides for Luke on the Loose
HARDCOVER ISBN 13: 978-1-935179-00-9
LEXILE LEVEL: GN 170
GUIDED READING LEVEL: J
LEXILE LEVEL: GN 170
GUIDED READING LEVEL: J
Lesson Plan:
Before Reading | A first reading, via either a whole-group, mediated reading or independent reading, is
advisable. Assess comprehension by having students summarize basic story elements
such as plot, setting, and major characters. For your own preparation, draw up a list
of “dramatis personae” to get a sense of Luke on the Loose’s speaking parts in order
to cast your performance with an eye to class size, reading ability, and so on. |
During Reading | Show the cues in the comic language that identify speakers and how they interact
with each other. Model expressive reading by choosing a representative spread such
as pp. 18-19 and acting out the various roles. Point out that even a passage such as
p. 10 has four Readers Theatre speaking parts despite its lack of word balloons: the
narration caption, spoken sound effects for Luke and his mother, and the flapping
sound effects of the pigeons. Be sure to keep such parts in mind when assigning
roles for the book. If class size is large enough, consider dividing the text so that
small groups can perform scenes (cohesive sequences of pages) together as the other
students follow along in their books as the “audience.” During the run-through, encourage students to use visual and textual clues (e.g., facial expressions, print size and color, punctuation) to guide them in terms of tone, pitch, and volume. Challenge them to find solutions (e.g. improvisation, changes in intonation) to convey the “dad talk” or the text that appears in thought bubbles. Decoding sound effects, both spoken and ambient, can be an opportunity to reinforce phonics skills. |
After Reading | Assign final roles for a performance based upon student interest and reading level.
In order to broaden participation, supplement each assignment with an “understudy”
role. (At some point you may want to have the understudies perform the book as their
own troupe.) Consider filling some of the roles yourself to help guide the action and
keep things on-task in an unobtrusive way. Then have students prepare for rehearsals
by completing the activity sheet. If they’re reading sound effects or narration, have
them complete it for their understudy role. Note that the rehearsals provide the repetitive reading of the same text that is known to improve fluency… except in this case students are apt to experience the multiple readings as play rather than a chore. |
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