Extend Your World

• The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer
• Set up whiteboard
•  Lesson vocabulary words from the Reading/Writing word wall:imaging, theme, details, illustration, plot, setting
• Extend your World powerpoint (with room examples and jungle images)
• Ipad or computer with jungle sounds playing as you read
• Kids need crayons
• Imaging with Support worksheet
• Imaging**/Visualizing Strategy Poster (to be used throughout the unit)

I chose this book because the kids can relate to having a bedroom and dreaming in their bed. The imagery and illustrations allow the students to enter a ‘dream world’ where lots of magical things happen. It also has great detail words that I’ll be focusing on to help the kids understand that author supports the reader with details in the words and illustrations.

 ** "Imaging" is the term that my district uses for "visualizing". In order to stay true to the district expectations, I'll continue to use this verbage. Visualizing is a critical skill for 2nd graders because they need to 'go deeper' in the text. By visualizing as they read, they are creating and tweaking images in their minds as they actively read. This kind of 'close reading', forming images using text, verifying and changing those images, and ultimately comparing their images to the author, creates critical readers and deepens comprehension.

Underlined words below are lesson vocabulary words that are emphasized and written on sentence strips for my Reading & Writing word wall. I pull off the words off the wall for each lesson, helping students understand this key 'reading and writing' vocabulary can be generalized across texts and topics.  The focus on acquiring and using these words is part of a shift in the Common Core Standards towards building students’ academic vocabulary.  My words are color coded ‘pink’ for literature/’blue’ for reading strategies/’orange’ for informational text/'yellow' for writing/’green’ for all other words)

Common starting point

• "When I was a girl, my mom told me I could decorate my room any way that I want.  My theme was flowers and I put lots and lots of flowers all around the room and painted it pink."
• "Does anyone else have a bedroom with a nature theme? Let's look at this powerpoint slide to see some cool settings that people use to decorate their bedroom. "Can we make a list of other nature settings that you could use to decorate a room?"
• You may want to stick to nature themes. My kids raised their hands and offered “Star Wars” and “Puppy Pals” but that doesn’t really apply to the idea of extending their world.

I am working on imaging/visualizing throughout this unit by helping students realize that this powerful reading strategy can really deepen comprehension. Take a look at some of my other lessons, utilizing the 'Imaging/Visualizing' poster mentioned in the materials section: Imagine That-Make a Picture in Your Mind, Pictures in the Snow-Imaging, Picture This-Lost and Found on a Mountain, Oh No! Duck for President-Imagine That!, and Imagine What An Inchworm Would Say.

Explain the task

• “Today I brought a book about a boy who decorates his room in his mind. The plot is full of some GREAT IMAGES and there are details to make that make his room a magical place. We can picture these images because of the detail words that he uses.”
• "The story today is literature and allows us to imagine a place beyond a normal bedroom and extend our world. Many times, it’s fun to read the plot of these fantasy books like this because we can do some imaging and go to a make-believe fun world in our imagination.”
• "Authors use these words to support their readers’ understanding. They add details and help us go beyond our four walls. I’ll add to our imaging/visualizing chart: 

Imaging/Visualizing helps us to extend our world.

• "When you draw today, I want you to add as many details of the room as you can based on the text you hear.. I’ll stop between each page so you have time to draw. Let's see if we can extend our images beyond the school to another setting."
• "When you’re done drawing, you can write the detail words that help you choose your drawing. Then I'll show you the illustration so you can compare."

Modeling

• Pass out the worksheets.
• Read the first page and show the picture and then read the second page (starting with “Where will he sleep?”…) but don’t show the picture.
• “Let me think about the details that the author uses… ‘moss that looks like little starts/leaves that are fresh and green/crickets to sing/bullfrogs to tell him stories’…..WOW great details!!!”
• "On my paper, I’m going to draw some of these images and add the words to the side.”
• Let's check the text again. I think we can add some details." This is what our discussion sounded like when we were adding details based on text.

Guided Practice

• “Now I’ll read the next pages (don’t show the picture).  What should I add to the room?  What were the details?”  Take ideas and draw and then list the words: shiny wet leaves, slide around, tree stumps with bark, boulders
• “Lots of great descriptive details.  It’s important to pay attention to the author’s details so you can form an image that makes sense.  If I were to ask you why you drew a tree stump, you could say that the author added that detail.”
• Here's my sample worksheet.
• As we discussed, my students listened to the text and one student student picked up on details that I missed.  Great imaging and listening skills!

Explain the task

• “Now it’s your turn. I’ll read the pages, hide the picture and let you draw.  If you need help, take a look at the pictures on the screen.”

Read and give students time to work

• Read the pages, hide the picture and let them use imaging to draw. Show the pictures when they’re done drawing. They should write details on the bottom of the page.
• Remember to ask them to add to their images  - a basic sketch is not enough.
• Read to the last page and have kids compare their final images with the image in the book.
• Here's my picture that I created along with the students.
• As you work, let students comment if they notice a 'theme'?  One of my students saw the theme given the images and her imaging and connection became even stronger.
• Here is a student worksheet 1 and student worksheet 2. 

Discuss

• “How did this imaging help you? What did you think about the descriptive details – were they helpful?
• "Compare your images with a friend. What was the same or different?  Here are some of my students comments on pictures with the same details but different images and their comments on different images."

This discussion is really the crux of the lesson. Students have varying drawing abilities and some are better at imaging than others. My real goal is the discussion of how imaging helps. I want students to internalize that we all have different images, based on background experience and that we can compare, verify, adjust or conceptualize a new image by looking at the illustrations in the text. This kind of introspective learning, using information gained from the illustrations and word in a print to demonstrate understanding of the plot and setting (RL.2.7) allow the student to 'take charge' of their own learning. 

Share what you know

• Now it’s your turn to ‘extend your world’.  Flip over your paper and think about how you can extend your world of your bedroom.  What kind of bedroom would you like to have?  What images can you add?  Let’s think of some ideas – remember we need details".
• “Let’s look back at the list that we started with. You can choose one of these or do your own.  Extend your world and make it a really cool place to sleep!"
• Give the kids time to draw and then invite them to come up and show ideas.
• Here's one of my student's projects.
• As a class, we discussed imaging and how it helps. This is a student's reflection how imaging helps her.

Scaffolding and Special Education: This lesson could be scaffolded up or down, depending on student ability.

Students with limited language ability will need help writing detail words. I would write them on the board or slate to help them with spelling. They should be able to draw images, but may need help spelling details for their own ‘extension’. Here is one of my student's projects. His images were not the best, but he did understand the purpose of the lesson.

For those with more ability, encourage them to use higher level descriptive words.