Zeraffa Giraffa by Dianne Hofmeyr, illustrated by Jane Ray, … Giraffa Teaching... · ©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education. You may use this teaching sequence freely in

©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education. You may use this teaching sequence freely in your school but it cannot be commercially published or reproduced or used for anything other than educational purposes without the express permission of CLPE.

Zeraffa Giraffa by Dianne Hofmeyr, illustrated by Jane Ray, Frances Lincoln

A picture book inspired by the true story of a giraffe sent as a gift to the King of France by the Great Pasha of Egypt in the 1820s. The exquisitely composed pictures show the different stages of the journey made by Zeraffa, accompanied by her keeper, the young boy Atir. They travel downriver in a felucca ‘to the place where the sea sipped up to the Nile’ and cross the sea under a star-filled sky. On arrival in Marseilles, it becomes apparent that the only practical way to get Zeraffa to her destination is to walk the 550 miles to Paris where she becomes much admired and inspires some extraordinary fashions. The story ends on a note of connectedness between Europe and Africa. This beautiful book could form the basis for children to explore the landscapes, cultures and environments through which Zeraffa passes and map out her journey. Overall aims of this teaching sequence

To talk confidently about picture books and responses individual to them

To explore important themes of courage, perseverance and compassion

To explore the story through a variety of teaching approaches including drama and role-play

To write in role from more than one perspective To reflect on reading through keeping a reading journal

This teaching sequence is designed for a Year 1 or Year 2 class.

Overview of this teaching sequence.

This teaching sequence is approximately 4 weeks long if spread out over 20 sessions. The characters and settings are well drawn, offering young readers a good stimulus for their own descriptive and story writing and writing simple non-fiction text types.

National Curriculum 2014 Links

Reading (Comprehension):

listen to, discuss and express views about books at a level beyond that which they can read independently;

discuss the significance of the title and events;

link what they hear or read to own experiences;

explain understanding of what is read;

discuss the sequence of events in books and how items of information are related;

discuss favourite words and phrases;

answer and ask questions;

predict what might happen on the basis of what has been read;

draw inferences on the basis of what is being said and done;

participate in discussion about what is read, taking turns and listening to others;

express views about reading.

Writing (Composition / Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation):

draft and write by noting ideas, key phrases and vocabulary, and composing and rehearsing sentences orally;

sequence sentences to form short narratives;

write for different purposes including about fictional personal experiences, poetry, non-fiction and real events;

reread and evaluate writing to check it makes sense and make simple revisions;

read writing aloud with appropriate intonation to make the meaning clear;

use new and familiar punctuation correctly;

use sentences in different forms;

expand noun phrases to describe and specify;

use past and present tense correctly and consistently;

use simple conjunctions to link subordinate and co-ordinating clauses.

Speaking and Listening:

listen and respond appropriately to adults and peers;


ask relevant questions to extend knowledge and understanding;

consider and evaluate viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others;

participate in discussions, performances, role play, improvisations and debate about what has been read;

use spoken language to develop understanding through imagining and exploring ideas.

Cross Curricular Links:

Maths Number / Calculation: Children can count spots on giraffes as the people of Paris do as Zeraffa arrives. Geometry and measures: Children can investigate time passing (days, weeks, years), distance travelled, scale on maps and explore positional and directional language in relation to Zeraffa’s journey. Science Children can learn about the basic needs, food chains and habitats of the animals that inhabit the African savannah and how the new habitat Zeraffa has in France differs from this. They can explore how her needs could be met alternatively. Computing Children can be encouraged to use ICT to enhance learning: recording storytelling, filming role play, using digital photographs to make books or present ideas; create short simple e-text of book using PowerPoint that combines words with images and sounds; internet research. (See teaching sessions for more detail) Personal, Social and Emotional Children can explore themes such as looking after animals and others, and what it means to be a true friend, like Atir is to Zeraffa. They can also explore the ethical and moral decision of moving Zeraffa from Africa to France in more detail, which could also lead to a further debate about whether it is right for us to keep animals from other habitats in zoos in our country. Geography Children can investigate and describe the climate and the physical features of the African savannah and how this differs from the climate and landscape in France to determine its suitability for a place for Zeraffa to live. They can use maps to label the major continents, including Africa and Europe and look at the seas including the Mediterranean, across which Zeraffa is transported. Children can map the Zeraffa’s journey in the story using simple plans, maps, symbols and real and imagined aerial images, including those from history of the time. History Children should explore the real story behind the book, described in the final page, where Muhammad Ali, a fierce ruler in Egypt, captured a giraffe as a gift for Charles X, then ruler of France. Children can explore what a novelty the giraffe would have been at this time and how much more difficult the journey with the giraffe would have been. Art and Design Children can appreciate the artistry and range of techniques involved in Jane Ray’s intricate illustrations. Children illustrate their stories, using a range of materials and techniques that capture the magic of the story and changing landscape. Design and Technology Children can design and make a transportation device for Zeraffa. Music Children could to create soundscapes linked to key events in the storytelling and to evoke atmosphere in retelling this story and other journey tales.

Teaching Approaches

Storytelling

Responding to illustration

Visualising

Drama and role-play

Drawing and annotating

Shared writing

Conscience alley

Mapping

Debate and argument

Writing in role Book-making

Writing Outcomes

Oral stories

‘Tell Me’ responses

Letter writing

Character description

Poetry

Lyrics

Labels and explanations

Writing in role

Persuasive advert

Debate paragraph

Retelling from a different perspective.


Links to other texts and resources: Other books that explore the consequences of creatures changing habitats: The Storm Whale by Benji Davies Mr Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown The Lonely Beast by Chris Judge Wild by Emily Hughes Goldilocks and Just the One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson Other traditional tales by Dianne Hofmeyr: The Magic Bojabi Tree by Dianne Hofmeyr and Piet Grobler The Stone: A Persian Legend of the Magi by Dianne Hofmeyr and Jude Daly The Star Bearer: A Creation Myth from Ancient Egypt by Dianne Hofmeyr and Jude Daly The Faraway Island by Dianne Hofmeyr and Jude Daly Traditional Tales from other perspectives: The Pea and the Princess by Mini Grey The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith Goldilocks and Just the One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson Because of the way the story starts on the African Savannah, this sequence could link nicely with the One Day on Our Blue Planet: In the Savannah sequence and Anna Hibiscus. Children will already have a good knowledge of the savannah and what it is like to be there, which they can then compare and contrast with the new environment Zeraffa finds herself in later in the story.

Weblinks:

Dianne Hofmeyr’s website: http://www.diannehofmeyr.com/

Jane Ray’s website: http://www.janeray.com/

Guardian article about the real story: http://www.theguardian.com/science/animal-magic/2014/jan/20/zarafa-giraffe-paris-fashion

Ceramopolis story showing some of the commemorative memorabilia: http://www.ceramopolis.com/?page_id=2274

http://www.diannehofmeyr.com/

http://www.janeray.com/

http://www.theguardian.com/science/animal-magic/2014/jan/20/zarafa-giraffe-paris-fashion

http://www.theguardian.com/science/animal-magic/2014/jan/20/zarafa-giraffe-paris-fashion

http://www.ceramopolis.com/?page_id=2274


Teaching Sessions

Before beginning this story: Zeraffa Giraffa is a highly visual story and you will want to provide a variety of ways for children to conceptualise the world that it takes place in. Make some space on the classroom walls so that the giraffe’s journey can be tracked across them as you work with the book. Make up a shared journal in which to record children’s ideas and responses throughout the sequence. Put together a collection of other traditional tales that help children to take on the language of traditional stories to use in their own writing. These can also be drawn upon in group and individual reading time. Prepare a geographical map from Africa to France, with space to map events in the story as they progress. The Africa part will need to include the plains where the giraffe was originally captured, Egypt and the Sudan and the river Nile and the Mediterranean Sea that separates Africa and France. The France part will need to spread from the coast at Marseilles up to Paris where Zeraffa’s journey ends.

Session 1: Introducing the book and storytelling Learning Objectives: Children participate in improvisations, storytelling and performance Children take turns and listen to others

Prepare a storytelling bag with a selection of artefacts such as a model giraffe, a map or globe with the route between Africa and Paris marked, a rolled scroll tied with ribbon, a sailing boat, a crown and a decorative heart with Zeraffa’s name on it inspired by the illustration of the commemorative items towards the end of the book. Open it with the children and invite them to speculate with you as to what sort of story they might tell with the contents such as these. Record ideas and responses in the shared journal.

Invite children to help you to begin to make up a story or encourage them to make up their own stories using some of the artefacts as inspiration.

Observe how used to storytelling the children are and how ready they are to place objects into a story scenario. You may need to build in extra sessions that explore traditional stories and practice oral retellings.

If children are not used to taking part in storytelling sessions like this it will be important to first give them some experience by working with a familiar journey story such as The Three Billy Goats Gruff or Little Red Riding Hood.

Session 2: Reading aloud, role on the wall and book talk response to illustration Learning Objectives: Children answer and ask questions Children predict what might happen on the basis of what has been read Children use illustrations to infer meaning and develop understanding Children draw inferences on the basis of what is being said and done

Prepare a large class reading journal to capture the children’s responses and examples of their work throughout the teaching sequence.

Before reading the book, display an enlarged image of Zeraffa tied to the camel on the first double page spread (do not read or reveal the text at this point).

Think of ten things you notice in this picture. Collect ideas and record them around the image in the class journal.

Though discussion, paired and group work, consider four elements: o What do we know about the giraffe? What would you like to know about it? o Does anything puzzle you? o What especially caught your attention? o What sort of story are you expecting? Why? Does it remind you of anything you have read before?

As children share their initial thoughts, scribe responses around the enlarged image, labelling any clues children have found about the giraffe, the setting, and predictions they have about the story.

Session 3: Visualising, artwork and writing in role Learning Objectives: Children consider and evaluate viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others Children discuss favourite words and phrases

Read the first page and talk about the giraffe’s story; what do you think is happening? Why do you think the giraffe has been captured? Clarify new and unfamiliar vocabulary and concepts, such as Pasha, Egypt, Sudan,


acacias, plains.

Show the children a video of giraffes in their natural habitat on the plains of Africa. You can find an example at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ_gyNalI_o Record this place on the pre-prepared story map and note what happened, e.g. ‘baby giraffe captured on plains’

Ask the children to discuss words and phrases to describe what the environment is like and what it must be like for the animals to be there. How do they feel in the expanse of space? What is there for them that makes it a good habitat to live in? (This could also link to work on habitats in Science programmes of study.

You could go on to create a tuff spot savannah with grass, real ‘tree’ plants and giraffes and other animals that would be found there for the children to explore or make storybox dioramas:

Taking inspiration from the video or small world play, have the children write about why the plains are a good place for giraffes to live.

Children go on to photograph their small world, or draw the plains place the picture in the journal with their writing alongside.

Session 4: Conscience alley, predictions and shared writing. Learning Objectives: Children draw inferences on the basis of what is being said and done Children listen and respond appropriately to adults and peers Children consider and evaluate viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others

Re-read the first double page spread of the story and the next page where the plan to send Zeraffa as a gift to the King of France. Read alongside the first paragraph only of the last page of the book ‘About the real Zeraffa’. Record events on the pre-prepared story map and note what happened, e.g. ‘Pasha decides to send giraffe from Egypt to France as a gift.’

Why do the children think he wants to send a giraffe as a gift to the King of France? Why would this be such a special and dramatic present, especially in 1824 when this story is set? You could use history sessions to expand on this knowledge and explore and investigate the real Zeraffa story.

Come back together to discuss whether the children now think it is right for the hunters to take the baby giraffe from the plains and for the Pasha to send her as a gift to France? Why or why not?

Once children have formulated ideas, Have them create a conscience alley, forming two lines down the middle of the classroom or hall. Select three children to be the King and two of his men and one child to be Atir, the servant to walk down the alley listening to why the children think the giraffe should or shouldn’t be sent to France. When they have walked the alley and heard all the opinions, the small group should discuss whether they think they should or shouldn’t send Zeraffa to France. Do they all have the same opinions or might the Pasha have a different opinion to Ali, the giraffe’s keeper? Why might this be? Who would the Pasha’s men agree most with? Why?

Have the children write a letter to the Pasha to tell him whether they think he should or shouldn’t send Zeraffa to the King of France. Model this in writing during a shared writing session. Think carefully about the voice and words they would use if they were going to write to someone as important as the Pasha. This would also be a good opportunity to model learning outlined in the VGaP appendix of using conjunctions to make compound sentences and express opinions in more detail, justifying their thoughts more fully, and to use non-contracted forms to create a more formal style e.g: Great and noble Pasha,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ_gyNalI_o


We understand that you would like to send a special and remarkable gift to your friend, the King of France but we do not think that it should be the baby giraffe. We think that it would be much better for the giraffe to go back to the plains so that it can be back in its natural habitat. It is a much better place for it because it has a vast amount of space to run and roam, lots of trees to provide plenty of its favourite foods and other giraffes around it to keep it safe and learn the ways of the wild from. A magnificent and graceful animal like a giraffe deserves to be in its natural home or it may not grow to be strong and healthy. We do not wish to offend you but we hope you will listen to our advice because we are trying to think about what is best for the giraffe. Yours sincerely,

Session 5: ‘Tell me’ and word collections, responding to illustration: Learning Objectives: Children listen to, discuss and express views about books at a level beyond that which they can read independently Children use illustrations to infer meaning and develop understanding Children discuss favourite words and phrases Children can re-enact experiences to deepen their understanding of the story

Look at the next double page illustration without revealing the text. Play alongside a sound file (not too loudly) that suggests the wind and sea surroundings, like: http://soundbible.com/1935-Ocean-Waves.html

Ask the children what they think is going on here. What can they see, hear, smell and how do they think it feels to be there?

Discuss the illustration in more detail. Who are the different characters? What are they doing? What might each character be thinking or saying at this point of the story?

In small groups of 6, re-enact the scene of the illustration in the hall or a large space. If possible have the illustration projected in the space and the sound playing softly in the background.

When the children have had a chance to get into role as their chosen character in the illustration, give them a chance to practice what they may be saying or thinking and how they might move or react.

When they have had time to rehearse, freeze frame the children and bring each group to life to act out their version of the scene. You could record each performance to watch back.

You could extend this by asking the characters questions about the point in the story and how they feel about the events taking place.

Record this next event on the story map and note what happened, e.g. ‘the giraffe is loaded onto the boat on the Nile.’

Session 6: Role on the wall and character description. Learning Objectives: Children draw inferences about a character on the basis of what is being said and done Children draft and write by noting ideas, key phrases and vocabulary, and composing and rehearsing sentences orally Children reread and evaluate writing to check it makes sense and make simple revisions

Re-read the story from the start, continuing up to ‘I’ll roll back the awning so you can look at the stars.”

Discuss with the class what they know about the giraffe’s keeper, Atir. What is his job? What responsibilities does this involve? How does he feel about the giraffe? What tells us this? Also draw on children’s individual interpretations from the role play activity in the previous session. You could look at more sophisticated inferences such as the way he speaks to her more informally, using contracted form’s like I’ll, following on from the work in a previous session on writing in a more formal style to the Pasha. In line with VGaP expectations you may also consider the choice of verbs the author uses to portray how Atir speaks and behaves, e.g. whispered, feed, protect. And compare and contrast these with the ones used for the hunters, e.g. captured, tied. You could add to this collection as the story progresses.

http://soundbible.com/1935-Ocean-Waves.html


Add comments to the role on the wall, discussing his duty to the Pasha and his feelings towards the giraffe that we can infer from his behaviour, the language the author uses or the detail in the illustrations. Scribe detailed annotations inside and outside the image accordingly, making sure the children justify their ideas about him by referencing the book.

Ask the children if they have any questions about Atir to revisit as the story unfurls; mark these in a different colour.

Children go on to use these annotations and the discussion to write their own character description in their journal.

Session 7: ‘Tell me’ and word collections, responding to illustration: Learning Objectives: Children listen to, discuss and express views about books at a level beyond that which they can read independently Children use illustrations to infer meaning and develop understanding Children discuss favourite words and phrases

Continue to read the next double page of the story, from ‘Out past the markets of Khartoum…’ to ‘where the sea sipped up the Nile’.

Record this next event on the story map and note what happened, e.g. ‘the boat travels down the Nile to the sea.’

Talk with the class about the ways in which the author has used language to help the reader visualise the world of the story and begin to put together a collection of memorable words.

Talk about words that are familiar and words that need further clarification to ensure understanding. Are the children familiar with Egypt and the Nile? Have they seen the Sphinx and Great Pyramids? Do they know porcupines, dates, pomegranates? You may want to use further photographs and video to exemplify these if necessary or have real objects like dates and pomegranates to see, smell and taste.

Take time to look at the illustration in detail, talking again about what can they see, hear, smell and how they think it feels to be there. What might the bystanders be thinking or saying as they see the boat and giraffe pass. As they are still traveling on water, you may want an accompanying sound stimulus, such as: http://soundbible.com/1429-River-Noise.html

Ask each child, on a sentence strip or whiteboard, to write a word, phrase or sentence to describe the scene at this moment in the story. Look at how to use these to build a free verse list poem, showing how to shape the individual ideas together into a cohesive poem to capture the moment, e.g. Waves lapping around the boat, The magnificent pyramids towering before us, Palm trees waving as we pass, Farewell giraffe, sail safely!

Children could then work on their own poems to capture the scene, either in small groups or individually.

These could be rehearsed and performed to the backdrop of the illustration and sound stimulus.

Session 8: Responding to illustration, making word collections, writing lyrics: Learning Objectives: Children listen to, discuss and express views about books at a level beyond that which they can read independently Children use illustrations to infer meaning and develop understanding Children discuss favourite words and phrases

Look at the illustration that follows on the next page of the text of Atir and the sailors on the boat and night. What else can we infer about Atir to add to the role on the wall from how he behaves here? Read the first paragraph of the next page to ‘…that gazed down at them from between the sails’

Look at the illustration and discuss what the songs they sing might be like. You might want to consider some well known lullabies such as: Day is Done: Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, from the hills, from the sky.

http://soundbible.com/1429-River-Noise.html


All is well, safely rest, God is nigh. Golden Slumbers: Golden slumbers kiss your eyes, Smiles await you when you rise. Sleep, Pretty baby, Do not cry, And I will sing a lullaby. Cares you know not, Therefore sleep, While over you a watch I'll keep. Sleep, Pretty darling, Do not cry, And I will sing a lullaby.

Look at the illustration in detail and think about what words and phrases Atir and the sailors might use to lull the giraffe to sleep as they sail across the ocean to France. Are there any they might repeat to make them more lyrical?

Shared write a lullaby for the giraffe to be sung by the sailors and Atir.

Give time for the children to work in groups to come up with their own lullabies. You could them perform these with accompaniments from simple instruments, as the sailors do in the illustration.

Session 9: Non-fiction writing, diagrams, labels and explanations. Children ask relevant questions to extend knowledge and understanding Children use spoken language to develop understanding through imagining and exploring ideas Children write for different purposes, including non-fiction

Re-read the story so far and on to the part where we meet Mr Stravaganza: ‘A giraffe carried by a hot air balloon? Impossible!’

Record this next event on the story map and note what happened, e.g. ‘the boat arrives in Marseilles and they try to work out how to get Zeraffa to Paris .’

Challenge the children to come up with a different way of transporting Zeraffa from Marseilles to Paris, remembering that they cannot use trains motors or engines because they were not yet in use. Again it would be good here to look at the history of transportation alongside this as part of a separate History session, placing on a timeline when different methods of transportation became mainstream.

Have the children draw their design as Mr Stravaganza has in the illustration, annotating with labels and explanations as to how the design works. You could also follow up this session by giving the children time to build, test and evaluate their designs as part of wider learning in Design and Technology.

With the teacher or a member of SLT in role as the mayor, the children could then present their design, looking at ways in which they could persuade the mayor that their design is the best.

Session 10: Writing in Role Children draft and write by noting ideas, key phrases and vocabulary Children explain understanding of what is read Children discuss the sequence of events in books and how items of information are related

Re-read the story so far and on until ‘…a woollen one trimmed with fur.’

Look back on the role on the wall of Atir, what else can we add that tells us about him and his relationship with Zeraffa? Note powerful verbs in phrases such as ‘protected by a waxed taffeta cloak’ and how this is then ‘replaced by a woollen one trimmed with fur.’

Record this next event on the story map and note what happened, e.g. ‘they walk with Zeraffa, all the way to


Paris.’

Look back at the story map and recall the events of the story so far. Tell the children they are going to write, in role as Atir, to the Pasha, to update him on their journey to the King of France.

Look back at the role on the wall. Atir has been charged by the Pasha to get Zeraffa safely to the King of France. What can he say in his letter to prove to the Pasha that he is doing his job to the best of his ability?

Model in writing what Atir’s letter might look like, remembering the style and formality he will need to use when writing to his important employer.

Have the children draft their own letters in role as Atir.

They can then go on to present their letters on scrolls which then can they tie up with ribbon to present as part of display.

Sessions 11 and 12: Reporting events through newspaper writing: Children use illustrations to infer meaning and develop understanding Children ask relevant questions to extend knowledge and understanding Children use spoken language to develop understanding through imagining and exploring ideas Children write for different purposes, including non-fiction Children draft and write by noting ideas, key phrases and vocabulary, and composing and rehearsing sentences orally Children reread and evaluate writing to check it makes sense and make simple revisions

Read on from ‘News of the amazing creature soon spread’ to ‘…as they rode across Paris to see her.’

Record these events on the story map and note what happened, e.g. ‘People came in their hundreds to see Zeraffa in Paris. The Queen held a special party and the King built her a special Rotunda to live in. Everyone fell in love with her and did and made special things to celebrate her arrival.’

Discuss why this is such an important event to the people of Paris. What would you think about a giraffe if you had never seen one before?

Look carefully at the illustration on the pages which begin ‘News of the amazing creature soon spread’. What do you think it would be like to be a part of this? How would you describe it to someone else?

Re-enact the busy scene as a whole class, with the majority of the children being the ‘hundreds of people’ who ‘turned out to see her’ and a few others being Zeraffa, Atir and a few accompanying soldiers. It may be good, for the purposes of the writing that follows to make up role cards, with French names for the townspeople and whether they are male or female, adult or child.

As the teacher in role, be a newspaper reporter who has come to interview people at the scene. Freeze frame the throng at particular points and ‘interview’ key people in the crowd who can describe the sensation of what it is like to be there as well as Atir, who is witnessing this as someone who has travelled such a long journey with Zeraffa.

In role, either use a USB voice Dictaphone or voice recorder which can be played back easily to record responses or make notes of responses on a flip chart.

In the next session, look back at the illustration and describe with the children what it was like when they re-enacted the scene. What words or phrases would they use to describe the event and the atmosphere and what it was like to see the giraffe for the first time.

Play back the voice recorded quotes, which are the most memorable or impactful?

Give time for the children to draft a newspaper report about the occasion. Look at what features they will need to include (you may wish to give them the name of the paper, e.g. ‘Le Journal’ so that they don’t waste time thinking of this and focus on a catchy headline and accurate story.)

Through Shared Writing ,model how to reports the events chronologically – referring to the ongoing storymap to help with structure - giving relevant detail through the use of adjectives, adverbs, compound sentences etc. and how to report speech using quotes gathered from the role play exercise.

Once children have drafted their report you may want to use an ICT session for the children to type their reports into a desktop publisher to publish these authentically for display.

Session 13: Writing to persuade Children use spoken language to develop understanding through imagining and exploring ideas Children write for different purposes, including non-fiction Children draft and write by noting ideas, key phrases and vocabulary, and composing and rehearsing sentences orally


Children reread and evaluate writing to check it makes sense and make simple revisions

Look back at all the commemorative items that were produced to celebrate Zeraffa’s arrival in Paris. Some real examples of these can be seen at: http://www.ceramopolis.com/?page_id=2274

Have the children design their own commemorative item, refer back to the beautiful array of illustrations throughout the story to inspire children’s designs. You may wish to draw children’s attention to an array of commemorative items for an event in their recent historical understanding, such as the birth of Princess Charlotte in 2015.

Tell the children they are going to write a persuasive description of the item they have designed to sell their item in a catalogue. Model how to use adjectives to expand noun phrases and enhance description and how to use exclamations and questions to make the advert more persuasive, e.g. ‘What home could be without this beautiful Zeraffa plate?’ or ‘How incredible! An amazing mug to commemorate the arrival of Zeraffa in Paris.’ to support children in making their own descriptions more persuasive to the buyers.

Give time for the children to work on their own descriptions. They could draft these first and then write in best or type and print using a word processor to make a class catalogue of items to display and browse. You could come back together to respond to some of the descriptions, deciding which item is the most appealing and why.

Sessions 14 & 15: Debate and Argument Children draw inferences on the basis of what is being said and done Children listen and respond appropriately to adults and peers Children consider and evaluate viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others Children use spoken language to develop understanding through imagining and exploring ideas

Read the story all the way through. Discussing the ending in detail. Was the ending as they predicted? Do they think they story should have ended like this? What else might they have liked to have seen happen? How do you think Atir and Zeraffa feel at the end of the story? What makes you think this?

Record how the story ends on the story map e.g. ‘Atir and the King’s granddaughter, Marie Therese, look after Zeraffa at the palace. They tell her stories of Africa and look towards the South each night.’

Ask the children if they think it was right for Zeraffa and Atir to stay in France or whether they should have gone back to Africa. On a flipchart, divide a page into two columns and discuss reasons that they should be in France or go back to Africa. This could become a debate across the room where one idea from one child could spark an agreement or objection from another. If the children find this difficult, the adults in the room can model this process or add questions that may provoke a response.

At the end of the debate, get the children to conduct a vote, writing on a slip with their name whether they think Zeraffa should stay in France with the King or be allowed to return to Africa.

Have the children put their slip into a box and pick out a few at random, getting the children who are picked to orally explain their choice in more detail.

In the following session, model how to write a paragraph justifying their ideas, drawing again on the use of conjunctions to expand ideas and justify responses.

Give children time to write their own paragraphs to explain their choices.

Session 15: Storymapping, sequencing events and retelling Learning Objectives: Children discuss the significance of the title and events; Children discuss the sequence of events in books and how items of information are related; Children can retell a known story in sequence, using story language.

Reread the story in its entirety.

Allow time to explore the children's reactions to the story, focusing on the aspects that they found most interesting or surprising. Retell the story events from the storymap, encouraging children to contribute.

Remind the children that this book has been written by a professional storyteller and that folk and fairy tales have a rich tradition of oral retelling, leading to there being differing versions of the same story once it came to be recorded in print. Tell the children that they are going to become storytellers ourselves then have a go at publishing their versions in their own books.

Remind the children that the main events are the main things which happen in a story and they must be told in the right order for the story to make sense. Through paired talk, hold up the opening phrase: ‘Across the plains of

http://www.ceramopolis.com/?page_id=2274


Africa where grass grows tall and acacias taste sweet…’ Following this brief description, concentrate on sequencing the main events, starting with the dream. Encourage the children to retell the story in stages, providing them with suitable adverbials to order their retelling for example: When, But first, They sailed, Until they came to, On the cobblestones of Marseilles, So they set off, By the time, At the palace, In the evenings… Make explicit the way in which the adverbial phrases and precise language choice demonstrate the passing of time as well as the changing location.

Tell the children they are going to retell the story from either Atir or Zeraffa’s point of view. You may want to look at other retellings in role here, such as Mini Grey’s The Pea and the Princess or The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith to model how this might sound.

Have them complete their own copy of the geographical storymap like the one that has been created together but this time to note each event in the point of view of their chosen character, they will need to add personal detail, as well as simply recording events, such as how they felt at different points and why.

When completed, encourage the children to retell the story using their story maps in role as their chosen character.

Sessions 18 & 19: Retelling and bookmaking Learning Objectives: Children can retell a known story in sequence, using story language. Children draft and write by noting ideas, key phrases and vocabulary, and composing and rehearsing sentences orally Children sequence sentences to form short narratives Children write for different purposes including about fictional personal experiences, poetry, non-fiction and real events Children reread and evaluate writing to check it makes sense and make simple revisions

Children go on to work independently or in pairs to write parts of the story from their characters point of view in draft. As they work, ask them to stop occasionally to read parts of what they have written to a response partner. Ask them if there is anything they want to change; a section, sentences or phrases? When a whole section is complete, it can be edited with the help of a response partner.

Session 20: Bookmaking Learning Objectives: Children can retell a known story in sequence, using story language. Children draft and write by noting ideas, key phrases and vocabulary, and composing and rehearsing sentences orally Children sequence sentences to form short narratives Children write for different purposes including about fictional personal experiences, poetry, non-fiction and real events Children reread and evaluate writing to check it makes sense and make simple revisions

Once each section is finished children can write a final copy of their story and illustrate it – this may need several sessions.

The chapters can then be bound together to make complete books which can be placed in the book corner for everybody to enjoy and celebrate. Details for how to make simple bound and origami books can be found in the Bookmaking section of the Teaching Approaches tab on the Power of Reading website.

Display them alongside the original Zeraffa Geraffa book in the book corner or in a communal space for others in the school community to share.

Word Reading and Transcription (National Curriculum 2014) Use and Application of Phonics and Spelling The following words could be used to exemplify learning at phonic phases: Phase 2: map, sun, neck, legs, fed, hot Phase 3: plains, keeper, King, sail, river, down, haboob, hair, quills, boat, sang, songs, long, shook, cows, fur, ladder


Phase 4: hunter, sweet, sling, milk, stars, wind, cloak, trees, crowds Phase 5: alternatives: /ai/ lake, dates, ladies, place, gazed, away, face, mane /ee/ sea, machine, fields, creature, greedy /igh/ side, alive, Nile, admire, lie, sky /oa/ home, protect, notice, poems, rode /oo/ threw, drew, blew, /ur/ journey, servant, world, first, work /ow/ count, /ar/ far, grass /f/ Sphinx /or/ awning, board, floor, straw /l/ tickle /j/giraffe, hedges, carriages /s/distance /w/wheel Storytelling Words: When, But first, They sailed, Until they came to, On the cobblestones of Marseilles, So they set off, By the time, At the palace, In the evenings, Then High Frequency Words: friend, across, tall, came, from, they, no, the, them, her, to, home, was, very, away, over, world, around, look, past, where, beautiful, walk, their, love, across, after Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation: This sequence gives ample opportunity to explore the use and application of grammar knowledge and terminology in the Key Stage 1 requirements. The storymapping and writing the story from Zeraffa or Atir’s point of view model how to construct short sentences to form simple narratives. This will also encourage children to use the past tense consistency for this type of narrative writing. The book offers ample opportunity to explore and use adjectives, adverbs and verbs to explain noun phrases to add detail and description. Questions and exclamations can be explored throughout as children formulate their own questions in response to the text and explore these in more depth in the commemorative object writing task. Subordination (using when, if, that, because) and co-ordination (using and, or, so) can be explored in many of the shared writing activities. Spelling:

Suffixes ‘-ed’ suffix ‘-ing’ suffix

root word simply + ‘ed’ double consonant then +‘-ed’

-e then + ‘-ed’

change y to i then + ‘-ed’

simply + ‘-ing’

double consonant then + ‘-ing’:

-e then +’-ing’

delight delighted

appoint appointed

hand handed

unroll unrolled

measure measured

pivot pivoted

sail sailed sailing

comb combing


offer offered

sip sipped

need needed

replace replaced

trim trimmed

amaze amazing

line lining

turn turned

squeeze squeezed

nibble nibbling

stroll strolling

organise organised

gather gathered

bristle bristling

rustle rustling

prepare prepared

sigh sighed

glue glued

slip slipped

climb climbed

listen listened

whisper whispered

bake baked

Irregular verbs: fed, stood, felt, rode, wore, wrote, came

‘-s’ plurals

simply + ‘-s’ +es change y to i then + ‘-es’

apples eyelashes stories

acacias sketches

evenings

crowds

hedges

biscuits

jackets

hats

ribbons

carriages

guests

floors

walls

crowds

spots

ears

trees

guards

cows

vineyards

legs


sailors

songs

sails

cobblestones

hands

dates

pomegranates

Pyramids

stars

plains

Documents

Zeraffa Giraffa by Dianne Hofmeyr, illustrated by Jane Ray, … Giraffa Teaching... · ©The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education. You may use this teaching sequence freely in