MARC Library

Unit of Work: Term 2

2013

POSSUM MAGIC

BASIC MAPPING SKILLS

Learning Focus

Literacy Skills

  • Retell ideas in sequence using illustrations from the story
  • Predict plausible endings for a story and infer characters’ feelings
  • Identify that texts are created by authors, and distinguish between texts that represent real and imaginary experience.
  • Take turns during group discussions
  • Application of listening skills to a range of conversations, discussions and spoken texts; about real or imagined events
  • Clear speech with simple phrases and sentences, and appropriate vocabulary

Library Skills

  • Verbalise obvious themes in picture story books
  • Identify the main characters from particular picture story books and describe significant physical features
  • Describe the setting for a particular story book
  • Identify strong emotions that occur in a picture story book and explain the contributions of the illustrations to that end

Mapping Skills

  • Understand the meaning of a map and its purpose
  • Identify the features of a map
  • Develop an understanding of the vocabulary relating to mapping- globe, symbols, key, scale, compass, birds-eye view
  • Understand the purpose of a key, scale and compass
  • Understand that Australia is a country in the world
  • Understand that Australia is made up of states and territories
  • Understand that each state and territory of Australia has a capital city

Years P-3

Lesson 1
Heinemann First Atlas
By Daniel Block and Marta Segal Block
(Big Book)
My Map Book
By Sara Fanelli / Learning Intention:
For students to understand the purpose of a map, the different types of maps, as well as identify the basic features of a map.
Success Criteria:
Be able to draw a birds-eye view of their bedroom and label the parts. / Lesson Plan
Make a list on the whiteboard of the things that the students already know about the features of a map. Also make a list of different types of maps.
Whole Class Discussion
Refer to pages 4-6 of the Heinemann First Atlas:
What is an atlas?
What is a globe?
What are maps for?
What is a key?
What is a scale?
What is a compass?
Refer to page 7 of the Heinemann First Atlas:
What type of map is this?
How do you read this map?
Focus on the importance of using the key and the compass to understand the map. Also explain the meaning of a birds-eye view.
Read ‘The Map Book’ by Sara Fanelli. Discuss each of the maps and their purpose.
Teacher Demonstration
Teacher draws a birds-eye view of her bedroom and labels all the parts.
Task
Students draw a birds-eye view of their own bedroom and label the parts. Share with other class members. / Requirements
Heinemann First Atlas by Daniel Block and Marta Segal Block (big book)
My Map Book by Sara Fanelli
Big sheet of white cardboard
A3 cartridge paper
Coloured pencils
Lesson 2
Highway
By Nadia Wheatley and Andrew McLean / Learning Intention:
For students to understand the importance of using symbols to represent features on a map.
Success Criteria:
Students create a map showing the bus journey from their school into Warrnambool, using symbols to show the features they pass along the way. Students represent these symbols in the form a key. Criteria simplified and adapted for Prep/1 students. / Lesson Plan
Whole Class Discussion
Revisit the students understanding of the features of a map.
Whole Class Activity
Read ‘Highway’ by Nadia Wheatley and Andrew McLean.
As we read the story, we create a whole class map of the family’s journey from home to the factory. Draw symbols to represent the many things they pass along the way, e,g ɅɅ ɅɅ- mountains, ͠ ͠ ͠ -river, etc. Use the maps that appear throughout the story to assist with their own class map.
When the whole class map is completed, add a key to the corner of the map.
Task
Create their own map of the bus journey from school into Warrnambool. Use symbols to represent things they would see along the way. Year 2/3 students are to include a key on the map. Year 1 students can label all the symbols. Prep students can just draw the road and mark in the symbols. / Requirements
Highway
By Nadia Wheatley
Large sheet of white cardboard
Permanent markers- mixed colours
Cartridge paper
Coloured pencils
Lesson 3
Heinemann First Atlas
By Daniel Block and Marta Segal Block
(Big Book) / Learning Intention:
For students to understand that Australia is a part of the world, it is a country, it is made of states and territories and each state and territory has a capital city.
Success Criteria:
Find Australia on a map of the world and colour.
Be able to locate each state and territory of Australia on a map. Colour as per instruction from teacher.
Year 2/3 students are to also label the capital cities. / Lesson Plan
Refer to the Heinemann First Atlas.
Use the contents page to find the page number for the map of the world. Ask students to locate Australia on the map.
Use the index to help find the page number for a map of Australia. Discuss the importance of using the key to understand the map of Australia, e.g symbols used for the desert, rivers, mountains, capital cities, etc.
Access a map of the Australia on the Internet that shows the states and territories and also labels the capital cities Discuss
Whole Class Activity
Show the students a large cardboard outline of Australia, as well as cardboard outlines of all states and territories. Ask students to place each state and territory in the correct area on the outline map of Australia. Locate the capital cities in each state and territory and label with name cards.
Task
Worksheet Activity: Listen carefully to teacher instructions and shade each state and territory with the designated colour. Year 2/3 students to label the capital cities. / Requirements
Large cardboard outline of Australia
Large cardboard outlines of the states and territories of Australia
Name cards with capital cities written on them
Heinemann First Atlas
By Daniel Block
Access to the Internet
Lesson 4
‘Possum Magic’
By Mem Fox
(Big Book) / Learning Intention:
For students to comprehend the main ideas in a story.
Success Criteria:
Be able to mark in the route taken by Grandma Poss and Hush as they journey around Australia. Match the pictures of the food eaten with the capital city. / Lesson Plan
Explain that this is the first book that Mem Fox wrote and that it was written in 1983. Show students publication details. Explain that it is 30th Anniversary of its publication this year.
Show the students the front cover of ‘Possum Magic’.
Whole Class Discussion
Have you ever seen a possum? Where did you see it? What did it look like? What was it doing?
What other animal can you see on the cover?
What do koalas and possums have in common?
Teacher explains that they are both marsupials (they carry their young in a pouch), and are also both nocturnal animals.
What do you think the title means? What kind of magic might the possums do?
Read ‘Possum Magic’ by Mem Fox (big book).
Whole Class Discussion
What special things could Hush do when she was invisible?
Would you like to be invisible? What would be fun about it? What might be a disadvantage?
Where was the setting for this story?
Why do you think this book is so popular amongst children?
What did you like about it?
Whole Class Activity
Access a large map of Australia on the Internet (or use a poster map of Australia). Map must have states and territories marked on it and the capital cities must also be labelled. Mark in the route taken by Grandma Poss and Hush using whiteboard markers and match the pictures of food that were eaten in each capital city. Retell the journey using the whole class map.
Task
Make a poster: mark in the route taken by Grandma Poss and Hush on their journey around Australia. Match the food pictures with each capital city and paste on to the map. Give your map a title- Possum Magic by Mem Fox. / Requirements
Possum Magic
By Mem Fox
(Big Book)
Access to the Internet
Large poster of a map of Australia
Laminated pictures of food eaten by Hush on his journey
Different coloured whiteboard markers
A3 sheets of cartridge paper with a map of Australia printed on it
Small coloured pictures of the food eaten by Hush
Coloured pencils/textas
Lesson 5
‘Possum Magic’
by Mem Fox and Julia Vivas
‘Hairy Nose Itchy Butt’
by Elizabeth Frankel and Garry Duncan / Learning Intention:
For students to be able to identify the main characters and name the other Australian animals that also appear in the story.
Success Criteria:
Be able to match the names of the Australian animals with the pictures. / Lesson Plan
Watch a Youtube clip of Possum Magic read by Mem Fox.
Whole Class Activity 1
Make a list of other foods that could be eaten in the capital cities- focus on the use of alliteration.
Adelaide: apples, asparagus rolls
Melbourne: mushrooms, melon, muffins
Sydney: sausage rolls, salami
Brisbane: bread, bacon
Darwin: donuts, damper
Perth: pumpkin, potato cakes
Hobart: hamburgers, ham sandwiches
Whole Class Activity 2
Refer to the ‘Possum Magic’ big book. Match the labels of Australian animal names with the pictures in the book.
Task
Complete poster of Australia. Paste the pictures of Australian animals around the map of Australia on the poster. Match and paste the Australian animal names near the pictures.
Read ‘Hairy Nose Itchy Butt’ by Elizabeth Frankel and Garry Duncan / Requirements
Access to the Internet
Possum Magic
by Mem Fox
(Big Book)
Whiteboard
Names of Australian animals on laminated cards
Hairy Nose Itchy Butt by Elizabeth Frankel
POSSUM MAGIC STAGE SHOW AT THE LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE
Lesson 6
A Possum in the House
By KierstenJension and Tony Oliver / Learning Intention:
For students to identify the features of a possum and use creative skills to create a possum using papercraft.
Success Criteria:
Students are able to make a possum using a paper template of a possum, ‘goggle’ eyes, felt, pipe cleaners and crayons.
. / Lesson Plan
Whole Class Discussion
Teacher leads a discussion about the Possum Magic Performance at the Lighthouse Theatre. Students discuss their favourite parts.
Access the Panmure MARC website and show student three photos of the stage show:
  • Kangaroo
  • Snake
  • Lamingtons in Hobart
Discuss each photo in detail:
What words best describe the kangaroo in the performance? Why was he important?
Did you think the snake was realistic? What created the eerie feeling during this scene?
What is happening in this photo? Why is the lady holding the lamingtons? Where is she from?
How are these two children alike? How are the different?
Task
Make Hush using papercraft. Cut out a picture of Hush. Use black and brown crayons to shade her body. Add pink felt for the nose, ‘goggle’ eyes, pipe cleaner for the tail and brown felt for the lamington. Add dashes with white pen to the lamington to create the effect of coconut.
Make a whole class display.
Read ‘A Possum in the House’ by KierstenJension and Tony Oliver.
Extension:
Create a whole class VENN diagram comparing Hush and the Possum in the House. / Requirements
Template of a possum- ‘Hush’
Brown and pink felt
Goggle eyes
Pipe cleaners
Brown and black crayons
White pens
Scissors
Glue sticks
Access to the internet
Photos of the Possum Magic Performance
A Possum in the House
by KierstenJension

MARC Resources used to complete this Unit of Work

Possum Magicby MemFox il: Julie Vivas (Big Book)

Heinemann First Atlasby Daniel Block and Marta Segal Block (Big Book)

Highway by Nadia Wheatley il: Andrew McLean

Hairy Nose Itchy Buttby Elizabeth Frankel il: Garry Duncan

A Possum in the Houseby KierstenJension il: Tony Oliver

My Map Bookby Sarah Fanelli

Teaching With Favourite Mem Fox Booksby Pamela Chanko (Scholastic, NY, 2005)

Large poster of Australia