Grave of the Roti Men – Teacher’s Notes
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Activities |
Outcomes / Pointers / Evaluation |
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Reading
Plot: 1. As each chapter of the book is read,
track the plot using a story map. A blank map of the Indonesia / Northern
Australia region would be useful for tracking the larger distances Aaron
travels to the places he visits. (See SOCE) The part of the
story set in Pepela would be better mapped intuitively on a piece of A3
paper. Character Development
1. Use 2 sheets of A4 paper folded in half
to make a small booklet with 3 double page spreads – one for the
beginning, the middle and the end of the book. On the left hand side of each
spread students draw Aaron as they imagine him. On the adjacent page they
analyse Aaron’s character after class discussions focussing on
Aaron’s feelings and attitudes about himself, his parents, Indonesia
and Australia. Use a scaffold with sentence starters like: ·
I
like… ·
I
hate… ·
I am
afraid… ·
If I could I
would… ·
I really
wish… ·
My
mother… ·
My
father… ·
Compared to
Indonesia, Australia… ·
Compared to
Australia, Indonesia…
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Plot - Outcomes /
Pointers R 3.1
The
student interprets and discusses some relationships between ideas,
information and events in texts with familiar content and which include some
unfamiliar words or linguistic structures and features. This will be evident
when students, for example: •
re-tell
and discuss interpretation of texts read, with attention to main ideas and
supporting details in informational texts or to elements such as key events,
main characters and settings in narratives R 3.3
The student
identifies and uses the linguistic structures and features characteristic of
a range of text types to construct meaning. This will be
evident when students, for example: •
construct
timelines, story maps or flow charts to represent event sequences or
organisational information Character Development -
Outcomes / Pointers R 3.1
The student
interprets and discusses some relationships between ideas, information and events
in texts with familiar content and which include some unfamiliar words or
linguistic structures and features. This will be
evident when students, for example: • make
some inferences about ideas implicit in a text, e.g. in narratives infer a
character’s motives from actions • recognise
that a letter can be used as a means of conveying information, e.g. a
personal letter that forms part of a story may be a vehicle for expressing
the relationship between two characters Evaluation – See evaluation
notes. |
Grave of the Roti Men – Teacher’s Notes
|
Activities |
Outcomes
/ Pointers / Evaluation |
Reading - Character Continued2. The story is told in third person, past
tense, mainly from a young Australian boy’s point of view. ·
What do we
find out about Aaron from his conversation with the surfer in chapter 1? ·
What else do
we find out about Aaron in the first few chapters? ·
In chapter
one Aaron’s mother is introduced. Describe what kind of person she is.
How does she get along with Aaron? How do you know? ·
Does the way
Aaron feels about his mother change during the story? What causes this
change? ·
How are
letters used to develop our understanding of the main characters? ·
How does the
author introduce us to the other main characters? Dad, Husni, Suzie. ·
How does
Aaron feel about Dad, Husni and Suzie when we are first introduced to them? ·
Do his
feelings towards these characters change as the story progresses? ·
What are
Aaron’s first impressions of Indonesia? ·
What do you
think is his attitude to the people of Pepela at the end of the book? ·
What are the
main events that change Aaron’s understanding of Husni’s life? Language and Literacy
The author uses
the surfer in chapter 1 to tell us something about Aaron. ·
Is the
surfer a stereotype? ·
Why would
the author use a stereotypical character like the surfer in this scene?
(Keeps the focus on Aaron) The tension
builds as the storm approaches even when Aaron is unaware that it is coming. ·
How does the
author build the tension? ·
What
descriptive language does he use when describing the storm? The author uses
Indonesian words throughout the novel. ·
Why? ·
How do you
know what they mean? There is an
epilogue in this novel. ·
What
symbolism is used in the epilogue?
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R 3.1
The student
interprets and discusses some relationships between ideas, information and
events in texts with familiar content and which include some unfamiliar words
or linguistic structures and features. This will be
evident when students, for example: •
read,
for personal enjoyment and interest, poetry, short stories, autiobiographies,
novels and informational texts •
re-tell
and discuss interpretation of texts read, with attention to main ideas and
supporting details in informational texts or to elements such as key events,
main characters and settings in narratives •
make
some inferences about ideas implicit in a text, e.g. in narratives infer a
character’s motives from actions •
recognise
that a letter can be used as a means of conveying information, e.g. a
personal letter that forms part of a story may be a vehicle for expressing
the relationship between two characters R 3.2
The student
identifies simple symbolic meanings and stereotypes in texts and discusses
their purpose and meaning. This will be
evident when students, for example: •
discuss
the ways in which people are stereotyped in texts, recognising that people
could have been represented differently, e.g. comment on whether only clever
people wear glasses; mothers only work at home; fathers never look after
babies •
explain
how people from different sociocultural or minority groups are represented in
texts and whether these representations are accurate or fair. Language – Outcomes / Pointers R3.2 See above R3.1 See above |
Grave of the Roti Men – Teacher’s Notes
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Activities |
Outcomes / Pointers / Evaluation |
SettingWhere are the
main parts of the story set? How would you describe each place? How did the
author show you what each place is like? How was Aaron influenced by his time
in each place? Other points
for discussion:
Research TopicsScience
·
Navigating
by the stars.
Society and the EnvironmentThere is a wide range of
resources on the topics below ranging from internet sites, newspaper articles
to reference materials in libraries. There is a fantastic display in the
Fremantle Maritime Museum including the actual first boat confiscated off
Ashmore Reef. Topics might include: ·
Comparison
of the Indonesian and Australian Cultures. ·
Climate
– Indonesia / Kimberley ·
The
Memorandum Of Understanding between Australia and Indonesia over the Timor
Sea – agreements between nations.
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R 3.4
The student
integrates a variety of strategies for interpreting texts and uses some
strategies for identifying resources and finding information in texts. Science
Outcomes
Earth Lev 3
The student
understands changes and patterns in different environments and space, and
relates them to resource use. Life Lev3 Understands that living
things have features that form systems which determine their interaction with
the environment. Society
and Environment Outcomes Culture Lev 3 Understands that the diverse groups to which people
belong vary in their traditional and non-traditional aspects and that
interaction with these groups influences the identity of individuals. C 3.1 Understands
that cultural groups have traditional and non-traditional aspects. C 3.2 Understands
that different groups in communities function to meet various needs. C 3.3 Understands
that membership of different groups influences the identity of individuals. Investigation Lev 3 Plans an investigation by identifying and using
information from more than one source; and makes inferences from the
information collected in order to justify personal decisions. ICP 3.1 Plans
an investigation for a topic by identifying possible sources of information
and making simple predictions based on personal experiences. ICP 3.2 Gathers
information from more than one source and records useful information using a
variety of techniques. ICP 3.3 Recognises
key ideas and patterns, discards irrelevant information, and transforms
information into structured forms for display. ICP 3.4 Justifies
decisions from a personal perspective using related evidence and suggests
changes that would improve the investigation. |
Grave of the Roti Men – Teacher’s Notes
|
Activities |
Outcomes
/ Pointers / Evaluation |
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Writing Possible writing activities might include: ·
Letters to
mother about other incidents that happen in the story. ·
Newspaper articles. ·
Storm
stories. ·
Recounts of
holidays in other places. ·
Diaries
– perhaps an alternative to the story map activity outlined earlier. Maths ·
Conversions
of nautical miles to kms. ·
Currency
conversions. ·
Living cost
calculations. ·
Speed of
travel graphs for each stage of the journey, from jet to walking. ·
Map scales,
pathways etc. |
Evaluation StrategiesMethods of
evaluation and recording are really a matter of individual preference. Since most Australian
schools are moving towards reporting based on outcomes, it makes sense to
evaluate and record using outcomes. One way this can be easily done is by
using a simple class grid recording a judgement as to whether the child has
achieved a particular outcome or a pointer to an outcome. Story Map Outcomes
Alternatively an
annotation could be attached to a child’s work for inclusion in a
portfolio showing if a child has achieved level three - as shown below. Individual Work Annotation - Fred
Given the size
constraints of this document I have only listed the outcomes by reference. In
a spreadsheet I would use pointers to make the records easy to follow. I suggest
that one outcome is all you can reasonably observe for each activity. |