Minds On

Exploring the text

Title: Blue Jay. Its colour is blue. Away it flew. Up in the sky. It cried good-bye.

Student Success

Think-Pair-Share

If possible, read the text aloud and consider the following questions:

  • What do you notice about the words? How do they sound?
  • Do you read them in a different way? Did you pause at the end of each line?
  • Is this a story?

If possible, share your ideas with a partner.

Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.

Action

Creating a picture with words

In “Blue Jay,” the author used rhyming words to make the poem more exciting and fun. In A Night in the Country, by Cynthia Rylant, the author uses words that help us make pictures in our minds while we are reading.

A Night in the Country is a book by Cynthia Rylant. It describes the sounds and images that are in the country at night.

Authors use words to help us create a picture in our mind as we read. These pictures become like a movie in our mind. Connecting the words to pictures helps us understand what we are reading.

When you read these pages from the book, what is the picture that you visualize? Do you hear the sounds of the night? Can you imagine what it feels like to be in the country at night?

Use the following template to capture what the words mean to you. You can also use another method of your choice.

Student Success

Think-Pair-Share

If possible, discuss with a partner the images that you created in your mind. You may use the following sentence starters to help you explain your thoughts.

  • When it said (Blank) I pictured (Blank) in my mind.
  • When the author said (Blank), it really helped me visualize (Blank).

Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.

Think about your learning

Can you recall another book where the words helped you make a picture in your mind?

Consolidation

Check this book

The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein, is a story about a boy who makes friends with a tree and as he grows up, he takes things from the tree – apples, wood, leaves, shade, and the stump.

Come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy.

A phrase from the book The Giving Tree.

“The Giving Tree” book cover. It shows a green tree trunk with a child standing beside the tree with his hands up to catch a falling red apple.

The Giving Tree book cover

Test Your Skills

Visualize and create

Consider the words from the book. Choose words from the text that gave you clues to help make the picture/movie in your mind. Using those words, create a representation of your visualization - you can use the following fillable activity document to help you.

Complete Visualizing in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.

Visualizing Press the ‘Activity’ button to access the Visualizing. Activity (Open PDF in a new window)

Bringing it all together

  • What other ways can an author make reading exciting?
  • What do the words or pictures remind you of?

Reflection

How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

I feel...

Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.