We are just trying digital booktalks for the first time.  It seems as though the posts I have read are from people who have finished already so if you are reading this and have any advice, can foresee pitfalls to avoid or whatever, please jump in!  I am a teacher-librarian and I am working with the grade 3/4 teacher and her class. 

They just finished an easy chapter book entitled, “Marvin Redpost: Why Pick on Me?”.  As they were working through the novel, the class came to the library to learn about theme.  We used poetry and pulled out themes from various poems.  The classroom teacher and I took the theme and content from one poem and acted out a scene to illustrate this.  Then we had the class identify the themes from other poems with us, then in groups.  Finally, we asked them to illustrate a  poem through drama. 

They did this with varying degrees of success.  Some acted out the whole poem, missing the point.  Some created an effective tableau but completely baffled the rest of the class.  They all had fun, however.

The next sequence of lessons we tried was with the use of picture books.  The teacher and I demonstrated a short skit illustrating the essence of the picture book.  The kids guessed what the book would be about and then we read it aloud.  After we read, we discussed other ways we could have illustrated the book through drama.  Then we read a second story to the kids.  It had a similar theme.  The kids broke into groups and each group tried to dramatize the book into a “trailer”. 

We quickly identified that while the theme gets us started and gives us the essence of our scene, it is essential that the “problem” of the story is presented.  The kids revised their skits and re-enacted the scenes. 

Some problems we encountered:  difficult to hear, no expression on faces/bodies/voices, leaps of understanding (assuming the audience knows something they cannot possibly know).

We are now ready to work with the novel.  Any suggestions?

Thanks,  Holly

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