Comparison of the two stories

a) The children are given a rubric which allows a comparison of the two stories simultaneously. The children can choose their personal examples under each heading for each of the headings.

b) The children report back on results of the comparison. The children should be encouraged to put expression and intonation in their quoting of examples from the stories.

Extension activities

1) Visual Art responses:

a) Storyboard activity: The children (individually or as groups) choose from a variety of media (coloured pencils, pastels or paint) to represent each key moment of the plot or storyline. The Plot Tracker Activity will assist this activity.

b) Clay activity: The children create models of characters inspired by the stories. Once created and painted the children are invited to present their clay characters to the class. 
 

2) Dramatic responses:

a) Mime activity: A group create a mime which is enacted while a scene is being told by other members of the group.

b) Freeze frame activity: The children in groups create a scene of a key moment or event from the story. Each group can select a different key moment or event to ‘freeze’.

c) Hot seat activity: Different characters from the stories can be ‘hot seated’. This process can be enhanced by the children dressing up or having props to help them get into character. The character is then interviewed by the other children about their reasons or motivations or actions in the stories.

d) Conscience alley, a character with a dilemma: One child is asked to be a character from the story which is faced with a dilemma. The children after a class discussion on the dilemma decide on potential choices that the character could choose. They form two lines. The child in character walks through the ‘alley’ while listening to the children offer their choices. He/she then has to make a decision on what to do next.
 

3) Geography exercise:

The children use a detailed atlas of Ireland to locate the various places mentioned in the stories. These locations can then be entered into the search engine in Google maps on the interactive board.  The children’s answers can be checked using this method.