Mrs. B's Read-A-Loud Book Club: Oak Island Pirate Mystery

You do not want to miss out on this exciting book club!  Get ready for edge-of -your-seat suspense as we dive into this intense action novel based on Canada's Oak Island mystery. 

****Please Note: Learners will NOT be required to have a copy of the novel in this book club. 

In this class, I will be reading Canadian author Joan Clark's chapter book, "The Hand of Robin Squires", out loud.  No individual student reading or homework will be required. Instead, learners will simply listen to me read the entire novel to them during the Outschool video sessions. The 'work' in this class will not seem like work at all, but make no mistake, there will be incredible learning going on.  As I read through the novel, children will be given many dynamic learning opportunities such as creating sound effects to go along with the reading, exploring maps of Oak Island, studying slides of the treasure tunnels, and sketching an explorer’s ship!  I will identify key literary elements as I read, first modeling and directly pointing out each element, and then we will explore and practice the literary elements together.  This really sets up your children to enjoy deeper connections in future reading as they will be more likely to recognize the author’s techniques on their own. See the outline below for a breakdown of each class.

First Week
Class 1: 
-Introductions
-I will read chapters 1-2 aloud and we will discuss setting and characters. Slides of Oak Island will be used to engage learners
-Literary technique of foreshadowing will be explained and learners will attempt to identify foreshadowing as I read 
-Learners will take turns making sound effects at certain appointed times to add to the ambiance and mood of the novel
Class 2:
-I will read chapters 3-5 aloud 
-Literary technique of cliffhangers will be explained and we will discuss when and why authors use this 
-Learners will take turns making sound effects at certain appointed times to add to ambiance and mood of the novel
-Learners will make predictions based on clues from the text
Class 3:
-I will read chapters 6-7 aloud and we will review setting, characters, and cliffhangers
-Ships during the 1700’s(age of exploration)will be shown on slides
-Learners will be encouraged to sketch a ship as they listen
-map of ship's route from England to Oak Island will be shown and discussed
Class 4:
-I will read chapters 8-9 aloud and we will review plot and characters thus far
-Learners will share predictions
-sections of an explorer's ship will be shown and discussed
-I will model sketching techniques, focusing on how to use a pencil for shading in a sketch 
-Learners will continue to work on ship sketches as I read (or they may simply listen)

Second Week
Class 5:
-I will read chapters 10-11 aloud
-Slide showing a secret tunnel on Oak Island will be shown and discussed
-Learners will explore Nova Scotia, Canada on google maps and find Oak Island
-Learners will identify the cliffhanger as I read 
Class 6:
-I will read chapters 12-13 aloud and we will review plot thus far
-Literary technique of changing narrator will be discussed and learners will pay attention to clues of change of narrator
-slides will be shown of unique Mi’kmaq cultural items such as wigwam and birchbark canoe as described in the novel
Class 7:
-I will read chapters 14-16 aloud and learners will share predictions
-We will review and identify the literary technique of similes and learners will take turns coming up with their own similes for one of the novel’s passages
Class 8:
-I will read chapters 17-18 aloud and students will discuss which predictions have come true 
-We will fill in a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting two of the novel’s main characters 
-Harder vocabulary will be highlighted and mini-lesson given on how to use clues in text to understand tricky words

Third Week
Class 9
-I will read chapters 19-20 aloud and plot and previous predictions will be reviewed 
-Learners and I will explore two changes in narration from first person to third person back to first person
-Learners will take turns making sound effects 
-Slides showing the secret tunnel, and treasure vault will be shown and discussed 
Class 10
-I will read chapters 21-22 aloud and learners may sketch how they envision the treasure to look
-The literary technique of metaphors will be introduced and learners will identify the metaphors in the text, and note how a metaphor and simile are different
-Slides will be shown of the ‘secret tunnel map' and we will discuss how it could work on the actual Oak Island sinkhole
Class 11
-I will read chapter 23 and 24 aloud and learners may sketch the treasure vault
-We will discuss how the title relates to the novel and the author’s technique of using the title to keep the reader guessing
Class 12
-We will briefly explore Nova Scotia, Canada further on google maps and review the geography including bodies of water
-The exciting conclusion!! I will read the final chapter 25 and the post-script aloud
-We will discuss which parts of the novel center around true facts and which parts are fictional(mini-lesson on genre)
-I will refer those learners who are interested in further self-directed study of the real life Oak Island mystery to various websites and books on the subject!

Reading aloud to this age group is often ignored because we assume kids are not interested or too old and can just read on their own.  This couldn't be further from the truth!  Not only are 'read-alouds' an awesome way for older children to hear fluent, expressive reading modeled for them, it is an excellent springboard to encourage them in their own reading and appreciation of great literature. It continues to be a highly valuable, if not essential, literacy tool for our preteens and early teens. Not to mention struggling readers sometimes just need to hear a good book read to them, and I've never once had a child in 26 years of teaching, no matter how tough the customer, not want to listen to a good story!