The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Story Based Literacy Unit is a comprehensive resource that includes various materials and activities to support students' engagement with the book. This unit was created for students with moderate to severe disabilities and includes a range of comprehension and story element components, vocabulary exercises, and engaging activities.
If you're new to Story Based Literacy, I suggest starting with this post, which explains what it is and why you should implement it.
If you're ready to dive in, let's take a closer look at what's inside.
Aligned with the Common Core and Essential Elements standards, this novel study not only fosters a deeper understanding of the text but also helps students develop essential skills in reading, comprehension, and critical thinking. The structure and visual components of the unit make it perfect for self-contained classrooms, where teachers can dedicate focused time to exploring the story with their students.
Adding Story Based Literacy to your classroom routine lets students dive into the magical world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, sparking a passion for reading. By dedicating just 20-30 minutes each day, teachers can lead students through the story with plenty of discussion and fun activities.
Communication Boards:
Explicitly teaching comprehension is crucial for students to understand and fully engage with the material they are learning. By focusing on comprehension, students can develop critical thinking skills, improve their ability to analyze information and enhance their overall understanding of the subject matter.
A communication board is provided for each chapter of the unit. These boards can be laminated and bound for each student, creating a communication book for the entire unit, or they can be placed in sheet protectors for easy reference. Two levels are available: Level 1, with 28 boxes for simplified content, and Level 2, with 42 boxes containing more core vocabulary.
Each chapter's communication board includes the characters, setting, and vocabulary words relevant to that chapter. Additionally, it features 3-4 emotions and fringe vocabulary related to the chapter details. These communication boards help follow along while listening to the story and are particularly effective in helping students answer comprehension questions.
Vocabulary:
To explicitly pre-teach new vocabulary words that students will encounter in each chapter, you can use the interactive vocabulary cards at different levels. These can serve as a more engaging alternative to the traditional worksheets (that are also included), especially for students with severe motor delays or those who prefer interactive activities. These cards can also be adapted into file folder activities or used on interactive bulletin boards.
Additionally, the included student interactive notebooks can be used to reinforce vocabulary learning. These notebooks contain vocabulary pictures and definitions, allowing students to practice writing the definitions or use the cut-and-paste option. To effectively teach vocabulary, it is crucial to provide examples and non-examples, as well as incorporate regular review sessions throughout the week.
Activities:
Incorporating activities into our weekly literacy time is my favorite part because it's an easy way to tie in other subject areas. I like to do the activities at the end of the week after reading the chapter they align with. Sometimes, we do them as a whole class, and sometimes, we split into small groups, depending on the activity and the level of support needed. This unit includes 15 activities, from science experiments, art projects, math activities, writing tasks, and more.
Comprehension:
The Charlie & the Chocolate Factory unit includes three levels of comprehension questions- yes/no questions, WH questions, and inferential questions. There are 20 questions per chapter. The communication boards are closely aligned with the questions, so students can use their communication board to answer or as support. I purchase the Kindle edition of the book and add all of the comprehension questions as notes in the Kindle book. You can add them right at the end of the sentence where you want to ask the question and then you don't have to try to remember where you need to pause to add questions.
Story Elements:
Understanding story elements is a key skill taught during Story Based Literacy. Use the included bulletin board components to set up your story board. Each week, students can help set up the board by deciding if a story element card is a character or a setting. The story board can be used throughout the week as a reference and to guide discussions. After reading the chapter, they also help sequence the main events of the plot using the chapter plot cards.
There are also story elements worksheets included. These are a great addition to the class bulletin board display. After setting up the bulletin board with your students, you can give each student a story elements worksheet and have them complete it to match the bulletin board.
The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory unit is ready to prep and use. To make it as easy as possible for teachers, each SBL unit includes a comprehension data sheet, a standards alignment guide, and a file with tons of information about getting started. I included several different weekly outlines, each varying in the number of days of instruction per week, and detailed lesson plans for each day.
The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Story-Based Literacy Unit is a valuable resource for special educators who want to create an inclusive and engaging learning environment for their students. With a structured and comprehensive approach to literacy instruction, this unit helps students enhance their reading skills and develop a deeper appreciation for literature and storytelling. If you're ready to get started, click below to add it to your cart! You won't regret it!
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