For some children getting started to begin to write an assignment or a book review is really difficult. The emptiness of a blank page can feel overwhelming. Where to start? Use a THUMBALL. It is a fun way to help children begin to discuss and write about the “Parts of a Story”. Reviewed by Sherrin from Fruition Tuition.
INTRODUCTION
For some children getting started to write an assignment or a book review is really difficult. It can be the hardest part! The emptiness of a blank page can feel overwhelming. Where to start? Why not use a ‘THUMBALL’ as a fun stimulus game to get them started?
You can throw it and catch it and answer the question that appears under your thumb!
Some of the questions include:
- When does the story take place?
- What is the story about – the plot:
- What facts or details do you remember?
- In what order do the events happen?
- Who is the story about? The characters _____________
- Why did you dislike or like this story?
- Would you tell a friend to read this story? My recommendation is _______
These headings from the THUMBALL can be used as the topics for each of paragraphs in the story.
To begin with, use a separate page for each topic, as listed above, and write down some points under each heading. This way you will have lots of room to add new ideas and write sentences later.
When you have jotted down some answers to each heading/question on the THUMBALL as you catch it, you will have all the information needed for your book review.
Then you can put the pages in the order you want and go over each page of points forming the points into sentences. You can write the sentences at the bottom of each page.
Every paragraph needs an introductory sentence that introduces the topic, middle sentences that give more evidence or information about that topic and a concluding sentence that either sums up that paragraph and / or leads on to the next paragraph.
After all the paragraphs have been shaped on each page, order the pages and write an Introductory paragraph telling the reader what they are going to read about i.e., all the topics of each paragraph. Then write the Concluding paragraph that summarises for the reader what they have just read.
So the “Parts of a Story” THUMBALL is a fun resource that helps children tackle a book review, one step at a time, and soon you will have all the parts that you need to form paragraphs and complete the assignment task! THUMBALL suits all learners but is especially interesting to kinesthetic and visual learners.