[T4R] Let’s Build a Boat: L2 Making Predictions

The Book

Let’s Build A Boat

Written by Jane Godwin, illustrated by Meg Rennie, published by Little Hare Books

This inspiring picture book celebrates teamwork, creativity, and determination. As a group of children come together to build a boat for their picnic on an island, the story naturally lends itself to discussions about the purpose of a boat in general and context of the text (AC9TDE2K01 – Years 1 and 2, Design and Technologies). The story also highlights the importance of preparation before they begin (AC9TDE2P01 – Years 1 and 2, Design and Technologies), innovation and problem-solving when they face the challenge at sea (AC9TDE2P03 – Years 1 and 2, Design and Technologies).

Throughout their journey, they experience challenges and moments of joy, allowing students to reflect on how they manage emotions in different situations (AC9HP2P03 – Years 1 and 2, Health and Physical Education). The story also supports children in understanding how teamwork, resilience, and problem-solving help them to achieve shared goals (AC9HP2P01 – Years 1 and 2, Health and Physical Education).

Let’s Build a Boat is a perfect launchpad for hands-on STEM or creative projects, as well as social-emotional learning discussions around collaboration, effort, and celebrating differences.

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Resource creator

Steven Huynh

Subject

Design and Technologies, English Language and Literacy,

Level

Year 1, Year 2,

Description

In lesson 2 of the T4R unit of Let’s Build a Boat, students practise making predictions using both the illustrations and the text. Through dialogic reading and class discussion, they begin to expand on their earlier wonderings by thinking more deeply about the purpose and function of the boat in the story.

Learning Intentions

• We are learning to make predictions about the text.

Successful Criteria

• I can say what I think might happen next in the story.
• I can explain why I made that prediction.
• I can use clues from the words and pictures to help me guess.

Curriculum Alignment

AC9E1LA08 9.0 (English Language and Literacy Year 1): Compare how images in different types of texts contribute to meaning

• comparing images from texts where images of the same subject are represented differently; for example, a cartoon image of an animal, a photograph of an animal and a digital image of an animal in an advertisement
• understanding how authors and illustrators build up meaning across a sequence of images
• understanding that some images convey meaning that is not included in the accompanying written text; for example, a diagram shows information about how parts of a plant are connected, which is not explained in the print text
• exploring images in stories and cultural accounts by First Nations Australian authors and discussing the impact this may have

AC9E1LY02 9.0 (English Language and Literacy Year 1): Use interaction skills including turn-taking, speaking clearly, using active listening behaviours and responding to the contributions of others, and contributing ideas and questions

• using turn-taking in group and pair work
• building a conversation by staying on topic, supporting other speakers, eliciting responses, listening supportively and attentively, asking relevant questions, providing useful feedback and prompting
• participating in informal and structured class, group and pair discussions about content area topics, ideas and information
• interacting appropriately with peers, teachers and visitors
• formulating different types of questions to ask a speaker, such as open and closed questions and “when”, “why” and “how” questions

AC9E1LY05 9.0 (English Language and Literacy Year 1): Use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising and questioning when listening, viewing and reading to build literal and inferred meaning by drawing on vocabulary and growing knowledge of context

• identifying information and details from spoken informative texts
• building topic knowledge and learning new vocabulary before and during reading
• making predictions from the cover, from illustrations and at points in the text before reading on, and confirming and adjusting understanding after reading
• drawing inferences and explaining inferences using clues from the text
• making connections with existing knowledge and personal experiences

AC9E2LA08 9.0 (English Language and Literacy Year 2): Understand that images add to or multiply the meanings of a text

• identifying images and graphics in a text that add ideas or information not included in the written text; for example, a map or table in a factual text or an illustration in a story, which gives clues about the setting
• identifying visual representations of characters’ actions, reactions, speech and thought processes in narratives, and considering how these images add to or multiply the meaning of accompanying words

AC9E2LY02 9.0 (English Language and Literacy Year 2): Use interaction skills when engaging with topics, actively listening to others, receiving instructions and extending own ideas, speaking appropriately, expressing and responding to opinions, making statements, and giving instructions

• exploring ways to comment on what others say, including using sentence starters such as “I like the way you …”, “I agree that …”, “I have a different thought …”, “I’d like to say something different …”
• demonstrating appropriate listening behaviours, responding to and paraphrasing a partner’s contribution to a discussion; for example, in think pair share activities
• asking relevant questions and making connections with personal experiences and the contributions of others
• understanding how to disagree or respectfully offer an alternative

AC9E2LY05 9.0 (English Language and Literacy Year 2): Use comprehension strategies such as visualising, predicting, connecting, summarising, monitoring and questioning to build literal and inferred meaning

• listening for specific information and providing key facts or points from an informative or persuasive text
• listening and responding to detailed instructions
• integrating information from print, images and prior knowledge to make supportable inferences
• identifying the main idea of a text
• predicting vocabulary that is likely to be in a text, based on the topic and the purpose of the text; for example, predicting that “station” and “arrive” would be in a text recounting a train journey
• using prior knowledge to make and confirm predictions when reading a text
• using graphic organisers to represent the connections between characters, order of events or sequence of information

AC9TDE2K01 9.0 (Design and Technologies Year 1,Year 2): Identify how familiar products, services and environments are designed and produced by people to meet personal or local community needs and sustainability

• exploring how First Nations Australians have long understood their dependence on living systems to meet their local and community needs, for example exploring the material culture of the Ngarrindjeri Peoples who sustainably make woven items from a grass-like sedge
• exploring how particular services meet different needs of people in the community, for example describing why doctors provide medical care to people in many ways including by phone, video conference, plane, car or outdoor clinic
• asking questions about the design of a range of shelters provided for the public and how they meet the needs of people in the community, for example the structures of a school or local sportsground or how to improve accessibility
• exploring how local products are designed, for example brainstorming the materials and processes needed to create a costume for a school or community event including using recycled clothing or components to minimise waste
• exploring how people come up with new ideas or modify existing designs, for example preventing water wastage when caring for plants

Materials

Let’s Build a Boat by Jane Godwin
Wonderings page template (from Lesson 1)
Lesson 2 Slides with Prediction question prompts

Instructions

Warm-Up

Recap: Briefly revisit what students saw last time (cover, video, wonderings). Ask:
- “What do you think is happening in this story?”
- “What clues helped you think that?”
Prompt students to refer to illustrations or parts of the book introduced previously.

Dialogic Reading – Making Predictions

Explain: “Today we’re going to read more of the story. While we read, we’ll stop and think about what might happen next. That’s called making a prediction.”
Begin reading Let’s Build a Boat aloud with fluency and expression.
Pause at key points to ask prediction questions, such as:
1. What do you think they will use to build the boat?
2. Do you think the 3 boys know what their friends are doing? Will they help them?
3. Do you think the boat will float? Why or why not?
4. What are they doing on the island?
5. What do you think will happen to them or the boat?
6. Will the boy be rescued?
7. How do you think they can get home now?
8. Can they fix their boat?
9. How many people were on the boat?
Prompt students to explain their thinking using sentence starters:
- “I think… because…”
- “Maybe… because I see…”

Discussion – Initial Responses

After reading the story, ask:
- “What do you think about the story?”
- “Why do you think they made the boat?”

Reflection – Add to the Wonderings Page

Revisit the wonderings page from Lesson 1.
Invite students to add more details based on their new thoughts after reading the story.
Prompts for this update:
- “How was the story different from your original thoughts?”
- “What happened in the story?”
- “Were your ‘wonders’ answered?”
- “Is there anything that still puzzles you?” (e.g., “What makes a good boat?”, “How do you stop it from sinking?”)

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