[T4R] Stay For Dinner: L4 Literal Retrieval

The Book

Stay For Dinner

Written by Sandhya Parappukkaran, illustrated by Michelle Pereira, published by Bright Light

Stay for Dinner by Sandhya Parappukkaran is a vibrant celebration of cultural diversity and the connections made through shared meals. The story centres on a family preparing a special dinner for their child’s friends, offering a glimpse into various mealtime customs and table manners (AC9HP2P01 – Years 1 and 2, Health and Physical Education). Through the lens of this dinner, the book explores the emotional responses and questions that arise from cultural traditions (AC9HP2P03 – Years 1 and 2, Health and Physical Education), encouraging children to embrace diversity and appreciate the richness of different cultural backgrounds (AC9HP2P02 – Years 1 and 2, Health and Physical Education).

The narrative is brought to life with vivid sound and imagery words such as “squish,” “splash,” “slice,” and “prong,” capturing the sensory experience of the meal. Culinary terms like “papadum,” “sadhya,” and “dumpling” add authenticity and depth, inviting readers into the world of diverse cuisines. As the main character reflects on her and her friends’ mealtime experiences, the story underscores the importance of understanding and respecting different customs, fostering a sense of togetherness and mutual respect.

With its rich illustrations and heartwarming themes, Stay for Dinner inspires children to find joy in sharing meals and traditions, highlighting the value of friendship and cultural appreciation.

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Resource creator

Steven Huynh

Subject

English Language and Literacy,

Level

Year 2,

Description

This is Lesson 4 of the Talk For Reading (T4R) unit Stay For Dinner.

This engaging lesson helps students strengthen their ability to find and recall key details directly from the text.

Learning Intentions

• We are learning to retrieve literal information from the text.

Successful Criteria

• I can find information that is directly stated in the text, without needing to guess or infer (AC9E2LY05).

Curriculum Alignment

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

Materials

The book Stay For Dinner
Literal Retrieval worksheet
Lesson 4: Literal Retrieval Slides

Instructions

Warm-up
- What is one key detail you remember from the text?
Reading
- Models fluency reading, focussing on expression and intonation.
- Strategic reading: Students actively listen and retrieve literal information from the text (without needing to guess or infer).
Group Discussion
- Take turns answering each question from the Bank of Literal Questions.
- Explain where the answer is found in the text.
Read and Write Inclusion
- Answer each question from the Bank of Literal Questions in their own Literal Retrieval worksheet.
- Practise hand-writing the answer on the line.

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