Materials Needed:

• Age-appropriate physical dictionaries (1 per student or pair)
• "Detective Badges" (printed or drawn paper badges)
• "Case Files" (A5 worksheets with word lists and space for page numbers/guide words)
• Magnifying glasses (optional, for fun engagement)
• A timer or buzzer

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria

Learning Intention (LI): We are learning how to navigate a physical dictionary using guide words and alphabetical order to find the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Success Criteria (SC):

• I can state the purpose of "guide words" at the top of a dictionary page.
• I can use my alphabetical knowledge to find a specific target word.
• I can share the meaning of a Level 2 word by using it in a clear, spoken sentence.

IB PYP Alignment

Learner Profile: Inquirer (asking questions, seeking new vocabulary), Communicator (expressing ideas clearly using new words).

ATL Skill: Research Skills (Information Literacy - locating and organizing information using physical tools).

I Do (Teacher Modeling - 5 mins):

Show the word "Clamor" on the board. "Watch how I hunt for 'Clamor'. I know 'C' is near the start of the alphabet. I open the book halfway and see 'M'. Too far! I flip backward. I look at the top helper words (guide words). I see 'Cat' and 'Coach'. 'Cl' comes between 'Ca' and 'Co'. I run my finger down... Ah! 'Clamor' means a loud noise! My sentence: The children made a loud clamor on the playground."

We Do (Guided Practice - 10 mins):

Give every student/pair a dictionary. Let's hunt for "Glimmer" together.

• "Which letter group should we open to?" (G)
• "Look at your guide words. Can you find a page where the first guide word starts with 'Gl'?"
• Guide students to locate the word together. Once found, read the definition aloud as a chorus.
• Ask a volunteer to put "glimmer" into a simple sentence (e.g., "I saw a glimmer of light under the door.").

You Do (Independent Active Exploration - 10 mins):

Hand out the "Detective Case File" containing Level 2 words: Scamper, Delicate, Curious, Ancient, Bold.

Students work independently (homeschool) or in detective partners (classroom) to find each word, note down the page number, and practice saying a sentence aloud to their partner or the teacher.

Materials Needed:

• Printed sentence strips (4 colored strips of text per team, posted at a distance or around the room)
• Clipboard, paper, and pencil for the "Writer"
• "Correction Stations" with colored pens (green/blue)
• Whistle or bell

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria

Learning Intention (LI): We are learning to accurately transfer information from one place to another by speaking, listening, remembering, and spelling correctly.

Success Criteria (SC):

• I can read and memorize a short chunk of text.
• I can speak clearly so my partner can hear every word and punctuation mark.
• I can write down what I hear, focusing on spelling, capital letters, and full stops.
• I can compare our work with the original text to correct any spelling mistakes.

IB PYP Alignment

Learner Profile: Principled (doing your own work honestly, checking carefully), Reflective (identifying errors and fixing them).

ATL Skill: Social Skills (Collaboration - working in pairs with clearly defined roles); Self-Management (Spatial awareness and self-control while running).

The Running Text Strips (Grade 2/3 Friendly):

Strip 1: Under the old oak tree, a small key was shining in the soft grass.
Strip 2: "Where does this go?" whispered Maya to her clever green parrot.
Strip 3: Suddenly, the ground began to shake and a tiny wooden door popped open.
Strip 4: They stepped inside and found a room filled with sweet candy!

The Game Phase (15 mins):

Start the game. Keep an eye on the volume (whispering is encouraged so other teams don't steal the text!). Halfway through the text strips, sound the buzzer to make the partners swap roles (Runner becomes Writer, Writer becomes Runner).

The Correction Phase (10 mins):

Once finished, give each pair the original printed text. Together, they use a green pen to proofread their transcribed passage. They must look for:
1. Spelling errors.
2. Missing capitals.
3. Punctuation marks.

Materials Needed:

• IB Learner Profile Character Cards (Inquirer, Caring, Thinker, Risk-Taker, etc., with cartoon/icon designs)
• ATL "Gadget" Cards (Thinking Skills = "Brain Helmet", Communication = "Megaphone", Social Skills = "Team Shield")
• "Mission Cards" (Scenario cards showing real-life classroom/home problems)
• Glue and poster paper

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria

Learning Intention (LI): We are learning how our Learner Profile attributes (who we are) work together with our Approaches to Learning skills (what we do) to solve real-world problems.

Success Criteria (SC):

• I can match a Learner Profile card to its correct meaning.
• I can choose the best ATL "gadget" (skill) to solve a given mission scenario.
• I can explain to my peer why this skill and profile combination helps us learn better.

IB PYP Alignment

Learner Profile: All profiles (with a focus on Reflective and Thinkers).

ATL Skill: Self-Management (Reflecting on learning styles), Thinking Skills (analyzing and aligning concepts).

Step 1: Meet the Gadget (I Do - 5 mins)

Hold up the "Communication Megaphone" (representing Communication Skills). "If my mission is to share a story with my class so they understand it clearly, I need to activate my Communication gadget and my Communicator profile. I'll make sure my voice is clear and my body language is friendly."

Step 2: Team Match-Up (We Do - 10 mins)

Post 3 distinct "Mission Scenarios" on the board. Example Scenario: "Your team has to build a tower out of blocks, but everyone is arguing about who does what."

Have students discuss in pairs: Which Learner Profile should we act like? (Caring / Principled) and Which ATL Tool do we need? (Social Skills / Collaboration). Match the physical cards to the scenario on the board.

Step 3: Build a Hero Poster (You Do - 10 mins)

Give each student or pair a large outline of a superhero. They must:

• Select 1 Learner Profile card to paste in the superhero's chest (representing their character).
• Select 1 ATL "Gadget" card to paste in the superhero's hand (representing their tool).
• Draw or write a brief 1-sentence caption explaining how this hero saves the school day (e.g., "Agent Caring uses the Shield of Social Skills to help lonely kids at lunch.").

Materials Needed:

• Copies of "The Dragon of Dusty Peak" reading passage
• Colored highlighters (Yellow, Green, Blue)
• Bloom's Taxonomy Question Cards (printed on colored paper matched to difficulty)

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria

Learning Intention (LI): We are learning to analyze a text deeply using different levels of questions, going from simple facts to our own creative ideas.

Success Criteria (SC):

• I can locate directly stated facts in the text and highlight them.
• I can explain why a character acted the way they did (inference).
• I can design an alternative ending or solution to the story's main conflict.

IB PYP Alignment

Learner Profile: Thinker (making reasoned decisions, reading critically).

ATL Skill: Thinking Skills (Critical thinking - analyzing texts, Synthesizing different ideas).

The Dragon of Dusty Peak

Deep inside the smoky caverns of Dusty Peak lived a tiny dragon named Pip. Unlike his big brothers, Pip could not breathe fire. Whenever he tried, only warm, soapy bubbles floated out of his nose. His brothers laughed and called him "Suds."

One chilly evening, the campfire outside their cave went out completely. The cold wind howled, and the dragons shivered. The elder dragons tried to blow giant bursts of fire, but their flames were so hot they kept burning up the firewood before it could even warm them! The logs turned to ash instantly.

Pip stepped forward. He blew a huge cluster of warm, soapy bubbles directly over the cold firewood. The bubbles acted like a cozy blanket, trapping the warm air from the heat vents and gently warming the entire cave without burning down a single log. His brothers stopped laughing and wrapped themselves in Pip's magical, warm bubble-blankets. They realized that sometimes, being different is exactly what makes you helpful.

Level 1: Remembering & Understanding (All students)

• What comes out of Pip’s nose instead of fire? (Highlight the answer in yellow).
• Why did the elder dragons’ fire not work to warm the cave?

Level 2: Applying & Analyzing (Partner work)

• Compare Pip to his brothers. How are they different in their actions and attitudes?
• Why did his brothers call him "Suds"? Was that a kind thing to do?

Level 3: Evaluating & Creating (Independent/Extension)

• Evaluate: Do you think Pip was right to help his brothers after they made fun of him? Explain why.
• Create: Draw a new gadget or write 2 sentences about another problem Pip could solve in the forest using his warm bubble breath.

Materials Needed:

• A bell, wooden blocks, or paper to make sound effects
• "Listening Map" drawing sheet (divided into 4 numbered boxes)
• Colored pencils

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria

Learning Intention (LI): We are learning to listen carefully for descriptive words, transitions, and audio cues to understand and visualize a story.

Success Criteria (SC):

• I can sit quietly and focus my ears on the speaker's words and sound effects.
• I can draw the events in correct chronological order on my listening map.
• I can identify specific details (colors, numbers, emotions) mentioned in the audio story.

IB PYP Alignment

Learner Profile: Balanced (focusing and calming our minds), Reflective (thinking about what we hear).

ATL Skill: Communication Skills (Listening closely to oral instructions and narratives).

(Read this passage slowly, adding the physical sound effects noted in brackets)

Introduction: "Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Imagine you are standing at the edge of the Whispering Woods..."

Box 1: "First, we hear the dry autumn leaves crunching under our boots. [Rustle some paper]. A small, bright purple bird with orange wings lands on a low branch. It chirps happily three times. [Make three short whistling noises]."

Box 2: "Next, we walk deeper. The wind starts to blow harder. [Make a soft whistling wind sound]. We see a shiny silver river. Sitting by the edge of the water is a friendly, round green frog. It is wearing a tiny yellow hat!"

Box 3: "Then, suddenly, we hear a metallic chime! [Ring a small bell once]. A sparkling blue key appears floating just above the water's surface."

Box 4: "Finally, the green frog hops onto a lily pad, catches the key in its mouth, and smiles. The forest is safe once again."

Step 1: First Listen (No pencils - 5 mins)

Students sit comfortably, close their eyes, and simply listen to the whole story read by the teacher with the sound effects. No drawing yet.

Step 2: Guided Mapping (The "You Do" Phase - 15 mins)

Give students their "Listening Map" sheet (divided into 4 boxes). Explain that you will read the story again, segment by segment. After each box segment is read, pause for 2-3 minutes to allow them to quickly draw what they heard.

• Read segment 1 → Pause & Draw in Box 1.
• Read segment 2 → Pause & Draw in Box 2.
• Read segment 3 → Pause & Draw in Box 3.
• Read segment 4 → Pause & Draw in Box 4.

Step 3: Detail Check (5 mins)

Ask oral check-questions to assess detail retention:

• "What color were the bird's wings?" (Orange)
• "What was the frog wearing on its head?" (A tiny yellow hat)
• "How many times did the bird chirp?" (Three times)

Materials Needed:

• "Story Elements" dice (or a spinner wheel)
• "Story Mountain" template graphic organizer
• Blank index cards or sticky notes
• Colored markers

Learning Intentions & Success Criteria

Learning Intention (LI): We are learning how to structure a narrative by identifying and combining key story elements: Character, Setting, Problem, and Solution.

Success Criteria (SC):

• I can identify the main components of a story using a Story Mountain diagram.
• I can generate creative story components using random prompts.
• I can construct a cohesive verbal narrative outline containing all four elements.

IB PYP Alignment

Learner Profile: Thinkers (generating creative ideas), Risk-takers (sharing imaginative, unconventional ideas).

ATL Skill: Thinking Skills (Creative thinking - making unexpected connections between random ideas).

I Do (Teacher Modeling - 5 mins):

The teacher rolls the "Story Element Dice". Let's say it lands on:
• Character: Astronaut Squirrel
• Setting: A candy factory
• Problem: Everything is floating away.
"Watch how I connect these! Pip the astronaut squirrel visited a candy factory. Suddenly, the gravity machine broke, and all the chocolate bars floated to the ceiling! Pip used his tail like a propeller to fly up and collect them. Problem solved!"

We Do (Guided Practice - 10 mins):

Roll the story dice as a class. Let's design a quick story skeleton together using sticky notes on the wall chart.

• "Our character is a grumpy wizard. What should his name be?"
• "Our setting is an underwater castle. What does it look like?"
• "Our problem is that he lost his magic wand. How can he solve this without magic?"
• Encourage different students to build on each other's sentences.

You Do (Independent Play & Create - 10 mins):

Students roll their own story element dice or pick 3 random prompt cards from cards placed face down. They write or draw their elements on a personal "Story Mountain" organizer sheet.

Once their plan is set, they tell their story out loud to their partner or parent. No writing of a full draft is needed yet; focus purely on the structural outline and verbal expression.