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Please review all apps and media content in advance to make sure they are suitable for your learners before presenting them to the class.

OverviewThese learning activities are based on the e-book The Black Hat by Maia Walczak. In this story, a boy goes for a walk in the forest and

finds an old black hat. The hat produces beautiful creatures when

he puts it beside his bed. He puts them in cages but is upset when

some escape. However, once he sees the birds flying in the forest, he

realises that they are more beautiful when they are free.

Learners practise identifying the emotions expressed by the boy in

the story, and they act out feelings using facial expressions and body

language. They play a group memory game and experience sensory

stimuli associated with woods and forests. They also discuss and

research how to care for pets, design a pet care manual and make a

short film about animal sanctuaries.

Link to the animationThe Black Hat: https://youtu.be/Sz6SJ24D0Fg

VISUAL LITERACY

Identifying Emotions through the E-book The Black Hat

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Possible Learning, Teaching and Assessment Activities

Give each of the learners a single emotion card from Resource 1: Emotion Cards. Alternatively, print out copies of your own symbol cards (such as Widgit Symbols) that show different emotions. Use the cards that represent feelings expressed by the boy in the e-book. Ask the learners to circulate round the class, finding other learners with the same emotion card to join their cluster.

Once the learners have formed a cluster, they should try to identify the feeling on their card and the part of the story it represents. Support your learners to match emotions to different parts of the story.

You may want to start with simple emotions like happy or sad.

Other emotions from the story might include:

• lonely – when the boy is walking in the woods;

• amazed – seeing the magical creatures for the first time;

• happy – when admiring his creatures;

• shocked – when the creatures escape;

• sad – when the birds won’t return; and

• happy or calm – when the boy realises how beautiful the freed creatures are.

How do people’s faces or bodies show their feelings?

Learning Intentions Learners will have opportunities to:• examine feelings and word

symbols;• identify emotions on another

person’s face; and• begin to explore situations or

events which may provoke particular feelings.

Skills and CapabilitiesThinking, Problem-Solving and Decision-MakingSequence, order, classify and make comparisonsRespect the views and opinions of others and reach agreements using negotiation and compromise

Working with OthersListen actively and share opinions

You will need:• Resource 1: Emotion Cards

(print and cut out several copies)

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Possible Learning, Teaching and Assessment Activities

This is an extension of the previous activity.

Once each cluster of learners has identified the emotion they are representing as a group, they pose in a ‘snapshot’ representation of that moment in the story.

Take photos of each cluster’s ‘snapshot’ emotion. Use an iPad, other tablet device or a digital camera to create a series of emotion photos to use within the lesson. Show the learners each photo on the interactive whiteboard or projector screen.

Support the other learners to identify what each emotion is and which part of the story the cluster is portraying in their photo. Encourage the learners to think about how they use their facial expressions and body language to show emotions.

Can you show how you feel with your face and body?

Learning Intentions Learners will have opportunities to:• link emotions to events from a

story;• use their faces and bodies to

represent an event from a story; and

• identify feelings on other people’s faces.

Skills and CapabilitiesBeing Creative Make ideas real by experimenting with different designs, actions and outcomes

Thinking, Problem-Solving and Decision-MakingGenerate possible solutions, try out alternative approaches, and evaluate outcomes

You will need:• iPad or digital camera • Interactive whiteboard or

projector

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Possible Learning, Teaching and Assessment Activities

Ask your learners to sit in a circle on the floor, with a black hat in the centre of the circle.

Encourage them to role-play finding the hat in the forest. Ask the learners to put the hat on in turn and share their favourite thing that could come out of the hat. Model this activity for the learners first, and suggest a few favourite items such as chocolate, bubble wrap or shooting stars.

Once everyone has had a turn to share their favourite things, pass the hat around the group to play a memory game.

A magic chant at the start may help the learners grasp the pattern of the game, for example:

The Black Hat appearedjust for me, I take it off

and then I see…

You can use Makaton signing to help jog the learners’ memories and provide visual cues.

What would your favourite itemsbe if you had a magic hat?

Learning Intentions Learners will have opportunities to:• use their imagination;• identify their favourite things and

communicate this to others;• recall items they have seen or

heard in order; and• engage with rhythm and rhyme

to facilitate memory.

Skills and CapabilitiesBeing Creative Value the unexpected or surprising

Managing InformationCommunicate with a sense of audience and purpose

You will need:• A black hat

How would it sound, look and feel if you were in the woods?

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Possible Learning, Teaching and Assessment Activities

Allow your learners to explore a range of sensory experiences based on the forest environment described in the story. Props could include items such as twigs, soil, leaves, owl sound effects or a dark space to represent the forest or wood (for example a table covered with a blanket). Visit www.findsounds.com and search for ‘owl’ to find suitable sound effects.

Support the learners to create their own collages, using feathers and other craft materials to illustrate the beautiful winged creatures in the e-book. Listen to music together which represents the different moods in the story. You can source suitable music free of charge from Audio Networks, which is available on all C2k computers and is accessible from the home page. You can also create a ‘Tacpac’- inspired experience for your learners, using sensory props and suitable mood music.

You will need• Sensory props, for example: – Twigs/Branches – Soil – Leaves – Soft feathers or a feather duster – Owl sound effects

• Collage materials, for example: – Coloured feathers – Tissue paper – Scraps of material – Beads – Coloured pens

• Music from C2k Audio Networks

Learning Intention Learners will have opportunities to:• experience a range of sensory

stimuli associated with woods with some or all of their senses.

Skills and CapabilitiesSelf-Management Focus, sustain attention and persist with tasks

Being Creative Make ideas real by experimenting with different designs, actions and outcomes

Thinking, Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Make links between cause and effect

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Possible Learning, Teaching and Assessment Activities

Support your learners to discuss, debate and research the responsibilities of keeping a pet.

Ask the learners to create a pet care manual using writing software or media appropriate to their level of ability. Encourage them to carry out surveys or interviews around school to find the most popular pets.

Arrange a visit to a local animal sanctuary and together take photos and/or video clips of the animals. Then use these images to create a short promotional video about the sanctuary, using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. Help the learners drag images, video clips and audio into the video program to create your short film.

You will need• Writing or communication software

• Pet-themed images

• Digital camera or iPad (to take photos)

• Movie making software, for example:

– Windows Movie Maker; or

– Apple iMovie.

How would youlook after a pet?

Learning Intentions Learners will have opportunities to:• actively participate in group

discussions with peers; and• use a variety of methods and

media to find information for themselves and others.

Skills and CapabilitiesWorking with Others Respect the views and opinions of others and reach agreements using negotiation and compromise

Managing Information Use a range of methods for collating, recording and representing information

Being Creative Make new connections between ideas/information

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Possible Learning, Teaching and Assessment Activities

Choose an appropriate book to read together, such as:

• The Magic Hat by Mem Fox; or

• Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat by Sue Hendra.

How can you read more about this?

Learning Intention Learners will have opportunities to:• read independently or for

pleasure.

Skills and CapabilitiesSelf-Management Be aware of their personal strengths, limitations and interests

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