Cuthbert's Babies

Cuthbert's Babies

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about analysing a character's feelings, and synthesising ideas in a story.

Some "feeling" words (to help fill in the chart below) are:

unhappy / naughty / delighted / guilty bad / loving / happy / ignored jealous / unloved / joyful / responsible afraid / mischievous / annoyed / relieved loved / worried / frustrated / content

 

Chart template:

 

Event How is Cuthbert feeling now? What evidence tells us this? Why might Cuthbert be feeling this way?
1) Cuthbert being asked if he wants a brother 
 
 
    
2) Cuthbert's life with his parents and grandparents 
 
 
    
3) Babies at home and all the visitors 
 
 
    
4) Cuthbert's new life with the babies 
 
 
    
5) Pirates come 
 
 
    
6) The babies wake up 
 
 
    
7) Cuthbert cares for the babies 
 
 
    
8) Cuthbert and his mother at the end 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Title for graph: ______________________________
 
 
empty graph of cuthbert's feelings

 

 
 

Use all the ideas from the book that you have thought and talked about to fill this in:

I think the graph is telling us:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I think the author is telling us:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper.
 
A copy of the book 'Cuthbert's Babies' by Pamela Allen is required to complete this task.
 
This task involves:
  1. having copies of the student sheets ready
  2. discussing the meanings of the "feeling" words on the first student sheet
  3. the shared reading of 'Cuthbert's Babies' by Pamela Allen
  4. pausing during the reading after the events listed in the chart template
  5. answering the questions on the chart at these points
  6. constructing a time series graph of Cuthbert's feelings
  7. synthesising all the evidence to suggest the author's message.

Prior to the shared reading of the book, it would be helpful to place "stickies" on the pages where the pauses come.

Students could share their ideas in twos or threes, working with the same person/s each time. Or they could sit in a donut shape, moving around to the next person each time they share. See "Working with Students" for instructions and suggested conversations to have with students.

Levels:
2, 3
Curriculum info: 
English, Making meaning, Reading
Key Competencies: 
Thinking
Keywords: 
comprehension, analysis, synthesis, inference, message, progressive disclosure, vocabulary, point of view
Description of task: 
Students use evidence in a text to make inferences about a character's feelings. They analyse these within scaffolding activities, synthesising their thinking to suggest the author's message.
Curriculum Links: 
 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • reflect critically about character
  • identify author’s message
as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Making sense of text: reading critically, set 2
Making sense of text: reading critically, set 3
Reading for literary experience, set 3
Reading for literary experience, set 4
within the Reading Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
Event How is Cuthbert feeling now? What evidence tells us this? Why might Cuthbert be feeling this way?
1) Cuthbert being asked if he wants a brother  unhappy/a little angry Short response. "No!"/ Exclamation mark He likes his mum spending time with him. A baby might stop that happening.
2) Cuthbert's life with his parents and grandparents  loved/happy/cared for "..he liked it just the way it was."/The adults looking at him adoringly./The adults spending time with him. He likes having all the adults' attention. He had had it for a long time and he was used to it./He is the only child in the family.
3) Babies at home and all the visitors  jealous/ignored All the visitors are paying attention to the babies./Cuthbert is looking (beseechingly) up at his dad./He is gripping his father's leg./He says "Bumble-boo-bum." He is not allowed to hold the babies./Everyone is ignoring him (and he is not used to this)./He says something rude to try to be noticed.
4) Cuthbert's new life with the babies  unloved/unhappy/bad/frustrated/annoyed All the excuses the adults give him for not being able to play with him./Cuthbert whispered "Nobody loves me"./All his threats to run away./He looks cross and tense. Suddenly his life has changed./He has to wait for attention because everyone is busy with the babies.
5) Pirates come  naughty/mischievous/delighted Cuthbert squealed "Yesss!" in delight./ Cuthbert looks happy, like he’s having fun. Because he wants the adults to notice him, and they will when he is naughty./He uses the pirates as an excuse to be naughty.
6) The babies wake up  afraid/worried/guilty/embarrassed "Now look what you've done."/The pirates look shocked./They say "Uh, oh"./Cuthbert looks guilty./He's hiding behind the cot. He realises what he has done./He might be told off./Someone is coming and he will be found out./His mother looks tired, but all she says is "Oh dear".
7) Cuthbert cares for the babies  responsible/loving ..."he cuddled them and he comforted them."/Cuthbert is smiling./He cuddles and looks adoringly at the babies. He feels closer to them now that he has cared for them/taken part in caring for them./He now feels like the big brother.
8) Cuthbert and his mother at the end  loved/happy/content ..."and he snuggled up really, really close - and smiled."/His mother cared for him/she calls him "my beautiful boy". His mother cared for him and made him feel special again.

 

I think the graph is telling us: I think the author is telling us:
  • that the different feelings people have are in response to what's happening, around them, in their lives;
  • that things don't always run steadily, they go up and down depending on what's happening.
  • we all need to be loved and to give love;
  • we all have a special place in our families, no matter how big the family;
  • that even if something bad happens, it might lead to something good.
Diagnostic and formative information: 

In the group trial of this resource with Year 3 students, the time series graph was constructed on the floor (by drawing with chalk on the carpet). Students were actively engaged in this activity and it appeared to scaffold them well into the next task, the synthesis of the story and the author's message. Suggested conversations to have with students before, during, and after reading (instructions in italics) follow. 

As an introduction, say: Today I'm going to read you a story called "Cuthbert's Babies". We'll use the reading strategy of analysing and synthesising. When we analyse a story we take the story apart, like undoing the pieces of a jigsaw. When we synthesise, we put all the pieces of the jigsaw back together again. As I read the story to you, we're going to analyse Cuthbert's feelings at different times in the story. We will make inferences about his feelings, and write the words that best describe how we think he's feeling on our chart/s. In the evidence column on our chart, we will say how we know what Cuthbert is feeling, using the evidence in the book and our own knowledge, the clues from our own lives. We will also try to explain why Cuthbert is feeling this way.

Conversation 1 

Read page 1 and discuss. Record inferences and evidence on the chart, next to Event 1.

Conversation 2 
Continue to read, stopping at the following places, discussing and recording inferences and evidence:
  • The next 2 pages (to "just the way it was"). Event 2.
  • The next 4 pages (to Cuthbert saying 'Bumble-boo bum'). Event 3.
  • The next 4 pages (to "a big BAD boy"). Event 4.
  • The pirate pages through to the big bang. Event 5. Draw students' attention to the different expressions on Cuthbert's face: 

*as the pirates arrive;*when they are being noisy;*when the bang goes off, together with the text "squealed with delight". Ask students if Cuthbert's facial expressions are different to those of the pirates. Why? Ask them to think about when they might have tried to get others to be naughty with them, and if everyone in the group really wanted to be as naughty as they did. Also ask students if the pirates are real, i.e., the idea of the pirates being Cuthbert's alter ego.

  • The next 5 pages to where mother says 'Oh dear'. Event 6.
  • The next 2 pages to "and they were all fast asleep". Event 7.
  • Read to the end of the book. Event 8.

Conversation 3 

Construct the time series graph of the events in relation to Cuthbert's feelings. Some students may benefit from constructing the graph physically. Suggestions for this are:

  • using a card to write each of Cuthbert's feelings on;
  • placing the cards along the floor in a continuum, from worst feeling to best feeling, to form the vertical axis;
  • forming the horizontal axis by drawing with chalk on the carpet or placing a long strip of paper on the floor;
  • marking the horizontal axis from 1 to 8, representing the events;
  • marking on the floor where the intersections of events and Cuthbert's feelings are.

To help students synthesise their thinking, say: You have analysed the jigsaw of Cuthbert's feelings by looking at them piece by piece. Now you are going to synthesise them by putting those jigsaw pieces back together. Look at the graph you've made. What does it tell you? What do you think the author is telling us in this story? What do you think the author is telling us about life? Discuss.

Miller, Debbie (2002). Reading with Meaning: Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Grades. Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.Ministry of Education (2003).
Effective Literacy Practice Yrs 1-4, Learning Media, Wellington.
Health and Physical Education Curriculum Exemplars have an exemplar at Level 2, related to feelings: I feel Angry, what can I do? http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/hpe/hpe_2d_e.html 
English Curriculum, Visual Language Exemplars have an exemplar at Level 2 related to feelings: Volcano: When Sophie Gets Angry http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/static_images/wpp_1ah_e...