From the 1 & 2 Classrooms

Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley

Students in Grades 1 and 2 have been studying the picture story book Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley by Aaron Blabey. This book was chosen as our first story to explore this year due to its strong emphasis on friendship. The story has promoted discussions about friendship, courage, self-belief and loyalty. In-depth studies of the characters’ qualities have also allowed students to recognise how we are all different and the positive impact this can have within a friendship. 

Throughout the unit students have had the opportunity to connect to their prior knowledge through thinking about what friendship means to them and making predictions about the story. 

Students have explored character development through:

Language- the verbs and adjectives that are used to describe each character and antonyms when exploring the differences between Pearl and Charlie. 

Illustrations- looking closely at the illustrations to discuss how they help develop a deeper understanding of the two characters, through the visual features of the character and the use of colour.

Students have strengthened their ability to make text-to-self connections by explaining the PMI (Plus/Minus/Interesting) about what it would be like to be Pearl or Charlie’s friend and why they think they would make a good friendship. 

They have made comparisons by exploring text-to-text connections to the story book Sunday Chutney also by Aaron Blabey. 

The students have been thoroughly engaged and enjoyed the discussions and activities. We hope that they will think back to this book when reflecting on their own friendships, understanding that friendship is so special and can be surprising and unexpected!

I guess you’ll have to take a read to find out... 

Enjoy!

Grade 1/2 Teachers