Learning new words in context

When reading a new book, we get to learn so many new words and learning new words is fun! Learning words “little and often” is more effective than cramming up lots of words in one go. Here are four ways to learn new words in context.

By using words in sentences.
By learning commonly used word pairs or related words.
By using illustrations to understand word meanings.
By using word clusters, categorising and labeling different words.

Activity 1: Learning new words - Vocabulary checklist exercise

As you read Emil and the Detectives, make note of words that you find interesting and note whether you know the word well or whether you have some understanding of the word or do not know the meaning of the word at all. In a group then discuss the meaning of each word and practice using the words in sentences.

Use the Vocabulary checklist exercise worksheet below.

Money talks

In the very first chapter Emil’s mother hands Emil her hard-earned savings to give to his grandmother. Emil has a tough job to travel alone to Berlin with this money in his pocket!

It is never too late to talk about money with kids and here are six ways to talk about money with kids.

Use a clear jar to save money: Kids can visualize the clear jar. If they have taken any money from the jar to spend, they can see this through the jar. And if they add money, make a big deal and talk about growth!
Show that stuff costs money: It is never too early to show kids that things cost money. Don’t nag or lecture but instead let the kid experience the transaction. They can use the money from their jar to buy the snacks.
Opportunity cost: By the age of early as 8, kids would know how to weigh their decisions and contemplate possible outcomes. Give kids the opportunity and options, for example by explaining, “Okay if you want to buy the video game we will not have enough money to buy the shoes you wanted.”
Money is earned: It is important to teach kids as early as possible that money is earned. Instead of giving allowances, give commissions on the chores and for helping around in the house. This way, kids develop gratitude too.
Set by example: Kids see you when you impulse buy, when we argue about money, when we budget and whether we walk the talk or not. So try to set a good example.
Importance of giving: And finally, teach your kids about the importance of giving and charity. Giving not just money or things but also their time to others in need.

Activity 2: Wants Vs Needs exercise

Using the Wants vs Needs worksheet, in a group, discuss the difference between “want” and “need”.

Need is something that is necessary to live and function in life. Whereas what we want improves the quality of our life. Use the worksheet below and list things that you think you want and things that you think are your needs. Does the group agree with your list?

Character Analysis

One of the fun activities to do while reading a book is to dig deep into the characters. Who are they? What motivates them? What can we learn from them?

S.T.E.A.L character analysis is a great way to learn about the characters. And most importantly, the analysis can be used for all kinds of books with characters for different groups.

Activity 3: S.T.E.A.L Analysis:

Choose a character from the book and complete the S.T.E.A.L Analysis worksheet below.

What do the illustrations in your book tell you?

If you are anything like me, illustrations are the best part when reading a book. Illustrations are the sketches, drawings, and pictures you see in a book and they transform the book into the fascinating stories that the author is trying to portray. The illustrator of the book we are reading Charlotte’s Web is Garth Williams.

This week let’s reflect on illustrations, while reading a book, have you ever paid closer attention to who the illustrator is? Do you like the illustrations in the book? Or, have you ever wondered how you’d illustrate the book if you were the illustrator?

Activity 4: Illustrations

As we read Charlotte’s web, let’s reflect on the illustrations from the book using the Reflection on Illustration worksheet below.

Do you like the illustrations used in Emil and the Detectives? Write down what you like about them.
How would you illustrate your favorite character? Draw your version of them.

Memory Palace

Emil is now chasing the guy in the bowler hat taking care that he does not get caught. Eric is in a new town and does not really know his way around. Eric would also have to take extra care to remember where he is going to make a safe return to the train station whenever he decides to go back. So, we discussed with the group what they normally do when they need to memorize something. We took a bit of a pause and learned about Memory Palace. Memory Palace is a technique to memorize. You can use this technique to memorize numbers, facts, ingredients for recipes and all sorts of other things. It consists of relating information that we want to remember and learn using objects in certain orders that the person knows perfectly! It is about creating mini stories that you can re-visit. Here are the steps you can take to practice building your own memory palace:

1. Build your Memory Palace based on a place you know well and that is easier for you to navigate like your house or your school.

2. Each room should contain different elements, or you could get confused! You are creating your own mini stories.

3. Our Palace should be easily explored. Avoid going backwards or too much zigzagging!

4. Each room must contain many elements. For example, our room will have chairs, sofas, key holders on the wall etc. The more objects, the more concepts we can assign to learn.

5. Practice, Practice & Practice. And re-visit your palace regularly.

Download Memory Palace Explained printable.

Activity 5: Memory Palace

Let’s try a fun game!

Note this random set of numbers 4, 7, 8, 9, 11
Use the steps discussed ahead and create your own story and a memory palace to remember these numbers. You can draw your ideas in a paper if that helps.
Share your memory palace with the group.
Keep practicing and note how long you’ll remember this set of numbers for.

Learning Teamwork

Eric and his friends are doing amazing, working together as a team. This week let’s look at what teamwork means and let’s do some team building exercises together.

Activity 6: Teambuilding

Here is a simple team building exercise that you can do with the group and it does not matter which book you are reading. This will be a nice activity to do in between reading too! You can download The Team Building worksheet.

Problem-solving Principles

We are now halfway through reading Emil and the Detectives. Emil has met some friends who are helping him retrieve the money from the guy with the bowler hat who stole it from Emil. Emil and his friends are plotting a plan to resolve the problem Emil is facing.

Problem solving is an important skill kids need to navigate through a variety of issues they may face on a daily basis. Whether it be an academic difficulty or challenges kids may face socially. Here are some core problem-solving principles and strategies to learn and practice.

1. Let’s try understanding the problem.

2. Let’s brainstorm some ideas.

3. Let’s discuss some pros and cons or consequences.

4. Let’s pick one solution and test it.

5. Let’s check the results

Other problem-solving strategies include:

1. Revisit past problems and how you tackled them.

2. Make notes of what works or does not work.

3. Work together with your friends whether they have had the same issues before and how they tackled them.

Download the Problem-solving Principles and Strategies printable.

Activity 7: Problem-solving exercise

Here is an example of a problem-solving exercise. After reading through the example, download the Problem Solving Exercise worksheet and in a group choose a problem that you would like to solve. In a group, list a few solutions and discuss what might be the consequences. Then choose one solution and also explain why you have chosen this solution.

Building a growth mindset

Emil and his friends were very resourceful, solving the problem at hand and working in a team to catch the thief.

But it is quite normal when often we are left with discouraging feelings when faced with a problem. Unlike a fixed mindset, a growth mindset is a belief that we (and our brain) are capable of developing and learning skills through hard work, time and effort. A growth mindset views challenges and setbacks with a lens, different to the traditional way of praising natural born talent. A little change in narrative is a first step to a growth mindset.

Here are some examples of how to rephrase our thinking when faced with a roadblock.

Instead of saying, “I am not good at this.” Try asking yourself, “Am I missing something here? Have I put enough effort?”
Instead of saying, “I give up.” Try asking yourself, “What other ways have I not tried to tackle this problem?”
Instead of saying, “This is too hard.” Try saying, “This might take a bit longer than I thought but we will get there.”
Instead of saying, “I will never be smart like my friends.” Try saying, “I will learn how to do this or I can learn from my friends who already know how to do this.”
Instead of saying, “This is not good enough.” Try asking yourself, “Is this my best work?”
Instead of worrying about the mistake you have made, try reflecting on your mistakes and remind yourself, “Mistakes help me to learn.”
And finally, don’t underestimate the power of yet. Remind yourself:

- I am not good at this, yet.

- It does not make sense, yet.

- I don’t understand this, yet.

- I can’t do this, yet.

Download the Building Growth Mindset printable.

Activity 8: Building growth mindset exercise

Think about a time when you did not perform as well as you would have liked to. Perhaps you received a lesser grade on a test or maybe you wanted to learn a dance move but you did not get the steps all correct right away!

Now try to remember and write down what you did then to improve yourself.

Did you compare the answers to the test with a friend?
Did you ask for help from a friend or an adult?
Or did you put aside some time to practice and learn more?
What did you tell yourself? Did you encourage yourself to do better?

Now compare your answers with others in the group and discuss. After listening to the group, would you do anything differently next time when you are trying to improve a skill? Write them down. Use the Building Growth Mindset Exercise worksheet for this exercise.

Setting goals: S.M.A.R.T Goals

It has been a couple of weeks since we finished reading Emil and the Detectives, but we are still having a lot of fun discussing and reflecting on the book. One such discussion was around the great effort Emil and his friends put in to achieve their goal. Emil and his friends had set a goal that they will all work together to help Emil retrieve his money that was stolen and also to report the thief to the police. This could have been a dangerous adventure but Emil and his friends carefully planned what actions to take to achieve their goal and then started executing their plan.

Setting a goal is just one step, we also need to plan it effectively so we can achieve our goals. So how can we plan and set goals so that we want to achieve? As it is often said, “A goal without a plan is just a dream.” There are many theories and formulas one can use to set goals and a S.M.A.R.T goal is one strategy we can use to plan set goals.

S.M.A.R.T is an acronym which means each letter stands for something. Let’s have a look at what they mean?

S stands for Specific. When choosing a goal, be as specific and clear as you can be. For example, if you’d like to learn how to cook, try setting a goal to learn how to cook pancakes. Setting a specific goal clarifies exactly what you are wanting to achieve.

M stands for Measurable. Having measures in place will help you understand when the goal you have set for yourself has been accomplished.

A stands for Actions. What actions can we take to achieve our goals? Again, try to be as specific and clear as you can to jot down all the actions. You can make a list of things you need to do which you can tick as you go along completing these actions. I love this bit. As I tick the things I have done, I feel great because I am getting closer to my goal. You should also check regularly if your actions are bringing you closer to your goal or whether you are drifting away from your goal. If you are drifting away then it is time to go through your list of actions again. You can always ask for help from a friend or an adult to review your list of things to do.

R stands for Relevant. While you plan for achieving your goal, ask yourself why do you want to achieve this goal? This will be your guiding star and knowing why you are working towards a goal will give you encouragement and motivation.

T stands for Time. Regardless of the size of your goal, it is very important to set a deadline so that you know when you are going to accomplish your goal. Or else we might get distracted or we might get busy with another activity and we might forget this goal altogether.

Now that we know how S.M.A.R.T goal works, let’s have a look at an example of the activity we did as a group in setting a goal. This group wanted to improve their reading skills so they set a goal “to read the book, Emil and the Detectives on their own without any help with difficult words in the book.”

Activity 9: Setting goals exercise using S.M.A.R.T Goals

Now use the S.M.A.R.T Goal template to set a goal for yourself. Perhaps you’d like to learn to play an instrument or maybe you want to improve your math’s grade. Share with the group and keep track of how you are progressing with the goal you have set for yourself.

Final Reflection

Now that we have finished reading Charlotte’s web, using the Final reflection worksheet let’s reflect on the book.

Activity 10: Final Reflection

What do you think the author wants us to know?
What is the main takeaway or the moral of the story for you?
Back up your summary with examples and facts from what you have read.

I hope you enjoyed reading Emil and the Detectives and hope you enjoyed the activities listed in this reading plan. If you did, check out our reading plans for other classic books, Charlotte’s Web and Matilda.

Also keep an eye out on our latest blogs as we read other books together.

Let's read

Emil and the Detectives