Activity 1: How is humour portrayed visually?

1. Introduce Egg drop and/or Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus!
   
   
2. Discuss:
   • What makes it funny? Refer to the character’s appearance, facial expressions, body language, stance and the irony of its situation. TS3.1
     
     
   • What is the position of the reader? Do the illustrations provide the character’s view of the events, or do they allow the reader to experience the events from a distance, from the outside looking in? RS3.7.

Activity 2: Reading the illustrations

1. The illustrator has used a variety of visual techniques to make this an effective picture book. Refer to the Rap sheet 2 to discuss what the illustrations tell us about the characters, setting and events.RS3.7
   
2.  Discuss:
   • Do the illustrations tell the story on their own?
   • Do they enhance or change the meaning of the written text? RS3.6
   • Use Rap Sheet 3 Picture interpretation as a guide for discussion.

Activity 3: How do you know what the main character is feeling?

1. Revisit Egg drop. View the illustrations that show the egg climbing the stairs and experiencing an enormous egg rush.
   
   
• Discuss the techniques used by the illustrator to portray how Egg feels. RS3.7
  
  
2. Use Rap sheet 4 to help students create their own humorous page or short story based on Egg drop. WS3.12.
   
   
3. Revisit Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus!. View the double page spread with 8 frames that feature Pigeon pleading to drive the bus.
   
   
4. Discuss the techniques used by the illustrator to portray how Pigeon feels. RS3.7.
   
   
5. Students create their own humorous cartoon based on Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus!. WS3.12 Refer to Rap sheet 5.

N.B. If students need help with drawing, use Rap sheet 6

Posting response to Rap point 1

• prepare the response to Rap point 1 with the class
• student/s (rap representative) type the response, edit and save
• teacher facilitates the students/s use of the word processor and email programs
• rap rep/s send the response to Rap point 1 once the teacher has approved the final text.