Reading 'The Proudest Blue' and developing fluency | English

Starter quiz

What is 'The Proudest Blue' about?
- It is a celebration of the hijab. ✓
- It is a celebration of the colour blue.
- It is a celebration of festivals.
Match the vocabulary to the correct definition.
- Islam
  
  ⇔
  
  a religion centred on the Quran and the teachings of Muhammed ✓
- Muslim
  
  ⇔
  
  a follower of the religion of Islam ✓
- hijab
  
  ⇔
  
  a head covering worn by some Muslim women ✓
What are the names of the two sisters in 'The Proudest Blue'?
- Faiza ✓
- Mama
- Asiya ✓
- Ibtihaj
Who is the story told from the perspective of?
- the mother
- Asiya
- Faiza ✓
How do phonics strategies help you when reading?
- They help me understand the meaning of a word.
- They help me decode and read the word. ✓
- They help me guess the word.
Why is re-reading a book important?
- It supports my reading fluency. ✓
- It helps me memorise the story.
- It helps build my understanding of the story. ✓

How does Faiza feel about her big sister Asiya?
- She is jealous of her.
- She admires her. ✓
- She finds her annoying.
True or false? Everyone was kind and accepting of Asiya's religious expression.
- True
- False ✓
Why were people unkind to Asiya about her hijab?
- They viewed it as different. ✓
- They didn't like the colour blue.
- They didn't like Asiya.
How did Asiya and Faiza respond to the unkindness of others?
- They said mean things back to the children.
- They ignored the horrible comments and walked away. ✓
- They felt embarrassed so they hid.
Match the strategy to the reason you use it.
- use phonics strategies
  
  ⇔
  
  to decode unfamiliar words ✓
- search for a ‘word within a word’
  
  ⇔
  
  to decode words and make meaning ✓
- re-read the whole sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  to understand the overall meaning ✓
Sequence the following summarising statements to show the order they happen in the story of 'The Proudest Blue'.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  Asiya gets her very first hijab.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  Faiza admires her sister's hijab on the way to school.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  Not everyone at school shows kindness and acceptance towards Asiya.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  Faiza and Asiya let go of the words that hurt and walk away.
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  Faiza and Asiya leave school holding onto their pride and supporting each other.

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'The Proudest Blue' is a children's picture book, written by Ibtihaj Muhammad, that celebrates being proud of the hijab.
The story is told from the perspective of Faiza and it is about her big sister Asiya getting her very first hijab.
Sounding out using phonics strategies is our most helpful way to decode unfamiliar words.
Searching for a 'word within a word' is a useful strategy to decode and comprehend words.
Re-reading a sentence fluently after decoding helps to make meaning of what has been read.

Children may find it difficult to read words that are unfamiliar or not decodable with phonics strategies, e.g. 'special'.

Pre-teach important vocabulary from the text and explore their definitions.

Hijab - a head covering worn by some Muslim women
Identity - the different aspects that make up who we are
Pride - the feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's own achievements or qualities
Strategies - techniques used to support in achieving a purpose
Decode - to translate written symbols into words