Lesson video

Hi everyone.

Thank you so much for making the decision to come and do this reading lesson with me today.

My name's Miss Clarke and in today's lesson we are going to be starting to read a book called The Sheep-Pig.

Have you heard of that book before? It's a really popular book that has been loved by many many children before and I can't wait to get started.

So for today's lesson you will need a copy of the book.

You need a copy that looks just like mine.

So have a look at the front cover carefully.

Can you pause the video and go and find your copy of the book now? Off you go.

Okay, I am so pleased you all now have a copy of the book in front of you.

Now we can get started.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can summarise the opening of The Sheep-Pig.

Let's have a look at our keywords for today's lesson.

These are words that will come up time and time again as we move through the learning.

I'm going to say them and I'd like you to repeat them back.

My turn, your turn.

Are you ready? Fiction.

Well done, nice and loud.

Summarise.

Structure.

Opening.

Great job.

Let's have a look at what these words mean.

Fiction is when authors create made up stories with characters, places, and adventures which did not happen in real life.

So fiction stories are made up or imagined, from the author's imagination.

To summarise, which is what we're going to be doing at the end of the lesson, means to pull out the key events and ideas from the text.

We don't retell the whole story with every detail, we just give the key events and ideas.

Story structure refers to the order of events within a narrative that gives it a coherent and engaging flow.

So it helps the story flow.

And the opening of the story is the beginning of the story which establishes the setting, it introduces the key characters, and sets the tone, creating the foundation for the narrative.

So looking at our learning today, it is going to be divided into two learning cycles.

We will start with an introduction to the story and then in our second learning cycle, we will be summarising the opening.

So let's get started.

This text is called The Sheep-Pig by Dick King-Smith.

You can see the front cover there on the slides and I now know that you all have a copy of the book in front of you as well that looks just like mine.

The Sheep-Pig is a fiction text.

That's one of our keywords.

Can you remember what fiction means? Fiction means it is a story which is made up or imagined.

The author of the story is Dick King-Smith.

The author is the person who writes the story.

Dick King-Smith wrote many children's books, you might have heard of some of them.

Some of the other popular ones were The Hodgeheg and The Queen's Nose.

Give me a thumbs up if you've heard of either of those.

Great.

And The Sheep-Pig was so popular as a book that in 1995, it was adapted into a movie, into a film, and that movie is called Babe.

I wonder, have you ever read The Sheep-Pig or have you watched the movie Babe? I bet some of you have.

The Sheep-Pig tells the story of Babe, a pig who defies expectations and stereotypes and forms a bond with his kind and patient owner, Farmer Hogget.

Now, Dick King-Smith, the author of the story, he grew up on a farm and spent much of his life working with and caring for animals.

And his experiences with farm life and his understanding of animals' behaviour inspired him to create stories that celebrate the unique personalities and relationships between humans and animals.

Let's check what you've understood so far.

True or false? Dick King-Smith often wrote stories about the relationships between humans and animals.

Is that true or is that false? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done if you said true, that's exactly what I said.

And now let's justify that answer.

His experiences with farm life meant he had a good understanding of animals' behaviour, which inspired his stories.

Or is it B, he loved animals so he often wrote about them in his books? Which one best justifies this answer? Have a think, pause the video, and make your choice, off you go.

Okay, well done if you said A.

He probably did love animals, but that wasn't the inspiration behind his stories, it was his knowledge and his understanding from living on a farm which helped him to develop these characters around animals.

Okay.

Story structure refers to the order of events within a narrative that gives it a coherent and engaging flow.

So, coherent means a kind of logical order, so the story is structured so that the story develops and evolves as you keep reading.

It's really important for stories to have a clear structure to present the narrative in a meaningful way, so that readers can understand and enjoy it.

It wouldn't make sense if a story kept jumping around, it would be quite difficult to follow.

So stories tend to follow a similar structure.

And there are four main parts of a story structure.

Here's our story mountain and I'm going to talk through the four parts.

The opening, that's the beginning of the narrative where we are introduced to the characters, introduced to the setting, and we get a bit of a feel of what the story is going to be like.

Then we have the build-up, a little bit more happens and we learn more about the characters or the evolving tale.

The climax, which is at the top of the mountain because it's the really, really exciting part where there maybe is a problem that needs resolving, something's happened, we're not sure how the story is going to progress.

And then the resolution, usually where a problem might be solved or perhaps not, but the story will come to its natural end.

The beginning of a story is what we're focusing on today, and that is sometimes called the opening.

The opening of a story establishes the setting, so where the story takes place, introduces the key characters, and sets the tone of the story, creating the foundation for the narrative.

The tone is the mood or attitude that the author creates through their choice of words, so we get a feel for the type of story that it's going to be.

The opening often poses questions or perhaps presents a conflict or a problem that hooks the reader in, sparking curiosity, so making us interested, and drawing the reader into the unfolding tale.

So really important that the opening catches our attention, otherwise you might pick up a book, read the opening, and think, I don't want to read the rest of this book.

But, hopefully it will present in a way that makes you curious, want to read on, want to learn what's going to happen.

So let's check your understanding.

What does the opening of a story usually do? A, it introduces the characters.

B, it solves the problem, and C, it introduces the setting.

There might be more than one answer.

Pause the video and answer the question now.

Okay, welcome back.

Well done if you said A and C.

The opening introduces the characters and it introduces the setting.

The opening doesn't solve the problem, that typically will happen towards the end of a narrative.

Well done.

So, The Sheep-Pig opens with an introduction to one of the main characters, Farmer Hogget and his wife, Mrs Hogget, who live on a farm in England.

Now, I need you to get your book ready.

I know you've all got it in front of you.

I need you to get The Sheep-Pig book.

Have you all got the book? And I would like you to open it and read chapter one.

When I say read chapter one, perhaps a teacher might be reading it to you, or perhaps a grown-up at home might read it to you, or maybe you will be reading the book yourself or with a partner.

Either way, you are all going to read the same chapter.

So find the start of chapter one now and then read the whole chapter.

Can you all open your books now and find where it says chapter one and then pause the video, read the whole chapter, and then come back to my video.

Off you go.

Okay, welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of The Sheep-Pig.

Now, the chapter ended with a phone call, the phone rang, for Farmer Hogget.

Can you talk to your partner, who do you think is on the phone to Farmer Hogget? And what would they be calling to say? Have a think about what happened in that chapter, who do you think is on the phone? And what are they calling to say? Pause the video and give an idea with your partner.

Off you go.

Okay, what great ideas.

I heard lots of brilliant ideas.

I did hear this answer.

I think that it will be the vicar calling to say that he has won the pig.

That was really good thinking because the farmer did say he wasn't going to stay at the fair for very long and the vicar said he will call him to let him know, so that was a really, really good prediction of who you think might've been on the phone.

So well done.

Let's check your understanding from reading that first chapter.

What did Farmer Hogget have to guess correctly in order to win the pig at the fair? Was it A, his name? Was it B, his age? Or was it C, his weight? Pause the video and choose your answer.

Off you go.

Okay, great job, well done if you said C, you're absolutely right, it was his weight.

That's why Farmer Hogget had to pick up the pig and hold him to try and guess his weight correctly.

Okay.

I would like you to get your book again and turn to page four.

Can you all find page four and point to page four in your book so I know you have found it? And I want you to reread the last two paragraphs on page four.

So work up, think that's the last paragraph at the bottom of the page, and then the next paragraph up.

I would like you to reread those two paragraphs.

And once you've done that, I want you to answer this question with your partner or somebody at home.

What do you notice about the relationship between Farmer Hogget and the pig? Use these clues from the story to help you.

How does the farmer pick up the pig? How does the pig react, respond to being picked up by Farmer Hogget? And what does the vicar say? So, find page four, reread those last two paragraphs, and then answer this question with your partner.

Pause the video, and off you go.

Okay, great job everybody.

Some really, really amazing thoughts and answers coming from you all.

I heard, I think that the farmer was caring towards the pig because it says he held the pig gently.

It did use that word in the book, gently, so obviously he was showing care and affection towards the pig.

He didn't just grab it and shake it around, he was very gentle with the pig.

Well done if you spotted that.

Some of you might have said, I think the pig felt safe with Farmer Hogget because the vicar said that the pig screamed when anyone else touched him, but with the farmer he was calm.

Well done if you read those words what the vicar said, he was saying that the pig really didn't like being picked up by anyone else, but he was very calm with Farmer Hogget, and that kind of shows us a little bit about this relationship that is going to develop.

Okay, that is learning cycle one finished.

Now we are moving onto learning cycle two where we are going to be summarising the opening of the story.

To start with, let's see, do you know what a collie is? If you do, if you've heard that word before, can you tell your partner or somebody near you what you think a collie is? Off you go.

Don't worry if you haven't heard of a collie before, I'm going to explain what it is now.

So, a Border Collie, and collie is short for a Border Collie, which is a type of dog, and here's a picture of a Border Collie there on the beach.

A Border Collie is a highly intelligent and energetic herding dog breed known for its agility, that means it's very good and quick at moving and nipping in between things, its trainability, so the ability to train it to do what you want, and its distinctive black and white coat, so it's got a very obvious black and white coat.

Collies are excellent sheepdogs.

And I've put sheepdogs in green here because you might not have heard of that before.

A sheepdog is a working dog, so not just a dog that's kept as a pet and taken on walks and stays at the home, a sheepdog's a working dog, specifically bred and trained to assist shepherds or farmers as we might refer to them, in herding and managing sheep.

So in herding their sheep, moving their sheep around from place to place where they need them to go.

And many farmers still keep sheepdogs today to support them in moving their animals around.

So, the farmer does win the piglet, well done if you thought that was going to happen, and he is brought back to the stables where he meets the sheepdog, a collie, and her puppies.

I need you to get your books out again.

Have you got it? Okay, can you turn to the start of chapter two? Get your finger and put it at the start of chapter two, it is on page eight.

You are going to read from page eight to the little break in paragraphs on page 15.

So you'll notice there's a gap between two paragraphs on page 15.

So I'd like you to start from the start of chapter two on page eight and read all the way to that break in paragraphs on page 15.

Get your book, pause the video, and do your reading now.

Okay, well done everybody.

Great reading from all of you.

So now you have met Fly, the collie dog, because the piglet was put in the stables next to Fly and her puppies.

What is your first impression of Fly and why? Your first impression means, what do you think about her? What's your view on her? What kind of feeling do you get from her? Can you turn to your talk partner and tell them now? Off you go, pause the video.

Okay, great job.

You might have said I think that Fly is kind and caring because she wants to care for the piglet.

She does give off that impression, doesn't she? She says she wants to look after him, she's asking him things, so it does seem like she's going to be a kind and caring dog, but we will find out more as we read on.

Let's check your understanding of what you just read.

What was Fly teaching her puppies to do? Was she A, teaching them their names? B, training them how to be sheepdogs? Or C, training them how to herd hens? Can you pause the video, have a think, and make your choice? Off you go.

Okay, well done everyone.

Let's see what you said.

B, well done, I'm sure you did say training them how to be sheepdogs.

That is what she was doing.

She wants them to be excellent sheepdogs like she is.

Okay, I'm gonna check your understanding once more.

We've met a few characters now in the story, I just want to check that you all know who is who.

So can you match the name to the character? We've got Farmer Hogget, Mrs Hogget, Fly, and Babe.

And the characters are the piglet, the farmer, the farmer's wife, and the sheepdog, collie.

So can you match the name to who they are? Pause the video, have a go.

Okay, great job everybody.

So, Farmer Hogget, you did it, well done, is the farmer.

Brilliant.

Mrs Hogget is the farmer's wife, well done.

Fly is the sheepdog, brilliant.

And Babe, of course, is the name they have given to the piglet, well done.

So Fly and Babe form a bit of a special bond, which surprises Farmer Hogget.

A bond is like a special relationship, when you feel quite caring and attached to each other.

You are going to do a bit more reading now, so you need your book again.

Maybe a teacher is reading to you, maybe somebody at home is reading to you, or maybe you are reading the words.

However you are doing it, I want you to read chapter two from where we just left off, which was the break on page 15, the little break in paragraphs.

I want you to read from there on page 15 all the way to the end of chapter two.

Okay, so find chapter two, find page 15, go from that break where you got to last time, and read all the way to the end of chapter two.

Pause the video, off you go.

Okay, great reading.

So, based on what you've just read, I want you to have a think.

Mrs Hogget at the end was saying about fattening the pig up and eating him for Christmas.

My question to you is do you think they will eat Babe and why? Pause the video and talk to your partner about that question, off you go.

Okay, some great ideas.

Some of you might have said I think they won't eat Babe because he seems to be unique and special.

Unique means one of a kind.

And he's showing some signs of being quite special already, so perhaps they will form relationships with this pig and not want to eat him in the end.

Maybe some of you thought they are going to eat him.

So based on what we've read so far, can you order the following events from the story? Here are the events, but they're all jumbled up and not in the right order.

A, the piglet is put in the stables with Fly, the sheepdog and she calls him Babe.

B, Farmer Hogget goes to the fair and guesses the weight of the piglet.

C, Babe curls up to Fly and he copies her actions, which surprises the farmer.

D, the vicar calls Farmer Hogget to let him know he has won the piglet.

Can you number them one, two, three, and four to show the correct order of these events? Pause the video, off you go.

Well done everyone.

Okay, of course that first thing that happened was Farmer Hogget goes to the fair and guesses the weight of the piglet.

The next one was the vicar calls Farmer Hogget to tell him he has won the piglet.

The piglet comes home, number three is that he's put in the stables with Fly, the sheepdog, and she calls him Babe.

And then fourth, Babe curls up to Fly and he copies her actions, which surprises the farmer, he goes and sits just like Fly does.

So we have now read the opening of the story and I'm going to ask you to summarise the opening for your next practise task.

Summarise means to pull out the key events and ideas from the text.

Summarise does not mean retell the whole story with every detail of what we've read so far, just put out the key events that have happened and summarise, tell them as a story.

So for your practise task I'd like you to summarise the opening with a partner.

Take it in turns to say one sentence each.

So one person says a sentence, the next person says the next sentence just on what we've read so far.

Pause the video and summarise the opening now.

Amazing.

Well done everyone, really, really great retelling, summarising of the story so far.

I'm going to show you my summary of the story.

It may be different, there might be some similarities.

One day at the village fair, there was an exciting game where people could guess the weight of a piglet.

Surprisingly, Farmer Hogget won the nervous, little piglet by guessing the correct weight and brought it back to his farm.

Meanwhile in the stables, Fly, who was an obedient and kind collie, was training her puppies to be sheepdogs.

Fly immediately felt sorry for the lonely piglet and asked his name.

The piglet did not know his name, but told Fly how his mother called him Babe.

Later that day, Farmer Hogget found Fly and Babe cuddled up together having a sleep.

After that, something surprising happened.

When Farmer Hogget gave Fly an instruction, Babe copied too.

Well done if you managed to also include some exciting adjectives or some exciting sentence starters to make your speaking a little bit more exciting.

So the opening of the story hints at some special relationships that Babe will form on the farm and provides a bit of a clue that his journey will be unique and special.

We can already tell he is not an ordinary little piglet, is he? Okay.

So let's look at a summary of our learning together.

The Sheep-Pig is a fiction story set on a farm in England.

The main character in the story is Babe, who appears to be unique, to be one of a kind.

The opening of the story establishes the setting, introduces key characters, and sets the tone, creating the foundation for the narrative.

To summarise means to pull out the key events and ideas from the text.

You've done a brilliant job today, lots and lots of reading and talking about the story, and also fantastic summarising of the key events that have happened so far.

I really hope to see you again soon and thank you so much for your engagement and all of your brilliant learning today.

Well done everyone.