Lesson video

Hello everybody, it's good to see you.

My name's Miss Adsal, and I'm feeling pretty excited about being here today.

That's because we are going to be exploring a really, very fantastic novel.

It's not just any novel, it's an illustrated chapter book and it's this one here, "How to Train Your Dragon," by Cressida Cowell.

Cressida Cowell how has both written and illustrated this novel.

So this is really quite something.

You are going to need a copy of the novel that looks just like this one for our lesson today.

I'm gonna pause here.

So please pause the video and off you go and find your copy of the novel.

Okay, you are back.

You've got your copy of the novel.

Hopefully you've got some enthusiasm for dragons, for adventure stories, and for exploring fantastic fiction.

Let's get into it.

The outcome for today's lesson is, I can show an understanding of the characters, plot and setting of "How to Train Your Dragon." Here are the keywords for today's lesson.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Hero, character traits, role on the wall.

Let's find out what these words mean.

A hero is a protagonist with noble qualities, often saving or helping others.

Character traits are the special qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting.

Role on the wall is a character analysis activity which encourages readers to infer, to find, seek further meaning.

So our lesson today has got two parts to it.

We are going to begin by reading chapter 2, and next we'll be exploring characterization.

So let's get into it, chapter 2.

"How to Train your Dragon" is written and illustrated by Cressida Cowell.

Look at that amazing cover.

Wow, what a talent is Cressida Cowell.

And what we know so far? "How to Train Your Dragon" begins with Hiccup, the heir to the Hooligan tribe, worrying about the upcoming initiation where he must prove himself a Viking hero or face exile.

Hiccup is joined by 9 other novices that's other starters.

You must select a dragon from the nursery, which they are about to approach.

In chapter 2, the novices are described as they're prepared to climb the cliff face.

Read the first part of chapter 2, pages 28-37, up to the word, possible, and then answer the following question, how is Hiccup described at the start of the chapter? And you may like to refer specifically to pages 28 and 29.

So pause the video here while you read these sections of the text and answer this question, and share with someone nearby.

Let's see what Andy has to say.

Hiccup is described as having heroic hair, which is bright red.

It's usually hidden beneath his helmet.

He's described as an unlikely hero.

As as the boys begin to climb to the cave, they encounter some challenges.

Refer to page 31.

List two of the dangers that the novices faced as they climbed.

So pause the video as you refer to page 31, and see if you can find those two, find two of the dangers that they faced.

Here's Aisha with some of the dangers.

Two dangers that the boys faced were the icy rocks which caused Clueless to fall.

The boys were also over-excited, which meant that they might make more mistakes in their keenness to get to the cave.

Yeah, have you ever had that where you're feeling so excited about something and maybe you can now get in the way of your focus? You may also discuss the height of the cliff.

Check for understanding.

Match the following novices to their description in the text and refer to pages 28-29 for support.

So we have Snotlout, Dogsbreath and Hiccup, and descriptions, has a face that is unremarkable and difficult to recall, is very tall his age and flatulent, has strong muscles and skeletal tattoos.

So pause video while you match up the novices to their descriptions.

Well done if you linked Snotlout with the description of being very strong, Dogsbreath very tall, and Hiccup may be unremarkable, difficult to recall.

While different stories may portray heroes in various ways, there are some common characteristics and elements associated with heroic figures.

So let's think about these.

What is it that makes a hero? Well, they often have humble beginnings.

They have strength, physical or otherwise.

They're moral, they know right from wrong.

They're courageous, they're brave, selfless, not just thinking of themselves, they're thinking of others.

They're determined and they go through some kind of transformation, some change or growth.

Heroes do not always have similar features.

A hero may exhibit only some, none, or all of these qualities.

When they finally reach the cave, Hiccup is the first to head in, despite many of the characters ridiculing him, he does demonstrate some heroic character traits.

Refer to page 32, what actions does Hiccup do that might be considered heroic? So refer to page 32 and reflect on this question.

Here's Alex's reflection.

Although Hiccup is described as frightened, he's not cowardly.

He shows courage.

He still wants to capture a dragon, even though he knows it won't be easy.

Yeah, absolutely I wonder if he came up with something like that.

Thank you, Alex.

Or maybe he came up with something like this.

Hiccup also crawls through extremely narrow tunnels to reach the cave.

The cavern was full of dragons as far as the eye could see.

Cressida Cowell appeals to the senses when describing the setting.

What do you notice about the cave's description? Which senses does this appeal to? And refer to page 34 for support.

So pause the video while you refer to this page.

Read the description and reflect on what is it you notice about the cave's description.

Which senses does it appeal to? Okay, what did you notice? Let's see what you noticed.

Cressida Cowell appeals to the senses of smell and sight.

The smell of the cave is described as revolting.

There are glow worms which illuminate the cavern, that light up the cavern, as well as some flames from the dragons who are sleeping.

Yeah, so visual and so sensual in terms of what you can smell.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following character traits does Hiccup show on the approach to the cavern? Bravery, cowardice, determination, laziness.

Pause video while you decide.

Well done if you selected bravery and determination.

Absolutely.

He has those two for sure, well done.

And now onto our task.

The boys begin to choose their dragons.

Snotlout picks up a Nightmare, Dogsbreath a Gronkle, they role play, Hiccup choosing his dragon.

You might like to include some inner thoughts.

So what is he thinking? You can speak those out loud.

Some facial expressions to demonstrate your eagerness in fighting a dragon.

Actions and gestures that Hiccup might make, his short prayer to Loki, god of tricksters.

Refer to pages 28-37 to support you with your role play.

And you might like to use show and tell.

So show and tell.

Show not tell refers to showing something without explicitly stating it.

How might you show not tell your partner some of Hiccup's character traits? So pause the video here, refer to those pages to support you and then have a go at role playing Hiccup choosing his dragon.

Have fun.

Okay, how did you get on? I hope you really enjoyed that and put your whole self into it.

And did you voice Hiccup's inner thoughts? Did you use your face, your facial expressions to show Hiccup's emotions? Did you include actions, gestures that demonstrated his character traits? I hope so.

I hope you enjoyed it.

And now let's explore characterization.

Hiccup succeeds in picking up a dragon.

Fishlegs, however, is not so lucky.

His allergies means that he awakens the sleeping dragons.

Continue reading chapter 2 from pages 37, following the page break to the end of the chapter, page 44.

Why does Fishlegs decide to try and get a cool dragon? Refer to pages 38 for support.

So pause the video now while you read this section of the text and then answer the question about Fishlegs.

Okay, so why did he try to get a cool dragon? Let's see what Sam says.

Fishlegs was tired of being taunted by Snotlout.

He wanted to get an impressive dragon that the other boys would respect.

Yeah, I can understand that.

At the end of the chapter, Hiccup is thankful he is alive.

However, the mission wasn't one full of glory either.

Refer to the events in chapter 2.

What do you think will happen to Hiccup next? Pause the video while you reflect on this question and share with someone nearby.

I think Hiccup might have to be exiled because he gave his dragon to Fishlegs.

I hope the Hiccup was able to find a dragon when he went back through the narrow gap.

I wonder what you think will happen.

And if your prediction can be justified by events in chapter 2 and the illustrations, then it's a good prediction.

Check for understanding, true or false.

Fishlegs caused the dragons to wake up by collapsing the pile of sleeping dragons.

Is that true or false? Pause the video while you decide.

That one's false.

And now I would like you to justify your answer.

Fishlegs' four sneezes echoed around the cavern.

It was so loud, it woke up the other dragons.

Fishlegs was already covered in a rash as a result of his allergies.

Pause video while you decide which is the correct justification for your answer.

Well done if you selected A, yep.

Fishlegs' sneezes echoing around the cavern, waking the other dragons.

So really good justification for your answer.

Okay, and now we're on to role on the wall.

So role on the wall is a reading activity that helps us develop our understanding of characters in a story or text.

Using an outline of a character as we can see on the screen, we jot down character traits, thoughts, feelings, motivations and fears on the insides on the inside of the body.

And then on the outside we note the character's outer characteristics including physical appearance, actions, and interactions with other characters.

So we're looking at the inner and the outer of the character.

We can support our inferences with evidence from the text.

So inside we've got thoughts and feelings, outside we've got the character's appearance and how people see them.

Let's look at some examples of role on the wall for Fishlegs, with evidence from the text.

So he's thinking, will I be exiled? I want to be a good dragon.

He's worried, his feelings are worried and panicked.

And he's described as having an itchy rash as a result of his reptile allergy.

And he's described as not being very good at sneaking.

He does not see how tangled up the dragons are in the pile.

Fishlegs helps Hiccup by hauling him through the hole, away from the dragons chasing him.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following features are included on the inside of the character when completing a role on the wall? Fears, physical appearance, thoughts and feelings, actions they perform in the story.

Pause the video while you.

Well done if you selected fears and thoughts and feelings, those go on the inside of the role on the wall.

For your task, I would like you to complete a role on the wall for Hiccup.

So note down Hiccup's character traits, his thoughts, feelings, motivations and fears on the inside.

And note down Hiccup's outer characteristics, including his physical appearance, actions, and interactions with other characters on the outside.

So pause the video now while you have a go at completing a role on the wall for Hiccup.

Alright, it's good to be back with you.

How did he get on with that task? I'm wondering, did you, on the inside, include a thought that Hiccup might have? Did you include a range of emotions that Hiccup might feel, some of his character traits? How about on the outside? Did you include a description of Hiccup's physical appearance, actions that Hiccup performs and an interaction Hiccup has with another character? Well done if you included some or all of these.

Well done for giving it a go.

In our lesson today, we've covered the following.

Hiccup is not a typical hero character.

Stories may portray heroes in various ways.

There are some common character traits they have, such as courage and determination.

Authors can appeal to the senses when describing settings.

Role on the wall is a reading activity that helps readers develop their understanding of a character.

It was great to be together with you for this lesson today, and thank you for joining in with exploring the character, the setting, and the plot of this wonderful text.

And I'm looking forward to seeing you for some more exploration next time.

Bye for now.