Lesson video

Hello everyone.

How are you doing today? I hope you're really good.

My name's Ms. Afsal.

I'm feeling good today because we are going to be exploring themes in "Arthur and the Golden Rope".

So many amazing, interesting themes in this book.

I wonder which ones we're gonna get into exploring.

Shall we begin? The outcome for today's lesson is, I can identify and justify the key themes in "Arthur and the Golden Rope".

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Theme.

Recurring.

Convey.

Analyse.

Justify.

Great stuff.

I enjoyed hearing those words.

Let's find out what they mean.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.

Recurring means something that appears repeatedly.

To convey means to communicate a message to the reader directly or indirectly.

To analyse something means to examine it in detail, in order to understand it.

And to justify means to show or prove something using evidence.

These are our keywords today.

Let's listen out for them, let's look out for them.

They will be coming up in our lesson.

Our lesson exploring themes in "Arthur and the Golden Rope" has two parts to it.

There is understanding and identifying themes and justifying and analysing important themes.

It's all about the themes.

Let's begin with understanding and identifying themes.

What do we know about the text so far? Well, Arthur runs into the forest to hide from Fenrir.

Fenrir sniffs out Arthur, he begins to creep closer and closer.

Arthur is struck with an idea and jumps up ready to attack the wolf.

Fenrir bites Arthur's hand, but Fenrir has been tricked.

Arthur uses the hand of time, which froze the wolf to the spot.

What a fantastic idea, Arthur.

With Fenrir frozen, Arthur and Thor are finally able to subdue the beast.

Let's hear Joe read pages 49 to the end and you can follow along in your text.

<v ->"After defeating Fenrir's minions,</v> Thor was able to tie Fenrir up while Arthur beamed with pride.

As they flew back to Arthur's frozen town, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the clouds into the main square, the great fire burst to life and the ice began to melt again.

The towns folk cheered and gathered around to hear Thor speak.

Arthur went quickly over to Atrix with his journal full of adventures and creatures he had seen.

When Thor explained that it was actually Arthur who had defeated Fenrir, they all went to celebrate with him, but by then she was already fast asleep.

And that is the tale of the very first brownstone.

Maybe one day you will hear some more of my ancestors' adventures, but until then, dear reader, I hope you go out and find some of your own because sometimes the greatest heroes are the unlikeliest." (soft music) <v ->Okay, so how have the towns folks reactions</v> to Arthur changed by the end of the text? Pause the video, share with someone nearby.

At the beginning of the text, the majority of the townsfolk didn't believe in Arthur.

They didn't see any potential in him.

At the end of the text, Arthur is declared a hero by Thor.

The townsfolk are overjoyed and want to celebrate with Arthur.

A big change has taken place, I'm sure you'll agree.

Match the character to the actions they portray in the final section of the text.

So here are our characters, Arthur, Atrix, Thor, and Fenrir.

And here are their actions.

Casts a bolt of lightning, which reignites the great fire.

Reads the journal full of adventures and creatures that Arthur has seen.

Beams full of pride tied up with the golden rope.

Pause video while you match the character to the actions they portray in the final section of the text.

Okay, so what was Arthur up to? Yes, he was beaming full of pride, deservedly so.

Atrix reads the journal full of adventures and creatures that Arthur has seen.

Thor, mighty Thor cast the bolt of lightning, which reignites the great fire, and Fenrir is tied up with the golden rope.

Well done if you match the characters to these actions.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.

Within literature, authors use techniques to convey themes to the reader.

These themes often mirror issues and topics that we encounter in our own lives, making the story relatable to the reader.

Here are some examples of themes.

Friendship, love that one already.

Family, oh my goodness, it's just getting better.

Love, I'll say no more.

Courage.

Betrayal.

Good versus evil.

Death.

Protection.

Loneliness and survival.

Pause here for a moment and reflect on which of these themes are ones that you've read about perhaps and that maybe you enjoy reading about.

Reflect on this and then tell someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing.

I wonder if you had similar favourite, or favourite themes or different ones.

I love friendship, family, and Love, but they are all fantastic, aren't they? So interesting.

And now identifying themes within a text involves inference.

Themes are not explicitly stated within a text.

Authors commonly use repetition to convey themes to the reader.

We can identify themes by considering characters, actions and characteristics, identifying repetition, actions, emotions, traits.

Searching for deeper meaning using inference, considering the overall message of the story.

Which of the following can be analysed to identify a theme? Considering the overall message of the story.

Grammatical structure of a sentence.

Repetition of similar actions, emotions and character traits.

Characters names.

Pause video while you decide which of these can be analysed to identify a theme.

Well done if you selected statements A and C, indeed, we can consider the overall message of a story to identify a theme and repetition of similar actions, emotions, and character traits.

Now, I'm going to retell the story of "Arthur and the Golden Rope" and a possible theme within the story is heroism.

While you are listening, I wonder if you could consider what other themes recur in the text through the character's behaviours.

We have this character of Arthur, and Arthur collects lots of different objects, and for example, he has from the wind weaver a special feather that can protect him when he needs it.

The towns folk are considering whether he may be the hero to save them after Fenrir puts the fire out.

But the townsfolk are not very keen on him being their hero.

They think he's meddling, they think he spends too much time in the forest and has strange things and he's too small.

They're not supporters.

Atrix a wise woman, tells the villagers all about a god who lives in a far away land who can control the storms and fires and the weather.

She tells them about Thor.

Arthur, who finally is the one who goes off on his voyage to find Thor does so, and Thor tells him what is needed.

Some objects that he will need, and he identifies who this creature is that's put out fire.

That's Fenrir son of Loki.

Arthur and Fenrir are face-to-face and Arthur puts his hand out to stop Fenrir and Fenrir bites off Arthur's hand.

However, it wasn't Arthur's real hand, it was actually the hand of time that Fenrir bit off.

And so, Fenrir is now absolutely still, frozen still except for his confused eyes.

Fenrir is then tied up, they go back to the village and Thor reignites the great fire bringing life and heat and warmth to the village once again.

And he tells them, he tells the villages that it is Arthur who was the hero in the story.

And so now finally, the villages are all proud of Arthur and feeling great about him, except Arthur has now fallen asleep after all of his tiring, incredible adventures.

So what are the themes recur in the text through the character's behaviours? Pause the video, tell someone nearby.

So there are many possible themes that can be drawn out from this text.

Readers may interpret themes and their importance differently.

So once again, pause here and tell someone what are some of those themes that you came up with that occur in "Arthur and the Golden Rope." All right, well, did you come up with? Maybe some ideas like these ones.

Heroism.

Resilience and determination.

Friendship and collaboration.

Courage and bravery.

It can help to consider the kind of behaviours or characteristics conveyed by the characters to represent these themes throughout the story.

True or false? All readers will interpret themes in the same way.

Pause, video, decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

Now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Each reader will bring their own personal experiences to the text.

A theme might engage readers differently.

A theme can be identified by considering characters, actions and characteristics.

Pause video while you decide which of these statements best justifies your earlier answer.

Well done for selecting answer A.

Both of these statements are true, but it's the first one that more directly justifies your earlier answer.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to discuss which other themes appear throughout the story.

So we have these ones already.

Heroism, resilience and determination, friendship and collaboration, courage and bravery.

Some themes are more complex and encourage us to consider their meaning.

For example, how does Arthur look after his environment? So pause the video here and share with someone nearby some other themes that appear in this story.

Okay, what did you come up with? Maybe, mythology and legends.

Nature and environment, restoration.

Empathy, oh, I love that word.

Sacrifice.

Fear.

Brains and brawn.

Leadership and mentoring.

Morality.

Well done if you came up with any of these themes or perhaps some other ones.

And now it's time for us to justify and analyse some of the important themes.

Let's just recap what themes can be identified within "Arthur and the Golden Rope"? Pause the video, tell someone nearby.

Fantastic.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs.

Here are some of those themes.

Heroism, resilience and determination.

Friendship and collaboration, courage and bravery.

Mythology and legends.

Nature and environment.

Restoration.

Empathy, sacrifice, fear.

Brains and brawn.

Leadership and mentoring.

Morality.

So many incredible themes.

Wow! Well done, Joe Todd-Stanton.

Can't believe you managed to fit all of these amazing themes in your text.

We can interpret themes and their importance by analysing the deeper meaning being conveyed by the author.

What themes are conveyed through the relationship between Arthur and the gods? Collaboration, working together for a common goal.

Resilience, perseverance in the face of challenges.

Mentorship, guiding others, fostering growth.

We can justify these themes by giving examples of how they appear.

Match the theme to the correct definition.

Here are the themes, collaboration, determination, mentoring.

And the definitions.

Working together for a common goal.

Fostering growth in character, perseverance in the face of challenges.

Pause the video while you match each theme to its definition.

Okay, did you match collaboration to working together for a common goal.

Determination is perseverance in the face of challenges and mentoring is fostering growth in character.

Well done if you made these connections.

It's time for your next task.

First of all, I would like you to discuss how does Joe Todd-Stanton convey the themes of collaboration, resilience, and mentorship through Arthur's relationship with the gods? And you could begin your sentences in this way.

The theme of collaboration is shown when.

I think the theme of resilience is shown through.

I think the theme of mentorship is shown when.

So pause the video here while you share how Joe Todd-Stanton conveys the themes of collaboration, resilience, and mentorship through Arthur's relationship with the gods.

Well done for having a go at that task.

Let's see.

What did you come up with? Maybe something like this.

The theme of collaboration is shown through the god's willingness to support Arthur in capturing Fenrir and relighting the great fire of his town.

I think the theme of resilience is shown in Arthur's ability to never give up.

Arthur demonstrates determination to complete those tasks.

I think the theme of mentorship is shown when Thor encourages Arthur to collect the two rare items. Thor supports Arthur's personal journey and helps him uncover hidden talents.

Wow! Love how you've shown evidence for those three themes.

And now onto the next part of your task.

How does Joe Todd-Stanton convey the theme of nature and environment and its importance throughout the story? Consider how different characters demonstrate care for nature and their environment.

Are there any characters that do not show care? And you can begin your sentences in this way.

Arthur shows care for the environment when.

I think, shows lack of care towards the environment by.

This results in.

Pause here to complete this part of your task.

Good to be back with you.

How did you get on? Maybe you shared something like this.

"Arthur shows care for the environment by helping creatures and other mythical beings.

He seeks to restore balance to his world.

Arthur has a respect for nature and learns from his interactions with it." Or maybe, "I think Fenrir displays a lack of care towards the environment.

He leaves a path of destruction in his wake.

At the start of the text, he extinguishes the town's great fire.

This results in Arthur going on his quest." Well done for sharing your answers.

Analysing certain characteristics helps us to consider the kind of qualities we want to show ourselves.

Analysing themes can help us consider human morality, important life lessons and the kind of people we want to be.

Identifying admirable qualities and positive themes within a story can inspire us to nurture those qualities within ourselves.

Arthur provides the reader with several positive qualities.

He has a strong sense of what is right and wrong.

His quest is driven by a desire to help his townspeople, even though they do not always respect him as they should.

Understanding the impact of negative qualities such as selfishness, can help us know the kind of people we don't want to be.

Fenrir demonstrates these when he causes harm to everyone in Arthur's village.

I wonder which of Arthur's positive qualities are ones that you either already have or would like to develop more.

Maybe his sense of knowing what is right and wrong, maybe his determination, his selflessness.

Pause video and take a moment to reflect on this and share if you like.

Which of the following qualities could be nurtured in readers by empathising with Arthur? Resilience and determination, cowardice and fear, selfishness and greed.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done, if you selected resilience and determination.

Yes, Author has bucket loads of those.

And now onto the final part of your task.

What overall message do you think Joe Todd-Stanton was trying to convey through his exploration of the themes? Consider what lesson you think we can learn from the story.

You could begin your sentence like this, I think the overall message Joe Todd-Stanton conveys is.

Or, the greatest lesson I learned from the story of "Arthur and the Golden Rope" is.

Pause the video while you consider Joe Todd-Stanton's overall message.

So what do you think Joe Todd-Stanton wants you to take away? I think the overall message Joe Todd-Stanton conveys is that strength can come from within through determination to do well and the desire to make the world a better place.

Oh my goodness, I love that.

How about this one? "The greatest lesson I learned from the story of "Arthur and the Golden Rope" is that heroes do not have to look or act a certain way.

Arthur is an unlikely hero.

He exhibits qualities that me and my friends have." Hooray, I love that one.

In a lesson, exploring themes in "Arthur and the Golden Rope", we have covered the following.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.

And authors use these to convey deeper meaning.

Considering behaviours and characteristics helps us to identify recurring themes.

We can justify the importance of a theme through showing how it appears in the text.

Analysing themes can help us to identify important lessons on human morality, which can positively impact the type of people we want to be.

"Arthur and the Golden Rope" explores a variety of important themes, including what it means to be a hero.

Oh wow! I really enjoyed this lesson.

I loved getting into these themes, so many wonderful, inspiring themes.

And I loved identifying what are these lessons that we can take away? How can we be inspired to live in a certain kind of way based on the themes in this text and the example that Arthur was setting? I'm feeling very inspired as I come away from this lesson.

I hope you are too.

Let's all go off and be heroes and make our little corners of the world a better place.

I'll see you at another lesson soon.