Lesson video

Hello, everyone! I'm Miss Corbett and welcome to today's lesson, the theme of responsibility in "Lulu Gets a Cat".

I not only love stories and reading them, but I also love thinking about what they can teach me and how they can help me talk about my feelings and my own point of view.

So I'm really looking forward to today's lesson.

For today's lesson, I need you to get your listening ears.

Can I see them? Your looking eyes and that thinking brain.

At the end of the lesson, you will also need something to write with and to write on.

So can you pause the video now and go and get that? Off you go.

Are you ready to go? Let's get started.

And here is the outcome for today's lesson.

"I can write about something I am responsible for." And these keywords will help us to get there.

First, we will say them.

You will repeat them after me.

Have a think about whether you've heard them before.

Are you ready? My turn, your turn.

Theme, perspective.

That's quite a long one.

Let's say that one again.

Perspective.

Plot.

Thank you so much for joining in with me.

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

It might be something that makes us link to our own experiences or something to learn from it, a lesson to be learned.

A perspective is a point of view.

If I'm thinking from my own point of view, I'm thinking about how I feel.

If I'm thinking from somebody else's point of view or perspective, I'm thinking how they must be feeling.

And finally plot, which is what happens in a story.

The first part of our lesson is summarising the story.

Have a look at the front cover, but something is missing.

It's the title.

Can you remember the title of this story? I'm going to give you five seconds.

Five, four, three, two, and one.

And can I have a drum roll please? The title is "Lulu Gets a Cat".

Now I'm going to read the story of "Lulu Gets a Cat" to you, which I'm really looking forward to.

You may have heard this story before, but rereading a story helps us to remember the plot, the main events, as well as notice new details in the text and illustrations that you might not have seen before.

Are you ready to get your listening ears switched on? And I hope you enjoyed listening to the whole story uninterrupted from the beginning to the end.

"Lulu Gets a Cat" by Anna McQuinn.

"Lulu loves cats.

She wants a real one, but mommy says that looking after a cat is a lot of work.

Lulu decides to find out more.

She learns that cats are super at smelling and hearing.

Lulu reads all about how to care for cats.

She pretends that Dinah is a real cat and practises looking after her.

At last, mommy agrees, Lulu can get a cat! Mommy and Lulu find out how to adopt one.

At the cat shelter, they meet Jeremy.

He shows them three perfect cats.

Before Lulu can decide, one little cat chooses her! Jeremy says that moving is scary for cats, so he gives Lulu a list of things that will help.

Lulu will be back as soon as everything at home is ready.

All the next day, Lulu and mommy shop.

'What a lot of stuff for a little cat!' Lulu and Daddy make a special corner where her cat will settle in.

Finally, Lulu is ready to bring her cat home, but the little cat is afraid.

Her own blanket makes her feel safe.

Lulu tells her not to worry.

At home, the little cat stays in the carrying case.

After a while, she comes out and sniffs around.

Lulu watches for now.

She knows her cat isn't ready to play just yet.

Lulu decides to call her cat Makeda.

It is the name of an African queen.

Lulu takes excellent care of Makeda.

One day, Lulu's friend Tayo brings a special present for Makeda.

Tayo and Lulu play with Makeda all afternoon.

At last, Makeda feels right at home.

Her favourite thing is to snuggle Lulu.

Every evening, Lulu reads to Makeda.

Tonight's story is all about a famous cat.

Lulu loves her new little cat and bedtime stories with Makeda are the best of all.

The end." I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did.

Now, Lulu loves cats.

Is there anything that you love as much as Lulu loves cats? Think about that thing in your head.

Take a deep breath in (inhales) and out and just think about that.

Fantastic.

Now we have read and reread the whole story.

We can summarise it by thinking about the plot.

Summarising a story helps us to understand the main points and themes as well as link it to our own experiences or other books that we have read.

So let's start by thinking about the summarising it by thinking about the beginning.

The beginning of the story introduces Lulu, the character, and the main plot.

The main plot is following Lulu on her journey to getting a cat.

The story ends with Lulu happy with her cat Makeda having worked really hard to get her and do everything possible to look after her.

We can summarise the plot by looking at the main events of the story, which are the most important parts.

Because without knowing these main events in this order that they're in, the plot would be really difficult to follow and to understand.

Let's see if you can put some of these main events from the story into order.

Which happens in the beginning of the story, which happens in a middle and which happens at the end? Pause the video now.

Let's see if you got it.

In the beginning of the story, we meet Lulu, and we learn that she loves cats and that she really wants a real one.

After practising with a pretend cat and learning all about them by doing some research in the library and on the computer, Lulu gets to choose a cat at the shelter.

After getting everything that the cat needs, settling her in, making sure she's confident, the story ends with Lulu reading her new cat Makeda a bedtime story.

Did you get that order? Well done if you did.

Now I am going to retell the story using the main events.

So I might use some words from the story, but I'm going to summarise it in my own words.

First we meet Lulu, a little girl who loves cats.

Then she learns all about them and practises looking after a cat with her pretend cats.

Finally, she proves that she's able to get her own cat and mommy takes her to the animal shelter where she meets her new cat.

Jeremy tells her and gives her a list of things that she needs.

Her and mommy go to shop to buy everything they need, and her and daddy create a safe space in the corner.

At last, she's able to come home and at first, she's a bit nervous, so Lulu gives her her space.

Finally, Lulu and her cat are able to sit and snuggle together and read stories.

Now it's your turn to use the main events of the story to retell it from the beginning all the way to the end.

Just like I did, you could say it in your own words.

Pause the video now.

Fantastic.

Did you remember the whole plot of the story? Well done if you did.

Excellent retelling and summarising.

Now let's move on to the next part of the lesson, the theme of responsibility.

A theme is a main idea of something.

The theme in the story is what the story is about, and often, it might teach us something.

What do you think "Lulu Gets a Cat" is trying to teach us about? Can you pause the video now and share your ideas? Great thinking.

Thinking about the theme can help us link stories to our own experiences and think about things from our own perspective.

That's our keyword or point of view.

Like we've said, a theme is a main idea of something.

Let's think about what it might be trying to teach us.

In the story, Lulu really wants a cat.

She does not get one straight away.

She has to prove that she can be responsible for one.

Can you say that word? Responsible.

Responsible.

Well done.

Being responsible is taking care of something or someone.

It means you are doing the things you're supposed to do.

Responsibility is one theme in the story.

Lulu proves that she is responsible and ready for a cat in lots of ways.

First, she learns about cats.

Next, she practises on her pretend cat, Dinah.

Then she listens to the man at the shelter, Jeremy, and prepares everything that the cat needs.

She then feeds it, gives it toys, a bed and water every day.

She's being responsible by doing all the things she needs to do to look after a cat.

So which of these explain what the word responsible means? Is it forgetting to do things, taking care of something or someone, or showing kindness? Pause the video now.

Let's see.

I think being responsible is taking care of something or someone.

You might show kindness in some of the things that you're responsible for if you're being helpful, but you can show kindness in lots of other ways.

But specifically, being responsible is taking care of something or someone.

Being responsible is not forgetting to do things, because it means that you're not doing the things you need to be doing.

We can link the story by thinking from our own perspective.

Here are some responsibilities that you might have.

Remembering everything you need for a club that you go to.

Have you got the right shoes? Have you got a snack, have you got a drink? I wonder whether you're responsible for those things.

Feeding a pet.

If you have a pet like Lulu at home, do you ever get to feed it? Putting your own toys away.

So once you've finished playing, making sure you put them away in the right place.

Remembering to bring your bag to school and not relying on someone else to remember for you.

Making your own bed when you get up.

Helping with some jobs at home, maybe setting the table, maybe helping clear the plates, maybe tidying things away.

Do you have any of these responsibilities? Can you share with the person nearby what some of your responsibilities are? Off you go.

Great.

So I am going to tell you something that I am responsible for.

"My responsibility is washing up after I have cooked my dinner." Now you will tell me something about what you are responsible for.

"My responsibility is.

." Pause the video now.

Fantastic.

Now I've said it out loud, I am going to draw a picture of me showing what I am responsible for and then I will write one sentence about my responsibility.

I have got a success criteria to make sure that my sentence is correct.

Firstly, I have used a capital letter at the start of my sentence and a full stop at the end.

Secondly, I have written about what I am responsible for.

"So my responsibility is," here's another one, "waking up when my alarm goes off." So I don't anybody else to get me up.

My alarm goes off and I make sure I get up.

So, "My responsibility is," is there for you already.

Then you can use your phonic strategies to sound out each word to write your sentence.

When you get to the end, you give a full stop.

So capital letter.

"My responsibility is waking up when my alarm goes off." Full stop.

So have I got my capital letter and full stop? Yes, I have.

And have I written about what I am responsible for? Yes, I have.

Now it's your turn to draw your picture and write your sentence.

It would be a really good idea to say your sentence out loud with your capital letter and your full stop.

In your sentence, you might need to sound out some words using your phonics strategies, and you might need a finger space in between each word.

You can either draw the picture first or after you have done your writing.

Pause the video now.

Fantastic.

Let me show you an example.

"My responsibility is making sure I get to school on time." So making sure we get outta bed, we get our clothes on, we brush our teeth, we have our breakfast, so I'm ready to go and not having to be rushed by anybody.

That sentence has a capital M at the start and a full stop at the end.

And we've written about what we're responsible for.

Did you manage to check and meet your success criteria? Can you pause the video and double check? Off you go.

Fantastic.

What a great lesson of learning.

Today, we have learned that rereading a story can help us to summarise the plot and remember the main events.

A theme is a main idea in a story that often tries to teach the reader about something like the theme of responsibility.

Relating the theme to ourselves can link the book to our own experiences.

Linking a story to our own experiences is thinking from our own perspective.

And responsibility means taking care of something, someone or completing some tasks.

Thank you so much for learning with me.

I really enjoyed it today.

I'll see you again soon, bye.