Lesson video

Hi, everyone.

My name is Ms. Boyle, and welcome to today's reading lesson, where we are going to be understanding the genre of the legend "Mulan." For this lesson, you need a copy of the 2014 Oxford University Press edition of "Mulan," written by Michaela Morgan.

Pause the video and get your copy of the book now.

Great, now I know you have the book with you.

During this lesson, you'll need to be listening and looking carefully, and there will also be tasks where you need somebody to talk to.

I hope you are feeling excited and ready to learn.

Let's get started.

The learning outcome for today's lesson is: "I can explain what a legend is." Here are our keywords.

Let's practise saying them.

My turn, your turn.

Folklore.

Legend.

Moral.

Great job.

Well done.

Now let's take a look at their definitions.

Folklore is a genre in which oral stories are shared and passed down over time.

A legend is a type of folktale that reflects human elements that are believed to have taken place in true history.

A moral is a lesson that can be learned from a story or experience.

There are two parts to today's lesson.

In the first part, we will have an introduction to the genre and text, and in the second part, you'll be reading the beginning of "Mulan." So let's begin with an introduction to the genre and text.

"Mulan" is the name of the story we are reading.

"Mulan" is a traditional tale known as a legend.

Legends belong to the genre of folklore.

Folklore is a genre in which oral stories are shared and passed down over time.

Folklore stories do not have one author.

As they are shared orally over time, variations of the story emerge.

Let's check your understanding: what type of stories come under the genre of folklore? A, a written story by a single author.

B, an oral story shared and passed down over time.

Or C, a recorded story on the internet.

Pause the video and select your answer now.

The answer is B.

Well done.

Oral stories that are shared and passed down over time belong to the genre of folklore.

Many forms of storytelling that you know today fall under the genre of folklore.

We know that legends come within this genre, and you are going to be reading the legend of "Mulan," but what other stories come within this genre? Folktales, fairytales, myths, nursery rhymes and songs, riddles and jokes, poems, fables.

Over time, as these stories are shared orally, they are adapted and retold by new people, and this often results in different versions of the same story.

Stories within folklore originate from a range of cultures' oral histories around the world.

"Robin Hood," a legend that originated in Britain; Anansi stories which are folktales that originated in Africa; "Cinderella," a fairytale that originated in Greece; "The Children of Lir" is a myth that originated in Ireland.

The origins of folklore stories influence the characters, setting, and plot within the story.

That means that you will see the culture of the place the story came from reflected within the story.

Let's check your understanding.

Select the statements about folklore that are true.

A, folklore stories are influenced by the country they originated in.

B, folklore stories all originate from the same place.

C, folklore stories are adapted over time as they are retold.

Pause the video and select all of the true statements now.

The answers are A, folklore stories are influenced by the country they originated in, and C, folklore stories are adapted over time as they are retold.

Well done for showing a great understanding of the genre of folklore.

The story of "Mulan" is considered a legend.

How are legends different from other stories in the folklore genre? A legend is a type of folktale that reflects some human elements that are believed to have taken place in true history.

This means that legends are less likely to involve imaginary or magical elements that you commonly find in other folklore stories.

Legends tend to tell a story about human actions that convey an important moral to the reader.

A moral means a lesson that can be learned from a story or experience.

The legend of "Mulan" originated in China.

Let's take a look at a world map and see where this is.

I am in the United Kingdom, which is over here on the map.

It is on the continent of Europe.

China is over here, and it is on the continent of Asia.

The story of "Mulan" is influenced by Chinese culture and history.

Take a look at the front cover of the legend of "Mulan." What do you see? Have a little think.

Let's learn a little bit about this story.

The legend of "Mulan" first originated in China over 1,000 years ago.

"Mulan" is believed to be a fictional character that was developed to challenge ideas around the role women should play during a time of real war in China.

Michaela Morgan is the author of this version of "Mulan," and Steve Dorado is the illustrator.

Let's check your understanding.

Where did the legend of "Mulan" originate? A, in the United Kingdom? B, in Africa? Or C, in China? Pause the video and select your answer.

The answer is C.

Well done.

The legend of "Mulan" originated in China.

It's now time for your first task, and it is a talk task.

Look at the front cover of "Mulan" by Michaela Morgan and read the blurb of the book.

Use the information you know to make a prediction about either the plot of the story or a moral you think we might learn from it.

Your sentence starters are: "I think the plot of "Mulan" will involve.

Because.

And, "I think the story will convey the moral that.

Because.

." Now, "because" is your key subordinating conjunction that you need to use in order to support your prediction with evidence.

Pause the video and discuss with your partner now.

Welcome back.

I loved listening to your predictions, and you were so fantastic at using the information you already knew by looking at the front cover and reading the blurb in order to support your prediction.

Let's take a look at a couple of examples I had.

Lucas said, "I think the plot of 'Mulan' will involve a young girl joining an army because the front cover shows her wearing armour.

The blurb also says that she is the appropriate age and her brother and father are not able to go." What a fantastic prediction, where Lucas used evidence from the front cover and the blurb.

Sophia said, "I think the story will convey the moral that girls and women are capable of the same things as men because the blurb says a man from every family is meant to become a soldier, but I think Mulan will challenge this idea." What a fantastic answer from Sophia, where she used her inference skills to infer a moral behind what she thinks is going to happen in the plot.

Well done for your fantastic discussion and predictions.

It's now time for the second part of our lesson, and I hope you are feeling excited because you are going to be reading the beginning of "Mulan." What do we know about "Mulan?" Let's remind ourselves.

It is a legend which is a story belonging to the genre of folklore.

It originated in China over 8,000 years ago.

Mulan is believed to be a fictional character that was developed to challenge ideas around the role women should play during a time of real war in China.

The blurb tells us that a man from every family is meant to become a soldier in the army, but that Mulan's brother and father can't go.

It says that despite being a girl, Mulan is the appropriate age.

The front cover shows an image of a young girl in armour.

You used this knowledge to make sensible predictions about the story.

Let's check your understanding.

Which of the following is a sensible prediction based on what we know about the legend of "Mulan" so far? A, it is about a young girl called Mulan who gets married.

B, it is about a young girl called Mulan who fights in a war.

C, it is about a young girl called Mulan who loves to sing.

Pause the video and select your answer.

The answer is B.

Well done.

It is about a young girl called Mulan who fights in a war.

This would be a sensible prediction based off what we already know, especially because we can see an illustration of a girl in armour on the front cover.

It's now time to read chapter one of "Mulan" by Michaela Morgan.

Pause the video now, read this chapter, and come back and press play when you are ready.

Welcome back.

I hope you really enjoyed reading the first chapter of "Mulan." What happened in this chapter? I'd like you to pause the video again and see if you can summarise what's happened in chapter one with your partner.

Great job.

Let's take a look at what's happened in this chapter together.

Mulan worked quietly weaving at home while her younger brother played.

Her father was in bed, exhausted and unwell.

Her mother was cooking.

Mulan's parents noticed her downbeat spirit as she sighed, and they asked her what was wrong.

Mulan explained that she had seen a sign saying that their country was facing attack and that a man from every household must join the army and fight in the war.

Let's check your understanding.

What caused Mulan to sigh? Refer to page four of the book to help you decide your answer.

The options are: A, She was upset because she was finding weaving difficult.

B, she was exhausted because she had been running errands all day.

Or C, she was worried because she had seen a sign saying that a man from every family must fight in the war.

Pause the video and select your answer.

The answer is C.

Well done.

Mulan was sighing because she was worried.

She had seen a sign saying that a man from every family must fight in the war.

It's now time to read chapter two of "Mulan" by Michaela Morgan.

Pause the video to read this chapter now and come back and press play when you are ready.

Welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed reading chapter two.

What happened in this chapter? I'd like you to pause the video again and see if you can summarise this chapter with a partner.

Well done.

Let's go over what's happened in chapter two together now.

Mulan's ailing father said he would fight in the war, otherwise the family would risk punishment.

Mulan said he did not have the strength to do it.

Mulan's younger brother offered to go in place of their father, but Mulan knew that he was far too little and young to be a soldier.

Mulan realised that she was the appropriate age and more capable and skilled than lots of boys.

She decided that she was the right person from the family to fight for their country.

Let's check your understanding.

Why did Mulan decide she was the right person from her family to fight in the army? A, because the army wanted girls to fight.

B, because her father was too elderly and weak, and her brother was very young and lacked the necessary skills.

C, because she had fought in a war before.

Pause the video and select your answer.

The answer is B.

Well done.

Mulan decided that she was the right person from her family to fight in the army because her father was too elderly and weak, and her brother was very young and lacked the necessary skills.

It's now time for you to read chapter three of "Mulan" by Michaela Morgan.

Pause the video to read this chapter now and come back and press play when you are ready.

Well done for reading chapter three.

What happened? I'd like you to pause the video and see if you can summarise the key parts of chapter three with your partner.

Great job.

Let's go over chapter three together.

Mulan told her family that she would join the army in place of her father.

Her mother said that the army was no place for girls, and her father protested her decision too.

Mulan remained determined and told them of her plan to pretend to be a boy in order to fight as a soldier.

Mulan visited all of the different markets in her town to get the equipment she needed in order to go to war for her country.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false? Mulan's parents thought it was a good idea for her to disguise herself as a boy in order to fight in the army.

Pause the video and select your answer.

That is false.

Well done.

Now, can you justify your answer? A, they thought the army was no place for a girl and that it was a dangerous plan.

Or B, they thought Mulan was too clumsy to be a soldier.

Pause the video and select the correct justification.

The answer is A.

Well done.

Mulan's parents thought that the army was no place for a girl, and they felt that her plan to disguise herself as a boy was dangerous.

It's now time for your final task, and it is a talk task.

Discuss and answer the following questions to show your understanding of the legend "Mulan." One, where is Mulan set, and what difficulty is the country facing? Two, why does Mulan decide she must join the army? And three, why does Mulan have to disguise herself as a boy? Pause the video to discuss and answer these questions with your partner now.

Welcome back.

Let's go over the answers to these questions together.

For question one, where is "Mulan" set, and what difficulty is the country facing? The legend of "Mulan" is set in China during a period of war.

The war is the difficulty that the country was facing.

For question two, why does Mulan decide she must join the army? A man from every family is required to join, but her father and brother are not fit to fight, and she wants to protect them.

And for question three, why does Mulan have to disguise herself as a boy? Girls are not allowed to be soldiers, so it is the only way to join the army and prevent her family from being punished.

Well done for discussing and answering these questions to show your understanding of the legend of "Mulan" so far.

We've now come to the end of our lesson, so let's go over a summary together.

"Mulan" is a legend which belongs to the genre of folklore.

Folklore is a genre in which oral stories are passed down over time and they originate from a range of cultures.

Legends are a type of folktale that reflect some element of true history and convey an important moral or lesson.

"Mulan" originated in China during a time of real war and its challenges, ideas around the role of women, and the legend of "Mulan" is about a young girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to fight in the army.

Well done for all of your hard work and learning in today's lesson.

I have really enjoyed exploring the genre and the beginning of the story "Mulan" with you.