Lesson video

Hi there.

My name is Mr. Charlesworth and in today's reading lesson, we're continuing to explore the text "Arthur and the Golden Rope".

During the lesson today, we'll be looking at inference and how it can be used to develop understanding of character and also to draw conclusions.

I'm really looking forward to working with you today.

Let's get started.

The lesson outcome for today is I can infer meaning from "Arthur and the Golden Rope".

Key words are my turn, your turn, inference, evidence, character traits, role on the wall, Motives.

Well done, let's try those again, inference, evidence, character traits, role on the wall, motives.

Well done.

Inference means to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions.

Evidence is the information from a text that can support or justify reasoning.

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.

And finally, motives, motives refer to a person's reasons for doing something.

Today's lesson is all about developing comprehension and understanding of "Arthur and the Golden Rope" through rich discussion.

We're going to begin by looking at how we can use inference to draw conclusions about a text and characters before then having a go at a role on the wall activity, which uses the skill in a really engaging way.

Let's begin by looking at how to use inference to draw conclusions.

Here's a quick recap about what we've learned about the text so far.

We know a monstrous wolf called Fenrir, has put out the great fire in Arthur's town.

Without it, all the villagers will freeze.

A hero must travel across the sea to the land of the Viking gods.

Everyone had been injured by the wolf except for one person.

Arthur set off for a long journey.

Finally, he reached a great hall and met Thor, God of Thunder.

Thor told Arthur what he must do.

Arthur is instructed to collect two rare items, the sound of a cat's footfall and the roots of a mountain.

These both sound quite unusual, don't you think? We'll find out about the second of the items today.

After successfully capturing the sound of a cat's footfall, Arthur begins researching the second of the rare items, he discovers where he must go next.

I'd like you to read with your partner pages 34 to 37.

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Well done.

I'd like you to discuss the following question, what character traits does Arthur show on his approach to his next task? Well notice, character traits is one of our keywords.

Arthur's approach is how he sets about doing something.

What do you notice about his character traits from his thoughts and actions and ideas? Pause the video now whilst you discuss.

Well done.

Let's have a look at an example.

Arthur is determined as he has no time to waste.

However, his legs are described as sturdy as two cooked noodles.

This might mean that he's nervous or apprehensive.

By describing Arthur's legs as two cooked noodles, I think that they might be quite shaky and wobbly.

You can see from the image of the cooked noodles that if Arthur's legs are like that, he's probably feeling quite nervous and apprehensive.

This is all open to interpretation however, and as one of the joys of reading, you can interpret text in many different ways.

Arthur climbs up the World Tree in search of the roots of a mountain.

I'd like you to look at the double page spread on pages 38 and 39.

These pages are wordless.

This means there isn't any text on the page.

You have to infer your understanding through images and illustrations alone.

Pause the video now whilst you discuss what you can see.

Well done.

I really like how Joe Todd Stanton uses comic and graphic novel forms in his picture books.

I'd like you to discuss the following questions with your partner, what does the double page spread tell you about Arthur? How are his actions those of a hero? Pause the video now while you discuss.

Well done.

Let's have a look at a possible example.

By climbing the World Tree, Arthur shows bravery.

He's climbing independently and climbs past the clouds.

He's determined to help his town and puts himself in danger to reach for the root.

I think his actions are heroic.

There are lots of character traits here.

Did you notice all of them? I wonder, did you spot any early signs of Arthur's rescuer? It's one of the things I love about picture books.

You can notice lots of small details.

Here's our first check for understanding, which heroic character traits has Arthur shown in the text so far, a, bravery, climbing the world tree and facing a fear.

b, scared, running away from the colossal cat.

c, nervous looking up at the mountainous World Tree, or c, determination voyaging across the sea independently.

There may be more than one.

Feel free to refer to the text if it helps and supports you.

Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Well done.

Did you find both of them? The heroic character traits are that of bravery and determination.

You're not considered very heroic if you're scared and running away, or nervous at looking up at the mountainous world tree.

It's important to note that all of these character traits could be exhibited by Arthur, and that doesn't make him any less of a hero.

We're now going to continue in our reading of the text.

With some familiar support, Arthur returns to Thor.

I'd like you to read the pages 40 to 41.

Pause the video now whilst you read with your partner.

Well done.

I wonder what you noticed.

I'd like you to discuss the following question, what you predict will happen next? Remember, predictions can be based on both text and illustration, as well as personal experience.

Pause the video now whilst you discuss with your partner.

Great work.

I wish I could have heard some of your responses.

Let's have a look at two possible examples.

One prediction might be that Arthur and Thor will try to track the beast and stop it from causing more destruction.

Another prediction could be that you think that Odin will give the rope to Arthur to use to harness Fenrir, the wolf.

To harness means to capture or to subdue.

In our next check for understanding, I'd like you to match the character to the action that they perform in the text.

You can of course use the picture book to support you.

Pause the video now whilst you match the character to their actions.

Well done.

Were you correct? The wind weaver swoops down and catches Arthur in her talons.

Odin crafts the golden rope using the two rare items, and Thor instructs Arthur to collect the two rare items in the first place.

Well done if you've got 'em all correct.

We're now going to explore the skill of inference.

Inference means to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions.

Well noticed, it's one of our keywords.

It's like being a detective and figuring out something that isn't directly said in a story by using clues and what you already know.

You might have noticed that I've used a magnifying glass in today's lesson to show when we're hunting for clues.

Inferring meaning can help us to build our understanding of the story.

It can help us to discover some hidden messages that the author has planted, and answer our own questions we have about the text.

We can look for clues in both the words used by the author, and in the illustrations created by the illustrator.

In this text, both author and illustrator are the same person, Joe Todd Stanton.

Evidence on the text can be used to develop our answers.

To locate the correct evidence, it's important to read carefully, what's the main idea or details you need to locate? Skimming and scanning can be helpful for finding specific details.

You can look for specific information.

Search for details within the text that directly relate to the topic or question.

You can also check the context, is the information you're using to support your answer accurate? Is it in the same context? It's important to remember that evidence should be concise and justify the point that we are trying to make in relation to the question.

Here's our next check for understanding, true or false, infants can only be formed by focusing on the words on the page.

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

Well noticed, it's false.

Now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Is it because a, illustrations can hold just as much meaning as text? They too can be used to infer meaning, or b, inferring meaning can help us to build our understanding of the story.

Which justification best fits with the statement above? Pause video now while you decide.

Great work.

Were you correct, it's a, illustrations can hold just as much meaning as text.

Neither one holds more or less.

We can use inference to discover lots about characters, including their feelings and emotions and their intentions or motives.

Well done for noticing another of our keywords.

A character's motives are their motivations.

We can search for clues in the text and the illustrations.

We can look at a character's actions, a character's experiences, a character's words, and how a character is depicted or portrayed by the illustrator.

I'd like us to practise this skill together.

Let's read the following extract from page 42.

Pause the video now whilst you get the page ready.

We're going to focus on the extract at the bottom of the page, it says, "Arthur nodded solemnly, but quivered with fear as he looked at Thor's one handed brother.

What would happen to him if he confronted the beast? He'd have to come up with a plan, and quickly!" Let's have a look at the text and illustrations.

It says in the text that Arthur nodded solemnly, but is quivering with fear.

He then looks at Thor's one-handed brother.

That's Tyr from earlier, well remembered.

He then thought he would have to come up with a plan, and quickly.

Nodding solemnly means to nod seriously.

Quivering with fear means that Arthur was quite scared.

Perhaps it's because he's looking at Thor's brother and thinking that that might happen to him too.

He shows determination by needing to come up with a plan.

In the illustration, we can see that Arthur is glancing upwardly at Thor.

We can't see a space, but he looks quite small and powerless compared to the God of Thunder.

Here's our next check for understanding, can you match the emotion with a corresponding inference? Have a read of the sentences and then think which emotion matches best.

Pause the video now while you complete.

Well done.

I think Arthur is worried if he's quivering with fear, he's concerned about his hand being bitten off like Thor's brother Tyr.

Arthur might be quite serious because he's nodding solemnly.

He knows that this moment is important.

Finally, Arthur is showing determination.

He's determined because he's glancing up at Thor holding a branch as a staff, his backpack is full of his useful possessions.

He needs to form a plan.

It's important to remember that there are many in inferences you can make from just one extract or illustration.

In this task, I'd like you to read pages 43 to 45, which tells us what happens next.

I'd like you to discuss the following question and justify your answer with evidence from the text.

How was Arthur feeling at the end of the page? Remember to infer for clues using a character's actions, a character's experiences, a character's words, and how a character is depicted.

You can use the following sentence stems to support your answers.

Now refer back to the question and complete the task either with your partner or independently.

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Well done.

Let's have a look at two examples.

Aisha says, "Arthur might have felt insignificant.

I know this because it says he was feeling impossibly small and helpless.

It depicts him gripping onto Thor." Izzy says, "Arthur might be frightened.

I know this because he runs as fast as he could into the forest to hide.

It depicts the beast staring directly at him, drool trickling down its chin." You can notice the drool on Fenrir's chin.

It's like he's salivating.

We're going to continue to develop our inference skills through the activity role on the wall.

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, we jot down the character's traits, thoughts, feelings, motivations and fears on the inside.

On the outside, we know the character's outer characteristics, these can include their physical appearance, actions, and interactions with other characters.

We can support our inferences with evidence from the text.

On the inside of the character, you can see the thoughts and feelings, on the outside, the character's appearance, and how other people or characters see them.

Let's have a look at some examples of role on the wall for Arthur with evidence from the text, Arthur might be thinking, "Can I defeat Fenrir?" He might also wonder, "Am I a hero?" Arthur shows that he is determined, kind, and brave.

These are all inner emotions or character traits.

On the outside, we might write that Arthur does not look like a typical hero.

He's described as too small by the people in his town.

We know that Arthur listens to Thor's advice, and immediately sets off to find two incredibly rare items. He wants to help his town.

Finally, we know that Arthur takes on a challenging task, he doesn't want to give up, climbing up the World Tree.

These are just some of the examples that you can draw out when doing the activity, role on the wall.

Here's our final check for understanding, which of the following features are included on the inside of the character when completing a role on the wall? A, physical appearance, b, actions they perform in a story, c, thoughts and feelings, d, fears.

There may be more than one.

Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Well done, it's c and d, on the inside of the character on role on the wall, you put the thoughts and feelings and fears that they might have.

Physical appearance and actions they perform go on the outside of the outline.

We're now going to put all that we've learned into practise.

I'd like you to complete a role on the wall for Arthur.

Note down Arthur's character traits, his thoughts, feelings, motivations and fears on the inside, and note down the characters outer characteristics, including his physical appearance, actions, and interactions with other characters on the outside.

You can of course refer to the text, but only up to what we've read.

You can use some of the earlier examples and add in your own.

Pause video now whilst you complete the task.

Fantastic work.

I hope you really enjoyed exploring character through the activity role on the wall.

On the inside of the character, can you check that you've got a thought that Arthur might have, a range of emotions that Arthur might feel, and listed some character traits? On the outside check you've included a description of Arthur's physical appearance, actions that Arthur performs in the text, and perhaps an interaction Arthur has with another character.

Perhaps share some of your examples with your partner now.

Pause the video whilst you do so.

Great work.

I hope sharing gave you even more examples.

I've really enjoyed inferring about character with you today.

I wonder what will happen next in the text.

In today's lesson, we've been developing comprehension and understanding of Arthur and the Golden Rope through rich discussion.

We've learned that inference means to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions.

We know that readers can look for clues in the words used by the author and in the illustrations created by the illustrator.

We know that evidence on the text can be used to develop answers.

Also, we know that there are many possible inferences that you can make from just one extract or illustration.

Finally, role on the wall is a reading activity that helps readers develop their understanding of a character's feelings, emotions, intentions or motives.

Fantastic work today.

I'm looking forward to working with you again soon.