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 how we engage with both features of modern myth as well as the characters.

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

Let's get started.

The lesson outcome is, I can engage with characters and features of a text.

The keywords are, my turn, your turn, modern myth, character traits, features.

Let's try those once more.

Modern myth, character traits, features.

Well done.

A modern myth is a contemporary tale explaining a culture's beliefs and customs, often involving gods and supernatural creatures.

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

The features in a text type refer to distinctive characteristics that belong to it.

Don't worry if you're unsure about any of the keywords.

We'll be exploring them throughout the lesson.

In this lesson, we're continuing to explore the text, "Arthur and the Golden Rope." We're going to be engaging with both characters and features of a modern myth.

Let's begin by exploring the characters.

Here's a quick recap about what we know about Arthur and the text so far.

"Arthur and the Golden Rope" is a modern myth.

Well noticed, it's one of our keywords.

We're introduced to the text narrator.

That's the person from whose perspective we're reading from.

It's Professor Brownstone, who has a vault of rare and powerful artefacts.

An artefact is an item with a special power, significance, or value.

Arthur is the first ancestor of Professor Brownstone who went on an adventure.

This text is the story of that adventure.

Arthur lives in a small Icelandic town.

He is described as different to everybody else.

We're hopefully going to learn more about this difference in today's lesson.

We're introduced to Arthur on page 12.

I'd now like you to read pages 12 to 15 with your partner.

Pause the video now whilst you read together.

Well done.

I'd now like you to discuss the following question.

Tell your partner three character traits you would use to describe Arthur.

Have your initial impressions about Arthur changed? Well remembered, a character trait is a unique characteristic specific to that character.

What's Arthur like as a character? How is he described? Pause video now and discuss the question with your partner.

Fantastic work.

Let's have a look at an example.

"I think Arthur must be brave.

He's shown climbing up to the Wind Weaver's nest.

Arthur is empathetic and caress about others as he encourages a truce between the goblins and the fairies.

He's curious about the world he lives in." As you can see from the traits highlighted, some of these characteristics he shares with his ancestors, but not all of these characteristics or traits are what I expected him to be.

I wonder whether your impressions were similar or different.

Here's our first check for understanding.

Can you select the correct statements from below? A, Arthur discovered the hand of time in a dimly lit cave.

B, Atrix thinks that rescuing her cat from the tree was the most dangerous challenge.

C, Arthur spends his time gathering around the great fire.

And D, Arthur carries unusual items around with him.

You might want to refer to the text to help support you.

There may be more than one.

Pause the video now whilst you complete.

Well done.

Were you correct? It's B and D.

Atrix thinks that rescuing her cat from the tree was the most dangerous challenge, and Arthur carries unusual items around with him.

It's not A, because Arthur discovers the hand of time in an ancient tower.

And it's not C, because instead of spending his time with the other town's people with a great fire, he spends his time listening and sitting with Atrix, the wise woman.

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

Arthur's adventures lead him to being startled by a mysterious creature.

I'd now like you to read pages 16 to 21 with your partner.

Pause the video now whilst you read together.

Well done.

I'd now let you to discuss the following question.

How do you think the villagers are feeling as they see the final embers of the great fire dying out? The embers of the fire are the last sparks, the last remains of the fire.

Have a discussion with your partner.

You might want to refer to the text in your answer.

Pause video now whilst you discuss the question together.

Great work.

Let's have a look at an example.

"The villagers might be worried or anxious as the great fire provided warmth for their town.

Without it, they are unlikely to be able to survive." I wonder if you had similar feelings about the villagers too.

Let's continue to read to find out what happens next.

Here's our next check for understanding.

True or false? On page 21, the suggestion to send Arthur to the land of the Viking gods is met with universally positive remarks.

That means that everyone thought it was a good idea.

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, the villages describe Arthur negatively.

They say he's meddling, small, and spending too much time in the forest.

Or B, everyone was injured by the wolf.

Arthur was the only person they could send.

Which of the following justifications best fits with the original statement? Pause video now and decide.

Well done.

Were you correct? It's A, the villagers described Arthur negatively.

They say he's meddling, small and spending too much time in the forest.

Whilst lots of people were injured by the wolf, it's this justification that talks about the villagers' feelings and opinions about Arthur.

Let's continue with our reading.

In the next section of the text, Arthur begins to question his actions.

I'd like you to read pages 22 to 28 with your partner.

Pause the video now as you do so.

Great work.

I'd like you to discuss the following question.

What are your impressions of the gods? Select one god and discuss your thoughts with your partner.

Pause the video now whilst you talk and discuss.

Well done.

I wonder which god you chose.

Let's have a look at an example.

"Thor is very commanding.

He instructs Arthur on what he must do.

Arthur felt as though he couldn't refuse such an offer." What impression does that give us about Thor? It tells me that he's quite clever, assertive, but also very persuading.

Arthur feels like he has to complete the tasks.

In this check for understanding, I'd like you to match the god to their domain.

The domain is the area that they rule over or the power they control.

Pause the video now whilst you match them up.

Great work.

I wonder if you were correct.

Thor links to the domain of thunder, Baldr to that of justice, and Freyja to love.

Well done if you've got them all correct.

In the next part of the text, Arthur gets given a set of instructions by Thor.

He sets off in search of the first of the rare items. I'd like you now to read pages 29 to 33.

Pause the video now whilst you do so with your partner.

Well done.

I'd now like you to discuss the following question.

How might you feel if you were Arthur in this situation? What emotions might you exhibit? And why? Pause the video now to discuss the question with your partner.

Well done.

I wonder if you empathise with Arthur.

If I were him, "I might feel confident in my plan, then shocked as the colossal cat jumps into the air.

Finally, I would be terrified of its sharp claws." It looks really menacing in the illustrations, doesn't it? And Arthur ends up running away and falling off of a cliff.

I wonder what will happen next.

In this check for understanding, I'd like you to sequence the following events based on what we've just read.

Which sentence comes first, which comes last, and which one must go in the middle? Label them one, two, and three.

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Great work.

The order of events is, one, Fenrir, the wolf, puts out the great fire.

Two, Arthur sets off on a voyage across the sea to meet the Viking gods.

And three, Arthur collects the cat's footfall.

This is the first of the rare items that Thor requested.

In this task, we are going to engage with a range of characters.

The first are the villagers.

The villagers don't respond well to the suggestion that Arthur will be their hero.

In this task, I'd like you to write four pieces of dialogue that they might say about him.

What character traits might they mention? I don't think they'll be be overwhelmingly positive, so perhaps think of some negative traits that they might hold of Arthur.

Notice their body language and facial expressions.

They're looming over him, staring down, which makes Arthur feel even smaller.

Their facial expressions show that they're puzzled, perplexed, and perhaps annoyed that Arthur's the only person they can send.

I wonder, what do you think? Pause the video now whilst you write your four pieces of dialogue.

Great work.

There were lots of things that the villagers could have said about Arthur.

Let's have a look at some examples.

"He can't even catch a cold!" Another might say, "He spends too much time with his head in the clouds daydreaming, he won't be able to concentrate on such an important mission." They might have thought, "How will he fend for himself?" And finally they could say, "He doesn't look like much of a hero, does he?" I wonder what your dialogues said.

Did it mirror their reactions from the text too? In the second part of the task, we are going to engage with the character of Thor.

Thor is the god of sky and thunder.

He's very commanding and authoritative.

If you are authoritative, you have lots of authority, you are able to give out commands and persuade people to follow them through.

I wonder, what might Thor be thinking about Arthur? In this part of the task.

I'd like you to write down two thoughts that he might have.

Have a think first before writing them down.

Pause the video now whilst you complete.

Great work.

There are lots of possible thoughts that Thor could have about Arthur.

One example might be, "I wonder if Arthur is up to the challenge.

He looks like he's collected lots of strange items. Could they help?" Or, "This boy shows determination.

I hope he'll survive what lies ahead of him." I wonder if your thoughts were similar or different.

We'll be continuing to explore the characters as we read on.

In this next section, we are going to be engaging with the features of a modern myth and how they're represented within the text.

I wonder, can you remember all the features of a modern myth? Have a discussion with your thought partner.

Pause the video now and list as many as you can.

Great work.

Did you remember them all? We know that one of the features of modern myths is that they often feature gods and goddesses with extraordinary powers and abilities.

Modern myths adapt traditional myths for today, or create new ones.

We know another feature is that they usually reflect contemporary values, issues and cultures.

Modern myths usually include an important moral or lesson taught.

Finally, they can sometimes blend reality and fiction, leaving room for interpretation by the reader.

Let's have a look at how these features appear in "Arthur and the Golden Rope." Gods and goddesses with extraordinary powers are represented by Odin, Thor, Tyr, Baldr, and Freyja.

The important moral or lesson taught is one not to make judgments against someone's character before knowing them.

Finally, in adapting traditional myths for today, or create new ones, "Arthur and the Golden Rope" adapts Norse mythology to a different setting or a different period in time.

During our reading, we've been introduced to each of the Norse gods and begun to explore their powers and abilities as well as their character traits.

We're now going to explore them in a little bit more detail.

We'll begin with Freyja.

Freyja was known as a passionate and nurturing god.

She wrote a chariot pulled by cats and owned a magical feather cloak that allowed her to fly.

Freyja's powers included the ability to shape-shift.

That means to transform into any creature or animal.

Baldr was known as the wisest and most merciful of the gods.

Baldr was eventually killed by a mistletoe spear engineered by Loki, who was jealous of Baldr's popularity amongst the gods and the humans.

Baldr's powers included the ability to project light and calmness, to put others at ease.

I wonder if we'll see any of these powers exhibited as we continue to read.

Let's have a quick check for understanding.

Can you match the god to their abilities and their character traits? You have Freyja and Baldr.

Pause the video now whilst you match up.

Well done.

Abilities and character traits that match with Freyja are nurturing, shape-shifting, and passionate.

That means the abilities and character traits that match with Baldr are merciful and project light.

Let's discover more now about Thor and Tyr.

Thor wielded the mighty hammer Mjolnir and rode a chariot pulled by goats.

That hammer's quite tricky to pronounce.

Let's try it together.

My turn, your turn.

Mjolnir.

Mjolnir.

Well done.

Thor was considered strong, brave and quick-tempered, often setting out on adventures to prove his strength and defeat enemies.

Thor's abilities include the ability to control the weather.

Tyr was known for his courage, honour and justice.

Tyr lost his hand whilst binding the wolf Fenrir after all the other gods failed to subdue the beast.

Tyr's abilities included his skill in combat and inspirational leadership.

It seems the gods have tried to capture Fenrir before and been unsuccessful.

I wonder if they'll succeed with Arthur's help.

In this check for understanding, I'd like you to match the god to their abilities and character traits, this time with Thor and Tyr.

Pause the video whilst you match up.

Well done.

Let's see if you're correct.

The abilities and character traits that match with Thor are the ability to conjure lightning, that he's quick-tempered, and that he has super strength.

The abilities and character traits that match with Tyr then are courage and leadership.

We're now going to engage with one of the features of a modern myth in more detail.

We know that a feature of a modern myth is that they often feature gods and goddesses who are imbued with extraordinary powers and abilities.

In this task, I'd like you to role play an interview as one of the gods.

Use your knowledge from the lesson as well as the text to act out the role.

The steps are below.

Partner A takes on the role of Freyja, Thor, Tyr, or Baldr whilst Partner B is the interviewer asking them questions.

Once complete, you can repeat shifting roles and gods.

When you're thinking about questions, questions can link to their thoughts on Arthur or their powers and abilities.

For an extra level of challenge, try to include the god's character traits through your responses.

I really hope you enjoy completing the task and exploring this feature in more detail.

I wish I could be there to see the interviews.

Pause the video now whilst you complete the task.

Well done.

I wonder which God you portrayed.

When reflecting on your interview, did you reflect on the god's thoughts about Arthur? Mention the god's powers or abilities? Or include answers that demonstrated their character traits? I wonder if we'll encounter them more as we continue to read in future lessons.

Today's lesson has all been about engaging with "Arthur and the Golden Rope." We've learned that Arthur does not exhibit typical character traits of a hero.

We know the villagers in Arthur's hometown do not respond well to Arthur.

Their body language and facial expressions provide the reader with additional meaning.

Finally, through further reading, we can explore the Norse gods' powers and abilities as well as their character traits.

I've really enjoyed engaging with the text with you today.

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