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 today's lesson, we'll be looking at characterization, and in particular looking at the attributes and characteristics of a hero.

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

Let's get started.

The lesson outcome for today is, "I can explore characterization of a hero character." The keywords are, my turn, your turn.

Characterization, character traits, convey, hero, expectation.

Let's try those again.

Characterization, character traits, convey, hero, and expectation.

Well done.

Characterization is the way an author describes and develops the personalities and traits of the character in a story.

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

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

A hero is a protagonist with noble qualities, often saving or helping others.

An expectation is anticipated behaviour based on character traits.

Don't worry if you're unsure about any of the keywords, we'll be exploring these throughout the lesson.

Today's lesson is all about exploring characterization in "Arthur and the Golden Rope".

We're going to begin by looking at examples of characterization in the text before discussing what makes a hero.

Let's begin with exploring characterization in the text.

What do we know about the text so far? We know after completing two perilous tasks, Arthur collects the rare items required to craft the golden rope.

Combining these items, Odin, the father of the gods, conjures the golden rope, which is given to Thor.

Thor asks Arthur to do one more challenge, to distract the wolf, Fenrir, long enough for Thor to tie him up.

Thor, Arthur, and the other gods are ambushed by a group of terrifying creatures.

An ambush is a surprise attack.

Before we can describe characterization, it's important to know what it is.

Characterization is the way an author and illustrator describe and develop the personalities and traits of the character in a story.

Well done for noticing our keywords.

Authors and illustrators use a range of methods to convey characterization, a character's appearance, a character's words, a character's actions, and how a character is depicted.

That's how they're illustrated or drawn.

Here's our first check for understanding.

True or false? Characterization can only be conveyed through actions a character performs within a text.

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

Well done.

Well, you're right, it's false.

Now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Is it because a, characterization can be conveyed through the character's actions, alongside their dialogue, how they're depicted, and their appearance? Or, b, characterization can only be conveyed through what is written by an author? Have a think back to the original statement and decide on your justification.

Pause the video now, whilst you do so.

Great work.

It's a, characterization can be conveyed through character's actions alongside their dialogue, how they're depicted, and their appearance.

It's not just through their actions or written just by an author.

An illustrator can also convey characterization through their artwork.

We're now going to continue reading the story.

Do you remember where we left off? "In fear, Arthur runs off into the forest to hide.

Fenrir, the terrifying wolf, follows." I'd like you to now read pages 46 to 47.

Take time to look at the images, and the emotions, and the characterization.

Pause the video now, whilst you read with your partner.

Well done.

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

What'd you learn about Arthur's character through his appearance, words, actions, and how he's depicted? Pause the video now, whilst you discuss the question with your partner.

Well done.

There's lots of different things we can learn about Arthur through his appearance, his words, actions, and how he's depicted.

Let's look at an example.

"Arthur is hiding from Fenrir behind a rock, and he's very small in comparison to the wolf.

There are small white lines to indicate Arthur having an idea.

His actions go from hiding to confronting the beast.

He appears very brave." I'd now like you to read page 48.

Pause the video now, whilst you do so.

Great work.

Let's look at the following question.

Compare Arthur to how he's portrayed on page 47.

How is this change in character being conveyed? Well noticed, it's one of our keywords.

What's Arthur doing on each of the pages? How is he reacting to Fenrir? You might like to turn the pages back and forth to compare the two.

Pause the video now, whilst you discussed the question with your partner.

Well done.

I'd love to have heard your discussion and all the similarities and differences you saw.

Let's have a look at an example.

"A similar panel is used to depict Arthur and Fenrir.

This time Fenrir's eyes have gone wide with shock.

Arthur's grimace is now a smile as he reveals his real hand.

Arthur's quick thinking has saved him.

He demonstrated heroic character traits in facing Fenrir by himself." I wonder if the discussion between you and your partner was similar.

What did you notice? Here's our next check for understanding.

Match the characterization to the character that exhibits them.

Have a read through of the characterizations and then think which character that links to.

Refer to the text if you need some support.

Pause the video now, whilst you match them up.

Well done.

Let's see if you're correct.

Arthur is smiling, as he reveals his real hand, and used his intelligence to overcome a challenge.

That's a bit different to the stereotype of a hero who usually has physical strength.

Fenrir's whole body is frozen in an instant and his eyes have blinked in confusion.

Well done if you matched them all correctly.

We know that illustrations can convey many different messages about characters.

We can infer a lot more about the characters through Joe Todd Stanton's illustrations.

You can see from the three pages here, a range of different characters exhibiting a range of different emotions and actions.

Let's explore these in a little more detail.

In this illustration on page 19, we're focusing on the character, Atrix, the wise woman.

Let's think about what we can see, and what we can infer.

What I can see in this illustration is that Atrix is holding the crowd's attention.

Everyone's looking at her with open mouth, and wide-eyed.

Atrix's finger is raised as if in instruction.

Her eyes are closed as if in deep thought.

Atrix is telling the townspeople about a hero who wields a hammer, and can command the skies.

I think we know who this character is, don't you? We can infer lots from what we've noticed.

We can tell that Atrix is revered.

She's elevated above the rest of the crowd.

To be revered is to be respected.

We also know that Atrix is knowledgeable.

She knows the God who is the only one who can relight the fire.

Well noticed.

It was Thor.

By looking at what we can see and what we can infer, we can understand lots more about the characterization of any character in a text.

Let's practise focusing on the characters of Arthur and Thor.

Up first is Arthur.

On page 21, I notice that, Arthur is glancing downward.

The townspeople are speaking negatively about him.

They surround him.

His staff is wrapped as if it's been repaired.

Can you see there's almost tape holding it together? From this, I can infer that Arthur might feel dejected and unwanted.

He does not have the respect of his elders or his peers.

Now it's over to you.

Have a look on page 14.

What is being conveyed through this illustration? What can you see? And what can you infer about the characterization of Arthur? Refer to the text, and have a discussion with your thought partner.

Pause the video now, whilst you do so.

Well done.

You probably notice that Arthur was being quite brave.

He's depicted here climbing up to return the egg to the wind weaver.

He's also quite empathetic.

He's helping organise a truce between the goblins and the fairies.

Now let's explore the characterization of Thor.

This illustration is from page 27.

From this illustration, I could see that Arthur is shocked at Thor's height.

There's those white marks again, showing shock or surprise.

Thor's expression in the middle panel is serious.

He's focused on the text he holds in his hands.

We see this in the bottom panel.

The text depicts Fenrir, the wolf, that's been terrorising Arthur's town.

From these illustrations, I can infer that Thor is quite helpful.

He agrees to help Arthur.

We can also infer that Fenrir is quite powerful.

He's already evaded capture from the gods.

I wonder if they'll be able to capture him at the end of the text.

Now it's over to you.

On page 42, I'd like you to discuss what's being conveyed through this illustration.

Focus on the characterization of Thor.

What can you see? And what can you infer about his character? Discuss with your partner.

Pause the video now, whilst you do so.

Well done.

I wonder what you discussed.

I hope you'll have noticed the golden rope wrapped around Thor's shoulder.

He stood in a very strong position looking downwards towards Arthur.

Here, we might infer that Thor is quite brave.

He's embodying many of the characteristics we expect of a hero.

I wonder what you and your partner noticed and inferred.

In this main task, I'd like you to explore the characterization of Arthur and Thor.

Using a mind map, note down their character traits, and how they're conveyed.

You can, of course, refer to the text.

You can use information from the words, the illustrations, or a mixture of both.

Draw two mind maps, one for Arthur, and one for Thor.

Don't forget to give examples in the text where you noticed how this character portraits are depicted or portrayed.

Pause video now, whilst you complete the task.

Well done.

I hope you enjoyed noting the different character traits, and the reasons why for each of the characters.

Let's have a look at some examples.

For Arthur, you might have written down that he's quite brave.

Arthur collects the rare ingredients by overcoming challenges.

Well remembered.

They were the cat's footfall and the root of a mountain.

You might also say that Arthur was quite worried.

Arthur is very cautious of Fenrir.

He holds onto Thor for support.

Finally, you might have mentioned that Arthur was quite intelligent.

He outwits Fenrir using the Hand of Time.

Let's have a look at the characterization of Thor.

For Thor, you might have said he's quite wise.

Thor knows what Arthur must do.

He acts as a mentor.

A mentor is a bit like a leader.

They help, and support, and nurture you.

You might have also mentioned that Thor is quite encouraging.

Thor helps Arthur realise his potential.

I wonder what you noted down.

Was it similar? In the second part of the lesson, we're now going to explore what makes a hero.

While different stories may portray heroes in various ways, there are some common characteristics and elements associated with heroic figures.

These are, that they start from humble beginnings.

This means that you don't come from a life of luxury.

They have strength, either physical, or otherwise.

They have strong moral values.

They tend to be quite courageous and brave.

They're selfless, which means they sometimes care more about others than themselves.

They're determined, and persevere through challenge.

And they usually have some form of transformation or growth in character.

Heroes do not always have similar features.

A hero may exhibit only some, none, or all of these qualities.

I wonder who the hero in this text might be.

When characters show these specific character traits, readers can form an understanding of what a hero is by recognising features that they see in similar characters.

In "Arthur and the Golden Rope", there are several characters who might fit the role of hero.

The most prominent two, are Arthur, and Thor.

I'd like you to discuss the following question.

What character traits do Arthur and Thor exhibit that might fit the role of a hero? You might want to refer back to the answers from your first task.

Pause the video now, whilst you discuss the question with your partner.

Well done.

Let's have a look at some examples.

"Arthur helps Thor no matter the danger.

He is selfless." "Thor has physical strength.

He shows courage when attacking the terrifying creatures." I wonder which character traits you focused on to describe Thor, and Arthur, as heroes.

Here's our final check for understanding.

Which of the following are characteristics traditionally associated with a hero? A.

They're cowardly refusing to confront adversity.

B.

They go through some form of transformation or personal growth through the narrative.

C.

They are lazy and have a lack of motivation.

D.

They usually come from humble beginnings.

There may be more than one.

Pause the video now, whilst you decide.

Great work.

Did you get them both? It's b, and d.

Heroes usually go through some form of transformation or personal growth through the narrative, that's the story.

And they usually come from quite humble beginnings.

Arthur does this by starting his journey from a small town in Iceland.

In our final task, I'd like us to think about the character of Arthur and how he might be portrayed as a hero.

Arthur could be described as the true hero in this story.

In what ways does Arthur demonstrate this? I'd like you to write a short paragraph using evidence from the text to support your reasoning.

Remember, character traits usually associated with heroes include humble beginnings, strength, whether that's physical or otherwise, a strong moral compass, courage or bravery against adversity, selfless, determined, and someone who goes through transformation or growth in character.

Have a think about how Arthur demonstrates some of these qualities.

Pause the video now, whilst you complete the task.

Well done.

I wish I could read your responses.

Let's have a look at an example from Alex.

He says that, "Arthur is not the hero I expected from the text.

However, he demonstrates many heroic qualities.

From the start of the text, he is determined to help the townspeople relight the great fire.

He bravely sets off on a voyage to the land of the Viking gods, where he's tasked by Thor to collect two rare items with which they can craft the golden rope.

Arthur uses his intelligence, wits, and strength to defeat Fenrir." Did you notice all the character traits Arthur's shown as being determined, brave, and has his strength in intelligence? I wonder if you wrote something similar.

In today's lesson, we've been exploring characterization in "Arthur and the Golden Rope".

We know that characterization is the way an author and illustrator describe and develop the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.

Authors can use a range of methods to convey characterization.

While different stories may portray heroes in various ways, there are some common characteristics and elements associated with heroic figures.

In the final task, we've looked at how Arthur could be described as the true hero in this story.

His character is not the expected hero, but the one who must take on the role, to save his town.

I've really enjoyed this lesson, exploring characterization, and what makes a hero.

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