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Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of upsetting content

Adult supervision recommended

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Hello everybody, my name is Ms. Afsal and I'm really, really pleased to be here with you today.

That's because we're going to be exploring a fantastic text.

It is a piece of historical fiction and it's called "Escape from Pompeii".

This is what it looks like.

It's written and illustrated by Christina Balit.

What a talented person to do both of those things.

I'd like you to pause the video now while you go off and get your copy 'cause you're going to need this text for our lesson today.

So I'll just pause here and admire this incredible front cover while you go and get your copy of the text.

Okay, so you're back.

You've got your text, oh my goodness.

Look, I wonder if you have predictions about what's gonna happen in this text.

I wonder what you know already about this event, about Pompeii and Vesuvius, and I'm really excited for us to explore all of this together.

So make sure you've got your thinking brain, your listening ears, your curiosity, your enthusiasm, your great ideas, your great skills.

And let's go for it, let's get into "Escape from Pompeii".

The outcome for today's lesson is, "I can answer a range of comprehension questions on 'Escape from Pompeii'." We have got a few keywords that will come up in today's lesson.

Let's go through them one at a time.

My turn, your turn.

Retrieval, skimming, scanning, inference and evidence.

Fantastic, good to hear those loud and clear.

Let's find out more about these keywords.

Retrieval is finding key details or information in a text and extracting them.

Skimming is quickly glancing over text for main ideas and key points.

Scanning is rapidly searching text for specific information or keywords.

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

And evidence is the information from a text that can support or justify our reasoning.

Let's make sure we are on a lookout for these words.

Let's think carefully about them.

Let's be curious about these keywords.

So our lesson today.

Building comprehension of "Escape from Pompeii" through rich discussion has it got two parts to it.

First of all, revisiting the text and asking questions.

And next, using inference to draw conclusions.

Let's begin by revisiting the text and asking questions.

"Escape from Pompeii" is written and illustrated by Christina Balit.

Wow, what a lot of talent to both write and illustrate this book and look at that amazing front cover.

So evocative, so much going on.

So what do we know so far? "Escape from Pompeii" is a historical fiction picture book text.

It's based on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The text is written from the perspective of Tranio, A young Roman boy.

Tranio and his friend, Livia, witnessed the destruction of their city.

They return many years later to reflect on their loss and pay their respects.

There are several strategies we can use to help us develop our comprehension of a non-fiction text.

We can skim and scan for key terms. This helps you to retrieve the information you're looking for quickly.

And remember, retrieving is finding key details or information in the text.

We can look for clues in the text features.

For example, capital letters for proper noun and illustrations, can assist or build comprehension.

We can read around the text, subject-specific and technical vocabulary can sometimes be explained by reading the sentence before and after for added context.

There are many strategies we can use to develop our comprehension of a non-fiction text.

And there are some strategies for retrieving information.

We can read the question and underline the keywords, then search for those keywords in the text.

Where you find those keywords, read that sentence and check that it answers the question.

If it doesn't answer the question, read the sentence before or after to find the answer.

You might need to search for a type of word e.

g.

, a proper noun with a capital letter and adjective, et cetera.

So here are some of the strategies that we can use to retrieve information.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following are strategies for retrieving information from a text? Identify keywords or phrases in the question, skim and scan the text to locate the required information.

Skipping over challenging or complex sections, passively reading the text without engaging with the context.

Read around the word to gain a better understanding.

So pause the video while you decide which of these are strategies for retrieving information from a text.

Well done if you selected statements A and D.

Yes, absolutely, we wanna identify keywords or phrases in the question, and then skim and scan the text to locate this information.

And also we wanna read around the words to gain a better understanding.

Having read the text, we can better answer questions linked to the story, the characters and the plot.

So I'd like you now to refer to pages one and two.

What is being described as the 'protector' of Pompeii? And how else is it described? So pause the video while you refer to pages one and two, and share with someone nearby.

What is being described as the 'protector' of Pompeii, and how else is it described? Let's see when you're finished.

Okay, let's see what Andeep came up with.

"Mountain Vesuvius is being described as the 'protector' of the city.

It is known as being the gentle mountain." Okay, thank you Andeep.

I hope you found that answer as well in the text.

There are roles in Roman society for girls and boys.

Livia has different jobs to do compared Tranio.

Refer to pages seven and eight and then answer this question.

What does Livia spend lots of her time learning to do? So pause the video while you refer to those pages and answer this question and I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay, good to be back with you.

What did you discover? Maybe something like what Sophia has here.

"In the text, it mentions that Livia spends lots of time learning to cook and weave." And weaving is the process of interlacing threads or yarns to create fabric.

It would've allowed Livia to produce textiles for trade or sale.

I wonder if you've ever tried weaving.

You can actually weave the paper as well.

You can use paper for weaving as well as of course threads and yarns.

Check for understanding, true or false? Tranio initially enjoys himself at the theatre watching a pantomime.

Refer to pages nine and 10 for support.

Pause the video while he decided if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected true.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Tranio was impressed by the sword fighting and acrobats performing death-defying stunts.

After the tremors, the actors continue to rehearse their play.

Pause the video while you decide which of these justifies your answer.

Well done if you selected the first statement.

Both of them are true, but the first one is the one that more directly speaks to the answer you gave earlier.

Well done.

And now it's time for your task.

I would like you to refer to pages 11 to 14.

Discuss the questions with your partner and find the answers.

Here are the questions.

What alerts Tranio to the dangers of the tremors? What were citizens carrying outside of their homes? And how is the donkey being used in Livia's house? And I'd like you to use your retrieval strategies to find the answers.

So pause the video here.

First of all, refer to those pages and then discuss these questions with your partner and find the answers.

Remember to use your retrieval strategies to support you.

And I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay, it's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that discussion and finding those answers, retrieving those answers.

So what alerts Tranio to the danger of the tremors? Did you get an answer like this? "The steps began to 'creak'.

Theatre began to shake." What were citizens carrying outside of their homes? Did you get an answer like this? "People were carrying their possessions outside of their homes to make sure they were safe." And finally, how is the donkey being used in Livia's house? "The donkey helped move the corn mill.

A corn milk round corn grains with flour used by Livia's family at the bakery." Well done if you retrieve these answers for the text.

Well done for using those strategies to help you find the answers.

And now we're moving on to the next part of our lesson.

Using inference to draw conclusions.

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

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.

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

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

We can look for clues in a few different ways.

In the text, also in the illustrations.

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

To locate the correct evidence, it's important to do all these.

Read carefully.

What is the main idea or details you need to locate? Skimming and scanning can be helpful for finding specific details.

Look for specific information.

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

Check the context.

Is the information you're using to support your answer accurate? Is it in the same context? Evidence should be concise and justify the point that we're trying to make in relation to the question.

Check for understanding.

What is inference? Understand exactly what the author is saying without having to think about it.

Guessing what might happen in the story.

Searching for clues within the text to draw conclusions.

Pause the video while you decide what is inference.

Well done if you selected C.

Inference is searching for clues.

It's like being a detective, searching for clues within the text to draw conclusions.

And now it's time for your next task.

I need you to refer to pages and six, and pages 11 and 12, focusing particularly on the song that is sung.

Write down the answer to the following question, justifying your response with evidence from the text.

Why do you think the people of Pompeii took little or no notice of the tremors? And you can use the sentence status such as, "In the text it says.

." Or, "In the text I can see.

." So remember, really want you to use the text carefully.

Find that evidence from the text to help you justify your response.

So pause the video now, refer to pages five and six, and pages 11 and 12, particularly the song.

And then answer the question, "Why do you think the people of Pompeii took little or no notice of the tremors?" And I'll see you when you're done.

Okay, it's good to be back with you.

Let's find out, what did you come up with? Maybe something like this.

"In the text it says that the citizens would laugh even though the city had not fully recovered from the last earthquake.

I don't think they took the danger seriously." Or maybe, "On pages five and six I can see Mount Vesuvius looming over the city.

Lots of the citizens thought it was their 'protector'." Yeah, really good responses there.

The citizens had this particular way of seeing Mount Vesuvius in it as their protector or something gentle.

So maybe they weren't believing even what they were seeing or what they were hearing.

And now for the next part of your task, I'd like you to refer to pages 13 to 16 and answer the following question, completing the table below.

What signs Tranio and Livia notice that tell them that the tremors this time are more dangerous? So the sign, Livia's goat 'bolted'.

And I'd let you to write down why might this be unusual.

And remember to search for clues in the text and the illustrations.

So pause the video now while you refer back to pages 13 to 16.

And then answer this question, "What signs do Tranio and Livia notice that tell them that the tremors this time are more dangerous?" Write down the signs and why this might be unusual.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Pause the video here.

Okay, good to be back with you.

Now let's go through these signs.

So Livia's goat 'bolted'.

Do you have something like this? "The goat usually remains in Livia's house.

Livia's father is trying to retrieve it from the market." "The sky begins to 'darken', 'thick' clouds hang overhead." Why might this sign be unusual? "The ash cloud blocks out the sun.

It is usually bright during the daytime.

Now it is as dark as night." And another sign, "The birds are flying towards the woodland." Why might this be unusual? The birds might be lost or disorientated.

The air is beginning to fill with the ash." So well done for referring to the text, looking for these signs and noting down why they could be unusual.

Really great job, everyone.

In our lesson today, "Building comprehension of 'Escape from Pompeii' through rich discussion", we have covered the following.

Skimming and scanning are crucial skills when it comes to quickly retrieving information from texts.

Readers can infer by using clues from within the text to draw conclusions.

Evidence from the text can be used to develop answers to questions and support reasoning.

Evidence should be concise and justify the point that readers are trying to make in relation to the question.

Well done everybody for joining in with this lesson for really exploring our comprehension of this incredibly rich text through your rich, rich discussion.

I loved how you got into all the skimming, the scanning, the retrieving, the inference, the looking for evidence.

You have covered so much in just one lesson.

I hope you're feeling proud of yourselves.

I'm definitely proud of you and I'm looking forward to seeing you at the next lesson.

Bye for now.