Lesson video

Hi there.

My name is Mr. Charlesworth and in today's reading lesson, we're using the text "Crazy about Cats." I'm really looking forward to exploring this non-fiction text with you.

Let's get started.

The lesson outcome for today is I can answer a range of comprehension questions on "Crazy about Cats." The key words are, my turn, your turn, retrieval, skimming, scanning, layout.

Let's try those once more.

Retrieval, skimming, scanning, layout.

Well done.

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

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

Scanning is rapidly searching text for specific information or keywords.

And finally, the layout of the text refers to the way the information is organised on the page, how it's presented.

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

We'll be exploring them throughout the lesson.

In today's lesson, we're going to be building our comprehension of "Crazy about Cats" through rich discussion.

We're going to focus on two parts of the text titled "Making a meal of things" and "And the award goes to." In both of these sections, we're going to be looking at retrieval questions, some skills and strategies, as well as looking at the layout and how it can be used to help us answer questions.

Let's start by looking at the first section, making a meal of things.

Here's a quick recap about what we know so far.

We know cats are some of the most successful carnivores on the planet.

They have several features which make them experts at hunting prey.

We've discovered that all wildcats are covered in fur.

However, the colour, pattern and the length of their coats can vary.

Their coats are like the pelts, the fur that covers their bodies.

Finally, we've understood that some species of cats have rosettes and markings, which help camouflage them.

In the section titled "Making a meal of things," we're looking at how cats hunt.

Cats can hunt in a myriad of ways, including stalking.

Stalking means to pursue or approach stealthily.

Stealth is a cautious and quiet action or movement.

Therefore, stalking must have something to do with pursuing and approaching prey quietly and cautiously so as not to disturb them.

I'd like you to read pages 16 and 17, which is titled "Making a meal of things." Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Well done.

I'd like you to list two interesting facts that you've discovered about how cats hunt their prey.

Have a discussion with your talk partner.

Pause the video now whilst you share your most interesting facts.

Great work.

There were lots of interesting facts.

Here are two of my favourites.

Jaguars are able to prey on caimans.

They're excellent swimmers.

I found this fact really interesting because caimans are similar to crocodiles and alligators.

For a jaguar to prey on one of these is really impressive.

My second fact that I found interesting was that leopards are able to pull kills twice their own weight up trees.

I wonder if you remember why they do so.

I'm sure we'll find out later.

In our first check for understanding, I'd like you to match the species of cat to how they hunt.

You can, of course, refer to the text in your answer.

Pause the video now whilst you match them up.

Well done.

Let's have a look at the answers.

A tiger stalks its prey near watering holes to attack animals as they come to drink.

The snow leopard waits on ledges to surprise their prey leaping onto them.

And the fishing cat uses large webbed paws to hook prey out of the water.

Well done if you got them all correct.

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

We can use the layout features to navigate the text.

Well done for noticing.

It's one of our keywords.

The layout includes subheadings, text boxes, captions, and labels, which can help us to locate the right information.

We can also use the strategy skimming and scanning for key terms. This helps us to retrieve the information we're looking for quickly.

You can also look for clues in the text features.

Non-fiction texts usually have bold writing to show importance.

They sometimes use coloured font and also have capital letters for proper nouns, which can help us identify key sections of text.

Finally, another strategy you might use is to read around the text.

Subject-specific and technical vocabulary can sometimes be explained by reading the sentence before and after for added context.

I hope you'll be using a range of these strategies in our lesson today.

Let's have a look at some specific strategies that help us when we're retrieving information.

Step one is to read the question and underline the keywords.

Next, you need to search for the keywords in the text.

Once you've located the keyword, read the sentence and check it answers the question.

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

You might need to search for a type of word, for example, a pronoun with a capital letter or an adjective used to describe.

You can refer to these strategies to help you when you're answering retrieval questions about a text.

Here's our next check for understanding.

Which of the following are strategies for retrieving information from a non-fiction text? Is it A, identify keywords or phrases in the question, skim and scan the text to locate the required information? B, use layout features to locate the appropriate section of the text.

C, skipping over challenging or complex sections.

Or D, passively reading the text without engaging in the context.

There may be more than one.

Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Well done.

It's A and B.

The strategies here include identifying keywords or phrases by skimming and scanning and to use the layout features to help locate the appropriate sections.

When retrieving information, we shouldn't skip over challenging or complex sections.

We can use some of our reading strategies to help support us and we shouldn't be passively reading the text without engaging with it.

That doesn't help our comprehension at all.

In this first task, I'd like you to refer to pages 16 and 17.

Discuss the questions with your partner and locate the answers.

The first question is what does a cat do if it's spotted by prey while stalking? I hope you remember the term stalking from earlier.

The second question is which two features does the fishing cat use to catch its prey? And the final question is why do many cats cover their kills with dirt, leaves or snow? You can, of course, use layout features to help navigate the text and also, you can use your retrieval strategies to help find the answers.

Have a discussion with your talk partner and pause the video now whilst you complete the task.

Well done.

I hope you were able to retrieve the answers with your partner.

Let's have a look at some possible examples.

For the first question, you might have said, if cats are spotted while stalking, they'll freeze until their prey looks away again.

When it's close enough, it leaps and bites into the prey's neck or head.

Quite graphic.

In the text, it said that the fishing cat had two different types of features.

It uses its large webbed paws to hook fish and it will also dive headfirst into water to catch fish in its mouth.

How surprising.

For the final question, you might have said, dirt, leaves and snow cover the kills, which means they're less likely to be scavenged by lions or hyenas or a range of other animals.

The cat can then return for several days and feed.

It's a bit like a portable fridge or freezer.

We're now going to look at the next section of the text, which is titled "And the award goes to." I have a feeling this might be a little bit like the Oscars, but for cats.

Cat species vary from feline to feline.

Owen Davey presents some of the most impressive feats on a double-page spread.

A feat is a special achievement or skill.

I'd like you to read pages 22 and 23, which is titled "And the award goes to." Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Great reading, I'd now like you to discuss the following question, which award were you most impressed by and why? Pause the video now whilst you discuss with your partner.

Well done.

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

Jun says, "I was most impressed by the award for the longest tail.

I didn't know that the snow leopard used theirs for warmth by curling it around themselves!" I found that really interesting too, didn't you? When we're developing comprehension, skimming and scanning are crucial skills when it comes to quickly extracting information from texts.

Here are some top tips when skimming.

You should read the first and last sentence of a paragraph or page.

You can understand the text structure that might be based on cause and effect, problem and solution, or perhaps presented in chronological order.

You can notice illustrations, captions, and graphics.

These usually convey information quickly and visually and you can use keywords to help you to skim the text more easily.

When scanning the text, it's helpful to focus on key information to quickly glance over headings, subheadings, or any bold or italicised font.

This will help you find the right section of the text.

Also, regular practise develops peripheral vision.

That means by scanning regularly, your eyes will get used to looking around the text and be able to identify information quicker.

Here's our next check for understanding.

Which of the following is a tip for skimming and scanning? Is it A, locate headings and subheadings? B, reading every word.

Or C, noticing illustrations, captions, and graphics.

There may be more than one.

Pause the video now and decide.

Well done.

Are you correct? It's A and C.

Locating headings and subheadings, as well as noticing illustrations, captions and graphics can help when skimming and scanning.

Reading every word and trying to understand every detail can be counterproductive when the goal is to quickly locate specific information.

We're now going to look at how layout can help us when answering questions about a text.

The layout of a non-fiction text plays a crucial role in facilitating skimming and scanning by providing visual cues to the reader.

Cues are a little bit like clues.

They help us to orientate ourselves around a page.

Non-fiction texts usually contain the following layout features.

They have headings and subheadings, bold or italicised text, bullet points and numbered lists, text boxes, graphics and images, captions and labels, and finally, they can use columns and rows to group information.

These features help to organise the information, making it easier for readers to locate and extract the information they need quickly.

We're now going to explore what this looks like on a page.

We can see some of these features on page 22 and 23.

There's clear graphics or visuals to show each species of cat.

There's captions with a specific cat mentioned.

These are usually in the first sentence, which is also sometimes called a topic sentence.

Finally, you can see on the page that the use of columns and rows help break up the text into smaller, more accessible sections.

These are noted here, here and here.

Let's have a go at using some of these features when answering a question.

The question says, how long are the canines of the Sunda clouded leopard? My first step is to identify the keywords.

In this case, the Sunda clouded leopard, and the word canines.

I then located the paragraph of text with these words in.

We can locate the keywords using both visual and textual clues.

Next, we need to retrieve the information we require.

I can see that it says the Sunda clouded leopard has the largest canines of any living felid.

The section of text just after this sentence gives us the answer.

These razor-sharp teeth can reach five centimetres in length.

I can then use retrieval strategies to check the answer.

The canines of the Sunda clouded leopard can reach up to five centimetres in length.

Using these features, strategies and skills can really help when answering questions about a text.

Here's our final check for understanding.

True or false? Columns and rows of text can support readers when identifying sections of text.

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

Well done.

It's true.

Now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Is it because columns and rows can help make the layout of a text more accessible and easier to locate information? Or B, columns and rows allow authors to group information into the correct section.

Have a think back to the original statement.

Pause the video now whilst you make your decision.

Well done.

Were you correct? It's A, columns and rows can help make the layout of a text more accessible and easier to locate information.

This helps support readers when they're identifying sections of a text.

In our final task, I'd like you to refer to the pages 22 and 23, which are titled, "And the award goes to." Using the strategies we've just practised, I'd like you to answer the following questions.

What damage can a jaguar's bite do to other creatures? How far can the snow leopard jump and what speed can the cheetah reach? You can use the layout features to help navigate the text and then use your retrieval strategies to find the answers.

You can, of course, refer to the text to support you.

Write your answers down now.

Pause the video whilst you complete the task.

Well done.

I hope yo were able to confidently answer all the questions.

Let's have a look at some possible answers.

In response to the first question, the jaguar's bite can pierce the skin and skull of a caiman, and break the shell of turtles and tortoises.

They must be very tough and strong.

In response to the second question, the snow leopard can jump over 15-meter-wide ditches.

This is the length of a double decker bus.

And in response to the final question, cheetahs can reach up to speeds of over 60 miles per hour.

They reach this in only a few seconds.

How impressive.

Well done for answering the questions so well.

In today's lesson, we've been building comprehension of "Crazy about Cats" through rich discussion.

We know that when reading non-fiction texts, readers can use the layout features to help navigate it.

We've understood that skimming and scanning are crucial skills when it comes to quickly retrieving information from texts.

We know the structure and features of a text can help identify keywords or key information.

And finally, non-fiction texts use a range of different layout features to help organise information, making it easier for readers to locate and extract the information they need quickly.

I've really enjoyed developing our understanding and comprehension around the text.

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