Lesson video

Hello everybody, it's good to see you.

My name's Miss Afzal and I'm feeling pretty excited about being here today.

That's because we're going to be exploring a really, really fantastic novel.

It's not just any novel, it's an illustrated chapter book and it's this one here, "How to Train Your Dragon" by Cressida Cowell.

Cressida Cowell has both written and illustrated this novel.

So this is really quite something.

You're going to need a copy of the novel that looks just like this one for our lesson today.

So just, I'm gonna pause here.

So please pause the video and off you go and find your copy of the novel.

Okay, you're back, you've got your copy of the novel.

Hopefully you've got some enthusiasm for dragons, for adventure stories, and for exploring fantastic fiction.

Let's get into it.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can understand the context of "How to Train Your Dragon".

Here are the key words for today's lesson.

Let's go through them my turn, your turn.

Context, Norse mythology, folklore, impression.

Fantastic, I heard those loud and clear.

Let's find out more about these keywords.

The context is the surrounding details that help you understand what you're reading.

Norse mythology is a set of ancient tales of Scandinavian Gods, beliefs, and the worlds they inhabit.

Folklore is a genre in which oral stories are shared and passed down over time.

An impression refers to initial feelings about the person, place, or thing gained from reading a text.

Okay, so let's make sure we're looking out for these words.

Let's listen for them, let's think about them.

Let's be curious about them.

So what's happening in our lesson today? Two things: first of all, introduction to the text, and next, we'll be exploring Chapter 1.

Let's start by introducing the text.

"How to Train Your Dragon" is written and illustrated by Cressida Cowell.

Take a look at that amazing cover.

What a talented author and illustrator Cressida Cowell is.

"How to Train Your Dragon" is an illustrated chapter book.

The text draws influences from history, Norse mythology, and folklore.

There are some of our keywords.

Before the story begins, Cressida Cowell introduces us to some of the characters and setting.

Explore the text up to page 15.

What are your first impressions? So pause the video now while you explore those first pages and share your impressions with someone nearby.

Okay, good to be back with you.

I'm curious, what are your first impressions? Perhaps you spotted some of the following: The central protagonist, Hiccup, on the front cover.

We're introduced to him on page 1, he is a Viking.

A prophecy on page 5, which is written as a riddle.

So a prophecy is a special prediction or message about the future.

Perhaps you notice the novices of Hiccup's tribe, pages 6 to 7.

And a tribe is like a community of people who share similar customs, traditions, and often live together in the same area.

Or perhaps you spotted the map of the Island of Berk on pages 12 and 13, and the surrounding habitat.

Hope you enjoyed sharing your first impressions and listening to others.

"How to Train Your Dragon" is set in a fictional Viking world.

Vikings were fierce warriors and explorers who lived in Scandinavia over 1,000 years ago.

They sailed the seas in long ships, you can see an image of a long ship there, raiding villages and towns along the coastlines of Europe.

Vikings were skilled craftsmen and traders known for their intricate metal work and beautiful ships.

They also had rich mythology and beliefs and stories of epic adventures that inspired their culture.

Check for understanding: true or false? "How to Train Your Dragon" is a historical fiction text set in the real world.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false, that is not the case.

It's not a historical fiction text.

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

The Meathead tribe live across the sea from the Hooligan tribe on the Meathead islands.

Or the text is primarily set on the fictional Island of Berk, Hiccup's home.

The place names reflect the history of the land.

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

Well done if you selected B.

This statement directly refers to your answer and gives justification to it.

So what are the features of a traditional myth? Well, there are many.

They often feature gods and goddesses with extraordinary powers and abilities.

They provide an origin story explaining natural events, rituals, or customs. They can give us an important moral or teach us a lesson.

They have relatable themes including loyalty, friendship, bravery, and perseverance.

They have epic battles or adventures, usually containing heroes and mythical creatures.

And they can sometimes blend reality and fiction, leaving room for interpretation.

Cressida Cowell makes connections between her fictional world to gods and places within Norse mythology.

During our reading of the first few chapters, we will encounter the following: Woden, an earlier form of Odin.

He is the wise leader of the Norse Gods associated with war and poetry.

Valhalla, a majestic hall in Asgard, the realm, it's kind of the world, of the Norse gods, where fallen warriors are honoured by Woden.

Thor, the God of thunder, he wields his mighty hammer, or Mjolnir.

And Loki, a mischievous trickster causing trouble for both gods and humans.

I wonder if you've heard of any of these gods or places from Norse mythology.

And now let's have a check for understanding.

Match the following Norse terms to their definitions: Thor, Valhalla, and Woden.

And the definitions: the wise leader of the Norse gods, the God of Thunder, a majestic hall in Asgard.

So pause video now while you match the Norse terms to their definitions.

Okay, did you connect Thor to the god of thunder? Valhalla is the majestic hall in Asgard.

And Woden is the wise leader of the Norse gods.

Well done if you made these connections.

And perhaps you wish to find out more about Norse mythology and see how the myths link to "How to Train Your Dragon".

So you could check out some books on Norse myths.

"How to Train Your Dragon" begins with Hiccup, the heir to the Hooligan tribe, worrying about the upcoming initiation where he must prove himself a Viking hero or face exile.

So an heir, that's a noun, is a person who's set to inherit a particular position or title, for example, chief.

Initiation is a noun and it's the process to become a fully-fledged member of his Viking community that Hiccup needs to go through.

And now I'd like to read pages 16 to 20 up to the word "excitedly".

Pause the video here.

Okay, so you've read those pages.

So now we can see the boys are on a very desolate part of the island, staring up at a vast cliff face from the beach.

Gobber, the soldier in charge of them, announces the commander of the group for their first mission.

Refer to page 18, are the other boys' responses to Hiccup positive or negative? And why is saying Fishlegs would be a better option considered an insult? So pause the video now while you refer to page 18 and reflect on these questions.

And here's Jacob, what do you have to say, Jacob? "The other boys' responses are negative.

"Fishlegs has a significant sight impairment "and is allergic to reptiles.

"So saying that he's a better choice "than the Hiccup is intended to offend." Yeah, quite an unkind thing to say on many levels.

And page 19, Gobber explains his decision to have Hiccup leading the group.

Gobber compares the decision to the Roman Republic, which was more democratic than the Viking way of life.

So democratic means everyone gets a say in how things are run, either by voting or having a voice.

Why do you think Gobber has had to make this decision? Does he believe Hiccup is the best person for the role? Pause the video and share with someone nearby what you think about these questions.

Okay, I wonder if you had something like this.

"Gobber has probably had to choose Hiccup to lead the group "because he's the son of the chief." Or, "I don't think Gobber thinks highly of Hiccup.

"He refers to him as 'useless'," aw.

Which of the following characters do not think that Hiccup is a suitable commander of the team? Dogsbreath, Gobber, Fishlegs, Snotface.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you chose all of these three here.

Fishlegs was the only one who did not think as the others did.

So for your first task now, let's get into impressions.

So referring to what we've read so far, what are your first impressions of the text? Let's do this in three ways in particular.

So likes, what caught your attention? What made you wanna keep on reading? Dislikes, was there anything that you were unsure about? Not so certain.

Puzzles, was there anything you found strange or surprising? And here's some sentence starters for you.

You could start your likes with, "I enjoyed.

Or, "My favourite part was.

Dislikes, you could start with, "I was unsure about.

Or, "I wanted to know more about.

And puzzles, "I wondered," "I noticed," and so on.

So pause the video here and share with someone nearby your likes, dislikes, and puzzles.

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

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

I am curious, what did you come up with? What did you like, what did you dislike? What were you puzzled by? Let me share some of mine.

So I really enjoyed discovering more about the characters through their physical description and how they speak with one another.

Can tell you a lot, just that, the how they look and how they speak.

Dislikes, I wanted to know why Hiccup was so unsure of himself.

He doesn't view himself as a hero.

Puzzles, I noticed some repetition to draw attention to certain descriptions of place.

And I wonder what the other tasks in the initiation test will consist of.

Okay, now let's move into exploring Chapter 1.

Hiccup thinks that the initiation is going to be very challenging.

The group are entering space with over 3,000 dragons.

Yep, 3,000 dragons, imagine.

Read pages 21 to 27, the end of Chapter 1, and then refer to page 23.

Why is choosing a dragon an important part of the initiation? So pause the video while you reread those pages.

Refer to 23 and answer the question.

Well, "It's important to ensure "that a dragon is the right size.

"It will do lots of the hunting for the Viking." Also, "The dragon will eventually "fly the Viking into battle.

"It needs to be impressive." If the boys do not return with a dragon, they might as well be exiled, which means sent away to fend for themselves.

Refer to page 26 now.

How is Hiccup likely to be feeling at this moment in time? And how do you know this? So pause the video while you refer to this page and answer these questions.

"Hiccup does not think he will succeed.

"He thinks 'death' when the other eight boys are shouting "back to Gobber in unison," unison means together.

"I think Hiccup might be apprehensive," which means worried.

"He wonders whether the noise "from the others will awaken the dragons "before they even begin their mission." Order the following of Gobber's instructions for how to capture a dragon.

So we have place a dragon with care into a basket.

Approach a dragon nursery silently.

Leave without disturbing the rest of the cave.

Choose a sleeping dragon.

So pause the video while you put these instructions in order.

Okay, did you put them in this order? First of all, approach the dragon nursery silently.

Next, choose your sleeping dragon.

Place a dragon with care into a basket.

And finally, leave without disturbing the rest of the cave.

Well done if you placed the instructions in this order.

We leave Hiccup about to climb up to the dragon nursery.

He's going to need to choose a dragon for his adventure.

If you were Hiccup, which dragon would you choose? What would you look out for in particular? Refer to page 25 where one of the most common Viking dragons is described.

Look at the qualities and statistics.

Discuss the colour and what your dragon would be armed with.

Out of the remaining statistics, which would you prioritise most and why? Which would you prioritise least and why? So pause the video here, refer to page 25, and then answer the questions.

Okay, I am wondering which kind of dragon did you choose.

Let's see what Sam has to say.

"If I were Hiccup, I would try to get one "of the Nightmares as they sound like the most fearsome.

"I would prioritise size to intimidate others," to scare others, "as Hiccup is son of the chief." Okay, ooh, good thinking, Sam.

What about Jun? "If I were Hiccup, I would want a dragon "that was well armoured," okay, yeah, good choice.

"I would try and choose a dragon that is obedient "as I want it to follow my instructions." Yep, really important qualities there as well.

Great, well done.

I hope you enjoyed considering which kind of dragon you would choose and sharing it with someone nearby.

In our lesson today, we've covered the following: "How to Train Your Dragon" is an illustrated chapter book.

The text draws influences from Viking history, Norse mythology, and folklore.

Understanding the context of the story can help readers build connections and deepen understanding.

"How to Train Your Dragon" begins with Hiccup, the heir to the Hooligan tribe, worrying about the upcoming initiation where he must prove himself a Viking hero or face exile.

Thanks for showing up for this lesson and for sharing your ideas.

It's been really great to spend this time with you, and I'm looking forward to our next lesson.

I'll see you then, bye for now.