Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? Hope you're feeling really great.

My name's Ms. Afzal.

I'm feeling pretty good because we're gonna be exploring further "How to Train Your Dragon" by Cressida Cowell.

So I'm gonna pause here while you go and get your copy of the book.

All right, you're Back, you've got your copy in hand.

What else have you got? Have you got lots of ideas? Have you got some energy? Have you got some enthusiasm to share your great ideas? Let's find out more about dragons and adventures and exploring all of this good stuff.

Let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can show an understanding of the characters, plot and setting of "How to Train Your Dragon." Here are the keywords for today's lesson.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Hero, character traits, role on the wall.

Let's find out what these words mean.

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

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

Role on a wall is a character analysis activity which encourages readers to infer, to find, seek further meaning.

So our lesson today has got two parts to it.

We are going to begin by reading chapter two and next, we'll be exploring characterization.

So let's get into it, chapter two.

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

Look at that amazing cover.

Wow, what a talent is Cressida Cowell.

And what we know so far.

"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.

Hiccup is joined by nine other novices.

That's other starters.

He must select a dragon from the nursery, which they are about to approach.

In chapter two, the novices are described as they are prepared to climb the cliff face.

Read the first part of chapter two, pages 28 through 37, up to the word possible, and then answer the following question, how is Hiccup described at the start of the chapter? And you may like to refer specifically to pages 28 and 29.

So pause the video here while you read these sections of the text and answer this question and share with someone nearby.

Let's see what Andeep has to say.

Hiccup is described as having heroic hair, which is bright red.

It is usually hidden beneath his helmet.

He's described as an unlikely hero.

As the boys begin to climb to the cave, they encounter some challenges.

Refer to page 31.

List two of the dangers that the novices faced as they climbed.

So pause the video as you refer to page 31 and see if you can find two of the dangers that they faced.

Here's Isha with some of the dangers.

Two dangers that the boys faced were the icy rocks, which caused Clueless to fall.

The boys were also overexcited, which meant that they might make more mistakes in their keenness to get to the cave.

Yeah, have you ever had that where you feel so excited about something and maybe you can get in the way of your focus? You may also discuss the height of the cliff.

Check for understanding.

Match the following novices to their description in the text and refer to pages 28 to 29 for support.

So we have Snotlout, Dogsbreath and Hiccup.

And descriptions.

Has a face that is unremarkable and difficult to recall, is very tall for his age and flatulent, has strong muscles and skeletal tattoos.

So pause video while you match up the novices to their descriptions.

Well done if you linked Snotlout with the description of being very strong.

Dogsbreath, very tall.

And Hiccup, maybe unremarkable, difficult to recall.

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

So let's think about these.

What is it that makes a hero? Well, they often have humble beginnings.

They have strength, physical or otherwise.

They're moral, they know right from wrong.

They're courageous, they're brave, selfless.

They're not not just thinking of themselves, they're thinking of others.

They're determined and they go through some kind of transformation, some change or growth.

Heroes do not always have similar features.

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

When they finally reach the cave, Hiccup is the first to head in.

Despite many of the characters ridiculing him, he does demonstrate some heroic character traits.

Refer to page 32.

What actions does Hiccup do that might be considered heroic? So refer to page 32 and reflect on this question.

Here's Alex's reflection.

Although Hiccup is described as frightened, he's not cowardly.

He shows courage.

He still wants to capture a dragon, even though he knows it won't be easy.

Yeah, absolutely.

I wonder if you came up with something like that.

Thank you, Alex.

Or maybe you came up with something like this.

Hiccup also crawls through extremely narrow tunnels to reach the cave.

The cavern was full of dragons as far as the eye could see.

Cressida Cowell appeals to the senses when describing the setting.

What do you notice about the cave's description? Which senses does this appeal to? And refer to page 34 for support.

So pause the video while you refer to this page.

Read the description and reflect on what is it you notice about the cave's description.

Which senses does it appeal to? Okay, what did you notice? Let's see what you noticed.

Cressida Cowell appeals to the senses of smell and sight.

The smell of the cave is described as revolting.

There are glow worms which illuminate the cavern, that light up the cavern, as well as some flames from the dragons who are sleeping.

Yeah, so visual and so sensual in terms of what you can smell.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following character traits does Hiccup show on the approach to the cavern? Bravery, cowardice, determination, laziness.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected bravery and determination.

Absolutely.

He has those two for sure.

Well done.

And now onto our task.

The boys begin to choose their dragons.

Snotlout picks up a Nightmare, Dogsbreath a Gronckle.

I'd like now to role play Hiccup choosing his dragon.

You might like to include some inner thoughts.

So what is he thinking? You can speak those out loud.

Some facial expressions to demonstrate your eagerness in finding a dragon.

Actions and gestures that Hiccup might make.

His short prayer to Loki, god of tricksters.

Refer to pages 28 to 37 to support you with your role play.

And you might like to use show and tell.

So show and tell.

Show, not tell refers to showing something without explicitly stating it.

How might you show, not tell your partner some of Hiccup's character traits? So pause the video here, refer to those pages to support you, and then have a go at role playing Hiccup choosing his dragon.

Have fun.

Okay, how did you get on? I hope you really enjoyed that and put your whole self into it.

And did you voice Hiccup's inner thoughts? Did you use your face, your facial expressions to show Hiccup's emotions? Should you include actions, gestures that demonstrated his character traits? I hope so.

I hope you enjoyed it.

And now let's explore characterization.

Hiccups succeeds in picking up a dragon.

Fishlegs, however, is not so lucky.

His allergies means that he awakens the sleeping dragons.

Continue reading chapter two from pages 37, following the page break, to the end of the chapter, page 44.

Why does Fishlegs decide to try and get a cool dragon? Refer to pages 38 for support.

So pause the video now while you read this section of the text and then answer the question about Fishlegs.

Okay, so why did he try to get a cool dragon? Let's see what Sam says.

Fishlegs was tired of being taunted by Snotlout.

He wanted to get an impressive dragon that the other boys would respect.

Yeah, I can understand that.

At the end of the chapter, Hiccup is thankful he is alive.

However, the mission wasn't one full of glory either.

Refer to the events in chapter two.

What do you think will happen to Hiccup next? Pause the video while you reflect on this question and share with someone nearby.

I think Hiccup might have to be exiled because he gave his dragon to Fishlegs.

I hope that Hiccup was able to find a dragon when he went back through the narrow gap.

I wonder what you think will happen.

And if your prediction can be justified by events in chapter two, and the illustrations, then it's a good prediction.

Check for understanding.

True or false? Fishlegs caused the dragons to wake up by collapsing the pile of sleeping dragons.

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

That one's false.

And I would like you to justify your answer.

Fishlegs' four sneezes echoed around the cavern.

It was so loud, it woke up the other dragons.

Fishlegs was already covered in a rash as a result of his allergies.

Pause the video while you decide which is the correct justification for your answer.

Well done if you selected A.

Yep, Fishlegs sneezes echoing around the cavern, waking the other dragons.

So really good justification for your answer.

Okay, and now we're onto role on the wall.

So role on the wall is a reading activity that helps us develop our understanding of characters in a story or text.

Using an outline of a character, as we can see on the screen, we jot down character traits, thoughts, feelings, motivations and fears on the insides, on the inside of the body.

And then on the outside, we note the characters' outer characteristics, including physical appearance, actions, and interactions with other characters.

So we're looking at the inner and the outer of the character.

We can support our inferences with evidence from the text.

So inside, we've got thoughts and feelings.

Outside, we've got the character's appearance and how people see them.

Let's look at some examples of role on the wall for Fishlegs with evidence from the text.

So he's thinking, "Will I be exiled? I want to be a good dragon." He's worried, his feelings, he's worried and panicked.

And he's described as having an itchy rash as a result of his reptile allergy.

And he's described as not being very good at sneaking.

He does not see how tangled up the dragons are in the pile.

Fishlegs helps HIccup by hauling him through the hole away from the dragons chasing him.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following features are included on the inside of the character when completing a role on the wall? Fears, physical appearance, thoughts and feelings, actions they perform in the story.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected fears and thoughts and feelings.

Those go on the inside of the role on the wall.

For your task, I would like you to complete a role on the wall for Hiccup.

So note down Hiccup's character traits, his thoughts, feelings, motivations and fears on the inside.

And note down Hiccup's outer characteristics, including his physical appearance, actions, and interactions with other characters on the outside.

So pause the video now while you have a go at completing a role on the wall for Hiccup.

All right, it's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task? I'm wondering, did you, on the inside, include a thought that Hiccup might have? Did you include a range of emotions that Hiccup might feel? Some of his character traits? How about on the outside? Did you include a description of Hiccup's physical appearance? Actions that Hiccup performs? And an interaction Hiccup has with another character? Well done if you included some or all of these.

Well done for giving it a go.

In our lesson today, we've covered the following.

Hiccup is not a typical hero character.

Stories may portray heroes in various ways.

There are some common character traits they have, such as courage and determination.

Authors can appeal to the senses when describing settings.

Role on the wall is a reading activity that helps readers develop their understanding of a character.

It was great to be together with you for this lesson today.

And thank you for joining in with exploring the character, the setting, and the plot of this wonderful text.

And I'm looking forward to seeing you for some more exploration next time.

Bye for now.