Hi there.

My name is Mr. Charlesworth, and in today's reading lesson, we're going to be exploring the text "Shackleton's Journey." This is one of my favourite picture book texts.

It's illustrated and written by William Grill, and it tells the tale of Ernest Shackleton and his crew as they set off on the Endurance expedition to Antarctica.

I hope you're looking forward to the lesson.

Let's get started.

The lesson outcome is, I can answer a range of comprehension questions on "Shackleton's Journey." The keywords are, my turn, your turn, retrieval, prediction, glossary.

Let's try those once more.

Retrieval, prediction, and glossary.

Well done.

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

A prediction is an educated guess.

It's based on evidence in the text or prior knowledge.

A glossary is a list of technical or subject-specific terms with brief explanations usually located at the back of a non-fiction text.

"Shackleton's Journey" has one of these.

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

In today's lesson, we're going to be building our understanding and comprehension of "Shackleton's Journey" through discussion.

We're going to be answering lots of questions and looking at the text in more detail.

We're going to begin by looking at the section titled "Setting Sail" before finding out what happened to the Endurance when it gets stuck in the ice.

Let's begin by exploring the first section, "Setting Sail." Here's a quick recap about what we know about the text so far.

In preparation for the expedition, Ernest Shackleton recruited 26 men and 69 dogs.

Crew members had a diverse range of skills to support them on the expedition.

The ship, the Endurance, was renamed after Shackleton's family motto, which was "By Endurance We Conquer." To conquer is to win or achieve something.

The Endurance had many specific design features to help it withstand the polar conditions in Antarctica.

King George V presented Shackleton with a Union flag to encourage them to return safely.

Let's discover what happens next by reading on.

When reading, there are several strategies we can use to develop our comprehension of a non-fiction text.

We can use layout features to navigate the text.

That includes sub-headings, text boxes, captions, and labels to help us find the right information.

We can skim and scan for key terms. That means looking for specific words or phrases that are in the text.

This helps you retrieve the information you're looking for quickly.

Well noticed on one of our keywords.

We can also look for clues in the text features.

This includes bold writing for importance.

Sometimes, text will use coloured font or maybe capital letters for proper nouns.

Well remembered, like Ernest Shackleton or the Endurance.

These are both proper nouns.

Finally, a strategy we can use is to read around the text.

This means that subject-specific or technical vocabulary can sometimes be explained by reading the sentence before and after for added context.

That gives us surrounding details or information.

Well remembered.

Let's have a look at some reading strategies we can use for retrieving information.

The first step is to read the question carefully and underline the keywords.

What are the most important bits of information we need to be able to answer the question? Then we need to search the keywords in the text.

Can we find the right section that we need to look at? Step three is to read the sentence where the word is located and check that it answers the question.

Make sure it's in the correct context.

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

Finally, you might need to search for a type of word.

For example, a pronoun with a capital letter or an adjective to describe.

These strategies will help us answer retrieval questions.

We'll have a practise with these later on in the lesson.

Here's our first check for understanding.

Which of the following are strategies we can use to help us develop our comprehension of a non-fiction text? Well remembered.

Our comprehension is a bit like our understanding.

So, which of the strategies help us? Is it A, skipping over challenging or complex sections, B, use layout features to locate the appropriate section of text, C, passively reading the text without engaging with the content, or D, identifying keywords or phrases in the question? Skimming and scanning the text to locate the required information.

Which of these strategies help us to develop and build comprehension of a text? There might be more than one.

Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Well done.

I wonder if you're correct.

I don't think it's the first option.

Skipping over challenging or complex sections doesn't build comprehension.

It means we miss some of our understanding.

Using layout features definitely helps, so that must be one of the answers.

Passively reading means to not engage with the text.

And in order to answer complex questions, we need to be engaging as much as possible, so I don't think it's passively reading.

Therefore, identifying keywords and phrases and skimming and scanning, I know that's really helpful for answering retrieval questions, so it must be B and D.

Well done if you got them both correct.

We're now going to continue reading where we left off.

The Endurance sets sail for Buenos Aires on Saturday 8th of August, 1914, on its way to Grytviken whaling station.

You can see Buenos Aires identified on the map.

It's located in Argentina, which is in South America.

I'd like you to read pages 13 to 16.

These are titled "Setting Sail" and "From England to South Georgia." We'll be finding out where South Georgia is exactly later on.

Pause the video now whilst you read with your partner.

Fantastic reading.

There were quite a few challenging words here.

One that I found particularly challenging was insubordination.

Let's say that together.

Insubordination.

Well done, it's a noun that means the refusal to obey orders.

So some of the crew was sent away for refusing to obey orders from Shackleton.

They didn't take part in the rest of the expedition.

I wonder, can you tell me how long the crew spent at Grytviken? The answer's located in the text.

You can use some of the retrieval strategies we've just gone over together.

Pause the video now whilst you answer the question.

Well done.

Did you get the right answer? Let's have a look at an example.

The crew spent one month at the whaling station in Grytviken.

They were making final preparations for their journey to Antarctica.

You might like to explore where Grytviken is and how close it is to Antarctica on the world map.

Here's our next check for understanding.

What were the names of the two new additions to the crew? You can refer to page 15 for support.

Were they A, Alexander Macklin, B, Percy Blackborrow, C, William Bakewell, or D, Lionel Greenstreet? Pause the video now whilst you identify the two new additions.

Great work.

Did you locate both of them? It was Percy Blackborrow and William Bakewell.

Well remembered.

Percy Blackborrow was the stowaway, a person who hid onboard, but eventually became part of the crew just like everyone else.

William Grill includes an illustration of the expedition map, and it shows the route that Shackleton and his crew took on their journey to Antarctica.

Have a look at pages 17 and 18.

This is titled "Expedition Map." Locate where the Endurance began its journey and where it ended.

You might like to put a finger on one point and a finger on the other to see the difference.

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Great work.

I wonder, can you tell me what type of ice does the Endurance travel through for the majority of its route? Perhaps use your finger or a pencil to trace the route and see which type of ice it travels through most often.

Pause the video now whilst you answer the question.

Great work.

I love exploring the illustrations.

William Grill's such a talented illustrator.

An example might be, from using the key, I can see that the Endurance is travelling through dense pack ice for most of its journey.

The word dense is an adjective.

It means closely compacted in substance.

That means the ice was really closely packed together.

That must be very hard to move through.

Perhaps it's one of the reasons the Endurance became stuck.

Let's read on to find out.

Endurance enters the Weddell Sea and encounters pack ice.

This makes navigation very challenging.

I'd like you to read page 19, which is titled "Into the Weddell Sea." Pause the video now whilst you read with your partner.

Great reading.

I wonder, can you tell me how far does the pack ice extend beyond the front of the ship? We're looking for a distance here.

Have a reread and see if you can locate the answer.

Pause the video now whilst you find the distance.

Well done.

Did you find the right answer? Aisha says that the pack ice extends for over 700 miles.

Can you imagine something stretching that far in front of you? It gives you a really good sense of scale and how big and vast Antarctica and its surrounding area is.

On page 20, there's lots of technical or subject-specific vocabulary.

Let's read it through together.

We can use the glossary to support us with understanding of emboldened words, "Occasionally the foresail was reefed so the dangerous growlers might be spotted and avoided." There's quite a few words there that I'm not sure about.

They're highlighted.

Let's say them together.

My turn, your turn.

Foresail, reefed, and growlers.

I wonder, can you locate the highlighted terms in the glossary? Well remembered.

It's located at the back of the text.

Pause the video now whilst you find the definitions for those three words.

Well done.

Did you enjoy finding out the definitions? Let's have a look at them together.

Foresail is the sail at the front of the ship.

Reefing a sail means reducing the size of the sail.

And a growler is a block of ice large enough to damage a ship, often floating underwater.

That must have been very difficult to spot as lots of the crew on the ship would have only been able to see most of the things on the surface.

Let's have a look at answering our question about what we've just read.

How does reefing the foresail help the crew avoid growlers? Let's have a reread, "Occasionally the foresail was reefed so that the dangerous growlers might be spotted and avoided." Well, I know that the foresail is the sail at the front of the ship, and reefing it means reducing it in size, so perhaps that gives them more space to be able to spot the ice beneath the surface.

A possible answer might be, reducing the size of the front sail would allow the crew more easily to spot hazardous ice that might damage the ship.

Now it's your turn to have a go.

The question I'd like you to answer is why might conning from the crow's nest be beneficial to Shackleton? You can refer to the next section of the text and of course look at the glossary to support you.

Pause the video now whilst you answer the question.

Great work.

It's really fun developing our understanding.

We've become almost experts in a specific field by learning all this subject-specific or technical language.

A possible answer might be, the crow's nest would be a good place for Shackleton to direct the ship from as he has a good vantage point to see the landscape.

The crow's nest is right at the very top of the ship, so it gives him the best possible position.

Well done if you answered similarly.

It's now our chance to put our retrieval strategies into practise.

Referring to what we've read so far, can you answer the following questions? The first one is after leaving South Georgia, where was the Endurance headed for? The second, what is the pack ice compared to, and why do you think this comparison was made? Thirdly, we have list two of the creatures that were abundant in the Weddell Sea.

That means that there were lots of these creatures.

To be in abundance of something is to see lots of them.

You can of course refer to the text as you answer the questions.

Pause the video now whilst you complete the task.

Well done.

Let's have a look at the answers.

After leaving South Georgia, the Endurance and her crew were setting sail for the South Sandwich Islands.

You can see these located on the expedition map.

The pack ice is compared to a jigsaw puzzle.

Well remembered.

This relates something which many readers haven't experienced to something that they hopefully have.

It's a really good strategy to develop understanding.

Finally, two of the creatures that were abundant in the Weddell Sea were crab-eater seals and humpback whales.

You might have also mentioned ringed penguins as these are mentioned to be in large numbers in the text.

I hope you put the reading strategies into practise and got lots of these correct.

Well done if so.

We're now going to explore the next part of the text where Endurance runs into its first set of challenges.

When they encountered the pack ice, it slowed the Endurance down significantly until after 700 miles, the ship became stuck.

I'd like you to now read pages 25 and 26, which is titled "A Change of Plans." I wonder what these plans entail.

Read on with your partner to find out.

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Well done.

Can you tell me what changes were made to improve life for the crew and the animals? I found three examples.

You might find more.

Pause the video now whilst you answer the question with your partner.

Great work.

Did you find the section of text? It's located here at the bottom of page 25.

It describes three things.

Dog igloos, which were built on the ice.

This was nicknamed Dog Town.

McNeish, one of the crew members, made a stove where the crew hung out and socialised.

That would have kept their spirits high.

And finally, living quarters on the Endurance were remodelled.

Did you notice what they were described as being like? They said the Ritz.

The Ritz was a luxury hotel in London in England.

It was a symbol of high society, so by describing the living quarters as being like the Ritz, it showed how the improvements really had an impact.

While the crew of the Endurance waited until spring, Shackleton, who was demonstrating good leadership, tried to keep morale positive.

Morale is another way of saying the crew's spirit, or perhaps their enthusiasm and confidence.

I'd like you to read pages 27 to 30, which is titled "Winter Months" and "Isolation." Pause the video now whilst you read.

I wonder, can you tell me the ways in which Shackleton kept his crew active? What effect might this have had on the crew? You can of course refer to the text if you need to to support your answers.

Discuss the question and answer it with your partner now.

Pause the video whilst you do so.

Well done.

The answer to this question is located at the top of page 27.

An example might be, Shackleton celebrated Midwinter's Day by giving speeches and singing.

By keeping the crew busy and entertained, he might have wanted to keep them hopeful about their current situation.

Well remembered.

He also allowed a crew member to bring a banjo, so music clearly played an important part in keeping morale positive.

Here's our final check for understanding.

True or false? During the months of May and June, there was lots of sunlight.

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

Well done.

It doesn't mention the sun very often at all.

The answer is false.

I'd now like you to justify your answer.

Is it because A, days were only lit by the moon, or B, the weather was severe, it included strong winds and snow? Which justification best fits with the original statement? Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Great work.

It mentions that the only light that they get in Antarctica was lit by the moon during these months.

The weather was indeed severe and included winds and snow; however, this doesn't relate to light, which the first option does.

At the end of page 30, we end the text on a cliffhanger.

Referring to what we know already from our reading, I'd like you to make a prediction about what you think might happen next.

You can of course refer to the words, the illustrations, and features of a non-fiction text.

For example, the contents page and maps that you've read in today's lesson.

You can also include knowledge about the leadership skills of Ernest Shackleton.

What have you learned about his character and character traits that might help you with your prediction? You might like to use the sentence stems, I predict, because.

Pause the video now whilst you make your prediction.

Great work.

I really hope you enjoyed making your prediction about what might happen next.

I do this when I'm reading lots of different texts.

Let's have a look at two possible examples.

I predict that Shackleton will have to find a way to break through the ice in order for the Endurance to be able to sail again.

He's demonstrated that he has creative solutions to problems. I think that might be a good prediction.

Shackleton's clearly got to get the Endurance out of the ice; otherwise, they might not have a vessel in order to get home.

Another example might be, I predict that the crew might have to abandon the Endurance because the contents page lists a title as "Endurance Lost." This might mean that they have to travel on sledges.

Were your predictions similar or different to these examples? Remember, if your prediction can be justified using information from the pages, features of non-fiction texts, or knowledge about Ernest Shackleton, then it's a good prediction.

I wonder if you'll be proved right as we continue reading in other lessons.

In today's lesson, we've been building comprehension of "Shackleton's Journey" through rich discussion.

We found out that the structure and features of a text can help identify keywords and key information.

We've learned that non-fiction texts use a range of different layout features to help organise information, making it easier for readers to locate and retrieve the information they need quickly.

We've understood that a glossary can define technical or subject-specific vocabulary to support readers with understanding the text.

And finally, predictions can be justified using information from the pages.

I've really enjoyed exploring more of the text with you.

Well done for all your hard work.

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