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The theme of collaboration in 'The Wolf, The Duck and the Mouse'

I can explore the theme of collaboration in the story.

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Year 2

The theme of collaboration in 'The Wolf, The Duck and the Mouse'

I can explore the theme of collaboration in the story.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A theme is a big idea or lesson that the author wants you to explore & understand through reading the story.
  2. Readers can interpret themes and their importance within a story in different ways.
  3. ‘The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse’ explores the themes of collaboration, optimism, and resourcefulness.
  4. Collaboration is the action of working with someone to achieve something.
  5. Collaboration is a skill that we learn and practise which has a variety of positive impacts on us.

Keywords

  • Theme - a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story

  • Collaboration - the action of working with someone to achieve something

  • Optimism - the ability to see the positive side of things

  • Resourcefulness - the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties

Common misconception

Children may find it difficult to understand some of the themes and the connections between them.

Allow time to discuss the connections between the three themes at the end of cycle 1. E.g. Collaboration can be a form of resourcefulness.

Allow an opportunity for the sharing of different interpretations and perspectives about the meaning behind the story. Use this as an opportunity to reiterate that readers can draw different meaning from a story.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

You will need a copy of the 2017 Walker Ltd. edition of ‘The Duck, The Wolf & The Mouse’ written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen for this lesson.

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Sequence the following events to retell the beginning of the story 'The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse'.
1 - A wolf encountered a mouse and gobbled it.
2 - The mouse found itself inside the wolf's stomach.
3 - The mouse discovered a duck was already living there.
4 - The duck and the mouse feasted and danced together and made it their home.
5 - The duck and the mouse tricked the wolf into giving them things.
Q2.
Sequence the following events to retell the rest of the story of 'The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse'.
1 - The wolf became unwell from the ruckus taking place inside his stomach.
2 - The wolf fell prey to a hunter who tried to kill him.
3 - Th duck and the mouse scared away the hunter to defend their home.
4 - The wolf was grateful and offered to grant the duck and the mouse a favour.
5 - The duck and the mouse chose to stay living in the wolf's stomach.
Q3.
What is a theme within a story?
the main characters
Correct answer: a big idea, topic or message
where the story is set
Q4.
True or false? The wolf was happy with the favour he granted the duck and the mouse.
Correct Answer: False
Q5.
What does inference mean?
to summarise what you have read
to retrieve information from the text
Correct answer: to use clues from the text to draw conclusions
Q6.
What is the duck and the mouse's relationship like?
Correct answer: they work as a team
they do things separately
Correct answer: they enjoy one another's friendship

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following themes might be found in 'The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse'?
environment
Correct answer: collaboration
magic
Correct answer: optimism
Correct answer: resourcefulness
Q2.
Match the themes from the story to their definition.
Correct Answer:collaboration,the action of working with someone to achieve something
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the action of working with someone to achieve something

Correct Answer:optimism,the ability to see the positive side of things
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the ability to see the positive side of things

Correct Answer:resourcefulness,the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties
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the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties

Q3.
How can we uncover themes within a story?
by reading the blurb
Correct answer: by looking for recurring ideas or messages
by finding specific details
Q4.
How does the duck show optimism?
He says he always wanted to live inside a wolf.
Correct answer: He focuses on the positive element of feeling safer inside the wolf.
He talks about how horrible it is living inside the wolf.
Q5.
How do the characters show resourcefulness?
Correct answer: They get the wolf to swallow the things they want to enjoy in their home.
They spend their whole time in bed feeling sad.
Correct answer: They come up with a plan to defend their home.
Q6.
True or false? Collaboration is an important skill which can have a positive impact on our lives.
Correct Answer: True, true