Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
New
New
Year 3

Building comprehension of 'The Moon Dragons' through rich discussions

I can infer meaning from 'The Moon Dragons'.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 3

Building comprehension of 'The Moon Dragons' through rich discussions

I can infer meaning from 'The Moon Dragons'.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Alina’s motivations for finding the moon dragon was different to everyone else’s and she valued them more than gold.
  2. Asking questions and having rich discussions builds our understanding and allows us to hear different perspectives.
  3. Searching for clues within a text can help us infer greater meaning.
  4. We can retrieve evidence from the text to help us justify our inferences.
  5. A character's actions, experiences and words can be analysed to infer greater meaning.

Common misconception

Children may develop simple questions where the answer can be retrieved from the text rather than involving inference to uncover.

Model the difference between a retrieval and an inference question. E.g. For page 13, a retrieval question could be 'How did the King speak to Alina?' whereas an inference question could be 'What did the King think about Alina's declaration?'

Keywords

  • Inference - drawing conclusions from clues within the text

  • Discussion - the process of talking about something to exchange ideas

  • Retrieve - to find information within the text

Model searching for clues within the relevant pages to answer the questions in cycle 2, task B. Ensure children have access to a copy of the relevant pages for the task.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need a copy of the 2015 Andersen Press Ltd. edition of ‘The Moon Dragons’ written by Dyan Sheldon and illustrated by Gary Blythe for this lesson.

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).

Video

Skip video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
What does building comprehension of a text mean?
re-reading it
summarising it
Correct answer: developing our understanding of it
Q2.
What does retrieving key information mean?
Correct answer: finding words written in the text
drawing meaning from what is written in the text
sequencing the events in the story
Q3.
What does inference mean?
predicting what may happen next
Correct answer: drawing conclusions from clues within the text
summarising the plot
Q4.
Who are the main characters in the story of 'The Moon Dragons'?
Correct answer: the King
the villagers
the huntsmen
Correct answer: Alina
Q5.
What does the King offer as a reward for finding the moon dragons?
a ride on the dragons
Correct answer: a room filled with gold
a job working for him
Q6.
What did Alina do when she found the dragons?
told the king to get the reward
flew with the dragons
Correct answer: kept it a secret to protect the dragons

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
How does asking questions about a text support comprehension?
Correct answer: It helps us clarify things.
It helps develop our fluency.
Correct answer: It helps us uncover deeper meaning.
Q2.
Match the comprehension strategy to how we use it.
Correct Answer:retrieving key information,skimming and scanning to find information from the text

skimming and scanning to find information from the text

Correct Answer:rich discussion,talking to others about the meaning of what we have read

talking to others about the meaning of what we have read

Correct Answer:inference,using clues from the text to draw further conclusions

using clues from the text to draw further conclusions

Q3.
How can we infer a character's emotions or intentions?
through the clothes they wear
Correct answer: through their words
Correct answer: through their actions
through their name
Correct answer: through their experiences
Q4.
True or false? It is reasonable to infer that the King had good intentions for the moon dragons.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q5.
Why did Alina feel connected to the moon dragons?
Correct answer: Her grandmother used to tell her tales about them.
She knew they were worth lots of money.
Correct answer: They appeared in her dreams.
She could fly like them.
Q6.
Which of the following can we infer from Alina's decision to protect the moon dragons?
Correct answer: She valued the beauty of living things over money.
She was motivated by the King's reward of gold.
She wanted the approval of the villagers.