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Year 3

Building comprehension of 'The Sheep Pig' through rich discussions

I can discuss the plot of 'The Sheep Pig'.

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New
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Year 3

Building comprehension of 'The Sheep Pig' through rich discussions

I can discuss the plot of 'The Sheep Pig'.

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Share activities with pupils
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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Skimming and scanning is a way to retrieve information accurately and quickly from a text.
  2. Reading between the lines to search for clues can help to infer meaning.
  3. Having rich discussions improves our understanding and offers opportunities for hearing different perspectives.
  4. Drawing conclusions means using information from the text and personal experiences to deduce meaning.

Keywords

  • Comprehension - Reading comprehension refers to our understanding of the text.

  • Retrieve - In reading, retrieve means to find information within the text.

  • Inference - Using inference means to draw conclusions from clues within the text.

  • Discussion - Having a discussion is the process of talking about something to exchange ideas.

Common misconception

Pupils may not understand the confusion between 'ewe' and 'you' on p. 33.

Ask the children to explain the confusion. If they do not know, explain to them that a 'ewe' is a female sheep.


To help you plan your year 3 english lesson on: Building comprehension of 'The Sheep Pig' through rich discussions, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

It would be beneficial for pupils to have read Chapter Three and Four in advance of this lesson. The teacher could read aloud to the children or allow them to read independently or in pairs, depending on ability.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

You will need a copy of the 2023 Penguin Random House edition of ‘The Sheep-Pig’ by Dick King-Smith.

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), 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.
In 'The Sheep-pig', what does Farmer Hogget win at the fair?
a sheepdog
Correct answer: a piglet
a duck
Q2.
What does Mrs Hogget say they are going to do with the pig?
train it
Correct answer: eat it
keep it as a pet
Q3.
What was Fly teaching her puppies to do?
Teaching them their names.
Correct answer: Training them how to be sheepdogs.
Training them how to herd hens.
Q4.
What did Farmer Hogget find when he came into the stable?
Correct answer: Fly and Babe curled up together asleep.
Fly training Babe to be a sheepdog.
Babe playing with Fly's puppies.
Q5.
Why is Farmer Hogget surprised at the end of Chapter Two of 'The Sheep-Pig'?
Correct answer: The pig is obedient and copies what Fly does.
The pig is very noisy.
The pig manages to run away.
Q6.
Order the following events from the opening of 'The Sheep-Pig'.
1 - Farmer Hogget goes to the fair and guesses the weight of the piglet.
2 - The vicar calls Farmer Hogget to let him know he has won the piglet.
3 - The piglet is put in the stables with Fly, the sheepdog and she calls him Babe.
4 - Babe curls up to Fly and he copies her actions, which surprises the farmer.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these strategies are useful for building comprehension?
Correct answer: discussion
Correct answer: inference
writing
Correct answer: retrieving information
Q2.
Match the strategy to what it means.
Correct Answer:retrieving information,skimming and scanning to find information from the text
tick

skimming and scanning to find information from the text

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

using clues from the text to draw further conclusions

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

talking to others about the meaning of what we have read

Q3.
In 'The Sheep-Pig', where do Fly's puppies go?
Correct answer: To a new farm where they will learn to be sheepdogs.
To the fair to be sold.
To a new home to be a family pet.
Q4.
What is the name of the lame sheep that Babe encounters in the stables?
Mum
Correct answer: Ma
ewe
Q5.
Why does Babe want to talk to Ma?
Correct answer: He thinks he might be able to learn what might help him to be a sheep-pig.
He wants her to be his mum on the farm.
He thinks she is funny.
Q6.
Order these events from the story 'The Sheep-pig'.
1 - Farmer Hogget wins a piglet at the fair and brings him to his farm.
2 - Fly, the sheepdog, adopts Babe and looks after him.
3 - Babe asks Fly whether he can become a sheep-pig.
4 - Fly starts to teach Babe how to herd the ducks, but they do not listen!
5 - Babe makes friends with a lame sheep called Ma.
6 - Ma tells Babe that being polite to the sheep would be a good thing to do.