Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. Johnson and I'm going to be teaching you reading today.

In today's lesson, we will be reading an extract from the second chapter of "I was a Rat!" By Philip Pullman and we're going to be answering some questions based on the extract.

If you haven't watched lessons one to three, you should stop this video now and go back to lesson one, two, and three.

Because these are really important for you to understand what's happening in the text.

But if you have, then let's get started.

We're going to start today's lesson by activating our prior knowledge.

This is really important because sometimes before you read the text, we have to bring what we already know to it.

Whatever we read, we have that information already in our heads.

Then we're going to do a quick reading of the second chapter, the beginning of the second chapter at least of "I was a Rat!" and then we're going to have a go at answering some questions together.

And then we will reflect on everything that we've done in the lesson.

In the lesson today, you're going to need an exercise book or paper, a pen or a pencil, and bring that brain of yours as well, I want you thinking throughout this lesson.

Now is also a good time, if there are any distractions near you, to turn them off.

So if you've got a TV on, if there's music playing, if your phone is near you, I would pause the video now and just make sure you're not going to get distracted.

Okay, let's get started.

We're going to start today by activating our prior knowledge.

This is knowledge we already have and this is really important so that we can make inferences and make an understanding of what we're reading and make meaning from the sentences that we read.

And so today, the prior knowledge that we need to activate is this: It's about rats.

So in a minute, not when I say, I am going to ask you to pause this video and create a mind map about rats.

What do you already know about rats? Tell me everything you know and jot it down in note form.

This is going to be really important today because we're going to be looking at how our character perhaps resembles a rat.

So if we can't understand what a rat looks like, we're going to find it hard to understand what the character in this book is doing.

So what do rats do? How are they referred to? How are they described? I'd like you to pause the video now, and write down your mind map, and press play when you're ready to get started.

Well done, I'm sure you know so many different things about rats already.

So I'm going to show you my notes now, so you can compare.

If you've got some things on there that are similar, that's fantastic.

You might have some different things too, and that's absolutely fine.

So there's a few things that I already know about rats.

So I know that rats chew things.

They chew through everything and they can be quite, um a pest in your house because they can chew through your wires, they can chew through your walls, so they've got teeth and they really chew.

I know that they also have a very long tail and that's how you kind of recognise them as a rat and not a mouse they've got this really long, thick tail.

And you can see it here in the picture of the rat.

They tend to live in big families, so when you find one rat, you often find many rats.

They often live in sewers or undercover almost in your home.

So behind the walls and in the walls.

Um and they, but they often travel and enter homes through sewers.

And because of this, they are often seen as quite grubby animals.

Did you have anything else? I'm sure you did.

So we're going to need this information today because when we look at the character in this book, it's going to be important that we hold on to what we already know about rats and how they act.

Next, we're going to do a quick vocabulary check.

We do this before we read anything, because it helps us with unfamiliar words.

So if you come across a word, in your reading, that you're not sure of, you don't understand the meaning of, you can do this today to help you.

You can just press pause and you can try and work out the meaning of the word.

And this strategy helps you whenever you read.

And you should do it when you're independently reading as well.

It's important we don't just skim over words, that we try and have a guess at what they mean, otherwise we might lose the meaning of the sentence that they're in.

The word that I was a bit confused by today was 'tattered'.

So, "Bob's old nightshirt lay in tattered strips around the thin little body on the mattress".

I wasn't sure what 'tattered' was.

I can tell, though, when I first thought about it, that it's an adjective because it's describing the strips.

So, 'tattered' strips.

I'm going to have a go at skipping out the word, first of all.

"Bob's old nightshirt lay in 'mm' strips around the thin little body on the mattress".

So, by skipping out the word, that's how I worked out it was an adjective.

Next, I'm going to try and replace a word with another word.

So, "Bob's old nightshirt lay in 'mm' strips around the thin little body on the mattress".

Can't quite think of a word yet, so I need one other thing to help me.

I need to read around the word.

So, next to the word we know that it's 'strips'.

Now, I know what strips are.

They're thin pieces of material or paper.

So, I think that 'tattered' strips perhaps means they're maybe broken? Should we try that? "Bob's old nightshirt lay in 'broken' strips around the thin little body on the mattress".

I think I've almost guessed the meaning of it now.

And that's okay.

I'm as close to the meaning as I can be.

Now, I'm going to actually show you the meaning so that you also learn a new word today.

So, 'tattered' means old and torn; in poor condition.

What does it mean? Fantastic.

Well done.

I could also have looked at the picture here because the picture's given me a clue.

I can see the nightshirt has got lots of strips and they're all ripped and frail and it's been ruined.

So, I can also work on the meaning of the word by looking at the picture.

So, always remember that.

You've always got that there to help you.

Now, we're going to read Chapter Two.

I want you just to listen to my reading because it's quite hard for you to read this text.

And then when we come to read the extracts you can have a go at reading a bit more.

So, this is Chapter Two of "I Was a Rat!" by Phillip Pullman.

I'm only going to read you the first few pages of the chapter.

The chapter's called "The Privy".

"Next morning Joan found the little boy lying in a heap of torn sheets and a terrible tangle of blankets and feathers, fast asleep.

"She was going to cry out, because she feared that something had come in at the window and attacked him in the night; but he was sleeping so peacefully," That means calmly and you can see in the picture he's peaceful.

"among all the destruction," Destruction is all the tattered strips of his nightdress.

"that she couldn't bring herself to wake him, though she was in despair over the damage.

'Come and look' she said to old Bob, and he stood open-mouthed in the doorway.

'It looks like a hen-run after a fox has been in,' he said".

That means because all the feathers.

So, when a fox goes into a hen-run, often all the feathers of the hen would fall off.

"There wasn't a sheet or a blanket that hadn't been tore into strips.

The pillow was burst open, and feathers lay like snow over the whole bed.

Even Bob's old nightshirt lay in tattered strips around the thin little body on the mattress".

We know what tattered means now.

Old and torn.

"'Oh, Roger,'" That's the boy.

"said Joan.

'What have you done?' The boy must have learned his name, because he woke up as soon as she said it, and sat up cheerfully.

'I'm hungry again,' he said.

'Look at what you've done!' she said.

'What were you thinking of?' He looked around proudly.

'Yes, it was hard, but I done it,' he said.

'There's a lot more that needs chewing and tearing and I'll do that for you later.

' 'You shouldn't tear things up!' she said.

'I've got to sew them all together again! 'We don't live like that, tearing things to pieces! 'Dear oh dear!' The more she looked, the more damage she saw.

It was going to take hours to repair.

Bob said, 'Did you do that because you was a rat?' 'Yes!' said Roger.

'Ah, well, that explains it,' the old man said, but Joan was in no mood to listen.

'That's got nothing to do with it! Never mind what he was, it's what he is now that matters! You shouldn't tear things up like this!' she cried, and she took his little thin shoulders and shook him, not hard, but enough to startle him." Which means, wakes him up.

So startle is when you wake up.

So we're going to leave our reading there for today.

But there's so much in that short extract that we can look at.

And we're going to have a go at answering some questions now.

Now, when we're answering questions remember to always underline the key words in the question.

Try and skim and scan the text for key information.

That will really help you.

And search for hidden clues in the text to give you the extra meaning on things.

So, clues are: how would I know someone was angry.

I'd be looking for them slamming their fist on the table.

I'd be looking for their face turning red.

And these will be the clues that somebody was angry.

So, don't press pause yet, press pause in a minute.

I'm going to read you the extract, then I'm going to read you the question, and then I would like you to press pause and answer the question and write down your answer.

So, I'm going to reread this extract for you now.

"Next morning Joan found the little boy lying in a heap of torn sheets and a terrible tangle of blankets and feathers, fast asleep.

She was going to cry out because she feared that something had come in at the window and attacked him in the night; but he was sleeping so peacefully among all the destruction that she couldn't bring herself to wake him, though she was in despair over the damage".

So, what do you think has happened? Has somebody come in at the night or is it the boy that's done it? What do you think has happened? So, pause the video now, and write down your answer.

Well done.

So, what do you think has happened? I saw there is a heap of torn sheets, which is showing me there's been lots of destruction.

We know, that everything has been ripped to pieces.

But, we also know that he is sleeping peacefully.

Now, just like Joan, that kind of tells the reader, he's not scared.

So no one has come in and attacked him in the night.

Or nothing has come in and attacked him in the night.

So, perhaps, our only conclusion we can make, just like Joan does, and Bob, is that it's the boy who's done it.

Why has he done it, I wonder though? Let's pause and think.

Let's think back to that mind map that we thought about at the beginning.

What do we know rats like to do? What do we know rats like to do? Shout it out.

Yes.

Rats like to chew things.

So, I think the boy has torn the sheets in the night because he is, um, he's peacefully sleeping so he isn't scared.

I think he's done it because rats like to chew things.

And I think he thinks he is a rat still, so perhaps that's why he's done it.

So, I think the boy's done it because he thinks he is a rat.

Okay, I'm going to read the next question to you, and I'd like you to pause the video when I say in a minute.

"'I'm hungry again,' he said.

'Look at what you've done!' she said.

'What were you thinking of?' He looked around proudly.

'Yes, it was hard, but I done it,' he said.

'There's a lot more that needs chewing and tearing and I'll do that for you later'".

So, why did Roger look around proudly? Before I can answer this question, I have to make sure I know what proudly means.

If I'm proud of something, so you might be proud of your work.

Proud means you're really pleased with yourself; you think you've done well.

Okay? So you're proud of yourself; you've worked hard, you've done well.

So, the boy, thinks he should be proud of everything he's done.

Which Joan thinks he should be ashamed of what he's done.

She's really crossed with him.

And he kind of encourages her that he'll do some more later for her.

Okay? So he says, "Don't worry, there's still a lot more that needs chewing and I'll do that for you later".

But, why? Why does he look around proudly? Why is he pleased with himself when Joan is so crossed with him? So, pause the video.

Have a go at writing down an answer.

What do you think? And press play when you're ready to resume.

Well done.

Let's check your answer.

So, I think he looks around proudly because he thought he has done a good job.

He thought he had done a really good job because he says "I'll do that for you later", and he tells her it was really hard but he actually really tried to do it for her.

And I think, if I was to think back about what I know about rats, I think it's because rats chew things, so he thought this was what he was meant to do.

He's acting how he's been taught to act.

He's acting how rats would act by chewing things.

And he thinks this is what is expected of him.

He doesn't realise that humans don't chew things, don't chew their nightdresses or chew their bedsheets.

So he thinks he's done a really good job which is why he's acting proud.

And now we're going to do question three.

Again, I'm going to read the excerpt to you and then I will read you the question.

And I'd like you to press pause when you're ready to answer it.

So, I'll read it to you first.

"'You shouldn't tear things up!' she said.

'I've got to sew them all together again! We don't live like that, tearing things to pieces! Dear oh dear!' The more she looked, the more damage she saw.

It was going to take hours to repair.

Bob said, 'Did you do that because you was a rat?' 'Yes!' Said Roger.

'Ah, well, that explains it,' the old man said, but Joan was in no mood to listen." So, who, is my question, is more understanding? Is it Joan or Bob? And how do you know? So, who is kind of more, uh, forgiving of the boy? Is it Joan or Bob? How do you know? You're going to have to search for clues in the text by what they say.

So, pause the video now and write down your answer and press play when you're ready to resume.

Shall we check your answer together? So, I highlighted that, um, Joan was in no mood to listen.

I also highlighted that she was really upset because it said it was going to take hours to repair.

So, she's going to have to repair everything and she's crossed because it's going to take her so long.

Bob appears to be more understanding because he says "Ah, well, that explains it".

He's willing to forgive the boy because he knows the boy hasn't meant to do it, didn't mean to do it.

And he did it because he thinks he's a rat.

So, this is my answer: "Bob appears to be more understanding as he realises the boy did not mean to do it and did it because he thinks he is a rat.

Joan is upset because she will have to repair everything".

So, I would reckon you probably managed to do exactly as I have and worked out that Bob appears more understanding.

But don't worry if you haven't, it is quite a tricky question.

Okay, now we're going to do some reflecting.

And when we reflect I really want you to think about everything that you already know about this story.

Okay? And we're going to bring it together.

And I really want you to write an extended answer.

An extended answer would be you writing two or three sentences explained in full.

And so these are the big questions I want you to answer today.

And this is requiring you to think.

So you're using that brain of yours; I hope you still got it there.

So you need that brain right now.

Do you think the old couple will continue to help the boy in the story? And can you predict what might happen next in the story? Do you think the boy is a rat? Will he continue to act like a rat? Will the couple continue to help him or will Joan just get really tired of having to look after him and help him? What do you think? Because I think Joan here is showing that she's already despairing a little bit.

She's already crossed with the boy.

How do you think Bob might act? And what do you think is actually going to happen in this story? Where did the boy come from? Surely we've got to find that out.

So, I want you to write two or three sentences to explain your answers to these questions.

And you could ask a question if you wanted.

So, where did the boy come from, for instance is my question.

I really want to find that out and I really hope Phillip Pullman tells us.

Is he really a rat might be another question of mine.

So, I'd like you to pause the video now.

Press play when you're ready to resume.

Off you go.

Well done.

You've done such a good job today.

So, do you think the old couple will continue to help the boy? I think the old couple will continue to help the boy because I know they've always wanted a child so I think they're going to help the boy because I think they will grow to love him.

And they'll realise he's really innocent and he is really trying.

He wants to be well-mannered.

He wants to learn but he just doesn't know how to.

And I think all these things will make them want to keep him, especially Bob.

I think he's going to help him and teach him lots of new things.

In the story next, I'm really unsure from the opening chapters what might happen.

But, there was a hint about a princess getting married.

And the rat seemed to recognise who that was so I wonder if that might happen.

I also wonder whether we might find out the truth about really is Roger a rat.

Was he a rat once before? Where did he come from? So, congratulations! You've now completed today's lesson.

What I'd like you to do, is I'd like you to write down two extra things, this is the last thing I want you to do, two things you've learned about the characters in the second chapter so far.

So, pause the video and quickly do that for me.

Well done.

You've worked so hard today.

I really hope you enjoy the rest of your lessons today and that you take care.