Building comprehension of 'The Moon Dragons' through rich discussions

English

Engaging with 'The Moon Dragons'

Developing a character profile for Alina in 'The Moon Dragons'

Exploring themes in 'The Moon Dragons'

Making comparisons across books

In 'The Moon Dragons’, the protagonist embarks on a quest. In ’Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx’, the protagonist also embarks on a quest and must overcome challenges to be successful.

In 'Mulan’, children read and listened to a traditional where the female protagonist defies authority. In 'The Moon Dragons’, the female protagonist also defies authority and challenges female stereotypes. The pupils will draw comparisons between their reading.

In this unit, pupils read and explore the narrative fiction text 'The Moon Dragons'. They develop their comprehension and use inference to explore the character profile of the protagonist. Finally, pupils explore the key themes, as well as making connections and comparisons to other texts.

'The Moon Dragons': reading

How does asking questions about a text support comprehension?

skimming and scanning to find information from the text

talking to others about the meaning of what we have read

using clues from the text to draw further conclusions

Match the comprehension strategy to how we use it.

How can we infer a character's emotions or intentions?

True or false? It is reasonable to infer that the King had good intentions for the moon dragons.

Her grandmother used to tell her tales about them.

Why did Alina feel connected to the moon dragons?

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.

Which of the following can we infer from Alina's decision to protect the moon dragons?

What does building **comprehension** of a text mean?

drawing meaning from what is written in the text

What does **retrieving** key information mean?

Who are the main characters in the story of 'The Moon Dragons'?

What does the King offer as a reward for finding the moon dragons?

What did Alina do when she found the dragons?

Starter Quiz

What does building comprehension of a text mean?