Dragons in the Pantry

Learning Intention:

I am learning how to use text structure to group and sequence information so that I can create an informative text.

Success Criteria:

• I can skim and scan to select relevant information from a text.
• I can use a fact file structure to group and sequence information.
• I can use colours as symbols.

Essential knowledge:

For more information about symbols, view The School Magazine’s video on Connotation, Imagery and Symbolungroup.

Oral language and communication:

Ask students what they know about fact files. Some guiding questions:

- What are they? (A short summary of a specific topic like a type of animal or a sports star)

- What is their purpose? (To give an overview of a topic)

- Where would you find them? (Magazines, books, articles, online)

- What is their structure? (Heading, subheadings, often a picture)

- What sort of subheadings might you find in a fact file about an animal? (Description, habitat, diet, special features)

Understanding text:

Explain that the class will be working together to create a fact file of a pantry dragon. Summarise the events of part one of Dragons in the Pantry or reread the story in full (access it online or, if you have access to last month’s issue of Blast Off, use the magazine).

Read Dragons in the Pantry part two as a class, getting students to note any descriptions or useful information about the dragon as they read. After reading, write relevant information that students find on the board, such as:

- The dragon is bright green

- It is tiny (students can estimate the size based on the fact it sits on Ben’s spoon)

- It can’t swim

- It’s invisible to humans unless it gets wet

- Its eyes turn red when angry (it’s body also turns red)

- It has scales

- It makes a hissing sound

- it’s a peaceful species

- It can change colours and breathe fire when it’s angry

Ask students to use the information to create a set of subheadings for the fact file, such as:

- Description

- Behaviour

- Habitat

and have them sort the information into the relevant subheadings.

Invite students to assist in turning the dot points into short paragraphs to go under each subheading. For example:

Description

Pantry dragons are about four centimetres in length. They normally have bright green scales, although they will turn other colours, such as yellow, orange and red, when angry.

Creating text:

Explain that students will be designing their own species of dragon similar to the pantry dragon and writing a fact file for it. Brainstorm types of dragons to give students ideas, such as library dragons, swimming pool dragons, freezer dragons and fireplace dragons. Using the same subheadings as for the pantry dragon, students write short paragraphs describing their dragons.

Explain that students will also be drawing a picture of their dragon, and that they should choose a scale colour based on the dragon’s habitat and inner nature. Ask students:

- What colour might a freezer dragon be? (White or blue to represent cold)

- What colour would a fireplace dragon be? (Red, orange or yellow to represent hot)

- What colour would you make a dragon who lived in rainbows? Flowers? Meadows? (Multi-coloured)

- What colour would you make a dragon who lived in graveyards? (Black to represent death)

For a deeper understanding of what colours symbolise, view the Academy of Animated Art’s webpage What is Colour Symbolism?ungroup

Once complete, students can share their fact files with a partner.

Assessment for/as learning:

Ask the following questions to students and have them respond with a thumbs up, thumbs middle or thumbs down depending on how they feel.

1. I know what a fact file is.
2. I know the structure of a fact file.
3. I found relevant information in the text (Dragons in the Pantry) to add to our pantry dragon’s fact file.
4. I can explain why I chose certain colours for my own species of dragon.
5. I am satisfied with my own dragon fact file.