Cover lesson · Expressive Arts · Year 2 · Intermediate
LNF: Literacy → Reading → Understanding, response and analysis
Name: Class: Date:
What this practises: listening to a Welsh legend, then bringing it to life through drama with freeze frames (still pictures made with bodies) and speaking in role as a character. Pupils then show they understood the story: they put the pictures in order, answer questions about it, say how a character felt, give their opinion of their favourite part and make up what happens next. This is literacy work on understanding and responding to a story.
Print: this sheet, one per pupil. You read Part 1 aloud; pupils only need Part 2 (the activity pages). One copy of the story sheet, The two dragons of Dinas Emrys (stimulus), for you to read from and show the 4 big pictures. Pencils and coloured pencils. No computers are needed. Clear a space at the front of the room, or push chairs under tables, for the freeze frames.
Run: 5 min set up · 10 min Step 1, read the legend · 15 min Step 2, freeze frames · 8 min Step 3, Tasks 1 and 2 · 10 min Step 4, Tasks 3 and 4 · 8 min Step 5, Task 5, what happened next · 4 min Step 6, show and share. Total 60 minutes.
Collect: the activity pages. The literacy evidence is Task 2 (recall answers), Task 3 (feeling word), Task 4 (opinion sentence) and Task 5 (new ending). During Step 2, jot down the names of pupils who spoke in role when you tapped their shoulder, and write them on the back of one sheet. Quick checks: Task 1, the 4 boxes read 3, 1, 4, 2 (digging is 3, walls falling is 1, dragons fighting is 4, the boy explaining is 2); Task 2, the walls fell because of the two dragons in the pool under the hill, the boy Emrys knew the answer, the dragon that won was red; Task 3, any face except happy with a matching word, for example cross, sad, worried or angry (the story says the king was cross and worried).
Read the words in the green boxes aloud. Read the story itself from the story sheet and hold up each big picture as you read.
Hand out the activity pages and pencils, face down. Put pupils into groups of 4 (groups of 5 are fine). Clear a space at the front for groups to perform. Write on the board: legend, freeze frame, and the sentence starter I am the ... I think ...
Say: “Today I am going to tell you a legend. A legend is a very old story that people tell again and again. People in Wales have told this one for more than 1000 years! It is not true history, but the hill in the story is a real hill near Beddgelert, in Eryri, called Dinas Emrys.”
Do: read part 1 of the story sheet and show picture 1. Read CRASH! loudly. Ask: “How does the king feel? Show me with your face.”
Do: read part 2 and show picture 2. Ask: “What did Emrys say was under the hill?” (a pool with two sleeping dragons)
Do: read part 3 and show picture 3. Whisper “blub, blub, blub”. Ask: “What do you think will come out of the pool?”
Do: read part 4 and show picture 4. Ask: “Which dragon won?” (the red dragon) “Where can we see a red dragon today?” (on the flag of Wales) Say: “In Welsh the red dragon is called Y Ddraig Goch.” (say: uh THRYG goch)
Say: “Now we will tell the story with our bodies. A freeze frame is a still picture, like pressing pause on a film. No talking and no moving. Let’s practise. Everyone, be the cross king. 3, 2, 1, freeze!” Praise good faces and strong, still bodies.
Say: “In your group, you will make 4 freeze frames, one for each picture. Everyone needs a part. You can be the king, Emrys, a worker, a falling wall or a dragon.”
Show: hold up each picture in turn and give groups 1 minute to plan each frame, then count “3, 2, 1, freeze!”
Frame 1, the walls fall down: some pupils are the wall, tall and then tumbling; one is the cross king. Frame 2, the boy explains: Emrys points at the ground, the king and workers listen. Frame 3, digging: workers dig, someone peers down into the pool. Frame 4, the dragons fight: a red dragon and a white dragon, the others watch.
Say: “Dragons fight in slow motion and never touch.”
Do: while a group is frozen, walk round and tap one pupil on the shoulder. Say: “When I tap your shoulder, come alive and tell us what your character is thinking. Use the sentence on the board.” For example: “I am the king. I think my walls are cursed!” · “I am Emrys. I think the dragons are waking up.”
Do: let 2 or 3 groups show frame 4 to the class. Jot down the names of pupils who speak in role.
Say: “Sit down and turn over your sheet. Task 1. These are the 4 pictures from the story, but they are all mixed up. Write 1 under the picture that happened first, then 2, 3 and 4.” Hold up the story sheet if pupils need a reminder.
Say: “Task 2. I will read each question. Circle the right picture, then write the word.” Read: “Why did the walls fall down?” · “Who knew the answer? Circle him and write his name.” Write Emrys on the board. · “What colour was the dragon that won? Circle it and write the colour.”
Say: “Task 3. How did the king feel when his walls fell down again and again? Circle a face. Then write one word for his feeling.” Ask: “What did he do that tells us?” (he stamped his feet and shouted)
Say: “Task 4. What was your favourite part of the story? Draw it in the box. Then finish the sentence: My favourite part was ... because ...”
Ask a few pupils aloud first: “What was your favourite part? Why?” Praise reasons such as “because it was exciting” or “because Emrys was clever”.
Say: “The story stops when the red dragon wins. But what did the red dragon do next? You are the storyteller now. Draw it, then trace The red dragon and finish the sentence.”
Ask if pupils are stuck: “Where did it fly? Who did it meet? Was it tired or hungry?”
Ask 3 pupils to read out their Task 5 sentence. The class shows a thumbs up for each new ending.
Ask: “Is this story true history?” (No, it is a legend.) “Why do people in Wales say there is a red dragon on the flag?” Say: “Da iawn, everyone! (Well done!)”
Number:
Number:
Number:
Number:
a. Why did the walls fall down?
b. Who knew the answer?
c. What colour was the dragon that won?
The king felt
My favourite part was
because
The red dragon