TEACHER’S RESOURCES FOR ISSUE 2 2011: Enter the Dragon!
ABOUT THIS BOOKLET
This booklet is divided into sections – called ‘big
ideas’– based on the issue’s Enter the Dragon
theme to provide students with a variety of learning
experiences.
For each of the big ideas, activities are provided
to develop students’ understandings about these
key concepts through introductory, literacy and
project activities. Each section includes an overview
of the big idea, the related learning areas and the
content, literacy and thinking skills to be developed.
Introductory activities
The introductory activities draw upon a range of
learning areas. They relate specifically to focus
questions and support students to draw upon their
prior knowledge and develop their understandings
about the world in which they live.
Literacy activities
The literacy activities relate specifically to articles in
Explore. The teaching strategies for each article are
given in the contents list on page 3 of the magazine.
The reading activities help students to develop
their reading and comprehension skills. The writing
activities support students to develop their writing
skills across a range of genres.
Project activities
The project activities provide an opportunity for
students to develop their inquiry and research skills –
in particular, their independent learning skills.
Enter the Dragon! ISSUE SYNOPSIS
In this issue of Explore, we explore the
mythological world of dragons. The articles look
as diverse topics including dragon mythology,
the history of dragons, fantasy fiction and reallife dragons.
Enter the Dragon! BIG IDEAS
The four big ideas in this issue are:
• Dragon mythology
• History of dragons
• Fantasy dragon fiction
• Real-life dragons.
BIG IDEA
Dragon Mythology
Students will be introduced to the mythology of dragons through an online dragon tour
in Melbourne CBD. They will find out about dragon mythology through reading fiction
and non-fiction texts. They will create, for a younger audience, a picture book based on
one of the dragons stories presented to them. They will also research the significance of
dragons in different cultures.
FOCUS QUESTION
What are the different mythological stories of dragons?
Learning area focus
• Humanities • English • ICT
Content skills
• Classifying • Locating • Exploring
Thinking skills
• Interpreting • Understanding • Making connections • Thinking creatively
Literacy skills
• Clarifying • Responding • Questioning • Interpreting
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES
• Distribute poster paper and ask students to
close their eyes and imagine what a dragon
looks like. Have them visualise the features of the
dragon using these prompts:
–What does your dragon look like?
–How big is it?
–What are its features?
–What can it do with these features?
–What colour is it?
–What type of skin does it have?
–What does its face look like?
• Explain to students that they should use this
visualisation to draw their dragon and that they
should include all the dragon’s features in fine
detail. They should also label the drawing to
create a diagram that shows all of their dragon’s
special features.
• Using Carole Wilkinson’s website <www.
carolewilkinson.com.au/dragontour/> take the
students on a virtual dragon tour around the
city of Melbourne.
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• Hand out copies of BLM 1 and tell students
them that you will be taking a ‘virtual tour’
around the city of Melbourne in search of
dragons.
• On an interactive whiteboard, display Carole
Wilkinson’s website, read the introduction and
ask: ‘Where do you think we’ll find dragons in
the CBD of Melbourne?’ Have students share
their predictions with the class.
• Show the map and explain that students will
need to label their own maps of Melbourne
CBD as they move through the virtual tour.
• Visit each site, read the location and have
students find it on their maps. Read the site
information and click on the pictures to enlarge
them.
• Have students label their maps with brief
information about each dragon site.
LITERACY ACTIVITIES
Shared reading activity
Independent writing activity
Text type
Informational
Text type
Narrative
Resources
‘East Meets West’, Explore pages 12–13
Resources
BLM 2 Picture Book Story Organiser
‘East Meets West’, Explore pages 12–13
Introduce the text
• Have students consider the following statement:
‘Traditionally, dragons have been viewed very
differently in Eastern and Western cultures.’
• Use the strategy of Think–Pair–Share to discuss
how dragons might possibly be viewed in
different cultures. Ask students to think of
examples to support their ideas and opinions
when discussing the differences with their
partner.
• Hand out copies of Explore and have students
open to pages 12–13.
• Read out the title of the article and the
introductory paragraph. Compare the
information in the introductory paragraph to
students’ own ideas and opinions about the
differences between the cultures.
Read the text
• Ask students to consider, as you go through
the article, the different ways dragons are
portrayed.
• Read each of the sections with the students.
After each section, discuss the portrayal of the
dragons in that section.
Return to text
• Have students create a T-chart in their
notebooks with the headings ‘Chinese’ and
‘British’. Reread the following sentences from
the introductory paragraph: ‘In the East, in
countries such as China and Japan, dragons
are a symbol of power, strength and good luck.
Western dragons from Europe, however, are to
be feared, for they are fire-breathing, fierce and
cruel.’
• Have students find examples in the stories from
China and Britain that support the author’s
introduction.
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Responding to text
• Students will write, illustrate and publish their
own children’s picture book based on the
dragon legends presented in the article ‘East
Meets West’.
• Ask students what they know about children’s
picture books to gain an understanding of the
different features (such as plot, characterisation
and illustrations).
• Hand out copies of BLM 2 and explain that
students should use the story organiser to
record their ideas for telling a story from the
perspective of one of the characters.
• Have students work in pairs. One student
pitches their story to their partner and the
partner provides feedback on how they might
improve their story.
• Next the students should create storyboards to
plan the relationship between the illustrations
and text. Provide materials to make the books
using a variety of methods.
• Have students present their completed books
to the class.
Shared reading activity
Text type
Narrative
Resources
‘Legendary’, Explore pages 22–23
Introduce the text
• Hand out copies of Explore and have students
open to pages 22–23.
• Tell the class that the article describes different
types of dragons from various cultures via a
narrative.
Read the text
• Explain that as they read the text, students will
need to consider what the main character
knows about the different dragons in the story.
• Read the text together as a class. Stop after
each main section and prompt students to
review what has been read. In reviewing the
text, students should identify key points about
different dragons.
Return to text
• Ask the following questions to promote
discussion about the narrative:
–What were the different dragons that the main
character found?
–What did the main character know about
these dragons?
–How do you think he knew about these
different types of dragons?
–Where did the dragons originate?
–If you were the main character, how would
you have reacted as you came across these
dragons?
Responding to text
Poetry
Resources
Workbooks
Responding to text
• Have students think about the topic of gaming
and choose a game that they would like to write
a poem about. Outline the structure of diamante
poetry and explain the parts of the poem:
Line 1: Write the name of your topic
Line 2: Write two adjectives about your topic
Line 3: Write three action verbs that end in ‘-ing’
Line 4: Write four nouns or a short phrase to
describe your topic
Line 5: Write three action verbs that end in ‘-ing’
Line 6: Write in two adjectives about your topic
Line 7: Write the name of your topic
• Review the different parts of speech to ensure
that students understand what to do for each
part of the poem.
• Have students write their poem in their
workbooks and choose how to present it.
Create a gallery of the students’ published
poems and have them read each other’s poetry.
INDEPENDENT PROJECTS
• Students should independently research
different types of dragons from a variety of
cultures, such as Chinese dragons, the
Rainbow Serpent, the Welsh red dragon
(wyvern) and Japanese dragons. They should
research these dragons using the 5Ws question
starters:
What is the cultural significance of these
dragons?
Who celebrates the significance of these
dragons?
Where did each type of dragon originate?
When did each type of dragon originate?
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Why are these dragons celebrated?
• Have students record, in note form, what they
discover about each of the different types of
dragons for each of the five questions.
• When they have completed this activity, have
students share their information on a poster that
includes text and images.
BIG IDEA
History of Dragons
Students will be introduced to historical information about how dragons have been
portrayed, feared and celebrated in different cultures. They will investigate the
significance of the Chinese dragon during festivals, such as Chinese New Year, and use
this information to create a Chinese Dragon Puppet Dance. Students will also have the
opportunity of creating a map of a dragon’s habitat in medieval Europe.
FOCUS QUESTION
What is the history of dragons in different cultures?
Learning area focus
• History • ICT • English
Content skills
• Listening • Viewing • Experimenting • Composing
Thinking skills
• Understanding • Making connections • Thinking creatively • Evaluating
Literacy skills
• Comparing • Contrasting • Predicting • Summarising
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES
• As a class, watch the six short video clips on
the Discovery Channel website <http://animal.
discovery.com/convergence/dragons/myth/
myth.html>.
• Before watching the videos, tell students they
are going to hear about dragons from very long
ago in the different parts of the world, including
Syria, Greece, Northern Europe, Britain, China
and South America.
• After viewing each clip, check if there were any
words that students didn’t understand and
explain their meaning. Then ask the following
questions to promote class discussion:
–What did you find out about the stories about
dragons in this culture?
–When were stories of dragons recorded in the
country or region’s history?
–How were the stories of dragons passed
down in history?
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–What were the qualities of dragons in these
stories?
• Use Golden Dragon Museum’s website <www.
goldendragonmuseum.org/dragons.html> to
find out about the different dragons displayed
at the Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo,
Victoria. On an interactive whiteboard go to the
website and introduce the dragon family using
the following information:
The Golden Dragon Museum has a family of
dragons on display. The museum was
opened in 1991. It was designed to house the
increasingly vast collection including Sun
Loong, the longest Imperial dragon in the
world (over 100 metres long) and Loong, the
oldest Imperial dragon in the world (over
110 years) so that visitors to could view the
dragons throughout the year.
• Organise students into small groups. Have each
group browse the website to locate key
historical facts about one of the dragons:
Loong, Sun Loong, Yar Loong, Gansu Loong,
Ming and Ping Loong or Xiao Le Loong.
Students should consider the following:
–translated meaning of name
–appearance of dragon
–first appearance to the public
–origins of the dragon
–number of carriers.
Have each group report their findings back to
the class.
LITERACY ACTIVITIES
Guided reading activity
Independent writing activity
Text type
Informational
Text type
Poetry
Resources
‘Dance of Good Fortune’, Explore pages 14–15
Resources
BLM 3 Dragon Tongue Twisters
Introduce the text
Responding to text
• Ask:
–What do you know about the significance of
dragons in Chinese culture?
–What do you know about dragon dances?
• Tell students that they will be creating tongue
twisters about dragons. Ask if anyone knows
about tongue twisters and have them share
with the class (e.g. Peter Piper).
• Have students read the article and discuss
what they know about dragon dances. Ask
students to share their own personal
experience of seeing a dragon parade.
• Explain that a tongue twister is hard to speak
as they usually use alliteration, which is the
repetition of consonant sounds in words near
each other. Note that it is the sound, not the
letter that is important: therefore ‘cake’ and
‘Cindy’ do not alliterate, but ‘cool’ and ‘kids’ do
alliterate.
Read the text
• Have students read each section of the article
and discuss what they have learned about
dragon dance. Guide their reflections by asking:
–What did you find out?
–What do you think about this?
–What do you believe about this?
–How do you feel about this?
• Have students read the text independently,
monitor their reading and provide guided
support about their use of reading strategies.
Return to text
• Ask: ‘How is teamwork important in dragon
dance?’
• Encourage students to identify information in
the text that can help them to develop their
ideas and opinions. Have students discuss their
response to the question.
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• Hand out copies of BLM 3. Students should
brainstorm or use a dictionary or thesaurus to
find words beginning with ‘D’.
• Ask them to write four different tongue twisters
and then illustrate their favourite one on the
worksheet.
• Have students each select their favourite
tongue twister and collaborate on entering them
in an electronic document to be shared with the
class.
Reading to activity
Guided writing activity
Text type
Informational
Text type
Descriptive
Mapping
Resources
‘Here be Dragons’, Explore pages 16–17
Resources
A3 paper
Introduce the text
• Display the phrase HC SVNT DRACONES and
pronounce it for the class (hic sunt dracones).
Explain that the phrase is written in Latin and is
found on antique globe of the world. Ask
students to form pairs and try to predict what
this phrase could mean and share their
prediction with the class.
• Hand out copies of Explore and ask students to
turn to pages 16–17. Introduce the article title,
‘Here be Dragons’ and discuss what students
think the text will be about.
Read the text
• Read the text aloud to the students in the
following four sections:
–Here Be Dragons
–Fearful Times
–Creatures of the Deep
–Modern Day Dragons
• Use the following questions to promote
discussion with the students after reading each
section:
–What did you find out?
–What was the key information related to the
headings?
–What were the beliefs of people many
centuries ago?
–Why do you think they had these beliefs?
Return to text
• Compare students’ predictions about the article
with the actual information in the text.
• Have students consider how people’s beliefs
about dragons originated. Discuss how these
beliefs have changed over time and why this
has happened.
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Responding to text
• Have students think about the features of a
dragon’s habitat in medieval times in Europe.
Ask: ‘If dragons were real in medieval times,
where do you think they would live?’
• Have students brainstorm the type of natural
features that would be in a dragon’s habitat by
describing a dragon’s habitat. Prompt them
with questions:
–What would the habitat look like?
–What would it sound like?
–What would it smell like?
–What would it feel like?
• Hand out A3 or poster paper and ask students
to create their own an imaginary map of a
dragon’s habitat.
• Outline the important features of a map, such
as aerial views of natural features of the habitat,
a legend with symbols, a grid and a compass
rose.
• Have students share and describe their
completed dragon’s habitats in front of the
class.
INDEPENDENT PROJECTS
• Have students form groups of four to create a
Chinese dragon puppet dance.
• First they need to create their puppets.
• Then they should use instruments to create a
musical rhythmic score with four beats.
• Hand out red paper, gold card, scissors, glue or
double-sided tape, glitter, coloured markers,
sticky tape and two chopsticks per student.
Explain that they will need to read the article
‘Chinese Dragon Puppet’ on pages 24–5 of
Explore. Students need to carefully follow the
instructions in the article and use the materials
provided to make their Chinese dragon puppet.
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• When they have completed their puppets,
provide each group with an A3 copy of BLM 4
and the following musical instruments: hand
drum, cymbals and finger cymbals.
• Students should use BLM 4 to create a fourbeat rhythmic score that incorporates each
instrument and then decide how their puppets
will move to the rhythm to perform their Chinese
dragon puppet dance.
• For their performance in front of the class, the
students will need to select who will be
musicians and puppeteers. If there is an
opportunity, the groups can perform their
dance for other classes as well.
BIG IDEA
Fantasy Dragon Fiction
Students will read and view different fictional dragon characters from a range of fantasy
fiction. They will explore the process of writing that includes doing research about
the author Carole Wilkinson. They will create their own fictional dragon character by
investigating the steps for drawing cartoons. Students will also have the opportunity of
writing a character profile and a proposal for a video game.
FOCUS QUESTION
How are fictional dragon characters created?
Learning area focus
• The Humanities • The Arts • English
Content skills
• Researching • Describing • Viewing • Presenting
Thinking skills
• Thinking creatively • Making connections • Reasoning • Analysing
Literacy skills
• Identifying key information • Note taking • Discussing • Questioning
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES
• Ask students if they have seen the animated
film How to Train Your Dragon. On an interactive
whiteboard, display the website for the film
<www.howtotrainyourdragonintl.com> and tell
students that film studios create websites for
children to explore the story and characters of
the film. (Note: this site can be slow to load.)
• Go to the ‘Videos’ page to watch the trailer. Ask
students what the main character may have
learned about dragons by developing a
friendship with a dragon.
• Allow students to explore the website to find out
about the Vikings, dragons and the training
ground for dragon slaying.
• Hand out copies of BLM 5. Tell students that
they need to record important lessons and
dragon slaying tips by watching the video
Dragon Training. Have students share what they
found out about dragon training.
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• Display the How to Draw Cartoons website
dragon page <www.how-to-draw-cartoonsonline.com/dragon-cartoon.html> and tell
students they will have the opportunity of
creating their own cartoon dragon character.
Read the three main sections of the online
article and look at the sketches:
–Draw a simple framework
–Draw the head of your dragon cartoon
–Draw the body step by step.
• Discuss the steps in the process of creating a
cartoon character.
• Hand out A3 or poster paper and give students
time to sketch their dragons using pencils,
crayons or felt pens.
• Have students name their dragons and share
their dragon cartoons with the class.
LITERACY ACTIVITIES
Guided reading activity
Text type
Interview
Resources
‘Dragon Keeper’, Explore pages 6–7
Introduce the text
• Introduce The Dragonkeeper series of chapter
books. Ask if students have heard of the series
or of its author Carole Wilkinson.
• Ask students to share and express their interest
and experiences of reading or watching fantasy
fiction. Discuss why writers may be interested in
writing this particular type of fiction.
Read the text
• Hand out small sticky notes or tags and tell
students to mark passages within the article as
they read that they want to talk about, such as
things they have questions about or that they
find interesting. They should write the reason for
making the passage on the sticky note.
• Have students read the text independently,
monitor their reading and provide guided
support about their use of reading strategies.
Return to text
• When students have read the text, encourage
them to share the information in the article that
they have questions about or found interesting,
including their reasons for selecting the
passage.
Guided writing activity
Text type
Transactional
Resources
Carol Wilkinson website <www.carolewilkinson.
com.au>.
Responding to text
• Ask students what sorts of questions they
would ask if they were to interview the author
Carole Wilkinson about her research and writing
about dragons.
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• Have students form groups of 8–10. Hand out
A3 paper. Have students fold the paper in half
and write the headings ‘Questions’ and
‘Answers’ on each side of the fold. On the
question side, ask students to record a
question they would ask Carole Wilkinson, then
pass the paper to the person sitting on their
right. This person should read the first question,
write their own and then pass on the paper until
all group members have written a question. (No
questions should be repeated.)
• Then the group should browse the website to
find possible responses that Carole Wilkinson
would make if she was interviewed.
• Alternatively, students could incorporate these
questions into a letter to the author.
Guided reading activity
Text type
Informational
Resources
‘From Smaug to Saphira’, Explore pages 8–9
Introduce the text
• Hand out copies of Explore and ask students to
turn to pages 8–9. Discuss students’
knowledge of fictional stories of dragons in
books or films.
• Have students create a list of these stories and
describe what they know about the authors,
plot and characters of the different stories.
• Ask: If you were to portray a fictional dragon
character in a story, what would it be like? Have
students share their ideas and opinions.
Read the text
• Ask students to read each section of the article
and discuss what they learned about the
different fictional dragons:
–The Bad Guys
–The Good Guys
–Fiery Flicks
–Playing with Fire
• Have students read the text independently,
monitor their reading and provide guided
support about their use of reading strategies.
Return to text
• Encourage students to return to the text to
locate and identify information related to the
portrayal of fictional dragons to make a list of
characteristics of fictional dragons. Discuss
students’ experience of reading the books and
watching the films described in the text.
Independent writing activity
Text type
Description
Resources
BLM 6 Character Profile
Responding to text
• Hand out copies of BLM 6 and explain that
students should use the planner to organise
their ideas and create a character profile of their
cartoon dragon character from the introductory
activity.
• On the worksheet, students record information
about the character – its physical appearance,
personality traits, strengths and weaknesses.
• Students should also write a descriptive
paragraph about their dragon, using the
following outline to scaffold students’ writing:
–Topic sentence: The topic sentence tells the
reader what the paragraph is going to be
about.
–Body: The body is the main part of the
paragraph that tells the reader about your
topic by including specific details.
–Concluding remarks: The closing sentence
reminds the reader what the topic of the
paragraph is about.
• Have students publish their paragraphs and
display these with their cartoons. Provide the
opportunity for students to share their character
profiles with the class.
INDEPENDENT PROJECTS
• Explain to the students that they will work in
teams to create a proposal for a video game set
in the fantasy world of dragons. Have students
form teams. Ask:
–What is the theme of the fantasy world?
–Who are the main characters?
–What’s the goal?
–What will game play be like?
–Is it similar to an existing game?
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• Hand out copies of BLM 9 for teams to record
their design brief.
• Have the teams brainstorm and discuss their
ideas and pitch their proposals to the class,
explain all the details of their video game.
BIG IDEA
Real-Life Dragons
Students will find out about the real-life dragons that can be found in Australia and
Indonesia. They will also find out about the beliefs of different cultures in regard to these
dragons and be introduced to the importance of UNSECO World Heritage Listed Sites.
They will create shape poetry, labelled diagrams and interactive maps, all related to real
life dragons.
FOCUS QUESTION
What are the different real-life dragons?
Learning area focus
• The Humanities • The Arts • English
Content skills
• Labelling • Describing • Viewing • Presenting
Thinking skills
• Thinking creatively • Making connections • Reasoning • Analysing
Literacy skills
• Identifying key information • Comparing and contrasting • Discussing • Role playing
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES
• Ask:
–What do you know about dragonflies?
–Why do you think dragonflies were given this
name?
• On an interactive whiteboard, display the ‘Here
be dragons’ Flickr web page <www.flickr.com/
photos/meanandpinchy/
sets/72157600731648479/>. (Click on one of
the photos and it will enlarge, then you will be
able to click on ‘Prev’ and ‘Next’ links at the top
right of the photos.)
• Ask students to note down the different names
of the dragonflies and their features. After
viewing a selection of the photos, have students
compare the similarities and differences
between dragons and dragonflies.
• Visit the Wikipedia dragonfly page <http://en.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly> to find out what
different cultures believe about dragonflies.
Have students draw conclusions about how
eastern and western cultures viewed
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dragonflies and compare these views with what
students know about the way the cultures
viewed dragons.
• Introduce students to Komodo Island in
Indonesia and the Komodo National Park as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site by visiting the
following websites on the interactive
whiteboard: <http://whc.unesco.org/en/
list/609/>, <www.komodonationalpark.org/>
and <http://maps.google.com.au>.
• Use the 5Ws strategy to tune students into
finding out about the uniqueness of Komodo
Island:
Where is Komodo Island situated?
What is unique about Komodo Island?
Who is the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization?
When was the Komodo National Park listed as
a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Why is the Komodo National Park a UNESCO
World Heritage Site?
• Hand out copies of BLM 7. View the websites
and have students locate the information to
answer the questions and record it on the
worksheet.
• Alternatively, organise students into groups and
provide the opportunity for students to work
independently on the task.
LITERACY ACTIVITIES
Guided reading activity
Guided writing activity
Text type
Informational
Text type
Poetry
Resources
‘Komodo’, Explore pages 4–5
Resources
‘Komodo’, Explore pages 4–5
Poster paper
Introduce the text
• Discuss with students their knowledge about
Komodo dragons.
• Hand out copies of Explore and ask students to
turn to pages 4–5. Have students generate their
own questions about what they would like to
find out about these real-life dragons.
Responding to text
• Tell students that they will be creating a shape
poem about Komodo dragons. Explain that
shape poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, but that it
describes something while being written in the
shape of the object.
Read the text
• As a class, brainstorm the topic of Komodo
dragons. Encourage students to draw on the
information that they read in the ‘Komodo’
article in Explore. Read over the words and
phrases collected during the brainstorm and
prompt students to consider additional ideas
about Komodo dragons that is not yet included.
• Ask students to read the text and discuss the
information presented. Have students consider
if the information is related to their questions. If
it is, encourage students to record the
information in note form.
• Tell students that they are to use the ideas from
the brainstorm to write a draft of 4–6 lines
about Komodo dragons. Have them share their
lines with a partner and make revisions if they
wish.
• Have students read the text independently,
monitor their reading and provide guided
support about their use of reading strategies.
• Look at different pictures of Komodos and have
students sketch the outline shape of a Komodo.
Have students use the sketch to write the text
around the shape of their Komodo.
Return to text
• Provide the opportunity for students to engage
in poetry reading and sharing the differentshaped poems with an audience (their own
class or another one).
• Have students share their questions and explain
how establishing questions before reading nonfiction texts helps the reader to focus on the
information they are looking for while reading
the text.
• Encourage students to return to the text to
review the information that will help them to
answer their questions about Komodo dragons.
Have students share about whether their
questions were answered and where they found
this information in the article. Discuss how
generating questions before reading the article
was helpful for them as readers when reading a
non-fiction text.
13 • Explore issue 2 2011 • Teacher’s Resources
Guided reading activity
Return to text
Text type
Interview
• Ask: ‘What are important considerations in
keeping an unusual pet such as a Bearded
Dragon?’ Discuss students’ responses.
Resources
‘My Unusual Pet’, Explore pages 10–11
Independent writing activity
Introduce the text
Text type
Report
• Introduce the title of the article and discuss with
students what they would they consider to be
an unusual pet and why.
• Hand out copies of Explore and ask students to
turn to pages 10–11.
• Have students read the main headings and look
at the photos. Have students form groups and
discuss their predictions about the article and
then have them report back to the group.
Record their predictions, using the following
questions to prompt them to justify their
predictions:
–What made you think of your predictions?
–What clues did you use within the text?
–How did viewing the headings and images
help you come to this prediction?
Read the text
• Have students read the article and compare it
with their predictions.
• Have students read the text independently,
monitor their reading and provide guided
support about their use of reading strategies.
Resources
Bearded Dragon Guide website <www.
beardeddragonguide.com>
BLM 8 Dragon Home Habitat
Responding to text
• Show students several examples of labelled
diagrams and ‘think aloud’ to students how a
diagram can support the readers’
understanding of a topic. Highlight to students
how a diagram looks like the real thing and has
labels next to the most important parts.
• Tell students that they will be creating a labelled
diagram to inform people about keeping a
bearded dragon in a tank. They will need to
research and decide what information they
should include on their labelled diagram.
Students can use the website in the article to
research the requirements for keeping a
bearded dragon as a pet, including information
about providing an appropriate habitat for a
bearded dragon in a tank.
• Hand out copies of BLM 8 and have students
label the important parts of the tank.
• Have students share and display their diagrams.
INDEPENDENT PROJECTS
• Tell students they will be working as ‘Dragon
Detectives’ to investigate the different dragons
that can be found in Australia. Explain that
students will need to create an interactive map
showing where dragon lizards can be found in
Australia.
• Explain that dragon lizards are easy to tell from
other lizards as they have rough scales, strong
legs, five toes on each foot, large round heads,
fleshy tongues with no fork and they are active
during the day.
• To develop their interactive maps, students will
need to work in PowerPoint. On their presentation
they will need to include the following:
14 • Explore issue 2 2011 • Teacher’s Resources
–a slide with a map of Australia
–a slide with a map showing where dragon
lizards live in Australia
–hyperlinks from each location where a type of
dragon lizard is found to another slide
–slides showing pictures of each type of
dragon lizard with captions.
• Students can use the Oz Animals website
<www.ozanimals.com/wildlife/Reptile/Dragons.
html> to investigate dragon lizards of Australia..
• When the interactive maps are completed, have
students critique and evaluate each other’s
interactive maps.
BLM 1
15 • Explore issue 2 2011 • Teacher’s Resources
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Melbourne Dragon Tour
Date:
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Picture Book Story Organiser
Name:
Date:
Use this planner to assist you in creating a picture book for younger readers.
Organising ideas
Pages
Write the title of the
1
book and the name/s of
the author/s
Introduce the
characters and the
setting
2–3
Establish the main
problem of the story
4
Action of the character
to deal with the
problem
5
The results of this
action
6
Action of the character
to deal with the
problem
7
The results of this
action
8
BLM 2
Actions of the character 9
to deal with the
problem
The results of this
action
10
Character takes the
right action
11
The results of this
action
12–13
The problem is
14
resolved, the story ends
16 • Explore issue 2 2011 • Teacher’s Resources
Plan
Dragon Tongue Twister
Name:
Date:
A tongue twister is hard say as it usually has a lot of repetition of the same
letter or sound. This is called alliteration and it makes writing more fun and
interesting to read.
Have a go at creating your own tongue twisters about dragons.
1 Brainstorm or use a dictionary or thesaurus to find words beginning
with ‘D’.
2 Write four different tongue twisters using the words from above.
BLM 3
3 Illustrate your favourite tongue twister.
17 • Explore issue 2 2011 • Teacher’s Resources
A Musical Score
Name:
Date:
In groups, use the legend below to compose your own musical score using a
four-beat rhythm with the hand drum, cymbal and bells.
Beats / Instrument
Hand Drum
Cymbal
Bells
4 beats
2 beats
1 beat
½ + ½ beats
Example 1: Drum
Rhythm
Beat 1
Beat 2
Beat 3
Beat 4
½½
1
½½
1
Beat 1
Beat 2
Beat 3
Beat 4
1
1
Beat 3
Beat 4
Hand Drum
Example 2: Cymbal
Rhythm
Cymbal
2
Your own musical score
Rhythm
Beat 1
Hand Drum
Cymbal
BLM 4
Bells
18 • Explore issue 2 2011 • Teacher’s Resources
Beat 2
Dragon Training
Name:
Date:
Watch the video on the How to Train Your Dragon website
<www.howtotrainyourdragonintl.com> to find out important tips for training
dragons. Record your notes in the table below for each lesson.
Lesson
Title
Deadly
Nadder
2
Gronckle
3
Monstrous
Nightmare
4
Hideous
Zippleback
5
Night Fury
6
Terrible
Terror
BLM 5
1
19 • Explore issue 2 2011 • Teacher’s Resources
Dragon Training Tips
Character Profile
Name:
Date:
Use your dragon cartoon character from the introductory activities to create
a character profile. Use the planner below to organise your ideas about your
fictional dragon character. Record information about your character, including
its physical appearance, personality traits and strengths and weaknesses.
Dragon’s name:
Personality traits
Strengths
Weaknesses
BLM 6
Physical appearance
20 • Explore issue 2 2011 • Teacher’s Resources
Komodo Island
Name:
Date:
Use the 5Ws strategy – What? Where? Who? When? Why? – to find out about
the uniqueness of Komodo Island. Locate information to answer the questions
and record your answers in the table below.
What? What is unique about Komodo Island?
Where? Where is Komodo Island situated?
Who? Who is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization?
When? When was the Komodo National Park listed as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site?
BLM 7
Why? Why is the Komodo National Park a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
21 • Explore issue 2 2011 • Teacher’s Resources
Dragon Home Habitat
Name:
Date:
Create a labelled diagram to show the requirements for keeping a bearded
dragon in a glass tank.
Search on the web to find information about keeping bearded dragons as
pets, including the website suggested in the Explore article (‘Komodo’,
pages 4–5 in issue 2 of Explore) <www.beardeddragonguide.com/>.
BLM 8
Record the important facts about providing an appropriate habitat for a
bearded dragon in a tank as labels on the diagram.
22 • Explore issue 2 2011 • Teacher’s Resources
Video Game Design Brief
Name:
Date:
Imagine you are a team of video game designers and you are working on a
project to create a fantasy world of dragons for a video game. Together you will
need to develop storyboards to include in a proposal for your game. You will
need to include information for each of the categories below.
Character names and profiles
Story outline
BLM 9
Description of game play
23 • Explore issue 2 2011 • Teacher’s Resources