Floppy and the Puppies - Characteristics

Key Skills
National Curriculum: Key Stage 1
En2 Reading
1l) focus on meaning derived from the text as a whole
3a) identify and describe characters, events and settings in fiction
En3 Writing
1a) use adventurous and wide-ranging vocabulary
2b) assemble and develop ideas on paper and on screen.

Coverage
National Curriculum: Key Stage 1
Reading: Contextual understanding level 1, Literature level 1
Writing: Composition level 1Planning and drafting level 1

Scotland: English Language 5-14:
Reading for enjoyment level A;
Writing Functional writing level A

Northern Ireland:
Reading Expected Outcomes c,d
Writing Expected outcomes a,b

Wales:
Reading Range 3 ICT; Skills 2 Contextual understanding
Writing Skills 6

• Introduce the activity by talking about Floppy. Do the children know why he was called Floppy? What do they think might be the reason? Does he look friendly? Angry? Dangerous? Full of energy? How can you tell? You could look at other stories about Floppy if you have them, or pictures of characters in other stories.
• Select the activity and read the instructions. Click on 'Play' to hear what the character says. Read the three alternative words and decide which one fits the way the character spoke.
• Show the children how to move the right word to fill the gap. Ask the children to read the completed sentence.
• Let children work through other screens at their own speed.
• As the children work, ask individuals to read the sentences to you. Ask them to explain how they decided which word was right.

• Introduce the activity as above. Listen to what the character says. Read the first sentence and the three words together. Ask a child to identify the right word to fill the gap.
• If everyone agrees, choose a child to use the mouse to place the word, or show them how to do it yourself.
• Read the whole sentence to check for sense.
• Talk about the other words. Why were they not right this time?
• Make a list of words for characteristics on a board. Ask the children to suggest some more.
• Work through several screens. Involve as many children as possible.

• Introduce the activity as above. Work through the screens together.
• Ask a different child each time to decide which word fills the gap. How do you know it is right? Talk about the other two words and make it clear how one word fits the way the character spoke and the other two words do not.
• Talk about the way the character speaks. How does it help us decide which word to choose?
• Allow confident children to work at their own pace.
• Assess children's ability to deduce characteristics from a character's speech

Extension
Give children pencils and paper and ask them to draw their favourite character from the activity. Add a speech bubble with the character saying something that shows what they are really like, e.g. 'I am sweet and good when Brenda is looking.'

Use to plan offline lessons
As the activity depends on hearing the voice of the characters you will not be able to use the activity by printing the screen. However, you can use the off-line lesson plan for a lesson about characteristics. You can also copy and enlarge the activity worksheet for use with a group or copy one for each child and let them work independently.

Objectives NLS Year 1 Term
NLS Year 1 Term 2
W10 new words from reading and from shared experiences and to make collections of personal interest or significant words and words linked to particular topics
T8 to identify and discuss characters, e.g. behaviour, appearance, qualities; to speculate about how they might behave; to discuss how they are described in the text; and to compare characters from different stories or plays

Resources required
Online activity for Floppy and the Puppies. Paper and pencils for extension activity.If you have them, other Oxford Reading Tree stories about Floppy, e.g. 'What a bad dog', 'Floppy the hero'.

• Select 'Floppy and the Puppies' Activity from the menu. Read the instructions together then click on 'Play'. Listen to what is said.
• Read the sentence and guess what the missing word might be. Look at the three suggestions. Choose the word that best describes the character speaking.
• Use the mouse to fill the gap. Read the completed sentence. Check that it is right.
• Go to the next screen and listen again. Which word fills the gap in the sentence this time? Ask a child to select and place the word.
• Talk about each sentence, making it clear why the word was chosen, e.g. 'Brenda spoke politely, didn't she?'
• There are eight screens in all. Work through as many as you feel is appropriate.
• Sometimes choose one of the other words, e.g. when Tom and Dick said something nasty to Floppy, ask 'What might Tom and Dick have said if they were being helpful/friendly?'

• Read the instructions together, then click on 'Play' and listen to what the character says. Read the sentence and the choice of words to fill the gap.
• If necessary, show the children how to use phonic cues to work out new words.
• Agree upon the right word to fill the gap. Remind them how to use the mouse to place the word in the gap.
• Reread the whole sentence together and reinforce why that word was chosen, e.g. 'Brenda sounded really cross, didn't she?'
• Ask the children to work at their own speed, listening to the character each time and reading all three words before choosing one to fill the gap.
• As the children work, ask them to read the sentence and the three words to you. Ask them how they know which word to choose.
• Assess whether children can ascribe characteristics on the basis of what is said. Can they tell you how they chose a word to fill the gap?

Individual/paired work
When children know what to do, let them work at their own speed. Praise children for matching characteristics to what is said.
Extension: Draw the character you like best. Write what he or she is saying.

Plenary
Make a list of the characteristics the children can remember. Think of some more, e.g. jealous, boastful, bossy and add to the list.

Suggested Homework: Ask children to do something kind or helpful at home. Write it down or talk about it next day.

When to use this worksheet:
The worksheet is aimed at Year 1 children. It will make more sense to the children if they use it after using the on-screen activity. However, all the information to match the sentences is within the illustrations on the sheet, so the activity can be used independently. The children need to be able to read some high frequency words and be able to have a go at decoding new words. The activity is intended to help children to recognise how appearance can be linked to characteristics.

• Use a copy of the worksheet enlarged to A3. Talk about the pictures. Name the characters if you can.
• Read the first sentence together. Which character do you think looks sweet? If the children suggest more than one, e.g. Cutesy Kit and Floppy, leave that sentence until later.
• Read the next sentence together. Who is being kind to the squirrel? Ask a child to draw a line from the sentence to the picture.
• Look for other clues in the sentences. If it says 'she', how many characters will the sentence be about?
• Match each sentence to the right picture, but you need not match them in the given order. If you are unsure, go on to the next sentence so that you can eliminate any uncertainties.
• Show the children how to reread and check their work.

• Talk about the first sentence and decide which character it describes. Show the children how to match the sentence to a picture.
• Give the children a copy of the sheet each and ask them to match all the sentences. Remind them that they can match the sentences to the pictures in any order.
• Assess children's ability to recognise characteristics from the pictures.
• Extension: ask the children to write a sentence about Brenda Barking on the back of their sheet.

Objectives
W10 new words from reading and from shared experiences and to make collections of personal interest or significant words and words linked to particular topics
T8 to identify and discuss characters, e.g. behaviour, appearance, qualities; to speculate about how they might behave; to discuss how they are described in the text; and to compare characters from different stories or plays

Resources required
Books showing Floppy being naughty (e.g. What a bad dog) or brave (Floppy the hero) or other stories that the children know showing characters being kind/unkind/helpful/naughty etc.
Sentences from the online activity for Floppy and the Puppies: 'I'm Brenda Barking. Welcome to my animal rescue centre.' 'I'm Tom, it's so nice to meet you.' 'Drop it Slobbychops! I said Drop it!'
An A3 copy of Floppy and the Puppies work sheet. A copy of the worksheet for each child.

Teaching activities
Introduction:
Talk about the character in the story you have chosen. What do the children remember about the person or animal? What did the person do that was helpful/ naughty/rude etc?

• Tell the children that you are going to read some sentences from a story about Brenda Barking and her pets.
• Read one of the sentences above. What would you say about the person who said it? Are they kind? polite? rude? unkind? How can you tell?
• Repeat with the other two sentences.
• Imagine a new child has come into your class. What would be some polite things to say? What would be some kind? What would be rude/ unkind?
• Read the enlarged worksheet together. Read each sentence and look at the pictures to match the characteristics. As you consider each picture, discuss what you are looking for, e.g. someone who looks old, someone floppy etc. Draw a line to match each sentence with a picture.
• Make a list of characteristics from the sheet, e.g. 'sweet', 'kind', 'beautiful' etc. Add some more. Use as a reference chart for story writing.

• Use an A3 copy of the work sheet. Talk about the pictures first. Identify the characters and say what the picture shows.
• Read the first sentence together and decide which picture it matches. Draw a line to match the picture to the sentence.
• Let the children continue independently.
• If children need more support, work through the sentences one at a time. Talk about the key words that help find the right picture.
• Assess children's ability to use characteristics to identify characters. Can they explain how they know which picture to choose?

Extension: Draw a friend. What is his or her best characteristic? Write the word beside the picture.

Plenary
Talk about making friends. When are people easy to make friends with? When are they hard to make friends with? Make a list of the characteristics, e.g. chatty, smiling, good at sharing; silent, unco-operative, cross.

Suggested Homework:
Think of some polite things to say and do when you have visitors at home or at school. Write them down, or remember them to talk about next day.