FIRST LEVEL

SECOND LEVELLEARNING RESOURCES

Resource created by Jennifer Buchan

Cressida Cowell

Content3 Introducing Cressida Cowell: Activities for First Level3 Introducing Cressida Cowell: Activities for Second Level4 How to Train Your Dragon: Activities for First Level5 How to Train Your Dragon: Activities for Second Level7 How to Be a Pirate: Activities for First Level8 How to Be a Pirate: Activities for Second Level9 Meet Our Authors Special Event: Activities for First Level10 Meet Our Authors Special Event: Activities for Second Level 11 Additional Resources

Cressida Cowell biography

Cressida Cowell lived in London and spent her holidays on a small,uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland when she was growingup. She was certain that there were dragons living on the island, and hasbeen fascinated by dragons ever since. She has a BA in English Literaturefrom Oxford University, a BA in Graphic Design from St Martin's and an MAin Narrative Illustration from Brighton. Cressida loves illustrating her ownwork, but also loves writing books for other people to illustrate. Cressidahas written and illustrated eight books in the popular Hiccup series. Theseries is now published in over 30 languages.

The first novel in the series, How to Train Your Dragon, is now a majorDreamWorks Animation feature film and has received both Oscar andBAFTA nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. Asequel is scheduled for release in 2013 and an animated series islaunching on the Cartoon Network in 2012.

Also the author of picture books, Cressida has won the Nestle Children'sBook Prize 2006 and has been shortlisted for many others. Cressida livesin Hammersmith with her husband and three children.

Introduction to this resource

The activities provided in this resource focus on the two novels How toTrain Your Dragon and How to Be a Pirate. They are designed to be fun,engaging, cross-curricular activities which should enhance the children’senjoyment of the author’s work. The resources will also explore some ofthe themes and topics which arise during the Scottish Book Trust MeetOur Authors Special event, which can be watched on the Scottish BookTrust website. Please see the websites below for further information aboutCressida Cowell and other teaching resources and activities.

2

The Meet Our Authors Special Event with Cressida Cowell:

www.scottishbooktrust.com/podcasts/video/meet-our-authors-special-cressida-cowell

The official Cressida Cowell website: www.cressidacowell.co.uk

The official How to Train Your Dragon website with excellent activities,resources and information about books in the series:www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com/

Introducing Cressida Cowell

ACTIVITIES FOR FIRST LEVEL

Read about Cowell’s life as a child and her inspiration for the How to TrainYour Dragon series: www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com/about/.Discuss times that you have visited an island or somewhere remote andshare any ideas that you had about monsters, dragons or creatures whichmight have lived there!

Cowell explains that she used to spend every summer and parts of thespring on the remote island. She tells us that there was no electricity, andtherefore no lights or television! As a class, try to go a day without usingelectricity, or set a homework challenge to go one evening without usingelectricity!

ACTIVITIES FOR SECOND LEVEL

Read about Cowell’s life as a child and her inspiration for the How to TrainYour Dragon series: www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com/about/

Cowell explains that she used to spend every summer and parts of thespring on the remote island. She tells us that there was no electricity, andtherefore no lights or television! As a class, try to go a day without usingelectricity, or set a homework challenge to go one evening without usingelectricity!

Creating Texts

– LIT 1-09a

Social Subjects

– People,

Place and

Environment –

SOC 1-08a

ICT to Enhance

Learning – TCH

2-03b

Social Subjects

– People,

Place and

Environment –

SOC 2-08a

CfE

3

How to Train Your Dragon: activities for first level

NUMERACY

Photocopy onto an acetate the grid in Additional Resources 1 and placethis over the map on pages 8 and 9 of the novel. Use the grid references todescribe what can be found on different parts of the different islands. Makesymbols of Viking ships and have a game of Battleships with a friend.

WRITING

On pages 21 and 32, Cowell has created dragon factfiles to describe two of the dragons in detail to the reader. Look at this website to readabout other dragons in the series:www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com/herosguidetodeadlydragons/.Design your own dragon and draw an illustration of it, labelling its different features and details. Use the factfiles to help you think aboutdifferent things to include (colours, claws, teeth, defence systems…).Remember to give your dragon a name which reflects its personality!

ART

Work in a group to plan your own map of different islands, giving themnames and marking on key landmarks (see the map on page 8 and 9 forideas!) Take your plan outside and draw a large version of your map ontothe ground using chalk. Give other groups a tour of your islands and, as youhop from one to the next, tell them about the landmarks that exist on each!

TECHNOLOGY/SOCIAL SUBJECTS

There are several images of Viking ships throughout the novel (pages 8 and9, page 217 and page 226). Research the different parts of a Viking shipand take the quiz on the following link to see how many you canremember:

www.viking-magic.com/stormriders%20quiz.htm

Follow the link to instructions and a template for how to make your ownViking ship: www.ecnavan.ie/resources/Viking_ship.pdf

Shape, Position

and Movement

– MTH 1-18a

Creating Texts

– ENG 1-31a

Art and Design

– EXA 1-06a

ICT to Enhance

Learning –

TCH 1-03b

People, Past

Events and

Societies –

SOC 1-02a

Craft, design,

engineering

and graphics

contexts for

developing

technological

skills and

knowledge –

TCH 1-12a

CfE

4

Homework ActivitiesThe first way that Hiccup manages to train Toothless is by telling him jokes. Tell the jokes from the story to a parent, carer or sibling at home. Ask them to tell you some of their jokes and learn them to tell to others at school. Share your jokes with friends during a class circle time or make a class joke book. Enjoy the jokes told on the How to Train Your Dragon website: www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com/funstuff/jokes/.

Use the following link or print off the Dragonese dictionary from the website and create a message in Dragonese for a parent, carer or sibling to translate: www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com/funstuff/writedragonesse/

How to Train Your Dragon: activities for second level

NUMERACY

Photocopy onto an acetate the grid in Additional Resources 2 and placethis over the map on pages 8 and 9 of the novel. Give instructions to afriend about how to visit each of the islands by giving him/her directionsusing compass points and degree turns.

WRITING

Look at the messages written by Hiccup and his father on pages 102 and220 of the novel. Spot and correct the spelling mistakes! Write your ownmessage about Hiccup and make some deliberate spelling mistakes. Giveyour message to a friend for him/her to correct.

The book that Hiccup reads about How to Train Your Dragon (pages 63-68)is not very helpful as it only gives him one tip…to yell at it! Think aboutways in which you have trained a pet or create an entirely new set ofimaginative rules about how Hiccup could train Toothless and write a pageof your own which could be included in Professor Yobbish’s book.

On pages 21 and 32, Cowell has created dragon factfiles to describe two of the dragons in detail to the reader. Look at this website to read about other dragons in the series:www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com/herosguidetodeadlydragons/.Design your own dragon and create a factfile for it. Set it out in the same way as those in the novel, with an introductory paragraph andillustration, followed by statistics. Use the factfiles in the novel to help you think about different things to include (colours, claws, teeth, defence systems…). Remember to give your dragon a name which reflects its personality!

Listening and

Talking – Tools

for Listening

and Talking –

ENG 1-03a

Writing –

Enjoyment and

Choice –

LIT 1-20a

Shape, Position

and Movement

– MTH 2-17c

Tools for

Writing –

LIT 2-21a

Creating Texts

– ENG 2-31a

Creating Texts

– ENG 2-31a

CfE

5

LISTENING AND TALKING

Watch the trailer for the How to Train Your Dragon Movie(http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/dreamworks/howtotrainyourdragon/) anddiscuss ways in which it looks similar or different to the novel. Think abouthow you had imagined the characters, places and dragons to look whenyou read the novel – do they appear the same in the film? Explain whichyou prefer and why.

TECHNOLOGIES/SOCIAL SUBJECTS

Research different aspects of life in Viking times (Viking routes, costumes,gods and ships) in order to complete the different activities and tasksfound the following resource:http://egfl.net/teaching/Advice/Environmental/NewPlans/past/vikingworksheets.pdf

Homework ActivitiesMake a list of different heroes that you have read about in novels written by other authors and share these with the class. In class, make a list of key heroic characteristics that the different heroes have in common.

Use the following link or print off the Dragonese dictionary from the website and create a message in Dragonese for a parent, carer or sibling to translate: www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com/funstuff/writedragonesse/

Enjoyment and

Choice –

LIT 2-01a

Technology to

Enhance

Learning –

TCH 2-03a

People, Past

Events and

Societies –

SOC 2-06a

CfE

6

How to Be a Pirate: activities for first level(part two of the How to Train Your Dragon series)

READING

From Alvin’s first appearance in the story, Cowell starts to drop hints at histrue character. She uses a combination of illustrations, events and choiceof vocabulary to do this. Look closely at the illustration on page 62 andthen at all of chapter 7 in order to spot some of the clues that Cowell givesabout Alvin’s real character.

TECHNOLOGIES

Take the CBBC quiz on the following link to see how much you know about pirates! :http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_5350000/newsid_5359900/5359972.stm

WRITING

In the novel, the Hooligans are given a clue which leads them to thetreasure (page 65). Work with a partner to draw your own treasure map,labelling islands, seas and landmarks (just like on pages 10 and 11 of thebook). Decide where to hide a treasure chest but keep it a secret! Writethree clues which will lead a friend to different parts of the island and thenend up at the treasure. Swap maps and clues with friends and try to findtheir treasure!

ART

In the novel, two types of monster are described and illustrated (theSkullion and the Strangulator). Each has a unique way of catching its prey(cutting the Achilles tendon or squeezing to death!) Design your ownmonster and draw an image of it using your own choice of media. Ensureyour image is detailed enough to show how your monster will catch itsprey! Explain your monster and your choice of media to the class.

Homework ActivityDraw a picture of the different things that you would like to find in a treasure chest. Think about including modern items, older items, precious objects, things you have always wished for …or even a person or pet!

Understanding,

Analysing and

Evaluating –

ENG 1-19a

ICT to Enhance

Learning – TCH

1-03b

Enjoyment and

choice –

LIT 1-20a

Art and Design

– EXA 1-04a

CfE

7

How to Be a Pirate: activities for second level (part two of the How to Train Your Dragon series)

SOCIAL SUBJECTS

The novel takes a humorous approach to piracy as Toothless and the otherVikings are trained to become pirates. Real piracy has recently returned asa major problem in some parts of the world. Look online and innewspapers for articles relating to recent incidents. On a world map,highlight areas in which piracy still exists today. You could use this link tohelp you:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7730000/newsid_7736900/7736915.stm

NUMERACY

Look closely at the timetable of the Pirate Training Programme given onpage 88 of the novel. Create questions for a friend about what the pirateswill be doing at different times on different days. Imagine you were trainingto be a pirate. Think of the different skills you would need and create yourown weekly Pirate Training Programme. You could create an extra columnin your timetable and add in the timings of different events. Swaptimetables with a friend to share ideas.

LISTENING AND TALKING

On page 95, Hiccup says, “Do you really think that we should be lookingfor the treasure? We’re quite happy and peaceful enough without all thatmoney.” A saying that we often hear is, ‘Money can’t buy happiness.” Ingroups, discuss the following points:

l Whether money can buy peacel Whether money can ruin peacel Whether people with more money are happierl Whether money is necessary for happiness

WRITING

In the novel, the Hooligans are given a clue which leads them to the treasure(page 65). Work with a partner to draw your own treasure map, labellingislands, seas and landmarks (just like on pages 10 and 11 of the book).Decide where to hide a treasure chest but keep it a secret! Write three clueswhich will lead a friend to different parts of the island and then end up at thetreasure. Try to make your clues into riddles so that they are trickier forfriends to solve. Remember to make each line rhyme, just like Cowell does!Swap maps and clues with friends and try to find their treasure!

People in

Society,

Economy and

Business –

SOC 2-15a

Number,

Money and

Measure –

2-10a

Creating Texts

LIT 2-09a

Enjoyment and

choice –

LIT 2-20a

CfE

8

Homework ActivityThroughout the novel, Hiccup strives to be a hero. Tell a parent, carer or sibling about the different heroic actions that Hiccup performs throughout the book. Interview different people at home, asking them about what they think makes a hero and what type of characteristic a hero should have.

Meet Our Authors Special Event

You can watch the video of the event on the Scottish Book Trust website. Itlasts for about 45 minutes. Clips of the event are also available on YouTube.

www.scottishbooktrust.com/meet-our-authors-special-cressida-cowell www.youtube.com/meetourauthors

ACTIVITIES FOR FIRST LEVEL

Writing

During the event, Cowell talks about the way that she started by drawing amap of the Island of Berk and that this helped her to form the story. As shesuggests, draw a map of an imaginary place and write a story about it.

Listening and Talking

Cowell talks about the way in which she uses illustrations to make herbooks even more exciting. She thinks that illustrations are really important.Hold a class discussion about whether you think illustrations are important,illustrations that have really added to stories in books that you have read orfavourite illustrators.

Cowell tells us that she loves playing games with language and tries tocreate names for her characters which sound a bit like their personalities.The names of her characters often make use of alliteration. Find thealliteration in the names of the different characters in the novel and thencreate other Viking character names of your own, making their namesreflect their personalities and use alliteration.

Reading –

Understanding,

Analysing and

Evaluating –

ENG 2-19a

Creating Texts

– ENG 1-31a

Creating Texts

– LIT 1-09a

Tools for

Listening and

Talking – ENG

1-03a

CfE

9

ACTIVITIES FOR SECOND LEVEL

Writing

During the event, Cowell talks about the way that she started by drawing amap of the Island of Berk and that this helped her to form the story. As shesuggests, draw a map of an imaginary place and to write a story about it.

Cowell explains the importance of adding detail to descriptions in order tomake characters, settings and plots come alive. She compares thedescriptions, ‘Gobber had a red beard’ and ‘Gobber had a beard like ahedgehog struck by lightning’, explaining that the second is much moreinteresting and helps the reader to create a much more vivid image. Createa vivid description of a character and work with a partner. Read yourdescription and ask your partner to draw an illustration of him/her, usingyour interesting details and imagery! You may wish to use similes andmetaphors to help you!

Listening and Talking

Cowell tells us that she believes writing and film-making are like telling abig lie. Hold a class debate to discuss whether or not you agree.

Cowell tells us that she bases many aspects of her stories on her ownpersonal experiences and real life. As you watch the event, take notesabout the different parallels that Cowell draws between her own life andexperiences and the characters and plot of the stories.

Creating Texts

– ENG 2-31a

Creating Texts

– ENG 2-31a

Creating Texts

– LIT 2-09a

Finding

and Using

Information –

LIT 2-05a

CfE

10

Additional Resources 1

11

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I

H

G

F

E

D

C

B

A

Additional Resources 2

12

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CfE

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