St George and the Dragon by Gina Cocks

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Teaching English Through the Topic A Scheme of Work designed by Gina Cocks Upper Primary Literacy, Science/Geography/History, Art Curriculum Learning Objectives through the cultural theme St George’s Day – April 23rd

Transcript of St George and the Dragon by Gina Cocks

Page 1: St George and the Dragon by Gina Cocks

Teaching English Through the Topic

A Scheme of Work

designed by

Gina Cocks

Upper Primary

Literacy, Science/Geography/History, Art

Curriculum Learning Objectives through the

cultural theme

St George’s Day – April 23rd

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Teacher’s Information Sheet – St. George

By Gina Cocks

St. George is the patron saint of England. His emblem, a red cross

on a white background, is the flag of England. During the Crusade

wars the English King's soldiers wore it on their tunics to avoid

confusion in battle. Saint George is popularly identified with

England and English ideals of honour, bravery and gallantry, but

actually he wasn’t English at all.

St. George is believed to have been born in Cappadocia (now

Eastern Turkey) in the year A.D. 270. He was a Christian. At the

age of seventeen he joined the Roman army and soon became

renowned for his bravery. He served under a pagan Emperor but

never forgot his Christian faith.

When the pagan Emperor Diocletian started persecuting Christians,

St. George pleaded with him to spare their lives. However, St.

George's pleas fell on deaf ears and it is thought that the Emperor

Diocletian tried to make St. George deny his faith in Christ, by

torturing him. St George showed incredible courage and faith and

was finally beheaded near Lydda in Palestine on 23 April, 303.

In 1222, the Council of Oxford declared April 23 to be St George’s

Day and he replaced Edward the Confessor as England’s patron

saint in the 14th century. In 1415, April 23 was made a national

feast day. St George is patron saint not only of England but also of

Aragon, Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine and Portugal

amongst others, although he is celebrated on different days.

The most famous legend of Saint George is of him slaying a dragon.

In the Middle Ages the dragon was commonly used to represent

the Devil. It is likely that the many stories connected with St

George's name are fictitious.

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The Legend of St. George and the Dragon

St. George travelled for many months by land and

sea until he came to Libya. Here he met an old man

who told him that everyone in that land was

frightened of a dragon.

'Every day,' said the old man, 'the dragon demands

the sacrifice of a beautiful maiden and now all the

young girls have been killed. The king's daughter

alone remains, and unless we can find a knight who

can slay the dragon she will be sacrificed tomorrow.

The king of Egypt will give his daughter in marriage

to the champion who overcomes this terrible

monster.'

When St. George heard this story, he was determined to try and

save the princess, so he rested that night at the old man’s house

and at daybreak set out to the valley where the dragon lived. When

he was near he saw a beautiful girl dressed in pure Arabian silk.

She was Princess Sabra being led by her attendants to the place of

death. The knight spurred his horse and overtook the ladies. He

comforted them with brave words and persuaded the princess to

return to the palace.

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As soon as the dragon saw George it rushed from its cave, roaring

with a sound louder than thunder. Its head was immense and its tail

fifty feet long. But George was not afraid. He struck the monster

with his spear, hoping he would wound it.

The dragon's scales were so hard that the spear broke and George

fell from his horse. Fortunately he rolled under an enchanted

orange tree. The dragon tried to kill George with his poisonous

breath but the magic orange tree protected him. Within a few

minutes George recovered his strength and was able to fight again.

Then with his sword in his hand, he rushed at the dragon and

pierced it under the wing where the dragon had no scales. The

dragon did not die immediately and George allowed the princess to

lead it back to the castle by a rope, like a pet dog, and then he

killed the dragon in front of all the people.

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History /Geography - St. George – Questions and Answers

In the Middle Ages what did

the dragon often signify?

Where and when was St.

George born?

What was George’s job?

Why did George get very angry with the

Roman Emperor?

What religious beliefs did St. George follow?

Why was George tortured and beheaded in

Palestine?

George refused to give up his Christian faith

so the Roman Emperor had him tortured and

finally beheaded.

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What is the Emblem of St. George?

The Roman Emperor was a pagan who

worshipped many gods, he began to

persecute Christians for their religious

beliefs and many were killed if they did

not agree to renounce their faith.

George was a very brave Roman

Soldier.

It is believed that St. George was born

in Eastern Turkey around 270 AD

During the Middle Ages the image of a Dragon

was often used to signify the Devil.

St. George’s Emblem is a red cross on a white background.

George was a Christian. His parents were also Christians.

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Science

Looking after a Pet Dragon

I try to link subjects through a topic. If the children have previously studied

the topic ‘Caring for Pets’, in Science it is very easy to extend their knowledge

of factual informative writing into creative writing.

‘Dear Zoo’ by Rod Campbell is a great story for introducing the children to the

problems associated with looking after different animals.

After you’ve read the story ask them to consider what problems they would

have looking after a pet dragon? Consolidate the childrens’ suggestions by

looking at the ‘Pet’s Needs’ worksheet.

Below are some resources that might be useful. (The web page can be

translated into Spanish)

pet care

http://www.first-school.ws/activities/occasions/petcare.htm

For older children you can use more factual texts - the RSPCA resources

about exotic pets for example are very good resources. The site provides

lesson plans such as the one below.

http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCA/RSPCARedirect&

pg=ReptilesPetCare

Lesson Plan: Exotic Pets

This activity looks at the complex needs of exotic pets and the responsibility

involved in looking after them.

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Curriculum objectives

Children should learn:

to know about the responsibilities humans have towards animals.

to know that it is important to think carefully about whether a particular pet

will suit your lifestyle.

Starter activity

What is an exotic pet?

It is difficult to give a clear definition of 'exotic'. However, any animal that is

not native to the country where it is kept in captivity can be called an exotic

animal. Generally, these animals are not adapted to the climate and wild

environment in the country where they are kept. Therefore, they are often

completely reliant on their keeper to provide the appropriate captive

environment and food they need to stay healthy and to exhibit their natural

behaviours.

The RSPCA has rescued more than 2,000 exotic animals each year, since 2000,

who were abandoned or suffering unnecessarily.

Keeping a pet can be a lifelong commitment. Therefore, it's important to do

your homework before you buy any animal. Be sure that you can provide a

suitable diet, care and captive environment for the rest of the animal's life.

Examples of exotic pets:

spiders, such as tarantulas

frogs, toads, salamanders and newts from tropical countries

green iguanas, geckos and chameleons

exotic snakes

tortoises and terrapins

parrots and other exotic birds

monkeys

chinchillas, chipmunks and gerbils.

Why does the class think that people keep exotic pets?

Main activity

Focus on iguanas

Show the pupils a photo of an iguana. (There is one on the webpage)

Tell them iguanas come from tropical places in the Caribbean and in Central

and South America.

Ask them to think about the conditions iguanas are used to in these places -

heat, sun, monsoon conditions.

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How do the pupils think iguanas feel when they come to the UK? How are

conditions different here?

Show the pupils the factsheet ‘Suitable pets’ and ask them to read through it

with you. Read it a second time and ask the pupils to make a note of all the

different things you need to buy to look after a green iguana properly. Ask the

class to feed back what they noted. Write a list of their suggestions, which

might include:

vivarium

thermostat

hygrometer (to measure humidity)

special lights

heat sources

food

water

plants and branches.

In pairs, ask the pupils to compare a common pet, such as a dog, with an iguana.

What are the differences? What do dogs need to be happy and healthy and

what do iguanas need?

After feeding back these ideas to the class, ask groups of pupils to decide

whether they think animals such as iguanas make good pets. Ask the class to

share their experiences of exotic pets. Do they know someone who owns one?

Do they have an exotic pet themselves?

Vocabulary

exotic captivity non-indigenous

vivarium thermostat hygrometer

humidity

Please see RSPCA photocopiable handouts.

Linking Science and Literacy

Using the children’s previous knowledge of looking after pets the teacher can

then encourage children to write a fact sheet about looking after a dragon.

They will have to decide on the size and features of their dragon. To help feed

their imaginations their are various DVD clips you could show.

Film clips – DragonHeart, St. George, My monster and me

Science Debates – Could dragons exist? What factual evidence is there?

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Literacy

Once the children know the story of St. George and the Dragon

they can make up their own versions of the story by changing the

characters or adding details.

Try finding different versions on the internet, or in story format.

Children should be encouraged to try writing their own books. You

may want to use the cover below to get them thinking. Don’t forget

to help them by supplying lots of vocabulary.

Activity

In pairs or groups think about the vocabulary you would give to

children.

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England’s National Day

23rd April

Celebrating Book Day

By

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Poetry - Rhyming Pairs

George was a knight.

His armour shone bright.

One day he heard a scream,

And there was the biggest dragon he’d ever seen.

He hurried on his horse to help the Princess.

The dragon had spoilt her nice new dress.

His firey breath made a hole appear.

But George frightened him off with his long pointed spear.

Back to the castle went George and the Princess.

Where she put on a more comfortable dress.

Activity

Find the rhyming pairs and check you’re understanding of the

vocabulary.

Making up poems is much more difficult than stories but children

love rhymes. I always provide the children with a model like the one

above and words that rhyme to help them when I ask them to do

poetry.

As a class we will ‘brainstorm’ words and write between 6 and 8 of

the best keywords from the topic on the board. Then I use a

rhyming dictionary to help me select words that rhyme with the

keywords. (I always do this prior to the lesson.)

It is essential that the children understand what all the words

mean before they compose their sentences.

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Children should work together in groups to make up 2 sentences.

The sentences must END with a keyword or rhyming word in order

for the poem to rhyme. It is like working backwards and children

do find it difficult. To help I often give them a strip of paper with

the keyword already written on it.

When groups have their 2 sentences they can share them with the

class and they can be organised with the other sentences to make a

class poem.

Activity – Make a class poem Each group make up two sentences, one which ends in a keyword and one which

ends in its rhyming word

For Example:

One day a knight came riding through the GORGE

He was brave and true his name was GEORGE

Key Word or phrase. Rhyming word 1 Rhyming word 2

George Gorge Forge

Sheep Weep Peep

King’s Daughter Water Slaughter

Dragon Flagon Wagon

Fear Tear Spear

Fire Shire Deep fat fryer

Happily ever after Laughter rafter

Art – Looking at Paintings

The 2 books above both have pictures of St. George and the Dragon and are

great for getting children to talk about art.

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St. George and the Dragon by Rogier van der Weyden

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Investigating and Talking about a Painting

The artist Rogier van der Weyden was born in 1400 and died 1464.

He lived in Brussels and was a busy artist with many assistants and

pupils. This painting is actually quite small, about the size of your

hand and was painted with oil paints on to wood. The painting was

completed around 1435. There is so much detail in the painting that

experts think that the artist used a very fine brush and a

magnifying glass to help him.

What is the Princess doing?

Describe what she is wearing?

What do you think the dragon stands for?

What emblem tells you the man on the horse is St. George?

What is he doing?

Who do you think lives in the castle?

Why are there bones and skulls at the bottom of the picture?

Can you see the two men on horses travelling to the castle?

Dragon Collage

Use recycled materials and paints to create a Dragon for the

classroom.

Story Boards

The class can recreate books they have read or written themselves

for displaying on the wall.

Dragon Mask

3D Dragon

Use the template below to make your own dragon.

It is very difficult to see which way he is looking.

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