The theme of collaboration in 'The Wolf, The Duck and the Mouse' | English

Starter quiz

Sequence the following events to retell the beginning of the story 'The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse'.

1

⇔

A wolf encountered a mouse and gobbled it.

2

⇔

The mouse found itself inside the wolf's stomach.

3

⇔

The mouse discovered a duck was already living there.

4

⇔

The duck and the mouse feasted and danced together and made it their home.

5

⇔

The duck and the mouse tricked the wolf into giving them things.
Sequence the following events to retell the rest of the story of 'The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse'.

1

⇔

The wolf became unwell from the ruckus taking place inside his stomach.

2

⇔

The wolf fell prey to a hunter who tried to kill him.

3

⇔

Th duck and the mouse scared away the hunter to defend their home.

4

⇔

The wolf was grateful and offered to grant the duck and the mouse a favour.

5

⇔

The duck and the mouse chose to stay living in the wolf's stomach.
What is a theme within a story?

the main characters

a big idea, topic or message ✓

where the story is set
True or false? The wolf was happy with the favour he granted the duck and the mouse.

True
False ✓
What does inference mean?

to summarise what you have read

to retrieve information from the text

to use clues from the text to draw conclusions ✓
What is the duck and the mouse's relationship like?

they work as a team ✓

they do things separately

they enjoy one another's friendship ✓

Which of the following themes might be found in 'The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse'?

environment

collaboration ✓

magic

optimism ✓

resourcefulness ✓
Match the themes from the story to their definition.

collaboration

⇔

the action of working with someone to achieve something ✓

optimism

⇔

the ability to see the positive side of things ✓

resourcefulness

⇔

the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties ✓
How can we uncover themes within a story?

by reading the blurb

by looking for recurring ideas or messages ✓

by finding specific details
How does the duck show optimism?

He says he always wanted to live inside a wolf.

He focuses on the positive element of feeling safer inside the wolf. ✓

He talks about how horrible it is living inside the wolf.
How do the characters show resourcefulness?

They get the wolf to swallow the things they want to enjoy in their home. ✓

They spend their whole time in bed feeling sad.

They come up with a plan to defend their home. ✓
True or false? Collaboration is an important skill which can have a positive impact on our lives.

True ✓
False

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A theme is a big idea or lesson that the author wants you to explore & understand through reading the story.
Readers can interpret themes and their importance within a story in different ways.
‘The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse’ explores the themes of collaboration, optimism, and resourcefulness.
Collaboration is the action of working with someone to achieve something.
Collaboration is a skill that we learn and practise which has a variety of positive impacts on us.

Children may find it difficult to understand some of the themes and the connections between them.

Allow time to discuss the connections between the three themes at the end of cycle 1. E.g. Collaboration can be a form of resourcefulness.

Theme - a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story
Collaboration - the action of working with someone to achieve something
Optimism - the ability to see the positive side of things
Resourcefulness - the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties