Video summary
Actress Natalie Cassidy reads extracts from 'The Butterfly Lion' by Michael Morpurgo, and illustrated by Christian Birmingham.
She explains why it鈥檚 her favourite children鈥檚 book, how it captured her imagination and why she loves to read.
Set in Africa, this is the story of a boy called Bertie who rescues a white lion cub from a pack of hyenas. They are forced, however, to part when Bertie goes to boarding school.
This clip is from the series Bringing Books to Life 1.
The Butterfly Lion Teacher Notes
KS1 and KS2 English Discussion Questions
Before watching the video:
- Do you know who Michael Morpurgo is? What other books written by him have you read or heard about?
- What do you know about lions? Have you ever seen one in real life or in pictures?
- Why do you think the lion is associated with a butterfly in the title?
While watching the video:
- Pause at 02:16 - Who had fired the shot from the rifle? Why did she do it?
- Pause at 02:36 - How many baths did it take to clean the lion? What colour is it?
- Pause at 03:23 - Have you ever read a book in one go? What made you read it so fast?
After watching the video:
- What predictions or connections can you make between the lion in South Africa and the lion that Bertie sees on the hillside in England based on what Natalie said?
- What do you think Natalie likes most about The Butterfly Lion and why?
- If you could ask Natalie one question about the book, what would it be?
KS1 and KS2 English Activity Suggestions
- Research and Report: Explore the story's setting, the African Savannah, as well as the Big Five (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros) animals that live there by researching and reporting on each of these creatures.
- African Savannah Diorama: Provide materials for children to create a 3D diorama of the African savannah, including lions and other wildlife, as well as the landscape, to help them understand the ecosystem better.
- Emotion/Emoji Word Bank: Create a word bank of emotion-related words (e.g., joyful, worried, excited) on the board, linking them to corresponding emojis. Ask children to rate the books they read based on their emotions.
Take a look at our 500 Words resources for further inspiration around story writing.
These videos contribute to the current national curriculum requirements in:
- England - KS1/KS2 English: Develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read.
- Northern, Ireland - KS1/KS2 Language and Literacy: Extend the range of their reading and develop their own preferences.
- Scotland - 1st and 2nd Level Literacy and English: Reading - Enjoyment and choice.
- Wales - Progression Step 2/3 Languages, Literacy and Communication: Literature fires imagination and inspires creativity.
These discussion questions and activity suggestions provide opportunities to develop english, science, geography and art and design knowledge and skills in meaningful contexts across all UK curricula, as well as personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.
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