Riddles

Choose some riddles to write direct speech between Hiccup and Toothless.

Each conversation must have at least three pieces of speech.

EXAMPLE

Hiccup asked, “Why do bees hum?”Toothless opened one eye, “Toothless is asleep.”“Come on Toothless,” Hiccup sighed, “try to guess.”“They are too boring to tell riddles,” he muttered.Hiccup shook his head. “It is because they do not know the words,” he said.

Unit 3 Day 1© Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users dragon_F041FS3_resources

What gets wetter as it dries?

A towel.

What has to be broken before you can use it?

An egg.

What has four legs, but can’t walk?

A table.

Why is an island like the letter T?

It is in the middle of water.

Three Vikings were in a boat. It capsized, but only two got

their hair wet. Why?

One of the Vikings was bald.

How can a basket be empty and still have something in it?

It can have a hole in it.

Riddles in Bubbles

Choose some riddles to write direct speech between Hiccup and Toothless.

Each conversation must have at least three pieces of speech.

Unit 3 Day 1

© Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users dragon_F041FS3_resources

The answer is a towel.

Tell me now.

What gets wetter as it dries?

It’s a table.

Toothless doesn’t care.

What has four legs, but can’t walk?

What has to be broken before you can use it?

Hurry up. Toothless doesn’t like to wait.

Listen to this riddle.

Don’t shout! It’s an egg.

Get on with it!

p.118, How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Unit 3 day 2

dragon_F041FS3_resources

How To Train Your Dragon – Chapter Summary – Adult Reference – Context for Unit 3 Unit 3

Ch Summary Useful to know1 FISHLEGSIRST CATCH YOUR DRAGON:

Hiccup and nine other young Viking initiates are about to undertake their first mission: catching a hibernating juvenile dragon, which will be dangerous and difficult. They carry baskets to carry their dragons in. As son of the chief, Hiccup is put in charge by Gobber (their trainer), much to dismay of other boys. Snotlout is introduced as Hiccup’s main rival (and cousin) and Fishlegs as his best friend. It is winter on the island.

The setting is a fantasy imagining of Viking life on the Ilse of Berk. The 10 boys have to pass the 3-part Dragon Initiation Programme or be exiled from the tribe: The Hairy Hooligans.

2 INSIDE THE DRAGON NURSERY:We are told why Hiccup is not hero material. Then, the boys creep into the dragon cave. Most boys take a dragon without difficulty. Hiccup chooses a dragon but stops to see Fishlegs, plagued by allergies, sneeze and wake some dragons. Hiccup and Fishlegs escape the cave, pursued by dragons. Fishlegs refuses to run away as he does not have a dragon. Hiccup gives Fishlegs the dragon he found and disappears back into the cave before reappearing. The boys have to jump from the cliff into the sea and are saved by a furious Gobber.

Hiccup is considered useless as he is not a typical Viking: he is not physically strong and likes to use his brain. He has a fascination with dragons which he keeps secret as this is considered geeky.

3 HEROES OR EXILES?:Hiccup takes the blame for waking the dragons but reveals to Fishlegs that he does in fact have a dragon. He sensed it when he returned into the cave and grabbed it in the darkness. Gobber explains the next task: to train the dragons to follow simple commands. Hiccup and Fishlegs take a closer look at Hiccup’s dragon in the basket. It is worryingly small.

Vikings use Labrador-sized dragons for hunting. These are the type the boys were supposed to get from the cave.

4 HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON:The boys compare their dragons. Hiccup’s dragon is ridiculed by Snotlout as small and toothless. Fishlegs points out that Snotlout’s choice of dragon (a monstrous nightmare called Fireworm) should only be owned by the heir of the tribe and Hiccup is forced into challenging Snotlout for her on Thor’sday Thursday.

Hiccup & Fishlegs consult a copy of How to Train Your Dragon by Professor Yobbish. A replica inside the book, shows entire content: ‘Yell at it!’

5 A CHAT WITH OLD WRINKLY:The following morning, we meet Hiccup’s parents. He goes to see his grandfather, Old Wrinkly. They talk about Sea Dragons which Old Wrinkly explains make all Viking dragons look small. Old Wrinkly says that Hiccup will learn to be a hero, just a different kind. He will have to use his brain, including in the way that he trains his dragon.

Hiccup can speak Dragonese, a rare skill which he keeps secret.

6 MEANWHILE, DEEP IN THE OCEAN:A giant Sea Dragon has been sleeping on the ocean floor for hundreds of years: it is beginning to wake up.

7 TOOTHLESS WAKES UP:Three weeks pass. Toothless wakes up. He is uncooperative, selfish and demanding. Stoick (Hiccup’s father) demonstrates is dubious of Hiccup’s choice. Fishlegs tells him that Toothless is a Royal Daydream and will become an impressive creature. Hiccup sneaks Toothless into his bedroom to protect him from the household dragons.

Stoick the Vast is chief of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe and father of Hiccup – he embodies Viking values of strength, courage and action before thought.

8 TRAINING YOUR DRAGON THE HARD WAY:Hiccup tries the traditional method of shouting at Toothless before resorting to bribery and pampering. Spring arrives. Hiccup struggles to housetrain Toothless. Snotlout mocks Hiccup and angers Toothless.

9 FEAR, VANITY, REVENGE AND SILLY JOKES:May arrives. The weather is bad. Hiccup and Fishlegs are struggling to train their dragons. Hiccup has researched dragon motivation. A process of elimination has revealed ‘jokes and riddling’ which Hiccup achieves some success with.

p.107 shows Hiccup’s list of dragon motivation research.

10 THOR’SDAY THURSDAY:The raucous Thor’sday Thursday celebrations are held. Rival tribe, the Meatheads, arrive. An ominous storm threatens. Initiates must demonstrate basic commands and then compete with their dragons to hunt the most fish. The first part of the test goes okay for Hiccup, although the sight of his dragon underwhelms an expectant audience. The hunting begins and Toothless starts a fight with

The Hairy Hooligans have fierce rivals in the Meatheads from nearby Meathead Islands.The Meatheads also have 10 sons who

© Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users dragon_F041FS3_resources

Snotlout’s dragon (Fireworm). The fight descends into chaos as the other dragons become involved. Having lost control, all 20 boys fail the test and will now be exiled. Stoick is torn between rules of Vikings and feelings for his son. The boys will be exiled the next day.

will be tested.

11 THOR IS ANGRY:The storm rages through the night, washing two sleeping Sea Dragons onto the beach. On finding the dragons a council of war is called. The Vikings fail to appreciate the size of the Sea Dragon (one has eaten the other) until they all travel to the beach. They are shocked when their war cry has no impact. The dragon burns their ships so now they are trapped on the Island. The Vikings need to communicate with the dragon. Hiccup is asked to use his rare skill in speaking Dragonese.

The domestic dragons vanish when the Sea Dragons arrive. They sense a change in world order and are hedging their bets.

12 THE GREEN DEATH:Hiccup speaks with the dragon. The dragon is terrifying, and the dragon which he ate is singing from his stomach. The Dragon says he intends to eat the whole tribe. He introduces himself as The Green Death but something strange happens when Hiccup introduces himself. He is tired by their conversation so falls asleep. Hiccup reports back to the tribes.

The Sea Dragon seems to be able to read Hiccup’s mind.

13 WHEN YELLING DOESN’T WORK:In the council of war, the tribe chiefs argue about what to do. Meanwhile the Hooligan and Meathead novices look to Hiccup to solve the problem. Thuggory, son of the Meathead chief, reports a second Sea Dragon at the other side of the island – The Purple Death. Hiccup plans to get the dragons to fight each other but they need their pet dragons to make the plan work. The dragons have been watching from a safe distance. They decide to help the boys…for now.

14 THE FIENDISHLY CLEVER PLAN:Hiccup asks the dragons to collect gulls’ feathers. They fill stolen items of clothing to make feather bombs. The Hooligans go the Green Death (Long Beach), Meatheads to the Purple Death (Unlandable Cove). The Green Death is sleeping. Fireworm goads TGD by saying that her master (The Purple Death) plans to eat his Vikings. The other dragons drop feathers. Green Death catches Fireworm, but she is saved by The Purple Death who comes crashing in strikes TGD.

The fiendishly clever plan is to get the Sea Dragons to fight one another.As dragons often have allergies, feathers are used to cause (fire) breathing problems/streaming eyes.

15 THE BATTLE AT DEATH’S HEAD HEADLAND:The Purple Death has been similarly enraged by The Meatheads. The Sea Dragons fight. They are well matched and have a dramatic battle, tearing into the land as well as each other. Both dragons sink to the ground. The boys celebrate, thinking that the dragons are dead. The noise attracts the Green Death’s attention and he spots them.

16 THE FIENDISHLY CLEVER PLAN GOES WRONG:The Green Death is hunting for Hiccup (Little Supper). The boys hide in bracken. The dragon sets fire to it and they run again. Hiccup is caught and held high above the dragon’s open mouth. The dragon lets go and Hiccup falls towards the Sea Dragon’s open mouth.

Hiccup was listening for the dragon’s death song, the absence of which alerted him that something was wrong.

17 IN THE MOUTH OF THE DRAGON:Now inside the dragon, Hiccup is saved from immediate death because his clothes are caught on a spear. He dangles from the dragon’s throat and observes two small holes which appear to be where the dragon’s flames are produced.

Toothless refused to help in Hiccup’s plan so is not present

18 THE EXTRAORDINARY BRAVERY OF TOOTHLESS:Meanwhile, Toothless is grabbed by Stoick, looking for his son. Toothless leads the Viking adults to the headland in time to see Hiccup swallowed. Against his selfish instincts, Toothless flies to the Green Death and tickles its nose with his wings. The Green Death sneezes; Hiccup flies out. Stoick picks up the unconscious Hiccup. The Green Death takes a huge breath to breathe fire at the three. He cannot. Repeated attempts cause The Green Death to explode. We flash back: while inside the dragon, Hiccup blocked the flame holes with the horns from his helmet. Hiccup is saved from a flying, flaming dragon tooth by his father’s shield.

Hiccup is saved by Toothless’ bravery and selflessness, his own ingenuity and Stoick’s Viking reflexes.

19 HICCUP THE USEFUL:Hiccup wakes up two days later. Toothless has died and his funeral is underway. Hiccup leaps up to stop them: dragons in a sleep coma can seem dead. He arrives in time to see Toothless drifting out to see on a burning boat. As he touches the water, Toothless wakes and rises into the air, flaming and showing off. They are both heroes, becoming so ‘the hard way’.

© Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users dragon_F041FS3_resources