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RSRT Y6 L3 Darwin's Dragons

Literacy Counts

Created on January 27, 2026

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Transcript

Ready Steady Read Together

Darwin's Dragons: Fiction Lesson 3

What do you think you know?

What?
Who?
Why?
Where?
How?
When?

Book Talk: Let's explore this illustration.

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What do you know and think?

If you hit a duff note son, breathe. Walk that breath all the way upstairs to the attic, then right the way back down to the cellar.

How might this extract link to the illustration?

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From: Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Today's Question(s)

A) What can you infer about Covington's relationship with Mr Darwin at the start of the extract?

B) Read from the beginning of the extract to ‘before he fell overboard.’ Which words or phrases show that Covington is cold and frightened?

C) How does Convington's thinking change as the extract progresses, and what does this reveal about his character?

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Let me read today's text

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I crouched on the black rocks, shivering – with fear and shock as much as cold – until my teeth chattered. I pictured Mr Darwin’s face when I last saw him – pale as a ghost, gripping the rope, terror widening his eyes. If only I got to him before he fell overboard... I should have seen it coming. Even if my master was hauled back and the rowboat made it – could the Beagle itself have been wrecked in the storm? What if my master were to lose his life so young and only part way through his voyage? All his observations and measurements, all his ideas lost... I put my hand to my chest and waited for my thumping heart to slow. Letting my thoughts run this way would do no good at all. When my da was teaching me the fiddle, he’d say, “If you hit a duff note, son, breathe. Walk that breath all the way upstairs to the attic, then right the way back down to the cellar. Not too fast mind, step by step. Breathe, and pretend like it’s the best performance of your life. You keep right on playing and stay bricky.” That’s what I had to do now. I pulled in a breath slowly, step by step and back out again, and felt calmer. I uncurled and stood up straight.

From: Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Stay bricky. Mr Darwin was alive, he would make it back to the iand then he would search for me. Robbins too. Captain Fitzroy would figure out the wind direction and speed, and make calculations with the maps and his fancy navigation equipment to work out where I was likely to have ended up. I just needed to stay calm and survive until they arrived. I forced myself to look around me and concentrate hard and what I saw. As Mr Darwin said on the first day he took me as his own servant, “You will learn to observe and adapt, Covington. Open eyes lead to an open mind.” I prepared enough expeditions to know what was needed, but all of them had been well planned and provisioned. Maudlin thoughts of thick canvas tents I didn’t have weren’t going to help me find water, and I now remembered that most of the Galapagos islands had no fresh water supply. Suddenly the driving rain went from being my enemy to my closest friend. I raised my face to the sky and let the rain tumble into my mouth until my neck cricked but my belly was tight. It wasn’t easy to get a sense of the time in the endless grey, but a patch of cloud glowed later than the rest and I guessed it was afternoon; might be time to find shelter before dark.

From: Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Vocabulary

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Hover for definitions!

hauled back

stay bricky

duff note

observe and adapt

maudlin thoughts

cricked

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From: Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

I will model the first.

Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner

hauled back

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Find Read Talk

I pictured Mr Darwin’s face when I last saw him – pale as a ghost, gripping the rope, terror widening his eyes. If only I got to him before he fell overboard... I should have seen it coming. Even if my master was hauled back and the rowboat made it – could the Beagle itself have been wrecked in the storm?

Reveal Vocabulary

From: Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

hauled back

Your turn

duff note

Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner

stay bricky

observe and adapt

maudlin thoughts

cricked

Use your text

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Vocabulary Check & Re-read

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Reveal Vocabulary

Teacher Note: Re-read if time allows.

I crouched on the black rocks, shivering – with fear and shock as much as cold – until my teeth chattered. I pictured Mr Darwin’s face when I last saw him – pale as a ghost, gripping the rope, terror widening his eyes. If only I got to him before he fell overboard... I should have seen it coming. Even if my master was hauled back and the rowboat made it – could the Beagle itself have been wrecked in the storm? What if my master were to lose his life so young and only part way through his voyage? All his observations and measurements, all his ideas lost... I put my hand to my chest and waited for my thumping heart to slow. Letting my thoughts run this way would do no good at all. When my da was teaching me the fiddle, he’d say, “If you hit a duff note, son, breathe. Walk that breath all the way upstairs to the attic, then right the way back down to the cellar. Not too fast mind, step by step. Breathe, and pretend like it’s the best performance of your life. You keep right on playing and stay bricky.” That’s what I had to do now. I pulled in a breath slowly, step by step and back out again, and felt calmer. I uncurled and stood up straight.

From: Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Reveal Vocabulary

Teacher Note: Re-read if time allows.

Stay bricky. Mr Darwin was alive, he would make it back to the Beagle and then he would search for me. Robbins too. Captain Fitzroy would figure out the wind direction and speed, and make calculations with the maps and his fancy navigation equipment to work out where I was likely to have ended up. I just needed to stay calm and survive until they arrived. I forced myself to look around me and concentrate hard and what I saw. As Mr Darwin said on the first day he took me as his own servant, “You will learn to observe and adapt, Covington. Open eyes lead to an open mind.” I prepared enough expeditions to know what was needed, but all of them had been well planned and provisioned. Maudlin thoughts of thick canvas tents I didn’t have weren’t going to help me find water, and I now remembered that most of the Galapagos islands had no fresh water supply. Suddenly the driving rain went from being my enemy to my closest friend. I raised my face to the sky and let the rain tumble into my mouth until my neck cricked but my belly was tight. It wasn’t easy to get a sense of the time in the endless grey, but a patch of cloud glowed later than the rest and I guessed it was afternoon; might be time to find shelter before dark.

From: Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Fluency

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Let me use my reader's voice...

I put my hand to my chest and waited for my thumping heart to slow. Letting my thoughts run this way would do no good at all. When my da was teaching me the fiddle, he’d say, “If you hit a duff note, son, breathe. Walk that breath all the way upstairs to the attic, then right the way back down to the cellar. Not too fast mind, step by step. Breathe, and pretend like it’s the best performance of your life. You keep right on playing and stay bricky.”

What did you notice?

Explore

From: Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

My Turn
Your Turn

Echo Read

I put my hand to my chest and waited for my thumping heart to slow.

Letting my thoughts run this way would do no good at all. When my da was teaching me the fiddle, he’d say,

“If you hit a duff note, son, breathe.”

“Walk that breath all the way upstairs to the attic, then right the way back down to the cellar.”

“Not too fast mind, step by step.”

“Breathe, and pretend like it’s the best performance of your life.”

“You keep right on playing and stay bricky.”

Explore

From: Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Sound like a reader!
Stand up!

Choral Read

I put my hand to my chest and waited for my thumping heart to slow. Letting my thoughts run this way would do no good at all. When my da was teaching me the fiddle, he’d say, “If you hit a duff note, son, breathe. Walk that breath all the way upstairs to the attic, then right the way back down to the cellar. Not too fast mind, step by step. Breathe, and pretend like it’s the best performance of your life. You keep right on playing and stay bricky.”

Explore

From: Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Strategy Focus

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Strategy: Read Between the Lines

A) What can you infer about Covington’s relationship with Mr Darwin at the start of the extract?

Be a detective and look for clues!

Teach

Let me show you

Reveal Text Marks

I pictured Mr Darwin’s face when I last saw him – pale as a ghost, gripping the rope, terror widening his eyes. If only I got to him before he fell overboard... I should have seen it coming. Even if my master was hauled back and the rowboat made it – could the Beagle itself have been wrecked in the storm?

Reveal Explainer

A) What can you infer about Covington’s relationship with Mr Darwin at the start of the extract?

I notice that Covington remembers exactly what Mr Darwin looked like, describing his face as “pale as a ghost” and his eyes full of terror. This level of detail shows he is thinking about Mr Darwin’s danger rather than his own situation. Because he focuses on this frightening image, I can infer that he cares deeply about Mr Darwin’s safety.

Teach

From: Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Strategy Stop

What else could you use to answer today's question(s)?

Teach

Your Turn

A) What can you infer about Covington's relationship with Mr Darwin at the start of the extract?

B) Read from the beginning of the extract to ‘before he fell overboard.’ Which words or phrases show that Covington is cold and frightened?

C) How does Convington's thinking change as the extract progresses, and what does this reveal about his character?

Find the answers
Text mark

Explore

Acceptable Answers

Text Mark Evidence if only I got to him before he fell overboard…I should have seen it coming

feels responsible for / cares about his safety

A) What can you infer about Covington’s relationship with Mr Darwin at the start of the extract?

Text Mark Evidence what if my master were to lose his life so young - Mr Darwin’s face…

feels sadness / emotionally affected

Text Mark Evidence my master

loyal to Darwin as his superior and mentor

Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers

Text Mark Evidence all his observations and measurements, all his ideas lost

admires and respects Mr Darwin and his important work

Practise & Apply

Acceptable Answers

Text Mark Evidence crouched on the black rocks, shivering

B) Read from the beginning of the extract to ‘before he fell overboard.’ Which words or phrases show that Covington is cold and frightened?

Text Mark Evidence with fear and shock as much as cold

Text Mark Evidence until my teeth chattered

Click on each number to reveal evidence from the text

Practise & Apply

Acceptable Answers

Text Mark Evidence - I put my hand to my chest and waited for my thumping heart to slow - pulled in a breath slowly, step by step and back out again, and felt calmer

stops panicking and works to calm himself

C) At the start of the extract, Covington feels fear and panic. How does his thinking change as the extract progresses?

Text Mark Evidence if you hit a duff note, son, breathe… step by step and I pulled in a breath slowly, step by step and back out again, and felt calmer

remembers and follows his father’s advice

Text Mark Evidence Mr Darwin was alive, he would make it back to the Beagle and then he would search for me and Captain Fitzroy would figure out the wind direction and speed where I was likely to have ended up...Robbins too

reassures himself through positive thinking

Go to the next slide for more...

Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers

Text Mark Evidence I just needed to stay calm and survive until they arrived

feels more optimistic

Practise & Apply

Acceptable Answers

Text Mark Evidence I forced myself to look around me and concentrate hard and what I saw

shows determination

C) At the start of the extract, Covington feels fear and panic. How does his thinking change as the extract progresses?

Text Mark Evidence you will learn to observe and adapt, Covington...open eyes lead to an open mind

remembers Mr Darwin’s advice

Text Mark Evidence I prepared enough expeditions to know what was needed

draws on past experience

Text Mark Evidence - maudlin thoughts...weren’t going to help me find water - the driving rain went from being my enemy to my closest friend...I raised my face to the sky and let the rain tumble into my mouth until...my belly was tight - might be time to find shelter before dark

focuses on seeking water and shelter for survival

Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers

Practise & Apply

Quiz Time

Start

Picture Me

Which image is the best match for ‘hauled’?

Which One's Right?

Which word is the best match for ‘observe’?

A) guess

B) notice

D) imagine

C) forget

True or False?

The Galapagos islands had lots of fresh water supply.

True
False

Fill the Gaps

fiddle
stay bricky
duff note

When my da was teaching me the , he’d say, “If you hit a , son, breathe. Walk that breath all the way upstairs to the attic, then right the way back down to the cellar. Not too fast mind, step by step. Breathe, and pretend like it’s the best performance of your life. You keep right on playing and .”

Click if correct
Discuss then check

Feedback: Who did what well?

FindRead Talk

EchoRead

ChoralRead

ReadingStrategy

Answers & Text Marks

Other...

To be a book lover, you could...

look forclues.

Reveal

Notice how the author builds suspense or hints at future events.

Copyright Notice

This document has been supplied under a CLA Licence with specific terms of use. It is protected by copyright and, save as may be permitted by law, it may not be further copied, stored, re-copied electronically or otherwise shared, even for internal purposes, without the prior further permission of the Rightsholder. Extracts sourced from: Darwin’s Dragons by Lindsay Galvin © 2021 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.

fiddle
duff note
stay bricky