Ready Steady Read Together
Odder: Poetry Lesson 1
What do you think you know?
What?
Who?
Why?
Where?
How?
When?
Book Talk: Let's explore this illustration.
Explore
What do you know and think?
It was never too early to learn how to stay alive...
How might this extract link to the illustration?
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Today's Question(s)
A) What do you learn about otter pups from the poem?
B) What do you learn about Ondine and Odder from the poem?
Explore
Let me read today's text
Follow as I read
Explore
what to fear
Otter pups spend more time
with their mums
than some marine mammals.
Still, they’re born with teeth
and ready to swim
as soon as they shed
their life-jacket baby fur.
They grow up much faster
than human children do.
Already Ondine had tried to share
the most important
lesson she could with her pup:
what to fear –
not that she was certain
Odder was listening.
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
It was never too early
to learn how to stay alive,
and so she reminded Odder
whenever she could:
Stay away from sharks.
Stay away from humans.
Stay away from all
that you don’t understand.
It felt wrong,
teaching the little one
who made her cherish life
to be afraid of it.
But that was how things
had to be,
especially with a pup
as heedless
and wild-hearted as Odder.
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Vocabulary
Explore
Hover for definitions!
marine mammals
life-jacket baby fur
shed
cherish
heedless
wild-hearted
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. 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
marine mammals
Explore
Find Read Talk
what to fear
Otter pups spend more time
with their mums
than some marine mammals.
Reveal Vocabulary
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
marine mammals
Your turn
shed
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
life-jacket baby fur
cherish
heedless
wild-hearted
Use your text
Explore
Vocabulary Check & Re-read
Explore
what to fear
Otter pups spend more time
with their mums
than some marine mammals.
Still, they’re born with teeth
and ready to swim
as soon as they shed
their life-jacket baby fur.
They grow up much faster
than human children do.
Already Ondine had tried to share
the most important
lesson she could with her pup:
what to fear –
not that she was certain
Odder was listening.
Reveal Vocabulary
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
It was never too early
to learn how to stay alive,
and so she reminded Odder
whenever she could:
Stay away from sharks.
Stay away from humans.
Stay away from all
that you don’t understand.
It felt wrong,
teaching the little one
who made her cherish life
to be afraid of it.
But that was how things
had to be,
especially with a pup
as heedless
and wild-hearted as Odder.
Reveal Vocabulary
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Fluency
Explore
Let me use my reader's voice...
What did you notice?
Already Ondine had tried to sharethe most importantlesson she could with her pup: what to fear – not that she was certain Odder was listening. It was never too early
to learn how to stay alive,
and so she reminded Odder
whenever she could:
Stay away from sharks.
Stay away from humans.
Stay away from all
that you don’t understand.
Expression
Volume
Phrasing
Smoothness
Pace
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
My Turn
Your Turn
Echo Read
Already Ondine had tried to sharethe most importantlesson she could with her pup:
what to fear –
not that she was certain Odder was listening.
It was never too early
to learn how to stay alive,
and so she reminded Odder whenever she could:
Stay away from sharks.
Stay away from humans.
Stay away from all that you don’t understand.
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Sound like a reader!
Stand up!
Choral Read
Already Ondine had tried to sharethe most importantlesson she could with her pup: what to fear – not that she was certain Odder was listening. It was never too early
to learn how to stay alive,
and so she reminded Odder
whenever she could:
Stay away from sharks.
Stay away from humans.
Stay away from all
that you don’t understand.
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Focus
Explore
Strategy: Read Between the Lines
A) What do you learn about otter pups from the poem?
Be a detective and look for clues!
Teach
Let me show you
Reveal Text Marks
Otter pups spend more time
with their mums
than some marine mammals.
A) What do you learn about otter pups from the poem?
Reveal Explainer
This shows that otter pups stay with their mothers when they are young and depend on them for care. The words ‘more time...than some marine mammals’ suggest that they rely on their mothers for longer and may need more protection than some other animals.
Teach
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. 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 do you learn about otter pups from the poem?
B) What do you learn about Ondine and Odder from the poem?
Pairedreading first
Find the answers
Text mark
Explore
Text Mark Evidence marine mammals
live in the sea
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence they’re born with teeth and ready to swim
quite developed when born
Text Mark Evidence their life-jacket baby fur
able to float / buoyant
A) What do you learn about otter pups from the poem?
Text Mark Evidence they grow up faster than human children do
mature quickly
Text Mark Evidence it was never too early to learn how to stay alive
vulnerable and need to learn of danger from a young age
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence - stay away from sharks - stay away from humans - stay away from all that you don’t understand
at risk from predators and humans
Practise & Apply
Ondine:
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence Ondine had tried to share the most important lesson she could with her pup – what to fear
teaches Odder life lessons
Text Mark Evidence she reminded Odder whenever she could: stay away from sharks…humans…all that you don’t understand
protective of Odder
B) What do you learn about Ondine and Odder from the poem?
Text Mark Evidence the little one who made her cherish life
caring and loving
Odder:
Text Mark Evidence not that she was certain Odder was listening
easily distractible / doesn’t listen carefully
Text Mark Evidence it was never too early to learn how to stay alive
young and inexperienced
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence a pup as heedless…as Odder
careless / not cautious
Text Mark Evidence as…wild-hearted as Odder
adventurous and playful
Quiz Time
Start
Picture Me
Which image is the best match for ‘shed’?
Find Me
Find three things that Ondine taught Odder to fear:
...and so she reminded Odder whenever she could:
Stay away from sharks.
Stay away from humans.
Stay away from all
that you don’t understand.
2 Discuss then check
1 Discuss then check
humans
sharks
3 Discuss then check
all that you don’t understand
Tick Me
It felt wrong,
teaching the little one
who made her cherish life
to be afraid of it.
What does this tell us about Ondine?
Tick one:
A) Ondine has mixed feelings about teaching her pup to be afraid.
B) Ondine doesn’t want Odder to ever feel fear.
Check
C) Ondine doesn’t know how to care for her pup.
Click if correct
D) Ondine is angry with Odder for not listening.
Which One's Right?
But that was how things
had to be,
especially with a pup
as heedless
and wild-hearted as Odder.
Which answer is closest in meaning to ‘heedless’?
B) vulnerable
A) cautious
D) adventurous
C) reckless
Feedback: Who did what well?
FindRead Talk
EchoRead
ChoralRead
ReadingStrategy
Answers & Text Marks
Other...
To be a book lover, you could...
talk about books.
Reveal
Share your thoughts with friends or family.
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: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.
RSRT Y4 L1 Odder
Literacy Counts
Created on March 6, 2026
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Vision Board
View
SWOT Challenge: Classify Key Factors
View
Explainer Video: Keys to Effective Communication
View
Explainer Video: AI for Companies
View
Corporate CV
View
Flow Presentation
View
Geographical Challenge: Drag to the map
Explore all templates
Transcript
Ready Steady Read Together
Odder: Poetry Lesson 1
What do you think you know?
What?
Who?
Why?
Where?
How?
When?
Book Talk: Let's explore this illustration.
Explore
What do you know and think?
It was never too early to learn how to stay alive...
How might this extract link to the illustration?
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Today's Question(s)
A) What do you learn about otter pups from the poem?
B) What do you learn about Ondine and Odder from the poem?
Explore
Let me read today's text
Follow as I read
Explore
what to fear
Otter pups spend more time with their mums than some marine mammals. Still, they’re born with teeth and ready to swim as soon as they shed their life-jacket baby fur. They grow up much faster than human children do. Already Ondine had tried to share the most important lesson she could with her pup: what to fear – not that she was certain Odder was listening.
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
It was never too early to learn how to stay alive, and so she reminded Odder whenever she could: Stay away from sharks. Stay away from humans. Stay away from all that you don’t understand. It felt wrong, teaching the little one who made her cherish life to be afraid of it. But that was how things had to be, especially with a pup as heedless and wild-hearted as Odder.
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Vocabulary
Explore
Hover for definitions!
marine mammals
life-jacket baby fur
shed
cherish
heedless
wild-hearted
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. 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
marine mammals
Explore
Find Read Talk
what to fear
Otter pups spend more time with their mums than some marine mammals.
Reveal Vocabulary
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
marine mammals
Your turn
shed
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
life-jacket baby fur
cherish
heedless
wild-hearted
Use your text
Explore
Vocabulary Check & Re-read
Explore
what to fear
Otter pups spend more time with their mums than some marine mammals. Still, they’re born with teeth and ready to swim as soon as they shed their life-jacket baby fur. They grow up much faster than human children do. Already Ondine had tried to share the most important lesson she could with her pup: what to fear – not that she was certain Odder was listening.
Reveal Vocabulary
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
It was never too early to learn how to stay alive, and so she reminded Odder whenever she could: Stay away from sharks. Stay away from humans. Stay away from all that you don’t understand. It felt wrong, teaching the little one who made her cherish life to be afraid of it. But that was how things had to be, especially with a pup as heedless and wild-hearted as Odder.
Reveal Vocabulary
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Fluency
Explore
Let me use my reader's voice...
What did you notice?
Already Ondine had tried to sharethe most importantlesson she could with her pup: what to fear – not that she was certain Odder was listening. It was never too early to learn how to stay alive, and so she reminded Odder whenever she could: Stay away from sharks. Stay away from humans. Stay away from all that you don’t understand.
Expression
Volume
Phrasing
Smoothness
Pace
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
My Turn
Your Turn
Echo Read
Already Ondine had tried to sharethe most importantlesson she could with her pup:
what to fear –
not that she was certain Odder was listening.
It was never too early to learn how to stay alive,
and so she reminded Odder whenever she could:
Stay away from sharks.
Stay away from humans.
Stay away from all that you don’t understand.
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Sound like a reader!
Stand up!
Choral Read
Already Ondine had tried to sharethe most importantlesson she could with her pup: what to fear – not that she was certain Odder was listening. It was never too early to learn how to stay alive, and so she reminded Odder whenever she could: Stay away from sharks. Stay away from humans. Stay away from all that you don’t understand.
Explore
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Focus
Explore
Strategy: Read Between the Lines
A) What do you learn about otter pups from the poem?
Be a detective and look for clues!
Teach
Let me show you
Reveal Text Marks
Otter pups spend more time with their mums than some marine mammals.
A) What do you learn about otter pups from the poem?
Reveal Explainer
This shows that otter pups stay with their mothers when they are young and depend on them for care. The words ‘more time...than some marine mammals’ suggest that they rely on their mothers for longer and may need more protection than some other animals.
Teach
From: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022. 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 do you learn about otter pups from the poem?
B) What do you learn about Ondine and Odder from the poem?
Pairedreading first
Find the answers
Text mark
Explore
Text Mark Evidence marine mammals
live in the sea
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence they’re born with teeth and ready to swim
quite developed when born
Text Mark Evidence their life-jacket baby fur
able to float / buoyant
A) What do you learn about otter pups from the poem?
Text Mark Evidence they grow up faster than human children do
mature quickly
Text Mark Evidence it was never too early to learn how to stay alive
vulnerable and need to learn of danger from a young age
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence - stay away from sharks - stay away from humans - stay away from all that you don’t understand
at risk from predators and humans
Practise & Apply
Ondine:
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence Ondine had tried to share the most important lesson she could with her pup – what to fear
teaches Odder life lessons
Text Mark Evidence she reminded Odder whenever she could: stay away from sharks…humans…all that you don’t understand
protective of Odder
B) What do you learn about Ondine and Odder from the poem?
Text Mark Evidence the little one who made her cherish life
caring and loving
Odder:
Text Mark Evidence not that she was certain Odder was listening
easily distractible / doesn’t listen carefully
Text Mark Evidence it was never too early to learn how to stay alive
young and inexperienced
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence a pup as heedless…as Odder
careless / not cautious
Text Mark Evidence as…wild-hearted as Odder
adventurous and playful
Quiz Time
Start
Picture Me
Which image is the best match for ‘shed’?
Find Me
Find three things that Ondine taught Odder to fear:
...and so she reminded Odder whenever she could: Stay away from sharks. Stay away from humans. Stay away from all that you don’t understand.
2 Discuss then check
1 Discuss then check
humans
sharks
3 Discuss then check
all that you don’t understand
Tick Me
It felt wrong, teaching the little one who made her cherish life to be afraid of it.
What does this tell us about Ondine?
Tick one:
A) Ondine has mixed feelings about teaching her pup to be afraid.
B) Ondine doesn’t want Odder to ever feel fear.
Check
C) Ondine doesn’t know how to care for her pup.
Click if correct
D) Ondine is angry with Odder for not listening.
Which One's Right?
But that was how things had to be, especially with a pup as heedless and wild-hearted as Odder.
Which answer is closest in meaning to ‘heedless’?
B) vulnerable
A) cautious
D) adventurous
C) reckless
Feedback: Who did what well?
FindRead Talk
EchoRead
ChoralRead
ReadingStrategy
Answers & Text Marks
Other...
To be a book lover, you could...
talk about books.
Reveal
Share your thoughts with friends or family.
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: Odder by Katherine Applegate © 2022 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.