Meet the Mustelids

Overview

In this first lesson of Catching Mustelids: Reading Detectives, students are introduced to Junior Journal 43, “Catching Mustelids”. Through title talk, a focused picture walk and shared reading of pages 8–9, they use what they already know and visual clues to build understanding of unfamiliar non-fiction vocabulary and ideas.

Learning intentions

• WALT use prior knowledge and visual clues to understand an unfamiliar non-fiction text.
• WALT learn and use the words mustelid, ferret, stoat, weasel and hobby.
• WALT explain why Granddad’s hobby is useful.
• WALT record key information from pages 8–9.

Success criteria

• I can use the pictures, title and words to make a sensible prediction.
• I can explain the meaning of the new words using the text or pictures.
• I can name three mustelids and record one key fact.
• I can explain why Granddad’s hobby is useful.

Curriculum links

• English — planning and drafting: building knowledge through reading, discussion and relevant learning experiences.
• English — planning and drafting: ensuring students have enough knowledge about a topic to plan and write.
• English — writing across the first three years: using notes to record key ideas during planning.
• English — writing across the first three years: using simple organisers to plan a single-paragraph text.

Lesson structure (35 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Hook and purpose. Display the cover and title using the opening hook slide. Ask, “What could a mustelid be, and why might someone want to catch one?” Students quietly notice details, then share one prediction with a partner. Introduce the WALT and explain that today they will be reading like detectives: looking for clues and checking ideas against the text.

2. 4–10 min · Title talk and picture walk. Show pages 8–9 on the title and picture-walk slides without reading the text aloud yet. Guide students to notice people, animals, equipment, setting and actions. Ask: “What do you think Granddad enjoys doing?”, “Which picture clue supports your idea?”, and “What might be the purpose of the traps or boxes?” Record students’ ideas in two columns: I notice and I think. Remind students that a prediction is not a guess picked randomly; it is based on clues.

3. 10–16 min · Explicit vocabulary teaching. Teach the words using the photographs and simple child-friendly explanations: a mustelid is a group of mammals that includes ferrets, stoats and weasels; a ferret is a long, slim mammal often kept or trained for a purpose; a stoat is a small mustelid that hunts other animals; a weasel is a very small, fast mustelid; a hobby is an activity someone enjoys doing in their spare time. Students repeat each word, match it to the relevant picture or text clue, and use one word in an oral sentence. Clarify that not every long, furry animal is a mustelid.

4. 16–25 min · Supported shared reading. Give each student a copy of the text and use the shared-reading instruction slide to remind them how turns will work. Students read pages 8–9 in turn, one sentence or short section at a time, while others track the words. Pause to ask, “What did that sentence teach us?”, “Which word helped you?”, and “What does the picture add?” Support decoding by prompting students to look at the first sound, chunk the word, reread the sentence and check whether it makes sense. Invite students to explain how the words and illustrations work together.

5. 25–31 min · Explain and record. Ask, “Why is Granddad’s hobby useful?” Students discuss with a partner and give a reason supported by pages 8–9. Model a concise response: “Granddad’s hobby is useful because he helps catch mustelids that can harm native birds and other animals.” Accept text-based alternatives if they are accurate. Distribute the mustelid reading-notes worksheet. Students record three mustelids and one key fact from the pages, using words, labelled sketches or a dictated response as appropriate. Encourage them to return to the text rather than rely only on memory.

6. 31–35 min · Review and exit response. Return to the review and exit-question slide. Each student shares one new word, one mustelid or one fact. Finish with the Reading Inference Anchor Chart as a class reminder: students identify one clue from a picture or sentence and explain what it helped them understand. Collect worksheets and note any vocabulary or reading behaviours to revisit in lesson 2.

Resources

• Junior Journal 43, “Catching Mustelids”, pages 8–9
• the introduction, vocabulary, reading and review slide deck
• the mustelid reading-notes worksheet
• the Reading Inference Anchor Chart
• Whiteboard and markers
• Pencils and highlighters
• Six copies of the text, or one shared digital copy

Assessment

• During the picture walk, listen for students linking a prediction to a specific visual clue.
• During vocabulary and shared reading, check pronunciation, understanding, decoding strategies and the ability to explain how an illustration supports meaning.
• Use the worksheet and final response to assess whether each student can name three mustelids, record a key fact and explain the usefulness of Granddad’s hobby.

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters: “I notice…”, “I think… because…”, “A mustelid is…”, and “Granddad’s hobby is useful because…”.
• For decoding support, pre-teach difficult words, point to each word during reading, prompt students to chunk unfamiliar words and allow rereading or echo reading.
• Use a planned turn-taking order, with students reading a manageable sentence or section; pair a less confident reader with a supportive peer or adult.
• Allow students to draw and label facts, rehearse responses orally or dictate to an adult. Extend confident readers by asking them to explain how two clues work together or distinguish a fact from a prediction.