How To Train Your Dragon

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is a smallish Viking with a longish name. Hiccup's father is chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe which means Hiccup is the Hope and the Heir to the Hairy Hooligan throne - but most of the time Hiccup feels like a very ordinary boy, finding it hard to be a Hero.

In the first How to Train Your Dragon book Hiccup must lead ten novices in their initiation into the Hairy Hooligan Tribe. They have to train their dragons or be BANISHED from the tribe FOR EVER!

But what if Hiccup's dragon resembles an ickle brown bunny with wings? And has NO TEETH? The Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus is stirring and wants to devour every Viking on the Isle of Berk . . .

Can Hiccup save the tribe - and become a Hero?

Prediction time

Whenever we start a new book in class we always make a few predictions about what we think is going to happen in the story. 

Don't let the movie think you know what will happen in the book, they are very different. 

What does this map tell you?

Looking at the characters here, can you make any predictions about the book?

Listen to the audio of 'A Note from Hiccup' and answer the questions below.

1. What do we know about Hiccup?

2. He is talking in the first person, if it was third person how would the opening line read?

3. Is he a typical Viking? Why?

Chapter 1. First catch your dragon

How many boys were there?

What was the soldier in charge called?

How many parts are there to the D.I.T. test?

Why must Hiccup be in charge of leading the other boys?

What does Fishlegs have an allergy to?

What does exile mean? 

Chapter 2. Inside the Dragon Nursery

1. What is the name of Hiccup’s arch rival?

2. Why is he the rival?

3. What does Hiccup mean by being frightened  is not the same as being a  coward?

4. Do you agree?

5. Hiccup says, “Oh, for Thor’s sake.”

6. What does this mean and what does it tell us about the community that they live in?

Viking Dragons and Their Eggs

The Gronkle (p32)

1. What is the best thing about the Gronckle.

2. What is the worst thing about the Gronkle.

3. Is he a good dragon to have?

a)Design your own dragon. 

b)Make it colourful and interesting.

c)Create statistics for it using the same categories found on page 32: colours; armed with; defences; radar; poison; hunting ability; speed; fear and fight factor.

Chapter 3 Heroes or exiles

1. What stopped the attack of the dragons?

2. Why is Hiccup so important to Gobber?

3. What did Gobber steal?

4. How does Fishlegs feel about being a Viking?

5. How does he feel about himself and what is his connection to Hiccup?

6. What would a real Viking have done for Fishlegs?

7. What do you predict will become of this dragon?

Chapter 4. How to train your dragon

1. Why is Hiccup humiliated when he walks through the village?

2. What did Snotlout suggest Hiccup should call his dragon?

3. What is the ancient Viking Rule that Snotlout has broken?

3. What is the name of the author of the book?

4. How much does the book cost? 

Chapter 5. A Chat With Old Wrinkly

1. Who is Old Wrinkly?

2. What is the one thing Hiccup has got and the tribe needs?

3. What does Old Wrinkly mean when he tells Hiccup that he is “going to have learn to be a hero the hard way”?

4. Why has Hiccup kept his hobby a secret?

5. What might be a better way to train a dragon?

Chapter 6. Meanwhile, deep in the ocean…

1. How long has the sea dragon been asleep for?

2. Why has the sea dragon been asleep for so long?

3. What is happening now?

4. What do you think will happen next?

Chapter 7. Toothless Wakes Up

1. What is an additional source to a dragon's diet?
2. What colour smoke was drifting out from under the lid of Toothless' basket?
3. What colour are Toothless' eyes?
4. What is the name of Hiccup's cat?
5. Fishlegs came to Hiccup's rescue saying that Hiccup's dragon was what kind?

Chapter 8. Training your dragon the hard way

1. How does the book suggest you should train your dragon?

2. What does Hiccup try instead? Can you give an example of something he tries?

3. What is the name of Fishleg’s dragon?

4. What is the climate like in Berk in this chapter?

5. Why did Toothless stop pooing inside?

6. How do we know Toothless is not brave?

After reading Chapter 8. Training Your Dragon the Hard Way, complete the table.

Chapter 9 Fear, Vanity, Revenge and Silly Jokes

1. Why is Horrorcow uninterested in fishing?

2. What is the most basic command?

3. Why won’t Toothless budge?

4. Which joke was so funny that Toothless decided it was worth fishing for?

5. What was the very good omen?

6. Which of Hiccup’s motivation ideas do you think would work on a dragon like Toothless?

Chapter 10 Thor'sday Thursday

1.What was the name of the rival Viking tribe?

2. What was the weather like?

3. Which competition did Gobber enter?

4. How do we know Stoick is proud of his son?

5. Do you think Toothless is a common garden dragon?

 Chapter 11. Thor is angry

1. Who is Thor?

2. What does ‘Gobsmackingly vast’ mean?

3. Who discovered the dragons?

4. Why had Stoick not had the best night’s sleep?

5. Why did Stoick only need to speak to one dragon in the end?

6. What size shoes did the Hairy Scary Librarian have?

7. Gobber had a tattoo on his bottom… what was it of? 

 Chapter 12 The Green Death

1. Why did Hiccup prefer to go alone to meet the dragon?

2. According to the dragon, what is a singing supper?

3. Hiccup does to blackberries what the Green Death does to…?

4. Why did Hiccup nearly pass out?

5. What was, in the Dragon’s opinion, the “Excellent Question?”

6. What name does the dragon give to Hiccup?

7. What became of the sheep? 

Compose a poem about your favourite food

Choose a food that you like or have fun eating such as a yummy pudding or freezing cold ice cream.

Write down words that come to mind relating to smell, taste, or texture.

Use an exaggerated statement to make your chosen food seem more delicious and tasty.

Think of words, phrases, rhymes, and sounds that make you laugh.

Use repetition or make your poem tongue-twisty when it is read out loud.

 Chapter 13 When yelling doesn’t work 

1. What did Stoick never do?

2. What does Thuggory call Snotlout?

3. Who does Hiccup warm to and why?

4. What did Hiccup call the second dragon?

5. What was Hiccup’s fiendishly clever plan?

6. Where were the twenty dragons?

7. What did the dragons decide to do?  

 Chapter 14. The fiendishly clever plan

1. What is the significance of the boys chorusing “Oh, SHUDDUP, Snotlout.”

2. What did Baggybum lose in the burglary?

3. Who led the way in Operation Sneeze Attack?

4. Green death had difficulty catching Fireworm, we would have difficulty catching a bluebottle.

What is a bluebottle?

5. What else would you have difficulty catching?

Chapter 15 Battle at Death's Head Headland

1. Why do animals of the same breed not normally attack each other?

2. Why did the boys start laughing hysterically?

3. What is another word for ‘desert’?

 Chapter 16. The Fiendishly Clever Plan Goes Wrong

1. What did the Green Death intend to use to kill the boys when they hid in the bracken?

2. What simile does the author use to compare the dragon’s mouth? 

Chapter 17 In the Mouth of the Dragon

1. What does a ‘thousand to one chance’ mean?

2. Who was still singing in the dragon’s tummy?

3. Why did Hiccup panic when he started to think ‘A dragon has to live, after all’.

 Chapter 18. The extraordinary bravery of Toothless

1. Why does Toothless argue with himself?

2. What is Toothless’ intention when he flies up and down the dragon’s nose?

3. Why couldn’t the dragon breathe fire on Stoick, Toothless and Hiccup?

4. Which item saved Hiccup’s life? 

I can talk about being brave

Toothless shows great bravery to save Hiccup, despite being scared.

Can you think about when you did something brave despite being scared like Toothless?

When you have been really scared of trying something new, what have you done to overcome your fears?

How do you feel when you try something new?

If you find something scary, what choices do you need to make it less scary?

Chapter 19. Hiccup the useful

1. How many Vikings gathered on the cliff tops?

2. What did Toothless do when he noticed his own wound?

3. How does a Viking mother show affection?

4. How does Hiccup know that Toothless is not really dead?