Primary Pupil English Workbook - Action Tutoring · 2020. 3. 23. · © Action Tutoring 2019 i English Passport Earn a stamp for each theme once you have ticked off all the activities!

Primary Pupil

English Workbook

Name

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whether by photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means or otherwise, without the written permission of Action Tutoring or other third party owners, is prohibited.

Contents

Themes

Text Type Exploring Africa

Page number

Tick when

complete F The Fastest Boy in the World – Elizabeth Laird.………... 30 NF The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – William

Kamkwamba ...……………………………………………... 35

NF Facing Extinction: The Northern White Rhino…….......... 39

Text type

Fire! Fire! Page number

Tick when

complete F How To Train your Dragon – Cressida Cowell….……….. 44 F The Great Fire Dogs – Megan Rix……..….………………. 49 NF Great Fire of London Fact File……………………………... 54

Key: F = Fiction NF = Non-fiction P = Poetry

English Passport..................................................................................... i Introductory Skill Sessions Page

number Tick

when complete

Retrieve..................................................................................................... 1 Vocabulary / Define................................................................................. 5 Summarise.............................................................................................. 10 Infer........................................................................................................... 15 Predict...................................................................................................... 20 Explore………………………………………............................................... 25 Relate / Compare………………………………………............................... 27

Text type Journeys

Page number

Tick when

complete F A Story Like the Wind – Gill Lewis………………………. 60 P The Owl and the Pussycat – Edward Lear…….….......... 66 NF Who Was Ernest Shackleton? – James Buckley…......... 70 Text type Adventures in Outer Space

Page number

Tick when

complete F Fortunately, the Milk – Neil Gaiman…………………... 76 NF Newspaper Report on Tim Peake – Amanda Kelper…... 81 P The Star – Sara Teasdale.………………………………... 85 Text type Secrets and Spies

Page number

Tick when

complete P The Highwayman – Alfred Noyes ……………………….. 89 F The Manor…………………………………………………... 95 P The Listeners – Walter de la Mare….………………….… 99 Text type

Three-Mark Question Exam Practice Page number

Tick when

complete F In the Company of a Thief………………………..………. 103 F Wild Cat…………………………………………………...... 109 F Dodge and the Tornado…………………………………... 115

Key: F = Fiction NF = Non-fiction P = Poetry My Word Journal..................................................................................... 118

© Action Tutoring 2019

i

English Passport

Earn a stamp for each theme once you have ticked off all the activities!

Africa

Fire! Fire!

Journeys

Adventures in Outer Space

Secrets and Spies

Three-Mark Question Exam

Practice


1

Introductory Skills Sessions

Examples of retrieval question stems: Which…? What…? How…? Where…? When…? Why…? Identify how… Give two reasons why… Identify which statements are true or false Which words and/or phrases…? What happened at…? Describe… Find a word or phrase that tell us that… How do you feel about retrieval questions?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I find this difficult I’m getting there I’m good at this

Retrieve This week you will be focusing on how to go into a text and retrieve the facts and key details. This type of question appears quite often in the SATs paper.

2b Retrieve and record information /identify key details from fiction and non-fiction.

Following these steps in the right order will help

you:

Read question.

Identify the question type

(when, where, why etc.)

Indentify main words in question.

Indentify how the question relates to

the text. Find the part of

the text the question relates to

(scan).

Retrieve the information.

Answer the question.

Check you have answered the

question.

Examples of retrieval questions from SATs papers:


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Let’s try some retrieval questions: Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen

How tall do you think the tower block is? What time of day is it? Ade is just an ordinary boy with an ordinary life. He loves living at the top of a tower block. From his window,

he feels like he can see the whole world stretching out beneath him. But one day, other tower blocks on the estate start falling down around them and strange, menacing plants (Bluchers) begin to appear. Now their tower isn’t safe anymore. Ade and his mum are trapped and there’s no way out…

When you wish that a Saturday was actually a Monday, you know there is something seriously wrong.

I look at the ceiling. At the spot of flaky paint and the stain that looks like a wobbly circle, and the swaying, wispy spiders web, and I think of all those cold, grey Mondays when I had to make myself get up for school. I would force my legs off the mattress and I’d dress in a daze, unwilling to believe it was time to be upright again.

I wish I could wake up to another Monday like that. Those days are gone how the Bluchers are here. When they first arrived, they came quietly and stealthily, as if they tiptoed silently into the world when we were all looking the other way. I guess I was one of the first people to see them. It’s not something I am proud of. When you know the kind of terrible destruction that just one clump of Bluchers can cause, you wouldn't have wanted to be there first either. I think the reason I knew about them before most other people was because I used to spend a lot of my time sitting on my windowsill, looking down over the world. I could see everything from there: the miniature-looking roads, the roofs of the buildings, the broccoli-tops of the trees. And then, of course, the Bluchers themselves and the devastation that followed in their path. The view has changed so much now that sometimes I wonder if I just made up everything that came before. I have to make myself remember what I used to see: the shops and the bustle, the cars and the people, the red-brick walls of my school and the grey patch of the playground. Some people say you shouldn't live in the past. But I can’t stop putting things into two boxes in my head: Before and After. And it’s much easier to think about the Before things. Before, if there was a day when I didn't go into school because I was ill or Mum wasn't well, I used to watch the children coming out at playtime. Everyone would rush out of the tiny black door so fast that I wouldn't be able to tell one little coloured ant from another.

I could always recognise Gaia in the crowd though. She wore a bright pink coat that stood out a mile. I would see her walking along the edge of the playground. Never in the middle, never in a group. Always walking round and round by herself. Walking in circles.

But like I said, this was before. I don’t see other children anymore. I don’t know where Gaia is.


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Work with your tutor to answer these questions:

1) Name three things that Ade used to see when he looked down from his windowsill. _____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________(1) 2) What did Gaia wear that made her easy to recognise in a crowd? ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(1) 3) Circle the correct option. The spot of paint on the ceiling looks like: a wiggly line a wobbly circle a wavy ring (1) Work with your partner to answer these questions: 4) Give two reasons Ade sometimes missed a day of school. ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________(1) 5) Put a tick in the correct box to show whether a statement is true or false. (1) True False Ade was pleased the Bluchers arrived.

The Bluchers are a type of animal.

Gaia liked walking in circles.

Work independently to answer these questions:

6) What follows ‘in the path’ of the Bluchers? ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________(1) 7) This story is told from the perspective of: Ade Gaia Mum (1) 8) When Ade’s in the tower, what do the children at playtime look like? ___________________________________________________________________________________________(1)


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9) Write your own retrieval question for your tutor or partner to answer! _________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ How do you feel about retrieval questions?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

I find this difficult I’m getting there I’m good at this


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Examples of ‘vocabulary’ and ‘defining’ question stems: What does this word tell us about the character/setting/atmosphere? Look at that sentence/passage and circle a word/phrase that means the same as… Why did the author use this word to describe…? Can you find an example of a word that means the same as…? What does this word/phrase/sentence tell you about…? Which of these words could be used to give a similar meaning in the sentence? Find and copy a word/two words/a phrase/a sentence that shows… How do you feel about vocabulary / defining questions?


Define This week you will be focusing on working out the meaning of words or vocabulary you don’t know. You can to do this by looking at the words or phrases you’re unsure of in context. This means using the story so far, the sentences around them and what you already know about the plot to figure out what the words must mean. Here are some examples from previous SATs papers:

2a Give/explain the meaning of words in context.

Following these steps in the right order will

help you:

Identify word.

Read word (use strategies to

help).

Read word in sentence.

Read sentence before and

after/paragraph.

Think about text as a whole.

Make inference based on what

you know.

Answer question.

Check answer.

Examples of vocabulary questions from SATs papers:


6

Let’s try some vocabulary / defining questions: The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

Where is the story set? Do you know of any other stories set in snowy woods? Has anything made you want to read on?

Would you like to be a ‘wolf wilder’? Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora’s mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves, and to fight and to run, and to be wary of humans. When the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run.

Once upon a time, a hundred years ago, there was a dark and stormy girl. The girl was Russian, and although her hair and eyes and finger nails were dark all of the time, she was stormy only when she thought it absolutely necessary. Which was fairly often. Her name was Feodora. She lived in a wooden house made of timber from the surrounding forest. The walls were layered with sheep’s wool to keep out the Russian winter, and the inside was lit with hurricane lamps. Feo had painted the lamps every colour in her box of paints, so the house cast out light into the forest in reds and greens and yellows. Her mother had cut and sanded the door herself, and the wood was eight inches thick. Feo had painted it snow blue. The wolves had added claw marks over the years, which helped dissuade unwelcome visitors. It all began – all of it – with someone knocking on that snow-blue door. Although ‘knocking’ was not the right word for this particular noise. It sounded as though someone was trying to dig a hole in the wood with his knuckles. But any knocking at all was unusual. Nobody knocked: it was just her and her mother and the wolves. Wolves do not knock. If they want to come in, they come in through the window, whether it is open or not. Feo put down the skis she was oiling and listened. It was early, and she was still wearing her night dress. She had no dressing gown, but she pulled on the jumper her mother had knitted, which came down to the scar on her knee, and ran to the front door. Her mother was wrapped in a bearskin housecoat, looking up from the fire she had been lighting in the sitting room. “I’ll do it!” Feo tugged at the door. It was stiff; ice had sealed the hinges. Her mother grabbed at her – “Wait! Feo!” But Feo had already pulled the door open, and before she could jump back it slapped inwards, catching the side of her head. The man had a face made of right angles: a jutting nose and wrinkles in angry places, deep enough to cast shadows in the dark. “Where is Marina Petrovich?” He marched down the hall, leaving a trail of snow. Feo got to her knees – and then lurched back, as two more men in grey coats and black


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boots stamped past her, missing her fingers by inches. “Move, girl.” They carried between them, slung by its legs, the body of a young elk. It was dead, and dripping blood. Feo ran after them. She readied her elbows and knees to fight. The man spoke to her mother. “Marina Petrovich? I am General Rakov.” “What do you want?” Marina’s back was against the wall. “I am here because your wolves did this,” he said. He kicked at the elk. Blood spread across his brightly polished shoe. “My wolves?” Her mother’s face was steady, “I do not own any wolves.” “You bring them here,” said Rakov. His eyes had a coldness in them you do not expect to see in a living thing. “That makes them your responsibility.” “Neither of those things are true,” said Feo’s mother. “Other people send the wolves here when they tire of them: the aristocrats, the rich. We untame them, that’s all. Wolves cannot be owned.” “You are mistaken,” said Rakov, “if you imagine I wish to hear excuses.” His voice was growing less official: louder, ragged-edged. “I have been sent to collect compensation for the Tsar. Do not play games with me. You owe the Tsar a hundred roubles.” “I do not have a hundred roubles.” Rakov slammed his fist against the wall. He was surprisingly strong for so old and shrivelled a man, and the wooden walls shuddered. “Woman! I have no interest in your protests. I have been sent to wrest obedience and order from this godforsaken place.” Feo let out a hiss of horror. “You!” The General crossed the room to her, leaning down until his face, veined and papery, was inches from hers. “If I had a child with a stare as insolent as yours, she would be banished. Sit there and keep out of my sight.”


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1) ‘The wolves had added claw marks over the years, which helped dissuade unwelcome visitors...’ Which of these words is closest in meaning to dissuade? Circle one. persuade prevent invite terrify (1) 2) ‘She readied her elbows and knees to fight…’ What word could the author have used instead of ‘readied’ in this sentence? Tick one. (1) clenched

prepared

punched

3) ‘Feo got to her knees – and then lurched back, as two more men in grey coats and black boots stamped past her…’ What does the word lurched tell us about how Feo moved out of the way? ____________________________________________________________________________(1) Work with your partner to answer these questions: 4) Find and copy a word or phrase that shows that General Rakov had a pointy face. ____________________________________________________________________________(1) 5) ‘His eyes had a coldness in them you do not expect to see in a living thing.’ Tick one phrase that best matches the above description. (1) His eyes were blue like ice

He had an unusually cruel and cold-hearted stare

His eyes looked like they belonged to a dead man


6) Find and copy a group of words that tells the reader how General Rakov’s voice got angrier as he spoke to Marina. ____________________________________________________________________________(1)


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7) Find and copy one word in the final paragraph that means the same as rude. ____________________________________________________________________________(1) 8) Which word most closely matches the meaning of compensation? apology payment punishment (1)

9) Write your own vocabulary question on this text or the previous one for your tutor or partner to answer! Use the question stems to help you.

______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ How do you feel about vocabularly / defining questions?



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Examples of ‘summarising’ questions and question stems:

What is the main message of the text? Number the sentences to show the order they happened in. Which of these events happened first? Which of these events happened last? What’s the main point in this paragraph? Can you sum up what happens in…? Which part of the story do you think is the most important?

How do you feel about summarising questions?


Summarise In the next text, you will be focusing on ‘summarising’. This is when you sum up what you’ve read. You can do this by reading the text, picking out the key points that are important and giving a quick overview of the text’s main ideas. This type of question can appear once or twice in the SATs paper. Here are some examples from recent papers:

2c Summarise main ideas from more than one paragraph


help you:

Read question.

Identify what you are summarising.

Find the part of the text the

question relates to (scan).

Read section again.

Make notes of key points (if needed).

Briefly retell key points in own

words (summarise).


question.

Examples of summarising questions from SATs papers:


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Let’s try some summarising questions: A Galaxy of Her Own by Libby Jackson

What type of text might this be? How do you know? Do you know any female scientists? Would you like to go into space?

From small steps to giant leaps, A Galaxy of Her Own tells stories of inspirational women who have been fundamental to the story of humans in space, from scientists to astronauts to some surprising roles in between. A Galaxy of Her Own reveals extraordinary stories, champions unsung heroes and celebrates remarkable achievements from around the world.

Mary Jackson Mary Jackson lived in Virginia, USA, at a time when there were unjust racial segregation laws. Mary spent her life fighting this inequality and helping others to see that they could do so as well. She grew up in Virginia, America. She loved science and maths and was very bright. She pushed herself through school and university to get top marks and a degree in maths and physics. Jackson used her degree to start teaching before she joined NASA's Langley Research Centre in 1951. Her job was to be a human 'computer', who had to solve complex mathematical problems by hand. In 1953, she was asked to work on mathematical calculations for the Supersonic Wind Tunnel, a machine that blasted models of aeroplanes and spacecraft with air moving at nearly twice the speed of sound, so that engineers could test their designs at high speeds, like those in space. Her boss saw that she was a talented engineer and asked her to complete more training so that she could do a much more complicated job. At that time, black and white students were segregated (separated) so Mary needed special permission to work alongside her white peers at the University of Virginia. She persisted and was allowed to take the course. She was eventually promoted to the role of aerospace engineer, and in doing so, became NASA’s first black female engineer. Jackson then worked as an aerospace engineer for 20 years and in 1979 she left engineering and became manager of the women’s program at NASA. In that post, she sought to improve the opportunities for all women at the organization. She retired in 1985.

Peggy Whitson

Peggy Whitson is one of the greatest astronauts in history. Throughout her life people told her it wasn't sensible to follow her dreams of flying to space—but she ended up proving them very wrong.


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She grew up on a farm, deep in the American countryside. When she was nine, she was inspired by Neil Armstrong and the men who walked on the moon. But it wasn't until she saw the first female astronauts that she thought she might give it a go too. She sold the chickens that she reared on the farm at a local market and saved up the money for flying lessons. When she was at university, Peggy shared her dream of flying to space with a famous scientist and he told her that he thought astronauts weren't important and that it wasn't a very good profession for a female. But this didn't stop her, and she never lost sight of her ambitions. After years of study, her commitment and enthusiasm shone through and she was selected as in astronaut in 1996. Peggy has flown in space three times. Each time she spent approximately six months on board the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is an amazing feat of engineering, the biggest object ever constructed in space. It has about the same amount of living area for the astronauts as a five-bedroom house and is roughly the same size as a football pitch. It took 12 years to construct, with each component part brought to the station by a rocket or Space Shuttle. These were built all over the world, designed by different engineers, and joined together for the first time in space by a robotic arm. The different ‘rooms’ are called modules and a huge ‘spine’ runs across it to hold the eight giant solar panels that power the station. During her second stay on the ISS, Peggy was in charge, the first women to be selected for the role of ISS commander. It was a very busy mission, with three new modules arriving and two solar panels being moved to a new home. There was a problem when one of the solar panels got torn during the move, but with Peggy’s leadership skills and teamwork, the panel was repaired, and the station assembly continued. As well as being vital to the building and running of the ISS over the years, Peggy also completed a record ten spacewalks and, in 2017, she broke the record for the longest time spent in space by any American astronaut, woman or man. Peggy is honoured by the records, but she is prouder of being part of the brilliant team of people that work to explore and learn about space.


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1) Below are summaries of different paragraphs from the text. Number them 1–4 to show the order they appear in the text. (1)

What is the ISS?

The greatest achievements of Peggy Whitson.

Mary’s early career.

Becoming a role model for women at Nasa.

Work with your partner to answer these questions:

2) Can you write a four- or five-word summary that could be used as the title for the text? ___________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________(1) Work independently to answer these questions:

3) What is the main message of the text? Tick one. (1) Americans have always been the best astronauts.

For many years, women have been successful scientists and engineers.

Everybody should study maths in school. 4) Using information from the text, tick a box in each row to show whether each statement is true or false. (1) True False Peggy Whitson designed and built the ISS.

Mary Jackson was the very first female to work in Nasa.

Teamwork is important in helping people achieve their dreams.


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5) Use a different text from this book, or a fiction book you know well, and describe what happened in only three sentences or write a new blurb for this story using 20 words or fewer. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ How many words? ________________ How do you feel about summarising questions?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7



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Examples of ‘inference’ question stems:

Explain how…? Why did…? Explain why…? Why do you think…? How do you know…? When do you think…? How can you tell that…? True or false…? What makes you think that…? Which words give you the impression that…? Can you explain why…? Which word tells you that…? How do you feel about inference questions?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7


Infer This week you and your tutor will be working on the skill of ‘inference’. This is where you have to work out something from evidence, rather than being told directly – you need to read the text as if you are a detective! You’re not looking for what is there – you’re looking for what is meant by it. For example, if the text says ‘Danny’s face was red – he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist’, what could you infer about how he is feeling? This kind of question is worth a lot of marks on SATs papers.

2d Make inferences from the text. Explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text.


help you:

Read question.

Identify the question type (when, where,

why etc.).

Identify main words in question.

Identify how the question relates

to the text.

Read between the lines (work out

the answer).

Find part of the text to explain why you think this (quote).

Answer question.


question.

Examples of questions from SATs papers:


16

Let’s try some inference questions: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Where do you think the story is set? Who are the characters we might meet? Do you know of any other stories where animals are the main characters?

In this tale, we follow Mole, who ventures from his underground home to the outside world where he meets Ratty. Mole and Ratty’s relationship blossoms into a heart-warming friendship, as they embark on adventures and meet other characters such as Badger and Toad.

Chapter 1

The River Bank

The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a bucket of white paint. He had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of white paint all over his black fur, and an aching back and tired arms. Spring was in the air above and in the earth below and even in his dark and simple little house. It was small wonder, then, that he suddenly threw down his brush on the floor, said, “bother!” and “o blow!” and ran out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was calling him and he made for the steep little tunnel that would take him nearer to the sun and air. So, he scraped and scratched and scrabbled, and then he scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, “up we go! Up we go!” until at last, pop! His snout came out into the sunlight and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow. “This is fine!” he said to himself. “This is better than painting!” The sunshine felt hot on his fur, soft breezes stroked his heated brow, and after the loneliness of the cellar he had lived in so long, the song of happy birds fell on his ears almost like a shout. Jumping off all his four legs at once, in the joy of living, he chased his way across the meadow until he reached the hedge on the other side. It all seemed too good to be true. Here and there, through the meadows, he rambled busily along the hedgerows, across the woods, finding everywhere birds building, flowers budding, leaves thrusting—everything happy, and busy, and occupied. And instead of having an uneasy conscience pricking him and whispering, “white paint!” he somehow could only feel how jolly it was to be the only lazy animal among all these busy ones.


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He thought his happiness was complete when, as he strolled aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a river. Never in his life had he seen a river before—this sleek, winding animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping things with a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again. All was a-shake and a-shiver—glints and gleams and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter and babble. The Mole was bewitched, entranced and fascinated. By the side of the river, he trotted and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, babbling the best stories in the world. As he sat on the grass and looked across the river, a dark hole in the bank opposite, just above the water’s edge, caught his eye. As he gazed, something bright and small seemed to twinkle down in the heart of it, vanished, then twinkled once more like a tiny star. But it could hardly be a star in such an unlikely situation; and it was too glittering and small for a glow-worm. Then, as he looked, it winked at him, and so declared itself to be an eye; a small face began gradually to grow up round it, like a frame round a picture. A brown little face, with whiskers. A grave, round face, with the same twinkle in its eye that had first attracted his notice. Small, neat ears and thick, silky hair. It was the Water Rat! Then the two animals stood and regarded each other cautiously. “Hello, Mole!” said the Water Rat. “Hello, Rat!” said the Mole.


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1) Does Mole like spring cleaning?

Yes No

How can you tell? Use one piece of evidence from the text to support your answer. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(2) 2) Why did Mole have ‘an aching back and weary arms’? ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(1) 3) How does the author tell us that Mole lives underground? Find and copy two clues from the text. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(2)


4) How does the description of the grass and the sun help to tell you the time of day? _____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________(1) 5) Why might Mole have never seen a river before? _____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________(1)


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6) The author says the river ‘chattered’ and ‘babbled’. What impressions of the river do you get from this description? ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(1) 7) ‘…while the river still chattered on to him, babbling the best stories in the world.’ How could the river tell the best stories in the world if it only ever stayed in one place?

Tick one People from all over the world might travel on that river and tell it stories.

Rivers have existed for a long time, so have heard many different stories.

Although the riverbed and bank will stay in one place, the water in it will flow out to the sea and around the world in the oceans, before perhaps returning someday.

"Character Designs for THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS" by Baruch Inbar is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

How do you feel about inference questions?


Write three of your own inference questions about this character for your partner to answer: Who… Why… How…


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Examples of ‘predicting’ questions:

Based on what you’ve read, what do you think might happen next? Do you think that this character will change their behaviour in future? Why? What clues does the front cover give us about the contents of this book? If there was a sequel, what might happen? Why do you think this? How do you think this story might end? How do you feel about predicting questions?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7


Predict This week you will be focusing on making logical and reasonable guesses about what could happen next. You can do this by looking at what has already happened, what the characters may have hinted is coming up or what has been implied by the author’s use of language.

2e Predict what might happen from details stated and implied.


you:

Think about what you know already.

Think about what will happen next.

Link back to what you already know.

Explain (or think about why you

predict this.

Answer question.

Check answer relates to question.


This question wants you to look closely at what has already happened in a text and use that to help you to predict what might happen next


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Let’s try some predicting questions:

Julius Zebra by Gary Northfield

What clues does the title give about the story? Is this a fiction or non-fiction text? Do you know any books that are similar? What ‘tone’ does the book have? Will it be serious?

Humorous? Scary? Demi-god Hercules promises Julius and his chums a great reward if they can help him to find the lost Golden Apple. On this whacky adventure, our unlikely heroes will confront the Minotaur in the Labyrinth, trick a one hundred-headed dragon at the Garden of Hesperides and a dramatic visit to King Midas leads to a daring rescue attempt in the depths of the Underworld. But what will the ever-watchful gods on Mount Olympus have to say about their antics?

Chapter One

Adventure Time! “I am HERCULES, son of ZEUS,” exclaimed the muscle-bound man, “and I seek the champion named JULIUS ZEBRA and his friends for an exciting adventure!” “Listen, Hairy Keith, son of Zoots,” retorted Julius, “I’m not looking for any more adventures!” Hercules seemed taken aback, and he bent over to have a good look at Julius. A big grin crept across his face and he gave a huge belly laugh. “YOU?!” he exclaimed scornfully, and he took another close look at Julius, prodding him in his tummy and examining Julius’s scrawny limbs. “You don’t look like much of a champion!” Hercules suddenly felt a kick to his shins and he spun round to find a crocodile looking at him furiously. “You take that back, you big bully!” Lucia fumed. “Julius IS a champion, so you’d BETTER say sorry! I don’t care WHO you are!” Hercules laughed as he paraded up and down in front of the animals, chuckling to himself. “What strange and lively creatures you are!” He turned directly to the animals. “My father and ruler of all the gods, ZEUS, demands that I complete one final task if am to take my rightful place beside him on Mount Olympus. I seek great champions to aid me on this quest, yet all I find are puny beasts CLAIMING to be the heroes!” He turned to face them and placed his giant hands on his hips in a dramatic pose. “So, you leave me with little choice. You must PROVE your greatness to me!” Cornelius had heard enough. “We don’t have to prove ANYTHING to you!” squeaked the little warthog, wagging his trotter. “In fact, how do we know YOU are who you say you are, eh?” Hercules strode towards a rocky outcrop where two wildebeest stood minding their own business. He crouched down and threw his two big arms around the boulder. “If you have heard of me,” Hercules declared, “then you know I am the STRONGEST BEING that has EVER lived!” Then, with a great roar, he began LIFTING the enormous rock in the air, his face going a deep red as the veins in his forehead looked ready to pop.


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A ripple of applause rose from the entranced animals. “Bravo!” cried Felix. “I’m TOTALLY convinced!” Hercules performed a small bow, before hurling the boulder towards the lake. Julius was furious. “Can you PLEASE stop chucking animals about!!” he yelled. Hercules laughed as he flexed his muscles. “Calm down, zebra. Have I not just proved that I am indeed the mightiest in all the lands?” He placed a dusty hand on Julius’s shoulder. “And now, you must prove who YOU are!” “WE TOLD YOU! We’re not looking for any more adventures, so PUSH OFF! Besides, why should we listen to you anyway? What’s in it for us?” Hercules let out another of his deep guffaws. “What’s in it for YOU?!” he laughed. “IMMORTALITY!” “Immortality!” parroted Julius. “We don’t need your ‘immortality’, sunshine! Now sling yer hook!” Julius turned to Cornelius. “What’s ‘immortality’?” he whispered. “Immortality is where you get to live for ever and ever,” replied Cornelius. “A bit like a god.” Julius raised an eyebrow. “So what – you just don’t ever die?” “Not usually,” said Cornelius. Julius ran after Hercules, who had begun slowly striding away. “WAIT!” he called out. Hercules turned around with a smug smile. “Yes, Julius?”


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1) Based on the opening chapter, what do you think this book will be about? ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(1) 2) Would you help Hercules on his quest?

Yes

No

Explain your choice, using two pieces of evidence from the text to support your answer. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(2) Work with your partner to answer these questions:

3) What do you predict will happen if the animals refuse to help Hercules complete his task? ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(1) Work independently to answer these questions:

4) What does the last paragraph suggest about what Julius will say next? _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ Why do you think this? _______________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________(2)


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5) Use your predicting skills to talk about this picture with your tutor and partner.

What’s on the other side of the door? What is the girl holding in her hand? Why? How did she get to the forest? Who hung the lanterns in the trees? Where does the stream lead? Will the girl go back through the door or stay in the forest? What will happen next?


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Examples of ‘exploring’ questions and question stems: What does… tell you about…? Find and copy words from the paragraph that show it was… The writer uses words like… to describe…. What does this tell you about…? What other words or phrases could the author have used? Why did the author…? Why has the author used this word/phrase/sentence? How does the author create this mood/atmosphere? How do you feel about exploring questions?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7


Explore This week you will be focusing on examples of ambitious vocabulary and figurative language within the text. When you find them, you need to think about why the author made those vocabulary choices and how they give a certain meaning to the text. For example, an author could say that the water in a lake was ‘still and reflective’. However, for effect, they could describe the water as ‘like a sheet of glass’. This type of question is not very common in SATs papers but does require a lot of thought!

2g Identify and explain how meaning is enhanced through choice of words and phrases


you:

Identify word.

Read word within the

sentence/paragraph.

Think about the impact/effect that

the word has on the meaning.

Answer question.

Check answer.



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Let’s try some exploring questions:


‘Once upon a time, a hundred years ago, there was a dark and stormy girl. The girl was Russian, and although her hair and eyes and finger nails were dark all of the time, she was stormy only when she thought it absolutely necessary. Which was fairly often.’ 1) What do you think the author was trying to tell us when they described this character as ‘stormy’? ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ (1) Work with your partner to answer these questions:

‘…and I think of all those cold, grey Mondays when I had to make myself get up for school. I would force my legs off the mattress and I’d dress in a daze, unwilling to believe it was time to be upright again.’ 2) Find and copy two words or phrases that help create the impression that this character doesn’t like Mondays. 1)____________________________________________________________________________ 2)___________________________________________________________________________(2) Work independently to answer these questions:

‘It was an intensely hot July day; not a cloud appeared in the high blue vault of the sky. The trees, flowers and grass were all motionless for not even the gentlest breeze lingered in the air. The world had lapsed into a drowsy warm slumber; even the birds has ceased singing and nestled their way into the most shaded of branches of the great forest trees.’ 3) Find and copy three words or phrases that tell the reader the setting is sleepy and calm? 1)____________________________________________________________________________ 2)____________________________________________________________________________

3)___________________________________________________________________________(3) How do you feel about exploring questions now?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7



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Examples of ‘relating’ and ‘comparing’ questions: How does the character’s mood change throughout the text? What words would you use to describe the main character at the start and end of the text? Compare your book to another on the same topic. Which do you prefer and why? Does this story have a moral or a message? Explain how you know using the text. What caused the characters to change their actions? Would you like to read more books by this author? Explain your reasons. How do you feel about comparing and relating questions?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7


Relate These types of question do two things: Explain how parts of a text change an overall message or meaning. Say how characters or events within the story are similar to or different from each other or how a single character changes over the course of a story. There have only been three questions of these types in the past three SATs papers.

Compare

2f Identify/explain how information/ narrative content

is related and contributes to the

meaning as a whole.

2h Make comparisons within

the text

Following these steps in

the right order will help you:

Read question.

Identify the question type (when, where,

why etc.).

Identify main words in question.

Find the part of the text the

question relates to

(scan). Think about

how it relates to the whole

text.

Think about why it relates

to the text.

Answer the question.

Check you have

answered the question.



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Let’s try some relating and comparing questions:

White sharks are the dread of sailors in all hot climates as they constantly stalk our vessels in the expectation of anything being thrown overboard. Some sharks have been known to travel alongside one particular ship for hundreds of kilometres. One can only think about the poor sailors who have happened to fall overboard with these sea monsters present. Some species of shark grow to an enormous size, often

weighing hundreds of kilograms each. White sharks are the sailor’s worst enemy: they have five rows of razor-sharp teeth which are jagged like a saw. When the animal is at rest, the teeth lie flat in its mouth, but when they are about to seize their prey, the teeth are pushed up by a set of muscles. The white shark’s mouth is located under its jaw, meaning it must turn itself onto one side before it can grab anything with these enormous jaws. Work with your tutor to answer this question:

1) This description of sharks was written in 1852. Why might our understanding of sharks be different today? ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(2) Work with your partner to answer these questions:

2) How does the white shark compare with another deadly creature you know? ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(1) 3) Who do you think the author wrote this text for? ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(1)


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4) Find and copy a phrase where the shark is portrayed to the reader as dangerous. __________________________________________________________________________(1) Why is this effective in portraying danger? __________________________________________________________________________(1)

Henry slept well until a rosy light, flitering through the leaves, fell upon his face. Then he sprang up, folded the blanket once more upon his back and looked around. Nothing had come in the night to disturb him, no enemy was near and the morning sun was bright and beautiful. He no longer felt exhasuted and weary from his travels so far, as he had the previous evening. He resumed his journey, walking with long, swift strides that carried him at great speed. He knew exactly where he was heading – he coud picture it well, although the rest of the wilderness was strange and alien to him. The countryside here was rougher than usual and, as he advanced, it became yet more broken: range after range of steep, stony hills with narrow valleys between. He went on without hesitation for at least two hours and then stopped behind the great trunk of an old beech tree. He smiled. There it was, just ahead. 5) Draw lines to match each part of the extract with the correct quotation from the text. (1)

Setting …exhausted and weary from his travels so far…

Past events …range after range of steep, stony hills with narrow valleys between…

Action Nothing had come in the night to disturb him…

Character description

…walking with long, swift strides that carried him at great speed…

How do you feel about relating and comparing questions now?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7



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Exploring Africa Fiction:

The Fastest Boy in the World, by Elizabeth Laird

Where do you think the story might be set? Why is the child running? Where might they be going? Eleven-year-old Solomon loves to run! The great athletes

of the Ethiopian national team are his heroes and he dreams he will be a gold-medal-winning athlete like them. When his grandfather announces that he's going to take him to Addis Ababa, Solomon cannot believe his ears. A trip to the capital? As Solomon follows him through the big, overwhelming streets, his grandfather collapses. Solomon knows that getting help from his village is up to him. It's a twenty-mile run back home, and Grandfather's life hangs in the balance. Can the small, bare-footed runner with the big heart do it?

In my dreams I’m always running. Sometimes my feet fly over the ground and I’m sure that if I could just go a little bit faster, I’d take off and fly like an eagle. Sometimes my legs feel as heavy as tree trunks, but I know that I must go on and reach the finishing line whatever it costs. I’ve been running almost since I was a toddler. As soon as I could toddle, I’d stagger after my father as fast as my little legs would take me when he set out for the market on our donkey. “Solomon! Come back!” my mother would shout. I wouldn’t listen, so she’d have to run after me, snatch me up and laugh with me all the way home. That was how my childhood began. And I can remember, as clearly as anything, the night when everything changed. I was eleven years old. At least, I think I was eleven. In the countryside in Ethiopia, nobody takes much notice of how old you are. It was the end of the day, and the door of our house was firmly shut. It always made me shiver to think of the night outside. Not just because it was dark and cold, but because there might be a hyena or two, lurking in the darkness. I’ll have to explain what our family home was like in case you have never been to Ethiopia. It was round, like most other people’s houses up there in our cool highlands, and it had a thatched roof that went up to a point. There was only one room, with the fire burning away in the middle. It got a bit smoky, but it kept us warm and gave a glowing light. There was a screen at one end, and our animals lived behind it – at night, that is. In the daytime, of course, they were out grazing. Anyway, that evening Ma was stirring the pot of stew that was cooking over the fire. The smell was so good it was making me feel very hungry. “How old am I, Ma?” I said suddenly. I don’t know what put the idea into my head. “Let me see,” she said vaguely, dropping another pinch of red-hot pepper into the pot. I could tell she wasn’t listening.


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Abba (that’s what we called my father) was listening, though. He had just come in from his work out on our farm. He sat down on a little stool beside the fire, and I could see he was as hungry as I was. “You were born the year the harvest was so bad, and we had to borrow all that money from your uncle,” he said. Ma looked reproachfully at him. Abba blinked, and looked a bit guilty. “I wasn’t thinking,” he said quietly. “It was Hailu who was born that year.” Hailu was my older brother, but he died when he was little. Ma always sighs when anyone reminds her of him. Abba shot her an understanding look, then he scratched his head. “Oh no, I remember now,” he said. “You were born the year the magician came and turned my stick into a wand of gold.” I loved it when Abba was in his teasing mood. Konjit, my little sister, had been picking up the unburnt ends of twigs and throwing them on to the fire. Now, though, she stopped for a whole long minute. “Oh!” she said, her big brown eyes as round as the buttons on Grandfather’s cotton jacket. “A gold wand? Where is it?” I nudged her, just to show that I knew she was being silly, then had to pull her upright in case she toppled over into the fire. “It turned back into a stick again, just like that,” Abba said, giving me a sly look. “Anyway, it wasn’t that year. You were born just at the time when Twisty Horn had twins, only they didn’t turn out to be calves but a couple of chickens. You should have seen them! They went flapping about all over the place.” Everyone laughed, and even Grandfather, who had been sitting on the clay bench that ran right round the wall of the house, made a sort of rusty, wheezing sound that meant that he was laughing too, but Konjit didn’t even smile. She looked quite shocked. “Cows can’t have chickens for babies, Abba,” she said seriously. “Everyone knows that.” She falls for it every time. “You’re quite right, darling. Cows only have calves,” said Abba, pulling Konjit sideways so that she could lean against his arm. I could tell his teasing mood was over. He was too tired for much when the evening came. He’d been out working all day on the farm. “Supper’s ready,” Ma said at last. She fetched out the big enamel tray and laid a huge round piece of pancake bread on it. (Our bread is called injera, and it’s soft and thin and delicious.) Then she scooped spoonfuls of stew from the pot and set them out in front of each of our places. Grandfather stood up and walked over to join us by the fire. He sat down on the little stool that Abba had pulled up for him. “Solomon’s eleven,” he said. I’d forgotten by now that I’d asked about my age. It was my job to take the bowl and the little jug of water round so that everyone could wash their hands before they ate, yet I was too hungry to think about anything but food. No one said much while we were eating, but when we’d had enough Grandfather sat back on his stool and said again, more thoughtfully this time, “Solomon’s eleven.” I thought his mind was wandering, but it wasn’t. He suddenly squared his shoulders, pulled the


32

end of his thick white shawl away from his neck, as if he was too hot, and said, for the third time, “Eleven. Quite old enough. We’ll go tomorrow.” My parents went quiet. Ma froze with her hand halfway up to her mouth. Abba had pulled his little tooth-cleaning stick from his inside pocket. He froze too. “Go where?” whispered Konjit. She didn’t dare speak up in front of Grandfather. I knew she was burning to add, “Wherever it is, can I come too?” but she would never have been so disrespectful. I was glad she’d asked the question, though, because I was burning to ask it too. “To Addis Ababa,” said Grandfather.


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Define Retrieve These questions focus on two of the reading skills.

Can you remember what ‘define’ and ‘retrieve’ mean?

What strategies can we use to find information quickly without reading the whole text again?




1) When did Solomon first begin running?

___________________________________________________________________________(1)

2) How did Solomon’s father travel to the market? ______________________________________________________________________(1)

3) ‘Ma looked reproachfully at him…’ Which word is closest in meaning to reproachfully? Tick one.

disapprovingly

happily

calmly

respectfully


4) ‘… because there might be a hyena or two, lurking in the darkness. Explain two things that the phrase ‘lurking in the darkness’ suggests about the way

hyenas catch their prey. _______________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(2)

5) Write down two details you are told about Solomon’s home. ________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________(2)


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6) Find and copy a group of words that show that Konjit was excited by Abba’s story about the golden wand.

______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(1) Work independently to answer these questions:

7) What was Solomon’s job each dinner time? ______________________________________________________________________(1)

8) ‘I was glad she’d asked the question, because I was burning to ask it too.’ Give the meaning of the word burning in this sentence.

____________________________________________________________________________(1)

Can you draw what you imagine Solomon’s house looks like? Use details you’ve retrieved from the text to help you!


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Non-Fiction: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

What type of non-fiction text could this be? Why might someone want to ‘harness’ the wind? When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's

tiny village in Malawi, his family lost all of the season's crops, leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell. William began to explore science books in his village library, looking for a solution. There, he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land. This exciting memoir shows how, even in a desperate situation, one boy's brilliant idea can light up the world.

In a small village in Malawi, where people had no money for lights, nightfall came quickly and hurried poor farmers to bed. But for William, the darkness was best for dreaming. He dreamed of building things and taking them apart, like the trucks with bottle-cap wheels parked under his bed and pieces of radio that he would crack open and wonder, if I can hear the music, then where is the band? At dawn in the fields, William went to work in the maize fields, asking himself, as the huge trucks rumbled past, how does its engine make it go? “Pay attention where you throw that hoe!” his father shouted. “You’ll cut off your foot!” However, all his dreaming could not bring the rain. Without water, the sun rose angry each morning and scorched the fields, turning the maize into dust. Without food, Malawi began to starve. Soon William’s father gathered the children and said, “From now on, we must eat only one meal per day. Make it last.” In the evenings, they sat around the lantern and ate their handful of food, watching hungry people pass like spirits along the roads. Like food, money also disappeared with the rain. “Pepani,” his father said, “I am sorry. You will have to drop out of school. There is no more money to pay the fees.” Now William stood on the road and watched the lucky students pass, alone with the monster in his belly and the lump in his throat. For weeks he sulked under the mango tree, until he remembered the library down the road. He found science books filled with brilliant pictures and, with his English dictionary close by, he began to understand how engines moved those big trucks and how radios pulled their music from the sky. But the greatest picture of all was a machine taller than the tallest tree, with blades like a giant fan. A giant pinwheel? Something to catch magic? Slowly, the read the sentence aloud: “Windmills can produce electricity and pump water.” He closed his eyes and saw a windmill outside his home pulling electricity from the breeze and bringing light to the dark valley. He saw the machine drawing cool water from the ground, sending it gushing through the thirsty fields, turning the maize tall and green, even when farmers’ prayers for rain when unanswered. This windmill was more than a machine; it was a weapon to fight hunger.


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“That’s it…I will build electric wind,” he whispered. In the junk yard, pieces appeared like rusted treasures in the tall grass. A tractor fan, some pipe and nuts and bolts that required every muscle to remove. But as William dragged his metals home, people called out to him, “Only crazy people play with trash.” After many weeks, William arranged his pieces in the dirt: A broken bicycle, rusted bottle caps and a plastic pipe. Even a small generator that powered a headlight on a bike. For three days he bolted, banged and tinkered, while chickens squawked, dogs barked and neighbours shook their heads and asked, “What’s that crazy boy doing now?” His cousin Geoffrey and his best friend Gilbert soon appeared. “Can we help with electric wind?” they asked. “Grab your panga knife and follow me!” William said, and he took them into the forest where they swung their sharp blades into the trunks of the blue gum trees and they hammered them together to make the tower. Standing atop the tower, William shouted down to the boys, “Bring it up!” While the boys tugged and heaved, a crowd gathered below and gazed at the strange machine that now leaned and wobbled like a crazy giraffe. Some giggled, others teased, but William waited for the wind. Like always, it came. First a breeze and then a gusting gale. The tower swayed and the blades spun around and with sore hands, once slowed by hunger and darkness, William connected wires to a small bulb. The light flickered at first and then surged as bright as the sun. The crowd gasped and shuddered. The children pushed for a better look. "It's true!" someone said. "Yes," said another. "The boy has done it." “Tonga!” William shouted. “I have made electric wind!” As the doubters clapped and cheered, William knew he had only just begun. Light could not fill empty stomachs, but another windmill could soak the dry earth, creating food where once there was none. Electric wind will feed my country, William thought, and that is the strongest magic of all.


37

Define Retrieve These questions focus on two of the reading skills.

Can you remember what ‘define’ and ‘retrieve’ mean?

What strategies can we use to find information quickly without reading the whole text again?




1) Why do farmers in Malawi have to go to bed when the sun sets?

___________________________________________________________________________(1)

2) Write down two pieces of technology that interested William when he was a child.

___________________________________________________________________________(1)

3) Look at the paragraph beginning ‘…However, all his dreaming could not bring the rain.’ Find and copy two words that show how dry the land had become.

__________________________________ and _________________________________ (1)


4) Find and copy a group of words that show William felt upset when he watched the children going to school without him.

____________________________________________________________________________(1)

5) When did William first come up with the idea of building a windmill?

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________(2)

6) ‘For three days he bolted, banged and tinkered...’ What does ‘tinkered’ mean in this sentence?

______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(1)


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7) Who helps William to build the tower in the forest?

____________________________________________________________________________(1)

8) ‘While the boys tugged and heaved…’ What do the words ‘tugged’ and ‘heaved’ suggest about the size of the windmill?

____________________________________________________________________________(1)

Inside the outline of William, write words that describe him as a person. This includes

things about his personality, feelings and emotions. Outside the outline, write adjectives to describe what he looks like, what he has done, and about how others might see him.


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Non-Fiction: Facing Extinction: The Northern White Rhino

Planet Earth is home to five incredible species of rhinoceros, namely the white rhino and the black rhino, which live in Africa, and the Sumatran rhino, Javan rhino and Indian (commonly known as the greater one-horned) rhino, which all live within the tropical rainforests and swamps of Asia. About the Species These magnificent herbivores are the second-largest land mammal in the world after the elephant. They are known to weigh up to 2,500 kg, which is the same as thirty adult humans. They are named after the great horns which stick out from their snouts, as the word ‘rhinoceros’ literally translates from Greek as ‘nose-horned’. Despite their names, both black and white rhinoceroses are grey. Their difference is not their colour – it is the shape of their lip. The black rhino has a pointed upper lip suited to eating leaves and berries from trees, whilst the white rhino has a squared lip which helps it to graze. Rhinoceroses once roamed freely across Europe, Africa and Asia and there were estimated to be 500,000 of them alive at the beginning of the 20th century. However, this number has dwindled to approximately 30,000 globally, with very few surviving outside of national parks and protected reserves. Conservation Status All known animals worldwide are grouped according to their conservation status. This indicates means the number of them which still exist and their likelihood of becoming extinct in the near future. The different groups of conservation status are:


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At first, it may appear that the white rhino is the least endangered species of rhinoceros but this is not completely true. Within the white rhino species are two different types: the southern white rhino and the northern white rhino. Although they are very similar in name and appearance, the conservation status of these two groups could not be further apart:

Threats to White Rhinos Although they were once thought to be extinct, southern white rhinos now live happily in protected sanctuaries across Africa. However, the northern white rhino is thought to be entirely extinct in the wild, with the only two known rhinos living in captivity. The number of northern white rhinos has reduced because of two significant factors:

• Habitat destruction. The natural home of rhinos in Africa and Asia is being destroyed so that towns and cities can be built. • Poaching. Hundreds of rhinos are killed by poachers every year so that their horns can be sold.

Northern White Rhinos

Until recently, the last three northern white rhinos were kept at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. They were looked after by a specialist team of vets and protected from poachers by armed security guards.

Unfortunately, on 19th March 2018, the last male of the group, Sudan, became poorly. He had to be put to sleep to end his suffering. With no male northern white rhinos alive worldwide, there is little chance of any new off-spring. This means that the northern white rhinoceros could become extinct entirely before the year 2050. Although scientists are working hard to find a way of creating a future generation of northern white rhinos, time could be running out for one of the most majestic and extraordinary creatures on our planet.


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Define Retrieve Summarise Predict 2a Give/explain the meaning of words in context.


2c Summarise main ideas from more than one paragraph.

2e Predict what might happen from details stated and implied.


1) Which of these is not a species of rhinoceros? Tick one. (1)

Javan rhino

The greater one-horned rhino

The grey rhino The white rhino

2) Draw a line to match the northern white rhino to its age. (1)

Fatu

28

Najin

18

Sudan

45

3) How many Javan rhinos are left in the world?

___________________________________________________________________________(1)


4) Number the sentences from 1 to 5 to show the order they appear in the text. The first one has been done for you.

The Sumatran rhino is a critically endangered species.

1 Rhinoceroses can weigh up to the equivalent of thirty adult humans.

Fatu, a female northern white rhino, was born in captivity.

The number of rhinoceroses globally has dwindled to approximately 30,000.

The destruction of their natural habitat has caused a steep decline in the number of northern white rhinos.


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5) Explain the difference between the black rhino and the white rhino.

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________(1)

6) ‘….time could be running out for one of the most majestic and extraordinary creatures on our planet.’ Tick the word closest in meaning to ‘majestic’ in this sentence. (1)

magnificent friendly

strong gigantic


7) Explain two causes of the decline in the global rhino population.

______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(2)

8) Based on what you have read, do you think that northern white rhinos will become extinct?

Yes No

Explain your answer. ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________(2)


43

Write three questions, using the sentence starters above, for your tutor and partner to answer on the topic of rhinos.


44

Fire! Fire!

Fiction: How To Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Have you heard of this book before? What do you already know about the characters and the plot? Do you know of any other stories that have dragons as main characters?

Can Hiccup save the tribe – and become 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...

Long ago, on the wild and windy isle of Berk, a smallish Viking with a longish name stood up to his ankles in snow. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, the Hope and Heir to the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, had been feeling slightly sick ever since he woke up that morning.

Ten boys, including Hiccup, were hoping to become full members of the Tribe by passing the Dragon Initiation Programme. They were standing on a bleak little beach at the bleakest spot on the whole bleak island. A heavy snow was falling. “PAY ATTENTION!” screamed Gobber the Belch, the soldier in charge of teaching Initiation. “This will be your first military operation, and Hiccup will be commanding the team.” “Oh, not Hic-cup,” groaned Dogsbreath the Duhbrain and most of the other boys. “You can’t put Hiccup in charge, sir, he’s USELESS.” Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, the Hope and Heir to the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, wiped his nose miserably on his sleeve. He sank a little deeper into the snow. “ANYBODY would be better than Hiccup,” sneered Snotface Snotlout. “Even Fishlegs would be better than Hiccup.” Fishlegs had a squint that made him as blind as a jellyfish, and an allergy to reptiles. “SILENCE!” roared Gobber the Belch. “The next boy to speak has limpets for lunch for the next THREE WEEKS!” There was absolute silence immediately. Limpets are a bit like worms and a bit like snot and a lot less tasty than either. “Hiccup will be in charge and that is an order!” screamed Gobber, who didn’t do noises quieter than screaming. He was a seven-foot giant with a mad glint in his one working eye and a beard like exploding fireworks. Despite the freezing cold he was wearing hairy shorts and a teeny-weeny deerskin vest that showed off his lobster-red skin and bulging muscles. He was holding a flaming torch in one gigantic fist.


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“Hiccup will be leading you, although he is, admittedly, completely useless, because Hiccup is the son of the CHIEF, and that’s the way things go with us Vikings. Anyway, that is the least of your problems today. You are here to prove yourself as a Viking Hero. And it is an ancient tradition of the Hooligan Tribe that you should…” – Gobber paused dramatically – “…FIRST CATCH YOUR DRAGON!” Ohhhhhh suffering scallops, thought Hiccup. “Our dragons are what set us apart!” bellowed Gobber. “Lesser humans train hawks to hunt for them, horses to carry them. It is only the VIKING HEROES who dare to tame the wildest, most dangerous creatures on earth.” Gobber spat solemnly into the snow. “There are three parts to the Dragon Initiation Test. The first and most dangerous part is a test of your courage and skill at burglary. If you wish to enter the Hairy Hooligan Tribe, you must first catch your dragon. And that is WHY,” continued Gobber, at full volume, “I have brought you to this scenic spot. Take a look at Wild Dragon Cliff itself.” The ten boys tipped their heads backwards. The cliff loomed dizzyingly high above them, black and sinister. In summer you could barely even see the cliff as dragons of all shapes and sizes swarmed over it, snapping and biting and sending up a cacophony of sounds that could be heard all over Berk. But in winter the dragons were hibernating and the cliff fell silent, except for the ominous, low rumble of their snores. Hiccup could feel the vibrations through his sandals. “Now,” said Gobber, “do you notice those four caves about halfway up the cliff, grouped roughly in the shape of a skull?” The boys nodded. “Inside the cave that would be the right eye of the skull is the Dragon Nursery, where there are, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, three thousand young dragons having their last few weeks of winter sleep.” “OOOOOOOH,” muttered the boys excitedly. Hiccup swallowed hard. He happened to know considerably more about dragons than anybody else there. Ever since he was a small boy, he’d been fascinated by the creatures. He’d spent hour after long hour dragon-watching in secret. (Dragon-spotters were thought to be geeks and nerds, hence the need for secrecy.) And what Hiccup had learnt about dragons told him that walking into a cave with three thousand dragons in it was an act of madness. No one else seemed too concerned, however. “In a few minutes I want you to take one of these baskets and start climbing the cliff,” commanded Gobber the Belch. “Once you are at the cave entrance, you are on your own. I am too large to squeeze my way into the tunnels that lead to the Dragon Nursery. You will enter the cave QUIETLY– and that means you too, Wartihog, unless you want to become the first spring meal for three thousand hungry dragons, HA HA HA HA!” Gobber laughed heartily at his little joke, then continued. “Dragons this size are normally fairly harmless to man, but in these numbers they will set upon you like piranhas. There’d be nothing left of you – just a pile of bones and your helmet. HA HA HA HA! So… you will walk QUIETLY through the cave and each boy will steal ONE sleeping dragon. Lift the dragon GENTLY from the rock and place it in your basket. Any questions so far?” Nobody had any questions.


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quietly

enthusiastically feebly

kindly

softly

loudly

Define Retrieve Infer



2d Make inferences from the text. Explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text.


1) What is the name of the island where the story is set?

___________________________________________________________________________(1)

2) Find and copy two reasons why Gobber was feared by the young vikings.

___________________________________________________________________________(2)

3) Find and copy a word in the text that tells you the island was a cold and miserable place.

___________________________________________________________________________(1) Work with your partner to answer these questions:

4) ‘Gobber laughed heartily at his little joke..’. Circle the two adverbs that could replace heartily in the description above. (2)

5) How can you tell that Hiccup had not been looking forward to the initiation cermony?

____________________________________________________________________________(1)

6) Find and copy a word or phrase that shows that Wild Dragon Cliff was an unpleasantly loud and noisy place in the summer.

____________________________________________________________________________(1)


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7) True False

Dragons hibernate in winter

Limpets are a tasty snack

The tunnels that lead to the Dragon Nursery are narrow

A single dragon can eat a human

(1)

8) Why did Hiccup choose not tell the others about his dragon-watching hobby?

____________________________________________________________________________(1)

9) ‘The first and most dangerous part is a test of your courage and skill at burglary…’ What does this description tell you about the Vikings?

_____________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________(2)


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Can you invent your own fire-breathing mythical animal?

My Mythical Animal

This is a...............................................................................................................................................

It is ................................................................................. and .............................................................

It has got....................................................................................................................................wings

It has got..............................................................................................................................................

It eats...................................................................................................................................................

It lives in .............................................................................................................................................


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Historical Fiction:

The Great Fire Dogs by Megan Rix

Where do you think it is set? Who might the main character be? Does this remind you of any other stories you know?

Woofer is a loveable stray who works in the palace kitchen and Tiger Lily is the pampered pet spaniel of King Charles II. They come from very different worlds but this hasn't stopped them becoming the best of friends and looking out for each other. When Woofer finds himself in trouble, he has to escape the palace grounds and Tiger Lily isn't far behind him. It's not long before a new danger emerges – a great fire is sweeping across London destroying everything in its path. Can these two brave dogs survive the blazing fire and make their way to safety?

February 1666 On the snow-covered side of the River Thames, a red-faced man wearing a patched, woollen green coat and a grubby, rust-coloured waistcoat stood next to a wicker basket. Squashed inside the basket were six puppies. “Pups for sale!” the man shouted into the icy-cold air. He blew on his fingers. Next to him, a man was roasting chestnuts on a fire but the

dog seller couldn’t afford to buy any until he’d sold a puppy. He pulled the lid of the wicker basket beside him, reached into it and grabbed the first puppy by the scruff of its neck. “These little dogs were

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Primary Pupil English Workbook - Action Tutoring · 2020. 3. 23. · © Action Tutoring 2019 i English Passport Earn a stamp for each theme once you have ticked off all the activities!