Buttercup

Buttercup

Pencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about reading to find information and make inferences.
Read the play Buttercup by Margaret Schroder (Junior Journal 18, 1998) then answer the following questions.

Question 1Change answer

a)  In the play the burglars have been called "1st Burglar" and "2nd Burglar".
     What are their real names?
      and .

Question 1Change answer

b)  Where is the play set?
     

Question 1Change answer

c)  What are three things the burglars plan to steal from the house?
1.
2.
3.
 

Question

d)  In this play, what does the word "loot" mean?

    • Silver plates

    • Stolen goods

    • Jewellery

    • Weapons

Look at this part of the play.
 
1st BURGLAR  We must be hearing things.

STRANGE VOICE  (from off stage – slow and scary).

                                   Buttercup ... is ... watching ... you ...

1st BURGLAR  There it is again!

Question 1Change answer

e)  The words 1st BURGLAR and STRANGE VOICE have been written in capital letters.
     What does this show?

Question 1Change answer

f)  Some words have been written in italic letters. What does this show?

Question 1Change answer

g)  In the line "Buttercup . . . is . . . watching . . . you . . . ." dots have been put between the words.
     What do these tell the reader to do?
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper or online.
Copyright: 
Buttercup - Text was first published by Learning Media on behalf of the Ministry of Education © Margaret Schroder, 1998. Reproduced with permission.

Source: Junior Journal 18, Learning Media 1998.
Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
English, Making meaning, Reading
Key Competencies: 
Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
play, comprehension, text features, locate information, inference, junior journal
Description of task: 
Students read an extract from a play then answer retrieval and inferential questions. Text provided.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:

  • use comprehension strategies
  • recognise language features

as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.

Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Making sense of text: text structure, set 4
Reading for literary experience, set 4
within the Reading Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
 

Y6 (06/1999)
a)   Pete and Val. very easy
b)   In an (empty) house. very easy
c)   •   jewellery
•   silver dishes
•   video camera		 very easy
d)   Stolen goods easy

e)

i)

ii)

 

 

iii)

Any 1 of:

•   It shows which character is speaking/
     whose turn it is to speak.
•   These words are not spoken by the actors.

Any 1 of:

•   The words in italics are directions for
     the actors.
•   These words are not spoken by the actors.

Any 1 of:

•   To read slowly.
•   To pause between some words.

easy

 

 

moderate

 

 

difficult