Grey hair

Grey hair

Pencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about identifying a character's mood and justifying this with evidence from the text.
 
Read the story "Grey Hair", from School Journal Part 1, Number 3, 1996. 

Question 1Change answer

The statements below show what happened in the story.
For each statement, fill in either how Mum felt when each thing happened and/or all the things Mum did or said to show her feelings.
Some parts have been filled in for you.
 
a)  What happened?  Mum first noticed a grey hair.
     How did Mum feel? 
     What are all the things Mum did or said to show her feelings? 
She screamed.
 
b)  What happened?  Mum took hold of the grey hair.
     How did Mum feel? Determined
     What are all the things Mum did or said to show her feelings?
  •      
  •      

Question 1Change answer

c)  What happened?  Mum came home with the groceries.
     How did Mum feel? 
     What are all the things Mum did or said to show her feelings?
     She left the groceries on the table.
     She left the car for Dad to put away.
     She went straight to the bathroom.
 
d)  What happened?  Mum first noticed her hair was orange.
     How did Mum feel?
     Shocked
     What are all the things Mum did or said to show her feelings?
  •      
  •      
  •      

Question 1Change answer

e)  What happened?  Mum had orange hair for the next few days.
     How did Mum feel? 
     What are all the things Mum did or said to show her feelings?
  •      
  •      
f)  What happened?  Mum found another grey hair.
     How did Mum feel? 
     What are all the things Mum did or said to show her feelings?
  •      
  •      
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pen and paper or online (with NO auto marking).
A copy of the story is included as part of the resource, however you may also like to provide students with a hard copy.
 
Equipment:
"Grey Hair", story by Diane Foley, School Journal, Part 1, Number 3, Learning Media, 1996. GRL 8-9.
Copyright: 
Grey Hair was first published by Learning Media Limited in School Journal, on behalf of the Ministry of Education © Diane Foley, 1996.  Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holder.
Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
English, Making meaning, Reading
Key Competencies: 
Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
character, retrieval chart, School Journal, inference, evaluating, SJ-1-3-1996
Description of task: 
Students are asked to interpret the changing feelings of the main character in the School Journal story 'Grey Hair', and to provide evidence of these feelings by identifying the words and actions of the character. SJ-1-3-1996. Text not provided.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • infer ideas and information that are not directly stated in the text

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
Reading for literary experience, set 4
within the Reading Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 

 

Y7 (02/2002)

a)

  

Horrified/shocked/terrified.

moderate

b)

  

Any 1 of:

  • She clenched her teeth.
  • She pulled the hair out.

easy

c)

  

Any 1 of:

  • Determined.
  • Rushed/in a hurry.
  • Preoccupied/self-focused.
  • Upset/angry/grumpy/worried.

difficult

d)

   

She screamed.

easy

e)

i)

ii)

Embarrassed/ashamed/shy.

Any 2 of:

  • She wore a hat.
  • She wouldn't go out.
  • She kept washing her hair.

difficult

2 correct – moderate

1 correct – easy

f)

i)

ii)

Relieved/good/alright/okay/relaxed/accepting/happy.

She smiled.

easy

easy
Next steps: 

To move students from analysing into evaluating characters and how an author has constructed them, the following is suggested:

When she had orange hair, was Mum justified in not going out?(Use evidence from the text, and from your prior knowledge, i.e., things that have happened to you, things you have seen, heard, or read about, to support your thinking.)Has the author been successful in making Mum a believable character? Teachers may need to explain that "a believable character" is a character that is real  – a normal sort of person who has attributes that make her human.(Use evidence from the text, and from your prior knowledge, i.e., things that have happened to you, things you have seen, heard, or read about, to support your thinking.)

To evaluate another character from the same story:

What evidence is there that tells you Dad is not that interested in Mum's grey hair?(Use evidence from the text to support your thinking.)Was Dad justified in being uninterested?(Use evidence from the text, and from your prior knowledge, i.e., things that have happened to you, things you have seen, heard, or read about, to support your thinking.)Has the author been successful in making Dad a believable character? Teachers may need to explain that "a believable character" is a character that is real – a normal sort of person who has attributes that make him human.(Use evidence from the text, and from your prior knowledge, i.e., things that have happened to you, things you have seen, heard, or read about, to support your thinking.)