Haircut lament

Haircut lament

Pencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about finding information and making inferences.
Read the news story written by a Tauranga Girls' College student:
 
Amber Thompson has turned a bad haircut into a chance to be weird for the summer.
When the Year 12 student went for the chop, she wanted her hair "kind of like Billie Eilish's".
The hairdresser, however, did not know the style and simply cut Amber's hair short and layered.
"I just came home and cried my eyes out. It's so horrible!"
Amber didn't want to show anyone, so she wore a hat for a couple of days. Then she decided to put her hair in small clumps, and tied them with rubber bands.
"I don't care what anyone thinks. It's better than what it would be like without the rubber bands."
 
NIE, May 24, 1998 (modified).

Question 2Change answer

a)  Journalists often use the ideas of "Who?, What?, Where?, and When?" to help them identify ideas for a story. Write the answers to these questions from the story above. 
Who?         What? 
Where?     When? 

Question 1Change answer

b)  In what style did the hairdresser cut Amber's hair?

Question 2Change answer

c)  The article says that Amber "... went for the chop". What does this phrase mean?

Question 2Change answer

d)  What was the main reason the hairdresser could not cut Amber's hair in the style she wanted?

Question 2Change answer

e)  What are three adjectives that are more interesting than "unhappy" to describe Amber's feelings following her haircut?
  1.           2.           3.

Question 2Change answer

f)  Write a headline for the story that uses alliteration.
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper or online (without auto-marking).
Copyright: 
NIE, May 24, 1998.Copyright Fairfax Media 2007 reproduced courtesy of (The Sunday Star Times) and www.stuff.co.nz (modified 2024).
Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
English, Making meaning, Reading
Key Competencies: 
Thinking
Keywords: 
article, news articles, comprehension, inference, locate information
Description of task: 
Students use comprehension skills to answer a range of questions based on a newspaper story. Knowledge of adjectives and alliteration is also required.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • use comprehension strategies
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: processing system, set 5
within the Reading Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
  Y9 (04/1999)
a)
i) Amber Thompson
ii) haircut
iii) hairdresses/home
iv) summer
very easy
very easy
very easy
very easy
b) Any 1 of:

  • Went for a haircut.
  • Went to the hairdressers.
 very easy
c) Short and layered. very easy
d) Did not know who Billie Eilish was. very easy
e) Any 3 acceptable adjectives, e.g.,

  • embarrassed
  • upset
  • mortified
  • devastated
  • shattered
  • sad
 moderate
f) Alliteration evident, e.g., Amber's anguish. difficult