The night the lights went out

The night the lights went out

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about identifying the changing feelings of the characters in a story, then recording these on a graph.
Read the story, "The Night the Lights Went Out" in Junior Journal 23, then complete the tasks below.
a)  During this story Scott and Sarah felt happy at times and disappointed at other times.
     Complete the line graph below to show the ups and downs of the children's feelings throughout the story.
     Remember to write in the event or activity that caused the feelings.
 
graph of the children's feelings
 
b) Why did Scott and Sarah turn the lights off at the end of the story?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper.
 
Equipment: 'The Night the Lights Went Out', Junior Journal 23, Learning Media Limited.
 
Copyright: 
The Night the Lights Went Out - Text was first published by Learning Media Limited for the Ministry of Education. Copyright Vivienne Joseph, 2001. 
 
Source: Pages 27 - 31, Junior Journal No. 23, 2001. Text written by Vivienne Joseph with illustrations by Fraser Williamson.
 
Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
English, Making meaning, Reading
Key Competencies: 
Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
comprehension, junior journal, analysis
Description of task: 
The context of this task is a story about a power cut. Students identify the changing feelings of the children in the story and record these as a graph over time.
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
Making sense of text: processing system, set 4
within the Reading Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
 
Y6 (03/2002)
a)
Possible answers:
  • Lights went out/power cut (initial disappointment).
  • Made fire/warmed up.
  • Cooked/ate toast.
  • Listening to fire/Mum tell stories.
  • Playing shadow games.
  • Power back on (final disappointment).
  • Turned the lights off to continue playing games.

For example:

4 marks - difficult

3 marks - moderate
 
2 marks - easy
 
1 mark - very easy
b) Any response that indicates the children wanted to continue to do the activities they had done with Mum during the power cut. easy