FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

LOOK CLOSER Weekly In-Depth Reading Comprehension

Ue 1 Iss

£1.20

8 – 14

266

201 JULY

than More

one

n millioers

read ek* we every

r kids

fo spaper kly new

ee The w g with

Workin

IN CRISIS AFRICA needed

lion ing £40 milldren fac for chi tion. starva

Kid

orts s supp First New charities children’s

18

ST THE LA

ER Y POTT HARR

FILM

liffe l Radc Danie iew ed interv ’t watchsince ven “I ha the films any of me out.” ca they

17

r! powe 2

FirstNews h kers. marc pop wor started their e lolli rs on and ed sav at 8am protesto

Can you: Find the facts? Interpret the information? Work out why the journalist wrote and presented the story in the way that they did?

18

ge help The colours ich Villa bright march in Dulw wearing have protest did not their Tuesday, signs. Reilly after le who e signs,” by Jill that kidss holding the peop orious h mad e sure “Even ed are vict the marc to mak unsafe time dren to join ren turn workersto cross at ents, from time L chil Clara li. 300 childh before g. a lollipop ted stud their pupils, Fatim said Kajumore than temp they help ry marc ratin safe on y and year five aren’t arato in the are celeb use In all, to keep Plucky , Kajuli Clae ’s Prep est them take part h and beca l schools, extra es Allen d the prot wska marc up to Now all of much really Falko from Jam nine locaschool. for the children ol. is not it’s a organiseout the “It da, scho idea of ich, to g Mali said: them and way Dulw found Clara of losin said: “Ourthe thought Doug, : to pay ” School, when they Clara at risk News cil fired use of h were coun per year ile cause. g First than marc tellin was becahurt if the workers hwh rtant ed, actions op wort a agre e impo lollip their getting and Bert.” to Peckham get rk s like jobs. Fatim really mor t to their now it look use Southwa the ey Helena even wen her mum waited “Is mon lives?” And beca it will keep . “We Clara with off h. year ren’s on paid said that it her marc stati child have we got Police for the for anot concerns cil has ission hour before Coun workers onboard the des perm for an lollipop take on and that inclu voice there she said. “We did munity d their an. adde signed,” com esm of the ren as they a spok need ” said the child paign, that they cam to the ren said The child

CRAZY BUT TRUE

Issue 266

8 – 14 jul

2011

news, pictu

res and

videos

go to www .firstnew s.co.uk/n

ews

RECORD THE WE OF EK

Most spo on

ons bal

anced

the face The most is 17 and spoons balanc ed on the was achiev (Canad face ed by a) on the Record set of lo Aaron Caissie , in Milan, Show Dei Italy, on 18 April 2009.

Cattle in vade tow n

HAvE you

‘herd’ abou

Residents t the cows surprised in the town which invad of ed a Wels through when they saw Tredegar were their windo cows h town escaping trampling ? ws, eating peering in on woman from a nearby The cows their front garde flowers and field. said: “We’re moo-ved delivered ns. used to One local into the whole cow.to our doorstep having milk town after but not the But peopl “ e were getting annoyed

A sting PBACK

8 – 14 JUL 2011

s

BUT TR UE

For mor e crazy

A HUM

ISSUE 266

FirstNew

CRAZY

whale

in the ta

Drew, aged knocked a teena his paren 13, was left ge boy with a broke unconscio the worst ts thought n collarb us in Austr one, and was hit when he a large by alia. bump on the family the tail as his head. watching were whale off New in their boat South The whale Wales. along the ’s tail swept the boy boat, hitting in the chest. Drew was rushed hospital to and wasn’t lookin later said: “I g too good but I’m all right now. “ his mum just whack said: “The tail sent him ed him and flying.”

with the roaming everyw here and herd. There’s cow they will the look into local council poo cow poo). have said it, They’re (the situation, hoof it. hoping not the the cows will

il Old bones A CAvE in contains Somerset thousandthe bones of from arouns of animals years ago. d 80,000

For info on this go to www.g record and uinnessworldhundreds more, records.com

QUIC CHUCKLK ES Q. Why don’t A. They skeletons like don’t have exams the guts. ? do you call a shortsighted dinosa A. J’think ur? hesaurus.

Q. What

Email us your jokes newsdesk@fi to rstnew s.co.uk

The Branw discovered ell cave was contains in 1825, and mamm oth, reindeer, bison and bear, It’s thoug wolf bones ht the bones . washed were into the of the ice cave at the end open to age. The cave is only the days each public on a few year.

SCHOO

Written

and illustra ted by Paul

Palmer

Cattle invade town HAVE you ‘herd’ about the cows which invaded a Welsh town? Residents in the town of Tredegar were surprised when they saw cows peering in through their windows, eating flowers and trampling on their front gardens. The cows moo-ved into the town

© First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

after escaping from a nearby field. One local woman said: “We’re used to having milk delivered to our doorstep but not the whole cow. “ But people were getting annoyed with the roaming herd. There’s

cow poo everywhere and the local council have said they will look into it, (the situation, not the cow poo). They’re hoping the cows will hoof it.

www.firstnews.co.uk

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES £1.20

2011 8 – 14 JULY

IssUe 266

n More tha

one

million

The week Working

with

ly newspa

T HARRY

THE LAS

CRISIS IN AFRICA

M

FIL POTTER

cliffe Daniel Rad w intervie watched “I haven’t films since any of thee out.” they cam

17

! id power

ed on need £40 milli ren facing for child . starvation

supports First News charities children’s

readers k* every wee

s per for kid

2

Weekly In-Depth Reading Comprehension

K

18

FirstNews

LOOK CLOSER

Issue 266

8 – 14 jul 2011

CRAZY BUT TRUE

For more crazy news, pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/news

workers.

p save lollipo ors started their march helped The protest st march at 8am on and h Village their prote in Dulwic bright colours ious after wearing by Jill Reilly Tuesday, are victor have kids signs. children did not sure that holding Clara people who to make times made signs,” workers “Even the five pupils, Fatima at unsafe lollipop the march and from d to cross Plucky year students, their time to join Kajuli Claey Preparatory aren’t tempte n turned e they help Falkowska, James Allen’s safe on said Kajuli. than 300 childre the protest to keep from and becaus before Malida, schools, organised the In all, more in the march ting. Dulwich, nine local out . School, the march n up to take part of them are celebra they found of losing way to school“Our idea for extra . Now all march when s were at risk t of childre much said: not school Clara is though worker “It a really e of the lollipop fired Doug, Clara said: them and it’s actions was becaus if the council to pay their jobs. it looks like their ark hurt per year getting News: And now because Southw the hile cause.” Bert.” m First and worthw Peckha off , telling keep Helena ant than went to have paid said that it will to get Fatima agreed more import r year. Clara even with her mum has really Council on for anotheconcerns “We waited “Is money workers Police station lives?” for the march. got it board the lollipop s children’s take on permission hour before we that include “We did an nity and voice there for added their of the commu ,” she said. n as they a spokesman. signed childre the ign,” said need to the campa n said that they The childre

SCHOOL

RECORD OF THE WEEK Most spoons balanced on the face The most spoons balanced on the face is 17 and was achieved by Aaron Caissie (Canada) on the set of lo Show Dei Record, in Milan, Italy, on 18 April 2009.

Cattle invade town

HAvE you ‘herd’ about the cows which invaded a Welsh town? Residents in the town of Tredegar were surprised when they saw cows peering in through their windows, eating flowers and trampling on their front gardens. The cows moo-ved into the town after

escaping from a nearby field. One local woman said: “We’re used to having milk delivered to our doorstep but not the whole cow. “ But people were getting annoyed

with the roaming herd. There’s cow poo everywhere and the local council have said they will look into it, (the situation, not the cow poo). They’re hoping the cows will hoof it.

A sting in the tail Old bones

A HUMPBACK whale knocked a teenage boy unconscious in Australia. Drew, aged 13, was left with a broken collarbone, and a large bump on his head. his parents thought the worst when he was hit by the tail as the family were whale watching in their boat off New South Wales. The whale’s tail swept along the boat, hitting the boy in the chest. Drew was rushed to hospital and later said: “I wasn’t looking too good but I’m all right now. “ his mum said: “The tail just whacked him and sent him flying.”

For info on this record and hundreds more, go to www.guinnessworldrecords.com

QUICK CHUCKLES Q. Why don’t skeletons like exams? A. They don’t have the guts. Q. What do you call a short-sighted dinosaur? A. J’thinkhesaurus. Email us your jokes to [email protected]

A CAvE in Somerset contains the bones of thousands of animals from around 80,000 years ago.

The Branwell cave was discovered in 1825, and contains mammoth, bear, reindeer, bison and wolf bones. It’s thought the bones were washed into the cave at the end of the ice age. The cave is only open to the public on a few days each year.

Written and illustrated by Paul Palmer

© First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

www.firstnews.co.uk

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

CRAZY BUT TRUE - READING COMPREHENSION £1.20 8 – 14

LOOK CLOSER Weekly In-Depth Reading Comprehension

Can you: Find the facts? Interpret the information? Work out why the journalist wrote and presented the story in the way that they did?

JULY 2011

IssUe 266

More than

one

million

18

FirstNews

CRISIS IN AFRICA

Working with

readers every week*

s

kid jul 2011 CRAZY BUT per8 – 14for newspa TRUE FILM RY POTTER For more crazy news, pictu res and video THE LAST HAR

The weekly

needed £40 million facing for children starvation.

Issue 266

s go to www.

iffe Daniel Radcl interview ed “I haven’t watchsince any of the films they came out.”

er! Kid Cpattolew invad 2

First News supports children’s charities

HAvE you

‘herd’ about

the cows Residents which invade surprised in the town of Tredega d a Welsh when they r were town? through escaping their windowsaw cows peering from in trampling s, woman said: a nearby field. on their front eating flowers and One local “We’re used The cows gardens. delivered to having moo-ved to milk into the town whole cow. our doorstep but not the after “ But people were getting annoyed

A sting in

A HUMPBACK

whale

e town

the tail

with the roaming herd. There’s everywhere cow poo and the local they will council have look into said it, (the cow poo). They’re hoping situation, not the hoof it. the cows will

Old bones

knocked Drew, aged a teenag 13, was left e boy uncon his parents with a broken scious in thought collarbone, the worst Australia. when he and a large was hit by bump on the tail as his head. the family were whale watching in their boat off New South . lollipop workers The whale’s Wales. march helped save started their A CAvE in tail swept protest march along the The protestors at 8am on Somerset boat, hitting s after their theare boyvictoriou in Dulwich Village bright colours and contains the bones in the chest. by Jill Reilly SCHOOL childrenDrew was wearing thousands of Tuesday, Clara kids rushed to of anima sure that five pupils, hospital and have ls holding signs. Plucky year Fatima workers to make unsafe times who did not from around later said: Claey and 80,000 ry “I lollipop to cross at “Even the people made signs,”years Falkowska, Kajuli wasn’t looking Preparato Allen’s ago. too good aren’t tempted help students, from the march James join but from to protest I’m they time the Malida, all right and because organised safe on their now. “ The Branwe turned said Kajuli. mum the School, Dulwich, his schools, to keep outsaid: than 300 children discovered ll cave was “The tail nine local they found In all, more whacke of losing before in 1825, and march when just in the march way to school. were at riskd him and contain the march part for sent workers take idea to him flying.” celebrating. s mammoth, lollipop Clara said: “Our thought of children up reindeer, bear, all of them are bison and extra of the school. Now their jobs. like their actions is not much It’s though wolf was because fired Doug, Clara said: “It And now it looks t the bones bones. hurt if the council and it’s a really Southwark them getting washed were because pay into the cave per year to Bert.” have paid off keep the Helena and of the: ice at the end cause.” said that it will to Peckham year. News worthwhile Council has Clara even went her mum to get telling First open to age. The cave is only on for another thanthe Fatima agreed, with lollipop workers board the concerns more important Police station days each public on a few “We waited on year. “Is money really “We did take for the march. got it permission ty and that includes we children’s lives?” hour before of the communi their voice there for an as they added n. said. the children signed,” she ,” said a spokesma to the campaign that they need said The children

Written and

illustrated

17

firstnews.c o.uk/news

RECORD OF THE WEEK

Most spoo

ns bala on the face nced

The most spoons balance is 17 and d on the was achieve (Canada) d by Aaron face on Record, in the set of lo Show Caissie Milan, Italy, Dei on 18 April 2009.

For info on this go to www.gurecord and hundred innessworldreco s more, rds.com

QUICK CHUCKLES Q. Why don’t skeletons like exams? A. They don’t have the guts. you call a short-sighted dinosau A. J’thinkh r? esaurus.

Q. What do

Email us your newsdesk@firs jokes to tnews.co.uk

by Paul Palmer

Carefully read the article ‘Cattle invade town’ and then answer the following questions: 1) In which country did cows invade a town this week?

2) Name two things the cows were spotted doing in the town?

i) ii) 3) In what different ways did the people who lived in the town react to the cow invasion?

4) Why do you think people reacted in these ways?

5) How would you react if cows invaded your street and why do you think this would be your reaction?

6) The first sentence of a newspaper report should tell as much of the story as possible. HAVE you ‘herd’ about the cows which invaded a Welsh town? How many of the five W questions (Who? What? Where? When? and Why?) has the journalist managed to include in the opening sentence in this article?

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

CRAZY BUT TRUE 7) How does the photograph help you understand the story?

8) Why has the journalist included a quotation in this article?

9) In the opening sentence the journalist used the word ‘herd’ as a pun. ‘Herd’ is a play on words – using both meanings of the homophone: herd meaning a group of cows and heard meaning to hear a sound. Find and write here another example of a pun in this article.

10) There are five jokes or puns in this article. Why does the journalist use so many jokes in telling this story?

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES A. Read and explore the rest of the Crazy But True stories.

18

FirstNews

Issue 266

8 – 14 jul 2011

CRAZY BUT TRUE

For more crazy news, pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/news

RECORD OF THE WEEK Most spoons balanced on the face The most spoons balanced on the face is 17 and was achieved by Aaron Caissie (Canada) on the set of lo Show Dei Record, in Milan, Italy, on 18 April 2009.

B. Can you find any more examples of jokes in the different articles and sections on this page?

Cattle invade town

C. In the story ‘A sting in the tail’, why are there no jokes in the main article?

HAvE you ‘herd’ about the cows which invaded a Welsh town? Residents in the town of Tredegar were surprised when they saw cows peering in through their windows, eating flowers and trampling on their front gardens. The cows moo-ved into the town after

escaping from a nearby field. One local woman said: “We’re used to having milk delivered to our doorstep but not the whole cow. “ But people were getting annoyed

with the roaming herd. There’s cow poo everywhere and the local council have said they will look into it, (the situation, not the cow poo). They’re hoping the cows will hoof it.

A sting in the tail Old bones

A HUMPBACK whale knocked a teenage boy unconscious in Australia. Drew, aged 13, was left with a broken collarbone, and a large bump on his head. his parents thought the worst when he was hit by the tail as the family were whale watching in their boat off New South Wales. The whale’s tail swept along the boat, hitting the boy in the chest. Drew was rushed to hospital and later said: “I wasn’t looking too good but I’m all right now. “ his mum said: “The tail just whacked him and sent him flying.”

D. Think of alternative headlines for the three main stories.

For info on this record and hundreds more, go to www.guinnessworldrecords.com

QUICK CHUCKLES Q. Why don’t skeletons like exams? A. They don’t have the guts. Q. What do you call a short-sighted dinosaur? A. J’thinkhesaurus. Email us your jokes to [email protected]

A CAvE in Somerset contains the bones of thousands of animals from around 80,000 years ago.

The Branwell cave was discovered in 1825, and contains mammoth, bear, reindeer, bison and wolf bones. It’s thought the bones were washed into the cave at the end of the ice age. The cave is only open to the public on a few days each year.

E. Have a look on First News’ website www.firstnews. co.uk for more news and how to join in. Written and illustrated by Paul Palmer

© First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

www.firstnews.co.uk/teachers

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

TEACHER ANSWERS AND ASSESSMENT FOCUS GUIDANCE

LOOK CLOSER Weekly In-Depth Reading Comprehension

1) In which country did cows invade a town this week? AF2 – understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotations and make reference to text L3 – identifying obvious points l Wales 2) Name two things the cows were spotted doing in the town? AF2 – understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or ideas from texts and use quotations and make reference to text Possible answers: L3 - identifying obvious points l Peering through windows l Eating flowers l Trampling on the grass 3) In what different ways did the people who lived in the town react to the cow invasion? AF3 – deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts Possible answers: L3 – Simple inference l ‘surprised’ and ‘annoyed’ (these words are used in the story) L4/5 – More complex inference l Some were surprised or annoyed, others found it funny (interpreting how the woman who was quoted must have felt) 4) Why do you think they reacted in these ways? AF3 – deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts Possible answers: L3 – Simple inference l Surprised to find the cows in their front garden l Annoyed with the roaming herd (repetition of vocabulary from text) L4/5 – More complex inference l Surprised because they didn’t expect to find the cows there. They usually live in the field but had escaped. l Annoyed because the cows were destroying the gardens, leaving cow poo everywhere and it could have been frightening for some people as cows are very large animals. They wanted the problem sorted out. l Amused because it was funny that the cows were out of place. You never usually see cows in gardens and in the street they are usually in fields. 5) How would you react if cows invaded your street and why do you think this would be your reaction? AF3 – deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts Possible answers: L3 – Simple inference l Examples repeated from the text or simple reaction with reason L4/5 – More complex inference l Detailed explanation with a reason based on their own situation or experience © First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

www.firstnews.co.uk/teachers

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

TEACHER ANSWERS AND ASSESSMENT FOCUS GUIDANCE

LOOK CLOSER Weekly In-Depth Reading Comprehension

6) The first sentence of a newspaper report should tell as much of the story as possible. HAVE you ‘herd’ about the cows which invaded a Welsh town? How many of the five W questions has the journalist managed to include in the opening sentence in this article? AF6 – identify and comment on writers’ purposes and viewpoints, and the overall effect of the text on the reader Possible answers: L4/5 – writer’s purpose clearly identified l The journalist includes three: Who? cows Where? Welsh town What? invaded l We don’t find out when and why in this sentence. 7) How does the photograph help you understand the story? AF4 – identify and comment on the structure and organisation of texts, including grammatical and presentational features at text level Possible answers: L3 – reference to being able to see the actual cows and street where the story happened l I can see the cows that escaped L4/5 – reference to the fact that the photograph contains extra information that it would be impossible to include in such a short article, or that it is able to sum up and tell the whole story in a visual way. 8) Why has the journalist included a quotation? AF6 – identify and comment on writers’ purposes and viewpoints, and the overall effect of the text on the reader Possible answers: L3 – shows understanding of what a quote is l The quotation is what the person said to them L4/5 – Identifies the purpose of putting the quote in the article l Adds authenticity l To give the viewpoint of the people involved 9) In the opening sentence the journalist used the word ‘herd’ as a pun – a play on words – using both meanings of the homophone: herd meaning a group of cows and heard meaning to hear a sound. Find and write here another example of a pun in this article? AF5 – explain and comment on writers’ use of language, including grammatical and literacy features at word and sentence level Possible answers: L3 – simple identification of a pun l The cows moo-ved into Tredgar after they escaped... l They’re hoping the cows will hoof it 10) There are five jokes or puns in this article. Why does the journalist use so many jokes in telling this story? AF5 – explain and comment on writers’ use of language, including grammatical and literacy features at word and sentence level Possible answers: L3 – Simple explanation of the writer’s intended effect on the reader l The journalist has used jokes to make me laugh L4/5 – Detailed explanation making reference to the story and the section of the newspaper l It is a silly story and an unbelievable event so the journalist wants to make the readers laugh even more. The writer can be funny because no one was injured and is choosing to look on the funny side of the event. Many of the articles or features in the Crazy But True section of the newspaper are included to make the readers laugh. © First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

www.firstnews.co.uk/teachers

FirstNews TEACHING RESOURCES

TEACHER ANSWERS AND ASSESSMENT FOCUS GUIDANCE

LOOK CLOSER Weekly In-Depth Reading Comprehension

Resource Explanation Look Closer is a resource designed to encourage pupils to look closer at one article in the week’s newspaper and analyse it in depth. Each week the questions will enable children to find the facts, interpret the information and work out why journalists wrote and presented the story the way they did. These questions are based on the assessment focus strands (AF2-7) which are referenced in the Teacher Answers along with suggested levels. The resource aims to assist Year 6 pupils in developing the essential reading comprehension skills of extracting and understanding information. It is a useful weekly SATs practice activity using topical real news to engage pupils.

Uses Ideal for: l guided reading l booster sessions l homework activities l whole class starters l cross-curricular functional skills practice l extension activities l individual assessment focus (AF2-7) teaching opportunities by focusing on one question in a plenary session l a handy record of pupils’ reading performance and ideal APP evidence

le to is availab e c r u o s o six or This re bscribe t News. u s t a h t schools of First ly copies k e e n pages w e r mo s of seve t is s n o c rsion of It usually wn-up ve . lo b a g ticle includin Closer ar the Look

© First News, Newsbridge Ltd.

Please p ass this r eso the Year 6 teache urce onto r or Liter Co-ordin acy a t o r if it is not appropr iate for t he year g you are c roup urrently teaching .

www.firstnews.co.uk/teachers