Reading a story: who, where, what happened?
When we read a story, we ask questions: Who is in the story? Where does it happen? What happens first, next and last? Why do the characters do things? How do they feel? We find the answers in the text and use our own words. The book’s story is on pages 90 to 95: read it with a grown-up and ask the same questions. Do not copy any sentences. Here is our own story, ‘The Little Wooden Boat’. It uses the past simple, sequencing words and the words we learned. Read it twice: first for the story and then for the details.
| Question | Answer from our story |
|---|---|
| Who? | Tarek, Nour and Uncle Adel |
| Where? | a village by a canal |
| What happened? | The children built a boat with their uncle. |
| Why gloves? | To keep safe while they worked. |
| How did they feel? | proud and excited |
In the summer holidays, cousins Tarek and Nour stayed with their Uncle Adel, a carpenter, in a village by a canal. Uncle Adel had a big yard full of wood and tools. One morning Nour asked, “Can we build a boat?” Her uncle smiled and said, “Yes, but you must follow my instructions and wear gloves.” First, the children drew a plan on paper. Next, Uncle Adel cut the wood, and the children made it smooth. Then they painted the boat blue. After that, they waited two days for the paint to dry. At last, they carried the boat to the canal. It floated! Tarek and Nour felt proud and excited. They put on life jackets and sat in the boat with Uncle Adel.
Story questions. The child reads the story and answers in full sentences: Who built the boat? Where do the cousins stay? What did they do first? Why did they wear gloves? How did they feel at the end? Then the child makes two questions for a grown-up to answer.