‘Take Note!’ Manual
OVERVIEW
The ‘Take Note!’ program has been designed as a curriculum resource for teachers to assist upper primary
students improve their ability to take notes and summarise both written and oral information presented to
them in the classroom environment. The program can be adapted into classroom programs with ease.
FOCUS
This project focuses on building oral comprehension and note-taking skills in preparation for high school
and beyond. It uses basic frameworks such as the ‘who, what, when, where, how’ framework, and builds
on the children’s knowledge and skills in these areas and assisting them to learn how to utilize these
frameworks when dealing with more complex texts.
OUTCOMES AND INDICATORS
Syllabus Outcomes
TS2.1
 Listens to a variety of less familiar contemporary literary texts.
TS2.4
 Recognises the main organisational structures of spoken text types.
TS3.1
 Listens to and notes key ideas and information.
TS3.2
 Listens to oral presentation and summarises main points.
 Listens in group discussions and records key issues.
 Takes notes from a range of spoken texts.
STEPS FOR USE
Working from the beginning to the end of this book, complete each activity with your class.
1. Explain to the children that they are going to be doing a note-taking activity, and that they each
need to collect a copy of a note-taking sheet (see Appendix for ideas), or other paper, and a pen or
pencil to write with.
2. Read out the chosen story slowly then again at normal pace.
3. Ask the class the questions that immediately follow the story.
4. At this point, the teacher can then choose to provide incentives to get questions right such as using
the provided class tally and ‘progress stickers’ to record the students progress each week.
NOTES
 The difficulty of the stories increases as the book progresses.
 Five evaluation stories, which are much longer than the other stories, are included. These can be used
to assess the students’ ability to effectively take notes that can be used to answer the listed questions.
 Teachers do not have to use all listed questions if time does not permit, but rather make a selection of
questions that may assist in the classroom.
Story #1
The Circus
The circus has come to town. Georgina is going to see the circus on Saturday morning. She is very excited
because, although she is six years old, she has never been to the circus before. Georgina’s big brother Tim
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
is going with her. Georgina does not want to be late because the clowns will be on first and they are her
favourite. Her baby sister Helen cannot go with them because she is sick.
QUESTIONS
1. What has come to town?
2. Who is going to the circus?
3. When is Georgina going to see the circus?
4. How old is Georgina?
5. How many circuses has Georgina been to?
6. Who is going with Georgina?
7. What is Georgina’s big brother’s name?
8. Which act does Georgina most want to see?
9. Who cannot come to the circus?
ANSWERS
The circus
Georgina
On Saturday morning
Six years old
None
Her big brother
Tim
The clowns
Georgina’s baby sister
Story #2
Down by the Rock Pools
Kate is nine years old and lives near the beach. On weekends, she likes to play in the rock pools near the
beach while being very careful not to fall in. She likes to look at all the little animals that live in the rock
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
pools. Can you guess what lives in those rock pools? There are crabs, star fish and lots of little fish that
swim around all day. Sometimes, Kate even sees a little octopus that hides in the rock cracks. But best of
all, Kate likes to watch the dolphins jump and play in the ocean as she walks home.
QUESTIONS
1. Who is the girl in this story?
2. What does Kate have near her house?
3. When does Kate go down by the rock pools to play?
4. How old is Kate?
5. What does Kate like to watch in the rock pools?
6. What does Kate sometimes see hiding in the rock pools?
7. Of all the animals, which ones does she like watching the best?
ANSWERS
Kate
A beach
On weekends
Nine years old
Crabs, starfish and little fish
Octopus
The dolphins
Story #3
I Can See You
Every afternoon at 5 o’clock Chloe goes for a ride on her scooter by the creek. Last Sunday afternoon Chloe
saw something. It was a platypus! It was swimming in the creek, so she knelt down on the bank to look
closer. When Chloe saw it again, she jumped on her green scooter and went home as fast as she could. She
couldn’t wait to tell her uncle, Trevor. They both hurried back and peered into the creek, but the platypus
had already gone back into its burrow.
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
QUESTIONS
1. Who is the girl in the story?
2. When does she go for a ride on her scooter?
3. What did she see?
4. When did she see the platypus?
5. Where was it?
6. Where did Chloe first go when she saw the platypus?
7. What colour was her scooter?
8. Who did she tell?
9. Where did the platypus call home?
ANSWERS
Chloe
Every afternoon at 5 o’clock
A platypus
Last Sunday afternoon
In the creek
Down to the banks
Green
Her uncle Trevor
A burrow
Story #4
To the Beach
On Friday’s Billy likes to go to the beach. He finishes school at 3:30pm and then catches the bus down to
the beach. When he arrives there he meets up with his two best friends named James and Sarah. James
and Sarah are brother and sister and live next door to Billy. The beach is a very popular place for the kids to
get together at the end of the week. At the beach the kids love to go swimming and surfing and when they
get tired they build sand castles. When the kids finish swimming and surfing Billy’s parents pick them up
and they all go and eat fish and chips for tea.
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
QUESTIONS
1. What is the boy’s name?
2. Where does he like to go?
3. When does he go there?
4. What time does he finish school?
5. How does he get to the beach?
6. Who does he meet at the beach?
7. What were their names?
8. How are the two friends related?
9. Where do they live?
10. What do the kids do at beach?
11. What do they do when they get tired?
12. What do they do when they are finished at the beach?
ANSWERS
Billy
The beach
After he finishes school
3:30pm
Catches the bus
His two best friends
James and Sarah
Brother and sister
Next door to Billy
Swimming and surfing
Build sand castles
Billy’s parents pick them up and
they go and get fish and chips
for tea
Story #5
The Funny House
Jack Luther is five years old. He lives with his Mum, his Dad, his baby brother John and his Aunty Mary and
Uncle Joe. They all live in a green and white Winnebago. Every time jenny’s Dad gets a new job, the whole
family has to move to another town. That means they move their house. When they move, Mum and Dad
pack everything away in the Winnebago while Jack looks after john. Then, it is time to hit the road. Jacks
aunty and uncle do the driving and everyone in the family think it’s funny that their house can go driving
down the road. Jack always feels ecstatic to be moving because of all the new friends he will make.
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
QUESTIONS
1. Who is the boy in the story?
2. How old is Jenny?
3. Who lives with Jenny?
4. What is her brother’s name?
5. How old is John?
6. What are his aunty and uncle’s names?
7. What do they live in?
8. What colour is the Winnebago?
9. When do they have to move the Winnebago?
10. Where do they move the Winnebago to?
11. Who packs everything n the Winnebago?
12. Who drives the Winnebago?
13. How many brothers and sisters does Jack have?
14. How do they move Jack’s house to a new town?
15. How does Jack feel when he moves?
16. Why is Jack ecstatic?
ANSWERS
Jack Luther
Five years old
Her Mum, Dad, brother, aunty
and uncle
John
He’s a baby
Mary and Joe
A Winnebago
Green and white
Every time Dad gets a new job
Another town
Jack’s Mum and Dad
Jack’s aunty and uncle
One brother
By driving it
Ecstatic
Because of the new friends he
will make
Story #6
The Monkey Clown
On Saturday Laura, Melissa and Emily went into a jungle. In the trees they saw two little spider monkeys
that were swinging and playing with each other. The monkeys were high up in the trees when one of them
started pushing the other and began to lose his balance. The children shouted, laughed and clapped
because they thought it was funny, except for the youngest Emily. She thought the monkey was going to
fall. The monkey did a somersault into the next tree and laughed and clapped because they had tricked the
children. The other two children needed to explain to Emily that the monkeys were only pretending and
that they were having fun.
QUESTIONS
1. When did the children go into a jungle?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
On Saturday
2. Who are the children?
3. How many children were there?
4. Where did the children go?
5. What kind of monkey was in the story?
6. Where were the monkeys?
7. What did one monkey do to the other?
8. How did the children react?
9. Who thought the monkey was going to fall?
10. How did the monkey get to the next tree?
11. Why were the monkeys happy?
Laura, Melissa and Emily
Three
Into a jungle
Spider monkey
High in the tree
Pushed him
Shouted, laughed and clapped
Emily
Did a somersault
Because they tricked the
children and were having fun
Story #7
Sammy’s Cars
Sammy is three and a half years old and his favourite things to play with are toy cars. He likes all types of
toy cars including racing cars, trucks, motorbikes and buses. If Sammy is really good for his Mum and does
all his jobs, she will buy him a new toy car when she goes to the newsagents on Friday. Sammy keeps all of
his cars in a green and blue toy box under his bed. He has a little sister named Polly who loves to come
into his room and play with him and his cars. Because Polly is only little she always makes a huge mess by
tipping all the cars out of the green and blue box. Sammy is teaching Polly how to pack up the toy cars
because if it’s not cleaned up Sammy will get into trouble.
QUESTIONS
1. Who is the boy in the story?
2. How old is this boy?
3. What toys does Sammy like to play with?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
Sammy
Three and a half
Cars, trucks, motorbikes and
buses
4. Who buys Sammy the new cars?
5. When does Sammy get a new car?
6. Where does he get the new cars from?
7. Where does Sammy keep his cars?
8. What colour is the toy box?
9. Who likes to go into his room and play with his cars?
10. What does his sister do in his room?
11. What is Sammy teaching Polly how to do?
His Mum
Friday
The newsagent
In a toy box under his bed
Blue and green
Polly
Makes a big mess
Pack up the toys
Story #8
The Ruined Birthday Cake
It was Caitlin’s birthday and she was turning 10 years old. Caitlin’s aunty Tracy made her a big chocolate
mud cake for her birthday. Chocolate mud cake was Caitlin’s favourite. Aunty Tracy put pink icing on the
top of the cake because it was Caitlin’s favourite colour. Just as aunty Tracy finished with the cake,
someone knocked on the door for Caitlin’s party so she went to answer it. When she got back into the
room she saw that Smokey the cat had jumped up onto the table and was licking all the pink icing off the
cake. Aunty Tracy yelled at Smokey and shooed him outside. She was furious. It was too late, the cake
had been ruined and aunty Tracy threw it outside into the chook pen.
QUESTIONS
1. Who was having a birthday?
2. How old was she turning?
3. Who made Caitlin the birthday cake?
4. What kind of cake did she make?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
Caitlin
Ten
Aunty Tracy
Chocolate mud cake
5. What did she put on top of the cake?
6. Why did Aunty Tracy leave the room?
Pink icing
Because someone knocked on
the door
Smokey
Jumped up on the table and
licked the icing off the cake
Yelled at it then shooed it
outside
Furious
Into the chook pen
7. What was the cat name?
8. What did the cat do?
9. What did aunty Tracy do to the cat?
10. How did aunty Tracy feel?
11. Where did aunty Tracy throw the cake?
Story #9
The Rescue
During the summer holidays Sally Johnson went for a big walk in the bush with her friend Paul. When she
was walking she saw a wombat lying beside a big log in the shade. The wombat tried to stand up but he
couldn’t. Sally could see that the wombat was injured and it had a sore front leg. Sally and Paul ran home
to find Sally’s Dad and tell him about the hurt wombat. Sally’s Mum called the RSPCA and told them about
the injured wombat. After lunch, Ray from the RSPCA arrived at Sally’s house in a green van. Sally took
Ray into the bush and showed him where she’d found the wombat. Ray thanked Sally for her help and
then took the wombat to the vets. Sally liked to call herself the Animal Rescue Girl after that.
QUESTIONS
1. Who is the girl in the story?
2. Where did she go for a walk?
3. When did she go for this walk?
4. What did she see on her walk?
5. Where did she find the wombat?
6. What was wrong with the wombat?
7. Who did she run home to tell about the wombat?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
Sally Johnson
In the bush
In the summer holidays
An injured wombat
Beside a big log in the shade
It had a sore front leg
Her Dad
8. Who rang the RSPCA?
9. Who came to help the wombat?
10. When did he come?
11. What did he drive?
12. What did Sally call herself after her day?
Sally’s Mum
Ray from the RSPCA
After lunch
A green van
The Animal Rescue Girl
Story #10
The Red Bike
Julie and Michelle were sisters. They lived in the country. Julie was nine, and Michelle was twelve years
old. At the end of the school year their Dad bought one red bike. “I could only afford one bike, girls.” On
Saturday afternoon, Julie and Michelle were playing outside. They both wanted a turn at riding the new
red bike to the park and back. They ended up having a big fight, and Julie started to cry. Mrs. Crabapple
from next door came over to the fence and shouted at the girls “stop fighting girls, or I will tell your
mother, and she’ll take the bike and put it away in the shed and no-one will get to have a turn!” This
worried the girls. They didn’t want to lose the bike and not be able to ride it, so they played scissors paper
rock. Michelle won and she got the first ride.
QUESTIONS
1. Who were the sisters in the story?
2. Where did they live?
3. How old was Julie?
4. How old was Michelle?
5. Who bought them the bike?
6. When did he buy the bike?
7. What colour was the bike?
8. When did the girls play outside?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
Julie and Michelle
In the country
Nine years old
Twelve years old
Their Dad
At the end of the school year
Red
On Saturday afternoon
9. Where did they want to ride the bike?
10. Who cried?
11. Who told them to stop fighting?
12. Who was she going to tell that they were fighting?
13. How did the girls feel about what Mrs. Crabapple said?
14. Who won the game and got the first ride?
To the park and back
Julie
Mrs. Crabapple
Their Mother
Worried
Michelle
Story #11
The Greedy Dog
Bruce was a little dog who lived on Ripplebrooke farm. His home was the kennel behind the hay shed. He
was very fat. He was fat because he ate so much. Bruce lived with five brothers and sisters and three
cousins, along with his mother and aunty. At eight o’clock every morning the farmer’s wife, Mrs. McCallum
would tip the dog’s food into their bowl. Bruce always wanted to be first to the bowl all the time so he
would push the others out of the road. His five brothers and sisters and three cousins would fight with
Bruce every time, but because he was so fat he could push them out of the way very easily. Bruce’s
brothers, sisters and cousins called him “Hoggy Dog”.
QUESTIONS
1. What was the little dog’s name?
2. What was the name of the farm where Bruce lived?
3. Where was his kennel?
4. Was Bruce fat or skinny?
5. How did Bruce get so fat?
6. Who did Bruce live with?
7. How many brothers and sisters did Bruce have?
8. How many cousins did he have?
9. What time did they all get fed?
10. Who brought the dogs their food?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
Bruce
Ripplebrooke farm
Behind the hay shed
Very fat
He ate too much
His brothers, sisters, cousins,
Mum and aunty
Five
Three
Eight o’clock every morning
The farmer’s wife, Mrs.
McCallum
11. Where did the farmer’s wife tip the dogs food?
12. Who would always try to be first?
13. What did he do to be first?
14. Who was always fighting with Bruce?
15. What name did Bruce’s family give him?
In the bowl
Bruce
Push his brothers, sisters and
cousins out of the way
His brothers, sisters and cousins
Hoggy Dog
Story #12
The Birthday Dinner
James and Simon are twins. Today they turn seven years old, and to celebrate, their parents are throwing
them a special birthday dinner. They have invited twenty of their friends and fifteen of their relatives. The
boys are very excited because they have never had a big birthday party before. They are even more excited
about all of the presents they will get and all of the food they will eat. This morning they helped their
mother put up the decorations including blue balloons and streamers and a rainbow coloured piñata filled
with lolly pops, red skins, whizz fizz and sour worms. After helping their mother they helped their father
make the party bags for everyone when they leave. For dinner, the boys wanted their father to cook them
some sausages and rissoles on the barbeque. Their mother made their favourite dessert, a Pavlova covered
with fresh fruit, and put seven candles on the top for them to blow out.
QUESTIONS
1. What are the twin’s names?
2. How old are they turning?
3. What are they doing for their birthday?
4. How many people have they invited all together?
5. Why are they excited?
6. When did they help their mother set up the decorations?
7. What colour were the decorations?
8. What was the piñata filled with?
9. What did they help their father do?
10. What did they have for dinner?
11. What did Mum make for dessert?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
James and Simon
Seven
Having a dinner
35
They have never had a birthday
dinner before and all of the
presents and food
This morning
Blue and rainbow
Lollipops, red skins, whizz fizz,
and sour worms
Make party bags
Sausages and rissoles
Pavlova covered with fresh fruit
Story #13
The Lost Puppy
Mr. Jones, the school Principal has a puppy called Molly. Molly is only eight weeks old and has white fluffy
fur and a black tail. Molly is very playful and loves going for walks. Last month Mr. Jones took Molly for a
walk at a park where there were lots of other puppies playing. At the park there was a cricket pitch that
was very wet and muddy. Naughty Molly jumped straight in the mud and rolled around. Mr. Jones was
talking to a friend and when he turned around he couldn’t see Molly anymore. He was very worried as
Molly was only little and knew she would be scared, so he looked all around the park. He called and called
then all of a sudden this little dog ran towards him. He looked at the dog and realised that it was Molly but
she was now brown as she had mud stuck all over her white fur. When they got home Mr. Jones had to
bath and scrub Molly until she was white again.
QUESTIONS
1. Who owns the puppy?
2. What job does Mr. Jones do?
3. What is the name of the puppy?
4. What colour is Molly?
5. Where did Mr. Jones take Molly for a walk?
6. When did he go for a walk in the story?
7. What part of the park was wet and muddy?
8. What happened when molly played in the cricket pitch?
9. Why was Mr. Jones worried?
10. What did Mr. Jones do when they got home?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
Mr. Jones
A Principal
Molly
White with a black tail
The park
Last month
The cricket pitch
Mud got stuck to her fur
Because Molly was only little
and she might get scared
Bathed and scrubbed her until
she was white again
Story #14
The Backyard
Ryan is seven years old and he has an older sister named Rebecca who is nine. Ryan and Rebecca live with
their Dad in a big old house in Summer Street. They love their house and their favourite thing about it is
that it has a huge backyard. When Ryan and Rebecca come home from school they have something to eat
and then they go straight into the backyard to play. There are lots of things that they can do in their
backyard such as climb trees and make cubby houses. These things are all fun but their overall favourite
thing to do is to make a bridge. Ryan and Rebecca get a long plank of wood from their Dad’s wood pile and
then they put it across the fishpond. They always play games about who can make it across the fishpond
the fastest. Ryan is always very careful now because one day he was running across the plank of wood and
he was going too fast and he fell in the water.
QUESTIONS
1. Who are the children in the story?
2. How old is the boy?
3. How old is the girl?
4. What sort of house do they live in?
5. Who do they live with?
6. What is the name of the street that they live on?
7. What size is their backyard?
8. What do the children do when they get home from school
9. What can the children do in their backyard?
10. What is their favourite thing to do?
11. Where do they put the plank of wood?
12. What game do they play on the bridge?
13. Who fell in the water?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
Ryan and Rebecca
Seven
Nine
A big old house
Their Dad
Summer Street
Huge
Have something to eat then go
to the backyard to play
Climb trees and make cubby
houses
Make a bridge
Across the fishpond
Who can make it across the
fastest
Ryan
Story #15
Ian the Tricky Dog
Jeremy went to the beach last Saturday with his aunty Miranda. He took his bucket and his spade. Aunty
Miranda sat down near the sand dunes, and Jeremy put his bucket and spade near her and ran down to the
water for a swim. While Jeremy was swimming, his aunty went for a walk along the beach looking for sea
shells to add to her collection at home. There was a dog on the beach called Ian. Naughty Ian decided to
dig a hole in the sand right near Jeremy’s bucket and spade. He dug really hard and really fast, and the
sand went flying out of the hole. It landed on top of Jeremy’s bucket and spade and covered it right up.
When Jeremy came back from his swim, he couldn’t find his bucket or spade anywhere. Then he saw Ian
the tricky dog digging in the sand and the big mound of sand where he had left his bucket and spade. “You
buried my things didn’t you Ian, you’re a tricky dog!” Jeremy kicked the mound of sand with his foot and
found his bucket and spade right underneath. Ian ran off to play on the other side of the dunes.
QUESTIONS
1. Who was the boy in the story?
2. Who did he go out with?
3. Where did they go?
4. Which things did Jeremy take to the beach?
5. Where did Aunty Miranda sit?
6. What did Jeremy do when he first arrived at the beach?
7. What did Jeremy do next?
8. Where did Aunty Miranda go?
9. When did Aunty Miranda go looking for sea shells?
10. What was on the beach?
11. What was the dog’s name?
12. What did Ian decide to do?
13. What kind of dog was Ian?
14. Where did all the sand go?
15. What did Jeremy see when he went to look for his things?
16. How did Jeremy find his things?
17. Where did the dog go?
ANSWERS
Jeremy
His aunty Miranda
To the beach
His bucket and spade
Near the sand dunes
Put bucket and spade next to
Aunty Miranda
Went down to the water for a
swim
Went for a walk along the beach
looking for sea shells
When Jeremy was swimming
A dog
Ian
Dig a hole in the sand
A naughty dog
On top of Jeremy’s bucket and
spade
The dog and the pile of sand
Kicked the mound of sand
Ran off to play on the other side
of the dunes
Story #16
Sports Galore
Harry and Emmett were both in Grade 6 at Lavington East Primary School. They were best friends. Harry
was twelve, and Emmett was eleven and a half. On Wednesday, Harry bought a football to school for them
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
to play with, and Emmet bought a cricket bat and a tennis ball. “Let’s play football at play time, and we can
play cricket during lunch,” said Harry. At recess, Harry got three goals, and Emmett scored four goals and a
point. “Well done Emmett!” said Harry as the bell rang to go back to class. He felt proud that his best friend
was so good at football. In class between recess and lunch, while they were doing some story writing Harry
looked out the window and saw that it had started to rain. “Oh No!” said he said to Emmett. “We aren’t
going to be allowed to play cricket at lunch time now…” “I hate rain!” exclaimed Emmett. Then he realized
something, “Wait a minute, what if we play inside in the gymnasium?”. “Oh yeah! What a great idea!”
Harry said. And so Harry and Emmett got to play cricket after all. Some of their classmates joined in too
and they all had so much fun!
QUESTIONS
1. Who were the two boys in this story?
2. How old was Harry?
3. How old was Emmett?
4. What day did they play football and cricket?
5. What did Harry bring to school to play with?
6. What did Emmett bring?
7. How many goals did Harry get?
8. How many goals did Emmett get?
9. How did Harry feel about Emmett’s football skills?
10. Who joined in with them when they were playing cricket?
11. Where did they play when it had started to rain?
ANSWERS
Harry and Emmett
Twelve
Eleven and a half
Wednesday
A football
A cricket bat and tennis ball
Three
Four (and a point)
He felt proud
Their classmates
The gymnasium
Story #17
Harry’s Holiday
On December 1st of every year Harry and his family go on a holiday. Last year they went to Canada. Harry
had never been overseas before so it was very exciting for him. When they were in Canada the most
exciting thing Harry did was go to Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls is a huge waterfall that is on the border of
Canada and America. When they were there they did a tour and walked behind the falls. They then got on
a boat and sailed into the falls. Harry said it was really loud and that he got really wet. He said it was the
biggest waterfall he has ever seen in his life and it looked really cool because it was shaped like a horse
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
shoe. When they finished at Niagara Falls they drove to Toronto and visited their aunty, uncle, and
cousins. They stayed with their relatives for 2 weeks. While they were there they did lots of fun things but
the most fun was when they watched an ice-hockey game. After the game they got to meet the players
and get their autographs. On the 20th of December Harry flew home to Australia, he was sad to leave his
relatives, but he had an amazing holiday and couldn’t wait to tell his friends about it.
QUESTIONS
1. When does Harry go on holidays?
2. Where did they go last year?
3. What was Harry’s favourite thing to see in Canada?
4. What is Niagara Falls?
5. Where are the falls?
6. What did they do when they were at the falls?
7. What did Harry say about the falls?
8. Where did they go when they finished at the falls?
9. Who did they visit?
10. How long did they stay with them?
11. What was his favourite thing he did with his cousins?
12. What happened after the match?
13. When did they fly home?
14. Who was he excited to tell about his holiday?
ANSWERS
1st December every year
Canada
Niagara Falls
A huge waterfall
Border of Canada and America
Walked behind the fall and went
on a boat into the falls
It was loud and it was shaped
like a horse shoe
Toronto
His Aunty, uncle, and cousins
2 weeks
See an ice-hockey match
They met the hockey players
and got their autographs
20th December
His friends
Story #18
The Angry Crocodile
One rainy afternoon a mother crocodile laid 10 eggs buried in a nest made out of dirt and long grass. She
buried them to keep them warm and safe from predators. The mother croc was very protective of her eggs
and hardly ever got off the nest even to get food and water. One morning the mother croc left to get some
food. While she was gone a sneaky fox started looming around the nest knowing that food was inside. The
fox knew that the he had to be quick otherwise the mother crocodile would return and eat him. So he
quickly but quietly started to make his way towards the nest, keeping an eye out for the mother. The fox
made it to the nest and his mouth started to water, he was looking forward to eating some food. Just as he
started to dig at the nest the mother crocodile saw what he was doing and leapt from the river. She
scurried as fast as she could up the river bank roaring at the fox. The fox saw the angry mother and
scrambled as fast as he could up the levy bank. Just as he reached the top the mother croc jumped up and
snapped at his tail and just nipped the tip of it. The fox let out a yelp and scampered of into the scrub. “I
don’t think that fox will be back” thought the mother.
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
QUESTIONS
1. When did the mother lay the eggs?
2. How many eggs did she lay?
3. Where did she lay them?
4. Why did she bury them?
5. How often did she get off the eggs?
6. Who was looming around the nest?
7. Why did he have to be quick?
8. What happened when the fox started to dig at the nest?
9. What did the mother croc do to the fox?
10. Where did the fox run?
ANSWERS
One rainy afternoon
10
In a nest made of dirt and long
grass
To keep them safe and warm
Hardly ever
The fox
He knew the mother croc would
return
Mother croc saw him, leapt
from the river, scurried up levy
bank, roaring at fox
Nipped the top of the fox’s tail
Into the scrub
Story #19
Sarah’s Awful Day
Last Tuesday Sarah got up at 7am and was getting ready for work which started at 8:30am. She always had
the same routine, which was; iron her clothes, have a shower, get dressed, have breakfast and lastly feed
her pet snake Tilly. Tilly was a Diamond Python and loved to eat mice. On this particular Tuesday Sarah was
playing with Tilly and forgot the time. It was 8:40 so she was running 10 minutes late for work. Sarah
quickly locked the house and jumped into her red car and started to drive to work. Sarah has to go through
seven sets of traffic lights on her way to work, and at everyone she got a red light. She was now running 25
minutes late. Sarah finally arrived at work, locked her car and ran to her office. Her boss Mrs. Jenkins was
not very happy and told Sarah she needed to be on time. Sarah was very sorry and told Mrs. Jenkins that it
would not happen again and went on with her work. At the end of her day, she went to drive home. When
she got to her car she realised that she had locked her key in the car and felt very silly. Sarah rang her
housemate David and he brought her spare set of keys to open the car. That night Sarah was glad to be
going to bed as she had had such an awful day and hoped tomorrow would be better.
QUESTIONS
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
1. Who is the girl in the story?
2. When did Sarah have an awful day?
3. What was Sarah getting ready for?
4. What was the first thing Sarah did in her routine?
5. Who was Tilly?
6. Why was Sarah running late?
7. What colour is Sarah’s car?
8. How many sets of traffic lights did Sarah go through on her way
to work?
9. How late was Sarah when she got to work?
10. How did Sarah get from her car to her office?
11. Who was Sarah’s Boss?
12. At the end of the day what did Sarah realised she had done?
13. How did she feel?
14. Who did Sarah ring?
15. Why was Sarah glad to be going to bed?
Sarah
Tuesday
Work
Iron her clothes
Her pet snake
Because she was playing with
Tilly
Red
Seven
25 minutes
She ran
Mrs. Jenkins
Locked her keys in the car
Very silly
Her housemate David
Because she had an awful day
Story #20
Gary the Goblin
Gary the green goblin lived in Toggle Valley. He lived with his family of 7 brothers, who were also goblins
and 2 sisters, who were fairies. Every Sunday the whole family would go to the valley market and stock up
on special plants, herbs and spices for the week. They use these ingredients for the special potions and
elixirs that they concoct in class during the week. Gary’s favourite teacher is Miss Gopler, who teaches how
to make potions. Gary has this class four times a week and every week they make a new potion. On the
first potions class of the week Miss Gopler teaches the students about a special potion recipe. On the
second day she brings in the ingredients for the potion to show the students what they must bring. On the
third day Miss Gopler makes the potion in front of the class so that they know what they have to do to
make it. Finally on the fourth day the students get to make the potion themselves. Gary gets very worried
on these days because sometimes people make the potions wrong. When the potions are made wrong
they can explode, some make a foul smell, and some turn a funny colour. One day Gary made a potion
wrong and the smell of mouldy cheese filled the whole school. On that day everyone had to go home and
got 3 days off school while it was being cleaned. Gary was so embarrassed and now he makes sure he pays
extra attention in class now so that it never happens again!
QUESTIONS
1. Where did Gary live?
2. Who was in his family?
3. Where did the family go every Sunday?
4. Why did they go to there?
5. What do they use these things for?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
Toggle Valley
7 brothers and 2 sisters
To the valley market
To buy plants, herbs, and spices
Potions and elixirs in class
6. Who is Gary’s favourite teacher?
7. What does she teach?
8. What happens in class on the first day?
9. What happens on the second day?
10. What happened on the third and fourth day?
11. What can happen when potions are made wrong?
12. What happened when Gary made the potion wrong?
Miss Gopler
Potions
Miss Gopler teaches a recipe
Miss Gopler shows ingredients
needed to make potion.
Miss Gopler makes potion in
front of class, then the class
makes the potion
They can explode, smell, and
turn a funny colour
It smelled like mouldy cheese,
everyone had to go home and
had 3 days off school
Evaluation Story #1
Daniel the Dragon Slayer
Daniel is 15 years old and lives in Dragon Valley. Dragon valley is found between two big mountains and it
is famous for the number of dragons that inhabit the area. There is said to be at least 5,000 dragons living
in lairs around the valley. Most of the time the dragons keep to themselves except for one dragon known
as Derazon. Once every month Derazon would fly into the village and terrorize the people but he was very
unpredictable and no one ever knew when he was going to come. He was orange and had huge wings
coloured green and blue. At the end of the last day of term three, Daniel and his friends were getting ready
to go to the town fair. They were very excited because at the fair there were going to be dodgem cars,
paintballing and heaps of rides. It had been a beautiful sunny day but on the way to the fair, the sky
turned grey and big thunder clouds were rolling in over the horizon. Daniel and his friends instantly
became worried as this type of weather could only mean one thing…Derazon! Just as they decided to run
home, Derazon came sweeping through the fair breathing fire and blowing up all the rides. People were
flying everywhere as Derazon knocked over the tall Ferris wheel and attempted to eat them. Daniel
decided that he could not run and hide and he had to do something to stop the dragon from terrorizing
their town. The people of dragon valley fled and soon there was no one to be seen. Daniel could feel
something hot on his neck and he turned around to find himself staring face to face with Derazon…..
QUESTIONS
1. Who is the story about?
2. How old is the main character?
3. Where does he live?
4. What is this town famous for?
5. What is the name of the meanest dragon?
6. What colour were the dragon’s wings?
7. When was the fair?
8. What activities were at the fair?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
Daniel
15
Dragon Valley
The number of dragons
Derazon
Green and blue
Last day of term three
Dodgem cars, paintballing and
9. Why were Daniel and his friends worried?
10. What did the dragon knock over?
11. What can the dragon do?
rides, Ferris wheel
Because the storm clouds were
coming which meant so was
Derazon
The Ferris wheel
Fly, breathe fire
Evaluation Story #2
Barry the Badger
Barry the Badger lived in a burrow in the Franklin Forest. He was 72years old and lived alone. He had lived
in the Franklin Forest his whole life; it was a very special place for him. One day when he was out looking
for berries he saw two men walking around that he had never seen before. His stood still and silently
listened to what the men were talking about. He couldn’t hear what they were saying at first but he
noticed that they were pointing at the trees and looking closely at them. He thought this was strange so he
edged a little closer so he could hear the men talking. As he got closer he could hear the men talking about
how nice the wood is and what great money it could make them. Barry’s heart stopped as he heard them
say this. Harry had a burrow once before in this forest but it was destroyed because humans started to
take away the trees and tear up the land. This was a very sad time for Barry as many of his friends and
family were killed. Barry decided he had to do something. He quickly snuck away to alert his friends. By the
end of the day Barry had alerted nearly half of the Forest about what he had heard. Over the next couple
of days the Forest animals met to devise a plan to stop the humans, when they came back. This day finally
came 3 weeks later. The humans appeared with their bulldozers and trucks and made their way up into the
Forest. Suddenly all of the animals appeared from their caves and burrows, until nearly the entire Forest
floor in front of the men was covered by animals. All of the animals started to growl and make their way
towards the men. The men began to feel uneasy and started to walk backwards, they then began to run,
and eventually all of the men were running as fast as they could to get out of the forest and back into their
cars. The animals’ plan had worked and they had scared the men away. Barry the Badger continued living
on in his burrow and the Forest was never disturbed again.
QUESTIONS
1. Who was Barry?
2. Where did he live?
3. How old was he?
4. Who did he live with?
5. Why was the Forest a special place for Barry?
6. Who did he see when he was looking for berries?
7. What did he do when he saw them?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
A Badger
A burrow in the Franklin Forest
72 years old
No one
He had lived there his whole life
Two men or two strangers
Stood still and listened to them
talk
8. What did Barry see the men doing?
9. What did he hear the men say?
10. What happened to Barry in the past?
11. Why was it a sad time for Barry?
12. What did Barry decide to do?
13. When had Barry alerted half of the Forest?
14. What did the animals do for the next couple of days?
15. How long was it until the humans returned?
16. What did the humans come to the Forest with?
17. What did the animals do?
18. How did the animals react?
19. How did the men feel?
20. What did the men do?
21. How did the animals know their plan had worked?
22. What happened to Barry?
23. What happened to the Forest?
Pointing and looking closely at
the trees
How nice the wood is and how
much money it would make
them
His burrow was destroyed,
because humans had pulled up
the trees and the land.
His family and friends were
killed
Alert his friends
By the end of the day
Devised a plan to stop the
humans before they came back
3 weeks
Bulldozers and trucks
Came out of their caves and
burrows and covered the Forest
floor
They growled and made their
way towards the humans
Uneasy
Ran as fast as they could out of
the forest and back to their cars
The men were scared away
He kept on living in the Forest
It was never disturbed again
Evaluation Story #3
Come Back Peter, Come Back Paul.
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
Peter and Paul were two budgies who belonged to Mr Cornelli. Early one morning in the holidays, some
naughty children from the neighbourhood opened up the cage door and Peter and Paul flew out. The little
budgies had never been out of their cage before and they thought it was very exciting. They flew up high
above the house over the trees, over the fences and way over the river.
On the other side of the river was a park. In the park were some tall Blue Gum trees. Peter and Paul
landed in one of the big blue gum trees and began drinking the delicious honey out of the blossoms.
Suddenly, a big parrot began to shriek at them. “Stop eating my honey!” He tried to peck them to chase
them away from his gum tree. Peter and Paul were friendly little budgies and they had never met a nasty
big parrot before so they were very frightened. As fast as they could, they flew away from the gum trees.
Looking down as they flew, Paul spotted some long grass with heads of seeds. Grass seed was the two
budgies’ favourite food. The two budgies landed on the ground, pulled down a stem of grass each and
began gobbling the seeds. Suddenly, fat old Mrs Magpie saw the two strangers in the park. She was very
jealous of their beautiful blue and green feathers. She wanted some to make herself pretty so she
swooped down and began pecking at the budgies and tried to pull off their beautiful feathers. Poor Peter
and Paul, they flew up into the sky and fled from Mrs Magpie.
Just then, Peter saw some people having a picnic in the park. The budgies know that Mrs Magpie was
afraid of people because she was a wild bird. But the budgies were not afraid of people. So they flew
down onto the ground next to the picnic basket. “Look Dad!” shouted a big girl, It’s Peter and Paul!”
Mr Cornelli jumped up and grabbed the table cloth. Then he dropped it over Peter and Paul before they
flew away again. Then he took the two budgies back home to their cage. The budgies were very happy to
be back home in their safe cage where no more nasty birds could bother them. Just to keep them safe, Mr
Cornelli put a lock on the cage door.
QUESTIONS
1. How many budgies were in the story?
2. Who were the budgies?
3. Who did the budgies belong to?
4. Who opened the cage door?
5. When did they open the cage door?
6. Where did they come from?
7. How did the budgies feel when they flew out of their cage?
8. What kind of tree did the budgies find?
9. What did the budgies do in that tree?
10. Who shrieked at them in the gum tree?
11. What was the budgies favourite food?
12. Who saw them eating this food?
13. What did Mrs Magpie want from the budgies?
14. What colours were the budgies’ feathers?
15. Where did the budgies see people?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
Two
Peter and Paul
Mr Cornelli
Naughty children
In the holidays
The neighborhood
Excited
Tall blue gum trees
Drank the honey out of the
blossom
A big parrot
Grass seed
Mrs Magpie
The beautiful feathers
Blue and green
In the park
16. What were the people doing?
17. Where did the budgies sit?
18. What did Mr Cornelli grab?
19. Where did Mr Cornelli take Peter and Paul?
20. How did the budgies feel about being back in their cage?
21. What did Mr Cornelli do to the cage?
Having a picnic
Next to the picnic basket
The table cloth
Back home to their cage
Very Happy
Put a lock on the door.
Evaluation Story #4
Felix Finds a Home
Felix was a little space monkey who lived on a far away, cold planet. Because Felix was so little, there were
many things that he did not know. He did not know why he lived on the far away, cold planet. And, he did
not know why there were no other space monkeys living there for him to play with. “Well” said Felix on his
ninth birthday, “I might not know much about anything, but there’s one thing I do know. I know that I am
lonely and cold. So, I’m going to find a new home and some friends to play with. Now, travelling through
space there was another thing that Felix didn’t know much about. So, he waited until the stars came out
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
and then shouted up to the biggest star and asked his advice. “Can you tell me how I can travel through
space to find a new home and friends to play with, please star?”
“Why don’t you swing up on my starlight and sit here with me until we see a passing meteorite,” said the
biggest star, “then you can jump on and ride it till you see somewhere that looks good”. So Felix, being a
space monkey, could easily swing up on the starlight. Soon, they saw a little meteorite whizzing towards
them. “JUMP!” shouted the star, and Felix leapt onto it. “where are you going, meteorite?’
“To the moon that orbits the Earth,” said the meteorite. “Me too!” said Felix, who didn’t really know where
that was. They sped through space for a hundred days until Felix’s arms and legs became sore from holding
on so tightly. At last they landed on the moon. Felix was very sad because he couldn’t see any friends to
play with anywhere. So, he jumped off the meteorite, sat down on the ground and began to cry. “What’s
the matter, you sookie space monkey?”Asked the moon. Felix told him how lonely he was. “Well, why
didn’t you say so instead of crying? That’s easily fixed,” he said with a big chuckle. “Jump onto that big
moonbeam of mine and slide down it to the Earth. Don’t change beams halfway down. And don’t let go till
you touch the tree tops. We don’t want any accidents do we?’’
Straight away Felix jumped onto the moonbeam, shouted goodbye and slid all the way down until he
landed on a big Banyan tree. He looked down and saw that he was in the middle of a big green jungle. And
what do you think he could hear and see on the jungle floor?
QUESTIONS
1. What was the space monkey’s name?
2. Where did Felix live?
3. How many things did Felix know?
4. How old was Felix?
5. What did Felix want to go and find?
6. When did Felix decide to look for a new home and friends?
7. Who did he ask for advice?
8. When did he ask the big star for advice?
9. How did he get up to the big star?
10. What did they see whizzing towards them?
11. Where was the meteorite going?
12. How long did they speed through space?
13. How did Felix keep from falling off the meteorite?
14. Where did they land?
15. What did Felix find on the moon?
16. What did he do when he found there were no friends to play
with?
17. Who told Felix what to do?
18. When did Felix leave for Earth?
19. How did he get down to Earth?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
Felix
On a far away cold planet
Not many
Nine
A new home and friends to play
with
On his ninth birthday
The biggest star
When the stars came out
He swung up on the starlight
A little meteorite
To the moon that orbits the
Earth
One hundred days
He held on tight
On the moon
There were no friends to play
with
Jumped off the meteorite, sat
down on the ground and cried
The moon
Straight away
Slid down a moonbeam
20. What sort of tree did he land on?
21. What did the moon tell Felix not to do?
22. Where did Felix have to be before he could let go of the
moonbeam?
23. Where did he land on Earth?
24. What could he see and hear on the jungle floor?
Banyan
Don’t change moon-beams
halfway down and don’t let go
Touching the tree tops
In a big green jungle
Monkeys (not in text)
Evaluation Story #5
The Competition
On the weekends during Winter Carly and her family go to the snow. Carly is seventeen and her family
have been going to the snow since she was just a baby. Carly loves to snowboard but all of her family ski.
She decided to try snowboarding when she was eight years old and loved it. She has been snowboarding
ever since. Carly now competes and has won seven racing competitions in the past year. She enjoys racing
but her most favourite event to compete in are the jumps. Carly can do amazing tricks on her board such
as back flips, 360’s, 180’s and many more. It has taken Carly three years to master these tricks and this
weekend she is competing in her second tricks competition. Carly is very nervous for this weekend’s
competition.
Last year when she competed in the same competition she had a dreadful accident. As she was
approaching her first jump she heard a loud snap from her board. When she looked down she saw that
there was a huge crack across her board; she knew this wasn’t good. As she approached the jump she
began to panic but it was too late to stop. When she hit the jump her board snapped in two and she went
flying into the air. She knew the landing was going to be painful. She did two flips in the air and fell with a
thud. When she looked at the ground she saw blood and felt instant pain. Her family ran to her side and
after about two minutes the snow ambulance were putting her on a stretcher and transporting her to the
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
snow first aid. When she was in hospital she found out that she had broken her right leg and her right arm,
and had knocked out her two front teeth and one bottom tooth. Carly had to stay in hospital for four days
and had to attend the dentist for two weeks to make her new teeth. Carly’s arm and leg were in plaster for
eight weeks and her teeth were replaced after three weeks. Luckily, Carly was wearing a helmet which the
doctors said stopped her from getting any head or brain injuries. This year is extra special for Carly because
she is returning to the competition. She is nervous because of what happened last year but excited to be
having another chance this year. She has been practicing and practicing and feels that she has the chance
to win.
When the weekend came Carly was so nervous. She woke up Saturday morning at 5:30am and couldn’t get
back to sleep so she got up, had a shower and ate breakfast. She then waxed her board and packed her bag
ready for the day. As the rest of her family woke up she went for a walk to clear she mind. On her walk she
went to the jumps that she was going to be on that day and sat there for a while. She was thinking about
what happened last year but was giving herself encouragement for her competition later in the day. She
then walked back to her lodge and talked with her family. Carly’s competition was starting at 2pm in the
afternoon so her and her family made their way to the jumps at 1:30pm. While they were waiting Carly
talked to the other people in the competition to try and calm her nerves. At 1:45pm the announcer called
over the speaker that the competition was starting in 15 minutes. Carly’s stomach turned because she
knew that she was going first. When 2 o’clock came the announcer blared Carly’s name over the loud
speaker. Carly’s heart started to race as she approached the top of the jump. She strapped herself in and
stood up. Her time had come and she wanted to shine. She took a deep breath and slide down the slope.
She bent her knees and gained speed as she approached the first jump. She hit the jump and launched into
the air. She did a 360 as she flew through the air and landed effortlessly on the ground. The crowd roared
and cheered as Carly powered on. She hit the next jump and did a 180, landing smoothly and then sped
towards her last jump. Carly was full of excitement and confidence from the perfect jumps she had made.
All she wanted was to land the last jump and blow the crowd away. She flew towards the jump and as she
hit it she took a deep breath. She launched into the air and twisted herself backwards into a back-flip. As
she flipped through the air she came out of the position and looked towards the ground hoping that she
would land. The crowd was going crazy but her family was holding their breath feeling anxious. Carly
completed the back-flip and made the most smooth and perfect landing the crowd had ever seen.
Everyone, was cheering and clapping and jumping up and down, especially her family. They were so proud
of her because she had worked so hard towards this very moment and she had performed it with
perfection. Carly was ecstatic and she fell to the ground crying; she knew she had done well and was so
proud of herself.
Carly watched the rest of the competition and cheered for her friends. When the final person fished the
jump course the competitors had to line up at the end of the course for the announcement of the winners.
There were 11 people in the event so Carly knew that getting a placing in the competition would be tough.
The announcer started to call the winner of third place, Katie Mac, a roar went up. Carly’s heart started to
race even harder as he called out second place, Laura Bromley. Carly started to panic because she so badly
wanted a placing and it was looking out of reach. She knew she’d done well but wasn’t sure how she would
go. Then as the crowd went silent she her the name Carly Browne called over the speaker for first place.
The whole crowd went wild as Carly stood there in shock. She could not believe she had just won first
place. A huge smile broke across her face and she started to laugh and cheer as she made her way to the
podium. They handed her a huge trophy which she held high above her head. The crowd cheered and
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
clapped even louder as Carly stood there smiling about her accomplishment. After everything she’d been
through to be in the competition she’d won what she worked so hard for.
QUESTIONS
1. When do Carly and her family go to the snow?
2. How old is Carly?
3. How long has Carly’s family been going to the snow?
4. What does Carly like to do at the snow?
5. What does her family like to do?
6. When did Carly first try snowboarding?
7. What does Carly like to compete in?
8. How many competitions has she won in the past year?
9. What is her favourite event to compete in?
10. What tricks can Carly do on the snowboard?
11. How long has it taken Carly to master the tricks?
12. How many competitions will she have been in after this
weekend?
13. Why is she nervous for the competition this weekend?
14. What happened last year when Carly approached the first
jump?
15. What did she see when she looked at her board?
16. How did she feel when she approached the jump?
17. What happened when she hit the jump?
18. How many flips did she do in the air?
19. What did she see when she looked at the ground?
20. How long did the snow ambulance take to arrive?
21. What injuries did she receive from accident?
22. How long was Carly in hospital for?
23. How long was she attending the dentist?
24. How long did it take to replace her teeth?
25. How long were her arm and leg in plaster for?
26. What stopped Carly from acquiring a brain injury?
27. Why is this year extra special for Carly?
28. What time did Carly wake up on Saturday morning?
29. What did she do when she got up?
30. Why did she go for a walk?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
ANSWERS
Every weekend during Winter
Seventeen
Since she was a baby
Snowboarding
Skiing
When she was 8 years old
Snowboard racing competitions
Seven
Jumps
360’s, 180’s and backflips and
more
Three years
Two
Because she had an accident
last year
She heard a snap from her
board
A huge crack
Panicked
Her board snapped in two and
she went flying into the air
Two
Blood
Two minutes
Broken right leg and right arm
knocked out two front teeth and
one bottom tooth
Four days
Two weeks
Three weeks
Eight weeks
A helmet
She is returning to the
competition
5:30am
Had a shower, ate breakfast,
waxed her board and packed
her bag
To clear her mind
31. Where did she go on her walk?
32. What time did Carly and her family go down to the jumps?
33. Why did Carly talk to the other people in the competition?
34. Why did Carly’s stomach turn?
35. What was the first trick Carly did off the jump?
36. How did the crowd react?
37. What was the second trick Carly did?
38. What was the third trick Carly did?
39. Why was her family feeling anxious?
40. What did the crowd do when she landed?
41. Why did her family feel proud?
42. What did Carly do?
43. Where did they have to line up for the announcements?
44. How many people were in the event?
45. What were the names of the third and second place winners?
46. What place did Carly come?
47. What did Carly do when she heard she’d won?
48. What was she given?
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
To the jumps
1:30pm
To calm her nerves
Because she knew she was
going first
A 360
They roared and cheered
A 180
A back-flip
Because they wanted her to
land
Started cheering, clapping, and
jumping
She had worked so hard and
had performed the tricks
perfectly
Fell to the ground crying
At the end of the jumps course
Eleven
Katie Mac and Laura Bromley
First
She laughed and cheered
A trophy
Appendix
The following pages include examples of note-taking scaffolds that can be used by students not only for
the purposes of this program, but also other note-taking activities undertaken in the classroom.
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
Note-taking Scaffold #1
Story: …………………………………………………………………………………
Key words
Summary: ……………………………………………………………………………….......
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
Note-taking Scaffold #2
Topic: ……………………………………………………………………………………
Key words
Picture
Summary: ……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
Note-taking Scaffold #3
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
Beginning
Middle
End
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008
Note-taking Scaffold #4
Please take notes while we read the story. Listen carefully, and write down all the facts you hear.
 ____________________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________________
Now we will ask you questions about the story that you can answer below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Produced by the Riverina Schools Project Partnership, 2008