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SUMMER TEST 2: TRASH YEAR 6 NEW CURRICULUM READING COMPREHENSION TESTS

TrashFiction

Content domain focus: 2b retrieve and record information/identify key details from fiction and non-fiction2d make inferences from the text/explain and justify inferences with evidence from the text2f identify/explain how information/narrative content is related and contributes to meaning as a whole

Text summary The passage is taken from the opening of the novel Trash by Andy Mulligan.

The story features a group of three children who live and work on a rubbish tip in a tropical country (the inspiration comes from Mulligan’s time working in Manila in the Philippines). One day – my “unlucky-lucky day” as Raphael describes it in the novel – their lives are turned upside down by the discovery of a leather bag. It is the beginning of a dangerous adventure.

In this passage, Raphael, the central character, introduces us to the dumpsite, before the discovery of the bag.

Unit summaryThe passage is a first-person narrative, introducing a particular setting and a particular kind of life. The questions focus on the character of the narrator, the details of his life and the writer’s decision to use a first-person narrator. Because of the subject matter, readers are also asked to explain their own reaction to the passage and the life of the central character.

Teaching prompts • The passage will be far removed from the children’s own experience, so you may feel that some

context would be useful. One or two carefully chosen photographs could help, although care will need to be taken to avoid stereotyping poverty in developing countries.

Revisiting the text• Ask the children for their reactions to the passage. Ask: How old do you think Raphael is? (He is 14.) How

would you describe his life? How does he describe it? Are the two descriptions different? (Consider answers to questions 9 and 10 here).

• Look at the issue of narrative voice (question 8), and clarify what a first-person narrative is. Discuss a writer’s choices with them. What do they think are the pros and cons of first-person and third-person narrative? Use this discussion to look at the grammar of the passage, and the writer’s use of ‘non-sentences’ to mimic the voice of the narrator.

• Give the children the opportunity to try out both first- and third-person narrative themselves, so they become aware of the pros and cons of each approach, and of the choices open to writers.

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YEAR 6 NEW CURRICULUM READING COMPREHENSION TESTS SUMMER TEST 2: TRASH

Answers

1. eleven years [2b]

2. three years old [2b]

3. Behala; rubbish-town [2b]

4. a) White plastic is more valuable than blue.

b) A half-good tyre can be worth half a dollar.

c) A “dead” tyre can be used to hold down the roof of your house. [2b]

5. He doesn’t have any. You need to use your bare feet to feel items in the rubbish. [2b]

6. a) “as hard as hooves”

b) This is effective because we can imagine how hard this is by thinking of an animal like a horse or goat, and because it makes the point that the children of the dumpsite are made to act like animals to survive. [2g]

7. His greatest fear is getting sick. His most valuable possession is the hook he uses to turn over the rubbish. [2d]

8. A first-person narrative is a story told directly by one of the characters, using the pronoun “I”. I think the author has chosen to use this so that the characters can speak directly to the reader, in their own voices, which makes the story seem more dramatic and more believable. [2f ]

9. The adjective “miserable” is the only really inadmissible option, although “angry” mistakes the tone of the narrative.

Look for two adjectives, with well-argued reasons and examples, e.g. Practical, because he sees the rubbish as a source of income./Resilient, because he manages to survive in appalling conditions./Cheerful, because of the tone of the narrative. [2f ]

10. The children are free to choose their own adjectives, but should explain clearly the reasons for their choice, e.g. I feel angry that children have to live and fend for themselves like this. /I feel sympathetic because of what Raphael has to put up with./I feel lucky that I have a more privileged life./I feel guilty because we allow this kind of thing to happen. [2f ]

Assessment

Questions 1–5 require straightforward information retrieval.

Questions 6–10 call for greater reflection. In question 6, for example, the children need to identify both the hardness of the hoof and the link to animals for a complete answer. In question 7, the children need to interpret fear and value in order to identify the threat of sickness and the value of the hook as a tool. With question 8, accept any plausible explanation for the use of a first-person narrative – the key point is in the identification. With question 9, there need to be two choices, with well-argued and well-expressed supporting reasons. In answers to question 10, look for two adjectives with appropriate supporting comment; again these should be well argued and well expressed.

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SUMMER TEST 2: TRASH YEAR 6 NEW CURRICULUM READING COMPREHENSION TESTS

Next steps Questions 7–10 all require careful reading in order to make sure that all parts of the question are fully answered. This is a common failing in test situations, and this should be checked and followed up with the children here, as a reminder. It is also a good opportunity to clarify with the children when they should be answering in full sentences, and when they can limit their answers to single words or phrases.

Once they have tuned into the unfamiliar setting, the children should find the passage engages their sympathy. The final two questions provide a good opportunity to distinguish between how a character might feel and how the reader might feel about events, and how a writer might expect the reader to make that distinction.

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