Tuesday
Tuesday 23rd September
CHAPTER 4
THE MONSTER
Edinburgh, December 1878
The knock on the door of Castlefoot Home for Lost Boys came at precisely five minutes to midnight.
At first, the call went unanswered. The man at the door waited patiently, flicking gathering crystals of falling snow from his shoulders. After a while, he took up his silver-topped cane and rapped hard on the door three times.
A minute or so passed before flustered footsteps could be heard from within, and the sound of jangling keys and heavy locks.
The door swung open.
The man inside was wearing a nightgown. He was stout and fat-necked, a neatly trimmed beard the only evidence of where the chin ended and the neck began.
“Can I help you?” he asked, frowning over a pair of spectacles. The visitor nodded. “I believe so. Are you the master of the orphanage?”
“I am,” said the master. “And who may you be?”
The man at the door, who had been standing a step below the master, stepped up, so that they were standing on level ground. He was much taller than the average man – over six feet in height, with powerful shoulders and a square-set jaw. His neatly cropped silver hair and goatee seemed to sparkle in the warm glow of the lamps. His eyes were cold, icy blue.
“I am here about the boy,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.
After a moment of hesitation, the master’s eyes widened.
1. How does the visitor behave while waiting for the door to be answered, and what does that tell you about his personality?
2. Why do you think the master of the orphanage is flustered when answering the door? What does this suggest about the setting or situation?
3. How does the author use description to make the visitor seem powerful or mysterious?
Read Chapter 8, 9 and 10
23.09.25
LC: To divide by 2-digit numbers
The wind howled around the edges of the old library, rattling the windows in their frames. Max pulled his coat tighter around him as he stepped cautiously between towering shelves of forgotten books. Somewhere in the shadows, a floorboard creaked. He stopped. Was someone there? He held his breath, heart thudding, as he listened to the silence pressing in around him. Then, from the darkness ahead, came a whisper. One word: "Run."
R - What did Max do with his coat?
I - Why might Max be in the library even though it seems abandoned or scary?
C - How does the author build suspense in the paragraph? Give two examples from the text.
Tuesday 23rd September
LC: To understand how to summarise a text by identifying the main ideas.
When summarising, you need to:
-
Identify key points in a paragraph or passage
-
Avoid unnecessary details and repetition
-
Use their own words to summarise
-
Write a short summary of a longer text
What is a summary?
A summary gives the most important ideas in a shorter version using your own words.
Mini Activity:
“On a bright summer morning, Sarah decided to take her bright red bike and ride it down to the village shop to buy some sweets with the pocket money her grandmother had given her.”
What is this sentence mostly about?
How could we say it in one sentence?
Model Text
Edinburgh, December 1878
The knock on the door of Castlefoot Home for Lost Boys came at precisely five minutes to midnight.
At first, the call went unanswered. The man at the door waited patiently, flicking gathering crystals of falling snow from his shoulders. After a while, he took up his silver-topped cane and rapped hard on the door three times.
A minute or so passed before flustered footsteps could be heard from within, and the sound of jangling keys and heavy locks.
The door swung open.
The man inside was wearing a nightgown. He was stout and fat-necked, a neatly trimmed beard the only evidence of where the chin ended and the neck began.
“Can I help you?” he asked, frowning over a pair of spectacles. The visitor nodded. “I believe so. Are you the master of the orphanage?”
“I am,” said the master. “And who may you be?”
The man at the door, who had been standing a step below the master, stepped up, so that they were standing on level ground. He was much taller than the average man – over six feet in height, with powerful shoulders and a square-set jaw. His neatly cropped silver hair and goatee seemed to sparkle in the warm glow of the lamps. His eyes were cold, icy blue.
“I am here about the boy,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.
After a moment of hesitation, the master’s eyes widened.
Your Turn Year 6
Task:
-
First, read and annotate the passage below
-
Then, write a 1 paragraph summary in your own words
-
Remember to focus on main events or ideas only
Edinburgh, January 1883
The carriage pulled up outside a row of townhouses, wheels skidding on the snow-packed street. Steam rose from two slick black horses as the coachman leapt from his seat and opened the carriage door.
A pair of passengers stepped down onto the frozen ground. First was Vindictus Sharpe. His striking blue eyes and neat silver hair and goatee flashed in the light of the snow-white city as he glanced around the familiar skyline running up the slope of the old town to Edinburgh Castle. Close on Sharpe’s heels was a young man, perhaps fifteen years of age. He was short and slight, dressed in a dusty grey pinstripe suit, messy waves of hair falling over a face halfway to becoming handsome.
Vindictus Sharpe paid the coachman without tipping him, and led his young companion up a slippery stone staircase. He rapped three times on the townhouse door with the silver handle of his cane.
The door opened almost immediately.
“How may I help you?” said the butler of the house.
“We are here to see Ms Birdie Sandford,” said Sharpe. “She is not expecting us, but I am sure she will not turn down the opportunity to catch up with an old friend.”
The butler looked at the pair for a moment. “Who should I say is calling?”
“Vindictus Sharpe. She will recognise the name. We shared the stage together for a while.”
The butler nodded. “Very well. Please wait here.”
The door closed. A light flurry of snow began to fall. Man and boy stood in silence.
Tuesday 23rd September
LC: To explain how we see things
