Grade 6 English Language Arts — Reading: why the writer wrote it

1.The coriander piece reads: "To grow coriander on a windowsill, fill a shallow tray with loose soil. Scatter the seeds thinly and press them down with your palm. Water the tray until the soil is damp but not wet. Keep the tray where the morning sun reaches it, and cut the leaves when they are the length of your thumb." Which of these does it NOT tell you?

• a) When to cut the leaves.
• b) How deep to plant the seeds.
• c) How wet the soil should be.
• d) Where to keep the tray.

2.The lake piece names a meeting place, a morning and what to bring, and ends "Bring a friend." Who is it written for?

• a) Scientists who study lake water.
• b) People near the lake who could come along on Sunday.
• c) Small children learning to swim.
• d) Shopkeepers who sell plastic bags.

3.Sort each sentence from the lake piece by what kind of sentence it is. "The lake behind the school has shrunk to half its size in ten years. Every plastic bag thrown into it stays there for a century. On Sunday morning, twenty of us will meet at the east gate with gloves and sacks. Bring a friend. The lake cannot clean itself."

4.Read this. "The lake behind the school has shrunk to half its size in ten years. Every plastic bag thrown into it stays there for a century. On Sunday morning, twenty of us will meet at the east gate with gloves and sacks. Bring a friend. The lake cannot clean itself." Why did the writer write this?

• a) To persuade readers to come and help clean the lake.
• b) To argue that the school should be moved elsewhere.
• c) To explain how lakes are formed.
• d) To describe a lake the writer visited long ago.

5.Put the steps of working out why a piece was written in the right order.

• Next, look at what kind of sentences it is made of — statements, instructions or questions.
• First, read the whole piece once through without stopping.
• Then ask what the writer wants you to do or think by the end of it.
• Last, check your answer against the piece itself, line by line.

6.Sort each piece of writing by why it was written.

7.The coriander piece tells you to press the seeds down with your palm. Why is that there?

• a) To tell the reader exactly what to do at that step.
• b) To persuade the reader that coriander tastes good.
• c) To explain why seeds are small.
• d) To describe the writer's own hands.

8.Answer in one word. The lake piece says a plastic bag thrown into the lake stays there for a hundred years. Which single word does the piece itself use for that length of time?