Part 1 — Lessons (32)

1. Author's Purpose

Writers write for a reason — the author's purpose. Remember PIE: to Persuade, Inform, or Entertain.

An advert persuades, a news report informs, a funny story entertains.

Try this: A passage giving facts about turtles — what's the purpose? (To inform.)

2. Reading Room: The Fishermen of the Bay

🚣🌊

A longer passage — read and understand

Before dawn, the fishermen of the little bay pushed their wooden boats into the calm water. The sea was still dark, but a thin band of orange light was creeping along the horizon. They cast their nets wide and waited, listening to the gentle slap of the waves. By the time the sun had fully risen, their nets were heavy with silver fish. Tired but pleased, they rowed back to shore, where the whole village was waiting to help. 🚣🌞

Comprehension

What time of day does the passage begin? (tap to check)
Before dawn — the sea was still dark. 🌑
What was 'creeping along the horizon'? (tap to check)
A thin band of orange light — the sunrise beginning. 🌅
How do we know the fishing was successful? (tap to check)
Their nets were heavy with silver fish by sunrise. 🐟
How did the fishermen feel at the end, and why? (tap to check)
Tired but pleased — they had worked hard and caught a lot of fish.
Who was waiting on the shore? (tap to check)
The whole village, ready to help. 🏘️

💡 Tip: after reading, ask your child to tell the story back in their own words. Retelling builds comprehension.

3. Reading Room: The River and the Sea

🏞️🌊
High in the Blue Mountains, a small spring trickled between mossy stones. It grew into a stream that splashed down the hillside, gathering strength along the way. By the time it reached the valley, it had become a proper river, wide and purposeful. It passed through cane fields and villages, under bridges where children fished. At last it emptied quietly into the sea. The river had no name on most maps, but the people who lived beside it knew every bend and stone. 🌊
Where does the water begin? (tap)
High in the Blue Mountains.
What does 'purposeful' mean? (tap)
Moving with direction, as if it knows where it is going.
What do local people know that maps don’t show? (tap)
Every bend, stone and shadow — personal knowledge.

💡 Tap any underlined word to hear it.

4. Reading Room: Two Different Characters

👨👩

Compare and contrast

Nia walked into the classroom and immediately introduced herself to everyone. By lunchtime she had three new friends. Marcus came in quietly, found a seat near the window, and spent the morning watching. He did not say much, but by Friday he had noticed who struggled, who needed a pencil, who ate alone. On Friday he arrived with extra pencils. Nobody had asked him to.
How is Nia different from Marcus? (tap)
Nia is outgoing; Marcus is quiet and observant.
What does Marcus’s action tell us? (tap)
He is kind and thoughtful — he acts without being asked.

💡 Which character are you more like? Both are valuable.

5. Figurative Language: Similes, Metaphors and Personification

Writers use figurative language to paint pictures with words. Instead of saying "he ran fast", we say "he ran like lightning" — much more exciting! PEP loves to test these.

SIMILE uses "like" or "as" "brave AS a lion" "runs LIKE the wind" METAPHOR says it IS the thing "He IS a lion" "Her voice IS music" PERSONIFICATION objects act human "The wind whispered" "The sun smiled"
🔍 Tap to learn: Simile — the "like/as" test

A simile compares two things using like or as: "Her smile is like sunshine." "The mango was as sweet as honey." If you spot "like" or "as" in a comparison, it is a simile.

🔍 Tap to learn: Metaphor — no "like", no "as"

A metaphor says one thing IS another: "The classroom was a zoo." The classroom is not really a zoo — the writer means it was noisy and wild. Stronger than a simile because it does not just compare, it declares!

🔍 Tap to learn: Personification — things come alive

Personification gives human actions or feelings to non-human things: "The old car coughed up the hill." "Thunder grumbled in the distance." Cars cannot cough and thunder cannot grumble — but it makes the writing vivid.

🧠 Quick check

"The waves danced on the shore." Which device? Personification — waves cannot really dance; dancing is a human action.

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