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Group 2 – Book 4
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Group 2 – Oh, If I could But Shiver
Preface:
Welcome to our collection of comprehension activity books for early readers. I have
sourced public domain material for these books and have adapted and digitally
reconstructed them to fulfil the purpose of these books. In many cases I have
changed slightly the content or ending as I found some of them to be quite unhappy.
We all prefer happy endings ☺
Probably the single most important aspect of your child's early academic
development is learning to read and acquiring and sustaining a love of reading. Of
course any child's interest needs to be perked in order for them to want to read and
read and read and slowly progress from simple books with large illustrations and
words to longer books with fewer illustrations and smaller words. The journey to a love
of reading is rarely accomplished overnight, but once you have reached that
destination, a whole new world will open up for your child where he or she can visit
places only dreamed about, live in that beautiful castle, become friends with the
fairies and take a safari trip to Africa, perhaps even journey to the centre of the earth!
At the end of this story you will find notes for discussion and comprehension questions.
In groups 1, 2 and 3 I have no doubt that your child will require some assistance in
understanding the questions. This is where I encourage fun interaction between
educator and learner. It may be so that you will need to record their answers and
suggestions on the pages required. This subtle exercise will go far to show you in a
year or less how far your child has progressed and where his or her interests lie and to
enhance and encourage a love of reading. Positive interaction between you and
your child will make this a fun learning experience as he or she watches you do your
“homework”. Who said homeschooling isn’t hands on? ☺
You will be able to decide which questions and discussion points are appropriate for
your child. The purpose of this exercise is to establish the understanding of the story
and the concept and to enhance concentration, listening and reading skills.
I really do hope that you and your child enjoy doing these exercises as much as
Savannah, Clarissa and myself have enjoyed compiling them. I cannot stress enough
the importance of allowing your child to develop at his or her own pace. There is no
need to progress to a more advanced book, no matter how short, until you are your
child are quite confident that he or she has grasped the first story and that he or she is
quite comfortable with the discussion and questions that are an integral part of this
reading comprehension activity. As always I wish you and your child a most blessed,
fun and informative educational journey. ☺
The Nitty Gritty: We would love to hear your comments on this workbook. If you have a moment please
email your comments and suggestions to feedback@staidenshomeschool.com
The images in this unit are public domain material. This unit is provided on a NON-PROFIT basis and in
certain circumstances it is provided free of charge. This unit may NOT be sold on under any circumstances
by any unauthorised person or persons/individuals, companies/organisations or educational institutions, nor
may it or any portion thereof be uploaded to any website locally or internationally. Nor may it be
amended, altered, appended to, edited, and may only be used in its entirety and original format without
addition amendment or omission. Thank you for respecting international copyright laws. ☺ A Million thanks
to Cherry Carl (USA) for having been my inspiration in these works.
Donnette E Davis - First Published November 2008
© 2008 St Aiden’s Homeschool, Republic of South Africa
Post Office Box 13720
Cascades
3202
KwaZulu-Natal
Republic of South Africa
"Oh, if that be all," answered the boy, "I can very easily do
that! But if I learn so speedily what shivering is, then you shall
have my fifty dollars if you come again in the morning."
Then the boy went to the gallows, sat down, and waited for
evening, and as he felt cold he made a fire. But about
midnight the wind blew so sharp, that in spite of the fire he
could not keep himself warm. The wind blew the bodies
against one another, so that they swung backward and
forward, and he thought, "If I am cold here below by the fire,
how must they freeze above!" So his compassion was
excited, and, contriving a ladder, he mounted, and,
unloosening them one after another, he brought down all
seven.
Then he poked and blew the fire, and set them round that
they might warm themselves; but as they sat still without
moving their clothing caught fire. So he said, "Take care of
yourselves, or I will hang all of you up again."
The dead heard not, and silently allowed their rags to burn.
This made him so angry that he said, "If you will not hear I
cannot help you; but I will not burn with you." So he hung
them up again in a row, and sitting down by the fire he soon
went to sleep. The next morning the man came, expecting
to receive his fifty dollars, and asked, "Now do you know
was the most beautiful young lady that the sun ever shone
upon. And he further told him that inside the castle there was
an immense amount of treasure guarded by evil spirits;
enough to make any one free, and turn a poor man into a
very rich one. Many, he added, had already ventured into
this castle, but no one had ever come out again.
The next morning this youth went to the King, and said, "If you
will allow me, I wish to watch three nights in the enchanted
castle."
The King looked at him, and because his appearance
pleased him, he said, "You may make three requests, but
they must be inanimate things you ask for, and such as you
can take with you into the castle." So the youth asked for a
fire, a lathe, and a cutting-board.
The King let him take these things by day into the castle, and
when it was evening the youth went in and made himself a
bright fire in one of the rooms, and, placing his cutting-board
and knife near it, he sat down upon his lathe. "Ah, if I could
but shiver!" said he. "But even here I shall never learn."
At midnight he got up to stir the fire, and, as he poked it,
there shrieked suddenly in one corner, "Miau, miau! how cold
I am!" "You simpleton!" he exclaimed, "what are you shrieking
for? If you are so cold come and sit down by the fire and
warm yourself!"
As he was speaking, two great black cats sprang up to him
with an immense jump and sat down one on each side,
looking at him quite wildly with their fiery eyes. When they
had warmed themselves for a little while they said,
"Comrade, shall we have a game of cards?" "Certainly," he
replied; "but let me see your paws first."
So they stretched out their claws, and he said, "Ah, what long
nails you have got; wait a bit, I must cut them off first"; and so
saying he caught them up by the necks, and put them on his
board and screwed their feet down. "Since I have seen what
you are about I have lost my relish for a game at cards," said
he; and, instantly killing them, threw them away into the
water.
Note to Parents: Your child will probably need some assistance with the
questions, in explaining some of the phrases. Allow him or her to describe
their answer in detail. It may be beneficial to ask him or her to draw pictures
to illustrate the answer, or, if you prefer, it is fun to record the answers yourself
and refer back to them in a few months’ time. You will be the best person to
choose which questions are appropriate for your child.
QUESTIONS:
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3) Have you ever read another story that is similar to this? How were
they the same? How were they different?
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7) How are you like the main character? How are you different?
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13) Do you think something like this could have happened in real life?
Put a circle around your answer. ☺ Yes / No
1)
2)
3)
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9)
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14)
15)
What have you drawn in your picture? Can you describe it?
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Can you write your own story about a character in this book?
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