Building comprehension of 'The Sheep Pig' through rich discussions | English

Starter quiz

In 'The Sheep-pig', what does Farmer Hogget win at the fair?
- a sheepdog
- a piglet ✓
- a duck
What does Mrs Hogget say they are going to do with the pig?
- train it
- eat it ✓
- keep it as a pet
What was Fly teaching her puppies to do?
- Teaching them their names.
- Training them how to be sheepdogs. ✓
- Training them how to herd hens.
What did Farmer Hogget find when he came into the stable?
- Fly and Babe curled up together asleep. ✓
- Fly training Babe to be a sheepdog.
- Babe playing with Fly's puppies.
Why is Farmer Hogget surprised at the end of Chapter Two of 'The Sheep-Pig'?
- The pig is obedient and copies what Fly does. ✓
- The pig is very noisy.
- The pig manages to run away.
Order the following events from the opening of 'The Sheep-Pig'.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  Farmer Hogget goes to the fair and guesses the weight of the piglet.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  The vicar calls Farmer Hogget to let him know he has won the piglet.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  The piglet is put in the stables with Fly, the sheepdog and she calls him Babe.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  Babe curls up to Fly and he copies her actions, which surprises the farmer.

Which of these strategies are useful for building comprehension?
- discussion ✓
- inference ✓
- writing
- retrieving information ✓
Match the strategy to what it means.
- retrieving information
  
  ⇔
  
  skimming and scanning to find information from the text ✓
- inference
  
  ⇔
  
  using clues from the text to draw further conclusions ✓
- discussion
  
  ⇔
  
  talking to others about the meaning of what we have read ✓
In 'The Sheep-Pig', where do Fly's puppies go?
- To a new farm where they will learn to be sheepdogs. ✓
- To the fair to be sold.
- To a new home to be a family pet.
What is the name of the lame sheep that Babe encounters in the stables?
- Mum
- Ma ✓
- ewe
Why does Babe want to talk to Ma?
- He thinks he might be able to learn what might help him to be a sheep-pig. ✓
- He wants her to be his mum on the farm.
- He thinks she is funny.
Order these events from the story 'The Sheep-pig'.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  Farmer Hogget wins a piglet at the fair and brings him to his farm.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  Fly, the sheepdog, adopts Babe and looks after him.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  Babe asks Fly whether he can become a sheep-pig.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  Fly starts to teach Babe how to herd the ducks, but they do not listen!
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  Babe makes friends with a lame sheep called Ma.
- 6
  
  ⇔
  
  Ma tells Babe that being polite to the sheep would be a good thing to do.

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Skimming and scanning is a way to retrieve information accurately and quickly from a text.
Reading between the lines to search for clues can help to infer meaning.
Having rich discussions improves our understanding and offers opportunities for hearing different perspectives.
Drawing conclusions means using information from the text and personal experiences to deduce meaning.

Pupils may not understand the confusion between 'ewe' and 'you' on p. 33.

Ask the children to explain the confusion. If they do not know, explain to them that a 'ewe' is a female sheep.

Comprehension - Reading comprehension refers to our understanding of the text.
Retrieve - In reading, retrieve means to find information within the text.
Inference - Using inference means to draw conclusions from clues within the text.
Discussion - Having a discussion is the process of talking about something to exchange ideas.