Exercise: Narrative text

In the film "Example: narrative text", we read the first chapter about the girl. Now here's a new chapter where you will practice how to be an active reader. To arouse your curiosity start by using the strategy: predict. What do you think is going to happen now in this chapter? Why do you think that?

What emotions does this story bring up in you? Hh-hm... "The morning after, I had problems getting out of bed. I had lain awake for a long time that night, thinking about the girl. Was that really blood on her face? What was she doing at our cabin?

My mother came into my room at noon. "Are you still in bed? It's the early bird that catches the worm!" It's the early bird that catches the worm? What does that mean? Now it's time to use the strategy: Understand difficult words. What do you think the expression, "It's the early bird that catches the worm" means?

Why do you think that? Are you able to understand that because of the context? "Why don't we go to the lake for a swim?" mum asked. Okay! I said, hoping it might take my mind off the girl. The water was cool.

It was nice taking a dip. I swam among the white water-lilies. The feeling of unease that the night had left me with was starting to go away. I climbed up to my mother on the jetty. 'Look Mum!' I called out. 'Watch me dive.' " Ah... diving and swimming among water-lilies?

When did you last swim in a lake like that? How did it feel? If you think about these questions, you are using the strategy: Text connections, - text to self When you do that, you might be able to feel emotions similar to Charlie's. Think about: What is it that makes Charlie's feelings of unease disappear? Why do you think that?

How do you feel when you're swimming? "That was when I saw her! The girl! She was lying on the bottom of the lake! The white dress and the dark hair sort of wavered around her. I rubbed my eyes.

Was the girl really on the bottom? Yes, there she was!" Isn't it exciting! Try to keep that feeling but stop and think about what the characters and setting look like. Maybe you already see them before you? If not, try to imagine them.

Visualise. What do you see? " 'Well honey, are you gonna dive?' Mum wondered. I looked into the water once more. Dare I? What if the girl was lying there, dead?

But what if she was alive and I could save her? Then we certainly would become good friends. I dived in clumsily, with no thought of making it a clean dive for mum. It was difficult seeing anything in the water but there she was! I reached out my hand to pull on the white fabric.

It broke apart. I looked in my hand. It was full of white leaves from the water-lilies. When I looked for the girl again, I could only see more white leaves and black lake grass - sort of waving in the water. The girl was gone.

Maybe she was never there?" Now try reading between the lines to reflect about what isn't spelled out in the text. Why doesn't Charlie care anymore to show her mother a clean dive into the water? Why do you think that? And why does Charlie doubt that the girl ever was there? What does she believe happened?

When the chapter ends, stop and reflect: What has happened? Why is this happening? Why do I think that? Are you getting a grasp of how to read actively? Then you are ready for deeper reading experiences.