Leprechauns - Stage 3 Comprehension PDF

STAGE 3 Unit focus: Mythical Creatures Text focus: Information Text Leprechauns There aren’t many types of fairy more well-known than the leprechauns of Ireland. However...

STAGE 3 Unit focus: Mythical Creatures Text focus: Information Text Leprechauns There aren’t many types of fairy more well-known than the leprechauns of Ireland. However, their history is long and winding. Many of the things you think you know about them might be hundreds of years old. Most people think of fairies as being twinkly and beautiful. In fact, lots of the different types of fairy were traditionally naughty. They o en played tricks on humans and caused lots of trouble. The leprechaun was no different. They weren’t always called leprechauns, either. Around 700 CE, there were many legends of water sprites called luchorpán. This means “small body”. These sprites mixed with the fairies of Ireland and would raid cellars for alcohol! There is also the possibility that the name comes from the Irish phrase “leith brogan”. This means shoemaker. Originally, leprechauns were cobblers, which is a type of shoemaker. Leprechauns are normally shown as being wrinkly old men. They nearly always were green now, but they originally wore red. They tend to wear big leather shoes or boots and a leather apron. They may or may not be wearing a pipe. Lots of these things were worn by traditional cobblers as well. One of the most famous legends of the leprechauns is about the pots of gold that they keep at the end of the rainbow. The leprechauns are a tricky bunch and love to play games with greedy humans. Their pot of gold is likely to just be a way for them to trap people and have their fun. Once, a greedy old man was wandering through a woodland when he grew lost. He heard the familiar tap, tap, tapping sound of the leprechaun’s hammer and knew that one was close. The leprechaun, being a trickster, didn’t try to hide and let the man find him. The man’s eyes lit up with greed - he had heard that leprechaun’s kept their gold hidden away. The man asked politely if the leprechaun had any gold. The fairy replied that it had, but that it was hidden. Seeing his chance, the man leapt at the leprechaun and grabbed him by the ankles. He all resources ©2020 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com promised to let the creature go if it shared its gold with him. The leprechaun laughed and said that it would. Once the man had been led to the tree that marked the treasure, he realised that he didn’t have a spade. He didn’t want to forget where it was, so he tied a ribbon around the trunk to mark the spot, and set off to get a shovel. Leprechauns are creatures of their word, even if they don’t always play fair. This particular fairy didn’t want to move his treasure, that would be dishonest. Instead, when the man returned, he found that the trickster had tied a ribbon around the trunk of every tree in the forest. Such are the tricks of the leprechaun! Over the centuries, the legend of the leprechaun has changed and taken on new forms. In all of them, the main warning is always that it is not worth trying to get rich quick or take what isn’t yours. RETRIEVAL FOCUS 1. When did the first stories of the leprechauns begin? 2. What colour were leprechauns originally dressed in? 3. What sound told the man that a leprechaun was near? 4. How did the man mark the tree? 5. Why did the man have to leave the tree? VIPERS QUESTIONS V Which word or phrase tells you that the man had heard the sound of the leprechaun before? S Which happened first: the old man tied the ribbon to the tree or the old man grabbed the leprechaun. I Why do you think leprechauns were dressed as cobblers? V What is “tend to” a synonym for? P What other tricks might leprechauns play on greedy humans? all resources ©2020 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com