Rising Water Stage 5 Comprehension Pack PDF

STAGE 5 Unit focus: The Titanic Text focus: Narrative Rising Water The shrill squeal of fear is the first thing I hear as I emerge from a res ul slumber. For a second or two, I can’t work out where the sound is coming from. Maybe it’s coming from somewhere in my own room; it is certainly loud enough...

STAGE 5 Unit focus: The Titanic Text focus: Narrative Rising Water The shrill squeal of fear is the first thing I hear as I emerge from a res ul slumber. For a second or two, I can’t work out where the sound is coming from. Maybe it’s coming from somewhere in my own room; it is certainly loud enough. But no, I take stock and rub my sleep-coated eyes. It’s coming from the other side of the door—not so much a single caterwaul as it is a mixed orchestra of pain, anguish and terror, combined into one gut-wrenching cacophony that reaches into my body and operates my limbs without any input from my brain. Stand. Dress. Open door. I go through the motions in less than a minute and immediately wish I hadn’t. I consider heading back to my bed and convincing myself that it is all a dream—a nightmare—and await my inevitable fate in peaceful obliviousness. Of course, I know I can’t do that. I have to fight. Information is scarce, and it’s hard to make sense of what I hear. There’s been a crash, or perhaps we’ve been attacked by war-ships. All people are sure of is that the hull of the ship has been breached and water is flooding in. The carpet is sodden underfoot, but at least it provides some form of grip. My mind flicks to those in third class, with their bare wooden floors: flooded and slippery. At least we can move around. How long that will last, I do not know. I push through the aimless throngs of fre ng mothers and stern fathers trying to make sense of the situation, and I head for the stairs that lead to the upper deck. I scramble over the body of a prone woman, her leg bent at an unnatural angle where she has slipped on the stairs. She’s with her family and a ship’s doctor —there is nothing I can add by standing around. If the panicked masses below deck were bad, they are nothing compared to the chaos I find as I step out onto the deck. The bizarre juxtaposition of the courageous band playing whilst the rest of the crew muster lifeboats stops me dead and brings bile to my throat. Whatever has caused the damage, it is inescapable— we are all heading to the bottom of the ocean at an alarming rate. Suddenly, the floor lurches, and I fall to my knees. Somewhere on the other side of the boat, somebody screams. A loved one fallen overboard? Or perhaps just a sinking realisation of the Rea und e um http://www.literacyshedplus.com C u r r ic ul Th all resources ©2020 Literacy Shed A ding ro predicament. I stagger to my feet and search for somebody, anybody, in a White Star jacket so that I might ask what on earth is going on. The ship is lurching almost continuously, now. I wobble and balance myself against the railings, and a wave of nausea washes over me. It’s not the movement of the boat that has made me sick, but the sight in front of me. Floating away, on savage waves, are the first of the lifeboats. Each one is designed to hold over 60 people, but the ones drifting in front of me are barely half-filled. The wretched first-class patrons have been shoved aboard and saved, of course. They’ve even had time to don their top hats and ermine shawls. If I’ve any chance of making it off this doomed ship, I realise I must act now. I must find the remaining lifeboats and take my place. But the overwhelming recognition that most of the women, children and others further down in the ship don’t stand a chance grips my heart. I know what I need to do. SUMMARY FOCUS 1. What is the character doing at the beginning of the story? 2. What is the first thing they do when they are woken? 3. Summarise how the character is feeling at the end of the story. 4. Why doesn’t the character stop to help the woman with a broken leg? 5. Why would third class passengers find it harder to escape? E V I R V VIPERS QUESTIONS What tense is the story written in? What impact does this have on you as a reader? Which word tells you that the people below deck are wandering around not knowing where to go? How does the character feel about the first-class passengers? How many people could fit in each lifeboat? Find and copy a phrase that tells you the character suddenly feels sick. all resources ©2020 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com