Sci-Fi Story Stage 3 Comp Chapter 5 - Comprehension Pack.pdf

STAGE 3 Unit focus: Science Fiction Text focus: Narrative Chapter 5 - The Return “Oh boy,” Burroughs said over-dramatically, as soon as Edgar had finished embarrassing himself...

STAGE 3 Unit focus: Science Fiction Text focus: Narrative Chapter 5 - The Return “Oh boy,” Burroughs said over-dramatically, as soon as Edgar had finished embarrassing himself in front of the King. “I wish I could afford jewellery like that.” He finished by grabbing the knight’s hand and holding it aloft. As expected, the knight seemed shocked, although Burroughs couldn’t be sure through the solid metal helmet. He certainly pulled his hand away and started stammering. “Wait a minute,” the King bellowed. “That’s my bracelet! Take your helmet off and explain yourself, sire!” As he shouted, his face turned even more crimson. He reached out and began to shake the knight even as the poor man tried to remove his helmet. Now, all of the other knights had something to say. “I reckon he’s stolen my socks,” moaned one. “Some of the silver spoons have gone missing,” another argued. “I had a nice piece of cheese I was saving for advent,” another grumbled, “but now it’s gone. I blamed the rats, but I bet it was him!” “I’m just saying, they were nice socks,” the sockless knight mumbled, determined to make his point known. Quietly, Burroughs and Edgar edged towards the door. All of the knights were piling in on the unfortunate victim, and the door was wide open. Burroughs didn’t breathe until they stepped into the fresh air, and then it was only to get enough breath to dash back to the house. He half expected a chase, but none came. The plan had worked better than he’d expected, and they were soon clambering over the stone wall into the garden of the merchant’s house. The lid to the machine slid open easily. They dropped into the soft leather seats and closed it behind them. Just as Burroughs was spinning the dials, making sure to set the year, they heard the clatter of objects hi ng the side of the machine. “They’re attacking us!” Edgar yelled, curling up into a ball. Burroughs scowled at his cowardly master and finished his work on the dashboard. Just as the cacophony outside sounded like it was going to split the walls open, he hammered his fist down onto the red button. Lights flashed, bells rang and then, suddenly, it was silent. all resources ©2022 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com “You know,” Edgar said when everything stopped spinning, “I really wish you’d kept the bucket closer to you.” “Sorry,” Burroughs mumbled, wiping his mouth. “I’ll try to get better.” “It strikes me that we could just have gone back to last Christmas on our way home. We didn’t need to steal the bracelet at all,” Edgar mused as they packed the machine away for the night. “I suppose,” Burroughs conceded. “I needed to steal one bracelet. It made sense to take all three.” Edgar stopped what he was doing and stared at his apprentice. “Three?” “Well,” Burroughs smiled his cheekiest, pick-pocketiest grin. “We need a bit of money to finish the machine. I thought ‘nobody will miss it’. It’s solid gold!” He placed the third bracelet onto Edgar’s desk. “If you’re that worried about it, I’ll return it,” he said. Edgar looked like he was considering it before bursting into a chuckle. “I suppose we can always drop it back to William when we’re done with it!” “That’s King William to you,” Burroughs said, turning off the gas lamps for the night. VOCABULARY FOCUS 1. What word in the first paragraph tells you that Burroughs isn’t the best at acting? 2. Find and copy a word that means “up in the air”. 3. How do you know that the King was angry when he saw the bracelet? 4. Which word describes how they got into the garden? What impression do you get from this word? 5. Write a definition for “mused”. VIPERS QUESTIONS R What else was the knight accused of stealing? I What did Burroughs do on the journey back through time? P What do you think happened to the knight that they framed? P Give a balanced argument as to whether you think that this was fair or not. all resources ©2022 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com