1 Over the River Blake trudged out of the river and plonked himself on the shore, cross-legged. He watched as the cold water flowed by and he submerged his hand to the wrist. He pushed it against the current, expecting to feel the resistance that would wrap around his hand like a glove. Only, his hand went through the water like it was smoke. He couldn't feel the cold or the pull of the current, or even the wetness. The water was going through him. It took a moment to register, like walking down the stairs in the dark and thinking there's one more step, and then he threw his body back onto the loamy grass as though he'd been stung. He scrambled across the grass, kicking tufts and small pebbles that plopped into the river. He backed up until his path was blocked by a willow tree. He let out a frantic breath and waited for his heart to slow down while his thoughts whizzed around his head like fireflies in a jar. What the heck was that? Why can't I feel anything? "Here again, boy?" called a voice from up high. "I thought you were done with me?" Blake squinted inte sun-dappled tree, his sight obscured by the elongated leaves and drooping branches. The voice had come from an older-looking man wearing a flat-cap and overalls. He perched on one of the branches, his arms dangling leisurely, mirroring the foliage around him. "Again? I've never seen you before. I've never been here." - QUESTION SELECTION BOX 1 Vocabulary (2a): Find a word that means 'plant leaves'. Retrieve (2b): Why does Blake move quickly away from the river? Summarise (2c): In no more than three sentences, summarise what has happened to Blake on page 1. Infer (2d): What is the weather like on page 1? How do you know? Predict (2e): Why do you think the water flowed through Blake? Link ideas (21): What impact does the speech on page I have on the story? Effect of language (2g): 'His thoughts whizzed around his head like fireflies in a jar. What does this phrase suggest about the way Blake was thinking? Compare (2h): Compare the ways Blake and the man in the tree react to one another's presence. Each question in this box is the first question in its respective section of the 'Questions by skill' sheet.
