Reading and Writing Stories
Primary 3 · English
Reading and Writing Stories
Lesson 1 of 3
13 min
It is Friday afternoon. Umutoni sits on the mat with a small book open on her knees.
She reads one line out loud. Then another. Soon her little brother stops playing and comes to listen, because a good story pulls people towards it.
Today you are going to read a story too — and then answer questions about it, all by yourself.
Read it twice. That is the whole secret.
The first time, read out loud, slowly. Move your finger under each word as you say it. Do not worry if you do not understand everything yet.
The second time, read it again and ask yourself two questions: who is in this story? and what happens to them?
Keza had a small brown goat. The goat's name was Nyampinga.
On Saturday morning, Keza tied Nyampinga near the banana trees. Then she went to help her mother wash the plates.
When Keza came back, the rope was still there. The goat was not.
Keza looked behind the house. She looked in the maize. She called, "Nyampinga! Nyampinga!" Nobody answered her.
Then her brother Gatete came running. "Come and look at the beans," he said, and he laughed.
There was Nyampinga, deep in the bean garden, eating the soft green leaves. Her mouth was full.
Keza took the rope and walked her goat home. That night, she checked the knot two times.
Now read it once more, out loud. You will notice things you missed the first time. That always happens, even to grown-ups.
Look at the story you just read.
The characters are the people and the animals in the story. In The Lost Goat there are three: Keza, her brother Gatete, and the goat Nyampinga. (Her mother is there too, washing the plates.)
An animal can be a character. Nyampinga never says one word, and yet the whole story is about her.
Where? At Keza's home: near the banana trees, behind the house, in the maize, in the bean garden.
When? On Saturday morning — and then that same night.
Beginning: Keza ties her goat and goes to help her mother.
Middle: The goat is gone. Keza looks and looks and calls, but nobody answers.
End: Gatete finds Nyampinga in the bean garden. Keza walks her home and checks the knot two times.
Here is a question about the story.
Question: Who found the goat?
Do not guess. Do this instead.
Answer: Gatete, her brother, found the goat.
Some answers are not written anywhere in the story. For those, you have to think.
Question: Why did Keza check the knot two times that night?
Hunt for it. You will not find it — the story never says why. So think about her day: she lost her goat, and it frightened her. She does not want to lose Nyampinga a second time. So she makes very sure the rope is tight.
Answer: Because she did not want her goat to get lost again.
Both kinds of question are fair. For the first kind you look. For the second kind you look and you think.
Tip
The answer is hiding in the story
When a question feels hard, do not stare at the ceiling. Go back to the story and put your finger on the line that talks about it.
Reading is not remembering. You are allowed to look again — good readers look again all the time.
Read The Lost Goat once more. Then answer these. Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
What was the goat's name?
Where did Keza tie her goat?
Name two places where Keza looked for the goat.
Why was Nyampinga in the bean garden?
Was Gatete worried, or did he think it was funny? How do you know?
Nyampinga. It is in the second line of the story.
Near the banana trees. Put your finger on the line: "On Saturday morning, Keza tied Nyampinga near the banana trees."
Behind the house, and in the maize. Both places are written in the story.
Because she was hungry, and bean leaves are soft and green. The story says she was "eating the soft green leaves" and her mouth was full. Goats love leaves!
He thought it was funny. How do you know? The story says he laughed. Two small words, and they tell you everything about him.
What you learned today
Quick check
In The Lost Goat, where did Gatete find Nyampinga?
