Chapter Graphic
 : Kopu-Wai
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Approach: One to one Level: 8   
Focus:   Retelling 
Resources: A3 story card
1Mb

Questions/instructions:
You are going to silently read this story called “Kopu-Wai”. It is about a monster called Kopu-Wai and a girl. When you have finished reading, I’ll ask you to retell it to me, telling as much of the story as you can. Read the story carefully now. If there are any words you get stuck on you can ask me.

Give student story card. Allow time. Remove story card before student begins to retell.

Now tell me the story in your own words. Tell as much as you can, and try to make it interesting for me to listen to.

KOPU-WAI

Kopu-wai lived a long time ago. He was a monster with a body like a man and a head like a dog. He had five dogs and each dog had two heads. Kopu-wai and his dogs were fierce and mean. They lived in a cave in the forest. When people passed his cave Kopu-wai sent his dogs out to catch them. Then he and his dogs would kill and eat them.

One day the dogs caught a beautiful girl. Kopu-wai decided not to kill her. He made her clean and tidy his cave. When she went to get water from the river Kopu-wai tied a rope to her hair. He could pull on the rope and know she was still there. The girl wanted to run away but she was afraid.

 
Then she thought of a plan. Every time she went to the river she cut flax and reeds to make a simple boat. After a long time the boat was ready. One day when she went to the river she untied the rope in her hair and tied it to a tree. She climbed on to her simple boat and floated down the river.

Kopu-wai pulled on the rope and thought she was still there. But later he became worried. He pulled much harder but nothing happened. He went to the river and was very angry that she had escaped.
   

The girl had floated to a village. She told the people what had happened. She was afraid Kopu-wai the monster would find her.

So the people of the village went quietly to Kopu-wai’s cave. They put dry grass and wood around it and made a fire. His dogs ran through the fire and jumped into the river. But they were so hot they sizzled and turned into stones in the bottom of the river.

Kopu-wai climbed up to the hole at the top of the cave. When the people saw his ugly head they chopped it off.
   
   

% responses
y8
Extent to which main points of story were included:
 
comprehensively
42
substantially
40
moderately
13
a little or not at all
5
Coherence of the story:
(hanging together in logical order)
 
very high
46
quite high
34
moderate
14
low
6
Extent to which the story was presented in an interesting way:
 
very high
18
quite high
49
moderate
25
low
8
Overall effectiveness in retelling story:
 
very high
29
quite high
45
moderate
19
low
7
 
Total score:        11–12
28
 
9–10
24
7–8
22
5–6
13
0–4
13
Commentary:
About 80 percent of the year 8 students included most elements of the story in a coherent retelling, but fewer managed to present it in an interesting way.
 
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