English for Life Core Reader
Grade 6
Home Language
Hanna Erasmus • Lynne Southey
www.bestbooks.co.za
Pretoria • Cape Town
The black clown
Andrew Conradie
He hides away in dark corners and only comes out at night
Hidden far away from the world
He keeps out of sight
Around him he wraps the wet and the cold
Slowly he creeps out to make sure the coast is clear
One foot, then the next he walks alone through the empty streets
Hiding his face in fear
Resting deep within the hearts of teens
The fear that appears within each and every one
That little voice that tells you you’re not good enough
The one that makes you want to scream: “I’m done!”
It’s your turn to speak, clear your throat and take a cough
Let’s colour in the darkness and laugh at it
Let’s take control and learn to say no
Pick up your wit
Here we go
We’re going to break down the doubt
Take the bull by the horns
Don’t hold back, shout
No sorrows, no mourns
This is your moment to shine
This is your moment to grow
1. As we grow up we all worry and have doubts and fears. This poem encourages youngsters to fight off these feelings and to grow to be the best they can be. Make a list of words and phrases in the poem that explains what this “black clown” represents.
2. The poet speaks directly to teens, to the readers. Quote the pronouns that show us this.
3. Who do you think the “we” of the poem are?
4. What does the expression “take the bull by the horns” mean?
5. Look at the following idiomatic expressions. Match each expression in column A to its correct meaning in column B.
6. What does the poet say should replace the feelings of doubt and fear?
The Fieldmouse
Cecil Frances Alexander
Where the acorn tumbles down,
Where the ash tree sheds its berry,
With your fur so soft and brown,
With your eye so round and merry,
Scarcely moving the long grass,
Fieldmouse, I can see you pass.
Little thing, in what dark den,
Lie you all the winter sleeping?
Till warm weather comes again,
Then once more I see you peeping
Round about the tall tree roots,
Nibbling at their fallen fruits.
Fieldmouse, fieldmouse, do not go,
Where the farmer stacks his treasure,
Find the nut that falls below,
Eat the acorn at your pleasure,
But you must not steal the grain
He has stacked with so much pain.
Make your hole where mosses spring,
Underneath the tall oak’s shadow,
Pretty, quiet harmless thing,
Play about the sunny meadow.
Keep away from corn and house,
None will harm you, little mouse.
1. Mice hibernate during the winter. Quote the line in stanza 2 to prove this.
2. What is the farmer’s “treasure” in line 2, stanza 3?
3. Why must the fieldmouse not eat the farmer’s grain?
4. Where must the fieldmouse make its burrow?
5. What warning does the poet give to the fieldmouse?
6. Write down the rhyme scheme of the last stanza.
Vocabulary
acorn – fruit of the oak tree
ash tree – kind of forest tree
meadow – pasture or grassland for animals to graze on
mosses – small plants growing on trees and rocks where it is moist
The ozone layer
Jeanne du Plessis
The earth’s ozone layer
Absorbs ultraviolet rays
It helps to keep us safe
From the sun’s scorching blaze
But as you’ve probably heard
It’s got several holes these days
Now you’ve got to watch out
For those harmful UV rays
So slap on that sunscreen
And whip on those shades
To protect your skin and eyes
From those nasty UV rays
The earth’s ozone layer
Takes care of me and you
Don’t you think it’s time
We took care of it too?
Use ozone-friendly products
And plant a few new trees
To protect our ozone layer
From chemicals and CFc/s.
Rapunzel
Fanie Viljoen
Locked