NAME
CLASS
DATE
LEARNING GOAL
I can find and use evidence from a story
to explain what characters think and
feel.
SUCCESS CRITERIA
I can find facts in the text quickly.
I can work out what words mean from the sentence
around them.
I can back up my ideas with a quote and the word
because.
?
Word help
barometer
a tool that measures air
pressure to help forecast the
weather
winced
pulled a quick face because
something hurt
paraffin
an oil that was burned in
lamps before electric lights
lens
a large curved glass that
bends light into a strong
beam
Reading comprehension · Story by the class teacher
ENGLISH READING
AGES 8 TO 10
FICTION
The Keeper's Lantern
Read the story twice: once for fun, once like a detective hunting for
clues.
E
very evening for forty years, Grandad Amos
had climbed the one hundred and twelve
steps of Gull Point Lighthouse. Each step creaked
its own note, and Mira, who was nine, knew every
one of them by heart.
1
"Storm's coming," Grandad said one October
afternoon, tapping the barometer by the door.
The needle had swung so far to the left that it
seemed to be hiding. Outside, the sea had
turned the colour of an old spoon.
2
By seven o'clock the wind was howling like a
kettle that nobody would take off the stove.
Then, with a fizz and a pop, every light in the
cottage went out. Mira gasped. Through the
window, the tower stood black against the sky.
The great lamp at the top was dark.
3
"The power line's down," Grandad muttered. He
reached for his walking stick, winced, and sat
back down. His knee had been bad all week. "The
Mary Jane is due back tonight. Without the light,
they won't see the rocks."
4
Mira thought of the old paraffin lantern in the
store cupboard, the one Grandad kept "just in
case". Her heart thumped against her ribs. "I can
do it," she said, before she could change her
mind.
5
She counted the steps as she climbed: the
squeak, the groan, the one that sounded like a
cough. At the top, her fingers shook as she
struck the match. The flame caught. She set the
lantern in front of the great glass lens, and a
beam swung out across the water, wide and
golden.
6
Far below, a small light blinked twice. Mira
grinned. It was the Mary Jane, answering.
7
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1
How many steps lead to the top of Gull Point Lighthouse? 
R
RETRIEVE
1 mark
2
Give one reason why Grandad could not climb the tower himself.
R
RETRIEVE
1 mark
3
Paragraph 4 Find and copy one word that shows Grandad was in pain.
V
VOCABULARY
1 mark
4
Paragraph 2 “The sea had turned the colour of an old spoon.” What colour was the
sea, and what does this tell you about the weather?
V
VOCABULARY
2 marks
5
“‘I can do it,’ she said, before she could change her mind.” How was Mira feeling at this
moment? Use a quote from paragraph 5 to prove it.
I
INFER
2 marks
6
Why do you think the small light blinked twice?
I
INFER
1 mark
7
Number these events from 1 to 5 in the order they happen. The first one is done
for you.
Mira strikes a match at the top of the tower.
1
Grandad notices the barometer needle has swung to the left.
A small light blinks back from the sea.
The lights in the cottage go out.
Mira remembers the lantern in the store cupboard.
S
SEQUENCE
2 marks
8
Sum up the whole story in one sentence of no more than 20 words.
S
SUMMARISE
2 marks
Detective tip: for questions 5 and 6, use the frame I
think ... because the text says "...". A quote plus because
turns a guess into an answer.
How did you do? Colour the shape that matches
you.
Not yet
Getting there
Got it
Reading comprehension · Total 12 marks
THE KEEPER'S LANTERN
QUESTIONS
Be a reading detective
Each question names the reading skill it practises.
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