Cover lesson · Music · Year 7 · Beginner
LNF: Literacy → Reading → Understanding, response and analysis
Name: Class: Date:
What this practises: reading in Music. Pupils read an information article about the triple harp (telyn deires), the harp with 3 rows of strings that became known as the Welsh harp. They use headings, a fact box and a glossary to find information, retrieve facts, put the history in order, explain music words in their own words, make inferences backed by quotations, and compare the article with a short concert leaflet that has a different purpose. They finish with a written response of 100 to 130 words. Nothing needs to be played or listened to.
Print: this sheet and the stimulus sheet “The Welsh triple harp: y delyn deires”, one of each per pupil. Pupils need a pen and a highlighter.
Run: 7 min Step 1, text features and first read · 8 min Step 2, find the facts · 4 min Step 3, order the history · 6 min Step 4, music words · 7 min Step 5, read between the lines · 5 min Step 6, purpose and audience · 6 min Step 7, compare with a leaflet · 12 min Step 8, written response, in silence. Total 55 minutes. At the start of Step 8, say “12 minutes, starting now”; give a 2-minute warning.
Collect: this sheet. Pupils may keep the stimulus sheet. The worked example has all the answers and a model response.
Good readers do not just start at the top and hope. They use the features of a text (headings, boxes, lists and a glossary) to find what they need, then read closely to work out what the writer means. Today you will read about one of the most important instruments in the history of Welsh music.
Before you read, skim the stimulus sheet for 1 minute. Then answer.
(a) Write the 4 section headings in order (not “Fact box” or “Glossary”).
(b) Which part of the article would you look at first to find each of these? Write a heading, “fact box” or “glossary”.
| I want to find | Where I would look |
|---|---|
| whether the triple harp has pedals | |
| what the word chromatic means | |
| when the pedal harp became more fashionable | |
| where the triple harp was first played |
Now read the whole article carefully. Highlight every date.
Answer each question in a few words. Write the heading of the section where you found it (or “fact box”). The first one is done for you.
| Question | Answer | Where I found it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What does telyn deires mean? | harp with 3 rows | fact box |
| 2. Which 2 rows of strings play the same notes? | ||
| 3. Where did Welsh harpers first take up the triple harp? | ||
| 4. What did people call it by the middle of the 1700s? | ||
| 5. Name 3 places or events where it was heard. | ||
| 6. Which famous harp maker was from Llanrwst? | ||
| 7. In which city did Bassett Jones make harps? | ||
| 8. Whose descendants became famous Romani harpers? | ||
| 9. What is Nansi Richards’s bardic name? |
Number these events 1 to 6, from earliest to latest. Write the date or time next to each.
| Order | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Bassett Jones builds a triple harp for the Great Exhibition. | ||
| The first triple harp is played in Italy. | ||
| Very few harpers can still play the triple harp. | ||
| People call the triple harp “the Welsh harp”. | ||
| Nansi Richards is born. | ||
| Welsh harpers in London take up the triple harp. |
Use the glossary and the labelled description, but explain each word in your own words, as if to a Year 5 pupil. Do not copy the glossary.
(a) diatonic
(b) chromatic
(c) sharps and flats
(d) In 2 sentences, explain how a harpist plays a sharp on a triple harp, and why the harp needs 3 rows to be chromatic.
An inference is something the writer suggests but does not say. Answer each question, then copy a short quotation (in “quotation marks”) that proves it. The first is done for you.
| Question | What I infer | Quotation as evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Was the triple harp easy to play? | No: playing the middle row takes skill and practice. | “The player reaches between the strings of an outer row to pluck them.” |
| (a) Was the triple harp enjoyed only by rich people? | ||
| (b) What might have happened without Nansi Richards? | ||
| (c) Did Welsh people think of the triple harp as foreign? |
(a) Circle the main purpose: to persuade · to inform · to entertain · to instruct. Give one reason.
(b) Who do you think the article is written for? Give one clue from the text.
(c) Name 2 features of the layout and say how each helps the reader.
(d) The section “From Italy to Wales” and the section after it are organised in the same way. How, and why?
This leaflet is invented for this lesson. The hall, the harpist and the prices are not real.
THREE ROWS. ONE VOICE. An evening of Welsh triple harp music at Neuadd Bro Alaw, Friday at 7 pm.
Have you ever heard a harp shimmer? Join award-winning harpist Elen Dafydd for an unforgettable night of dance tunes, old Welsh airs and brand-new music on the harp of Wales! Bring the whole family: you won’t want to miss this.
Tickets: adults £8, under 18s £4. Book now at the hall: seats are going fast!
| Article | Leaflet | |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | ||
| Audience | ||
| One language feature, with an example | ||
| Facts or opinions? |
Question: Why does the triple harp matter to Welsh music? Use evidence from the article.
Write 100 to 130 words. Include at least 2 quotations or facts from the article, and explain what each one shows. End with your own view.