Magpie Morning — Poetry Comprehension — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 1 reading comprehension comprehension exercise.
Year 1 · English · Reading Comprehension
Magpie Morning — Poetry Comprehension — Answers
Magpie Morning
Read the poem out loud. Listen for the words that rhyme.
A magpie sits on our back fence,
he sings when the sun comes up.
His song goes up and down and round,
like water poured from a cup.
He is black and white with a strong grey beak,
and his eyes are shiny and bright.
He hops across the wet green grass
to look for worms. What a sight!
Mum says, 'Don't feed him bread, my love,
it's not good for his tummy.'
So I just watch him from the step
and he sings a song for me.
When I walk to school he flies along,
from the gum tree to the gate.
I wave and call out, 'Bye, magpie!'
He warbles, 'Don't be late!'
Part A — Find the answers
Look back at the poem to find each answer.
Answer: On the back fence.
- Aat night
- Bwhen the sun comes up
- Cin the rain
- Dat lunch time
Answer: when the sun comes up
The poem says 'he sings when the sun comes up'.
Answer: Black and white (with a grey beak).
- Aseeds
- Bbread
- Cworms
- Dflowers
Answer: worms
The poem says he hops across the grass 'to look for worms'.
Answer: Mum.
Part B — Think about it
Use clues from the poem to explain your answers.
Answer: Because bread is not good for his tummy. It could make him sick.
Answer: The child likes the magpie. The child watches him, waves and says goodbye to him.
Answer: Because the magpie knows the child and is used to seeing them every day.
Part C — Words in the poem
- Awalks slowly
- Bjumps with little bounces
- Csleeps
- Dswims
Answer: jumps with little bounces
To hop is to move with small jumps.
- Asings
- Bbites
- Chides
- Druns
Answer: sings
Warbling is the bubbly singing sound a magpie makes.
Part D — Your turn
Model answer: I saw a white cockatoo in the park. It had a yellow crest and it was very loud.
Success criteria:
- Two sentences about a bird
- Says what the bird looks like or does
- Capital letters and full stops used
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
Great work. Here's what to try next: