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'Mudpuddle Farm: Mum’s The Word' First Impressions

Read this extract from chapter six of ‘Mum’s The Word’ (p.395).

Here, the animals are looking through the window at Egbert. Farmer Rafferty is telling them that Egbert is actually Egberta and she has had two babies.

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Quick Warm-Up Activity

If this is the answer, what is the question? Question: Answer: Jigger

Question: Answer: chuckled

Discussion Activity cow

goose

piglet

calf

goat

pig

duckling

foal

horse

duck

lamb

gosling

sheep

hen

chick

kid

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Cut out the words and match the baby animals to their parents.

‘Mudpuddle Farm: Mum’s The Word’ Adult Guidance

This ‘Mum’s The Word’ activity pack contains an adult guidance sheet which includes an overview of the story and key skill questions that can be used to target pupils’ understanding as you are reading the book. The answer sheet contains example answers for the questions but pupils may have varied responses for some of the questions. Additionally, there is an activity sheet for children who may have not read the whole text before. This contains an extract from the text, a warm-up task and a matching activity.

Overview Egbert the goat keeps going missing from Mudpuddle Farm and he starts behaving very strangely. Instead of his usual grumbling self, he is polite and happy and keeps dancing and singing, which is very out of character. So much so that the other animals think he is sick!

Egbert is eating more than usual too and he is getting bigger and bigger. Only Albertine the goose seems to know what is going on but, when the other animals ask her, all she will say is ‘Mum’s the word.’

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‘Mudpuddle Farm: Mum’s The Word’ Key Skills Questions

pp.340-341: What do the animals do when they wake up in the morning? What do they do next? What else did they do?

Sequence

Predict

p.342: Who do you think is missing?

Retrieve p.343: What are the names of the two ducks on Mudpuddle Farm?

Predict

p.345: What word has the author used to describe Egbert the goat?

Explain Vocabulary

p.347: What do you think Jigger is thinking at this point?

Infer

Retrieve

p.354: Who does everyone love?

p.355: Who do you think Egbert has been visiting?

p.359: How do you think Egbert is feeling? Can you explain why do you think that?

Predict

Infer

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p.345: Can you predict where Egbert might be?

‘Mudpuddle Farm: Mum’s The Word’ Key Skills Questions

Explain Vocabulary p.362: Why did the author use the word ‘loopy’ to describe Egbert?

Retrieve p.365: What does Farmer Rafferty do on a Tuesday?

p.367: ‘Then he saw Farmer Rafferty’s garden gate swinging in the wind, squeaking on its hinges.’

Predict

What might Egbert be thinking?

Infer

Retrieve

p.370: Which animal is allowed to go in Farmer Rafferty’s vegetable garden?

Infer

p.372: Why do you think Pintsize loves it when other animals get into trouble?

p.376: ‘If old Farmer Rafferty catches you in his vegetable garden your goose will be cooked!’ What do you think this might mean?

Explain Vocabulary

p.379: How do you think Farmer Rafferty will react when he sees that Egbert is in the vegetable garden and has eaten all the carrots?

p.384: Egbert is eating everything. What does Egbert eat first? What does he eat next? What else does Egbert eat?

Predict

Sequence

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p.242: What do you think Jigger’s idea is?

‘Mudpuddle Farm: Mum’s The Word’ Key Skills Questions

Explain Vocabulary p.386: How or where can we find out what ‘inscrutably’ means?

Predict

p.391: How do you think this story will end?

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Quick Warm-Up Activity Answers Example Answers Question: Who got to the window first? Answer: Jigger

Question: What is another word for ‘laughed’? Answer: chuckled

cow

calf

goat

kid

horse

foal

sheep

lamb

goose

gosling

pig

piglet

duck

duckling

hen

chick

Writing Activity Example Answers

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