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RSRT Y5 L2 Goldfish Boy

Literacy Counts

Created on June 18, 2025

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Transcript

Ready Steady Read Together

The Goldfish Boy: Fiction Lesson 2

What do you think you know?

What?
Who?
Why?
Where?
How?
When?

Book Talk: Let's explore this illustration.

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What do you know and think?

The bathroom caused me the most stress because every time I went in there it felt infested with germs.

How might this extract link to the illustration?

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From: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Today's Question(s)

A) How have Matthew’s cleaning habits have become extreme?

B) How have Matthew’s fear of germs affected his daily life?

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Let me read today's text

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The whole cleaning thing was a secret until quite recently. My friend Tom leaned in to whisper. “The toilet thing? You’ve been during every lesson today and at break. Are you OK?” I’d been washing my hands. They were never clean enough so I had to keep going back to try and get the germs off. I pretty much stopped going to school after that. Now that I was at home I was much more in control and could clean pretty much whenever I liked. The bathroom caused me the most stress because every time I went in there it felt infested with germs. A couple of weeks before, I’d got really carried away while Mum was at work, and before I knew it the afternoon had passed and Mum was home, standing at the door staring open-mouthed as I wiped the insides of the taps with cotton-wool buds dipped in bleach. “What on earth are you doing, Matthew?” She looked around at the sparkling white tiles. You’d have thought I’d been scrawling graffiti everywhere, the face she was pulling. “This isn’t right…Stop it now, enough is enough.” She took a step forward. I moved away and felt the sink press into my back. “Matthew, you need to talk to me about this. What’s wrong? And look at your poor hands…” She reached out to me but I shook my head. “Stay there, Mum. Don’t come any closer.”

From: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

“But, Matty, I just want to have a look at your skin. Is it weeping? It looks like it’s weeping…” I tucked my hands into my armpits. “Are they burned, Matthew? Have you burned your hands? You can’t get bleach on your skin, darling. “It’s fine, just leave me alone.” I quickly scooted past her and went into my room, kicking the door shut behind me. I lay on my bed, my hands throbbing as I tucked them under my arms. Mum stood outside the door. She knew better than to come in. Darling, is there anything I can do for you? Tell me, please. Please, Matthew? Your dad and I can’t go on like this. The school rang again today. I can’t keep telling them that…that you’ve got a virus…” She made a little choking sound like she’d suddenly forgotten how to breathe. I shut my eyes and shouted one word back at her. “Gloves.” Silence. “I’m sorry?” “Latex gloves. Disposable ones. That’s all I need, Mum. OK? Now can you leave me alone? Please!” “OK. I’ll…I’ll see what I can do…” And that was it. That was my secret box that I keep under the bed. Not a dusty old box of treasure but a box of a hundred disposable latex gloves, which now held just fifteen pairs. A secret agreement between me and my mum: she’d supply me with gloves and I would stop burning my hands with bleach. We didn’t need to tell Dad – he wouldn’t understand.

From: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Vocabulary

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Hover for definitions!

cotton-wool buds dipped in bleach

infested

scrawling

disposable latex gloves

weeping

throbbing

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From: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

I will model the first.

Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner

infested

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Find Read Talk

Now that I was at home I was much more in control and could clean pretty much whenever I liked. The bathroom caused me the most stress because every time I went in there it felt infested with germs.

Reveal Vocabulary

From: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

infested

Your turn

cotton-wool buds dipped in bleach

Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner

scrawling

weeping

throbbing

disposable latex gloves

Use your text

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Vocabulary Check

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Reveal Vocabulary

Teacher Note: Re-read if time allows.

The whole cleaning thing was a secret until quite recently. My friend Tom leaned in to whisper. “The toilet thing? You’ve been during every lesson today and at break. Are you OK?” I’d been washing my hands. They were never clean enough so I had to keep going back to try and get the germs off. I pretty much stopped going to school after that. Now that I was at home I was much more in control and could clean pretty much whenever I liked. The bathroom caused me the most stress because every time I went in there it felt infested with germs. A couple of weeks before, I’d got really carried away while Mum was at work, and before I knew it the afternoon had passed and Mum was home, standing at the door staring open-mouthed as I wiped the insides of the taps with cotton-wool buds dipped in bleach. “What on earth are you doing, Matthew?” She looked around at the sparkling white tiles. You’d have thought I’d been scrawling graffiti everywhere, the face she was pulling. “This isn’t right…Stop it now, enough is enough.” She took a step forward. I moved away and felt the sink press into my back. “Matthew, you need to talk to me about this. What’s wrong? And look at your poor hands…” She reached out to me but I shook my head. “Stay there, Mum. Don’t come any closer.” “But, Matty, I just want to have a look at your skin. Is it weeping? It looks like it’s weeping…” I tucked my hands into my armpits.

From: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Reveal Vocabulary

Teacher Note: Re-read if time allows.

“Are they burned, Matthew? Have you burned your hands? You can’t get bleach on your skin, darling. “It’s fine, just leave me alone.” I quickly scooted past her and went into my room, kicking the door shut behind me. I lay on my bed, my hands throbbing as I tucked them under my arms. Mum stood outside the door. She knew better than to come in. Darling, is there anything I can do for you? Tell me, please. Please, Matthew? Your dad and I can’t go on like this. The school rang again today. I can’t keep telling them that… that you’ve got a virus…” She made a little choking sound like she’d suddenly forgotten how to breathe. I shut my eyes and shouted one word back at her. “Gloves.” Silence. “I’m sorry?” “Latex gloves. Disposable ones. That’s all I need, Mum. OK? Now can you leave me alone? Please!” “OK. I’ll…I’ll see what I can do…” And that was it. That was my secret box that I keep under the bed. Not a dusty old box of treasure but a box of a hundred disposable latex gloves, which now held just fifteen pairs. A secret agreement between me and my mum: she’d supply me with gloves and I would stop burning my hands with bleach. We didn’t need to tell Dad – he wouldn’t understand.

From: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Fluency

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Let me use my reader's voice...

“Stay there, Mum. Don’t come any closer.” “But, Matty, I just want to have a look at your skin.” “Is it weeping? It looks like it’s weeping…” I tucked my hands into my armpits. “Are they burned, Matthew? Have you burned your hands? “You can’t get bleach on your skin, darling.” “It’s fine, just leave me alone.”

What did you notice?

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From: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

My Turn
Your Turn

Echo Read

“Stay there, Mum. Don’t come any closer.”

“But, Matty, I just want to have a look at your skin.”

“Is it weeping? It looks like it’s weeping…”

I tucked my hands into my armpits.

“Are they burned, Matthew? Have you burned your hands?”

“You can’t get bleach on your skin, darling.”

“It’s fine, just leave me alone.”

Explore

From: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Sound like a reader!
Stand up!

Choral Read

“Stay there, Mum. Don’t come any closer.” “But, Matty, I just want to have a look at your skin.” “Is it weeping? It looks like it’s weeping…” I tucked my hands into my armpits. “Are they burned, Matthew? Have you burned your hands? “You can’t get bleach on your skin, darling.” “It’s fine, just leave me alone.”

Explore

From: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Strategy Focus

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Strategy: Read Between the Lines

A) How have Matthew’s cleaning habits have become extreme?

Be a detective and look for clues!

Teach

Let me show you

Reveal Text Marks

The whole cleaning thing was a secret until quite recently. My friend Tom leaned in to whisper. “The toilet thing? You’ve been during every lesson today and at break. Are you OK?”

Reveal Explainer

A) How have Matthew’s cleaning habits have become extreme?

Matthew uses the words ‘whole cleaning thing’ which suggest the cleaning has become a problem or an issue. The word ‘secret’ shows he felt the need to hide his cleaning behaviour. This suggests he knew it was unusual and perhaps unhealthy.

Teach

From: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Strategy Stop

What else could you use to answer today's question(s)?

Teach

Your Turn

A) How have Matthew’s cleaning habits have become extreme?

B) How have Matthew’s fear of germs affected his daily life?

Find the answers
Text mark

Explore

Text Mark Evidence I’d been washing my hands…they were never clean enough so I had to keep going back to try and get the germs off

hand washing more than necessary

Acceptable Answers

Text Mark Evidence - (Matthew) could clean pretty much whenever I liked - I’d got really carried away (cleaning the bathroom)…before I knew it the afternoon had passed

spent a long time cleaning

A) How have Matthew’s cleaning habits have become extreme?

Text Mark Evidence - you’d have thought I’d been scrawling graffiti everywhere, the face she was pulling (at his cleaning) - this (cleaning) isn’t right…stop it now, enough is enough

his mother’s concerned reaction

Text Mark Evidence - I wiped the insides of the taps with cotton-wool buds dipped in bleach - have you burned your hands…you can’t get bleach on your skin - I would stop burning my hands with bleach

cleaning in unnecessary ways/use of harmful chemicals

Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers

Practise & Apply

Text Mark Evidence - the toilet thing…you’ve been during every lesson today and at break - the school rang again today…I can’t keep telling them that...that you’ve got a virus - I pretty much stopped going to school after that

affects his learning

Acceptable Answers

Text Mark Evidence the bathroom caused me the most stress because every time I went in there it felt infested with germs

causes anxiety

B) How have Matthew’s fear of germs affected his daily life?

Text Mark Evidence I’d got really carried away (cleaning) while mum was at work and before I knew it the afternoon had passed and Mum was home

spends his whole day cleaning

Text Mark Evidence - My friend Tom leaned in to whisper…the toilet thing…are you OK - your dad and I can’t go on like this - she (mum) made a little choking sound like she’d suddenly forgotten how to breathe

causes worry and strain for friends and family

Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers

Text Mark Evidence - I just want to look at your skin…is it weeping - have you burned your hands - I would stop burning my hands with bleach - my hands throbbing as I tucked them under my arms

causes pain and injury to himself

Quiz Time

Start

Picture Me

Which image is the best match for ‘scrawling’?

True or False?

Matthew was cleaning off the graffiti he had scrawled on the white bathroom tiles.

True
False

Tick Me

Click here to reveal a paragraph from the text...

Tick the answer which best completes the sentence.

Matthew’s mother was staring open-mouthed because…

Tick two

A she was shocked by how much Matthew had been cleaning.

B she thought that Matthew was playing at a friend’s house.

Check

C she was worried about Matthew using bleach to clean inside the taps.

Click if correct

D she was pleasantly surprised that he had helped out with chores.

Sequence Me

Put the following events in the correct order:

A) Matthew’s mum caught him cleaning with bleach.

B) Matthew’s school called about his attendance.

C) Matthew stopped going to school because his friend noticed he kept going to the toilet.

D) Matthew’s mum agreed to buy him latex gloves.

Click if correct
Check

Feedback: Who did what well?

FindRead Talk

EchoRead

ChoralRead

ReadingStrategy

Answers & Text Marks

Other...

To be a book lover, you could...

turn the story into art.

Reveal

Draw scenes or characters from the book.

Copyright Notice

This document has been supplied under a CLA Licence with specific terms of use. It is protected by copyright and, save as may be permitted by law, it may not be further copied, stored, re-copied electronically or otherwise shared, even for internal purposes, without the prior further permission of the Rightsholder. Extracts sourced from: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson © 2017 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.

A couple of weeks before, I’d got really carried away while Mum was at work, and before I knew it the afternoon had passed and Mum was home, standing at the door staring open-mouthed as I wiped the insides of the taps with cotton-wool buds dipped in bleach.