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RSRT Y4 L2 Make Your Own Magic

Literacy Counts

Created on November 13, 2025

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Transcript

Ready Steady Read Together

Make Your Own Magic: Non-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?

Write down 1089. Write it on a piece of paper, on a coffee cup, get an aeroplane to scroll it across the sky, for all I care, but just make sure you remember 1089.

How might this extract link to the illustration?

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From: Make Your Own Magic by Joel M © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Today's Question(s)

A) How does the author use language to make the trick seem easy to do and impossible to get wrong?

B) What helpful tips does the magician give to help the trick be successful and amaze the audience?

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Let me read today's text

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The Secret

The good news for you is that explaining the mathematics behind what makes this trick work is not only beyond me, but not necessary either. All you need to know is that if you trust me and follow these instructions perfectly, this trick will work every single time. No matter what number the spectator starts off with, the total will always be 1089. How? Haven’t got a clue. But that’s not important. What it means, however, is that before you begin the trick, all you have to do is ‘predict’ the outcome: write down 1089. Write it on a piece of paper, on a coffee cup, get an aeroplane to scroll it across the sky, for all I care, but just make sure you remember 1089.

If you doubt the maths, try it for yourself now. Here’s an example: 123 reversed is 321. 321 – 123 = 198 198 reversed is 891. 981 + 189 = 1089

Adapted from: Make Your Own Magic by Joel M © 2021. Adapted for accessibility under CLA Licence. Do not share.

You might be anxious to perform this, in case the spectator backtracks and figures out that the outcome is always the same. But I’ve found that as long as you don’t repeat the trick, people are not only amazed, but also forget the steps they took in order to get to the total, so it helps to distract them with jokes, good cheer and plenty of charm. Of course, this trick could easily come across as a lame mathematical puzzle if you don’t present it correctly. Draw their attention to your prediction and their free choice, rather than the equation itself, making sure to keep it all fun and light-hearted. Simply trust the process and blow their minds.

PS I’ve yet to figure out how to predict lottery numbers, but when I do, I assure you, you’ll never know.

Adapted from: Make Your Own Magic by Joel M © 2021. Adapted for accessibility under CLA Licence. Do not share.

Vocabulary

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Hover for definitions!

outcome

charm

backtracks

lame

light-hearted

trust the process

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From: Make Your Own Magic by Joel M © 2021. 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

outcome

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Find Read Talk

No matter what number the spectator starts off with, the total will always be 1089. How? Haven’t got a clue. But that’s not important. What it means, however, is that before you begin the trick, all you have to do is ‘predict’ the outcome: write down 1089.

Reveal Vocabulary

Adapted from: Make Your Own Magic by Joel M © 2021. Adapted for accessibility under CLA Licence. Do not share.

outcome

Your turn

backtracks

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

charm

lame

light-hearted

trust the process

Use your text

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Vocabulary Check & Re-read

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Reveal Vocabulary

The Secret

The good news for you is that explaining the mathematics behind what makes this trick work is not only beyond me, but not necessary either. All you need to know is that if you trust me and follow these instructions perfectly, this trick will work every single time. No matter what number the spectator starts off with, the total will always be 1089. How? Haven’t got a clue. But that’s not important. What it means, however, is that before you begin the trick, all you have to do is ‘predict’ the outcome: write down 1089. Write it on a piece of paper, on a coffee cup, get an aeroplane to scroll it across the sky, for all I care, but just make sure you remember 1089.

If you doubt the maths, try it for yourself now. Here’s an example: 123 reversed is 321. 321 – 123 = 198 198 reversed is 891. 981 + 189 = 1089

Explore

Adapted from: Make Your Own Magic by Joel M © 2021. Adapted for accessibility under CLA Licence. Do not share.

Reveal Vocabulary

You might be anxious to perform this, in case the spectator backtracks and figures out that the outcome is always the same. But I’ve found that as long as you don’t repeat the trick, people are not only amazed, but also forget the steps they took in order to get to the total, so it helps to distract them with jokes, good cheer and plenty of charm. Of course, this trick could easily come across as a lame mathematical puzzle if you don’t present it correctly. Draw their attention to your prediction and their free choice, rather than the equation itself, making sure to keep it all fun and light-hearted. Simply trust the process and blow their minds.

PS I’ve yet to figure out how to predict lottery numbers, but when I do, I assure you, you’ll never know.

Explore

Adapted from: Make Your Own Magic by Joel M © 2021. Adapted for accessibility under CLA Licence. Do not share.

Fluency

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Let me use my reader's voice...

All you need to know is that if you trust me and follow these instructions perfectly, this trick will work every single time. No matter what number the spectator starts off with, the total will always be 1089. How? Haven’t got a clue. But that’s not important

What did you notice?

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From: Make Your Own Magic by Joel M © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

My Turn
Your Turn

Echo Read

All you need to know is that if you trust me

and follow these instructions perfectly,

this trick will work every single time.

No matter what number the spectator starts off with,

the total will always be 1089.

How? Haven’t got a clue.

But that’s not important.

Explore

From: Make Your Own Magic by Joel M © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Sound like a reader!
Stand up!

Choral Read

All you need to know is that if you trust me and follow these instructions perfectly, this trick will work every single time. No matter what number the spectator starts off with, the total will always be 1089. How? Haven’t got a clue. But that’s not important

Explore

From: Make Your Own Magic by Joel M © 2021. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.

Strategy Focus

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Strategy: Read Between the Lines

A) How does the author use language to make the trick seem easy to do and impossible to get wrong?

Be a detective and look for clues!

Teach

Let me show you

Reveal Text Marks

The good news for you is that explaining the mathematics behind what makes this trick work is not only beyond me, but not necessary either. All you need to know is that if you trust me and follow these instructions perfectly, this trick will work every single time.

A) How does the author use language to make the trick seem easy to do and impossible to get wrong?

Reveal Explainer

This shows that although complex maths are involved, you don’t have to understand it to make the trick work. Even the magician admits he doesn’t understand the maths, which makes the trick feel easy and seem foolproof.

Teach

From: Make Your Own Magic by Joel M © 2021. 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 does the author use language to make the trick seem easy to do and impossible to get wrong?

B) What helpful tips does the magician give to help the trick be successful and amaze the audience?

Find the answers
Text mark

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Acceptable Answers

Text Mark Evidence all you need to know is that if you trust me and follow these instructions perfectly, this trick will work every single time

reassurance that the trick is foolproof

A) How does the author use language to make the trick seem easy to do and impossible to get wrong?

Text Mark Evidence - no matter what the spectator starts off with, the total will always be 1089 - before you begin the trick, all you have to do is ‘predict’ the outcome: write down 1089 - just make sure you remember 1089

the answer is predictable and consistent

Text Mark Evidence - how (does the trick work)… haven’t got a clue - if you doubt the maths, try it for yourself now - simply trust the process and blow their minds

don’t need to understand the maths

Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers

Acceptable Answers

Text Mark Evidence as long as you don’t repeat the trick, people are…amazed

only do the trick once

B) What helpful tips does the magician give to help the trick be successful and amaze the audience?

Text Mark Evidence - people…also forget the steps they took in order to get to the total, so it helps to distract them with jokes, good cheer and plenty of charm - draw their (spectators’) attention to your prediction and their free choice rather than the equation itself

keep spectators’ minds off the steps

Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers

Text Mark Evidence - keep it all fun and light-hearted - simply trust the process and blow their (spectators’) minds

relax and make it enjoyable

Practise & Apply

Quiz Time

Start

Picture Me

Which image is the best match for ‘backtracks’?

True or False?

You have to be a good mathematician to perform this trick.

True
False

Link Me

Link each word with the correct definition:

A appeal or attractiveness

1 outcome

B retrace one’s steps

2 backtracks

C end result

Check

3 charm

Click if correct

D dull or boring

4 lame

Tick Me

Why shouldn’t you repeat the trick?

Tick one:

A It might get boring for the audience.

B People could learn the steps and do the trick.

Check

C You might forget the steps and get it wrong.

Click if correct

D People will notice that the total is the same.

Feedback: Who did what well?

FindRead Talk

EchoRead

ChoralRead

ReadingStrategy

Answers & Text Marks

Other...

To be a book lover, you could...

set reading goals.

Reveal

Challenge yourself to read a specific number of books or pages.

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 and adapted for accessibility from: From: Make Your Own Magic by Joel M © 2021 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.