Young and Dyslexic? You've Got It Going On: Reading Skill

Young and dyslexic?
You’ve got it
going on
Author: Benjamin Zephaniah (anthology page 12)
Reading
Q1 (1 mark): skill:
How old was Zephaniah when he stopped going to school? scanning
Q2 (3 marks):
Look again at lines 9 – 35. What are three words or phrases which
show Zephaniah’s teachers thought badly of him?
Young and dyslexic? You’ve got it
going on
Q3 (4 marks):
In your own words, explain what we learn about

Zephaniah’s character.
Reading skill:
inferring
(reading
between the
lines)
UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN
IDEA
You can learn how to do it! Let’s highlight some things:
1) Use the first sentence of each paragraph to give

you a clue about the main idea.
2) Any words in the text you don’t understand.
3) What you think is the key idea from each
paragraph.
UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN
IDEA - CONTINUED
Now let’s add these things together.
• Look up the words you don’t understand, or try to figure them out from the
context of the sentence. These can give you important clues as to the
writer’s intentions.
• See if there are any common themes amongst your topic sentences.
• See if your main ideas from each paragraph lead towards an idea or
conclusion.
This is the main idea of the text 

YOUNG AND DYSLEXIC – MAIN
IDEA?
I think the main idea of Y&D is:
If you’re living with dyslexia you’re not alone, and you

should embrace it and use it to your advantage by being
creative (Frank).
There’s nothing wrong with having dyslexia; in a way it’s

a superpower that makes you special (Shane).
Telling people who have dyslexia to be proud of

themselves, instead of feeling under-confident, by
sharing Zephaniah’s experiences (Athley).
YOUNG AND DYSLEXIC – MAIN
IDEA?
If you have dyslexia, it doesn’t mean there is something
wrong with you. In fact, having dyslexia can make you
creative.
TEXT TYPE: AUTOBIOGRAPHY

LANGUAGE & STRUCTURAL
DEVICES
Fill in your techniques table using the definitions below. Then, find examples
from the text.
1) Dialogue / direct speech: when one character is speaking to another.

Why it’s used: to add ‘voice’, different perspectives, or to convey
feelings/thoughts quickly.
2) Rule of 3: when a list of three similar words/phrases are grouped together.

Why it’s used: to emphasise the concept, often for emotional effect, or to help
the reader remember it.
DEVICES
3) Emotive language: words and phrases which are strong in terms of
the emotions we might feel when reading them
Why it’s used: to convince the reader of an idea, to make a story more
vivid, to emphasise a main idea/point/theme, to make writing more
personal.
4) Anecdotes: when a writer shares brief personal stories

Why it’s used: to personalise a text, to help engage the reader, to
explain a point or give an example, to add humour.
DEVICES
5) Direct address: when the writer addresses the reader by saying “you”,
“your” or “yourself”.
Why it’s used: to engage the reader and make it feel like they are having
a conversation with the writer, or that they are involved in the story. Can
also be used to encourage people to take action.
6) Rhetorical question: when a writer poses a question that doesn’t

necessarily have/require an answer.
Why it’s used: to engage the reader and make them think about the
topic.
DEVICES
7) Inclusive pronouns: when the writer uses “we”, “us” or “our”.
Why it’s used: to make the reader feel like they are in the same group
as the writer. This can help us want to take action, or can help us
connect with the writer.
WRITING TASK: Analysis
How does the writer use language and structure to show his readers
the challenges and triumphs of having dyslexia?
WRITING TASK: Speech
Based on ‘Young and dyslexic’.
Write a speech sharing a personal experience which changed your perspective
on an important issue.
Or … WRITING TASK: Autobiography

Based on ‘Young and dyslexic’.
Write about a time where you have had to overcome a challenge.

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Young and dyslexic?

In your own words, explain what we learn about

1) Use the first sentence of each paragraph to give

This is the main idea of the text 

If you’re living with dyslexia you’re not alone, and you

There’s nothing wrong with having dyslexia; in a way it’s

Telling people who have dyslexia to be proud of

TEXT TYPE: AUTOBIOGRAPHY

1) Dialogue / direct speech: when one character is speaking to another.

2) Rule of 3: when a list of three similar words/phrases are grouped together.

4) Anecdotes: when a writer shares brief personal stories

6) Rhetorical question: when a writer poses a question that doesn’t

Or … WRITING TASK: Autobiography

Write about a time where you have had to overcome a challenge.

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