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Reciprocal Reading Comprehension

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Reciprocal Reading Comprehension

Read the passage once for the overall meaning. Then reread it using the reciprocal reading roles: predict, clarify, question and summarise. Answer using evidence from the passage.

The market that measured more than money

At the farmers’ market in Kōwhai Bay, Saturday mornings usually meant a queue for Hemi’s hot bread and a lively argument over which apples were crispest. One wet winter, however, fewer people came. By mid-morning, several growers had packed up unsold produce. “People still want local food,” Mere, who sold vegetables, told Nikau, “but some families say they can’t afford a whole bag.” Nikau, a student helping at the market, suggested a shared-produce table. Growers could place vegetables that were perfectly edible but unlikely to sell before closing. Shoppers could choose what they needed and pay what they could. Mere liked the idea, but Hemi worried it might make people think the market’s food was poor quality. They agreed to try it for four Saturdays and keep track of what happened. They put a sign beside the table: “Good food, shared fairly. Choose what you need; contribute what you can.” Nikau also recorded how much produce was placed there and how much remained at closing. The first week, some shoppers hesitated. A few asked whether the vegetables were safe to eat. Mere explained that the produce was fresh; it was simply surplus. By the third week, more people were stopping. One parent said the table let them take home ingredients for soup without spending money needed for bus fares. The numbers told only part of the story. Across the four Saturdays, the growers set out 46 kilograms of produce, and 39 kilograms went home with shoppers. But Nikau’s notes also showed that growers began talking to customers about smaller portions and lower-cost options. Hemi changed his bread stall to offer half-loaves near closing time. At the end of the trial, the growers decided to keep the table. They did not claim it had solved food insecurity; it could not replace reliable support or make every item affordable. Still, the experiment reduced waste and gave neighbours a practical way to help one another. Nikau added a final note to his record: “Success isn’t only what we sell. It’s also who gets to take part.”

Predictor: What might happen next? What clues support your prediction?

Clarifier: Which words or ideas are confusing? What clues help explain them?

Questioner: What questions would help the group think more deeply?

Summariser: Which key ideas are essential to a concise account of the passage?

Read, think, respond

Use details from the passage in your answers. Where a question asks for an explanation, show how the evidence supports your thinking.

1.Before reading, the title “The market that measured more than money” suggests that the passage may be about more than sales. Write one prediction, then identify a detail in the passage that confirms or changes it.

2.Which statement best expresses the passage’s central idea?

The market became successful because it sold more bread than before.
A small community experiment reduced waste and helped more people access local food, although it could not solve every problem.
Growers should give away all produce that does not sell on Saturday.
Keeping records is more important than listening to customers.

3.In the passage, what does “surplus” mean? Use the sentence and surrounding details to explain how you worked it out.

4.Mere and Hemi had different concerns about the shared-produce table. What was each person worried about, and how did the group respond?

5.Nikau recorded that growers set out 46 kilograms of produce and 39 kilograms went home with shoppers. How much remained at closing? What does this number tell you—and what can it not tell you—about the trial?

6.Which evidence best shows that the trial influenced the market beyond the shared table?

Saturday mornings were usually busy.
Nikau was a student helping at the market.
Growers discussed smaller portions and lower-cost options, and Hemi began offering half-loaves near closing time.
The trial lasted for four Saturdays.

7.Write one open-ended question you would ask the market growers after reading the passage. Explain briefly how the answer could deepen your understanding.

8.What is the strongest reason the growers decided to keep the table?

It guaranteed that every item at the market would sell.
It reduced waste and gave neighbours a practical way to help, even though it did not solve food insecurity.
It replaced the need for other kinds of support.
It made the growers stop selling regular produce.

9.Summarise the passage in two or three sentences. Include the problem, the action taken and what the growers concluded.

10.The passage says the numbers “told only part of the story”. Explain what this phrase means, using one numerical detail and one non-numerical detail from the passage.