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Whale Rider Pre-Reading Questionnaire
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Whale Rider Pre-Reading Questionnaire
Before reading Whale Rider, explore its title and some of its big ideas. There are no single correct answers: use what you know, explain your thinking, and be ready to revise a prediction as you read.
First Impressions
1.The title Whale Rider gives you a clue, but not the whole story. What might a “whale rider” be, and what questions does the title raise for you?
2.Before starting, choose the two ideas you most expect to matter in Whale Rider. Explain one clue behind one of your choices.
- Family and belonging
- Leadership and responsibility
- Tradition and change
- The relationship between people and nature
- Competition and winning
3.You are visiting a marae with Tui, Anahera, and Charlotte. Before entering, the group follows their hosts’ guidance and listens carefully. Why might listening and observing be important when visiting a place with cultural significance?
Explore the Ideas
4.A community is choosing a new leader. Which two actions are most likely to help that person lead well? Select two, then justify one choice.
- Listen to different people before deciding
- Take responsibility when things go wrong
- Insist that only the oldest person can have ideas
- Make every decision without explanation
- Learn from the community’s history
5.Consider this statement: “Traditions should never change.” Do you agree, disagree, or partly agree? Give a reason and describe one way a tradition could change while its meaning is respected.
6.A young person feels pulled between what their family expects and what they want for themselves. Name one pressure they might feel and suggest a respectful way to respond.
7.Whales matter in more than one way. Give one reason whales may be culturally or emotionally important to people, and one way whales contribute to the natural environment.
Make and Test Predictions
8.Using only the title and the ideas explored above, predict one conflict or challenge that might appear in Whale Rider. Explain what makes your prediction plausible.
9.Write one open question you hope the novel will help you answer. It should invite explanation rather than a yes-or-no reply.
10.Which prediction from this questionnaire do you most want to check as you read? State the prediction and name one kind of evidence in the story that could support or challenge it.
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