Reading Booklet

2021-2022
Key Stage 2 English Reading

The Day the Ocean Spoke

Pages 1-4

The Monster
Pages 5-7

Ecobricks
Pages 8-10

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 The Day the Ocean Spoke

Tadeo hopped from side to side, his trainers scuffing against the warm asphalt. Beads of
sweat were beginning to accumulate on his forehead but he ignored them: this was important.
He held his hands towards the scorching sun and waited for Fabia to make her move. With
lightning speed, she swung her leg back and kicked the sun-bleached ball as Tadeo dived onto
the rough ground.

“Gooooooooallllll!” shouted Fabia, throwing her arms

up in front of an imaginary audience. “Hawaii’s
greatest footballer does it again!” Tadeo stayed on
the ground; a scowl was etched on his face. Fabia
rolled her eyes as he reeled off his usual list of
excuses. She extended an arm and pulled him to
his feet. “Nothing’s ever your fault is it, Tad?” she
teased.

Tadeo gave Fabia a weak smile – he wasn’t quite ready

to relinquish his dignity and admit that someone a year
younger was already better at football than he was. “I’ve got to get ready for tonight,” shouted
Fabia as she gathered her possessions from across the pitch. “Will Tutu be joining us?”

“I doubt it,” mumbled Tadeo, wishing that people would stop asking. His grandfather had
once been the life and soul of any island gathering but all of that had changed a few months
ago. Tutu had sold his home by the beach and they had moved inland. Since then, he had
refused to leave unless it was for something essential. Māmā had told Tadeo that this was just
Tutu growing old but he disagreed. People don’t just suddenly change; something must have
happened.

“A hui hou aku,” smiled Fabia as the two children parted company. Tadeo began to make his
way up the steep hill towards Tutu’s house. When he arrived, the windows were closed as usual.
Bracing himself for the wall of muggy, stale air, he walked through the front door. No matter
how many times Tadeo or Māmā begged, windows were forbidden to be opened: according to
Tutu, they let in too much of ‘the noise’.

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 The Day the Ocean Spoke
Later that night, Tadeo met Fabia and her family on the beach. “No Tutu today?” asked Fabia’s
māmā kindly. Tadeo muttered something about Tutu not feeling very well – choosing to omit
details of the argument that he had just left after suggesting that going down to the beach
might be good for Tutu’s health.

“C’mon,” said Fabia. “Hahn caught some ono this morning and one’s sure to be ready by now.”
They made their way down to the grill and sure enough, the smell of fish was wafting towards
their nostrils. The two grabbed a napkin and Hahn passed them each a piece of grilled ono
folded in a slice of bread. While they ate their food in silence, Tadeo tuned into a conversation
between the adults around the fire.

“Do you remember what the beach used to be like?”

“It would stretch on for miles without a

piece of plastic in sight.”

“Those were the good old days.”

“I know. Today, you’re more likely to

see a spoon or a tangle of rope on
the beach than you are a honu.”

“Even if you do see a honu, they’ve

often got something tangled around
their shell.”

Tadeo rolled his eyes. He must have heard

this conversation a million times before. It always began with reminisces of the ‘good old
days’ and quickly transformed into complaints about the plastic that washed up on the shores.
Everyone knew about Kamilo beach and most people had been part of at least one clean-up
attempt somewhere on the island. The problem was that it just kept coming back.

It wasn’t Hawaii’s rubbish either – it was dragged through currents from across the world and
then washed up on the shore in a continuous, never-ending cycle. Tadeo had made posters at
school which encouraged people to pick up their rubbish but nothing ever changed. In the end,
he had decided that this was just the world evolving. Hundreds of years ago, there weren’t any
roads or cars on the island and now there were so many that traffic jams were commonplace.
Maybe plastic beaches were just the new roads? Besides, you could find some pretty exciting
treasure if you searched for long enough. Tadeo smiled as he recalled the tyres that he and
Fabia had collected and turned into a fort last summer.

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 The Day the Ocean Spoke
After spending the rest of the evening kicking a ball around with Fabia, Tadeo returned home.
When he walked into the stifling front room, Tutu was waiting.

“Did you hear it?” he said, turning to face Tadeo. The lamplight hit his face and illuminated
his features. There were deep lines etched into his once smiling face and there was a shadow
of something that Tadeo couldn’t quite understand.

“Hear what?”

“The ocean.”

Tadeo scrunched up his face. “Of course I heard the ocean – I was at the beach!”

“Then what did it say?” said Tutu. He caught Tadeo’s gaze and held on tightly.

“I… well… nothing!” spluttered Tadeo. This was getting ridiculous. Tutu just sank back to his
chair – the disappointment clearly lingering on his face.

“Then you weren’t listening,” he whispered almost inaudibly.

That was it. The conversation was over. Tadeo felt sick; he had failed a test that he didn’t know
was coming and he still didn’t know why.

Tadeo looked at the digital clock on his bedside table. It was just past midnight. He couldn’t
sleep. Tutu had been like this for months but this was the first time that Tadeo felt as though
he were failing him. What did he mean? At last, he made up his mind. Quietly climbing out of
bed, he pulled on a jumper and a pair of sandals. The night air was warm and still as he made
his way down to the beach.

At first, all he could hear was the sound of the waves gently lapping at the shore. Then, it
happened. It was as if something clicked in Tadeo’s mind. Suddenly, his head was filled with
voices. He jumped up and shone his torch around but the beach was deserted. Heart pounding,
Tadeo stood still again and tuned into the noise. It was like a thousand voices all chanting to
the same pulse. Each voice was different. Some were whispering, others were shouting; some
were soft, others were raspy and they were all saying the same thing.

“Help me.”

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 The Day the Ocean Spoke

Then, it clicked. This was ‘the noise’. This was the reason that Tutu couldn’t bear to be near the
sea. The ocean was calling for help. The sadness and desperation in the voices was too much to
bear. With tears streaming down his face and his hands over his ears, he ran back home and
found Tutu waiting for him.

“You heard it,” he whispered, embracing Tadeo.

“We have to help,” Tadeo sobbed.

Tutu lowered his head. “When I heard it, I was too old and too scared to act but you can make
a difference.”

“How?” sobbed Tadeo. “I’m just one person.”

“What if everyone thinks that they are too small to make a difference?” answered Tutu. “Will
anything ever change?”

Tadeo thought about this for a moment and remembered the conversation about the ‘good old
days’. Maybe it didn’t need to be like this: maybe plastic beaches weren’t part of the island’s
future. Taking a deep breath, he wiped the tears from his face and vowed to answer the ocean’s
call.

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 The Monster
When I was young,
I would sail through endless trees;
a flash of orange in a sea of green.

Each night,
branches would hold me in their arms
and rock me to sleep –
whispering their secrets.

When I awoke,
I’d emerge like a king
surveying their land.
The world was mine for the taking.

I lived in blurs of green and yellow –

through rushes of brown and gold
that hit my face as I swung
for miles and miles.

I was free.

Until the fire came.

The glowing, burning embers roared

as the trees moaned.
The forest screamed for help
but nobody heard.

Heart pounding,
head roaring,
I fled.

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 The Monster

Past blurs of green and yellow –

through rushes of brown and gold.
Until the crackling roar of destruction
was just background noise.
Until the confusion and panic it brought
had dissipated through the branches.

When I returned,
the shadows of the forest
still smouldered and smoked.
Their darkened leaves and hollow trunks
a memory of what used to be.

Then came the noise.

A cacophony of sounds –
creaking, crashing, shouting.
I was watching
as my home collapsed.
My heart
breaking
with every tree that fell.

I ran towards the din –

across trees that were the wrong way around –
until it appeared.

The monster.

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 The Monster
It roared and reared.
Its huge neck loomed;
flashing six sharp teeth
while the man
in the gridded belly of the beast
just watched.

The monster had won.

I fled along trees.

Past blurs of grey and black
through a place
that was
no longer mine.

I searched for safety;

for the comfort of the trees
but they
were gone.

I watched as my home
was carried away
in a convoy of destruction.

I cried for the loss

of what I thought was mine
but that somebody else
thought was theirs.

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 Ecobricks

It is estimated that over 300 million tonnes of plastic is produced

each year around the world. That’s the equivalent weight of over 60
million adult elephants! With lots of this waste ending up in the oceans
and along shorelines, people are looking for new ways to combat the
deluge of unwanted plastic that’s being created every day.

What Are Ecobricks?

Ecobricks are plastic bottles which have been packed with lots of clean, dry, unwanted plastic.
When an ecobrick is complete, it should be so dense that it can support the weight of an adult!
These amazing bricks can then be used by communities and individuals to create exciting new
projects, such as furniture, features in a garden or even whole buildings!

The aim of ecobricks is to prevent plastic from reaching an

environment where it can be harmful to the ecosystem. Currently,
there are many stories of sea birds and animals who have mistakenly
consumed so much plastic that they are unable to survive. Making
ecobricks is one practical solution that could turn plastic into a
reusable commodity rather than a single-use, disposable item.

If kept away from sunlight, it is estimated that one ecobrick could

survive for between 300 and 500 years. Some people have even
described ecobricks as being mini time capsules; they are able
to provide a glimpse of the past to people hundreds of years in
the future.

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 Ecobricks

Making an Ecobrick

Making an ecobrick is simple and enjoyable. By following these instructions carefully, you’ll be
able to start making your own ecobricks.

Collect
The first step in making an ecobrick is to collect lots of clean, dry
plastic to pack it with. Unwanted waste items, such as plastic
bags, polystyrene, cling film and crisp packets make the perfect
filling for ecobricks. Make sure that anything you collect is
non-biodegradable.
Choose
When you have collected enough plastic, it’s time to choose the right bottle. You can make
ecobricks in any plastic bottle that has a lid. Smaller bottles will be quicker to fill but bigger
bottles can be easier to build with.
Find
The trick to making a dense ecobrick is using a good stick to periodically push the contents
down into the bottle. Find a stick which is longer than the bottle with no sharp edges.

Pack
Now it is time to start packing your ecobrick with the clean, dry plastics
you’ve collected. Cutting any large pieces up into smaller chunks will
allow for a denser and more useful ecobrick. When you have made a
small layer of plastic, use your stick to push it down deep into the bottle.
Keep doing this until you can’t fit anything else inside.

Weigh
To ensure that they last for a really long time, ecobricks need to be
densely packed. Before using your ecobrick, it’s a good idea to weigh it
to see if it will stand the test of time. When checking that their ecobrick
weighs enough, many people use this formula:

bottle volume (ml) x 0.33 = minimum weight (g)

This means that a 500ml bottle is suggested to weigh at least 165g

before being used as an ecobrick.
Build
When you have gathered enough ecobricks, it’s time to start planning your first project! Work
with other people to collect even more ecobricks and use them to make chairs, tables, walls and
so much more.

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 Ecobricks

What Can Ecobricks Be Used For?

Around the world, ecobricks have already been used to build a variety of exciting things.

Rocking chairs made using ecobricks in South Africa.

A Christmas tree made using ecobricks.

Children in Indonesia using ecobrick constructions as stools

and footrests.

Making an Ecobrick: Top Tips

If you’re planning a big project, use the same bottle for each of your ecobricks. Bottles that
are the same size and shape can be a lot easier to build with.

Plastic photodegrades which means that ecobricks that are used outdoors need to be kept
mostly covered. However, the bottom of an ecobrick is thick enough that it can be left exposed.
Stuffing the bottom of your ecobrick with brightly coloured plastic creates an exciting effect.

Before putting anything into your plastic bottle, make sure that it is completely clean and dry.
This ensures that the contents of the brick don’t begin to rot.

Glossary
ecosystem: A community of living organisms (including plants and animals) in
a specific area.

non-biodegradable: Something which is not able to decay naturally.

photodegrades: Breaks down into smaller pieces after absorbing sunlight.

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