P.E.
E - The Railway Children
CHAPTER 1
They were not railway children to begin with. I don't suppose they had ever thought about railways
except as a means of getting to places. They were just ordinary suburban children, and they lived with
their Father and Mother in an ordinary red-brick-fronted villa, with coloured glass in the front door, a
tiled passage that was called a hall, a bath-room with hot and cold water, electric bells, French windows,
and a good deal of white paint, and 'every modern convenience', as the house-agents say.
There were three of them. Roberta was the eldest. Of course, Mothers never have favourites, but if their
Mother had had a favourite, it might have been Roberta. Next came Peter, who wished to be an Engineer
when he grew up; and the youngest was Phyllis, who meant extremely well.
Mother was almost always there, ready to play with the children, and read to them, and help them to
do their home-lessons. Besides this she used to write stories for them while they were at school, and read
them aloud after tea, and she always made up funny pieces of poetry for their birthdays and for other
great occasions, such as the christening of the new kittens, or the refurnishing of the doll's house, or the
time when they were getting over the mumps.
These three lucky children always had everything they needed: pretty clothes, good fires, a lovely nursery
with heaps of toys, and a Mother Goose wall-paper. They had a kind and merry nursemaid, and a dog
who was called James, and who was their very own. They also had a Father who was just perfect —
never cross, never unjust, and always ready for a game — at least, if at any time he was not ready,
he always had an excellent reason for it, and explained the reason to the children so interestingly and
funnily that they felt sure he couldn't help himself.
P.E.E Questions (Point, Evidence, Explanation)
What's your point?
First make a simple statement about what the writer does:
Point • The writer suggests that...
• The writer shows this by using...
• The writer describes... as...
Give evidence from the text to support your point.
Evidence For example...
• For instance in the third paragraph...
• The writer states:
Explain how the writer's methods affect the reader.
Explain how key words and techniques from the evidence help to get these effects:
Explanation • The effect of this is...
• This makes the reader feel that......
• This suggests that...
Look at the questions carefully.
Can you create the correct P.E.E answer, to each question, using the cards provided?
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What did the children
think of the railways at the What was the house like
beginning of the story? which the children lived in?
[Link] [Link]
QUESTION CARDS
What was the mother of What was the father of
the children like? the children like?
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POINT CARDS
The children didn’t have
Were these children lucky? a special or particular
opinion of the railways.
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The children’s house The mother of the children
was very modern. was a kind and nice woman.
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