Water Worries by Feana Tu‘akoi, from Junior Journal 63, is a humorous play about a town with a puzzling water problem. Everyone has ideas about why the supply keeps stopping, but it takes Dora’s visit to some hot, swimming dragons to uncover the unexpected cause.

Designed for a Year 3 supported reading programme, this resource helps students follow clues, explore cause and effect, and explain how observations can help solve a mystery. The play encourages discussion about cooperation, sharing resources and recognising how our actions affect others.

This pack includes:

• Guided reading questions exploring prior knowledge, comprehension, inference, play structure, vocabulary and author’s purpose.

• Deeper personal response and reflection questions about fairness, accidental consequences, checking explanations and finding solutions that meet different needs.

• A six-slide editable PowerPoint lesson overview featuring a learning intention and success criteria, vocabulary matching, warm-up questions, a linked text, an exit ticket and reflection.

• Teacher notes and answer guidance supporting discussion, expressive reading and follow-up responses.

Students compare the characters’ explanations, identify the evidence behind Dora’s discovery, and consider why taking turns provides a practical solution. Wordplay and lively dialogue offer opportunities to explore humour, while reading in roles builds fluency, expression and confidence.

Themes: water, community, cooperation, sharing resources, problem solving, evidence, cause and effect, fairness, responsibility, environment, dragons, humour.

This pack contains response activities including:

• A guided reading plan exploring key literacy elements including inference and deduction, language use, making connection and text organisation, along with key questioning to promote emotional intelligence, metacognition and compassionate inquiry. 
• An independent learning contract complete with explainer videos for activity clarity
  

Themes explored include: character, citizenship, climate, community, cooperation, council, dragon, drama, environment, global warming, humour, language, message, mystery, play, problem solving, resources, water