What happens?
Glinda, the Witch of the South tells Dorothy that her silver shoes have magical powers. All she has to do is click her heels together three times and command them to take her wherever she wants to go. So, with Toto in her arms, Dorothy clicks her heels together and wishes the shoes to take her home.
Have a think ..
Take a moment to think about these questions:
Why do you think Dorothy and her friends get tidied up before they go to see Glinda?
Why do you think Glinda wants to return the golden cap to the winged monkeys? Would you give it back?
Dorothy discovers the silver shoes’ magical powers. If you found the silver shoes, where in the world would you choose to go?
Focus on .. speed
The silver shoes transport Dorothy back to Kansas incredibly quickly, each step made in the blink of an eye.
Find out more
Explore these links and videos to discover more about speed. The fastest creature on Earth is a peregrine falcon.
But what about the fastest person?
But that’s nothing compared to the amazing power every single person caries around in their own heads. Your brain is far quicker than the fastest supercomputer, and did you know that you can improve its processing power.
However, the fastest thing we know of in the universe is light. Nothing can travel faster than light.
Challenge yourself!
Another useful skill to learn is touch typing i.e. typing without having to look at the keys. Your challenge is to find out how many words a minute you can type at Typing Test, and then try to improve on your score.
More to explore
If you loved this chapter, why not check out some more ideas
More to read
These books should be available through your secondary school librarian. If we’ve found a free version online, we’ve added the link after each book.
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier tells the story about a girl moving to California with her family.
Flyboy, Spitfire and Typhoon (Wings series) by Tom Palmer. A group of friends find they’ve been sent back in time and have to fly three old aircraft to return to the present.
The phoenix and the carpet by E. Nesbit: a different way to travel by magic.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman: a young girl moves into her new home and discovers some disturbing problems.
The tortoise and the hare is a famous fable by Aesop. It’s not always about being the fastest. Online version.
