THE WELCOME SIGN
Reading passage and classroom prompts

STUDENT MATERIAL

1. At the station, the traveller stood beneath the clock with a folded welcome sign tucked under one arm.
2. The board read: “Northbridge train — Platform 3 — 12 minutes late.”
3. Each time the doors to Platform 3 opened, the traveller straightened the sign and stepped forward.
4. When only a porter came through, the traveller lowered it and looked at the clock again.
5. Rain drummed against the glass roof, but the umbrella stayed folded on the floor.
6. At the sound of wheels beyond the doors, the traveller smiled and lifted the sign with both hands.

First lock: Which platform is named on the board? Enter the platform number only.
Second lock: How many minutes late is the Northbridge train? Enter the number only.
Written response: Why does the traveller keep stepping towards the platform doors? Use two details from the passage and explain how they support your answer.
Finish: Name one thing the passage does not tell us about the traveller or the person they may be meeting.

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TEACHER KEY — remove this section before giving the text to students
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First Number Lock answer: 3. Evidence: sentence 2. Hint: read the platform number on the board.
Second Number Lock answer: 12. Evidence: sentence 2. Hint: find the delay, not the platform number.

Annotation model:
- Sentence 1: “welcome sign” suggests a greeting.
- Sentence 2: Platform 3 and 12 minutes late are stated facts.
- Sentence 3: “straightened the sign” and “stepped forward” connect the sign to people coming through the doors.
- Sentence 4: “lowered it” and “looked at the clock again” suggest the arrival was not the one expected.
- Sentence 5: Rain supplies atmosphere. It does not identify the visitor.
- Sentence 6: Smiling and lifting the sign suggest an expected arrival, although the passage does not confirm who comes through next.

Compare these three responses:

Literal fact: “The board says the train is 12 minutes late.”
The delay is relevant to continued waiting, but it does not explain the traveller's purpose in stepping forward. This gives one relevant detail. Score: 1/4.

Defensible inference: “They probably expect to meet someone from the train. They have a ‘welcome sign’ and step forward each time the platform doors open, so they seem to be checking whether that person has arrived.”
This includes a plausible claim, two relevant details and a connection. Score: 4/4.

Unsupported guess: “They are meeting their sister after a holiday in France.”
The passage gives neither the relationship nor the holiday. Score: 0/4.

Four-point marking check:
1 point: a plausible answer to why the traveller steps towards the doors.
Up to 2 points: one point for each of two distinct, relevant textual details, quoted or accurately paraphrased.
1 point: an explanation of how those details support the claim.

Accept other supported interpretations and students' own wording. For example, “They want to make sure an arriving person can see them” can earn full credit if connected to straightening and lifting the welcome sign. Do not require the model wording. Minor spelling errors do not determine the inference score.

Finish prompt: possible unknowns include the visitor's name, relationship to the traveller, or why they are arriving. Do not treat “sister” or “France” as facts.

Deck.Toys setup: use two Number Locks for the stated facts, then the Text App with Long text enabled for the inference. Text allows a free-form response and progression without automatically judging correctness. Teacher review is needed for the explanation.