Read and Understand Instructions for a Game Worksheet

Instructions need to be clear and easy to follow. Read these instructions for the game of Snakes and Ladders and then answer the questions in the worksheet.

How to play Snakes and Ladders

A game for 2 - 6 players

Equipment

Snakes and Ladders board
Coloured counters
Dice

Rules

1. Youngest player starts.

2. Take turns to roll the dice and move your counter the number of spaces shown on the dice.

3. If you land on a square containing the bottom of a ladder you can move your counter to the top of the ladder.

4. If you land on a square containing the head of a snake you must move your counter all the way down the snake to the bottom.

5. The winner is the first player to reach the final square (containing the trophy).

The instructions are divided into two sections. The first one tells you what you need and the second one tells you how to play the game.

What are the sections called?

Remember that you can look back at the introduction as often as you like by clicking the Help button.

Column A	Column B
what you need	rules
how to play the game	equipment

Apart from the equipment and rules, what other information is given in the instructions?

the colour of the counters

how many people can play the game

where you should play the game

Which player starts the game?

the one who rolls the highest number

the oldest player

the youngest player

What must you do if you land on the head of a snake?

miss a turn

move your counter down to the bottom of the snake

have another go

Instructions need to be clear, so they are laid out in a special way to make them easy to follow.

Which of the following features are included in these instructions?

Tick four boxes.

numbered points

bold print

bullet points

a labelled diagram

a photograph or picture

Instructions often begin with imperative verbs. These are sometimes known as 'bossy verbs' because they tell people what to do.

for example:

Roll the dice.

Miss a turn.

In this set of instructions, only one of the steps begins with an imperative verb. Which one?

step 1

step 2

step 3

step 4

step 5

Why do the instructions have numbers?

so players can help each other

so players know what to do first

ANSWERS

Question 1

The instructions are divided into two sections. The first one tells you what you need and the second one tells you how to play the game.

What are the sections called?

Remember that you can look back at the introduction as often as you like by clicking the Help button.

CORRECT ANSWER

Column A	Column B
what you need	equipment
how to play the game	rules

EDDIE SAYS

The titles are different for different types of instructional texts. In a recipe, the 'what you need' title would be 'ingredients' and the 'how to play' title would be 'method'.

ANSWERS

Question 2

Apart from the equipment and rules, what other information is given in the instructions?

CORRECT ANSWER

how many people can play the game

EDDIE SAYS

It is important to know how many players can play before you start.

ANSWERS

Question 3

Which player starts the game?

CORRECT ANSWER

the youngest player

EDDIE SAYS

There are many different ways of deciding who starts a game. In this case it is the youngest player, but as long as all the players agree on the rules it doesn't really matter!

ANSWERS

Question 4

What must you do if you land on the head of a snake?

CORRECT ANSWER

move your counter down to the bottom of the snake

EDDIE SAYS

Many games involve missing a turn, but not this one.

ANSWERS

Question 5

Instructions need to be clear, so they are laid out in a special way to make them easy to follow.

Which of the following features are included in these instructions?

Tick four boxes.

CORRECT ANSWER

numbered points
bold print
bullet points
a photograph or picture

EDDIE SAYS

A diagram with labels isn't really necessary here as the game is not very complicated and the players will have the pieces in front of them anyway.

ANSWERS

Question 6

Instructions often begin with imperative verbs. These are sometimes known as 'bossy verbs' because they tell people what to do.

for example:

Roll the dice.

Miss a turn.

In this set of instructions, only one of the steps begins with an imperative verb. Which one?

CORRECT ANSWER

step 2

EDDIE SAYS

Step 2 begins with the imperative verb 'take'. Steps 1 and 5 are explaining things rather than giving instructions, and steps 3 and 4 both begin with the conjunction 'if'.