We are a team of two sisters who specialise in primary education. We are determined to create resources of the highest standard that can be used without further preparation. Our lessons and assemblies have been designed to challenge children of all levels within a creative, engaging and inspiring context. Explore our shop to find lesson packs for languages, art and religious education, plans for assemblies and numerous high-quality resources to help you teach phonics, mathematics and literacy
We are a team of two sisters who specialise in primary education. We are determined to create resources of the highest standard that can be used without further preparation. Our lessons and assemblies have been designed to challenge children of all levels within a creative, engaging and inspiring context. Explore our shop to find lesson packs for languages, art and religious education, plans for assemblies and numerous high-quality resources to help you teach phonics, mathematics and literacy
This resource is a non-fiction comprehension activity for year 2. It is based on the KS1 SATs reading paper and includes 3 differentiated levels.
There are a range of 'what' and 'how' questions, some multiple choice tick questions and some that require more detailed answers. The activity is also laid out in a similar way to the SATs booklets, with four pages of pictures and short written extracts to read and 2-3 questions per page. Answers are included.
This comprehension is all about the explorer, Christopher Columbus.
PDF file format.
The comprehensions are also available as part of a 5 lesson literacy unit:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/year-2-literacy-unit-christopher-columbus-explorer-5-lessons-12055409
This is a pack of 15 year 2 SATs style non-fiction comprehensions.
Each booklet comes in 3 differentiated levels. They are all based on the reading SATs paper, containing a similar style of questions and a similar layout. Perfect to use in the run-up to SATs as either a start of day activity, a main part of a lesson or to send home to parents for children to practise at home.
There are a wide range of topics covered, including:
Wildlife (x3)
European countries (x3)
Historical figures from the history curriculum (x4)
Sports stars (x3)
Spring (x1)
General non-fiction (x1)
PDF file format and editable Microsoft word format included in the price.
A collection of non-fiction comprehension activities for year 2 about three different sports personalities. Each booklet comes in 3 differentiated levels. They are all based on the reading SATs paper, containing a similar style of questions. They are also laid out in the same way as a SATs booklet to provide the children with greater experience.
These are the 3 different sports personalities explored in the comprehensions:
Lionel Messi (footballer)
Serena Williams (tennis player)
Mo Farah (athlete)
This resource is a fictional comprehension activity for year 2. It is a fictional diary entry written in character as Florence Nightingale. It is based on the KS1 SATs reading paper and includes 3 differentiated levels.
There are a range of 'what' 'where' and 'how' questions, some multiple choice tick questions and some that require more detailed answers. The activity is also laid out in a similar way to the SATs booklets, with four pages of pictures and short written extracts to read and 2-3 questions per page. Answers are also included.
PDF file format.
These comprehensions are also available as part of the Year 2 five lesson literacy plan:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/florence-nightingale-year-2-literacy-5-day-plan-history-12199874
This resource is a fictional comprehension activity for year 2. It is a fictional letter written in character as a soldier to his mother about Mary Seacole. It is based on the KS1 SATs reading paper and includes 3 differentiated levels.
There are a range of 'what' 'where' and 'how' questions, some multiple choice tick questions and some that require more detailed answers. The activity is also laid out in a similar way to the SATs booklets, with four pages of pictures and short written extracts to read and 2-3 questions per page. Answers are also included.
PDF file format.
These comprehensions are also available as part of the Year 2 five lesson literacy unit:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/mary-seacole-year-2-literacy-5-lesson-plan-history-11539566
This resource is a comprehension activity for year 2. It is a fictional newspaper report, which I have written from the point of view of a reporter the day after Edith Cavell was shot. It is based on the KS1 SATs reading paper and includes 3 differentiated levels.
There are a range of 'what' 'where' and 'when' questions, some multiple choice tick questions and some that require more detailed answers. There is a one page newspaper report, followed by two pages of questions. Answers are also included.
PDF file format.
This comprehension is also included as part of the 5 lesson year 2 literacy unit on Edith Cavell:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/year-2-literacy-5-lesson-plan-edith-cavell-history-11541732
This is a 5 lesson Literacy unit all about Mary Seacole. The plan is aimed at year 2 and gives details of the year 2 curriculum objectives covered. The children develop reading comprehension, writing, editing and SPaG skills during the unit.
All five lessons include a SPaG starter which is always linked to Mary Seacole.
The main activity in lesson 1 is a non-fiction reading comprehension, which helps children to learn about Mary. It is laid out in a SATs style format, containing similar questions to a SATs paper and is differentiated 3 ways.
The main activity in lesson 2 is a fictional letter comprehension, written from the point of view of a soldier about Mary Seacole. Again it is in a SATs style and is again differentiated 3 ways.
Lesson 3 allows children to gather vocabulary through drama and written activities. Lessons 4 and 5 allow children to write and edit their own letters as a soldier about Mary Seacole.
All resources are included that will be needed for the lessons.
The following documents are included:
A 12 page detailed plan for 5 lessons.
A PowerPoint presentation with Mary Seacole themed SPaG starters (This is non-editable. Click the 'Read Only' button to open.)
A PowerPoint presentation covering Mary Seacole's childhood, her first adventures around the world, her experiences in the Crimean war and her legacy. (This is non-editable. Click the 'Read Only' button to open.)
Differentiated pdf Comprehensions about Mary Seacole. Each of the three levels contains four pages of text followed by questions.
Differentiated comprehensions on a fictional letter written by a soldier about Mary Seacole. Each of the three levels contains four pages of text followed by questions.
(The presentation and comprehensions are also available separately from my shop:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/mary-seacole-year-2-comprehension-non-fiction-history-11511733
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/year-2-sats-style-comprehension-mary-seacole-letter-history-11539423
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/mary-seacole-history-presentation-11988277)
This bundle contains 3 week-long literacy units aimed at year 2. The three units cover historical figures from the KS1 history curriculum:
Florence Nightingale
Mary Seacole
Edith Cavell
They could be used separately or in conjunction with each other to form a historical comparison.
All three units follow a similar pattern. The first two lessons in each unit are comprehension lessons. The third lesson allows for vocabulary building through drama and written activities. The fourth and fifth lessons are writing and editing lessons.
Children learn to write a diary, a letter and a newspaper report. Each of the units include a pdf plan and non-editable PowerPoint. Please click 'Read Only' to open.
All resources are included.
This is a 5 lesson Literacy unit all about Edith Cavell. The plan is aimed at year 2 and gives details of the year 2 curriculum objectives covered. The children develop reading comprehension, writing, editing and SPaG skills during the unit.
All five lessons include a SPaG starter which is always linked to Edith Cavell.
The main activity in lesson 1 is a non-fiction reading comprehension, which helps children to learn about Edith. It is laid out in a SATs style format, containing similar questions to a SATs paper and is differentiated 3 ways.
The main activity in lesson 2 is a newspaper comprehension, written from the point of view of a British reporter the day after Edith was shot. Again it contains SATs style questions and is differentiated 3 ways. Please note the 'Preview Page' shows the newspaper report with sections blacked out.
Lesson 3 allows children to gather ideas through drama and written activities. Lessons 4 and 5 allow children to write and edit their own newspapers about Edith Cavell.
The following documents are included:
A detailed 13 page pdf document containing 5 lesson plans and a template for one of the activities.
Each lesson includes a SPaG starter, introduction, main activity and plenary.
A Powerpoint presentation containing the SPaG starter activities. This is non-editable. When you open the PowerPoint click the ‘read only’ button.
A PowerPoint presentation on Edith Cavell which covers Edith’s childhood, early career, war work and legacy. This is non-editable. When you open the PowerPoint click the ‘read only’ button.
A set of differentiated non-fiction comprehensions on Edith Cavell. Each level contains 4 pages of text followed by questions.
A set of differentiated comprehensions containing a fictional newspaper report following Edith Cavell's death. Each level contains the newspaper report followed by questions.
A template for the Newspaper Report
(The comprehensions and presentation are also available separately from my shop:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/year-2-sats-style-comprehension-edith-cavell-history-11511811
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/year-2-edith-cavell-comprehension-fictional-newspaper-report-history-11541480
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/edith-cavell-history-presentation-11900153)
This resource contains 5 comprehension activities suitable for using with year 1 or early year 2.
They each contain a short piece of text (about 5 sentences) with words that can be sounded out. There are three trickier words which have pictures to help children work out what they say.
The text is followed by 5 questions, containing 'what' 'who' and 'when' questions and some multiple choice questions. Answers are also included.
The theme in this pack is the Victorians. The five topics are:
Florence Nightingale
Mary Seacole
Victorian Children (working)
Victorian Children (at school)
Queen Victoria
There is also a PowerPoint included in the pack containing a slide for each text so that you can go through the comprehensions before the children complete them. Each slide also contains 3 words that are trickier to sound out, with sound buttons underneath them.
PDF file format.
This is a presentation on the suffragist, Millicent Fawcett, who was chosen as the first female to have a statue in Parliament Square.
Use it as part of a lesson or for an assembly for KS1, KS2 or KS3.
Please note there are no photos of Millicent Fawcett included, owing to copyright restrictions.
The presentation covers Fawcett's childhood, early political involvement and the successful suffrage movement. The last part of the presentation includes some interesting questions to provoke discussion or for further exploration.
This is a detailed, 10 slide presentation on the suffragette, Emily Davison, who became a martyr for the suffragette movement when she ran in front of the king's horse.
Use it as part of a lesson or for an assembly for KS3 or KS4.
The presentation covers Emily's education, before moving onto her actions in the suffragette movement, her imprisonment and force feeding and finally her death and legacy. The last part of the presentation includes some interesting questions to provoke discussion or for further exploration.
Please note that no photos of Emily Davison are included, owing to copyright restrictions. We have also created a presentation suitable for primary school. Visit our Blossoming Minds shop to find out more.
This resource is a fictional comprehension activity for year 2. It is a fictional diary entry written in character as Christopher Columbus. It is based on the KS1 SATs reading paper and includes 3 differentiated levels.
There are a range of ‘what’ ‘where’ and ‘how’ questions, some multiple choice tick questions and some that require more detailed answers. The activity is also laid out in a similar way to the SATs booklets, with four pages of pictures and short written extracts to read and 2-3 questions per page. Answers are also included.
PDF file format.
The comprehensions are also available as part of a 5 lesson literacy unit:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/year-2-literacy-unit-christopher-columbus-explorer-5-lessons-12055409
This is a presentation on the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, who became the first man to walk on the moon.
Use it as part of a lesson or for an assembly. The presentation covers Neil’s childhood, his years as a pilot, becoming and astronaut and the expedition to the moon. The last part of the presentation includes some interesting questions to provoke discussion or for further exploration.
Armstrong is one of the key historical figures mentioned in the KS1 curriculum, so this presentation would be perfect for introducing the explorer.
This is a detailed, 10 slide presentation on the suffragette, Emily Davison, who became a martyr for the suffragette movement when she ran in front of the king's horse.
Use it as part of a lesson or for an assembly. The presentation covers Emily's education, before moving onto her actions in the suffragette movement, her imprisonment and finally her death and legacy. The last part of the presentation includes some interesting questions to provoke discussion or for further exploration.
Please note that there are no photos of Emily Davison included, owing to copyright restrictions. This presentation is an altered version of my presentation for older children, making it suitable to use with primary school children.
This is a presentation on the first black South African president, Nelson Mandela.
Use it as part of a lesson or for an assembly for KS2, KS3 or KS4.
The presentation covers South Africa in the 20th century, Mandela’s childhood, his education, career, imprisonment and becoming president. The last part of the presentation includes some inspirational quotes and some interesting questions to provoke discussion or for further exploration.
This resource is a comprehension booklet aimed at Lower Key Stage 2 (7-9 yrs). The booklet tells the story of The Gunpowder Plot which is the story behind the Bonfire Night celebrations.
There are three differentiated booklets. The higher booklet has two pages of information for the children to read before they complete 3 pages of ‘what,’ ‘where,’ ‘when,’ ‘which,’ ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions. There are also true or false, multiple choice questions and some that require more detailed answers. There are 14 questions in total.
The middle and lower ability booklets have the information split into four separate pages with questions on each page. The middle ability has 13 questions and the lower ability has 12 questions in total.
There is a colour and black & white booklet for each level. Answers are also included.
PDF file format.
You might be interested in:
Year 2 Bonfire Night Comprehension Bundle / Guy Fawkes
This resource is a 2 lesson unit on Harvest, suitable for using with key stage 1. There are details of activities and differentiation for each lesson.
The first lesson involves children learning about the history of British harvest. They take part in an interactive starter, watch a PowerPoint about harvest, do a drama activity and a written activity, finishing with a philosophical discussion.
The second lesson allows children to learn about Thanksgiving in America and how harvest is linked to thankfulness. Children take part in a written starter, watch a PowerPoint on Thanksgiving and write a poem.
All resources are included in the price. They are in a zip file. They are:
8 page PDF lesson plans
20 slide animated PowerPoint about Harvest Festival (This is not editable. Click ‘Read Only’ to open. Some of the images only appear when the PowerPoint is played as a slideshow with the animations.)
21 slide animated PowerPoint about Thanksgiving (This is not editable. Click ‘Read Only’ to open. Some of the images only appear when the PowerPoint is played as a slideshow with the animations.)
16 PDF pages of pictures for the starter activity in Lesson 1
4 PDF pages for the discussion in Lesson 1
6 PDF pages of colour and black & white differentiated worksheets for the written activity in lesson 1
6 PDF pages of colour and black & white differentiated worksheets for the poem writing activity in lesson 2
No further preparation is needed
The two PowerPoints are also available separately:
Harvest Festival Presentation
Thanksgiving PowerPoint Presentation
A Key Stage 2 version of these plans is available:
Key Stage 2 Harvest RE Unit
The PowerPoint from Lesson 1 is also available with our Harvest Festival Assembly:
Harvest Festival Assembly
A collection of four presentations on various social activists, suitable for using with KS2, KS3 or KS4. The figures included have fought for the rights of women, ethnic minorities or the poor.
Those included in the pack are:
Nelson Mandela
Emily Davison
Millicent Fawcett
An interactive PowerPoint presentation on 6 different inspirational or historical figures of African or Caribbean descent. The first slide gives the option of clicking on one of the six different figures, after which you are taken to the appropriate part of the presentation which tells you all about the figure.
The slideshow is designed to be used as part of Black History Month or for a thematic study in history.
It is suitable for use with KS2, KS3 or KS4 and can be used for assemblies, as an introduction to history or topic lessons or just as a filler during Black History Month in October.
The figures included are:
Nelson Mandela
Serena Williams
Rosa Parks
Mo Farah
Mary Seacole
Benjamin Zephaniah