Checking Out Me History - Whole Class Reading Session!

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through a reading of John Agard’s poem ‘Checking Out Me History.’ I initially used this with a year 5 and 6 class as a part of whole class reading programme during Black History Month.

The resource pack includes the poem, background information and all of the activities for the session, which the class are guided through via a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation. This is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language.

The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities.

The session is best suited for children in upper KS2/ lower KS3, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.