This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading the opening to Katherine Rundell’s ‘The Zebra’s Great Escape.’ The reading 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 text is hyperlinked (first slide) for ease of access, and is also provided as a PDF. The session is best suited for children in years 2-3, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to build their understanding of Mary Anning, whilst simultaneously developing their reading comprehension skills. The resource pack includes the full text (a detailed and original knowledge organiser) and all of the activities for the session, which the class are guided through via a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation. The reading 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 text 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 years 3-4, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly older or younger year groups. This resource is suitable for home/ remote learning. These resources are also suitable for home/ remote learning.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading the lyrics to the carol ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas.’ The lyrics are provided as a PDF, in addition to a hyperlink to a video of the carol being sung (with lyrics). The reading 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 years 1-2, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through reading the opening section of Astrid Lindgren’s 'Pippi Longstocking.’ The resource pack includes the extract and all of the activities for the session, which the class are guided through via a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation. The reading 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 text for reading is hyperlinked at the bottom of the first slide. The session is best suited for children in years 2-3, although with only a few minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly older and younger classes. The session is also suitable for home/ remote learning.

This whole class reading session aims to build their understanding of the poetic form of Ottava Rima, whilst simultaneously developing their reading comprehension skills. The resource pack includes the full text (a detailed and original knowledge organiser) and all of the activities for the session, which the class are guided through via a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation. The reading 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 text 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 years 5-6, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly older or younger year groups. This resource is suitable for home/ remote learning. These resources are also suitable for home/ remote learning.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading a non-fiction text about the life of Mother Teresa. The reading 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 text is available freely on Epic and is hyperlinked on the first slide for ease of access. The session is best suited for children in years 2-3, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading C.M. Surrisi’s ‘The Best Mother.’ The reading 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 text is available freely on Epic and is hyperlinked on the first slide for ease of access. The session is best suited for children in years 1-3, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading the opening to Roddy Doyle’s ‘Her Mother’s Face.’ The reading 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 text is hyperlinked (first slide) for ease of access, and is also provided as a PDF. The session is best suited for children in years 1-3, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading Anastasia Suen’s ‘Don’t Forget: A Responsibility Story.’ The reading 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 text is available freely on Epic and is hyperlinked on the first slide for ease of access. The session is best suited for children in years 2-3, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to build their understanding of children’s rights, whilst simultaneously developing their reading comprehension skills. The resource pack includes the full text (made up of an introduction to children’s rights and a child-friendly list of the rights) and all of the activities for the session, which the class are guided through via a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation. The reading 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 text 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 years 3-4, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly older or younger year groups. This resource is suitable for home/ remote learning. These resources are also suitable for home/ remote learning.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading the opening to Steve Smallman’s ‘Maggie Sparks and the Truth Dragon.’ The reading 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 text is hyperlinked (first slide) for ease of access, and is also provided as a PDF. The session is best suited for children in years 2-3, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading Gene Zion’s ‘Harry the Dirty Dog.’ The reading 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 text is hyperlinked (first slide) for ease of access - the text can be accessed freely through Epic. The session is best suited for children in years 1-2, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading Kimberley and James Dean’s ‘Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure.’ The reading 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 text is hyperlinked (first slide) for ease of access - the text can be accessed freely and with no sign up through download on the site. The session is best suited for children in years 1-2, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

Based on the popular game show ‘Pointless’, this resource is perfect for use as a whole lesson resource, enrichment option, or revision tool. Editable, so that you can change to any other topic or change questions. (I’ve also added a blank template so that you can make your own games from scratch). Containing almost 30 slides of sound clips, interesting tasks, and suitably challenging questions, this resource is effective at both promoting engagement and enhancing learning. There are several full rounds of questions to build or revisit knowledge of characters, plot, and themes in ‘Private Peaceful.’ Round 1. The characters in Private Peaceful Round 2. Quotations from the text Round 3. Settings and Objects Round 4. Themes in Private Peaceful The nature of this game ensures that the resource can challenge students of all levels. A blank template has also been added, so that you can create your own games!

This engaging and thought-provoking double-lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the chapters 10 to 13 of Roald Dahl’s ‘Boy: Tales of Childhood.’ This section of the text details his initial experiences at St. Peter’s School, including his run-ins with the Matron and his feelings of homesickness. The comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings; -Summarising the key events. The session begins with a brief knowledge recall quiz based on the prior chapters. Students then read and understand the chapters, utilising retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning activities. There is easily enough material for two lessons here (21 slides in total). The lessons are suitable for students in either KS3 or upper KS2 (for advanced classes), depending upon the individual context of the school and students.

This lesson aims to help students to build their skill at inferring and deducing the hidden meanings in texts, whilst also providing students with valuable SMSC messages about the horror of the Holocaust. Students also hone their skills of writing to argue, utilising information that they gain from reading extracts of John Boyne’s ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.’ Informative and engaging, this lesson follows a clear and logical learning journey. Students learn to: - Define key terms related to reading between the lines of a text; - Consider the concepts of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ using the poem ‘Vultures.’ Use this knowledge to consider the actions of those involved in the Holocaust; - Read extracts from The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas; - Answer a range of questions designed to demonstrate students’ ability to infer and deduce the hidden meanings in texts; - Write an argumentative letter from Bruno’s Grandma to his father, using a writing to argue help-sheet; - Peer-assess each others’ learning attempts. Included in this resource pack: A comprehensive, whole-lesson, visually engaging PowerPoint presentation, which guides the teacher and learners through the lesson, a writing to argue help-sheet, a copy of the poem ‘Vultures,’ extracts from ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ and teacher guidance notes. All images are cited at the end of the PowerPoint presentation, and are licensed for commercial use.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful for exam revision, comprehension tasks, or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the KS4 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework - this makes the tasks suitable for all examining bodies. Students have found these resources extremely engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that students gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - ‘Context: Regency England’ - to aid students with ‘Drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation;’ - ‘Austen’s Description’ - to aid students with ‘Analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact;’ - ‘Mr Darcy’ - to aid students with ‘Seeking evidence in the text to support a point of view, including justifying inferences with evidence;’ - ‘Editing the Novel’ - to aid students with ‘Making an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is almost 30 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

This interesting task provides students with an opportunity to track Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship throughout ‘Pride and Prejudice.’ Students first rate Elizabeth and Darcy’s feelings for one another at different points in the text on a 1-10 scale, plotting their rating on the graph. They then justify the rating with an explanation and textual evidence, in the table beneath. It’s great for helping them to see how the relationship develops over the course of the text, and also offers a novel cross-curricular link with maths. Shameless plug - if you like this resource, please take a look at my paid ‘Pride and Prejudice’ resources, available as single lessons or in the lesson bundle. Thanks!

A simple worksheet that I used to help children in years 2 and 3 to secure their understanding of word classes. It uses an opening extract of ‘The Twits’ in which Mr Twit is first introduced to the reader. The worksheet provides children with a series of tasks in which they identify, understand, replace and create nouns, verbs and adjectives. Provided in both PDF (to protect formatting) and Word (so that you can edit as needed). Hope that this helps!

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Roald Dahl’s ‘The Twits.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Chapter by Chapter Summary; Main Characters; Themes; Dahl’s Language Devices; Important Vocabulary. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A4 or A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).