I am currently a year 5/6 teacher in Devon so I create a great many resources throughout the year - particularly when it comes to that dreaded SAT time of year. Hope you will find many helpful resources here to save you time during the hectic 2 term year that is Year 6!
I am currently a year 5/6 teacher in Devon so I create a great many resources throughout the year - particularly when it comes to that dreaded SAT time of year. Hope you will find many helpful resources here to save you time during the hectic 2 term year that is Year 6!
Newspaper article on Prometheus stealing fire from The Gods and giving it to humankind. Uses formal language and writing features expected in a news article as well as including a shift to informality where appropriate in interviews.
Article is accompanied by a 14 question (19 mark) reading comprehension comprising of:
retrieval
inference
true/false
fact/opinion
synonyms
language
level of formality
Available as Word and PDF with answers for ease of marking.
2 page reading comprehension where Father Christmas writes his own festive wish-list to the children. Activity is accompanied by a 22 mark reading comprehension quiz consisting of questions based on:
retrieval
Fact or opinion
True of false
Synonyms
Word comprehension
inference
recall
Answers are included in a separate file for ease of marking.
Two starter exercises for warming up the word - a good starter for when children come in first thing in the morning - can be continued as the morning exercise throughout the week.
1st exercise = 48 synonyms to be matched.
2nd exercise = 48 antonyms to be matched.
Words vary in difficulty and demand on prior vocabulary knowledge so will suit children of differing abilities. Good opportunities for discussion and use of thesaurus if needed.
Four short passages where children must use inference with regards to the text in order to answer 3 mark questions. This is good practice for providing evidence from the text itself and explaining reasoning.
These exercises can be carried out in a whole class guided reading environment, small groups or individually. Might be a good idea to one text as a class and discuss how to answer the questions. Give another as a paired exercise and the final two as individual work.
A teacher notes/answers sheet is provided as a separate file for ease of marking.
Short Halloween poem that can be read just for comprehension or performed as a rap, either through guided reading, in groups or as a whole class.
Poem is accompanied by a 17 mark reading comprehension quiz that focuses on:
fact/opinion
retrieval
synonyms
true and false
chronological ordering
Separate answer sheet is included for ease of marking.
Year 5/6 Reading comprehension based on a newspaper article written about a planned housing development in a fictional town. Contains layout of a newspaper report, opinions and examples of formal writing throughout. Also contains interviews and opinions to provide context to the report.
Comes with a 20mark reading comprehension paper with questions based around the following:
True and False
Fact and Opinion
Inference
Retrieval
Word comprehension
Synonym
Questions are accompanied by an answer sheet for ease of marking and marking boxes for speedy feeback (especially if peer-marking is to be used).
General revision sheets (six different tasks) for children to complete ahead of GPS test. Sheets test knowledge of word classes, tense and was/were.
Answers are included for ease of marking.
2 separate worksheets (with answers for ease of marking) that call on pupils to identify main, subordinate and relative clauses in different sentences. The method asks for similar identification to that asked for in the GPS SATs test so can be used as a good foundation for revision or simple teaching throughout upper key stage 2.
Poem about an old oak tree that discusses getting old and seeing better days. Useful for examples of metaphor and alliteration, with other poetry conventions.
20 mark comprehension quiz to accompany the poem, incorporating:
**inference
retrieval
fact/opinion
true/false
chronological ordering
**
Exercise is accompanied by an answer sheet (separate file) for ease of marking.
Good practice in the run-up to the SAT reading paper as poetry may be one of the reading sections (it was last year!).
Hope you enjoy.
Report/documentary style reading comprehension (fictional!) on UFO and alien sightings in Fieldmarsh Forest. Two Spooky accounts, with fact boxes, documenting alien and UFO sightings since 1964. 20 mark question scheme for children to answer. Style of questions modelled on SAT reading papers.
Contains examples of:
True/false
Fact/opinion
Chronological sequencing
Inference
Recall/retrieval
Separate answer sheet file is included for ease of marking.
Hope your children enjoy!
A Year 5/6 reading comprehension that can be used as an effective SAT practice.
Short first person story, (true story as told by the author) about the time he accidentally adopted a cat!
Story is accompanied by a 20 mark comprehension paper and answers for ease of marking.
A good activity to fill a 30 minute timeslot and answer the style of questions that usually come up in May’s reading papers.
Question types include: true/false, fact/opinion, chronological ordering, retrieval, synonyms.
A reading comprehension that tells the story of a World War evacuee who is sent to the Devon countryside. Having been sent to live with the Hardiman’s, Robert discovers that the old man’s longtime ambition is to catch the much sought after ‘Old Percy’ - a huge 40lb pike that has never before been caught.
The reading comprehension consists of twenty marks and provides practice on true/false, fact/opinion, chronological ordering, recall, retrieval and inference.
A file with the answers is also included for ease of marking.
Ideal exercise in the build-up to SATs, or just for a normal reading comprehension exercise in upper KS2. Can also be used as part of a World War 2 topic.
A useful year 6 revision tool comprising of 19 grammar and punctuation questions.
Also includes 20 spellings with a mixture of year 5/6 list spellings, frequently used words and homophones.
Questions targeted on:
clauses
adverbs and adjectives
relative clauses
word classes
tenses
‘a’ and ‘an’
formal language
passive and active voice
All answers are included for ease of marking.
A GPS quiz for Christmas consisting of 20 spellings and 20 Grammar and punctuation questions.
A time filler for that approach to the end of term and a good assessment tool to see how children are doing in GPS by using the Christmas context.
Answers are included for ease of marking.
Quizzes can be done individually, in pairs or in cooperative groups.
Handy two pack Christmas comprehensions for year 5/6 as you get to that time of year when you need to reinstate a little structure as the timetable becomes littered with carol practices and production rehearsals - ideal for restoring a bit of order!
The Ghost of Christmas Past - comprehension written in the 1st person by the Ghost of Christmas Past as he explains his role on Christmas Eve - visiting wrongdoers can be a trying business when you’d rather be tucked up by the fire!
The Christmas Tree - first person opinion piece written by a rather grumpy Christmas tree who laments on being dragged into his human household for a month every December.
Both comprehension come complete with a 15 question comprehension paper and answers for ease of marking.
Enjoy.
The Christmas views of a rather grumpy Christmas tree who is dragged indoors every December.
Written in the first person, the story/narrative is accompanied by a comprehension quiz (15 questions) requiring pupils to infer, recall, retrieve, state true or false, state fact or opinion, consider word meaning/comprehension and look for synonyms. Questions are styled to be a good practice ahead of the SAT reading paper.
All answers are included for ease of marking.
This is a new teacher published book about little people called the ‘Lampkeepers’ who lived in lampposts during Victorian times. The story can be read as a standalone to children across the whole primary curriculum or it can be used in conjunction with the chapter-by-chapter comprehension quizzes that accompany it in key stage 2.
The writing is designed to be mostly phonically decodable and uses a range of writing features for good teacher modeling. Incorporated into the writing are many examples of multi-clause sentences, semicolon usage, subordination, use of coordinating conjunctions, use of the subjunctive, exclamatory sentences, similes and metaphors.
The comprehension quizzes are designed around the SAT style questions that children will face in the reading papers - e.g. fact/opinion, true/false, inference, retrieval, synonyms, word comprehension.
All answers are included at the end of each comprehension quiz for ease of marking.
A poem consisting of 8 stanzas that explains Henry’s sixth wives. Good cross-curricular link between English, poetry writing and history. Poetry contains examples of alliteration, repetition, metaphor, rhyme and rhythm.
First stanza sample:
Henry wanted a male heir
A bouncing baby son
Katherine of Aragon couldn’t give him one
So Henry told her they were done.
“I’ll find another wife,” he said
And consigned her to the bin
And before his poor first wife was dead
He was chasing Anne Boleyn.
Comprehension consists of 15 SAT style questions ranging from:
true/false
fact/opinion
chronological ordering
retrieval
inference
GPS (finding a metaphor)
features of poetry
All answers are included at end of document for ease of marking.
A two-page first-person narrative written by the Ghost of Christmas Past that describes his visit to Scrooge. A good example of a well-known story being written by another character’s point of view with shifts in formality (good for modeling and discussion). Exercise can be done as whole-class guided reading, group guided reading or individually.
Story comes with a 15 question comprehension consisting of:
true/false
fact/opinion
inference
retrieval
Some elements of GPS
All answers are included at the end of the document for ease of marking.
Reading comprehension (4 pages) about a girl who plays for her reserve team as a striker. She really wants to get her big chance playing in the first team and this story is about her first opportunity.
Comprehension includes 16 questions with true/false, fact/opinion, chronological ordering, identifying similes and exclamatory sentences, retrieval and vocabulary/word meanings.
Answers are enclosed for ease of marking.
Exercise is good practice for SAT reading and the questions are designed to mirror the question types in previous papers.