Historical fiction/timeslip literacy unit

The Pocket Watch is a short story combining adventure, a timeslip and the historical fiction genre. There are two versions of the text and the discussion notes, for differentiation purposes.

I wrote it for a mixed class of Year 3 and 4 when we were doing a cross-curricular topic called ‘Top Gear’ which included the history of transport, forces in Science and motorised buggies in D&T. It was intended as an introduction to historical fiction and the timeslip device, but I also wanted a text which would include many of the aspects of grammar and punctuation required for the Lower Key Stage 2 National Curriculum programmes of study.
There are two versions of the same story. The easier one is shorter (with less detailed description) and uses generally simpler vocabulary – but not too simple! The stories work both as whole-class shared reading, or as group readers, and I have included discussion notes to assist with this.
A comprehension worksheet is also included: this can be answered using either version of the text. Working through the comprehension and going over the answers would easily take a full lesson.
I have also included a related grammar and punctuation worksheet which includes noun phrases, sentence types, contractions, synonyms and speech punctuation.

My classes have enjoyed reading The Pocket Watch, and have produced a variety of their own writing afterwards, including potted biographies of the characters and, of course, the next timeslip.