I love making resources that take concepts from the curriculum, and express them in an abstract and engaging way. I have seen great improvements in the grades of the children in the classes as I teach as a result of this labour intensive (but ultimately rewarding) approach.
My big passion is reading. Whether it is a comprehension activity or something with a maths or grammar focus; you can guarantee that reading skills to develop understanding will underpin it.
Richard
Reading for Success
I love making resources that take concepts from the curriculum, and express them in an abstract and engaging way. I have seen great improvements in the grades of the children in the classes as I teach as a result of this labour intensive (but ultimately rewarding) approach.
My big passion is reading. Whether it is a comprehension activity or something with a maths or grammar focus; you can guarantee that reading skills to develop understanding will underpin it.
Richard
Reading for Success
Apollo 13
Plane crash in the Andes
Mine rescue in Chile
Castaway
This collection of four guided reading activities, aimed at children aged 10-13 years old, tests children’s inference and deduction skills. It will also promote lively and engaging classroom discussion as children explore these remarkable stories for themselves.
Each activity has questions and answers, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
PLEASE SEE MY NEW PACKAGE - AGAINST ALL ODDS - Four more amazing stories of survival!
Engaging activities for multiplication facts.
These multiplication fact sheets have been a great hit with my students, and I’m sure they will be with yours too. They will help students understand the concept of multiplication, as well as memorize their multiplication facts. They can be used as morning work, bell work, extra activities for early finishers, or even homework. Every page is aligned to the Common Core Standards.
Students will learn to:
- identify numbers in times tables
- work out spellings of numbers in cryptic puzzles.
- sequence numbers forwards and backwards
- explore the relationship between multiplication and division
- compare calculations
- process information in word problems
The activities not only test a child’s math skills, they also encourage them to use logic, reasoning and comprehension skills.
Each worksheet is double sided and space is maximised to challenge your children with TEN different times table related activities linked to the table you are studying. Answers are provided. Your children will become familiar with the format as they work their way through the exercises table by table.
Your children will certainly enjoy this different approach to learning their times tables!
CONTENTS
3x table activity sheet
3x table answers
4x table activity sheet
4x table answers
5x table activity sheet
5x table answers
6x table activity sheet
6x table answers
7x table activity sheet
7x table answers
8x table activity sheet
8x table answers
9x table activity sheet
9x table answers
11x table activity sheet
11x table answers
12x table activity sheet
12x table answers
In December 2015, Star Wars - The Force Awakens was released and became the highest grossing movie at the box office in history.
Star Wars is just one of several series of movie blockbusters - and the children in your class can find out all about them in this guided reading compilation!
JAWS…STAR WARS…JAMES BOND…HARRY POTTER
These guided reading activities, aimed at children aged 10-13 years old, test childrens’ retrieval, inference and deduction skills.
Questions and answers are provided, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
Your children will love finding out about the stories behind some of the world’s movie blockbusters!
Explore the world in just eight days with this comprehension reading compilation.
Children will be fascinated to discover exciting facts about the following countries:
China
India
Italy
Russia
Brazil
Australia
Egypt
South Africa
Each activity comes with 2 levels of questions to suit all learners:
A red border for simpler questions
A green border for more advanced questions
An extension activity is provided with each activity, and each activity should take about an hour in total.
You can use these as a comprehension exercise, a guided reading activity, a geography lesson or as part of a literacy project. Children can complete as homework, and develop their general knowledge about the world around them.
Enjoy your travels!
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How does Donald Trump compare to Kim Jong-Un?
Should we be worried about North Korea?
Or how about Queen Victoria and JFK?
Who exactly are Rex Tillerson and Mike Pence?
This versatile set of 32 biography cards can be used in numerous ways.
Firstly, they will test your students in their Common Core reading skills.
Secondly, they will enable them to structure and write biographies of their own.
Thirdly, they provide a platform for you as a teacher to critically evaluate your students’ writing with feedback which they will find engaging; encouraging them to write to their very best ability.
Fourthly, they provide an insight into Donald Trump’s top team; US presidents of the past; prominent world leaders of today; and influential leaders through history.
Fifthly, as a game, this will be a tremendous amount of fun! This is perfect all year round but is especially good as a Presidents Day activity.
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THE BIOGRAPHY CARDS ARE SPLIT INTO FOUR SECTIONS:
Trump’s Team Trump, Preibus, Spicer, Devos, Conway, Tillerson, Pence, Mattis.
US Presidents Obama, Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Kennedy, Nixon, Lincoln, Roosevelt.
World Leaders 2017 May, Nieto, Netanyahu, Putin, Trudeau, Merkel, Jong-un, Rouhani
World Leaders 2017 Mandela, Malala, Mother Teresa, Luther King Jr., Ghandi, Queen Victoria, Princess Diana, Peron.
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HERE ARE SOME IDEAS FOR HOW THE BIOGRAPHY CARDS CAN BE USED:
Reading skills
Each biography comes with three questions.
RETRIEVE: Students will find this answer in the text.
REVIEW: They will need to use summarising skills to answer the questions. Answers can be quoted from the text. The question will make this clear.
RESEARCH: Students can use the internet to answer a question. The information cannot be found within the text.
Compare and contrast
Students can take any two cards. Their task is to find three differences and three similarities about the characters they have chosen.
Highlight the text
Referring to the scores under each image, students can color code the text that applies to each category with a highlighter or colored crayon.
Eddie the Elf has been set the task of saving Christmas – but he needs help from your students!
Travel with Eddie, from Lapland to New York and back again, as he tries to fill up Santa’s Workshop with toys. Help him to find a cure for the sickness epidemic that has confined so many elves to bed at the busiest time of the year. Work with him to discover facts about New York City as he meets the Statue of Liberty.
This story is full of math problems using all operations. It is a test of comprehension as well as number skills but your students will be captivated by the story as they help Eddie to save Christmas!
There are four chapters in total, with questions and answers for each. The answers also include clues to help the students to answer the questions.
The reason I make resources like this is that word problems don’t go far enough to test a child’s math ability. I have always thought that they would be more challenging and ultimately more rewarding if they were placed within the context of a wider narrative.
This story also encourages students to use comprehension skills. They will need to retain information that will be needed later in the text!
Here is a collection of times table resources for all times tables to help your students achieve greater depth in the learning of their times tables.
They are aimed at children in Year 4 - 6.
Explore World War Two through these fascinating fictional diaries of servicemen, nurses, civilians and Jews.
The diaries focus on the Blitz, the Holocaust, D-Day, Pearl Harbour and Hiroshima
Each activity has questions and answers, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
In 2016, Her Majesty The Queen celebrates her 90th birthday.
This collection of three reading comprehensions celebrates this occasion, providing biographical information about The Queen and her family.
Your children will find out about:
A day in the life of The Queen
The Queen’s two birthdays
The Royal Family Tree
The wedding of Prince William and Kate
Each comprehension task come complete with answers and suggests how many marks are available for each question - perfect preparation for reading assessments.
BIGFOOT. LOCH NESS. LORD LUCAN. MARY CELESTE. ROSWELL. TURIN SHROUD.
Does an ape-like biped roam the forests of North America?
Is there a monster lurking in the depths of a Scottish lake?
Is the face of Jesus miraculously printed in a piece of linen?
Did Lord Lucan really kill the nanny?
Do aliens exist?
Where were the crew of the Mary Celeste?
Answer these questions and more in this exciting Guided Reading resource looking at some of the greatest mysteries of the world.
This collection of six guided reading activities, aimed at 10 and 11 year olds, tests children’s comprehension, retrieval, inference and deduction skills. It will also promote lively and engaging classroom discussion as children try to solve these mysteries for themselves.
Each activity has questions and answers, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
Here is a bundle of my ‘In The News’ stories.
Your students take the role of journalists researching and writing avout the stories involved, which feature April Fools; Elon Musk’s rocket car; the Terracotta Army; and the world’s oldest message in a bottle.
Students start by using reading comprehension skills to read the stories, and can use this as a model to write their own stories.
Highly engaging as a reading, writing or whole class literacy project.
It is over 100 years since World War One. This remarkable set of TEN guided reading activities uncovers the horror, humanity and humour of life in the Great War.
Each activity focuses on a different part of the war, such as life in the trenches; the Christmas Truce and the assasination of Franz Ferdinand. Also, find out about the fascinating story of the British soldier who spared the life of a young Adolf Hitler.
These guided reading activities, aimed at children aged 10-13 years old, test children’s retrieval, inference and deduction skills. They will also promote lively and engaging classroom discussion as children explore these stories for themselves.
Each activity has questions and answers, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
These reading comprehensions focus on news and current affairs, ideal for a topic on newspapers. They are aimed at 9-14 year olds.
Engaging texts and challenging questions are provided with a full mark scheme. They can be purchased individually, but there is a big discount on this bundle.
Thanks for your interest.
Find out about the mysteries of Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster. Discover the heartbreak of the tsunami and the sinking of the Titanic. Revisit the shooting of JFK and Apollo 13. Marvel at the miraculous escape of the miners in Chile. Find out why we have Christmas trees. Learn about soldiers stories from World War One…and much much more!
This collection of reading activities are a selection of some of my favourites. I have put them together as a bigger collection to allow teachers to plan a whole year’s worth of reading comprehensions for their children.
Each activity contains a range of challenging questions which test inference, deduction and retrieval skills – ideal preparation for reading assessments. Children are also given an indication of marks on offer for each question, and teachers are provided with answers.
As with all of my reading activities, I try to make the subject matter informative as well as engaging. Children get the chance to find out about a whole range of interesting stories and topics that may not be covered in the curriculum.
CONTENTS:
2 - 10 Stories of Survival
11 - 22 Mysteries of the World
23 - 30 Soldier’s Stories – World War One
31 - 36 The Queen and the Royal Family
37 – 42 Christmas
43 – 50 Days that made the world stop
51 – 74 Answers
I have received excellent feedback, for which I am very grateful. This should give you confidence in the products I offer. Hope you enjoy these!
Here is a bundle of five of my bestselling products looking at the following sporting events:
The Olympics
The Winter Olympics
The World Cup
In total, there are sixteen reading comprhehensions exploring the history of these sporting festivals, as well as looking at recent sporting stars like Usain Bolt, Simone Biles and Lionel Messi.
There is a big saving on offer for this bundle - ideal for those readers in your class who love sport!
These reading comprehensions for 9- 14 year olds are ideal for your studies on World War One and Two.
Engaging texts and challenging questions are provided with a full mark scheme. They can be purchased individually, but there is a big discount on this bundle.
Thanks for your interest.
Find out about the mysteries of Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster. Discover the heartbreak of the tsunami and the sinking of the Titanic. Revisit the shooting of JFK and Apollo 13. Marvel at the miraculous escape of the miners in Chile. Find out why we have Christmas trees. Learn about soldiers stories from World War One…and much much more!
This collection of reading activities are a selection of some of my favourites. I have put them together as a bigger collection to allow teachers to plan a whole year’s worth of reading comprehensions for their children.
Each activity contains a range of challenging questions which test inference, deduction and retrieval skills – ideal preparation for reading assessments. Children are also given an indication of marks on offer for each question, and teachers are provided with answers.
As with all of my reading activities, I try to make the subject matter informative as well as engaging. Children get the chance to find out about a whole range of interesting stories and topics that may not be covered in the curriculum.
CONTENTS:
2 - 10 Stories of Survival
11 - 22 Mysteries of the World
23 - 30 Soldier’s Stories – World War One
31 - 36 The Queen and the Royal Family
37 – 42 Christmas
43 – 50 Days that made the world stop
51 – 74 Answers
I have received excellent feedback, for which I am very grateful. This should give you confidence in the products I offer. Hope you enjoy these!
This is a collection of some of my favourite reading comprehension activities, available as a bundle at a heavily discounted price.
This will provide enough comprehensions and activities to last for a whole year of guided reading activities, ideally for children in Years 5 and 6.