This engaging and thought-provoking lesson is the third in a sequence of four lessons designed to accompany the reading and promote children’s comprehension of Roald Dahl’s ‘Esio Trot.’ This lesson covers the section of the text in which Mr Hoppy carries out his plot to create the appearance of Alfie ‘growing’ in an attempt to win Mrs Silver’s affection. It covers pages 34 to 49 in the Puffin version of the story. The lesson is guided by a comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation, and enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information about the events and characters in this section of the story; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings, including key inferences about how Mr Hoppy carefully carries out his plan; -Identifying and understanding Roald Dahl’s use of different types of vocabulary. The sessions include a range of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. The lessons are most suitable for children in upper KS1 or lower KS2, depending upon the individual context of the class - they have been tried and tested in the classroom with both year 2 and year 3 children.

This engaging and thought-provoking lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the chapters 17 to 21 of Roald Dahl’s ‘The Twits.’ The chapters covered in these lessons are ‘The Great Upside-Down Monkey Circus’, ‘The Roly-Poly Bird to the Rescue’, ‘No Bird Pie for Mr Twit’, ‘Still No Bird Pie for Mr Twit’ and ‘Mr and Mrs Twit Go Off to Buy Guns.’ The lessons are guided by a comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation, and enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings; -Empathising with characters. The sessions include a range of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. The session ends with a hot-seating activity, for which example questions are provided. There’s a lot in the session (17 slides in total) so I would recommend breaking into two lessons. The lessons are most suitable for children in lower key stage 2, (they were originally made for children in year 3) but they could also be adapted for slightly older and younger year groups.

These whole class reading sessions aim to develop students’ comprehension skills through reading and interpreting the opening three chapters of Anna Sewell’s ‘Black Beauty.’ The resource pack includes the extracts needed (as a PDF) and both clear and well-presented PowerPoint presentations, guiding the teacher and learners through the various activities. Each reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop students’ retrieval, explanation, inference, sequencing and summarising skills. A vocabulary check helps to secure students’ understanding of any new or unfamiliar language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. There is everything here needed to teach both comprehension lessons. The resources are tried and tested with learners upper KS2, although with minor adaptations they 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 an informative text introducing them to the Aztecs (the text is a National Geographic information text - link and PDF included). The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s VIPERS skills: vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval, sequencing and summarising. 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 extract needed is provided as a PDF and a link to a web-based version is also included on the first slide. The session is best suited for children in upper KS2, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older age groups.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through a reading of the opening chapter of Michael Morpurgo’s ‘Shadow.’ 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 session is best suited for children in Years 3 to 5, but it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups. The session is also suitable for home/ remote learning.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about Lewis Carroll, particularly those studying his works in English or completing a history study of ‘Significant Individuals.’ It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in His Life; Important Vocabulary; Lewis Carroll Timeline; Answers to the Important Questions; Top Ten Facts. The resource is designed to be printed onto either 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 are licensed for commercial use.

This whole class reading session aims to develop students’ comprehension skills through reading and interpreting chapter 3 of ‘Black Beauty.’ The resource pack includes the extract needed (as a PDF) and a clear and well-presented PowerPoint, guiding the teacher and learners through the various activities. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop students’ retrieval, explanation, inference, sequencing and summarising skills. A vocabulary check helps to secure students’ understanding of any new or unfamiliar language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. There is everything here needed to teach one (selecting some of the activities) or two (using all of the activities) comprehension lessons. The resources are tried and tested with learners upper KS2, although with minor adaptations they could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This engaging and thought-provoking lesson is the second in a sequence of lessons designed to accompany the reading and promote children’s comprehension of Roald Dahl’s ‘Esio Trot.’ This lesson covers the section of the text in which Mr Hoppy has an idea to help Alfie the tortoise to ‘grow’ and win Mrs Silver’s heart. It covers pages 16 to 33 in the Puffin version of the story. The lesson is guided by a comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation, and enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information about the events and characters in this section of the story; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings, including key inferences about the sincerity of Mr Hoppy’s plan; -Explaining key ideas, including how they think Mr Hoppy’s plan will work. The sessions include a range of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. The lessons are most suitable for children in upper KS1 or lower KS2, depending upon the individual context of the class - they have been tried and tested in the classroom with both year 2 and year 3 children.

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.

This whole class reading session aims to build their understanding of the life of Queen Elizabeth II, whilst simultaneously developing their reading comprehension skills. The resource pack includes the full text 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 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of John Keats’ poem ‘Bright Star.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful throughout teaching, or for exam revision or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the key English Literature assessment objectives - suitable for all examining bodies. Students have found these resources extremely engaging, and it is clearly highlighted within each task regarding which assessment strands the task is designed to demonstrate. It is provided in both Word (to allow for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure for consistency of formatting between computers). Activities within the booklet include (amongst many others): ‘Analysing Context’ - helping students to ‘Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.’ ‘Analysing Subject Matter, Language and Structure’ - to help students to ‘Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.’ ‘Diary Entry’ - to help students to ‘Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ ‘The Speaker’ - to help students to ‘Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.’

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through reading and interpreting the opening two chapters of Katherine Rundell’s ‘The Explorer.’ The resource pack includes the extract needed and a clear and well presented PowerPoint, guiding the teacher and learners through the various activities. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, sequencing and summarising skills. A vocabulary check helps to secure children’s understanding of any new or unfamiliar 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 younger and older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through a reading of the opening section of the ‘Beach Explorer’ book. This section develops children’s understanding of how beaches are formed, and how different plants and animals are adapted to live there. The resource pack includes the extract needed, for the children to read (ideally collectively or in groups). This is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. A vocabulary check helps to secure children’s understanding of any new or unfamiliar 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 across KS2, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Anthony Horowitz's ' 'Stormbreaker.' Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS3 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children 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 children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - 'Links to the Setting of the United Kingdom' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Know the purpose, audience and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to support comprehension.' - 'Horowitz's Description' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Know how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, present meaning.' - 'Herod Sayle' and 'Jack Starbright' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Study setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these.' - 'Vocabulary Inspector' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Learn new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries.' Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is over 20 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 detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising knowledge of World War I. It has been designed for children in KS2, and contains comprehensive sections on: Major Events - dates, images, descriptions, and key facts; Key People - Archduke Franz Ferdinand, David Lloyd George, Tsar Nicholas II, Woodrow Wilson, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Wilfred Owen; Main Participating Countries - Flags, Year joined and death toll; Timeline of Major Events. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto 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).

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising J.M. Coetzee’s 'Disgrace.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Chapter by Chapter Summary (with quotes); Main Characters; Themes; Coetzee’s Language Devices; The Narrative Point of View. Sections are colour-coded for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto 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).

This 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Christina Rossetti’s poem 'The Poor Ghost.’ They are perfect for aiding the progress of students learning poetry either in KS3 and KS4 in preparation for poetry/unseen poetry at GCSE, as the tasks draw on English Literature assessment objectives - suitable for all examining bodies - it is clearly highlighted within each task regarding which assessment strands the task is designed to demonstrate. The booklet is provided in both Word (to allow for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure for consistency of formatting between computers). Activities within the booklet include (amongst many others): ‘Analysing Context’ - helping students to ‘Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.’ ‘Analysing Subject Matter, Language and Structure’ - to help students to ‘Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.’ ‘Diary Entry’ - to help students to ‘Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ ‘The Speaker’ - to help students to ‘Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.’

This 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Oscar Wilde’s poem 'The Garden of Eros.’ They are perfect for aiding the progress of students learning poetry either in KS3 and KS4 in preparation for poetry/unseen poetry at GCSE, as the tasks draw on English Literature assessment objectives - suitable for all examining bodies - it is clearly highlighted within each task regarding which assessment strands the task is designed to demonstrate. The booklet is provided in both Word (to allow for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure for consistency of formatting between computers). Activities within the booklet include (amongst many others): ‘Analysing Context’ - helping students to ‘Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.’ ‘Analysing Subject Matter, Language and Structure’ - to help students to ‘Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.’ ‘Diary Entry’ - to help students to ‘Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ ‘The Speaker’ - to help students to ‘Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.’

This 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of John Milton’s poem 'On His Blindness’ They are perfect for aiding the progress of students learning poetry either in KS3 and KS4 in preparation for poetry/unseen poetry at GCSE, as the tasks draw on English Literature assessment objectives - suitable for all examining bodies - it is clearly highlighted within each task regarding which assessment strands the task is designed to demonstrate. The booklet is provided in both Word (to allow for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure for consistency of formatting between computers). Activities within the booklet include (amongst many others): ‘Analysing Context’ - helping students to ‘Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.’ ‘Analysing Subject Matter, Language and Structure’ - to help students to ‘Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.’ ‘Diary Entry’ - to help students to ‘Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ ‘The Speaker’ - to help students to ‘Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.’

This 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Oscar Wilde’s poem 'Theocritus: A Villanelle.’ They are perfect for aiding the progress of students learning poetry either in KS3 and KS4 in preparation for poetry/unseen poetry at GCSE, as the tasks draw on English Literature assessment objectives - suitable for all examining bodies - it is clearly highlighted within each task regarding which assessment strands the task is designed to demonstrate. The booklet is provided in both Word (to allow for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure for consistency of formatting between computers). Activities within the booklet include (amongst many others): ‘Analysing Context’ - helping students to ‘Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.’ ‘Analysing Subject Matter, Language and Structure’ - to help students to ‘Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.’ ‘Diary Entry’ - to help students to ‘Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ ‘The Speaker’ - to help students to ‘Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.’