-KS2 whole class reading comprehension lessons
-reading templates, assemblies and inspiration -
As Year 6 teachers, we found ourselves in need of comprehension resources that bring texts to life.
YES, we want our comprehension lessons to be rigorous in preparation for the SATs, BUT we also want them to be engaging and fun!
Our aim is to get children excited about comprehension lessons, eager to talk about books and confident in interrogating a text.
-KS2 whole class reading comprehension lessons
-reading templates, assemblies and inspiration -
As Year 6 teachers, we found ourselves in need of comprehension resources that bring texts to life.
YES, we want our comprehension lessons to be rigorous in preparation for the SATs, BUT we also want them to be engaging and fun!
Our aim is to get children excited about comprehension lessons, eager to talk about books and confident in interrogating a text.
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on chapters 1, 2 and 6 of ‘Race to the Frozen North’ by Catherine Johnson.
About the book, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills foci: predict, summarise, reading fluency, infer
34-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 4 PDF activities.
Extract of Introduction and Chapter One included only.
Reading age 8+. Lessons recommended for age 10+
Lesson 1
To make predictions about what might happen in a text.
To summarise the main events in a text.
First, remind children of what ‘powerful predictors’ do.
Warm up by making predictions about the front and back cover of the story.
Also find out about the real Matthew Henson.
Shared reading/questioning as a class of the first 5 pages of chapter 1. Children continue the chapter with their reading partner.
Summarise the events of the chapter by cutting up and sorting the strips of paper.
Finally, make a prediction about the next chapter.
Lesson 2
To read with increasing fluency.
To make inferences about a character, supported by evidence from the text.
Teacher to model reading with accuracy, with expression and at an appropriate pace. Remind children what inference is.
Children to look for evidence to support a statement about a character’s personality in chapter 2. Then, make inferences about a character’s feelings.
Lesson 3
In pairs, read Chapter 6.
Then select 3 words from the cards on the sheet to describe life aboard the ship. Children to justify their answers with evidence from the text.
If time allows, children to choose their own creative activity, i.e. letter writing, role play or an artist’s sketch.
At the end of the lesson, point children in the direction of other real-life adventure stories.
KS2 Reading Comprehension Resources for The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow
Resources for the whole book
7 lessons
63-page PowerPoint
28 PDF document including:
Vocabulary for each of the 7 parts of the story
Mixed comprehension questions
Skill-focused activities
Recommended for age 10+
Extracts not included
Available for £5 on our website or as part of a £35 annual personal subscription at myteachinghive.
A powerful and lyrical story about finding your place in the world and the people that matter within it.
Other resources based on Matt Goodfellow books:
Bright Bursts of Colour - poetry
Reading comprehension resources based on Chapters 1-7 of Varjak Paw by SF Said.
More at MY TEACHING HIVE
59-page PowerPoint presentation
Vocabulary cards
Comprehension Questions in line with the KS2 National Curriculum
Reading skill focused activities
For each chapter
A flexible set of resources which could be used for whole class reading, guided reading, individual and group work as well as for home learning.
Text not included.
Suitable for age 7+
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on Viking Voyagers by Jack Tite.
Vocabulary, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills foci: retrieve, infer, summarise
24-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 3 x printable PDF activities
Extract not included.
Suitable for age 7+
Available for £3 on our website
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on 3 poems from ‘Werewolf Club Rules’ by Joseph Coelho.
Extracts included.
Whole class reading, paired reading, pre-teaching vocabulary
Reading Skills foci: feature’splore, summarise, word’splore, infer, clarify
37-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 4 x printable PDF activities.
Suitable for ages 7+
Lesson 1 – feature’splore, summarise
pages 8-9, ‘Hamster! Hamster!’
Opportunity to write their own poem
Lesson 2 – word’splore
Pages 86-89, ‘If all the world were paper’
Opportunity to write their own poem
Lesson 3 – infer, clarify
Pages 13-15, ‘Miss Flotsam’
Available for £3 on our website.
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on two chapters of ‘Messi Ultimate Football Heroes’ by Matt and Tom Oldfield
About the footballer, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills foci: predict, retrieve, summarise, infer, clarify
21-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 2 x printable PDF activity (other activities featured on the PowerPoint slides) Extract included.
Suitable for age 7+
Whole Class Guided Reading Comprehension resources based on Survivors by David Long
Story content may be best suited to an UKS2 class due to the extreme nature of each survival story.
Resources for 4 Survivor’s stories:
Juliane Koepcke
Tami Oldham
Aron Ralston
Ernest Shackleton
55-page PowerPoint
25-page PDF document
Pre-teach vocabulary
Mixed comprehension questions
Skills-focused activities
Extract not included
£3 on our website. Support us to make more resources by subscribing.
3 KS2 whole class reading lessons based on the introduction and dipping into the book at chapter 16
‘The Boy who Grew Dragons’, by Andy Shepherd
Vocabulary, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills foci: predict, infer, clarify and connect (compare to other stories about dragons)
28-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 3 x printable PDF activities
Extract included
Recommended for age 7+
Free download when you sign up at My Teaching Hive.
KS2 & KS3 - Book Review Proforma
What did you think of the ending and why?
What unanswered questions does the story leave you with?
What life lessons did this book teach you?
If you could change or improve one thing about the story what would it be?
What was the most exciting moment in the story?
More free resources when you sign up for free at myteachinghive.
4 whole class guided reading comprehension lessons based on chapter one of ‘A Dangerous Game’ by Malorie Blackman.
34-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 1 x printable PDF activity (other activities featured on the PowerPoint slides) Extract included.
Pre-teach vocabulary, about the author, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills foci: predict, infer
**Lesson 1 **
To use clues in a text to predict what might happen next.
To recall any similarities or differences between books by the same author.
Lesson 2 - 4
To make inferences about a character.
To support your inferences with evidence from a text.
Suitable for age 7+
Recommended for Year 3 and 4.
Story Synopsis
Although Sam has a long-term illness, all he wants is the chance to lead a normal life. So he is thrilled when he finally gets his mum and dad to let him go on the school trip to the Scottish Highlands. Sam’s desperate for an adventure and wants to prove to everyone that he’s just as strong as his friends. But when some of the boys from his class take a reckless risk in order to win a challenge, the trip turns out to be more dangerous than Sam could have imagined. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers.
based on Chapter 1, ‘Planet Omar’, by Zanib Mian
World Book Day whole class reading comprehension lesson
Years 4 & 5
Whole book recommended 8+
9 page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint delving deeper into the text, exploring the main characters and thinking about how their personality and relationship will affect their upcoming journey. Includes an inference activity and a fun task creating word illustration.
Extract not included but available on the World Book Day website.
Book is currently £1 as part of World Book Day 2021.
Offer your children the opportunity to read diverse, inspirational books as part of the Planet Omar series.
Reading comprehension resources based on Chapters 8-19 of Varjak Paw by SF Said.
More at MY TEACHING HIVE
93-page PowerPoint presentation
Vocabulary cards
Comprehension Questions in line with the KS2 National Curriculum
Reading skill focused activities
For each chapter
A flexible set of resources which could be used for whole class reading, guided reading, individual and group work as well as for home learning.
Text not included.
Suitable for age 7+
Graphic Novel Reading Comprehension
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on Hilda and the Troll by Luke Pearson.
Suitable for age 7+
Download Contents:
22-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 4 x printable PDF activities
Text not included.
Lessons Overview:
Vocabulary, about the book, warm up game, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills:
Lesson 1
Use clues in a text to predict what might happen next.
Make predictions based on the front cover and part way through the story.
Lesson 2
Infer a character’s feelings based on their speech, actions and facial expressions.
Infer character’s feelings based on the illustrations.
Lesson 3
Summarise the main events in a story.
Summarise the main details of the story, decide which are most important.
Available for £3 on our website
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on Aaron Becker, ‘A Stone for Sascha’ .
About the author, whole class reading, group discussion
Reading Skills foci: predict, infer, retrieve, question, group discussion, exploring themes
23-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 4 x printable PDF activities
Extract not included.
Suitable for age 9+
Available on our website for £3 or as part of our school subscription.
5 KS2 reading comprehension whole class lessons
Based on the prologue and chapter one of ‘The House with Chicken Legs’ by Sophie Anderson.
Vocabulary, whole class reading, paired reading, making connections
Reading Skills foci: clarify, infer and connect.
40-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 2 x printable PDFs
Extract included.
Suitable for ages 9+
Available on our website for £3 or as part of our school subscription.
Years 4, 5 & 6
Book recommended age 7+
30-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint
3 lessons
4 x PDF activities
exploring the poet’s word choices, discussing understanding of a poem, exploring figurative language, prediction, sharing personal responses to a poem.
Extract included.
Available on our website for £3 or as part of our school subscription.
Book review template.
Free. KS2.
Space for star rating, an illustration, short synopsis and review.
More free resources on our website.
What should I include in a book review?
Provide a summary of the most important events and characters, but be careful not to give too much away! Let the reader know what genre the book would fall under. It could be more than one. Opportunities to hit National Curriculum objectives. Give your opinion on the story and remember to explain your viewpoint. Recommend the story to a particular audience. Is it for thrill-seekers? Lovers of history? Is it a page turning mystery for budding detectives? Mention similar books that might mean somebody would like this one too. Draw an illustration to show a character, setting, important object or even your own front cover design.
Would make a nice display for children to share their favourite books.
4 whole class reading lessons for KS2 based on the poem Happiness from ‘Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers’, by Daniel Thompson.
A thought-provoking poem encouraging children to consider whether buying things can truly bring you happiness.
Whole class reading, paired reading, additional opportunity for children to write their own poem about plastic pollution, Q&A with the author
Reading Skills foci: summarising the main message of the poem, looking at the impact of rhythm, rhyme and word choices on delivering the message of the poem, word’splore (exploring word choices), performing the poem, imitating the poet’s style by recreating their own poem.
37-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 3 x printable PDFs, plus a PDF copy of the poem.
Poem included.
Recommended for age 8+
Lesson 1
Firstly, learn more about Daniel Thompson or skip to the Q and A’s at the end of the PowerPoint to learn more about what inspires him to write poetry. Then pre-teach some key vocabulary to increase pupil engagement with the text. Next, read the text together so children can discuss their responses to key questions and work together to summarise each verse.
Lesson 2
This lesson focuses on the poet’s style. Using practical challenges, children work together to discuss how to use words and phrases effectively to reinforce key ideas.
Lesson 3
As children have previously explored the poem on a deeper level, this lesson gives children the opportunity to perform the poem, focusing on intonation, tone, volume and actions.
Lesson 4
Finally, children can use a similar structure to create their own poem about plastic pollution.
For more poetry lessons explore our website, My Teaching Hive.
Based on an extract from chapter 5 of ‘Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow’ by Benjamin Dean.
Year 5 & 6
Book recommended age 9+
10-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint
1 lesson
2 x PDF activities
Clarify word meanings
Making inferences about characters based on their actions
Extract included
WINNER OF THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS 2022
My name’s Archie Albright, and I know two things for certain:
My mum and dad kind of hate each other, and they’re not doing a great job of pretending that they don’t anymore.
They’re both keeping a secret from me, but I can’t figure out what.
Available for £2 on our website. My Teaching Hive.
Reading journal activities worksheet
Repeat tasks or encourage children to colour in each task as it is completed. Stick in the front of a child’s reading journal exercise book.
Upper KS2
Example tasks:
Design and draw your own front cover for a book you are reading.
Write 5 interview questions for the author of your book or for a character in the story.
Make a list of words from a text that you would like to learn and/or use in your own writing.
Write a diary entry for one of the characters in the story.
Write a blurb for your story. Don’t give too many details away!