World War II - Whole Class Reading Big Bundle!

This engaging bundle of ten whole-class reading sessions develops children’s understanding of the Second World War, while strengthening their fluency and comprehension when reading non-fiction texts.

Each lesson includes an original, illustrated two-page reading text and an accompanying 12-slide PowerPoint, providing a varied sequence of activities with enough depth for approximately 60-90 minutes of learning.

The ten lessons are:

1. Hitler’s Invasion of Poland
2. The Battle of Britain
3. The Battle of Stalingrad
4. The D-Day Landings
5. The Fall of Berlin and the End of the War in Europe
6. Evacuation
7. Rationing
8. Women at War
9. Life in the Blitz
10. Propaganda

Together, the lessons explore five major wartime events alongside five aspects of everyday life. Children investigate how the war began in Europe, examine significant battles and trace the events leading to Germany’s defeat.

They also discover how evacuation, rationing, changing roles for women and bombing affected ordinary people, before exploring how propaganda aimed to influence thoughts and behaviour. Clearly explained facts and examples encourage children to consider causes, consequences and different wartime experiences.

Each session includes a vocabulary check to clarify unfamiliar language, followed by activities developing a range of comprehension skills, including retrieval, explanation, inference, comparison, evaluation, sequencing and summarising.

Quick-check questions, solo thinking, partner discussions and deeper-thinking challenges encourage children to justify their answers with evidence.

Suggested answers, support prompts and teacher guidance are provided in the slide notes. All ten Word reading texts and PowerPoint presentations are fully editable.
Best suited to upper KS2 (Years 5-6), the sessions can also be adapted for older learners. Ideal for linking purposeful reading comprehension with a comprehensive Second World War history unit.