Sutton Hoo - Whole Class Reading Lesson!

This engaging whole-class reading session develops children’s understanding of Sutton Hoo, while strengthening their fluency and comprehension when reading non-fiction texts.

The resource includes an original, illustrated two-page reading text and an accompanying 12-slide PowerPoint guiding children through the learning activities.

The text explores the remarkable discovery of the Sutton Hoo ship burial, including Edith Pretty’s role in commissioning the excavation and Basil Brown’s careful investigations. Children discover how the outline of a vanished ship survived, what its precious grave goods reveal about Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship and overseas connections, and how specialists reconstructed the famous helmet from hundreds of fragments. They also consider who might have been buried there, distinguish evidence from interpretation, and explain why some historical questions remain unanswered.

A vocabulary check clarifies unfamiliar language, followed by varied activities developing retrieval, explanation, inference, comparison, evaluation, sequencing and summarising skills. Quick-check questions, solo thinking, partner discussions and deeper-thinking challenges encourage children to connect ideas and justify their answers with evidence.

Suggested answers, support prompts and teacher guidance are included in the slide notes.

Both the Word reading text and PowerPoint are fully editable. Best suited to children in Years 4-5, the session can also be adapted for other year groups. Ideal for linking purposeful reading comprehension with an Anglo-Saxon history unit.