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
This reading activity pack tells the story of the Jesus’ death and resurrection from Palm Sunday through to Easter Sunday. It is ideal all year round for reading or Religious Studies, but is particularly useful in the run up to Easter, as they follow the last week in Jesus’ life. They can also be used as Sunday School activities or as readings in church.
Based on the gospel accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, I have written five reports from key people in the Easter story about what happened with comprehension based questions and answers for each. These will bring the well-known story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection to your students in a fresh, engaging and enlightening way.
The characters featured are:
Peter
Pontius Pilate
A Roman soldier
Mary Magdalen
Cleopas
The comprehension questions tackle the following skills:
Literal and retrieval
Word meaning
Inference and deduction
There is also an activity at the end to summarise each of the characters stories. All activities are aligned to the common core.
As an added extra, there are a number of posters with key bible verses for your displays, including posters to colour in. These can be found at the end of the reading pack.
A bit about me:
Before teaching, I was a journalist. I still work as a freelance writer, and like nothing more than writing engaging texts to challenge and inspire children and young people. I choose subjects that may not be on the curriculum but are still of great importance for students to know about.
Everything I write has been comprehensively researched from a number of sources and been written by myself. No plagiarism here! This is all original material. My questions are pitched at a high level, but with a bit of patience and persistence (and some adult help if necessary) most students will have great fun as they learn, especially as the penny drops.
I am aware of the impact of printed resources on our environment so try to condense my reading activities into as compact a space as possible. Hopefully this will help you save time in printing, and keep the bills down!
Check out my store if you enjoy this – you’re sure to find more. Thanks!
While you are here…
You may also be interested in a similar pack of reading comprehensions I have written about the birth of Jesus. Follow the link for more:
Stories from the Stable
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!
2018 marks the centenary of the end of the First World War.
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.
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
This guided reading resource includes four epic stories of survival.
These include the pilot who crash landed in the Hudson River, the football team who got trapped for weeks in a flooded cave and the child who fell into the gorilla enclosure at the zoo.
Using the ‘LIMS’ approach, students work through Literal, Inference, Meaning and Summary questions to ensure that as your students find out about these captivating stories, they will also practise skills in reading right across the curriculum.
As answer scheme is provided, and the product is ready to print and go.
Here is a short sample taken from one of the stories:
But shortly after take off, disaster struck. As the plane climbed from the airport, the pilot’s view was filled with a huge flock of large birds. Passengers heard a series of loud bangs, and showers of flame coming from the engines followed by silence and a sickening smell of fuel. The plane had struck a flock of Canada Geese, and lost power in both of the aircraft’s engines. Now useless as a plane, Sully found himself in charge of a 75-tonne glider. He had to think quickly.
And examples of questions:
*What type of birds struck the engine of Flight 1549?
*Why is the plane described as a glider in the second paragraph? *
This is the second set of survival stories I have compiled. The other package can be found here:
Stories of Survival
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.
Engaging activities for multiplication facts.
FREE, AS A GIFT FOR ALL IN 2020. :-)
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
This guided reading resource includes a pair of texts about Antarctica with four comprehension skills sheets to complete, providing reading passages and questions that are challenging and engaging.
Using the ‘LIMS’ approach, students work through Literal, Inference, Meaning and Summary questions to ensure that in the course of a week, they have practised skills in reading right across the Common Core.
Text is differentiated and an answer scheme is provided.
Suggested itinerary:
Day 1 (30 mins) – Read both texts as a class. Highlight key parts. Discuss together. What have we learned? What do we want know more about? It is worth asking the students to write down any questions they have about the texts and putting them on display.
Day 2 (30 mins) – Literal sheet
Day 3 (30 mins) – Inference sheet (or meaning sheet if you prefer)
Day 4 (30 mins) – Meaning sheet (or inference sheet if you prefer)
Day 5 (45 mins) – Summary sheet and looking back at questions from the start of the week.
This is the first in a series of Paired text resources looking at the seven continents of the world. Keep an eye on my store.
**
Differentiation:**
All questions are the same, which should make marking easier! However, the texts differ, with asterisks in the bottom right corner indicating the reading level.
Who is Greta Thunberg?
What is Climate Change?
This pair of reading comprehension activities, ideal for guided reading, are will help your students find out about the teenager who has made the world aware of climate change.
Your students will develop reading comprehension skills through a range of retrieval and inference questions, using skills to skim and scan the text.
In particular, they will learn about:
Greta Thunberg
What is climate change?
What causes it?
What can be done about it?
Just print and go…no prep needed! Answers are provided.
I have also included a black and white version of the product on pages to avoid the costs of colour graphics printing - something I’m sure Greta would approve of!
This activity is part of a set that that I am currently putting together:
Girls who Dare to be Different
Thanks for your interest!
How exactly did World War One begin? Who was Franz Ferdinand? How did the Americans get involved? What role did Uncle Sam play in recruiting an army?
2018 marks the centenary of the end of World War One.
This collection of four guided reading activities, aimed at 10 to 14 year olds, tests children’s comprehension, retrieval, inference and deduction skills. It will also promote reflective and engaging classroom discussion as children discover more about this important chapter in the world’s history.
CONTENTS
Causes of the war - Why did the First World War take place and how did it begin? Find out about how tensions in Europe reached boiling point in the summer of 1914.
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand - Read in detail about the daring mission which led to Archduke Franz Ferdinand being killed – and how this led to war.
Movers & Shakers - From Woodrow Wilson to the Kaiser, find out about the leaders who played a pivotal part in the war. You will also discover how Adolf Hitler started out as a soldier in World War One.
Recruiting an Army - The posters of Lord Kitchener and Uncle Sam are recognised throughout the world, but just how difficult was it to recruit an army for war?
When Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon, it was perhaps the greatest scientific achievement in history.
July 2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of this extraordinary voyage. Thousands of scientists, mathematicians, engineers and astronauts had a part to play in working together on the Apollo 11 mission - but space exploration goes much further than the Lunar landings.
In this space exploration comprehension package, your students will take part in FIVE reading activities, which will open up the world of space exploration to them:
*1) The Space Race: What was the space race, and why was it so important?
The First Man on the Moon: A celebration of the life and achievements of Neil Armstrong.
The Last Man on the Moon: A celebration of the life and achievements of Eugene Cernan
“Houston, We’ve got a problem”: Disasters in space, featuring the amazing survival story of Apollo 13.
Space Travel - next steps: Find out about plans to travel to Mars, passenger space travel, and how a 41-year old probe is still sending messages to scientists from 11 billion miles away!*
Students will use inference and deduction skills as well as fact retrieval, word meaning and summarising.
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.
As with all of my reading exercises, I try to write content that is interesting and engaging - stories that may not be on the curriculum, but are important for children to know.
Here is a maths activity which is guaranteed to help your students progress in their learning as they get into the festive spirit.
Join Rudolf and friends in these multiplication tables activities, which are designed to help your students learn their tables in a variety of ways. They are linked to the ‘Mastery’ approach being used in many UK schools.
CONCEPTS EXPLORED:
Greater than/less than
Inverse operations
Multiples
Factors
Number sequences
Word problems
Number sentences
Related division facts
There are also puzzles such as word searches and calculation crosswords. The activities not only test a child’s math skills, they also encourage them to use logic, reasoning and comprehension skills.
Each times table can be printed on a double-sided sheet, cutting out the need for endless trips to the printer and ensuring a quiet and busy classroom!
Your children will certainly enjoy this different approach to learning their times tables!
CONTENTS
3x table activity worksheet and answers
4x table activity worksheet and answers
8x table activity worksheet and answers
5x table activity worksheet and answers
6x table activity worksheet and answers
7x table activity worksheet and answers
9x table activity worksheet and answers
11x table activity worksheet and answers
12x table activity worksheet and answers
This guided reading resource includes a pair of texts about Africa with four comprehension skills sheets to complete, providing reading passages and questions that are challenging and engaging.
Using the ‘LIMS’ approach, students work through Literal, Inference, Meaning and Summary questions to ensure that in the course of a week, they have practised skills right across the curriculum.
Text is differentiated and an answer scheme is provided.
Suggested itinerary:
Day 1 (30 mins) – Read both texts as a class. Highlight key parts. Discuss together. What have we learned? What do we want know more about? It is worth asking the students to write down any questions they have about the texts and putting them on display.
Day 2 (30 mins) – Literal sheet
Day 3 (30 mins) – Inference sheet (or meaning sheet if you prefer)
Day 4 (30 mins) – Meaning sheet (or inference sheet if you prefer)
Day 5 (45 mins) – Summary sheet and looking back at questions from the start of the week.
This is part of a series of Paired text resources looking at the seven continents of the world. You can find the others in my store.
Differentiation:
All questions are the same, which should make marking easier! However, the texts differ, with asterisks in the bottom right corner indicating the reading level.
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.
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!
Who will be the next President of the United States? Will Donald Trump continue for a second term? Or will veteran Democrat Joe Biden beat him to the White House?
These reading comprehension activities, ideal for close reading, will help your students find out about the candidates for the 2020 US presidential election.
Your students will develop reading comprehension skills through a range of retrieval and inference questions, using skills to skim and scan the text. There are also word meaning and text summary questions in the activities.
Just print and go…no prep needed!
I have also included a black and white version of the product to avoid the costs of colour graphics printing,
Thanks for your interest!
This set of language flashcards explores key greetings in the 26 most commonly spoken languages in the world.
The greetings that they teach are:
Hello
Goodbye
Thank you
Please
Sorry
Yes
No
Including on the flashcards are flags of countries where each language is spoken and facts about that language.
The languages are:
English
Spanish
Portuguese
German
French
Mandarin
Hindi
Bengali
Punjabi
Urdu
Persian
Marathi
Vietnamese
Cantonese
Korean
Malay
Swahili
Japanese
Javanese
Russian
Tamil
Turkish
Arabic
Italian
Hausa
Telugu
There are many uses for this with your students. My students enjoy taking a card each week and answering the register with a greeting in their chosen tongue.
They could also be used as a class ‘language of the week’; as a multi-cultural display; or as part of a geography project.
I hope you find them helpful!
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!
This guided reading activity is aimed at 10-13 year olds. It focuses on the London Blitz in World War Two.
It is part of my ‘Diaries of World War Two’ resource which is available for £1 from TES.
Questions and answers are provided. I hope you and the children you teach find it useful.
AMUSING, ENTERTAINING AND EDUCATIONAL!
These reading comprehensions will test your students’ reading skills as they explore the four greatest April Fools of all time, as ranked by the Museum of Hoaxes. Using research skills and their reporter’s notebooks, the young journalists will find out about:
Spaghetti growing on trees in Switzerland
A fake volcanic eruption in Alaska
Instant Colour TV in Sweden
An iceberg in Sydney Harbour
Each story comes with questions and answers, and will require students to check dictionaries; summarise stories; think critically; retrieve facts; and prioritise statements. They will also generate lively and fun classroom discussion. Would your students fall for these pranks? Can they come up with anything better?
A template for a news story is also provided so children can write them up for themselves. A scaffold is included to show them how to fill in the boxes. Finally, posters are enclosed if you want to make the students’ work into a simple, effective display.
As a journalist and teacher, it’s my passion that children should have an awareness of what is going on in the world through engaging reading material.
Contents:
3: SWISS SPAGHETTI HARVEST
4: INSTANT COLOUR TV
5: ERUPTION OF MOUNT EDGECUMBE
6: THE SYDNEY ICEBERG
7-10: Questions
11-14: Answers
15: How to write a newspaper article
16: Newspaper template
17-20: Posters for display