Lesson created for comprehension skills for KS3 and KS4. Fully differentiated resources - worksheet pack includes differentiated choice-based activity, which the three different levels of Word doc correspond to. Can be used to teach the curriculum skills of inferring / deducing / synthesising which are important to the new AQA GCSE. Uses the idea of the Norse God Thor (popularised by Marvel comics and films) to engage pupils, and they have to solve the riddles in a story from Norse Mythology (which I translated). Interactive, engaging, always a success!
Want your students to practice inference making and close reading skills? This fun brain teaser mystery will entertain your students and give them comprehension tasks to deduce the thief’s identity. It will work well for independent work, homework or home school learning because all of the answers are in a separate PDF from the mystery. To track down the thief students will have to unscramble the answers to jokes and riddles told by riddler Sophie to her friend Matt. They will also work out clues using a numbers-to-alphabet code. A further slice of challenging fun is rooting out the writer’s ‘mistake’- an event in the story that really could not have happened. Students will enjoy the humorous, rapid-fire interaction between Matt and Sophie. He fears he isn’t as speedy at working things out as his clever friend is, but he manages to wow her in this story- and discover who stole her phone!
To complete the activity, students have to complete two short fun writing tasks and a ‘Where’s Wally?’ style drawing to find the missing phone.
A question sheet is included, and a separate PDF answer key. Each student will need their own question sheet. If you are doing this activity in class, for read-aloud fun (and paper saving), you could put the story and answers up on your screen. If this is assigned for homework, you can photocopy the story, questions and answers, and give them to pairs or individuals. The answer key has been put into a separate PDF to allow for teachers to post the mystery first, and then follow it up a few days later by the answers.
Thanks so much for checking out this resource.
If your purchase this resource it would be grand if you could review it. I would be happy to send you a copy of a single resource in my store in my shop as a recognition of your time. You just have to email me and tell me which one you want!
This is a bundle of my comprehensions together at a reduced price to have your lessons covered for a few weeks.
They include:
*A comprehension on Qatar
This comprehension is based on Qatar as a country and the processes they've put in place in order to host the World Cup 2022. It provides children with an interesting background knowledge of the country while testing their comprehension skills simultaneously.
I have attached comprehension questions/activities for a lower ability, middle ability and higher ability learner, all in the same document.
It worked well for the abilities in my own class, however it can be adapted to suit the needs of your class too.
I have saved it as a word document and a PDF.
*The BFG (chapter 1)
Chapter 1 of the BFG with comprehension questions. My class love the BFG so I decided to create a comprehension on each chapter.
Looks at deducing, inferring and spotting similes.
The BFG (chapter 2)
Chapter 2 of the BFG with comprehension questions. My class love the BFG so I decided to create a comprehension on each chapter.
Looks at deducing, inferring, italics and spotting similes
Text and questions based on deducing and inferring are included.
Theseus and the Minotaur Diary example with 24 KS2 comprehension questions.
Set in pre 40AD, Theseus writes about his observations as he travels on his quest to slay the Minotaur. The diary is written in the first person and is separated into two main sections (Part 1: The quest to slay the Minotaur/ Part 2 : The return to Athens). Each part is broken into smaller, readable sections based upon location as Theseus travels through the myth. This recount demonstrates features of a diary and acts as a continuous recount of the event including Theseus’s personal feelings and points of view.
Can be used as a stimulus for Myths and Legends, creative writing and to identify the features and structure of diary writing or as a Recount Checklist activity.
Also attached are two sets of 12 comprehension questions relating to each of the two parts of the text.
Comprehension Learning Objectives:
I can respond to a range of texts.
I can locate ideas and use information.
I can refer to the text when explaining a view or reason.
I can deduce and infer ideas from the text.
I can select sentences or phrases to support my answers.
Can be used in cross curricular topics English -Myths and Legends/ writing a diary or recount, History – The Greeks/ Greek Gods and Goddesses, Mythical Beasts, Geography – Greece. **
1. Interactive Comprehension spinner: Reading comprehension tool which may be used for a whole class, group or an individual. May be linked to a specific text, chapter or book. Pupils can spin the spinner and then carry out the activity the arrow is pointing. I would like to acknowledge Barry Price who designed the original spinner email:
barry@westfield.wigan.sch.uk
2. Guided Reading Task Spinners 1-5: Guided Reading spinners to check comprehension, Tasks are open ended and lead to independent and creative learning. Interactive and kinaesthetic nature makes comprehension enjoyable and fun for children of all ages.
3.Af3: Guided Reading Question Spinners Level 1-8: Af3: Deduce, infer or interpret information events or ideas from texts. Guided Reading Question spinners to be used during reading comprehension with or without the teacher. Opportunity for Gifted & Able, independent work, and assessment.
4. Interactive Reading Comprehension Spinners: Spinners with questions to make reading comprehension interactive, fun and enjoyable. They will also encourage and build on independent skills through making the reading comprehension interactive. These Spinners may be used individually, in pairs, small groups or whole class. They may be used for assessment.
These reading comprehension spinners are appropriate for KS1-KS4
This engaging and interesting lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of one of the key characters in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth: Macduff. In particular, they learn to make insightful interpretations about the character, and are enabled to to infer and deduce Macduff’s key characteristics from his involvement at particular moments in the play, in addition to considering how Shakespeare deploys Macduff as a fitting hero to face Macbeth’s tyranny.
The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be visual and interactive learners. It follows this learning journey:
Inferring key information about the character of Macduff from events in the text;
Identifying and ordering the key events in the text in which Macduff is involved;
Understanding his role in the downfall of Macbeth;
Understanding his character in relation to historical context, considering Shakespeare’s intentions through the character;
Analysing Shakespeare’s development of Macduff as a key character throughout the text;
Evaluating the learning in the lesson.
Included in this resource pack are:
A well-presented, thorough, and informative, whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation;
Resources for the card sorting sequencing activity, detailing Macduff’s numerous actions throughout the play;
A Macbeth vs Macduff worksheet, to enable students to understand Macduff’s heroic characteristics;
A template to help scaffold the main task, complete with P.E.E instructions;
A comprehensive teacher guidance form/lesson plan to assist delivery.
All images in this resource are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson presentation.
This interesting session aims to introduce children to some key images of the Buddha, providing them with an opportunity to decode some of the key meanings within pictures and sculptures. Children learn that there are many different representations of the Buddha, aiming to portray different aspects of Siddhartha Gautama’s life and character.
Children learn through:
-Acting as detectives, inferring and deducing the hidden meanings within pictures;
-Considering the key concept of ‘balance’, and understanding how this is a key feature of the Buddhist religion;
-Applying some of the key concepts to their own lives.
Included is a PowerPoint presentation, differentiated group activity sheets, and a comprehensive lesson plan.
Images are cited in the final slide of the presentation.
Word documents (in the zip file) are also included in PDF to ensure no issues with formatting between computers.
Theseus and the Minotaur Bundle
Set of English topic related resources
Theseus and the Minotaur Diary example with 24 KS2 comprehension questions.
Set in pre 40AD, Theseus writes about his observations as he travels on his quest to slay the Minotaur. The diary is written in the first person and is separated into two main sections (Part 1: The quest to slay the Minotaur/ Part 2 : The return to Athens). Each part is broken into smaller, readable sections based upon location as Theseus travels through the myth. This recount demonstrates features of a diary and acts as a continuous recount of the event including Theseus’s personal feelings and points of view.
Can be used as a stimulus for Myths and Legends, creative writing and to identify the features and structure of diary writing or as a Recount Checklist activity.
Also attached are two sets of 12 comprehension questions relating to each of the two parts of the text.
Comprehension Learning Objectives:
I can respond to a range of texts.
I can locate ideas and use information.
I can refer to the text when explaining a view or reason.
I can deduce and infer ideas from the text.
I can select sentences or phrases to support my answers.
Guided reading based on Theseus and the Minotaur with learning objective, suggested questions (7) and a simple chronological story activity.
Learning Objective:
I can retell the myth Theseus and the Minotaur.
I can summarise the story.
I wrote this shorter version of the myth for a Year four reading group but it could be used with HA Y3, LA Y5 and Y6.
Fits well with cross curricular topic work on Ancient Greeks, Greece, Myths and Legends, Mythological beasts and narrative writing.
Theseus and the Minotaur set of 4 English descriptive worksheets for LA/MA KS2. Learning Objective: I can use key words to describe mythological characters.
Worksheet 1: Adjective selection from a prepared set of vocabulary to best describe questions about Theseus, the Minotaur and the labyrinth.
Worksheet2: Noun, verb, adjective brainstorm to describe Ariadne, Athena, King Minos, Theseus, the Minotaur.
Worksheet 3: Creating own mythological beast and adding verbs and adjectives.
Worksheet 4: Simple label the characters cut and stick activity.
Can be used following introduction of the myth to develop vocabulary and language in writing.
Story board activity. Simple summary of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur reduced into six boxes with blank spaces for pupils to fill in the missing word in the sentences. Suitable for SEN/LA KS2.
This bundle can be used for cross curricular topics English -Myths and Legends/ writing a diary or recount, comprehension. History – The Greeks/ Greek Gods and Goddesses, Mythical Beasts, Geography – Greece.
Myth planning template with structure and ideas for pupils to use to plan their own myth.
33 resources for 15 engaging and meaningful lessons teaching ‘War Horse’. This scheme of work was adapted for my mixed ability Year 7 class during lockdown for delivery via remote learning. Therefore, it is also ideal for teaching in classrooms with new Covid protocols in place. If you have any pupils self-isolating, resources for each lesson can quickly be emailed or uploaded to your school’s virtual learning environment. Lessons would also be suitable for if you need to set cover.
A wide range of extension tasks and differentiation by choice are included, as well as vocabulary support for most chapters, hyperlinks to clips from the film and audio versions of each chapter, and SPaG practice. Many tasks can be self-assessed.
Pupils study the whole text of ‘War Horse’ and their understanding is built up through a series of structured lessons focusing on the development of reading skills such as retrieving information, extending vocabulary, comprehension, deducing, inferring and interpreting ideas and then commenting on the writer’s use of language and/or structure.
A detailed mark scheme is included for the end of unit teacher marked reading assessment (in the style of GCSE paper 1) including example answers for varying marks.
This scheme of work proved hugely successful with my pupils who had an array of specific learning needs, many requiring additional support or challenge. Pupils especially liked the range of learning tasks, engaging starters, the clarity of the instructions and activities encouraging empathy with the narrator and other characters.