Life Under Slavery | Reading Comprehension | Year 3/4

Help students develop historical understanding and empathy with this Year 3/4 reading comprehension text, Life Under Slavery: The Silent Roots Of Hope This historical fiction passage gives students a glimpse into daily life for enslaved people in the United States through the eyes of a young boy named Elijah.

Written in accessible but thoughtful language, the story explores themes such as hardship, resilience, family, and hope. Students follow Elijah through a long day of work on a plantation and learn how enslaved people supported one another, preserved knowledge, and resisted injustice in quiet but powerful ways.

This resource is ideal for ELA and social studies lessons, particularly during units on American history, slavery, or Black History Month. It supports key reading skills including summarizing, inference, understanding character feelings, identifying themes, and using text evidence.

A meaningful and age-appropriate text, this Year 3/4 reading comprehension encourages discussion, reflection, and deeper understanding of an important and difficult topic.

What’s Included:

• 2 Pages of Explanation / How-To Text (Dyslexia-friendly font)
• 2 Pages of Reading Comprehension Questions
• “Just Tick It” Adaptive Reading Task – perfect for emerging or reluctant readers
• Extension Activities for winter science, instruction writing, and creative design
• 5-Lesson Teaching Presentation (40+ slides, structured and easy-to-teach)
• An additional 3 Worksheets to support teaching and learning
• Now includes “Mixed Up!” – gives teachers extra flexibility (e.g. assessment, variety, reusability)
• 5-Day Lesson Plan with pedagogy notes and teaching strategies
• Audio Support of the text (ideal for EAL/SEND/ESL learners)
• Answer Keys for all questions and tasks
• Assessment Tracker to monitor reading objectives and progress

You might also like:
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-Life Under Slavery | Assembly Presentation

Black History:
-Martin Luther King & His Legacy | Reading Comprehension
-I Have A Dream | Reading Comprehension
-The Montgomery Bus Boycott | Reading Comprehension

Get Your Bundle Deals:
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-MLK Legacy & Civil Rights Movement | Reading Comprehension | Bundle

Free Supporting Video
A short, child-friendly video is available to support this lesson and reinforce key ideas.>Bitesize Education on YouTube

If you have questions, do not hesitate to email me at: bitesizeeducation01@gmail.com

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