

This engaging whole-class reading session develops children’s understanding of Hadrian’s Wall and life on the Roman frontier, 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, providing a varied sequence of activities with enough depth for approximately 60-90 minutes of learning.
The text explores why Emperor Hadrian ordered the Wall to be built, the challenges of its construction and how milecastles, watchtowers, forts and roads worked together. Children discover how guarded gateways controlled movement, investigate the experiences of soldiers and nearby communities, and explore what shoes and writing tablets reveal about everyday life. The reading also explains how the frontier changed over time and challenges common misconceptions about the Wall’s purpose and location.
A vocabulary check clarifies unfamiliar language, followed by 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 justify their answers with evidence.
Suggested answers, support prompts and teacher guidance are provided in the slide notes. Both the Word reading text and PowerPoint presentation are fully editable.
Best suited to Years 4-5, the session can also be adapted for other KS2 learners. Ideal for linking purposeful reading comprehension with a history unit on Roman Britain.
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