Our Moving Earth - Whole Class Reading Lesson!

This engaging whole-class reading session develops children’s understanding of Earth’s structure and moving tectonic plates, 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 learning activities.

The text explores Earth’s crust, mantle and core before explaining how tectonic plates move and interact. Children discover how plates pulling apart, pushing together or sliding past each other can shape landscapes and cause earthquakes or volcanic activity. Examples including Iceland, the Himalayas, the Pacific Ring of Fire and Hawaii help explain patterns and their exceptions. Memorable comparisons, interesting statistics and clearly connected explanations make challenging ideas accessible, while introducing the evidence scientists use to investigate our changing planet.

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 year groups. Ideal for linking purposeful reading comprehension with a geography unit on volcanoes and earthquakes.