Y5 Reading Comprehension: Old Cinema

Year 5 reading comprehension: an original newspaper article with 15 multiple-choice questions, KS2 reading domains and a full answer key. No prep needed.

Curtain Up! Town Saves Its Old Cinema – When Hartwell’s 1932 Regal Cinema is about to be sold and turned into flats, a retired projectionist and his ten-year-old granddaughter lead a campaign to save it. A balanced, clearly fictional local news report with quotations from both sides, perfect for exploring viewpoint and newspaper features.

What’s included (12-page PDF):

• Original newspaper article (726 words) with numbered paragraphs, written for Year 5 readers
• Word bank of useful vocabulary
• Pupil question sheet: 15 multiple-choice questions (A–E), with no answers showing
• Quick-mark answer grid with every question tagged to its KS2 reading content domain (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2f, 2g, 2h)
• Full teacher answer key explaining why each answer is right and why every other option is wrong

Skills covered:

• Retrieval of facts and figures
• Vocabulary in context
• Inference about people’s motives
• Summarising a paragraph
• Headlines and metaphors
• Why a balanced report includes different views
• Comparing two viewpoints

Ideal for: guided reading, whole-class reading lessons, reading assessment, homework, intervention groups, tutoring and cover lessons.

Questions build from straightforward retrieval to inference and language, so the pack works for a range of readers. British English throughout.

Written by Word Harbour Reading. Original text, created for educational use.