I love making resources that take concepts from the curriculum, and express them in an abstract and engaging way. I have seen great improvements in the grades of the children in the classes as I teach as a result of this labour intensive (but ultimately rewarding) approach.
My big passion is reading. Whether it is a comprehension activity or something with a maths or grammar focus; you can guarantee that reading skills to develop understanding will underpin it.
Richard
Reading for Success
I love making resources that take concepts from the curriculum, and express them in an abstract and engaging way. I have seen great improvements in the grades of the children in the classes as I teach as a result of this labour intensive (but ultimately rewarding) approach.
My big passion is reading. Whether it is a comprehension activity or something with a maths or grammar focus; you can guarantee that reading skills to develop understanding will underpin it.
Richard
Reading for Success
In December 2015, Star Wars - The Force Awakens was released and became the highest grossing movie at the box office in history.
Star Wars is just one of several series of movie blockbusters - and the children in your class can find out all about them in this guided reading compilation!
JAWS…STAR WARS…JAMES BOND…HARRY POTTER
These guided reading activities, aimed at children aged 10-13 years old, test childrens’ retrieval, inference and deduction skills.
Questions and answers are provided, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
Your children will love finding out about the stories behind some of the world’s movie blockbusters!
2018 marks the centenary of the end of the First World War.
This remarkable set of TEN guided reading activities uncovers the horror, humanity and humour of life in the Great War.
Each activity focuses on a different part of the war, such as life in the trenches; the Christmas Truce and the assasination of Franz Ferdinand. Also, find out about the fascinating story of the British soldier who spared the life of a young Adolf Hitler.
These guided reading activities, aimed at children aged 10-13 years old, test children’s retrieval, inference and deduction skills. They will also promote lively and engaging classroom discussion as children explore these stories for themselves.
Each activity has questions and answers, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
Apollo 13
Plane crash in the Andes
Mine rescue in Chile
Castaway
This collection of four guided reading activities, aimed at children aged 10-13 years old, tests children’s inference and deduction skills. It will also promote lively and engaging classroom discussion as children explore these remarkable stories for themselves.
Each activity has questions and answers, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
PLEASE SEE MY NEW PACKAGE - AGAINST ALL ODDS - Four more amazing stories of survival!
Who will be the next President of the United States? Will Donald Trump continue for a second term? Or will veteran Democrat Joe Biden beat him to the White House?
These reading comprehension activities, ideal for close reading, will help your students find out about the candidates for the 2020 US presidential election.
Your students will develop reading comprehension skills through a range of retrieval and inference questions, using skills to skim and scan the text. There are also word meaning and text summary questions in the activities.
Just print and go…no prep needed!
I have also included a black and white version of the product to avoid the costs of colour graphics printing,
Thanks for your interest!
BIGFOOT. LOCH NESS. LORD LUCAN. MARY CELESTE. ROSWELL. TURIN SHROUD.
Does an ape-like biped roam the forests of North America?
Is there a monster lurking in the depths of a Scottish lake?
Is the face of Jesus miraculously printed in a piece of linen?
Did Lord Lucan really kill the nanny?
Do aliens exist?
Where were the crew of the Mary Celeste?
Answer these questions and more in this exciting Guided Reading resource looking at some of the greatest mysteries of the world.
This collection of six guided reading activities, aimed at 10 and 11 year olds, tests children’s comprehension, retrieval, inference and deduction skills. It will also promote lively and engaging classroom discussion as children try to solve these mysteries for themselves.
Each activity has questions and answers, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
This is a small part of a much bigger reading package on Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. If you like these reading activities, then there is much more available in ‘The Fawkes Files’ which is available at the price of £2 from my store. The paid version also includes an answer key and several writing activities, as well as another six documents (like those in this free resource) with reading comprehension questions.
This reading activity pack tells the story of the Jesus’ death and resurrection from Palm Sunday through to Easter Sunday. It is ideal all year round for reading or Religious Studies, but is particularly useful in the run up to Easter, as they follow the last week in Jesus’ life. They can also be used as Sunday School activities or as readings in church.
Based on the gospel accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, I have written five reports from key people in the Easter story about what happened with comprehension based questions and answers for each. These will bring the well-known story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection to your students in a fresh, engaging and enlightening way.
The characters featured are:
Peter
Pontius Pilate
A Roman soldier
Mary Magdalen
Cleopas
The comprehension questions tackle the following skills:
Literal and retrieval
Word meaning
Inference and deduction
There is also an activity at the end to summarise each of the characters stories. All activities are aligned to the common core.
As an added extra, there are a number of posters with key bible verses for your displays, including posters to colour in. These can be found at the end of the reading pack.
A bit about me:
Before teaching, I was a journalist. I still work as a freelance writer, and like nothing more than writing engaging texts to challenge and inspire children and young people. I choose subjects that may not be on the curriculum but are still of great importance for students to know about.
Everything I write has been comprehensively researched from a number of sources and been written by myself. No plagiarism here! This is all original material. My questions are pitched at a high level, but with a bit of patience and persistence (and some adult help if necessary) most students will have great fun as they learn, especially as the penny drops.
I am aware of the impact of printed resources on our environment so try to condense my reading activities into as compact a space as possible. Hopefully this will help you save time in printing, and keep the bills down!
Check out my store if you enjoy this – you’re sure to find more. Thanks!
While you are here…
You may also be interested in a similar pack of reading comprehensions I have written about the birth of Jesus. Follow the link for more:
Stories from the Stable
Apollo 13
Plane crash in the Andes
Mine rescue in Chile
Castaway
This collection of four guided reading activities, aimed at children aged 10-13 years old, tests children’s inference and deduction skills. It will also promote lively and engaging classroom discussion as children explore these remarkable stories for themselves.
Each activity has questions and answers, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
Explore World War Two through these fascinating fictional diaries of servicemen, nurses, civilians and Jews.
The diaries focus on the Blitz, the Holocaust, D-Day, Pearl Harbour and Hiroshima
Each activity has questions and answers, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
In December 2015, Star Wars - The Force Awakens was released and became the highest grossing movie at the box office in history.
Star Wars is just one of several series of movie blockbusters - and the children in your class can find out all about them in this guided reading compilation!
JAWS…STAR WARS…JAMES BOND…HARRY POTTER
These guided reading activities, aimed at children aged 10-13 years old, test childrens’ retrieval, inference and deduction skills.
Questions and answers are provided, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
Your children will love finding out about the stories behind some of the world’s movie blockbusters!
This guided reading resource includes a pair of texts about Antarctica with four comprehension skills sheets to complete, providing reading passages and questions that are challenging and engaging.
Using the ‘LIMS’ approach, students work through Literal, Inference, Meaning and Summary questions to ensure that in the course of a week, they have practised skills in reading right across the Common Core.
Text is differentiated and an answer scheme is provided.
Suggested itinerary:
Day 1 (30 mins) – Read both texts as a class. Highlight key parts. Discuss together. What have we learned? What do we want know more about? It is worth asking the students to write down any questions they have about the texts and putting them on display.
Day 2 (30 mins) – Literal sheet
Day 3 (30 mins) – Inference sheet (or meaning sheet if you prefer)
Day 4 (30 mins) – Meaning sheet (or inference sheet if you prefer)
Day 5 (45 mins) – Summary sheet and looking back at questions from the start of the week.
This is the first in a series of Paired text resources looking at the seven continents of the world. Keep an eye on my store.
**
Differentiation:**
All questions are the same, which should make marking easier! However, the texts differ, with asterisks in the bottom right corner indicating the reading level.
Did you know that the first and last soldiers to be killed in World War One are buried just feet apart? Have you heard the story about the American Naval Officer who escaped from a Prisoner of War camp, swimming up the River Rhine to safety? How about the tale of the soldier who spared the life of a young Adolf Hitler?
2018 marks the centenary of the end of World War One.
This collection of four guided reading activities, aimed at 10 to 14 year olds, tests children’s comprehension, retrieval, inference and deduction skills through some intriguing stories from the soldiers at war.
It will also promote reflective and engaging classroom discussion as children discover more about this important chapter in the world’s history.
Each activity has questions and answers, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required. The texts take the form of different written genres, such as diary extracts, letters, newspaper reports and information texts.
CONTENTS
A Tale of Two Soldiers: Private John Parr
The story of the first soldier to be killed in World War One
A Tale of Two Soldiers: Private George Ellison
The story of the last Allied soldier to be killed in the war, just minutes before peace was declared. Read about the extraordinary link between Ellison and Private John Parr.
Saving Corporal Adolf
How one British soldier’s humanity spared the life of future dictator, Adolf Hitler.
The Daily News
Stories of courage and loyalty from the war, including Edouard Izac, the American naval officer who escaped from a prisoner of war camp to pass on vital intelligence to his commanders.
In 2016, Her Majesty The Queen celebrates her 90th birthday.
This collection of three reading comprehensions celebrates this occasion, providing biographical information about The Queen and her family.
Your children will find out about:
A day in the life of The Queen
The Queen’s two birthdays
The Royal Family Tree
The wedding of Prince William and Kate
Each comprehension task come complete with answers and suggests how many marks are available for each question - perfect preparation for reading assessments.
Who will win the 2019 Rugby World Cup?
This reading comprehension activity is aimed at 8-13 year-olds, and focuses on the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Your students will develop reading comprehension skills through a range of retrieval and inference questions, using skills to skim and scan the text.
In particular, they will learn about:
The history of the tournament
The favourites for to win in 2019
The World Cup trophy
The chances of the United States*
Answers are included.
I have also included a black and white version of the product on pages 5-7 to avoid the costs of colour graphics printing.
Thanks for your interest!
This guided reading resource includes a pair of texts about North America with four comprehension skills sheets to complete, providing reading passages and questions that are challenging and engaging.
Using the ‘LIMS’ approach, students work through Literal, Inference, Meaning and Summary questions to ensure that in the course of a week, they have practised skills in reading right across the curriculum.
Text is differentiated and an answer scheme is provided.
Suggested itinerary:
Day 1 (30 mins) – Read both texts as a class. Highlight key parts. Discuss together. What have we learned? What do we want know more about? It is worth asking the students to write down any questions they have about the texts and putting them on display.
Day 2 (30 mins) – Literal sheet
Day 3 (30 mins) – Inference sheet (or meaning sheet if you prefer)
Day 4 (30 mins) – Meaning sheet (or inference sheet if you prefer)
Day 5 (45 mins) – Summary sheet and looking back at questions from the start of the week.
This is the first in a series of Paired text resources looking at the seven continents of the world. Keep an eye on my store.
Differentiation:
All questions are the same, which should make marking easier! However, the texts differ, with asterisks in the bottom right corner indicating the reading level.
This guided reading resource includes four epic stories of survival.
These include the pilot who crash landed in the Hudson River, the football team who got trapped for weeks in a flooded cave and the child who fell into the gorilla enclosure at the zoo.
Using the ‘LIMS’ approach, students work through Literal, Inference, Meaning and Summary questions to ensure that as your students find out about these captivating stories, they will also practise skills in reading right across the curriculum.
As answer scheme is provided, and the product is ready to print and go.
Here is a short sample taken from one of the stories:
But shortly after take off, disaster struck. As the plane climbed from the airport, the pilot’s view was filled with a huge flock of large birds. Passengers heard a series of loud bangs, and showers of flame coming from the engines followed by silence and a sickening smell of fuel. The plane had struck a flock of Canada Geese, and lost power in both of the aircraft’s engines. Now useless as a plane, Sully found himself in charge of a 75-tonne glider. He had to think quickly.
And examples of questions:
*What type of birds struck the engine of Flight 1549?
*Why is the plane described as a glider in the second paragraph? *
This is the second set of survival stories I have compiled. The other package can be found here:
Stories of Survival
Who is Greta Thunberg?
What is Climate Change?
This pair of reading comprehension activities, ideal for guided reading, are will help your students find out about the teenager who has made the world aware of climate change.
Your students will develop reading comprehension skills through a range of retrieval and inference questions, using skills to skim and scan the text.
In particular, they will learn about:
Greta Thunberg
What is climate change?
What causes it?
What can be done about it?
Just print and go…no prep needed! Answers are provided.
I have also included a black and white version of the product on pages to avoid the costs of colour graphics printing - something I’m sure Greta would approve of!
This activity is part of a set that that I am currently putting together:
Girls who Dare to be Different
Thanks for your interest!
The Paris Olympics will bring the world together for a festival of sport in 2024.
In these reading comprehensions, your students will get to find out about some of the stories about the Olympics.
Find out about:
THE OLYMPICS IN PARIS
THE OLYMPICS IN ANCIENT GREECE
THE HISTORY OF THE MODERN OLYMPICS
Questions and answers are provided, with an indication of how many marks are on offer at the end of each question. This is particularly helpful for children preparing for reading tests and exams, encouraging them to give fuller answers where required.
As with all of my reading exercises, I try to write content that is interesting and engaging - stories that may not be on the curriculum, but are important for children to know.
Your students will develop reading comprehension skills through a range of retrieval and inference questions, using skills to skim and scan the text. There are also word meaning and text summary questions in the activities.
Just print and go…no prep needed!
Please note - one of the comprehensions here is available as an individual activity. Check my store if you just want one comprehension!***
Children will be fascinated to discover exciting facts about Brazil.
There are 2 levels of questions to suit all learners:
A red border for simpler questions
A green border for more advanced questions
An extension activity is also provided.
You can use this as a comprehension exercise, a guided reading activity, a geography lesson or as part of a literacy project. Children can complete as homework, and develop their general knowledge about this amazing country.
If you like this, then perhaps you might look at my 'Around the World in 8 Days' product. This includes seven more countries for you to read about.
This reading comprehension will test your students’ reading skills as they explore one of the greatest April Fools of all time, as ranked by the Museum of Hoaxes.
Using research skills and their reporter’s notebooks, the young journalists will find out about Porky Bickar and how he faked a volcanic eruption in Alaska, 1978.
The story comes with questions, and will require students to check dictionaries; summarise stories; think critically and retrieve facts. They will also generate lively and fun classroom discussion. Would your students fall for this prank? Can they come up with anything better?
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This story is also featured in a bigger pack with other famous April Fools:
FAKE NEWS - APRIL FOOL!
In that pack, you will find the stories featured below, answer sheets, a writing activity based on the stories and posters for display:
Spaghetti growing on trees in Switzerland
A fake volcanic eruption in Alaska
Instant Colour TV in Sweden
An iceberg in Sydney Harbour
As a journalist and teacher, it’s my passion that children should have an awareness of what is going on in the world through engaging reading material.