-KS2 whole class reading comprehension lessons
-reading templates, assemblies and inspiration -
As Year 6 teachers, we found ourselves in need of comprehension resources that bring texts to life.
YES, we want our comprehension lessons to be rigorous in preparation for the SATs, BUT we also want them to be engaging and fun!
Our aim is to get children excited about comprehension lessons, eager to talk about books and confident in interrogating a text.
-KS2 whole class reading comprehension lessons
-reading templates, assemblies and inspiration -
As Year 6 teachers, we found ourselves in need of comprehension resources that bring texts to life.
YES, we want our comprehension lessons to be rigorous in preparation for the SATs, BUT we also want them to be engaging and fun!
Our aim is to get children excited about comprehension lessons, eager to talk about books and confident in interrogating a text.
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on Aaron Becker, ‘A Stone for Sascha’ .
About the author, whole class reading, group discussion
Reading Skills foci: predict, infer, retrieve, question, group discussion, exploring themes
23-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 4 x printable PDF activities
Extract not included.
Suitable for age 9+
Available on our website for £3 or as part of our school subscription.
KS2 Discussion prompts
Encourage talk for learning across all subjects
Sentence stems and tips
Share your opinion
Agree/Build
Challenge
Be a good listener
Clarify
Be a good speaker
Summarise
Links with our reading skills posters.
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on the picture book ‘House Held Up By Trees’ by Ted Kooser
Whole class reading, discussion cards, exploring themes.
Reading Skills foci: predict, discuss, connect (exploring themes in the story
21-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 2 x PDF downloadable activities.
Picture book comprehension
Extract not included.
Recommended for age 7+
Lesson 1
Firstly pre-teach vocabulary. Children then participate in a discussion about the text considering key question cards. Finally, ask the children to reflect on what kind of story it is and what it makes them think about.
Lesson 2
Encourage the children to make wider connections with the the book, exploring the main ideas, topics and issues raised. Children then sort cards they think best represents the key themes in the book in order of importance. If they had to pick just one card, which would they choose?
Lesson 2
Children consider what inspired the author to write this story. Then children reflect on their own lives and places which are important to them. Finally, the children explore the work of the award-winning illustrator Jon Klassen as inspiration for their own artwork.
5 x reading comprehension lessons based on chapters from So You Think You’ve Got it Bad? A KId’s Life in Ancient Egypt By Chae Strathie.
Year 4
Book recommended age 7+
36-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint
5 lessons
16 x PDF activities
Lessons based on:
Prediction - the front cover
Clothes and Hairstyles - mixed comprehension questions and match the clothing to the era!
The Home - retrieval cards, pyramid fact page.
Chores and Jobs - create a pyramid of roles in society, retrieval questions, match the definitions.
Diet - create a menu, clarify glossary definitions.
Extracts not included.
Available with a £2 discount on our website. My Teaching Hive.
Whole Class Guided Reading Comprehension resources based on The Explorer by Katherine Rundell
An adventurous story to compliment KS2 rainforests topic work.
Recommended for Year 5
Appropriate for age 9+
3 x teaching PowerPoints - 194 pages
108 x PDF documents
Vocabulary cards for all 31-chapters
Mixed comprehension questions and activities to develop reading skills linked to the KS2 National Curriculum.
The book will need to be purchased separately.
3 whole class reading lessons based on Chapter 1 and 2 from ‘A Library of Lemons’, by Jo Cotterill
Whole class reading, paired reading, lesson 3 – PSHE friendships
Reading Skills foci: infer
30-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 2 x printable PDFs
Recommended for age 8+
Extract included
Available for £3 on our website.
Whole class reading comprehension resources for chapter 4 of A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicholl.
Resource includes:
2 x lessons designed for close reading
26-page PowerPoint
1 PDF inference activity
Pre-teaching Vocabulary/exploration of vocabulary
Focus on inference and character relationships
Extract not included.
Suitable for ages 7+
This resource can be used to facilitate thoughtful discussions in the classroom or at home, making it a perfect tool for Autism Awareness Day. It encourages young readers to consider the world from a different perspective, fostering empathy and understanding through the eyes of Addie, a young girl on the autism spectrum.
Key features of the resource include:
Discussion Prompts: Thoughtful questions that encourage deep thinking about autism, neurodiversity, and empathy.
Inference Activities: Exercises designed to develop critical thinking and inference skills, helping children engage more deeply with the text.
Exploration of challenging vocabulary: Supporting children in broadening their vocabulary and understanding tricky words in context.
Autism Awareness Focus: Activities that promote awareness and understanding of autism in a respectful and meaningful way. Signposting children to more books where the main character is neurodivergent.
myteachinghive
KS2 Whole Class Reading Comprehension resources for Not My Fault by Catherine Howe
147-page dyslexia-friendly teaching PowerPoint
55 x printable PDFs
A poignant story about family, resilience, forgiveness, and self-discovery.
Perfect for Children’s Mental Health Week (3rd -9th  February)
How These Resources Can Support Your Class
Exploring Complex Themes: Not My Fault delves into sibling relationships, misunderstandings, and coping with challenges, providing an excellent foundation for discussions on resilience and emotional well-being.
Encouraging Open Dialogue: The accompanying activities are designed to enhance children’s reading comprehension skills while fostering meaningful discussions about the lasting impact of traumatic events on those who experience or witness them.
Tailored for Upper KS2: Our whole-class reading lessons are crafted for upper Key Stage 2. They include a range of reading comprehension skills paired with engaging, hands-on activities that encourage effective book talk.
Extract not included.
Recommended for age 9+
Year 5/6
KS2 Whole Class Reading Comprehension resources for A Year Full of Stories by Angela McAllister
25-page dyslexia-friendly teaching PowerPoint
12 x printable PDFs
3 lessons to support the following stories:
Father Frost, a Russian story to celebrate the New Year, January
Rabbit and Crab, A Mayan Story to celebrate Harvest, April
The Boots of Hunain, an Arabic story to celebrate Ramadan, June
Vocabulary cards
Mixed comprehension questions
Character discussion arrow
Shades of meaning vocabulary
True or false cards
Extract not included.
Recommended for age 7+
Year 3/4
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Introduce your children to rich cultural traditions from all over the globe. The book is divided into 12 chapters, one for each month of the year, and throughout, stories are matched to internationally celebrated dates, seasonal events and festivals.
Please leave a positive review if you enjoyed this resource and any requests to make resources for more of the stories within.
KS2 Whole class reading comprehension resources based on Rivet Boy by Barbara Henderson.
Ideal read in support of a Victorians topic as recommended by Books for Topics. Based on KS2 National Curriculum for reading. May be suitable for KS3 supported reading.
107-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint
50 x printable PDFs
Vocabulary for every chapter
Range of comprehension questions and activities to choose from
Answers included
Extract not included
Suitable for ages 8+
KS2 Reading Comprehension Resources for The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow
Resources for the whole book
7 lessons
63-page PowerPoint
28 PDF document including:
Vocabulary for each of the 7 parts of the story
Mixed comprehension questions
Skill-focused activities
Recommended for age 10+
Extracts not included
Available for £5 on our website or as part of a £35 annual personal subscription.
A powerful and lyrical story about finding your place in the world and the people that matter within it.
Other resources based on Matt Goodfellow books:
Bright Bursts of Colour - poetry
KS2 Whole Class Guided Reading for Human 2.0: A Celebration of Human Bionics by Patrick Kane
38-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 19 x printable PDFs including vocabulary cards, mixed comprehension questions, skill-focsued activities and hands-on activities.
In line with the KS2 National Curriculum.
Reading comprehension resources for the following topics:
The First Prosthesis
Eyewear
Eye Replacements
Bionic Eyes
Bionic Limbs
Prosthetic hands through the ages
The Paralympics
Richard Whitehead
Beyond Bionics
Implantable Electronic Chips
Extracts not included.
Suitable for ages 7+
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on two chapters of ‘Kirby Ultimate Football Heroes’ by Charlotte Browne
Vocabulary, about the footballer, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills foci: retrieve, infer, clarify, words’splore
24-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 2 x printable PDF activity (other activities featured on the PowerPoint slides) Extract included.
Suitable for age 7+
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on two chapters of ‘Messi Ultimate Football Heroes’ by Matt and Tom Oldfield
About the footballer, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills foci: predict, retrieve, summarise, infer, clarify
21-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 2 x printable PDF activity (other activities featured on the PowerPoint slides) Extract included.
Suitable for age 7+
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on three chapters of ‘Neymar Ultimate Football Heroes’ by Matt and Tom Oldfield
About the footballer, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills foci: retrieve, summarise, clarify
26-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 3 x printable PDF activity (other activities featured on the PowerPoint slides) Extract included.
Suitable for age 7+
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on three chapters of ‘Ronaldo Ultimate Football Heroes’ by Matt and Tom Oldfield
Vocabulary, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills foci: feature’splore, infer, retrieve, discuss, word’splore, clarify
31-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 4 x printable PDF activity (other activities featured on the PowerPoint slides) Extract included.
Suitable for age 7+
Visit our website for more.
4 whole class guided reading comprehension lessons based on chapter one of ‘A Dangerous Game’ by Malorie Blackman.
34-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 1 x printable PDF activity (other activities featured on the PowerPoint slides) Extract included.
Pre-teach vocabulary, about the author, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills foci: predict, infer
**Lesson 1 **
To use clues in a text to predict what might happen next.
To recall any similarities or differences between books by the same author.
Lesson 2 - 4
To make inferences about a character.
To support your inferences with evidence from a text.
Suitable for age 7+
Recommended for Year 3 and 4.
Story Synopsis
Although Sam has a long-term illness, all he wants is the chance to lead a normal life. So he is thrilled when he finally gets his mum and dad to let him go on the school trip to the Scottish Highlands. Sam’s desperate for an adventure and wants to prove to everyone that he’s just as strong as his friends. But when some of the boys from his class take a reckless risk in order to win a challenge, the trip turns out to be more dangerous than Sam could have imagined. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers.
Romans reading comprehension
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on ‘Escape from Pompeii’ by Christina Balit.
Vocabulary, whole class reading, paired reading.
Reading Skills foci: predict, infer, connect: explore books with a historical setting.
24-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 2 x printable PDF activities
Extract not included.
Suitable for age 7+
Reading comprehension resources based on Chapters 1-7 of Varjak Paw by SF Said.
More at MY TEACHING HIVE
59-page PowerPoint presentation
Vocabulary cards
Comprehension Questions in line with the KS2 National Curriculum
Reading skill focused activities
For each chapter
A flexible set of resources which could be used for whole class reading, guided reading, individual and group work as well as for home learning.
Text not included.
Suitable for age 7+