51ºÚÁÏ

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills whilst developing their understanding of the animals of the forest floor in the Amazon Rainforest.

The original information text includes the following sections:
-Introduction to the Forest Floor
-Large Mammals on the Forest Floor: Jaguars, Giant Anteaters, Tapirs
-Reptiles, Insects and Creepy Crawlies: Green Anacondas, Arachnids, Leafcutter Ants.
-Summary of Life on the Forest Floor

The hunting, dietary habits, appearance and behaviour of each animal are described, in addition to providing interesting facts in accessible language.

The resource pack includes the extract and all of the activities for the session, which the class are guided through via a comprehensive and engaging PowerPoint presentation. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language.

The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions, fact-checking and deeper thinking activities.

An additional scaffolded worksheet for children needing additional support/ structure is also provided (in both Word and PDF).

The session is best suited for children in KS2 (I originally used the resources with a year 4 class), but with minor adaptations may be used for slightly older and younger year groups.