-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.
Whole Class Guided Reading Comprehension resources based on Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd-Stanton
A super read in support of a Vikings topic.
37-page PowerPoint
19-page PDF document
Pre-teach vocabulary
Independent comprehension activities
Group or paired activities
Extract not included
£4 on our website. Support us to make more resources by subscribing annually for £36.
My Teaching Hive
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+
2 x reading comprehension lessons based on the Prologue and Chapter One of ‘The Girl who Speaks Bear’ by Sophie Anderson.
Years 5 & 6
Book recommended age 9+
23-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint
2 lessons
1 x PDF activity
questioning, inference, looking at connections/themes within a text.
Extract included.
Visit our website for more book comprehension lessons.
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.
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.
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 The Wrong Shoes by Tom Percival.
Resource includes:
3 teaching PowerPoints for each act.
51 PDF documents
Pre-teaching Vocabulary cards
Opportunities to develop fluency with a focus on the author’s use of italics
Focus on inference and character relationships
Exploration of word choices, clarification of understanding, summarising
Extract not included.
Suitable for ages 7+
It’s not always easy to belong…
This vital new novel by the brilliant Tom Percival (creator of the popular Big Bright Feelings series) is a fantastic story allowing teachers to facilitate discussion around child poverty.
There’s a bunch of kids in there and suddenly they’re all looking at me like someone who can actually do something, not just some weirdo with the wrong shoes and a rubbish coat . . .
Will has the wrong shoes – he’s always known it but doesn’t know how to change it. Navigating the difficulties of home and school when you feel you stick out is tough, but finding confidence with the help and empathy of friends can be all you need to see the way.
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
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on Chapter 1 and the first letter in Chapter 2 of ‘Daddy Long-Legs’ by Jean Webster.
About the author and the book, vocabulary, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills foci: imitating the writer’s style, summarise, retrieve, infer and clarify
42-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 1 x printable PDF activities.
Extract included.
Suitable for ages 10+
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on Chapter One of ‘A Secret of Birds and Bone’ by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.
Vocabulary, whole class reading, exploration of figurative language.
Reading Skills foci: exploring the meaning of words and the effect of figurative language, making judgements and inferring, summarising, identifying themes in a chapter.
26-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 2 x printable PDFs
Extract not included.
Suitable for ages 10+
100+ fun, hands-on KS2 comprehension lessons centred around books your kids will love.
Includes:
100+ lessons based on extracts from 34 inspirational children’s books.
Ready to go teaching Powerpoints, PDF activities and (most) extracts.
Reading skills information posters based on the National Curriculum and display materials.
Interactive reading record for children with lots of independent activity ideas
Easy to follow PowerPoint guide to introduce our whole class reading resources to your colleagues.
KS2 Book comprehension resources
Recommended for Year 3/4
Whole Class Reading Lessons
Based on extracts from:
Werewolf Club Rules, by Joseph Coelho- POETRY
A Dangerous Game, by Malorie Blackman - ADVENTURE
Hilda and the Troll, by Luke Pearson- GRAPHIC NOVEL
Escape from Pompeii, by Christina Balit- HISTORICAL FICTION/PICTURE BOOK
Knights & Bikes, by Gabrielle Kent - ADVENTURE
The Boy Who Grew Dragons, by Andy Shepherd - FANTASY
The Selfish Giant, by Oscar Wilde - CLASSIC
Viking Voyagers, by Jack Tite - NON FICTION
Each pack contains a detailed teaching PowerPoint and PDF printable activities. Most extracts also included.
£35 yearly personal membership - ACCESS TO ALL YEARGROUPS
£240 yearly school membership.
Support us in growing our resource library and make comprehension lessons FUN!
Vanishing Trick - Poetry - Reading Comprehension Resources - age 7+
Reading comprehension resources based on a selection of poems from Vanishing Trick by Ros Asquith
More at MY TEACHING HIVE
49-page PowerPoint presentation
A range of PDF comprehension activities and questions
Comprehension Questions in line with the KS2 National Curriculum
Extracts included.
Suitable for age 7+
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.
Discuss what it’s like to have dyslexia, look for idioms, perform a poem out loud, judge performances, explore metaphorical language, write your own poem in the poet’s style, make predictions by looking at illustrations, make inferences and judgements, summarise and clarify.
4 whole class reading lessons based on the Prologues: Ben & Lottie from ‘Voyage of the Sparrowhawk’, by Natasha Farrant
Vocabulary, whole class reading, paired reading
Reading Skills foci: infer, visualise and predict
30-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 3 x printable PDFs
Recommended for age 9+
Extract included
3 whole class reading comprehension lessons based on ‘Curiositree: Natural World: A Visual Compendium of Wonders from Nature’ by A J Wood & Mike Jolley.
Ideal for lessons on nature for KS2
Whole class reading, paired reading, pre-teaching vocabulary
Reading Skills foci: predict, retrieve and clarify
24-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint, 2 x printable PDF activities.
Extract included.
Suitable for ages 9+
Lesson 1
Firstly, warm up the lesson with a prediction activity and then pre-teach children key vocabulary to maximise pupil engagement with the text. Children then retrieve more key information about ‘Chameleon – Master of Colour’ and end the lesson with a fun chameleon challenge!
Lesson 2
Children discuss their understanding of the text, exploring the meaning of unfamiliar words in context. After, children learn more key words before they begin a fun activity, using quick challenge cards whilst learning more about ‘Extraordinary Hunters’.
Lesson 3
Finally, children have the opportunity to create their own compendium page, create a factual report about chameleons, or complete a camouflage art task
Years 4, 5 & 6
Book recommended age 7+
30-page dyslexia-friendly PowerPoint
3 lessons
4 x PDF activities
exploring the poet’s word choices, discussing understanding of a poem, exploring figurative language, prediction, sharing personal responses to a poem.
Extract included.
Available on our website for £3 or as part of our school subscription.
Book review template.
Free. KS2.
Space for star rating, an illustration, short synopsis and review.
More free resources on our website.
What should I include in a book review?
Provide a summary of the most important events and characters, but be careful not to give too much away! Let the reader know what genre the book would fall under. It could be more than one. Opportunities to hit National Curriculum objectives. Give your opinion on the story and remember to explain your viewpoint. Recommend the story to a particular audience. Is it for thrill-seekers? Lovers of history? Is it a page turning mystery for budding detectives? Mention similar books that might mean somebody would like this one too. Draw an illustration to show a character, setting, important object or even your own front cover design.
Would make a nice display for children to share their favourite books.
Independent comprehension activity
When you finish reading a chapter of your book, roll the die and try the activities you land on. Use what you have just read to help you.
Suitable for all of KS2.
Activities:
Use bullet points to make a list of all of the key facts in the story so far. How many can you record in 1 minute?
Come up with a newspaper headline that summarises an important event that has happened in the story so far.
Rewrite a sentence from the text, which contains adverbs. Change the adverbs. How does this change the meaning?
Draw and label something that is described in detail in the text, for example, a character, setting or even an object.
Think of an adjective that best describes the main character’s feelings. List 2 pieces of evidence that support your idea.
Predict Make 3 predictions about what could happen next. Put a star next to the idea you think is most likely to happen.
FREE Get to know your pupils and find out about their reading habits. How many sustained the habit of reading regularly this summer? How often did they read? What different genres and authors are they reading? How do they feel about reading? Did they get the chance to visit a library or a bookshop? Where is their favourite place to read? Use our free ‘Summer Reading Habits’ worksheet to find out! SPace is also provided for children to design three front covers for their favourite recent reads to help you gain a picture as to what their reading preferences are. Why not blow it up to A3 and keep them in a class folder for sharing?