Type of Question poster

When I was a year 6 ESL teacher, the children got nervous as the final CIPP examination approached; two weeks before the great event, in order to make them feel more confident, I generally offered them extra coaching  after school . It was  optional as it implied staying in class for one more hour after  double shift school time, to work on the skills they found more challenging. ( … In the end, 95% of the class stayed, which made me feel very good; they really were committed children).

One of the things most kids stumbled upon was recognizing the kind of question that appeared on the test, what to pay attention to and which skills to focus on in order to answer them correctly. So I created this poster which turned out to be very useful.  I chose a traffic light design because it is visually clear. Have a look. I hope you find it inspiring for your students!

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Read with your Heart

I created this poster for my students to remind them the 5 most important skills when they are working on reading comprehension activities. I hope you like it!

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The Story of Chewing Gum KS2

Informative text about this Popular invention

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Did you know that the invention of chewing gum was an accident? People have been chewing gum-like substances since the early times. Some were made from thickened resin, a substance that comes from plants. Others were made from grains and waxes. But chewing gum, as we know it today, was invented by mistake in 1870 when Thomas Adams, a photographer, became friends with a Mexican military general, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

After Santa Anna defeated the Texans at the Alamo, he was exiled from Mexico. Santa Anna stayed with Thomas Adams in New York and introduced him to a gummy substance people in Mexico liked to chew called chicle. Chicle was the milky sap from sapodilla trees that grew in the tropical rain forests in Central America.
Adams wanted to use the chicle to invent a cheaper substitute for rubber. He tried to make all sorts of items out of chicle, including toys and rubber boots, but each of his experiments failed.
One day, while he was contemplating his failures, he remembered that people in Mexico chewed chicle. Curious, he popped a piece of the chicle into his mouth and began to chew on it. Adams added licorice flavor to the chicle and opened the world’s first chewing gum factory.

Much like Adams’s discovery of chewing gum  the invention of bubble gum was also an accident. In 1928, Walter Diemer, an accountant for the Fleer Gum Company in Philadelphia, stumbled upon the invention while experimenting with new recipes for chewing gum. Diemer created a gum that was less sticky and more stretchy than regular chewing gum.

Diemer learned he could blow bubbles with this  chew gum. Accidents or not, chewing gum and bubble gum are two inventions that people across the globe pop over!

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Comprehension and sequencing activities

1. What is chichle made from?

a. rubber       b. licorice         c. tree sap       d. tropical fruits

2. When Santa Anna defeated the Texans, he was exiled from Mexico. What does the word exiled mean?

a. hidden from        b. forced to leave         c. called a hero        d. retired

3. Put these events in sequential order. Write 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th on each line.

_________ Adams becomes curious to find out what chicle tastes like, so he tries it.
_________ Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna comes to New York and stays with Thomas Adams.
_________ Adams tries to make toys and boots out of chicle.
_________ Santa Anna introduces Thomas Adams to chicle.
_________ Adams opened the first chewing gum factory in the world.
_________ Walter Diemer invents bubble gum.

3a. Now create a comic strip to summarise this sequence of events. It must have 7 slides, one for each important event, plus one more where you will depict how this discovery has evolved.

4. Explain why the invention of chewing gum is considered an accident.
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Vocabulary Activity

Part 1: Reread  the text  highlight the following vocabulary words in the story:

resin          exiled             tropical            contemplate           licorice             accountant         defeated

Part 2: Write each vocabulary word on the line, next to its definition.

_______ 1. to concentrate or engage in deep thought

_______ 2.  flavor from a plant used in food.

_______ 3. to win a victory over

_______ 4. warm climate with lots of rainfall

_______ 5.   forced someone to leave

_______ 6. someone whose job it is to keep track of money for a business

_______ 7. clear, yellowish, or brownish substance that oozes from certain trees; sap

Part 3: Use a vocabulary word from the list to complete each sentence.

8. Henry didn't like shoveling snow, so he moved to a place with a _____________________ climate.

9. If you would like a job as an _________________________, you should have excellent math skills.

10. The Buffalo Sabres hockey team will _________________________ the Boston Bruins. 11. The chess player sits quietly and tries to _________________________ his next move. 12. Black, _________________________-flavored gumdrops are my favorite.

Volcanoes -KS2

An informative text to work on main idea, supporting details  and summarising skills.

VOLCANOS

 

A volcano is a place on the Earth's surface (or any other planet's or moon's surface) where molten rock, gases and debris erupt through the earth's crust. Volcanoes vary quite a bit in their structure - some are cracks in the earth's crust where lava erupts, and some are domes, shields, or mountain-like structures with a crater at the summit.

 

Magma is molten rock within the Earth's crust. When magma erupts through the earth's surface it is called lava. Lava can be thick and slow-moving or thin and fast-moving. Rock also comes from volcanoes in other forms, including ash (finely powdered rock that looks like dark smoke coming from the volcano), cinders (bits of fragmented lava), and pumice (light-weight rock that is full of air bubbles and is formed in explosive volcanic eruptions - this type of rock can float on water).

 

The word volcano comes from the Roman god of fire, Vulcan. Vulcan was said to have had a forge (a place to melt and shape iron) on Vulcano, an active volcano on the Lipari Islands in Italy.

 

 The largest volcano on Earth is Hawaii's Mauna Loa. Mauna Loa is about 10 km tall from the sea floor to its summit (it rises about 4 km above sea level). The largest volcano in our Solar System is perhaps Olympus Mons on the planet Mars. This enormous volcano is 27 km tall and over 520 km across.

 

Making your own volcano is easy. You just need vinegar and baking soda, but you can also add some dish soap and food coloring to make it look more realistic. Mixing baking soda and vinegar produces a chemical reaction in which carbon dioxide gas is created - the same gas that bubbles in a real volcano. The gas bubbles build in the bottle, forcing the liquid 'lava' mixture of the bottle and down the sides of your volcano.

 

Reading Comprehension:

 

1. What can volcanoes look like?

 

2. What is magma?

 

3. What kind of gas is released in both real volcanoes, and the ones you can make at home?

 

 

 

These are the main ideas found  in  the text .Which paragraph talks about each?

 

____ Instructions to make a model of a volcano.

 

____ Largest volcanoes known

 

____ What volcanoes are and their structure

 

____ Materials that come out when there is an eruption

 

____ Origin of the word Volcano

 

After reading the text, fill in this graphic organizer with the most important concepts.

Write in the middle the main idea of the whole text, what the text is about.

Inside of each of the other bubbles, write the topic sentence of each paragraph and two supporting details. Underline the topic sentence to differenciate it from the details.

 

 

Feel free to add more exercises and activities, eg vocabulary or grammar.

 

 

 

 

 

There Goes the Alarm again–KS2

A narrative text suitable for the beginning of the school year as it talks about a child's worries and feelings as she wakes up and gets ready for the new school year. I've added some comprehension questions at the end.

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Here is an extract of the text:

There goes the alarm again. I guess I should get up, but I am dreading this day. I always hate going back to school after a holiday break. I am not sure why. I am anxious to see my friends, I don’t have any overdue school assignments, but I still get that funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. Has something changed? Do all my friends still feel the same way? What clothes should I wear today? Everyone will wear something new, I am sure of that.

My biggest conflict is in my head. Part of me says, “Be your own person!”Another part of me just wants to fit into the crowd. My mom says that as from 6^th grade and through secondary, school is like this, but college will be the opposite. She says I’ll meet many people with different interests, and find groups that I want to be with. I am looking forward to that freedom, but I have one more year of high school and this is my reality right now.

As much as my friends and I like to think we are above all the peer pressures and social “rules” of our school, …

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If you are interested in the complete resource, please

   

The Skeleton Key–KS2 Worksheet

Another interesting story with comprehension and vocabulary exercises.

Here are samples. If you are interested , please

Something Wonderful KS2

A worksheet consisting of an interesting text with  accompanying multiple choice questions, grammar practice and literary elements identification.

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Read the selection. Then answer the questions that follow.

Something Wonderful

When the doorbell rang, Triet looked through the peephole. He saw a delivery person already hurrying down the stairs. She had left a package behind in the hallway. Triet called his brother. “Khai! There’s a package in the hall for us! Someone sent us something!”

Khai looked out and then opened the door to retrieve the package. “It’s addressed to Mom and Dad,” he said. “We can’t open it until they wake up.”

Triet knew his parents enjoyed sleeping late on weekends. It might be hours before they awoke. He plopped down on the floor beside the package and stared at it. It seemed as if it wanted to come to life, staring back at him and whispering, “You should open me because I’m something wonderful.” His hand fell on the taped end, and the paper wrapping loosened a bit.

He eyed the brown paper and wondered what was inside. The return address told him the package had come from his grandparents. Could they have sent him a toy?

A hand fell on his shoulder. “What have you got there?” his mother asked in a sleepy voice.

Triet leapt up and thrust the package at her, saying, “It’s for you and Dad, something from Grandfather.”

His mother pulled open the end that Triet had loosened. She said, “I know what it is. Remember the delicious watermelon Grandfather grew in his garden last summer?

Well, this year, we’ll grow some that will be just as good.”

Remember the strategy! TEXTMARKING/ Underline or highlight in the text the clue that helps you choose your answer.

1 Where does this story take place?

A the farm where Triet’s grandfather lives

B the apartment where Triet and Khai live

C the hallway where the package was delivered

D the post office that sent the package

2 What clue from the story tells readers that the story took place in modern times?

F The boys’ parents were asleep.

G Someone brought a package to the door.

H Triet heard the doorbell ring.

J Khai told Triet not to open the package.

3 You can tell from the story that Triet was good at

A imagining things.

B getting along with others.

C waiting for things to happen.

D following directions.

4 What was in the package?

F fruit

G a toy

H garden tools

J seeds

5 What might Triet have done if his mother had not been awake?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A. Find in the text an example of:

1. Simile: _________________________________________________

2. Personification: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

B. The following sentences are examples of imagery that use which of the 5 senses?

1. His hand fell on the taped end. _____________________________

2. There’s a package in the hall for us! _________________________

C. Look in the text for words or phrases which have a similar meaning of these words. They appear in order:

1. Spied ________________

2. Dashing, running quickly ______________

3. Parcel, box _______________

4. Get back ________________

5. Took pleasure in _________________

6. Looked intently _________________

7. Pushed ___________________

D. Combine these three simple sentences into a complex sentence. Remember: YOU CAN’T USE and or just a comma as a connector!

Triet looked through the peephole.

He saw a delivery person hurrying down the stairs.

The delivery person had left a package behind in the hallway.

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Personification Hotseating across the curriculum–KS1 & KS2

If we wish to make our lessons sufficiently distinctive to be accessed by the pupils' long term memory then hotseating is a valuable tool to be applied as a way of making learning both memorable and fun!

This approach can be used across the entire curriculum. In science the person in the hotseat could be a Plant; in Art they could become a painting; in mathematics they could become a number / shape etc. The opportunities for 'Personification' Hotseating across the curriculum are innumerable and the technique which is undoubtedly enjoyable never fails to capture the attention of the pupils.

The teacher needs to prepare a 'Hotseating' poster such as the one below,

In the following session the teacher would assume the Hotseat  ( generally a chair at the front of the class) and model how to use the poster. Imagine you have just finished reading Snow White.

Teacher: Now I'm Snow. Who would like to ask me a Number Six question?
Pupil1: How did you feel when you saw the witch?
Teacher: (Answer) followed by... Who would like to ask me a Number Three question?
Pupil 2: When did you decide to  live with the 7 dwarves?

Once modelled by the teacher then pupils can take on a role and apply the approach. The teacher would join the rest of the class and would only prompt the pupil in the Hotseat if they didn't encourage a 'spread' of questions.

The prompt poster approach can be varied in order to focus attention on an aspect of characterisation such as Beliefs and Motivation. This approach could be used with older Key Stage 2 pupils to develop a more in depth understanding of character development. A 'Beliefs and Motivation' Prompt Poster (used in exactly the same way as the previous example) is included below:

Hotseating: Beliefs and motivation

If pupils are reticent to assume the Hotseat then it may be prudent for the teacher to begin with Paired Hotseating approaches. Pupil A takes the Hotseat and Pupil B asks the questions. At a given signal the pupils swap roles.

There are numerous ways of varying the traditional Hotseat format. The author uses the following -

1. Interview e.g. Interviewing Snow for the post of 'Princess'. To ensure that this works effectively time can be set aside beforehand for pupils (in groups) to generate interview questions. With Y5-6 pupils making a list of qualities expected of the candidate works well as a preliminary step prior to question generation
2. Talk Show The teacher usually take the role of the host and invites questions and comments from the audience (rest of class not in Hotseat).the advantage of this approach over traditional Hotseating is that it allows the teacher to probe understanding by asking supplementary questions whilst still in role as the 'Host'.

Press conferences, Trials and debates also work well!

Hotseating is usually used in literacy contexts to explore character but with a little imagination it provides a useful tool for processing information across the entire curriculum. The author calls this technique 'Personification Hotseating'.

If, for example, the class were studying volcanoes in a geography context the teacher might initiate a short-burst hotseating session :

Teacher: O.K. everyone let's do a quick 'hotseat' game. I'm a volcano! Ask me some questions.

Although this works well in the ad hoc fashion just described it can also be controlled in a manner similar to the literacy specific examples. Instead of question stems being used on the Prompt poster, subject specific words are included. An example of a 'Volcanoes' prompt poster is included below:

VOLCANOES!

1. Magma
2. Lava
3. Eruption
4. Active
5. Pyrotechnic flow
6. Surge

If the person in the Hotseat asks for a number 2 question then the questioner must include the word 'lava' in their question. As it is difficult to produce a question if one has no understanding of the subject specific word, then the teacher has an opportunity to assess pupils understanding of the focus area.

I invite you to try this resource.

Lara

^{( This is a personally adapted version of “Raising the cognitive demand level of 'Hotseating” by A.Peat.)}

The Most Precious Metal KS2

An interesting informative text about GOLD with  comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar exercises.

Click to enalrge sample.

 

If you are interested, please

Identifying imagery ( Short Activity )

Read  aloud the following extract to your class. Ask them to close their eyes and imagine what you are reading. Discuss afterwards. Finally, give each student a copy of the extract plus the accompanying questions.

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The sky was as black as night all day long. The wind blew so hard that it drove a strong man backwards and the thunder growled and crackled so that we had to make signs to each other, for talking was no use. The lightning flashed so bright that my mother could thread her needle by it.

· What kind of paragraph is this?

· What sensory details were used to help the reader image the situation?

· Which sentence is an example of a simile?

· Which sentence is an example of a hyperbole?

· Add two or more sentences to this description.

· Draw a picture based on the description given in the passage.

· How would you feel if you were in that situation? Why?

“What Jo Did” from Reading Street series–book 4

Comprehension guide WHAT JO DID Name: _____________

Paste the guide in your Reading Folder. Then, give complete answers to the questions, always based on evidence from the story and its author.

Pages 148 to 151

1. Why do Joanna’s parents hang the basketball rim so high?

2. What does Jo think might happen if she removes her hat?

3. What happens because Jo blocks some of the boys ‘shots?

Pages 152 to 155

4. What causes the boys ‘mouths to hang open and makes them speechless?

5. How do the boys find out Jo is a girl? How do they react?

6. Why is “Jumping Jo” a good nickname for Joanna? This nickname is an example of what figurative language? What nickname would you give yourself, using the same example?

7. Make a graphic organizer in the shape of a concept web to show important facts about the author of this story.

A Real Good Samaritan–KS2 KS3

A very interesting text to work on comprehension. I’ve added some questions and vocabulary exercises at the end. I also assigned point to each question so it can also be used as a test.

Click to enlarge sample

 

If you are interested, please

Reading Task Cards

This is a collection of 90 reading cards to be used for independent reading sessions.  You can give the students a card once they finish a chapter, or at the end of a week of SSR. The activities have to do with vocabulary, punctuation, character description, setting, imagery and more. There are simple tasks and more challenging ones.

Here is a sample.

If you are interested, please