Activities For Responding To Reading in Year 5

Activities for
Responding to
Reading in
Year Five
Written and compiled by the Lancashire Literacy Consultants
Year 5 – Teacher’s Notes
The activities are not intended to be issued without prior discussion and preparation.
The activities require a range of reading strategies to complete. Wherever possible, each
activity has a reference to the Assessment Focus being developed. This will support teachers
in covering a range of comprehension strategies and provide part of the ongoing evidence for
assessing a child’s reading.
Many can be used as part of a Guided Reading session and completed with teacher support.
Some may be used more than once with different texts.
You may decide not to use all of the sheets, and some children may have a different selection
to others.
You may choose sheets that support work done in the shared and guided session, or sheets
appropriate to individual children’s personal reading.
Some of the activities are designed to be completed over time – such as collecting aspects of
language to use in the children’s own writing. These could be enlarged and displayed so that all
the children could contribute.
Some activities may need to be differentiated – they are on the Literacy web site and you
may download them and alter them or use a sheet from a younger age group
(www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/literacy).
If you do not want to use photocopied sheets, these ideas are easily transferred to paper or
exercise books. Or why not download the activity and work on screen.
Most of the activities provide opportunities for Speaking and Listening about books and
reading.
Year 5 Reading Objectives:
Strand Objectives
Make notes on, and use evidence from across a text to explain events or ideas.
Infer writers’ perspectives from what is written and from what is implied.
Compare different types of narrative and information texts and identify how
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they are structured.
Distinguish between everyday use of words and their subject-specific use.
Explore how writers use language for comic and dramatic effects.
Reflect on reading habits and preferences and plan personal reading goals.
Compare the usefulness of techniques such as visualisation, prediction and
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empathy in exploring the meaning of texts.
Compare how a common theme is presented in poetry, prose and other media.
The Reading Assessment Focus - Overview grid
AF Strategies Key phrase
Use a range of strategies, including

Decode accurately.
1 accurate decoding of text, to read
Read with understanding.
for meaning
Understand, describe, select or

Seek, find and understand.
retrieve information, events or ideas
2 Literal responses to text.
from texts and use quotation and
Text reference.
reference to text
Between the lines

Deduce, infer or interpret Inference and deduction.
3 information, events or ideas from Interpret.
texts Put yourself in their shoes.
Text reference.
Identify and comment on the Structure.

structure and organisation of texts, Commenting on presentational features.
4
including grammatical and Why is the text presented and
presentational features at text level organised as it is?
Language.
Explain and comment on the writers’
Why did the writer use that word /
use of language, including grammatical
5 phrase / image / sentence etc.
and literary features at word and
Literary awareness.
sentence level
Impact on reader.
The Writer.
Identify and comment on the writers’
Writer’s purpose.
6 purposes and viewpoints, and the
Writer’s attitudes and values.
overall effect
Big messages about life.
The Text and the World.

Relate texts to their cultural and
How the text fits into its social,
7 historical contexts and literary
historical, cultural, literary heritage
traditions.
context.
In addition to a wide ranging read aloud programme, and children’s own choices, pupils in Year 5 will
read:
• Novels and stories by significant children’s authors

• Traditional stories
• Fables
• Myths and Legends
• Stories from other cultures
• Plays
• Instructions
• Reports
• Explanations
• Persuasive texts
• Different poetic styles
• Classic and narrative poems
• Choral and performance poetry
• There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom
• The Highwayman
• The Midnight Fox
• Street Child
• Sensational
… know what to expect … use different
… discuss books and … recognise the
from different types strategies to work out
authors and features of different
of texts unknown words
recommend titles to my text types
friends
… use the punctuation

in complex sentences
… use the front cover
to help understanding
blurb and reviews to
when reading
help me choose what I
read
… pick up author’s clues
to help me understand
… respond to what I
texts
read – imagining events
and how characters
feel … use my own
experience and wider
… can information The reading to judge texts
quickly from different
sources and decide Year 5 Reader … keep track of a
which is most useful subject through the
‘I can…’ pronouns in a text
… can find my way

… tell the difference … tell from whose view
around texts quickly … recognise the
between figurative and the story is being told
and effectively different ways that
literal language and and retell the story
authors present
talk about how they from a different
characters and find
affect the reader viewpoint
evidence in the text
Books I have read this year
Date Title Author

Fiction
Books I have read this year
Date Title Author

Non-Fiction
Collect and Compare Story Openings
Find three books or stories that you have read or would like to read.
Titles:
Book/story one: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Book/story two: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Book/story three: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Read the first few paragraphs of each.
Do they start with action, dialogue or description?
Book/story one: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Book/story two: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Book/story three: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Which book or story would you want to read the most? ……………………………………………
What was it about the opening that made you want to read on? ………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Which book or story did not tempt you to read on? ……………………………………………………
Why? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Collect and Compare Story Openings
Framework objectives:
Strand 7: Compare different types of narrative and information texts and

identify how they are structured.
Assessment focuses:
Reading AF4: Identify and comment on the structure and organisation of texts,
including grammatical and presentational features at text level
Reading AF5: Explain and comment on the writers’ use of language, including
grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level
Assist the children in finding three books or stories with contrasting openings;
description, dialogue, action. Ask them to read the first paragraph or two of each book
and to discuss the way in which the author has started the story. Encourage them to:
• talk about the type of story each might be;

• what is already known from the beginning;
• what they would like to know more about;
• predict what might happen;
• which book was the most tempting to read and why;
• which book was the least tempting to read and why;
• what techniques have the authors used to draw the reader in?
Identifying Story Structures
Make brief notes in each box to identify the different stages in the plot of different
stories.
Story One: Title:

Setting: Problem: Conflict:
Complication: Crisis: Resolution:
Story Two: Title:

Story Three: Title:


Identifying Story Structures

Assessment focuses:
This activity may take several sessions as it involves reading a selection of short stories
and comparing their structures. Use stories with clear structures.
Discuss the common features of story structure using the terminology familiar to the
children. If the words on the activity sheet, differ to the ones used in your class, the
words can be changed by downloading one from the Lancashire literacy website and
changing the original. (See teacher’s notes).
Supply the children with two or three short stories of different genres; e.g. science
fiction, myths, legends, adventure. Discuss the elements that they will be looking out
for. Ask them to make brief notes in the boxes identifying the relevant features and
stages of the story.
Thinking Ahead!
Title:
What do I know? What do I want to know? What have I learnt? Evidence from the text
Thinking Ahead!
Strand 7: Make notes on, and use evidence from across a text to explain
events or ideas.
Assessment focuses:
Reading AF3: Deduce, infer or interpret information, events or ideas from texts
This activity involves the use of a KWL grid. The children make notes in the K (what I
already know) column. They will not have read any of the book at this stage. They would
use prior knowledge of the author and text type; the picture on the cover and the blurb
to help them. The children would then write down questions in the W (what I would like
to know) column. They could note down predictions in this column, too. When they have
finished the book, the children could note down what they have found out about
characters and events with evidence from the text to back up their findings.
This activity is often associated with non-fiction texts but it is equally useful with
fiction.
Story Mapping
Draw a ‘map’ of the main events of a story or book that you are reading. Draw a picture
of each setting and event with brief notes from the text. Join each event with arrows
to show the progress of the story.
Title:
Story Mapping

Assessment focuses:
This activity can be done at the end of a book or whilst the book is being read. At each
stage or chapter, ask the children to draw a snapshot of the setting and main event.
This can be annotated with words or phrases from the text that sum up the event.
Raining Cats and Dogs!
Have you ever heard people say things that don’t make sense but you understand what
they mean? Have you ever heard anyone say ‘It’s raining cats and dogs’? What do they
really mean? How do you feel if you’re ‘feeling under the weather’? Keep your ear to the
ground (another one) for some more expressions. People use them all the time. Fill in the
speech bubbles with the expressions you hear. Draw a picture for each one.
Raining Cats and Dogs!
Strand 7: Explore how writers use language for comic and dramatic effects.
Assessment focuses:
Reading AF6: Identify and comment on the writers’ purposes and viewpoints, and
the overall effect
We use expressions all the time that don’t make any sense literally, but we all know
what is meant. This activity is designed to be added to over time. When an idiom is
encountered in shared or guided reading, or when someone uses one when speaking, it
can be added to the sheet.
It is also fun to have a class sheet that can be added to. Leave the expressions for a
day or two – see who can guess what they really mean before you explain.
A typical breakfast television or radio programme will provide dozens of idioms.
Some examples:
over the moon
fire away!
stand on your own two feet
under the weather
poke your nose into other peoples’ business
blow the cobwebs away
in the twinkling of an eye
in a sorry state
been in the wars
nagging doubt
if the cap fits
scare the living daylights
See The Penguin Dictionary of English Idioms

From Prose to Playscript!
Choose a scene from your reading book that contains dialogue between two or
three characters. Change the scene into a playscript. Remember to show who is
speaking and how they are acting by giving a stage direction.
Cast:
Scene:
Characters: (stage direction) What they say

From Prose to Playscript!
Strand 9: Experiment with different narrative form and styles to write their
own stories
Assessment focuses:
This activity helps children to distinguish between the ways in which character’s actions
and manner are portrayed in narrative, and by stage directions in playscripts. Ask the
children to ‘translate’ a piece of narrative containing a lively exchange between
characters to a playscript. They will need to indicate the setting, and how the
characters should act out their lines through stage directions.
It’s the Way You Say It!
Authors often use dialogue to tell you, the reader, how a character is feeling or behaving. Look out for examples like these when you are reading:
“A what?” said Harry, interested. “But why? What happened?” Harry asked urgently. “Gallopin’ Gorgons, that reminds me,” said Hagrid, clapping a
hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse . . .” Write your examples in the lined squares and draw the character’s face
to show how they are feeling or acting. Don’t forget to use them in your own writing!
“ “ “
“ “
“ “ “
It’s the Way You Say It!
Strand 7: Infer writers’ perspectives from what is written and from what is
implied.
Assessment focuses:
Ask the children to look out for adverbs that indicate the way in which dialogue is being
spoken. e.g. “Sorry,” Harry said quickly.
The more able may be able to identify adverbial phrases that extend the manner in
which dialogue is being spoken. e.g. “I never expected this,” he said, in a low, worried
voice.
Characterisation
Find extracts in your book or story that present characters through
description, dialogue and action. Write the extracts in the space provided.
Description
Title:
How does this

description make
you feel about this
character? Would
you like them?
Why? Why not?
Dialogue
Title:
How do the
characters feel?
How do they feel
about each other?
Action
Title:
What does the

action tell you
about what the
character is like?
What type of
person do you
think they are?
Characterisation
implied.
Assessment focuses:
Reading AF2: Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or

ideas from texts and use quotation and reference to text
Many children use description to convey the characters in their own writing. It is useful
to be aware that characterisation can take several forms and that readers are made
aware of character’s personalities through the way they speak, act and respond to
other characters as well as through description.
Ask the children to look out for the ways in which characters are portrayed – through
description, dialogue, and the ways they respond to other characters. These extracts
are then noted in the boxes provided. The children should then write how each
technique makes them feel as a reader. Encourage the children to justify their views.
The Missing Bits!
Find a place in your story or book where you could write an additional scene, or add
another speaker to a section of dialogue. Remember to keep to the style of the
author.
Original story title: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Page number where you have added your scene ……………………………………………………………
Author’s last sentence …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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The Missing Bits!
Strand 9: Experiment with different narrative form and styles to write their
own stories
Assessment focuses:
the overall effect
Choose a story that has scope for additional scenes or characters.
Discuss the possibilities with the children and ask them to:
• include a further character in a dialogue between other characters, maintaining the

style and viewpoints;
OR
• add a ‘meanwhile’ scene to describe what may be going on somewhere else at the
same time;
OR
• add a further complication, dilemma or twist to an existing story.
In Other Words………
Words are like colours. Just think about how many shades of blue there are – sky blue,
sea blue, duck-egg blue, navy blue! Well, words are the same – think about upset and
sad, angry and cross, happy and cheerful. Good writers choose just the right word in
the right place. Look out for words you like to use and find as many synonyms as you can
in your thesaurus. Think about the slight differences in their meanings.
Word Synonyms Shades of meaning

e.g. cheerful in a good mood
content quietly happy
happy carefree no worries
jolly full of fun and laughter
In Other Words………
Strand 7: Explore how writers use language for comic and dramatic effects.
Assessment focuses:
Supply the children with a selection of words that they often use in their writing or ask
them to select words from their reading. Ask the children to find synonyms for each
word and to discuss how they differ from each other in ‘shades of meaning’. Discuss a
few examples and what each means to the children.
Some suggestions:
sad
cross
big
hot
said
hungry
eat
run
Making Notes
Topic:
Titles of books used:
Key facts:
Choose a picture. What does it show?
Explain a diagram in words:
What has surprised you that you did not know before?
Making Notes
events or ideas.
Assessment focuses:

Supply the children with a selection of books from which they can extract information
on one topic; e.g. spiders; Islam; What the Egyptians ate.
Give the children the activity sheet and ask them to make notes in each of the sections.
Emphasise the need to identify key points rather than chunks of text.
A follow-up activity could be to tell a friend about the topic, using the notes to
structure their explanation.
“Direct” and Reported Speech
Read the newspaper cuttings that your teacher has given to you. Highlight direct speech
in one colour and reported speech in another.
Copy each example below and then change it to the other form.
Direct speech 1:
Change:
Direct speech 2:
Change:
Direct speech 3:
Change:
Reported speech 1:
Change:
Reported speech 2:
Change:
Reported speech 3:
Change:
“Direct” and Reported Speech
events or ideas.
Assessment focuses:

Provide the children with a selection of newspaper articles. Ask them to highlight direct
speech in one colour and reported speech in another.
Ask the children to copy each example onto the activity sheet and to translate it into
the other form, as above.
Author? Narrator? Character? Who is talking to you?
Stories can be written in three ways. The author tells the story, a narrator tells you what is happening, or, one of the characters tells
you what is happening. This activity is for you to decide what effect each method has on you, the reader. Read the texts your teacher
has given you and discuss the following with your reading group.
Text one title: (first person) Text one title: (third person)
What impression do you have of the character? What impression do you have of the character?
What have you learned about them? What have you learned about them?
Change a section of text to third person. Change a section of text to third person.
Does this change affect how you feel about the character? Does this change affect how you feel about the character?
How? How?
Author? Narrator? Character? Who is talking to
you?
implied.
Assessment focuses:
Ask the children to choose two texts; one written in the first person and one written in
the third person. Discuss the extent to which each engages the reader. Encourage the
children to talk about:
• how they respond to the character speaking directly to the reader;

• how they respond to the character described by the author or narrator.
Ask the children to transform the extracts from first to third and third to first. How
do the children feel about the characters now?
(This activity may have to be transferred to paper if the extracts are longer than the
boxes allow.)
Myths, Legends and Fables
Note down the features of each genre using words and phrases from the text.
Myth Legend Fable

A traditional story about gods A traditional story about heroic A short story to teach a moral
and heroes which may explain a characters based on truth but lesson.
natural event added to over time.
Characters: Characters: Characters:
Plot: Plot: Plot:
Words and phrases: Words and phrases: Words and phrases:
‘Typical ingredients’ ‘Typical ingredients’ ‘Typical ingredients’
What does the story explain? How is the character What is the moral or
portrayed? message?
Myths, Legends and Fables

Assessment focuses:
Provide the children with stories or extracts of myths, legends and fables. Discuss the
characteristic features of each genre.
Ask the children to note down these features on the activity sheet.
Same but Different!
Read the two versions of the same story that your teacher has given to you.
Note down what is similar about the two stories. What is different about them?
Story One: Story Two:
Similarities: Similarities:
Characters: Characters:
Plot: Plot:
Language: Language:
Differences: Differences:
Characters: Characters:
Plot: Plot:
Language: Language:
Same but Different!

Assessment focuses:

Provide two versions of the same story. Discuss the basic story-line. Ask the children to
read the stories and to identify the similarities and differences. Ask the children to
note down these features on the activity sheet.
Suggestions:
• Beauty and the Beast and Billy Beast (Heinemann Literacy World Essential Texts
Stage 3).
• Different versions of myths, legends and fables.
• Creation stories.
• Different versions of traditional tales and fairy stories.
Let Me Tell You a Story.
Make brief notes about each stage of the story to help you retell the story orally.
Notes from a story
Stability:
Setting
Characters
When, where, who?
Threat:
Change
Problem
Complicating action:
characters’
responses
characters’
actions/reactions
interaction between
characters events
to carry the story
forward
consequences of
characters’ actions
dilemmas
Resolution:
• How characters
extract themselves
from a situation
• How things work out
for everyone.
• What characters have
learned
Let Me Tell You a Story.
events or ideas.
Assessment focuses:

This activity requires the children to make brief notes about the main events in a story
to provide prompts for an oral retelling of the story.
Ask the children to use these notes to tell the story to the class in the plenary or at
another appropriate time.
A Favourite Poem
Chosen by ____________________________________________________
I have chosen this poem because ……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
A Favourite Poem
Strand 8: Reflect on reading habits and preferences and plan personal

reading goals.
Assessment focuses:
the overall effect
As part of a unit of work on poetry, ask the children to read poetry in their independent
and quiet reading times. Encourage discussion about their preferences and why they like
particular poems.
Ask the children to write their favourite poem on the activity sheet and to add their
reasons for their choice; referring to the theme, the effect of the language and how it
affects them as a reader. The children’s choices can then be compiled into an anthology
of favourite poems.
A Favourite Poem – My Version
By __________________________________________________
A Favourite Poem – My Version

reading goals.
Assessment focuses:
This activity is an extension of the ‘A Favourite Poem’ activity. Ask the children to use
the poem they chose for the previous activity as a base for a poem in which they have
substituted their own ideas, maintaining the rhythm and style of the original.
Alternatively, the children could insert or add an additional verse to the original.
Non-Fiction Texts – Talk Frame
Use this outline to help you navigate your non-fiction book.
Title:
Author:
What is the book about? Use the blurb to help you.
The cover design shows…
Does the cover make you want to read the book? Is the book attractive and
exciting to look at? Why?
Fill in the first two columns of your KWL grid
Each person in the group think of a question that the book may be able to answer.
Is there a contents page, an index? Is the book divided into chapters? Is each
chapter divided into separate headings?
Look at the contents. Is there anything listed that might help you find the answer
to one of your questions? Try.
Look at the index. Can you find something that might lead you to the answer to
another of your questions? Try.
Look at chapter one. What is the title of this chapter?
Describe how the text is laid out. Has the author used headings? Do you think it
would matter if the headings were in a different order? Why? Why not?
What sort of pictures have been used? Do they help you understand the text?
Skim over the text. What is the chapter about?
Scan through the text and list the key words in chapter one.
Read chapter one of your book. (You could take it in turns to read to each other)
Is the information easy to understand? Why?
Did you enjoy this book? What did you like about your non-fiction book?
What did you not like about the book?
Were you surprised by anything in the book?
Did you find the answers to your questions? Easily, or was it difficult?
Fill in the last column of your KWL grid
Non-Fiction Texts – Talk Frame
events or ideas.
Assessment focuses:

This activity can be undertaken by a group or by an individual. Supply the group with an
non-fiction book at the appropriate level.
Assign group roles:

• talk leader – to make sure everyone has a turn and to sum up what each person says;
• group organiser – to read the questions and to make sure everyone is on task and
contributing;
• scribe – to make the notes on the KWL grid
• reporter – to report back to the rest of the class in the plenary.
The children will need the talk-frame and a KWL grid.

Reading for Information
Topic:
What do I know? What do I want to know? What have I learnt?

Points of View
Think about someone in your book who is not the main character.
Rewrite a scene from your book from this character’s point of view. Do
they feel differently about the situation? Do they know something that the main
character does not know? Would the main character be surprised about how
they feel?
Title: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Chapter: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Scene: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Points of View
implied.
Assessment focuses:
Organise a group of children into a ‘freeze-frame’. This is when you pick a particular
point in a story where the characters are involved in an event which affects them in a
certain way. Ask each child to talk about how they feel as that character, in that
situation, at that time. For example the story may be told from the main character’s
point of view or perspective. (We know how Harry Potter felt when Dudley Dursley was
opening all his birthday presents at the beginning of the first book, but how did Dudley
feel? Or his mother or father?)
Ask the children to write the scene from a story but from a different point of view
from that in the story.
Encourage discussion about other events in the story which may affect the way each
character views the current situation.
Write a Letter
Imagine that you are a character from your book.
Write a letter to another character to tell them what you feel about events or
something they have done. Or write a letter to an imaginary friend telling them
about something that has happened in the story.
Character’s address here:
Date:
Dear
Write a Letter
implied.
Assessment focuses:
Ask the children to imagine that they are a character from the book they are reading.
Discuss the situations that the character is involved in and how they might feel. The
letter could be to another character containing something related to the plot, or to an
imaginary friend, telling them about what has been happening to them as the character.
Thoughts about my book
Title, Author and Cover The Ending
First Impressions
I would/wouldn’t recommend this book to a friend because…………..
About Halfway Through
Draw a character or scene from the book

Thoughts about my book
events or ideas.
Infer writers’ perspectives from what is written and from what is

implied.
Assessment focuses:
Discuss the points below with the children. Make a copy for the children to refer to as
they complete the task. Encourage the children to justify their opinions and to avoid
retelling the story.
Reading Response
It is important that you should have your own opinions about the books that you read both in and out of
school. Try to write down your thoughts, feelings and ideas about what you read so that you make these
clear to yourself, your teacher or other pupils in the class. When you read a book use these notes to help
you write up your response to your book
1. Title, Author and Cover
Complete this section before you start to read the book.
Note down what you think the book will be about using any clues in the title and the cover picture. Write
down what you know about the author; you may find some information at the beginning or end of the book.
2. Your First Impressions
Read the first ten pages or so, stopping, if possible, at the end of a chapter or section. Try to describe
what you think or feel about:
• Whether the story is what you expected
• What has happened so far
• The main characters in the book
Make a note of what you think is going to happen so that you can check later to see if you were correct.
Write down any questions you have about the story.
3. About Halfway Through
Make a note of whether your thoughts or feelings about the story and the characters have changed. If
they have, try to explain why and how. Think again about where the book is going. Have your thoughts about
how the story will end changed? Explain why and make a note of what you think will happen.
4. The Ending
Look back over your earlier notes on the book you are reading. Write down what you think about how the
book ended. Were you surprised? Say if you would recommend the book to people in your class and say why.
Words like good, bad, boring, all right, don’t tell people reading your notes very much, so try not to use
them.
I Have Just Read
Use these questions to help you write about the book you have just read. Ask
your teacher for some lined paper or use your exercise book.
I Have Just Read:
By:
What genre does this novel belong to?
How long is the book? How long did it take you to read it?
Who are the main characters in this book? What are they like? What do they think of
each other?
What is the plot of this book?
Which is the most dramatic event?
How do things change for the characters?
How would another character view the events in the book?
What was really good about this book?
What would you have changed about the book?
Who would you recommend this book to, and why?
Draw a character and a scene from the book.

I Have Just Read
events or ideas.
Infer writers’ perspectives from what is written and from what is

implied.

reading goals.
Assessment focuses:

This activity can be undertaken by the class to write about a class novel, or by individual
children using their own novels.
The activity sheet provides a framework for writing. The children will need to use lined
paper or their exercise book as they will differ greatly in the amount of writing they
produce in response to this objective.
Encourage the children to:

- say what they think;
- say why they think it;
- justify their views;
- refer to the text for evidence.
Hotel Towel Cards
Royal Hotel
Kirkwall
In the interest of the environment
Imagine just how many towels are

unnecessarily washed each day in all the
hotels throughout the world.
Help us to Help Our Environment
Environmental care is often a matter of The truckloads of washing powder used,
taking little steps which reduce the the reservoirs of water needed and the
demands on the earth’s natural resources. energy consumed to wash and dry them.
Help us to do this by kindly considering
using the bathroom towels a second time. Towels placed in the bath/shower means
please exchange
Place your towels on the towel rail to USE THEM AGAIN.
Place your towels in the bath or shower to CHANGE THEM Towels placed on the towel rail means
I will use again
Thank you for your co-operation

For a healthy environment
Dear Guests,
Can you imagine how many towels are washed every day in
hotels all over the world and the enormous amount of
detergent needed which therefore pollutes our waters? Please
help us to be greener and decide for yourselves. Towels on the
floor means please change them, towels on the rail means
we’ll use them again.
Thank you.
1. Read these cards.

They are to tell hotel
guests about the use of
bathroom towels.
Discuss the ways in which
they are written. Which
ones are the most
persuasive? Why?
Dear Guest
HELP US TO HELP OUR ENVIRONMENT
In an effort to exercise the dual responsibility
to both you and the environment Menzies
Hotels has introduced a fully ecological
bathroom policy.
TOILETRIES
The “Press and Wash System” installed in
your bathroom provides products of the
highest quality. All products are
2. What ‘tricks’ have the hotels dermatalogically tested, kind to the skin,
used to make you do as they packaged in recyclable, biodegradable plastic
and are not tested on animals.
wish?
Why do you really think they TOWELLING
To help us reduce the use of laundry
want you to re-use your towels?
chemicals and save precious energy, placing
used towels on the bathroom floor will indicate
that you wish to be provided with clean linen.
Used towels placed on the rack will not be
changed.
Hotel Towel Cards
Strand 7: Compare the usefulness of techniques such as visualisation,

prediction and empathy in exploring the meaning of texts.
Assessment focuses:
Ask the children to read the selection of cards from various hotels. These cards
instruct guests on what to do with used towels. The children should discuss the
persuasive techniques that have been used to ensure the guests do as the hotels wish.
Techniques such as;
- use of the second person ‘you’ and first person ‘we’;
- inclusive language – ‘ We all care . . .’ ‘dual responsibility’
- emotive language – ‘pollutes our waters’ ‘taking little steps’
- exaggerated language – ‘truckloads of detergent’
Encourage the children to question the real motives behind such texts – a reduction in
labour and resources costs.
These cards are just one example of the types of texts that can be found for free with
a little effort. There are many other types that can be compared.
e.g. leaflets on:
- healthy eating;
- giving up smoking;
- keeping the environment litter free;
- advertisements for similar products;
- promotional leaflets for theme parks, attractions etc
Glossary
Topic: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Word Definition
Glossary
Strand 7: Distinguish between everyday use of words and their subject-

specific use.
Assessment focuses:

This activity can be used to create glossaries for work across the curriculum. The
children should discuss the technical vocabulary associated with different subjects and
topics and to create glossaries for one of these. They may also make glossaries for
younger children, e.g. Tooth words for Year 3.
This activity could also be done using IT. The children could then download appropriate
clipart to illustrate their glossaries, e.g. pyramids; roman soldiers; religious symbols etc.
Possible glossaries:
- 2D shapes
- 3D shapes
- Four rules of number words
- Mathematical words
- Earth, Sun and Moon words
- Religious words associated with specific faiths
- Life cycle words – pollination, fertilisation, germination, seed-dispersal
- Words about Ancient Greece

Activities For Responding To Reading in Year 5

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Activities for

 Some may be used more than once with different texts.

Year 5 Reading Objectives:

AF Strategies Key phrase

Use a range of strategies, including

Understand, describe, select or

Between the lines

Identify and comment on the Structure.

The Text and the World.

• Novels and stories by significant children’s authors

… use the punctuation

… can find my way

Date Title Author

Date Title Author

Book/story one: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Book/story two: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Book/story three: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Read the first few paragraphs of each.

Do they start with action, dialogue or description?

Book/story one: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Book/story two: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Book/story three: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Strand 7: Compare different types of narrative and information texts and

• talk about the type of story each might be;

Story One: Title:

Complication: Crisis: Resolution:

Story Two: Title:

Complication: Crisis: Resolution:

Story Three: Title:

Complication: Crisis: Resolution:

Strand 7: Compare different types of narrative and information texts and

Strand 7: Compare different types of narrative and information texts and

See The Penguin Dictionary of English Idioms

Characters: (stage direction) What they say

How does this

What does the

Reading AF2: Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or

Original story title: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Page number where you have added your scene ……………………………………………………………

Author’s last sentence …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Choose a story that has scope for additional scenes or characters.

• include a further character in a dialogue between other characters, maintaining the

Word Synonyms Shades of meaning

Titles of books used:

Choose a picture. What does it show?

Explain a diagram in words:

Reading AF2: Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or

Reading AF2: Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or

• how they respond to the character speaking directly to the reader;

Myth Legend Fable

Plot: Plot: Plot:

Words and phrases: Words and phrases: Words and phrases:

‘Typical ingredients’ ‘Typical ingredients’ ‘Typical ingredients’

Strand 7: Compare different types of narrative and information texts and

Story One: Story Two:

Strand 7: Compare different types of narrative and information texts and

Reading AF2: Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or

Notes from a story

Reading AF2: Understand, describe, select or retrieve information, events or

Some may be used more than once with different texts.