Six pages of non-fiction retrieval for Year 3 English, using three short texts. Pupils find facts about the Roman army, sort hedgehog facts into a diet and habitat table, and read a longer text on volcanoes with subheadings and a picture caption. Across ten questions they use headings, a fact box and a caption to find answers. A full answer key is included. The sheet covers three England National Curriculum reading comprehension objectives.
Reading - comprehension
“Reading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes”
The three texts are laid out differently: a fact box in Part 1, a two-column table in Part 2 and a picture caption in Part 3.
Reading - comprehension
“Identifying how language, structure, and presentation contribute to meaning”
Questions 1, 2, 8 and 10 ask pupils to use the main heading, the subheadings and the caption to find their answers.
Reading - comprehension
“Retrieve and record information from non-fiction”
Every part asks for facts, and question 4 has pupils record them in a Diet and Habitat table.
A text on the Roman army with the subheading Weapons and Armour and a fact box. Pupils name the main heading, find where the 'galea' is described and say how far soldiers marched in a day.
A text on the European hedgehog under Diet and Habitat. Pupils fill a table with two foods and two places hedgehogs live, then copy the word that means an animal's natural home.
A text called Violent Volcanoes on magma, lava and where volcanoes are found. Pupils mark three statements True or False, find two places volcanoes are and use the caption to locate Mount Vesuvius.
Answers to all ten questions, with the reason each false statement is false, such as melted rock being called magma underground.
Romans topic
Use Part 1 during a history unit on the Romans. The fact about marching 20 miles a day in heavy gear gives the class something to talk about.
One part a day
Six pages is a lot for one sitting. Set one part each day and go through the answers together the next morning.
Teaching text features
Before Part 3, point out the caption under the picture. Question 10 asks pupils how they found the answer to question 9, so they need to notice it.
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