A précis keeps only the main facts of a text, and this six-page Year 5 homework builds the skill in stages. Pupils start with a paragraph on the Great Fire of London, cut opinions from a text about emperor penguins, and squeeze a paragraph on the pyramids into 15 words. The last section asks for a three-sentence précis of Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. It follows the England National Curriculum objectives for summarising, and a full answer key is included.
Reading - comprehension
“Checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context”
Question 6 asks what sealed means in Paragraph 2, and question 5 checks that pupils followed Paragraph 1.
Reading - comprehension
“Summarising the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas”
Questions 1, 3 and 7 all ask for summaries, ending with one sentence for each of three paragraphs.
Pupils pick the best one-sentence précis of the Pudding Lane paragraph from three options, then mark seven penguin sentences as keep or cut.
Pupils summarise a paragraph on ancient Egyptian pyramids in 15 words or fewer, then count their words.
Three paragraphs tell how Carter's team found the sealed door in November 1922. Pupils answer two questions, write one sentence per paragraph, and tick a four-point checklist.
Homework across a week
Set one section a night. Section 3 is the longest, so give it the most time.
History link
Use Section 3 during an Ancient Egypt topic. The Carter passage also works as a short reading on the tomb's discovery.
Checklist habit
Go through the four-point checklist in class first, so pupils can use it on any summary they write.
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