Friday 13th June 2025

Comprehension

Sports Day Surprise!

Last Friday, our school held its annual Sports Day. The sun blazed like a golden spotlight, and the field buzzed with energy and excitement. Pupils from every year group gathered in their house teams, cheering loudly and waving colourful banners like fluttering flags.

I was in the Blue House, and our first event was the obstacle race. It looked simple … but it was sneakier than a sly fox at a hens’ picnic. We had to crawl under nets, leap over logs, and balance a beanbag on our heads. I wobbled like a jelly on a trampoline, but somehow managed to finish third.

Next came the sack race. I’d never done one before and thought it would be a breeze. I was wrong! I bounced, bumped, and finally flopped face-first into the grass, ending up with daisies in my hair and mud on my nose. I couldn’t stop giggling, and neither could my friends.

After a short water break, it was time for the thrilling tug of war. Everyone gripped the rope like warriors holding onto a dragon. We pulled and puffed until our arms tingled—but we won!

At the end of the day, the scores were added. Blue House came second. Still, we stood tall. We were a team, a tornado of teamwork, and we had the best time ever.

It was truly a day to remember.

Questions

1. Find and copy one word from the first paragraph that shows the field was full of energy.
2. Find and copy a word that means “held on tightly”.
3. What does the word wobbled mean in this sentence: “I wobbled like a jelly on a trampoline”?
   • A) Moved steadily
   • B) Shook and moved unsteadily
   • C) Stopped suddenly
   • D) Hopped quickly
   •  
4. Which of these is a simile from the text?
   • A) "a tornado of teamwork"
   • B) "bounced, bumped, and flopped"
   • C) "like a jelly on a trampoline"
   • D) "the sun was shining"
5. What does the metaphor “a tornado of teamwork” suggest about the team?
6. How do you think the writer felt during the sack race? Use evidence.
7. Why do you think the obstacle course was described as “sneakier than a sly fox at a hens’ picnic?”
8. Why were the Blue House pupils proud even though they didn’t win?
9. How do you know the writer had fun at Sports Day?
10. What was the writer’s favourite moment? Give a reason.

Friday 6th June 2025

Please use this FREE resource to support your child's Phonics on Phonics play. For those of you taking the Phonics test, this is a fun resource to remind you of your sounds and practise alien and real words. 

Below, you'll find a reading comprehension for all to have a go. 

Reading Comprehension

Heroic Helper Saves the Day!

Traction Man, the daring and dashing toy superhero, bravely battled chaos in the kitchen yesterday morning. When Scrubbing Brush was sneakily snatched by the evil Dishcloth, Traction Man zoomed in instantly and incredibly saved the day. The courageous champion was last seen diving into the sink with super strength and serious style, determined to defeat the dastardly Dishcloth once and for all. Eyewitnesses (Teddy and Doll) described the dramatic rescue as “the most fantastically fearless mission ever!” Could Traction Man be the greatest toy hero in history?

    1. What did Traction Man do in the kitchen?

    2. When did the rescue happen?

    3.True or False: Traction Man ran away from the Dishcloth.

    4. Tick 2 characters who saw the rescue:
        ☐ Teddy
        ☐ Cat
        ☐ Doll
        ☐ Robot

     5. Find 2 adverbs used in the report.

     6.What is the exaggeration in the report?

     7.What alliteration can you find?

     8. Why do you think Traction Man is called a "champion"? (inference)

Friday 23rd May 2025

 Cats are popular pets around the world. They have soft fur and sharp claws. Most cats enjoy sleeping in warm, quiet places. They also like to chase toys and climb high places. Cats clean themselves by licking their fur. Unlike dogs, many cats do not like water. A kitten is a baby cat. Kittens are playful and curious. Some cats live indoors, while others live outside. Every cat has its own personality—some are friendly, while others are shy.

Questions:

1. True or False: Cats use their paws to clean themselves.
2. True or False: All cats like water.
3. Find and copy one adjective used to describe a kitten.
4. What do cats use to clean themselves? Tick one

      Their tails

      Water

      Their tongues

      Their paws

  5. Why might a cat like to sleep in a warm place?

  6. What is the difference between a cat and a kitten?

7. How can you tell that cats have different personalities?

                                     Indi 

Friday 16th May 2025

Below is a comprehension for some of you to have a go at:

Liam woke up early to plant vegetable seeds in his backyard. He carefully dug small holes in the soil, placed the seeds inside, and covered them gently. After watering the area, he stood back, smiling. Over the next few weeks, he checked the garden every morning, pulling out weeds and keeping the soil moist. Though no plants appeared right away, he remained patient. One morning, tiny green shoots peeked through the soil. Liam felt proud, knowing his effort was paying off.

Inference Questions:

1. Why did Liam smile after planting the seeds?
2. What does Liam’s daily routine suggest about his character?
3. Why did Liam not see plants immediately after planting the seeds?
4. How do we know Liam was committed to gardening?
5. What can we infer Liam felt when he saw the green shoots?

Please continue to read with your child over the Easter break, sharing a book so you can model reading and they can access some powerful vocabulary. There are also some Phonics games on our Phonics Page for those children who have their Phonics screening in June. 

Below, you'll find a comprehension for a challenge as well as last year's Yr2 SATs paper for reading with an answer booklet.  

Comprehension

If your child fancies a challenge in reading over Easter, there is a comprehension below based on the Great Fire of London with a few questions for them to answer. 

Flames licked at the edges of the wooden building, growing with a sinister hunger as the water evaporated into thin air. Hopelessness descended.

Crunch.

A wooden beam splintered. The intense flames wrapped themselves around it like a glove. Suddenly, it crashed to the floor with flames leaping like a caged tiger demanding freedom.

“Run!” A loud voice echoed across the burning debris, before choking on the thick air. But the fire was faster.  

1. How are the flames described as they spread across the building?
2. What happens to the wooden beam?
3. What simile is used to describe how the flames interact with the beam?
4. What does the phrase ‘like a caged tiger demanding freedom,’ suggest about the flames?
5. Who is shouting, ‘Run!’ and what does the voice struggle with?
6. What is the significance of the phrase ‘But the fire was faster’ in the text?
7. What tone does the imagery of the fire create? 

Below is last year's Y2 reading SATs paper with an answer booklet. It is a new skill, learning to read the questions, work out what the questions are asking and where to find the answer. Please look through this with your child over Easter (if you have time) and let us know how you got on. We will be doing questions like this throughout next term as part of our quiet reading time where they will have a small text and a question to answer so they are used to how comprehension works.  

2024 key stage 1 English reading Paper 2: reading booklet

2024 key stage 1 English reading Paper 1: reading prompt and answer booklet

Reading with your child.

Reading is the number one priority for your child's home learning and if you struggle to fit in anything else, then reading should be the most important!  Even if your child is reluctant to have a go, please ensure that you are sharing books and reading to them.

Please keep the Reading Record and reading book in their book bags and send them into school daily so that we are able to record their school reading and monitor how and when they are reading at home. 

Please write in their reading record book each time they read to an adult or older sibling.

If your child is now able to read more fluently to themselves please remember to question them to encourage comprehension.  Some helpful questions are:

What was the first event? What happened next?

Can you retell the story in your own words?

Could this be a true story or is it fictional?  Why do you think that?

What did the word …….. mean? 

What are the other words the author could have used that mean the same thing?

Which was your favourite phrase? Why? 

Which words are the nouns/adjectives?

What do you think will happen next?

Why did the character behave in that way?  How were they feeling?  What words made you think that?

Please ensure that all children are having books read to them also, even if they are confident 'free' readers. Please check back soon for a book list as suggestions of appropriate texts.

Words that are not decodable

In addition to the decodable words in their reading books that we have taught the children to blend in their phonic learning, they are expected to read and spell other words that are shown below.

These words are not decodable or contain unusual graphemes and so will need to be practised and learnt.  They are called the Common Exception Words.

Please work on the appropriate ones throughout the year with your child, starting with the Year 1 list.  To reach the expected level in Year 2 they will need to be able to read and spell many of the Year 2 words by the end of the year.

Suggested books for Year 2

Many parents have asked for recommendations for suitable reading books.

We would always recommend anything by Roald Dahl except the two that we are reading during the year : The BFG and James and the Giant Peach.

Please click on the picture for a link to a useful site for further information.

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