All You Need To Teach Comprehension 10+

Lesson Bank
Fright
Comprehension focus
@ Connect
@ Visualise
@ Determine main idea
Mini-lesson 1: Visualising
Before reading, activate prior knowledge by asking
students how they feel when they see
a scary show or movie. Distribute BLM 24 and discuss
the way this text looks. Have students read the text.
Tell students to take note of the author’s word choice
and the text’s rhythm as they read. After reading,
discuss the text.
Prompt guide
What is this text about?
What has happened to the character in this poem?
Can you relate to this experience? Invite students to
share their connections to this text.
What did you notice about the way this text sounds?
What did you notice about the vocabulary chosen?
Aside from a scary film or show, what else might
prompt these feelings and actions? Prompt students
to elaborate.
Explain to students that imagining an event actually
happening, or imagining ourselves in the situation,
helps us to make deeper connections to a text and
gain deeper insights or understandings about what
characters are experiencing and feeling.
Distribute BLM 34 and tell students to listen to the
text as you read it aloud. Tell students to imagine the
event occurring as they listen. After reading, have
students sketch a scene from the text, adding as
much detail as possible. Prompt students to explain
to a friend why visualising is important when reading.
Ask them what sorts of texts are easier to visualise.
Follow Up
Key concepts
Explain that key concepts are the general ideas
presented in a text. Discuss the key concepts from
books or films students know. List them on a board
or chart. Prompt students to notice more than
one concept within each text. Support students to
explain the key concepts clearly and concisely.
Tell students to re-read the text and take note
of the key concepts. Distribute BLM 35 and tell
students to show two key concepts, and then to
explain them in their own words. Have students
relate each key concept to a personal experience.
When complete, have students work in pairs to
share their ideas with another student.
Making connections to other texts and to
the world
Tell students that when reading or viewing, it is
important to make connections to other texts they
know and things that are happening in their school,
neighbourhood, city or world. These connections
can help them to better understand the text they
are reading or viewing. Distribute Task Card 5 and
use it to deepen understandings of connecting to
other texts and to the world.
Connecting to self
Explain to students that if they have seen a scary
film or show, it is easier to make connections to a
text like this.
Prompt guide
In what way could these connections deepen your
understandings of this text?
Invite students to share their experiences, and
prompt them to explain their feelings. Support
them to choose words that help others to visualise,
or imagine, the experience.
Some people are like this character and behave
bravely when they are frightened.
Do you know anyone like this?
Are you like this?
Discuss how this connection could build deeper
understandings. Distribute Task Card 6 and use it
to promote connections to self.
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