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Year 2

Building comprehension of 'The Proudest Blue'

I can use a range of strategies to build my comprehension of 'The Proudest Blue'.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 2

Building comprehension of 'The Proudest Blue'

I can use a range of strategies to build my comprehension of 'The Proudest Blue'.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. We use a range of strategies to build comprehension of a text.
  2. Skimming and scanning can help us to retrieve key information.
  3. We can use inference to draw conclusions about the text by searching for clues.
  4. Discussing the text with others improves our understanding and offers opportunities for hearing different perspectives.
  5. 'The Proudest Blue' challenges negative ideas around 'difference' and encourages pride of expressing religious identity.

Common misconception

Children may find it hard to understand how authorial word choice conveys deeper messaging throughout the story. E.g. 'whisper'.

Spend time discussing and exploring deeper meaning. For example ask the children to consider when or why they use a 'whisper'. Analyse how this is linked to the character's emotions.

Keywords

  • Identity - the different aspects that make up who we are

  • Comprehension - our understanding of the text

  • Retrieve - to find information within the text

  • Inference - to draw conclusions from clues within the text

  • Discussion - the process of talking about something to exchange ideas

Explore a range of the specific metaphors and similes used within 'The Proudest Blue' to analyse their deeper meaning. Encourage children to think of other things they could compare a hijab to in order to demonstrate the same messaging the author conveys.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need a copy of the 2020 Andersen Press edition of ‘The Proudest Blue’ by Ibtihaj Muhammad for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does 'building comprehension' mean?
being able to read the words on the page
learning to retell the story in detail
Correct answer: developing an understanding of the story
Q2.
If you find an unfamiliar word that you do not know how to read, which strategy should you use first?
Correct answer: phonics strategies to decode the word
a dictionary to find its meaning
ask someone for help
Q3.
What does it mean to 'retrieve' when reading a story?
to make a prediction about what is going to happen next
Correct answer: to find and take a piece of information directly from the text
to draw your own conclusion about the meaning of the text
Q4.
What does it mean to 'infer' when reading?
to retrieve something explicitly written in the text
to retell the key events from the story
Correct answer: to draw meaning or conclusions from the words in a story
Q5.
Why is it good to talk about and discuss books with other people?
Correct answer: It can help you understand the story.
It helps you read the words.
Correct answer: You can hear others' ideas and perspectives and develop your own.
Q6.
What does 'identity' mean?
what we like
Correct answer: the different aspects that make up who we are
where we live

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which statement best summarises 'The Proudest Blue'?
It tells the story of a young Muslim girl getting her first hijab.
It tells the story of two sisters' first day back at school.
Correct answer: It tells the story of two sisters remaining proud of their muslim identity.
Q2.
What causes some children to bully and be unkind to Asiya?
They don't like her personality.
Correct answer: They view her hijab as different.
Asiya is mean to them.
Q3.
What does Faiza compare Asiya's hijab to in order to demonstrate the normality and beauty of it?
Correct answer: the skies
the playground
Correct answer: the sea
Q4.
Which strategies do we use when retrieving key information from the text?
Correct answer: skimming
reading the whole text
Correct answer: scanning for keywords
summarising
Q5.
Which strategies do you use when inferring meaning from a story?
searching for a specific word
Correct answer: searching for clues within the text
Correct answer: asking 'what does this clue tell me?'
taking exact words from the text
Q6.
How is having rich discussion beneficial for building comprehension?
It is fun.
Correct answer: It offers opportunities for hearing different perspectives.
It means we don't have to read the story again.
Correct answer: It helps us clarify and understand things.