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Year 4

Building comprehension of 'Escape from Pompeii' through rich discussion

I can answer a range of comprehension questions on 'Escape from Pompeii'.

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Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 4

Building comprehension of 'Escape from Pompeii' through rich discussion

I can answer a range of comprehension questions on 'Escape from Pompeii'.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Skimming and scanning are crucial skills when it comes to quickly retrieving information from texts.
  2. Readers can infer by using clues from within the text to draw conclusions.
  3. Evidence from the text can be used to develop answers to questions and support reasoning.

Common misconception

Pupils may find it challenging to infer why citizens might take little or no notice of the tremors.

Explain that the scientific study of volcanoes was not as it is today. Being near to a tectonic plate, Italy would have experienced earthquakes. Therefore, many people would have not treated the first signs of eruption as the danger it was.

Keywords

  • Retrieval - Retrieval is finding key details or information in the text and extracting them.

  • Skimming - Skimming is quickly glancing over text for main ideas and key points.

  • Scanning - Scanning is rapidly searching text for specific information or keywords.

  • Inference - Inference means to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions.

  • Evidence - Evidence is the information from a text that can support or justify our reasoning.

Pupils could research about volcanoes for home learning, listing some of the positives and negatives for living near such potentially hazardous locations.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the 2005 Frances Lincoln Children's Books edition of ‘Escape from Pompeii’ written and illustrated by Christina Balit, for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of upsetting content

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).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Tranio's father is called...?
Marcus
Correct answer: Dion
Lucius
Titus
Q2.
What job does Tranio's father have?
senator
gladiator
Correct answer: actor
farmer
Q3.
Which is the correct spelling for the setting of the text?
Pompai
Correct answer: Pompeii
Pompey
Q4.
What profession does Livia's family have?
Correct answer: baker
teacher
artist
Q5.
Which mountain is located near to the city of Pompeii?
Etna
Correct answer: Vesuvius
Somma
Q6.
Sequence the following events from the text in chronological order.
1 - Tranio is staring out of the window, listening to the streets below.
2 - Tranio plays a game of Jacks with Livia.
3 - Tremors shake the earth and damage the theatre.
4 - The sky is darkened by ash.
5 - Mount Vesuvius erupts.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to their definitions.
Correct Answer:retrieval,finding key details or information in the text and extracting them

finding key details or information in the text and extracting them

Correct Answer:inference,to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions

to use clues from within the text to draw conclusions

Correct Answer:skimming,quickly glancing over a text for the main ideas and key points

quickly glancing over a text for the main ideas and key points

Q2.
Which of the following is a suitable definition of the term scanning?
the ability to read a text accurately, smoothly, with appropriate expression
Correct answer: rapidly searching a text for specific information or keywords
identifying similarities between two or more things, ideas, concepts, or texts
Q3.
__________ is the information from a text that can support or justify our reasoning.
A caption
Layout
Correct answer: Evidence
Q4.
True or False? Inferring meaning can only be made through the illustrations.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q5.
What is a tremor?
a loud, deafening noise
a foul smell
Correct answer: a shaking or vibrating movement of the earth's surface
Q6.
Which of the following signs do Tranio and Livia notice that tell them that something bad is about to happen?
The actors return to rehearsal.
The politicians made speeches in the Forum.
Correct answer: Livia's goat runs away.
Correct answer: The sky darkens - it fills with ash.
Correct answer: Birds fly into the woodland.