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Year 3

Building comprehension of 'The Pebble in my Pocket'

I can answer a range of comprehension questions on 'The Pebble in my Pocket'.

Download all resources
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New
New
Year 3

Building comprehension of 'The Pebble in my Pocket'

I can answer a range of comprehension questions on 'The Pebble in my Pocket'.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. We can use a range of strategies to build comprehension of the 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 understanding and offers opportunities for hearing different perspectives.

Common misconception

Children may think that they can only find out information explicitly written in a non-fiction text.

Using inference skills and having rich discussion can allow students to draw greater conclusions about the information given.

Keywords

  • 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

Print the extracts of the text for children to have as working material when reading and applying comprehension skills.
Teacher tip

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.
What type of text is 'The Pebble in my Pocket'?
narrative fiction
Correct answer: narrative non-fiction
an information text
Q2.
What does it mean to 'build comprehension' of a text?
to read the text again
Correct answer: to develop greater understanding of the text
to summarise what you have read
Q3.
Which of these statements do you agree with about 'The Pebble in my Pocket'.
Correct answer: It teaches us about history, science and geography.
Correct answer: It tells the story of how a pebble is formed, beginning 480 million years ago.
The author uses simple and non-descriptive language.
Correct answer: The pebble's journey teaches us more about the history of the world we live in.
Q4.
Match the vocabulary to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:volcano,a mountain or hill with a crater that can erupt lava

a mountain or hill with a crater that can erupt lava

Correct Answer:mountain,a large mass of land higher than the Earth's surface

a large mass of land higher than the Earth's surface

Correct Answer:sea,a large body of water covering most of the Earth's surface

a large body of water covering most of the Earth's surface

Correct Answer:river,a natural stream of water that flows

a natural stream of water that flows

Correct Answer:glacier,a slowly moving mass of ice

a slowly moving mass of ice

Correct Answer:valley,a low area of land between hills or mountains

a low area of land between hills or mountains

Q5.
What strategies can we use to understand the author's use of precise and descriptive vocabulary?
Correct answer: identifying word class
Correct answer: considering if we've heard the word before
Correct answer: using the illustrations
guessing what it means
Q6.
How can we best summarise the pebble's journey?
It is an old pebble that changed a lot.
Correct answer: It existed in different forms, in different landscapes, over millions of years.
It had a long journey but always remained the same.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these strategies are useful for building comprehension?
Correct answer: discussion
Correct answer: inference
writing
Correct answer: retrieving information
Q2.
Match the strategy to what it means.
Correct Answer:retrieval of information,skimming and scanning to find information from the text

skimming and scanning to find information from the text

Correct Answer:inference,using clues from the text to draw further conclusions

using clues from the text to draw further conclusions

Correct Answer:discussion,talking to others about the meaning of what we have read

talking to others about the meaning of what we have read

Q3.
Select the statement that is true about the rising of the Earth.
The Earth rises very quickly to form mountains.
Correct answer: The Earth rises slowly over millions of years to form mountains.
The Earth never rises.
Q4.
Which of these statements are true about rivers.
Rivers always flow calmly and slowly.
Correct answer: Rivers can have strong currents and break down rocks.
Correct answer: Rivers run from the mountains to the sea.
Q5.
Which of these statements are true about glaciers.
A glacier moves really quickly.
Correct answer: A glacier shifts and moves slowly downhill.
A glacier is a river of ice.
Correct answer: A glacier is a frozen mass of ice.
Q6.
How does considering the different landscapes in the book build our comprehension?
It is interesting to learn about.
Correct answer: It teaches us the history, geography and science behind how a pebble is formed.
It helps us use our imagination.