Helping Whales Understand

I want the plan to focus on understand how to answer a range of questions on a non-fiction text : Use the following plan to adapt the lesson Questions(s): How can people help whales?

Application of Comprehension & Strategies: • Skim to gain an overview of a text, e.g. topic, purpose • Scan for specific information using a variety of features in texts • Read short information texts independently with concentration • Apply growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes • Check that the text makes sense to them, discuss most of their understanding and explain the meaning of many words in context • Confidently retrieve and record information from non-fiction • Identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning Focus Content Domain(s): 2b retrieve and record information / identify key details from fiction and non-fiction 2f identify / explain how information / narrative content is related and contributes to meaning as a whole Extended Apply Session Through this selection of activities children will need copies of: •The following text: Helping Whales Not long ago, more than 50,000 whales were killed each year for their meat, oil, and baleen. The big whale hunts have ended, which is good news for the whales, but most still face dangers. Big Ships, Big Trouble Every day, tens of thousands of ships sail on the world’s oceans, carrying people and goods from place to place. The ships’ powerful engines make a lot of noise under water, which makes it difficult for whales to communicate and listen out for their prey. Whales are also sometimes hit by ships. Gone Fishing Many whales eat fish and shrimp, and so do many people. As fishing boats take more seafood from the sea, whales are finding it harder to get enough to eat. Whales can also get tangled up in fishing nets and traplines. How to Help Around the world, many people are working hard to help whales. Some are creating protected areas in the sea, where whales and other sea creatures can live undisturbed. Others are finding new ways to catch fish without harming whales, or creating engines to make ships quieter. Even people living far from the sea can help. Anything that keeps the air, land, and water cleaner will help to make the ocean healthy. Sea sickness Pollution is a big problem for the sea. Litter and harmful materials in rivers, on land, and even in the air all end up in the sea. Some kinds of pollution hurt the fish that whales need for food. Other kinds of pollution can make the whales sick.

Activate Prior knowledge: Ask children to Think Pair Share what they found out about the way the actions of humans impacts on the lives of whales. Vocabulary: Consider the words ‘undisturbed’ and ‘harmful’ which are in today’s Vehicle Text. Share Anchor Question: Refer to this throughout the lesson. Enjoy and Respond to the text: Give children a copy of Lesson 5: Teacher Model/ Children Practise and ask them to Skim to get the general gist of the page. Next, set children the Anchor question and encourage them to Scan the text. Encourage children to Stop and Jot as they read it all. Also encourage the children to Text Mark –circling the key words and phrases which will provide evidence when they answer the Anchor Question. Written Responses / Evidence Anchor Question(s): Explain to the children that their task is to create a poster to encourage people to ‘Help the Whales’. They should include three main changes from the text that people should make in order to help whales. Share posters as a class and discuss whether they have all included the same three changes in order to answer the Anchor Question or if there are different alternatives. Share any additional information children included to interest the reader. Children can also consider any additional information that would be of interest to the reader (but is not essential to the Anchor Question) that they would like to add to the poster. Comprehension Questions

How many whales were killed not long ago?
Why do ships cause problems to whales?
How do the illustrations help the reader to understand the text better?
What is the effect of adding the question, ‘What would you do?’?
Name the two ways that pollution causes problems for whales? Feedback on Learning: Use assessment for learning to inform feedback to the children. This may include: • use of the strategies taught i.e. Skim, Scan, Text Mark, Stop and Jot, Reference the Text • responses to the Anchor Questions.

Include a I do you do model

Overview

This 45-minute lesson targets Year 4 students, focusing on reading comprehension strategies applied to non-fiction texts. The key purpose is to enable pupils to confidently skim, scan, text mark, and retrieve information to answer questions — specifically about how people can help whales. The lesson fully aligns with the National Curriculum for England (English Programme of Study: Years 3 and 4).

National Curriculum Links

Reading - comprehension

Year 4 programmes of study:
- Use dictionaries to check the meaning of words that they have read
- Retrieve and record information from non-fiction texts (Content Domain 2b)
- Ask and answer questions about a text
- Identify how language, structure, and presentation contribute to meaning (Content Domain 2f)

Vocabulary, Grammar, and Punctuation

Understand and discuss the meaning of new words, including those with prefixes and suffixes

Learning Objectives (All statements to be shared with pupils)

By the end of this lesson, pupils will be able to:

Skim a non-fiction text to understand its overall topic and purpose.
Scan for specific information to answer questions.
Use text marking (underlining, circling key phrases) to find evidence.
Explain the meanings of challenging vocabulary words in context (e.g., undisturbed, harmful).
Retrieve and record key details from the text and link them to the main question: How can people help whales?
Create a simple persuasive poster showing three main ways people can help whales.

Resources Needed

Printed copies of the non-fiction text Helping Whales (one per pupil)
Whiteboard or flipchart with the anchor question
Highlighters/coloured pencils for text marking
Plain paper or poster sheets & coloured markers for poster creation
Word bank poster with vocabulary: undisturbed, harmful, pollution, protected areas, engines

Lesson Structure

1. Starter (5 minutes)

Activate Prior Knowledge & Vocabulary Introduction

Write on board: How do humans impact whales?
Think-Pair-Share: Pupils think silently for 30 seconds, then share ideas with a partner. Brief whole-class feedback captures ideas such as pollution, ships, fishing nets.
Introduce key vocabulary:
- Write undisturbed and harmful on the board.
- Explain and model meanings using pupil-friendly definitions and examples. Encourage pupils to suggest sentences aloud.
Write the Anchor Question clearly:
How can people help whales?
Explain that today’s reading will help them answer this.

2. Main Teaching (15 minutes)

I Do / You Do Model

Teacher Model (I Do):

Distribute text Helping Whales. Read aloud the first section (Not long ago...) while thinking aloud:
- Model skimming by reading quickly to grasp main idea ("This paragraph tells me about how many whales were killed and why it is important.")
- Show how to underline key numbers and phrases (e.g., "more than 50,000 whales killed") using a coloured pencil.
Next, model scanning for answers — e.g., scan for where ships cause problems to whales.
Model text marking by circling words like noise, difficult and jotting margin notes “Ships make loud noise — hard for whales to hear.”
Check meaning of one tricky word in context (undisturbed), modelling strategies (context clues, root words).
Summarise orally: "So ships cause problems with noise and sometimes hit whales."

Children Practise (You Do):

Pupils re-read the remaining sections independently (silent reading) for 5 minutes.
Encourage Stop and Jot: pause to write down ideas or questions in the margin.
Pupils underline or circle key words and phrases that answer the Anchor Question.

3. Guided Group Discussion & Questioning (10 minutes)

Discuss as a class the answers to comprehension questions based on the text:
1. How many whales were killed not long ago?
2. Why do ships cause problems to whales?
3. How do the illustrations help the reader to understand the text better?
4. What is the effect of adding the question, ‘What would you do?’?
5. Name the two ways that pollution causes problems for whales.
Use the text and pupils’ text markings as evidence when answering.
Highlight how language and structure contribute to meaning (e.g., headings organise info, questions engage readers).

4. Apply & Produce (12 minutes)

Poster Creation: “Help the Whales”

Explain task: pupils create a colourful, informative poster aimed at encouraging people to help whales.
Must include three main changes/actions from the text (e.g., create protected areas, quieter engines, keep oceans clean).
Pupils refer to their text markings and notes to write brief, clear points and add illustrations.
Circulate and support pupils, reminding them to reference the text.
Optional: add any interesting facts they found to interest readers.

5. Plenary & Feedback (3 minutes)

Pupils share posters in pairs or small groups.
Prompt pupils to discuss if everyone included the same three key points or found different alternatives.
End with whole-class feedback focusing on how they used strategies:
- Did they skim and scan successfully?
- How did text marking help?
- Did they explain words from context?
Teacher gives specific verbal praise and next step suggestions based on observed strengths and challenges.

Assessment for Learning

Monitor pupils during independent reading and text marking for use of strategies.
Use comprehension question answers to assess retrieval and explanation skills (Content Domains 2b and 2f).
Review posters for understanding of key actions and communication clarity.

Extension Ideas (For Higher Attainers or Homework)

Research another sea animal under threat and prepare 3 ways people can help it.
Write a diary entry from the perspective of a whale affected by human activities.
Create a glossary page defining difficult words from the text.

Notes for Teachers

Encourage pupils to discuss and explain their answers orally before writing—this strengthens comprehension and vocabulary.
Use the ‘I do, we do, you do’ scaffolding to gradually release responsibility.
Vary questioning techniques: literal, inferential, and evaluative to deepen understanding.
Display key vocabulary and strategies visibly in classroom for ongoing reference.

This lesson plan supports confident, fluent reading and deep comprehension of non-fiction texts, fulfilling important Year 4 standards while engaging pupils with a real-world environmental issue.

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