Midnight Duel Reading

National Curriculum Links

• English Programme of Study: Reading – comprehension (Year 4)
  Develop positive attitudes to reading, and understanding of what they read by:

  • Listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks.
  • Checking that the text makes sense to them, discussing understanding and explaining the meaning of words in context.
  • Drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence.
  • Discussing vocabulary and developing understanding of new words.
  • Reading aloud with appropriate intonation and expression.

• English Programme of Study: Reading – word reading (Year 4)
  Apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes to read aloud and to understand the meaning of new words. Use dictionaries to check the meaning of words.

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Read aloud fluently, using intonation and pacing to sound natural: "I read like I talk, only slowing, stopping or repeating when it makes sense."
• Draw inferences about characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives and justify these with evidence from the text.

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Success Criteria

• I can read the extract aloud, sounding natural and expressive.
• I slow down and repeat words only when it helps my understanding.
• I can identify and explain five challenging words from the extract.
• I can answer questions about the character’s feelings and actions using evidence from the extract.
• I can summarise the main events from the extract clearly and confidently.

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Extract Details

Book: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Chapter: 9 – The Midnight Duel
Extract: Pages 123-127 (from Jim Kay Illustrated Edition, ISBN: 978-7-4088-4564-6)
Extract Length: Approximately 450 words (suitable for 10 minutes reading aloud)

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The Extract (Excerpt for Reading)

“Harry, Ron, and Hermione sneaked out past the Gryffindor common room fire, hearts pounding in the dark corridor. They weren’t the only ones awake—shadows flickered as other students moved furtively. The tension was electric as they crept towards the trophy room, where the midnight duel was rumoured to be set. Ron whispered, 'If we get caught, we’re in big trouble.' Hermione tightened her grip on her wand. Harry felt a mixture of excitement and dread. Just as they turned the corner, footsteps echoed behind them. The duel was about to begin...”

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Vocabulary Focus

Word	Definition (child-friendly)	Teaching Tip
furtively	Done secretly or quietly so that others don’t notice	Act out sneaky movements
tension	A feeling of nervousness or excitement	Show facial expressions expressing tension
electric	Feeling very intense or exciting	Connect to “electricity” as a strong feeling
grip	A tight hold	Demonstrate holding something tightly
echo	A sound that bounces back and can be heard again	Make echo sounds to model

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Fluency Activity

• Teacher models reading the extract aloud fluidly like natural speech, using expression and pacing.
• Choral reading with students: read together sentence by sentence, focusing on intonation.
• Paired reading: Students read in pairs, alternating sentences, reminding each other to slow or repeat if it makes sense.

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Comprehension - VIPER Questions

VIPER Skill	Question
Vocabulary	What does “furtively” mean, and why do you think the children moved furtively?
Inferencing	How do you think Harry felt when the footsteps echoed behind them? Find two clues in the text.
Predicting	What do you think will happen next in the midnight duel? Why?
Explaining	Why did Hermione tighten her grip on her wand? What does this tell you about her character?
Retrieving	Where were Harry, Ron, and Hermione heading at midnight?

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True or False

1. Hermione was holding her wand tightly because she was scared.
2. The trio sneaked out loudly to the trophy room.

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Agree, Build, Challenge Statement

• Agree: The children felt excited about the midnight duel.
• Build: I think they were also nervous because they might get into trouble.
• Challenge: However, I believe Harry was braver than Ron and Hermione because he was leading the way.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Support:
  Use dyslexia-friendly fonts and print the extract on coloured paper (e.g. cream to reduce glare).
  Pre-teach vocabulary with visuals and gestures.
  Provide sentence starters and word banks for comprehension responses.
• Further support:
  Pair less confident readers with fluent readers during paired reading.
• Challenge:
  Ask advanced learners to write their own dialogue predicting the next scene.
  Encourage them to find and explain similes or metaphors not explicitly taught.

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Extension Task

• Imagine you are one of the characters. Write a diary entry describing your feelings before and after the midnight duel. Use evidence from the extract to explain your thoughts.

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Summarise Task

• In 3 sentences, summarise what happened in this extract.
• Include: Where were the children? What were they feeling? What happened at the end of the extract?

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Assessment

• Observe students’ ability to read aloud with expression and natural flow during paired reading.
• Collect written or oral responses to VIPER questions and the summary task to assess comprehension and inference.
• Check understanding of new vocabulary through definition matching or oral explanation.

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This lesson plan closely follows the English National Curriculum for Year 4 and integrates the DfE Reading Framework 2025’s focus on fluency and comprehension, while providing a motivating, age-appropriate text linked to popular literature. The combination of explicit vocabulary teaching, fluency practice, and higher-order thinking questions will engage diverse learners and build key reading skills.