What’s included in the KS2 Rise and Read Charles Darwin resource and why is it useful?

KS2 Charles Darwin Rise and Read is a set of four short reading sessions about the naturalist whose theory of evolution changed how people understood life on Earth. The texts build on each other across the sessions, so children grow their knowledge of Darwin while practising key reading skills.

Session 1: a biography text about Charles Darwin, with retrieval and purpose questions
Session 2: a fictional diary entry from Darwin on the Galápagos Islands, with vocabulary and inference questions
Session 3: an illustration of Darwin surrounded by animals, with prediction and inference questions
Session 4: a short text about Darwin’s earthworm experiments, with a multiple-choice question

How do our KS2 Rise and Read resources work?

Rise and Read gives children a quick and purposeful way to settle, refocus and get ready to learn through reading. Use a session as morning work, after break or following lunch to give pupils an immediate focus as they come into the classroom.

Display each session on your whiteboard for whole-class reading practice, guided reading or small-group intervention. The questions give children regular opportunities to explain, justify and discuss their ideas.

Across the four sessions, children meet a variety of text types and images while practising skills such as retrieval, vocabulary, inference and prediction. Assessment-style questions sit alongside less formal activities, giving regular practice without needing a full comprehension test.

We have a full range of Rise and Read resources for KS1 and KS2, covering famous people, significant historical events, festivals and celebrations, sporting events and other topical occasions throughout the year.