What's included in the KS2 Katherine Johnson Rise and Read resource and why is it useful?

KS2 Katherine Johnson Rise and Read is a set of four short reading sessions about the mathematician whose calculations helped send American astronauts into space. The texts build on each other across the sessions, so children grow their knowledge of Katherine Johnson while practising key reading skills.

Session 1: a biography text about Katherine Johnson's early life, with retrieval and purpose questions

Session 2: a text about her work at NACA and her stand against racial barriers, with vocabulary and inference questions

Session 3: a photograph of a girl at a chalkboard, with inference and prediction questions

Session 4: a letter from Katherine about her new job, with a true or false 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.

This resource is a great way to mark Black History Month.