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

KS2 Winter Solstice Rise and Read is a set of four short reading sessions about the shortest day of the year and how it has been celebrated through history. Each session explores a different part of the winter solstice, so children build a fuller picture of it while practising key reading skills.

Session 1: an information text explaining the winter solstice, with retrieval and purpose questions

Session 2: an information text about Yule, with vocabulary and inference questions

Session 3: a photograph of people gathered outdoors in winter, with prediction and inference questions

Session 4: a diary entry about the winter solstice at Stonehenge, 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 the winter solstice.