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      Building comprehension of 'Yoshi the Stonecutter'

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can retrieve answers from the text.

      Key learning points

      1. Summarising what we have read can help us to remember and understand a story better.
      2. Skimming and scanning using your finger is a way to retrieve information quickly and accurately from a text.
      3. Searching for capital letters helps us to find proper nouns quickly.
      4. Searching for keywords can help us find answers quickly.
      5. Responding to texts with discussions can help to deepen our understanding.

      Keywords

      • Proper noun - a specific name given to a person, place or thing

      • Summarise - to pull out key information and ideas from the text

      • Retrieval - finding key details or information in the text and extracting them

      • Scanning - rapidly searching the text for specific information or keywords

      • Discussion - the process of talking about something to exchange ideas

      Common misconception

      Pupils may struggle to scan.

      Model the process for them, narrating your strategies. For example, "I've found a capital letter in the middle of the sentence - it must be a proper noun." or "I am searching for the word river. I will look for words beginning with 'r'."

      Teacher tip

      If children are working in pairs, encourage all children to use their 'reading finger' when retrieving. Once you have seen they have all retrieved the answer by pointing to it, ensuring they are all actively learning, ask one child to say the answer in a full sentence to promote oracy.

      Equipment

      You need a copy of the 2011 Oxford University Press edition of ‘Yoshi the Stonecutter’ by Becca Heddle and Meg Hunt for this lesson.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      If you find an unfamiliar word that you do not know how to read, which strategy should you use?

      Correct answer: phonics strategies to decode the word
      a dictionary to find its meaning
      ask someone for help

      Q2.
      What is Yoshi's job?

      fisherman
      Correct answer: stonecutter
      farmer

      Q3.
      Order these events from the story of 'Yoshi the Stonecutter'.

      1 - The spirit grants Yoshi's wish to become a rich person.
      2 - The spirit grants Yoshi's wish to become the Sun.
      3 - The spirit grants Yoshi's wish to become a rock.

      Q4.
      Why does Yoshi wish to become so many different things?

      He wants to be famous.
      He wants to be popular.
      Correct answer: He wants to be powerful.
      He wants to help people.

      Q5.
      Which of these are present in 'Yoshi the Stonecutter'?

      real information
      labels
      Correct answer: speech
      Correct answer: illustrations

      Q6.
      You must be able to __________ a word before you can understand it.

      describe
      Correct answer: decode
      write

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Where is 'Yoshi the Stonecutter' set?

      Jersey
      Correct answer: Japan
      USA
      Jamaica

      Q2.
      Order these events from the story 'Yoshi the Stonecutter'.

      1 - Yoshi works hard as a "stonecutter" but he is "poor".
      2 - A "spirit" grants Yoshi everything he wishes for.
      3 - Yoshi returns to being a "stonecutter" and he is "happy".

      Q3.
      What is the correct definition of 'summarising'?

      reading the text quickly
      searching for specific information in the text
      talking about something to exchange ideas
      Correct answer: to pull out key information and ideas from the text

      Q4.
      Which strategies do we use when retrieving key information from the text?

      Correct answer: skimming
      reading the whole text
      Correct answer: scanning for keywords
      reading aloud

      Q5.
      Why is it good to talk about and discuss books with other people?

      Correct answer: It can help you understand the story.
      It helps you read the words.
      Correct answer: You can hear others' ideas and perspectives and develop your own.

      Q6.
      Fill in the blank: The __________ can help us find the right page to search for the answer to a question.

      adjectives
      title
      Correct answer: illustrations
      speech

      To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Building comprehension of 'Yoshi the Stonecutter', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...