This Year 1 reading comprehension unit centres on the original poem “Have You Seen…?” by children’s author Sue Hardy-Dawson. The poem playfully explores a series of lost items – from Aunt Millie’s itchy pink hat to a missing tarantula named Terence.
The resource includes illustrated and plain versions of the poem, available as PDFs and PowerPoints (with or without text highlights). There's also an annotated version to support teachers during close reading.
The annotations offer guidance on when to prompt drama, discussion or visualisation to deepen pupils’ understanding and bring the text to life.
Vocabulary-focused lessons
Two vocabulary-focused lessons explore the words perhaps and bother. These lessons include definitions, examples and creative language activities that encourage children to use the words in context.
Additional comprehension exercises develop key skills such as retrieval, sequencing, prediction and inference. Big Questions prompts and visualisation tasks support children in expressing opinions and making personal, textual and wider world connections.
The suggested teaching sequences provide flexible approaches, including model reading, choral reading and drama opportunities, adaptable to different class needs and learning styles.
Worksheets include drawing activities linked to the poem’s vivid imagery, questions testing literal and personal responses, and exercises revisiting the text for deeper insight and reflection.
This unit is designed to be taught alone or as part of a wider thematic reading comprehension programme, Real Comprehension. This offers fiction and non-fiction texts for Years 1 to 6 aimed at building lifelong reading skills and fostering a love of reading.
Included in the pack are:
- Full teaching notes and guidance for close reading
- Original poem PDFs (plain, illustrated, annotated)
- PowerPoints of the poem (with and without highlights)
- Two vocabulary teaching sequences with PPTs
- Big Questions worksheets and PPTs
- Comprehension and visualisation activities