This Year 5 reading comprehension unit centres on an original non-fiction text, United Nations Peacekeepers, written by children’s author Jo Franklin.
You can teach this unit to develop children’s understanding of peacekeeping missions while building a wide range of reading comprehension skills. The text works well as both a reading resource and a model text (WAGOLL) to support KS2 writing development.
You get both illustrated and plain PDF versions of the text, plus PowerPoint versions with or without highlighted sections to aid focused reading. The teacher’s annotated text highlights where drama, discussion or visualisation activities can deepen pupils’ engagement and comprehension.
Building understanding
The pack guides you through a three-part teaching sequence that builds understanding step-by-step:
Part 1: Explore what the UN peacekeeping mission involves and why the UN gets involved after conflicts.
Part 2: Discover the principles of peacekeeping, including impartiality and the use of force.
Part 3: Learn about the Blue Helmets, who they are, and how the UN recruits peacekeepers.
Each part includes a detailed vocabulary focus on challenging words like navigate, breach and acquire. These vocabulary lessons use PowerPoint slides and interactive tasks to help children understand meanings, use words in context and practise writing sentences.
You also get Big Questions PowerPoints and worksheets to encourage pupils to think critically about the text, express opinions, and make connections to their own experiences and wider world issues. Additional comprehension resources focus on skills like retrieval, sequencing, prediction and inference.
Use this unit on its own or as part of Real Comprehension – our thematic reading comprehension programme, which also covers poetry and fiction linked to related themes.
Included in the Year 5 United Nations Peacekeepers reading comprehension pack:
- Original text PDFs: illustrated, plain (ink-saving), and annotated teacher version
- PowerPoint slides of the text: with and without highlights
- Resourced teaching sequences with vocabulary PowerPoints
- Big Questions PowerPoints
- Comprehension skill worksheets
- Activities to develop empathy, drama and discussion
- Full teaching notes with guidance on layered, choral and close reading techniques
This resource allows you to build pupils’ understanding of complex non-fiction while enriching their vocabulary and critical thinking skills, all through a fascinating and relevant topic.