This Year 4 reading comprehension unit focuses on The National Memorial Arboretum, an original non-fiction text by children’s author James Nichol.
The text describes this unique site in Staffordshire, explaining its history, purpose and the variety of trees and memorials it contains.
You can teach this unit to develop a range of key reading skills. These include retrieval, sequencing, prediction, inference and the ability to express opinions and make personal connections with the text.
The resource pack supports teachers with a detailed, annotated version of the text that highlights where to pause for discussion, drama or visualisation. This helps you guide children through close reading and deepen their understanding.
The text is available in several formats. These include illustrated and plain PDFs, and PowerPoint presentations both with and without highlighted sections for emphasis. This flexibility allows you to display, model or share the text in the way that suits your class best.
Fully resourced lessons
Vocabulary receives special focus through two fully resourced lessons centred on the words memorial and dedicated. These lessons explore definitions, word roots, synonyms, antonyms and usage, helping pupils build rich word knowledge.
To encourage engagement and deeper thinking, the pack includes “Big Questions” prompts and worksheets. These are designed to stimulate discussion about the meaning and significance of the Arboretum’s memorials and trees.
Pupils will also complete worksheets that support comprehension strategies like sequencing events, retrieving information and expressing personal opinions.
You can teach this unit on its own or as part of our wider Real Comprehension programme. This provides a thematic sequence of reading comprehension units for Year 4 and other year groups, covering fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts.
This Year 4 reading comprehension resource pack includes:
- Original text PDFs: illustrated, plain (ink-saver), and annotated for close reading
- PowerPoint versions of the text: with and without highlighted sections
- Two resourced teaching sequences, each including vocabulary focus PowerPoints
- Comprehension worksheets
- Full teaching notes
- Images of The National Memorial Arboretum to support prior knowledge