A fully resourced, dyslexia-friendly vocabulary lesson pack for Year 4, introducing pupils to The Secret Diary of Thomas Snoop (A Tudor Spy).
This lesson focuses on understanding unfamiliar Tudor vocabulary through context clues, supporting comprehension and historical language awareness.
All slides and resources are designed using British Dyslexia Association (BDA) style principles, with Century Gothic font, cream backgrounds, and dual-coding visuals to promote clarity and reduce visual stress.

What’s Included

Full lesson plan (Learning COGS format) with clear learning objectives, success criteria, and step-by-step teaching structure
Whole-class PowerPoint slideshow introducing Tudor context, new vocabulary, and modelled inference from context

Differentiated resource packs:

LA version: word matching, cloze sentences, and labelled drawing task
GD/All version: independent “Spy’s Word Mission” grid with challenge task and creative writing extension
Vocabulary grids for inference, confirmation, and sentence application
Class Tudor Spy Word Wall prompts for display and reuse

Learning Aims:

Identify and decode unfamiliar Tudor words using context clues
Infer meaning from surrounding sentences and phrasing
Apply new vocabulary accurately in written and spoken contexts
Explain how Tudor word choices help build setting and character voice

Dyslexia-Friendly Design:

All materials are built to reduce cognitive load and follow BDA accessibility standards:
Century Gothic font throughout for open, rounded letter forms
Cream or pastel backgrounds with dark grey text to reduce glare
1.5–2.0 line spacing and generous white space for tracking
Left-aligned text with no justification for consistent spacing
Key words in bold instead of italics or underlining
Dual-coding visuals and icons to link meaning with imagery
Clean, consistent slide layouts to support processing and predictability
These adjustments make the lesson accessible for pupils with dyslexia, visual stress, or working-memory difficulties, while improving readability for all learners.

Curriculum Links:

Reading: vocabulary, inference, and context comprehension
Writing: sentence construction using new and historical terms
Speaking & Listening: exploring Tudor language through discussion
History: life and language in Tudor England

Perfect For:
Whole-class reading, guided groups, or cross-curricular English–History lessons.
Combines humour, historical intrigue, and accessible design to build confidence and curiosity in vocabulary learning for every pupil.