A fully resourced, dyslexia-friendly fluency lesson pack for Year 4, designed to help pupils read aloud with expression, tone, and character using an extract from The Secret Diary of a Housemaid (Chapter 1).
Pupils explore how pace, pause, and power bring a text to life through performance reading and partner feedback.
All slides and worksheets follow British Dyslexia Association guidelines, using Century Gothic, cream backgrounds, and dual-coding visuals to support confident, inclusive reading.

What’s included:

Full lesson plan (Learning COGS format) with clear objectives, success criteria, and 3Ps fluency framework (Pace, Pause, Power)
Fluency PowerPoint slideshow for whole-class modelling and partner reading practice
Differentiated resource packs (main and LA versions) including:
Extracts with built-in tone prompts
Expression cue charts and emoji tone guides
Partner feedback sheets
Fluency reflection grids

Learning aims:

Read aloud with expression, tone, and understanding
Adjust pace, pause, and power to show emotion and meaning
Change voice for different characters (Jane and Plump)
Reflect on performance and peer feedback to improve fluency

Dyslexia-friendly design:

All materials are created to reduce cognitive load and support accessibility:
Century Gothic font for clear, rounded letter forms
Cream backgrounds and dark grey text to prevent visual glare
1.5–2.0 line spacing with wide margins for eye-tracking
Dual-coding visuals (icons, emojis, and cue cards) to reinforce tone and emotion
Left-aligned text, no italics or underlining, and clean uncluttered layouts
Visual rhythm and predictable slide structure to reduce visual stress
These features follow the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) Style Guide to ensure that all learners, including those with dyslexia or visual processing difficulties, can read confidently and participate fully.

Curriculum links:

Reading: prosody, fluency, vocabulary and inference through performance
Speaking & Listening: tone, character, and expression
Writing: recognising voice and viewpoint in historical texts
History: insight into Victorian working-class speech and daily life

Perfect for:

Whole-class fluency lessons, guided reading, or SEND literacy groups.
The humorous dialogue and expressive structure make this an engaging, confidence-building lesson for all learners — fully inclusive, visually accessible, and classroom ready.