Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Reading Skills Poster VIPERS: Free Printable Chart for Year 4
- ForYear 4
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Reading Skills Poster VIPERS is a free printable chart for Year 4 (ages 8 to 9) in Key Stage 2. It sets out six reading skills, one for each letter of VIPERS, and the question that goes with each one. Children fill in a table, add their own writing on the lines, and then use the poster beside any reading book.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. It is two A4 pages. Page 1 is for the child. Page 2 is for the grown-up and has notes, help and a stretch idea. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Page 1 is a reading poster with a table to complete. The table has three columns: the letter, the skill and a question to ask yourself. Children learn the six VIPERS skills and match each one to its question. There are also lines for writing. Once the poster is filled in, children keep it beside a reading book and use it to guide their thinking.
- Letter
- Skill
- Ask yourself
Ways to use the poster
Keep it beside the book
Place the finished poster next to the current reading book. Children glance at it before, during or after reading and choose a question to ask.
One skill each session
Pick a single letter for each reading session. Focusing on one skill keeps the task short and makes the thinking clearer.
Make a bookmark copy
Cut out the letters and questions, or copy them by hand onto a strip of card. A bookmark keeps the prompts close while children read.
Share the questioning
Take turns. The child asks a grown-up one of the questions, then the grown-up asks one back. Hearing good questions helps children learn to write their own.
What is VIPERS?
VIPERS is a memory aid used in many English primary schools to help children talk about what they read. Each letter stands for a reading skill: Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval, and Sequence or Summarise. The idea is that a child can use one short question for each skill when they meet a text. It gives them clear words for the thinking that good readers already do.
Reading comprehension in the National Curriculum for England covers strands such as understanding word meanings, finding and recording information, drawing inferences, predicting and summarising. VIPERS groups these ideas into a set that is easy to remember. A poster helps because children can see the whole set at once and come back to it every time they read, until the questions feel natural.
Skills and curriculum link
- Reading comprehension
- Inference
- Retrieval
- Vocabulary
- Explaining thinking
Ideas to help with reading skills
- Ask about cluesGood readers notice small details in a text. Asking "What makes you think that?" teaches children to look for clues and use them as evidence.
- Say the thinking aloudReading aloud and stopping to wonder about a word or an event shows children how a reader thinks. Children then copy the habit.
- Look back at the pageSome answers are written in the text and some need thinking. Practise finding the words on the page, and talk about how that is different from working something out.
- Keep texts shortA short picture book or a single page is enough for one skill. Children can focus on the question without losing track of the story.
Key words
- SkillSomething you get better at with practice, such as reading closely.
- InferenceWorking out something the writer does not say, using clues from the text.
- RetrievalFinding information that is written in the text.
- VocabularyThe words we know and use. Reading helps us learn more.
- PredictionA sensible guess about what will happen next, based on clues.
- SummariseTell the main points of a text in a few words.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes for the grown-up.
- Read the poster together the first time. Talk about what each skill means and the question that goes with it.
- Let your child fill in the table and use the lines for writing. Talk about each choice they make.
- Keep the poster beside the reading book. Pick one skill for each reading session and ask the matching question.
- Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar poster builds confidence and makes the questions easier to remember.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Practise one skill at a time with a short picture book. Choose a skill, read a page together and ask the matching question aloud. Let your child point to the part of the page that helped them. Move on to the next skill only when the first feels comfortable.
To stretch confident children
Write one question for each skill about the book you are reading. Swap questions with a friend or a grown-up and answer each other's. Then decide which of your questions was hardest to answer and explain why that was.
Make it a game
Roll a die for a letter and ask the matching question about the last page you read. Use 1 for V, 2 for I, 3 for P, 4 for E, 5 for R and 6 for S. Take turns. Score a point for each answer that uses a clue from the page.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child answers an inference question by copying a line from the text word for word.
Try thisAsk, "Does the writer say this, or did you work it out?" Talk about how a clue and a thought are different.
Watch forA child guesses what happens next without any reason.
Try thisAsk for the clue first. Try saying, "I think this will happen because..." so every prediction has a reason.
Watch forA child skips an unknown word and carries on.
Try thisReread the sentence before and after the word. Ask what would make sense, then check the meaning together.
Talk about it
- Which of the six skills do you use most when you read?
- Which question on the poster feels hardest? Why?
- What clue in your book made you think something?
- Is there a word in your book you could explain to someone else?
- What do you think will happen next, and what makes you say that?
- How would you tell a friend about this book in just a few sentences?
Take it off the page
Bookmark makers
Make a bookmark from card. Write the six letters down one side and a short question beside each. Decorate it and use it in your next book.
Reading detectives
Pick a page from a favourite book. Take turns being the detective who asks a question and the witness who finds the answer on the page.
Story summary strip
Fold a strip of paper into sections. Draw and write the main events of a short story in order, then retell it to someone at home.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go, then let them lead. Short sessions work best. Choose one skill and a book your child enjoys. Praise the thinking behind an answer, not just whether it is right.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Display the finished poster in the reading corner and link it to guided reading sessions with one skill in focus.
Home educators
Print the poster once and keep it with your reading books. Pick one skill for each session and use any text, from a picture book to a short article. It can be used again for brothers and sisters or for revision later.
Where this fits
Before this poster, children usually practise reading aloud, talking about stories and finding simple facts in a text. These early habits give them something to build on when they start to name different reading skills.
After this, children can use the same six questions on longer chapter books, non fiction and poems. They can start writing their own comprehension questions and explaining their answers in full sentences. Both help them as texts get longer in Key Stage 2.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Reading Skills Poster VIPERS for?
It is written for Year 4, ages 8 to 9, in Key Stage 2. It can also help younger or older children who are learning to talk about what they read, as long as the questions are used with a text that suits them.
- What does VIPERS stand for?
VIPERS stands for six reading skills: Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval, and Sequence or Summarise. The poster lists each letter with its skill and a question to ask yourself while reading.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again whenever you need a fresh copy, for example for a brother or sister, or for revision a few weeks later.
- Can I use it with any book?
Yes. The questions work with picture books, chapter books and short non fiction texts. A short book is a good place to start, because children can focus on one skill without losing track of the story.
- Is it suitable for teachers to use in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil, so it works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. Children read, think and write by hand, which gives their eyes a rest from screens.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Children can add their own colour with pencils if they want to make the poster brighter for display.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.