This resource is a lesson/series of up to 3 lessons suitable. I believe, for years 6, 7 or 8 depending on the themes you focus on. Children read and analyse a palindrome poem and understand what the word palindrome means. Children are given a template and a guided structured/scaffolded method to come up with their own poems Children write up their poems in presentation form. I have deliberately chosen a topic for the children with statements that they will likely find inflammatory, as this then supports the discussion about these poems being a good vehicle for protest, as they often ridicule insensitive and judgmental statements. Note: You will need to use assessment for learning in the lesson, so that you know no children are left with the misunderstanding that any controversial statements made are supported or true. I hope you find this resource helpful/

I put this together having searched the net and drawn a blank. There are lots and lots of good spy packs for a spy theme on the net. I am theming one of the school’s lock down weeks on the subject of spies, and there is heaps to keep us going (code making, invisible ink writing, time capsule, wax resist painting, to name a few) This worksheet is to print to allow children to create their own spy cover stories, or aliases - I will then ask them to write a diary entry in role to get into character - in the pm we will create the time capsules to preserve our real identities and bury, and at the end of this day, will play the Yes/No game in role as our aliases! Hopefully a lot of fun to be had in tough times. Anyway, in the hope that this saves a few other people time … could easily be used in any literacy lesson when developing a character outside of a spy context. (Just remove the top secret stamp)

A whole English lesson on formal and informal language. I have used versions of this in year 5 and in year 6. There is a very clear explanation of formal and informal language as well as standard and non-standard English. Children are guided through several SATs style questions and then introduced to a written task. They are to re-write a couples draft wedding vows in a more formal style as befits the situation! Fun. A model answer is given. There are usually several questions that require the children to select the most formal sentence in the spelling and grammar SpAG SATs test, and this lesson helps, particularly where practice papers have identified this as an area for improvement. I tend to theme my lessons based on the learning journey or something topical, and this lesson has nods toward the topic of skating and also the Harry Meghan Royal Wedding where I have adapted it for use in both. If there is another big forthcoming celebrity wedding that the children are aware of, it would be worth replacing the names and the photos, once downloaded, to keep in relevant and up to date for the children, but I’m afraid my knowledge of the latest celebrity couple is rather wanting! The resource includes a written plan and LO printout. I hope you enjoy this lesson. It is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but surely that’s the best way to deliver a grammar lesson? Please also note that a percentage of author proceeds from the sale of this product will be given to our partner school in Sierra Leone. To date (Feb 2020) have donated £250 from the proceeds of author sales

Mince Pie Mystery Christmas Fun. Someone has stolen the mince pies whilst everyone was in assembly - it is up to the class to turn detective and work out who it was! This is a structured activity suitable for Key Stage two - Years 3, 4 or 5 ideally, to be carried out close to the last few lessons of the term, when typical teaching has stopped and you need something engaging to hold them which has more value than a traditional quiz/Christmas activity. It would work well on Christmas Jumper day or Christmas Dinner day as a break from the usual routine, too. This is designed to take up the session which is typically the maths session, after play, but the skills needed to solve this are cross-curricular. Alternatively, it could end an afternoon session when something out of the ordinary has preceded it, such as a recorder concert/hymn rehearsal/church visit and the children need a highly structured activity to refocus them with the prospect of a treat at the end. Core skills being developed include: Maths- working within time periods and calculating time overlaps, English -reading and making deductions, Logic and Critical Thinking - Eliminating suspects based on cross-referencing given facts, Drama - acting or reading out in role (if you prefer). The lower abilities will simply need more support with the reading element and the deductions, but it would work well in mixed ability groups. The actual culprit is the most obvious one - but that was deliberate so that everyone feels good at the end - even if they couldn’t say with as much certainty why, most children will put their finger on the correct thief. There is an accompanying plan. Slides should ideally be printed and stapled as copies per table: a ‘Clue’ pack, an ‘Evidence’ Pack, Witness Statements, and an elimination sheet. The mystery itself is based on a story my son told me that actually happened at his school with the chocolates in an Advent calendar going missing during play, but I’ve gone for mince pies being stolen- all the better if you can buy a bulk lot of 30 cheaply, leaving tantalisingly on display all morning only to have them suddenly disappear at the start of the lesson - and then all munch on them as a reward once the activity has ended. I hope that the activity is as fun for you as it has been for me to envisage and create. As always, I would appreciated feedback once you have delivered it in class.

This is a whole lesson (ppt, plan and printouts) on creating cinquain poetry. It is scaffolded for children whose own vocabulary might need developing - rather than having to think of words themselves from a limited pool, they read and highlight a piece of descriptive text to pull out powerful vocabulary from this and create their own word bank to use. Works for higher ability, too as they can add their own ideas to the same word bank. I recommend that an adult work with the lower ability readers to understand the text extract when creating the word bank. It would be good as a precursor to creating their own cinquains from scratch on something topical or relevant to a book you are reading in a subsequent lesson. I have chosen one extract from a book about skating, Bubble Wrap Boy, by Phil Earle, and the other has been drafted by me in a similar style. The examples in the slide show and handouts are based on skating - as I had a group of boys quite obsessed with it - who I wanted to make sure enjoyed the poetry. They did. Cinquains are always fun - all the better if they get to copy them up with illustrations, or do them on PCs to get the centering/format correct. I hope you enjoy using this resource.

This is a slide show that contains 22 slides of puzzles and riddles. They are easy enough to guess the answers but hard enough to present a fun challenge for primary school-aged children. I used these riddles as part of an English lesson in Year 5 and they were very well received. It also includes a worksheet where the riddles have been differentiated to solve in groups as an alternative to a whole-class activity. This is a light hearted end-of-term fun activity for the children who are tired, and in need of something a bit lighter, but it will nonetheless develop their critical thinking skills, and hopefully foster a love of these word-play type problems. The presentation includes slides explaining what riddles are and how they work, and giving several guided examples before launching into the whole class slides. Each separate riddle is presented on one slide, which is then animated to reveal the answer, alongside an explanation of any that may need further clarification. Having carried out this lesson previously where children simply read the printed riddles from a worksheet, I am really pleased with the slide show, as the pictures add another element of deception - you are further able to mislead their thinking with subtle/subconscious red-herrings! I hope you have fun using this resource. I would be grateful if you could leave a review.

A lesson that focuses on the witches’ use of word play and how this influenced Macbeth’s course of action. This includes a lesson plan, lesson presentation and differentiated activity. This lesson allows for a more detailed consideration of the role of the witches, and the use of the deliberately misleading in order to influence, but it is more than this, as it aims to foster a love of words and wordplay with the children. (There are some nice PSHE elements in terms of things people might say nowadays that are not actual lies, but not actually the truth, too.) There’s a great link to a clip from Shrek II where Pinocchio is attempting not to give away Shrek’s position but cannot lie. He uses double negatives and babble to mislead without lying! Children will really enjoy attempting to solve the riddles, which have been pitched so that at least 1 or 2 per bundle should be solved, possibly more. I’ve tried to source new ones, but there are a couple of oldies, too. The riddles should be distributed in tables or groups of 4-6. They are read and discussed in the groups. Once the solutions are given, pupils consider how the language was misleading/what it was about the riddle that was deceptive. This can be a piece of written work, or remain a spoken activity. I have used this resource in Year 5, with a re-written story version of Macbeth, once the story had been completed, so they could appreciate the significance of the second prophecies. We had puns and riddles galore for weeks afterwards! I hope you enjoy using this resource. I would be grateful if you could leave a review, once you have used it in class.

Powerpoint presentations with printables for the first 5 days of this teaching unit.

This toolkit is designed for daily use as part of a classroom routine. There are 6 weeks of daily activities included. (Three weeks of twice daily drills - ideal to use from Term 5 commencement right up to the SpaG test.) Ideal for quick revision of key concepts already taught in the lead up to SATS after Easter, or diagnostically at any other point in the year The resource follows a regular routine: Use the first slide to re-visit the grammar rule. Active teaching of concepts already taught. Children complete the activity on the second slide independently (e.g. during the register on whiteboards, rough books or dedicated SpaG books; this slide could be locked onto the IWB using the freeze function) Third Slide gives the answer to the SAT style question asked in slide 2. and encourages peer to peer feedback. The SATs questions have been created from scratch and are based on the content of previous papers Tip: Make a copy of the whole presentation for next year, then delete each set of three slides once taught for easy navigation to the correct day. This toolkit contains 100 slides of active revision. I would be grateful if you could leave a review.

This practice test paper has been designed specifically for progression. It is written with deliberately more challenging vocabulary and sentence structures, to extend the learning of those children now familiar with practice test paper and content. It tests the grammar element of the SpaG test. I would be grateful if you could leave a review after purchase and implementation.

Loveliest of Trees the Cherry Now by A E Housman Whole lesson: suitable for a whole class reading session with opportunities for an extended activity (into writing, a performance during the afternoon or part of a a range of activities during a poetry-themed day or event at your school.) This is a must if you are lucky enough to have cherry trees in bloom in or around your grounds. The slide show enables the teacher to introduce key vocab and set the poem in context (time written, poet and his life) Introduces the poem - to be read out the whole way through, without pause (as a whole class/in pairs) and then there is a line by line analysis of the poem, designed to be done as a whole class, with plenty of opportunities for talk partner discussion as part of this exercise. Some prior knowledge of poetic techniques and language is assumed. (e.g personification, alliteration, a couplet) but if the pupils do not know these terms. the poem affords the perfect opportunity for them to learn them. This lesson meets the National Curriculum requirements: participate in discussions about poems, prepare poems to read out loud and perform; learn a wider range of poetry by heart. I have delivered this in Year 5 and it was really successful - but I could equally see this working in any age group - through the simplicity or complexity of the discussion. There is so much that can come from it - reading into writing - biography of the author, descriptive writing of a cherry tree, a poem about an element of a season the children find equally as attractive (there are slides to support this objective). Cross-curricular ideas - supporting science objectives - observing life cycles in own locality - I could see children sketching blossom, photo evidencing the change in seasons, pressing flowers - using pressed flowers for art work later … No separate lesson plan is needed as the slides are very self explanatory. I hope you enjoy using this resource. I would be grateful if you could leave a review.

PRACTICE SPELLING AND GRAMMAR PAPER This practice spelling and grammar test has been designed to resemble the actual SAT test paper as closely as possible. These are original questions. They test National Curriculum content. This download includes: Practice Paper 1 Grammar and Punctuation Practice Paper 2 Spelling Mark Scheme Papers 1 and 2.

Most of the resources I’ve seen regarding hyphens focus on compounding. This Power Point (with printable resources within) focuses simply on other situations when hyphens might be used. It will build upon an introductory lesson, but could also be used as an introduction lesson, too. It is not too bogged down by strict grammar rules - giving examples instead. It uses humorous photographs throughout, as a means of keeping children engaged - please use with care to the age/suitability for your own class groups. Suitable for: Year 5 (Hap) or 6 (Pitched at this level - map) or beyond for lap. I would be grateful if you would take the time to review this resource.