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Literacy for early years
Story Genres - Double Lesson!
This stimulating and informative double lesson aims to improve students’ ability to understand the features of various story genres, and analyse the conventional language features within them. In particular students focus upon the vocabulary, sentence, and descriptive device choices made by writers across each of the genres, and begin to comprehend the effect of these techniques upon the reader.
Students follow a clear and logical learning journey, in which they:
-Define the different story genres and understand their key content features;
-Understand the key features of different genres through interesting movie clips ;
-Work collaboratively using the jigsaw method to ascertain the language features (vocabulary, sentences, descriptive devices) of different genres;
-Engage with a number of interesting story extracts (Louis Sachar - Holes, JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Darren Shan - The Vampire's Assistant, Jeff Kinney - Diary of a Wimpy Kid.)
-Write an analytical piece on some of the language features used by the writer of their chosen genre;
-Peer/self-assess their analytical attempts.
There are enough resources here really for two lessons, including:
-Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint;
-Story extracts x 4 (Harry Potter, Holes, etc.)
-Learning Objective cut out;
-Analytical Paragraphs Template;
-Jigsaw method worksheet
-Step-by-step lesson plan.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.
Camera Shots and Angles!
This lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of camera shots and angles, and in particular those used in horror movies. This should enable them to design their own sequences of camera shots and angles when producing their own moving image media texts.
I used this lesson in the middle of the planning phase of a horror film trailer. However, as the main learning for the lesson is to be able to define, identify. analyse and use each of the camera shots and angles, it can be used for students at any stage of a media studies course. It includes a range of tasks, most of which are differentiated for different ability ranges, and includes lots of engaging subject matter. The lesson follows a clear learning journey, which is visually expressed to the students frequently throughout the PowerPoint presentation. The learning journey enables students to:
- Define each of the camera angles and shots through a group activity;
- Identify each of the shots and angles in movies stills;
- Analyse why different shots and angles are effective after watching a segment of a film;
- Create their own sequence of camera shots and angles for a short moving image piece;
- Evaluate their success in using effective camera shots and angles.
NOTE: The subject matter used for the final stages of the analysis task may be visually disturbing or inappropriate for some younger students - please check this section and alter it if you need to - you may wish just to pause the video before it gets too gory!
All images and videos are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson.
George's Marvellous Medicine - Assorted Resources! (Worksheets, PowerPoints, Assessments etc.)
This pack contains a vast number (I think there's about 20 resources here) of activities, resources, and ideas for the teaching of Roald Dahl's 'George's Marvellous Medicine.' They should provide an excellent starting point for anybody who wants to teach the book and is looking for some inspiration for individual lesson content/ tasks. The vast majority of these tasks can be adapted for differing age groups/ ability ranges/ needs.
The pack contains resources that focus on the key themes in the book, such as family and emotions. There are also resources that enable to build individual reading skills, such as inferring and deducing, pulling out quotations, and analysing language. In writing, students learn to think imaginatively and create texts appropriate to audience and purpose.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slides of the PowerPoints.
Writing Assessment Framework - KS2 - Aligned with the National Curriculum Expectations!
This writing assessment framework has been designed to allow to teachers to accurately assess student attainment against the writing expectations of the new National Curriculum. They are perfect for use when gauging the standard of extended writing pieces. These are to be used when assessing writing for Years 3-6, progressing towards the end of Key Stage 2 expectations.
The expectations for each year group are split into four subcategories: Spelling, Handwriting, Composition, and VGP (Vocabulary, Grammar, and Punctuation). Within each subcategory are statements relating to the expectations for the year group. Teachers simply mark the extent to which the statement has been achieved (utilising the key at the bottom of the page) and then use best fit to determine the overall standard of the writing.
In addition to the Word documents (allowing you to edit if you need to) I've also added the documents as a PDF, in case the formatting differs on your computer.
Writing Assessment Framework - Primary KS1 & KS2 - Aligned with the National Curriculum Expectations
This writing assessment framework has been designed to allow to teachers to accurately assess student attainment against the writing expectations within the new National Curriculum. They are perfect for use when gauging the standard of extended writing pieces. These are to be used when assessing writing throughout Primary, from Years R-6, progressing towards the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 expectations.
The expectations for each year group are split into four subcategories: Spelling, Handwriting, Composition, and VGP (Vocabulary, Grammar, and Punctuation). Within each subcategory are statements relating to the expectations for the year group. Teachers simply mark the extent to which the statement has been achieved (utilising the key at the bottom of the page) and then use best fit to determine the overall standard of the writing.
In addition to the Word documents (allowing you to edit if you need to), I've also added the documents as a PDF, in case the formatting differs on your computer.
Writing Assessment Framework - KS1 - Aligned with the National Curriculum Expectations!
This writing assessment framework has been designed to allow to teachers to accurately assess student attainment against the writing expectations within the new National Curriculum. They are perfect for use when gauging the standard of extended writing pieces. These are to be used when assessing writing for Years R-2, progressing towards the end of Key Stage 1 expectations.
The expectations for each year group are split into four subcategories: Spelling, Handwriting, Composition, and VGP (Vocabulary, Grammar, and Punctuation). Within each subcategory are statements relating to the expectations for the year group. Teachers simply mark the extent to which the statement has been achieved (utilising the key at the bottom of the page) and then use best fit to determine the overall standard of the writing.
In addition to the Word documents (allowing you to edit if you need to) I've also added the documents as a PDF, in case the formatting differs on your computer.
Persuasive Devices - Knowing the Words Inside Out! (Helpsheets, Poster, and Worksheet Templates)
These colourful, engaging and informative posters/ help-sheets are perfect to help your students gain a broad and deep understanding of each of the key persuasive devices, thus vastly improving their textual analysis and enhancing their persuasive/argumentative writing attempts.
Each sheet displays the key word in the middle, and then answers some of the key questions surrounding the words, including:
- What does it mean?
- How many syllables does it have?
- What are examples of it?
- How do I spell it?
- When would I use this?
- What type of word is it?
- Where does the word come from?
There are sheets for: Statistics, Personal Pronouns, Anecdotes, Rhetorical Questions, Repetition, Colloquial Language, Connectives, List of Three, Imperatives, Emotive Language. These can be used as help-sheets as students write (my students love this) or blown up to A3 to use as classroom posters.
I have also provided blank templates for each word, so that students can fill in the everything that they know about the words themselves, which makes for an excellent starter, plenary, or recap activity.
Truly Effective Persuasive Devices!
This visual and highly engaging set of resources is designed to enable students to use imaginative and original persuasive devices in their own writing. Through following the interesting learning journey, students are given the opportunity to:
- Define each persuasive device;
- Identify these in existing persuasive texts;
- Analyse their effect in a longer persuasive text;
- Create their own persuasive device-filled piece, using a jointly-created success criteria based upon their analysis task;
- Peer assess each other's persuasive writing attempts.
All resources are provided, including:
- Visual PowerPoint presentation;
- Definitions cards (they just need printing and cutting out)
- Analysis worksheet;
- Lesson outline for teachers and learning support to follow.
Note: All pictures licensed for creative use - authors and sources labelled on the final slide of the presentation.
Four Pictures, One Word!
This is a great resource for lesson starters, building literacy across the curriculum, plenaries, or simply for fun. Based upon the popular mobile app, this visually engaging activity is highly effective at promoting engagement and getting students thinking about words - many of whom seem to love playing the game on their phones! It is particularly useful for Literacy practitioners who are looking to expand students' vocabularies and/or raise the subject of homonyms.
There are a range of challenges:
Green = Beginner level
Amber= Intermediate level
Red = Expert level
The document is easily editable, so you can also add in your own pictures and challenges. Also, all of the pictures used are licensed for commercial use, and all authors are cited.
Pointless - Building Varied Verbs Edition
Based on the popular game show 'Pointless', this resource is perfect for use as a starter activity, plenary, or revision tool. Editable, so that you can change to any other topic or change the questions/answers. Containing almost 30 slides of sound clips, engaging visuals, and suitably challenging questions, this resource is effective at both promoting engagement and enhancing learning.
There are several full rounds of questions to build students' understanding of verbs, including:
1. Finding synonyms of dull verbs
2. Defining verbs
3. Unscrambling anagrams of verbs
4. Finding the most complex and interesting verbs
The nature of the game ensures that this resource can challenge students of all levels.
Capturing the Readers' Attention!
This highly engaging and informative lesson helps students to use appropriate, sophisticated, and original techniques in creating writing that can hold their readers' attention.
Students learn:
- How to use their five senses in writing;
- How to relate the senses to the descriptive devices;
- How to create a 'hook' in their writing;
- How to create mystery in their writing;
- How to analyse and evaluate existing examples of descriptive writing;
Included are all worksheets, and detailed and visual PowerPoint presentation, which explains each concept clearly, cards for the interactive 'senses' game, and a lesson plan for teacher guidance.
Alternatively, you can buy the Descriptive Writing Big Bundle (All descriptive devices lessons, structuring and organising writing lesson, capturing the readers attention lesson, and the literacy writing mat) for £6
All images are licensed for commercial use, and authors are cited on the final slide.
Descriptive Devices - Knowing the Words Inside Out! (Helpsheets, Posters and Worksheet Templates)
These colourful, engaging and informative posters/ help-sheets are perfect to help your students gain a broad and deep understanding of each of the key descriptive devices, thus vastly improving their textual analysis and enhancing their creative writing attempts.
Each sheet displays the key word in the middle, and then answers some of the key questions surrounding the words, including:
- What does it mean?
- How many syllables does it have?
- What are examples of it?
- How do I spell it?
- When would I use this?
- What type of word is it?
- Where does the word come from?
There are sheets for: Similes, Metaphors, Hyperbole, Adjectives, Adverbs, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, Verbs, Personification, and Verbs. These can be used as help-sheets as students write (my students love this) or blown up to A3 to use as classroom posters.
I have also provided blank templates for each word, so that students can fill in the everything that they know about the words themselves, which makes for an excellent starter, plenary, or recap activity.
Descriptive Writing - Full Assessment including Insert and Mark Scheme
I have recently taught a descriptive writing unit, and devised this assessment to gauge how students descriptive skills have progressed over the term. It includes the question paper, the mark scheme, and the reading insert.
Formal enough to ensure that the students took the assessment seriously, but engaging enough to ensure that all students wanted to complete all of the tasks, (they hate some of the practice exam questions that exam boards provide on the past papers) all of my students seemed to enjoy completing this more than they normally enjoy assessments!
The assessment is designed to gauge students' skill in:
- Defining and giving examples of descriptive devices;
- Identifying descriptive devices in texts;
- Analysing the effect of descriptive writing in a vivid description of a 'Nightmare World.'
- Creating their own descriptive piece about a their own nightmare world.
This lesson can either be bought individually, or as part of the Descriptive Writing Big Bundle (which works out cheaper.)
VCOP - Openers
Perfect for English lessons, or as part of a literacy across the curriculum scheme, the VCOP lessons aim to build students' fundamental writing skills.
Engaging, differentiated, and easily adaptable, this lesson aims to improve students' skills at using varied and appropriate sentence openers, following a logical learning journey to ensure that students learn in bite-size steps:
- Defining the different words that they can use to vary how they open sentences;
- Identifying varied openers in humorous writing examples;
- Analysing varied openings in an interesting descriptive passage;
- Creating a descriptive piece, using varied sentence openers;
- Peer or self evaluating the effectiveness of their varied sentence openers.
Resources, worksheets, and a lesson plan are provided.
This resource can either be bought alone, or as part of a VCOP bundle (see resource VCOP - All lessons & scheme - vocabulary, connectives, openers, punctuation) for just £1 more.
VCOP - Vocabulary
Perfect for English lessons, or as part of a literacy across the curriculum scheme, the VCOP lessons aim to build students' fundamental writing skills.
Engaging, differentiated, and easily adaptable, this lesson aims to improve students' skills at using varied and appropriate vocabulary, following a logical learning journey to ensure that students learn in bite-size steps:
- Defining word types;
- Identifying varied vocabulary in humorous writing examples;
- Analysing varied vocabulary in an interesting descriptive passage;
- Creating their descriptive piece, using varied vocabulary;
- Peer or self evaluating their varied vocabulary attempts.
Resources, worksheets, and a lesson plan are provided.
This resource can either be bought alone, or as part of a VCOP bundle (see resource VCOP - All lessons & scheme - vocabulary, connectives, openers, punctuation) for just £1 more.
VCOP - Connectives
Perfect for English lessons, or as part of a literacy across the curriculum scheme, the VCOP lessons aim to build students' fundamental writing skills.
Engaging, differentiated, and easily adaptable, this lesson aims to improve students' skills at using varied and appropriate connectives in their writing, following a logical learning journey to ensure that students learn in bite-size steps:
- Defining connectives types;
- Identifying connectives in humorous writing examples;
- Analysing connectives in an interesting descriptive passage;
- Creating a descriptive piece, using varied connectives;
- Peer or self evaluating their writing attempts, and in particular the use of connectives
Resources, worksheets, and a lesson plan are provided.
This resource can either be bought alone, or as part of a VCOP bundle (see resource VCOP - All lessons & scheme - vocabulary, connectives, openers, punctuation) for just £1 more.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe KS2 Comprehension Activities Booklet!
This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of C.S Lewis's 'The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.' Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the upper KS2 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text.
Activities within the booklet include:
- 'An Interview with Peter' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;'
- 'Lewis's Description' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;'
- 'Aslan' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;'
- 'Figurative Language in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, to create an impact on the reader.'
Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is 21 pages in length!) I've also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).
A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Bad Beginning - KS2 Comprehension Activities Booklet!
This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Lemony Snicket's 'A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Bad Beginning.' Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the upper KS2 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text.
Activities within the booklet include:
- 'An Interview with Violet' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;'
- 'Snicket's Description' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;'
- 'Count Olaf' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;'
- 'Figurative Language in 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, to create an impact on the reader.'
Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is 21 pages in length!) I've also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl - KS2 Comprehension Activities Booklet!
This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Roald Dahl's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.' Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS2 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text.
Activities within the booklet include:
- 'An Interview with Charlie Bucket' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;'
- 'Dahl's Description' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;'
- 'Willy Wonka' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;'
- 'Figurative Language' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, to create an impact on the reader.'
Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 20 pages in length!) I've also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).
The Witches - Roald Dahl - KS2 Comprehension Activities Booklet!
This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Roald Dahl's 'The Witches.' Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS2 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text.
Activities within the booklet include:
- 'An Interview with The Grand Head Witch' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;'
- 'Dahl's Description' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;'
- 'Description of the Grand Head Witch' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;'
- 'Figurative Language' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, to create an impact on the reader.'
Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 20 pages in length!) I've also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer.
All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).