This is a unit of work for music originally planned for Year 4, but I have used to great effect across KS2. It focuses on teaching pupils how to record their ideas more formally on paper, but also provides ample opportunity for children to listen carefully to well known pieces of music - mostly classical. It was originally planned in 2011, but has been updated to cover all aspects of the current musical curriculum. • Use and understand staff and other musical notations • Play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression. • Improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music. • Appreciate and understand a wide range of high-quality live and recorded music drawn from different traditions and from great composers and musicians. • Develop an understanding of the history of music. • Listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory. Key musical vocabulary covered includes: timbre; pitch; tempo; dynamics; rhythm and pulse. This resource includes: • Planning – linked to the current Music National Curriculum. • Presentation – in both Smart Notebook and Powerpoint format. • Videos – hyperlinked within the presentations. I was unable to upload this as a zipped folder so I am hoping that the hyperlinks work despite the fact I have had to upload the files separately. If not they will be quite quick to switch to manually. • Example of a simple graphic score produced by my class. • Blank 16 bar graphic grid for pupils (ideally photocopied onto A3). • Lesson 1 acts as a baseline assessment. In order to add a cross-curricular element, Session One can be easily adapted to suit current affairs or class topic, and Sessions Four and Five can be adapted to suit a text being studied in Literacy or Guided Reading (details given in planning). NOTE: Once downloaded, please save the video clips/music extracts and the PowerPoint in one folder together so that the hyperlinks on the PowerPoint can find the clips! **Musical instrument cards mentioned in Lesson 1 are not included in this resource and are not essential for the lesson (instruments can be allocated by the teacher or chosen by pupils rather than using the cards for random selection). Instrument cards are available to purchase separately from my shop if it is something you would like. ** Thank you for looking :)

A set of 30 cards, each featuring the name of a percussion instrument and an image of it. I printed these on card and laminated them and I have used them in many different ways; here are some examples: Sorting activities: encourage children to become more familiar with the instruments and calling them by the correct name by inviting them to sort them according to their own or pre-defined criteria, e.g. tuned/untuned, metal/wooden… Children select a card at the start of a lesson…this is the instrument they will be using (saves arguments and also prevents against six sets of cymbals crashing all lesson!) Use as labels for instruments in your music room or instrument store - great for music subject-leaders who are struggling to keep the cupboard tidy! Separate the names from the images and invite children to match the name to the correct instrument. Give children different themes for compositions and ask them to select the instruments that they think would be most suited to that theme and explain why, e.g. drums and cymbals for a storm composition.

This effective interactive display was used in a Year 4 classroom for assessment to save marking! I used it as a baseline assessment and again at the end of the unit of work and simply took a photograph of each pupil’s effort as evidence and noted down anything they may have said whilst doing the activity. Unfortunately I don’t have a photograph of this display, but here is a rough description of how I arranged it: Headings ‘soluble’ and ‘insoluble’ for pupils to organise substances such as flour, salt, rice & sand underneath. Headings ‘Reversible’ and ‘Irreversible’ for pupils to organise descriptions of different changes under, e.g. ‘freezing orange juice to make lollies’. Matching the vocabulary to the correct definition (these could also be used as flash cards as another form of assessment), e.g. dissolve, filter, sieving. Gas, solid and liquid with their properties and a simple particle diagram. I also provided the children with post-it notes and they added their own examples of gases, solids and liquids; irreversible and reversible changes; and soluble and insoluble materials to the display as the unit progressed. I mounted the text on black card and laminated it as I knew they would be handled a lot. I just put blu-tac on the back, but Velcro would be another option. My display is quite plain as I didn’t want to distract pupils when assessing them, but the display is provided in Word format as well as PDF so it can be glammed up with colour if you like. There are many ways that this display could be used. One activity that I did later on in the year was to bring out the cards and use them as headings on a giant Carroll Diagram (the assessment was for maths data handling but it was good to revise the vocabulary). Pupils placed items under headings ‘soluble’ and ‘insoluble’ and other criteria such as ‘edible’ or ‘inedible’. I also used a Venn diagram for solids and liquids and children placed food items and other items in two qiant PE hoops with an overlap in the middle. I hope you enjoy using this resource and I hope that it saves you some time!

Supports the CPA approach to teaching mathematics (concrete, pictorial, abstract). Ready to go classroom display aimed at helping pupils to articulate what they have ‘done in their heads’ when adding and subtracting mentally. Encourages pupils to try different strategies and choose the most appropriate strategy for the calculation they are presented with. The resource includes nine thought bubbles with pictorial representations of the strategies and nine text boxes with the strategies in writing, as well as the title. PDF version is included and also fully editable Microsoft Word version (font is Sassoon Primary but can easily be changed). Suitable for use in both KS1 and KS2. This resource can also be bought as part of a package of mental addition and subtraction activities.

Originally used in my Y6 classroom, this simple and clear resource consists of eight different ways of opening sentences with an example underneath each. I laminated these and displayed them permanently on my working wall for pupils to refer to when they were struggling to vary their sentence openers - particularly in narrative writing. Could be used across KS2 - particularly if each type of opener was introduced one at a time, or challenge pupils to include a particular kind of opener in their writing for that lesson. Both PDF and Word formats included. If this resources isn’t for you then maybe take a look at my octopus opener display and PowerPoint or Sentence Openers Display Bundle.

Ideal for starter activities, stolen moments, morning task , finisher’s activities or mental maths lessons. These are all ready to go activities that have a low entry point and high ceiling, making them self-differentiating and accessible to pupils across KS2. Each activity is designed to develop pupil’s reasoning skills and make rich connections across mathematical ideas. The activities range from 5 minute fillers to investigations that can be extended to span a whole lesson. There are 37 activities, but these can be very quickly and easily adapted to provide hundreds of activities. These are all activities that I have done with my pupils throughout the year; I have simply collated them onto one Powerpoint. Each slide includes explanation beneath and ideas to support/extend learning. Thank you for looking.

This resource has seven multi-step problems to solve. Some of the problems have two examples, so you can work through the first example as a class to develop strategies and then the pupils can have a go independently. Alternatively, let them have a go first and then demonstrate more efficient strategies. There is also a quick starter activity based on measures as this was a focus for my class at the time and some of the questions involve converting measures. The questions are provided in SMART Notebook and PowerPoint format for display on the interactive whiteboard, and in PDF and Word format as a paper resource. These were originally used in Year 4 as an end of term activity and are based on the NNS Puzzles and Problems for Years 3 & 4; however, they could be used across KS2 with different levels of support. Ideas for use: Time filler for stolen moments at the end of term. Developing problem / investigation solving. Stick the question onto a large piece of paper and solve as a group. Adult-led guided group activity/assessment opportunity. Part of a Travel Agent role play corner. Early finishers work Homework activity School work for pupils going on a long holiday during term time (if you dare!) More able or Upper KS2 pupils could devise their own problems in the same format to truly demonstrate their understanding.

This is a sheet of questions about fractions, decimals, ratios and percentages. This is perfect for the beginning of a topic to ascertain individual and collective gaps and strengths. The activity could even be given as a homework. The questions get progressively more difficult and span from Level 3 - Level 6. The sheet can be easily edited in Word format so that the levels aren’t visible to pupils. There is also a record sheet for teachers with the objectives at the top of the sheet. Teachers can use a system of ticks and crosses to fill in the boxes, but I use a highlighter to indicate the objectives achieved. I then use this to inform my planning and guided groups. At the end of the topic I give the pupils the questions again and record on the same sheet using a different highlighter so that progress is clearly visible. As well as PDF, resource is provided in Word format for easy editing.

A ready to go set of ten multi-step worded questions (some like mini investigations) that require pupils to use their knowledge of inverse operations. This activity took a whole lesson with a Year 6 class for me. Differentiated questions: yellow cards are Level 4 questions, blue cards are Level 5 questions and green cards are Level 6 questions. Ideas for use: Print on card, cut up and distribute around the class for pupils to solve in groups. Place the card on a large sheet of sugar paper and jot workings around the outside. Share strategies as a class. Whisper Maths activity: pupils have some time to consider the question individually first and then snowball out into pairs and then groups. Set up as a competition, with tables coming to the front for the next card once they have provided the correct solution. Early finishers activity. Print cards on paper, cut up and stick one (at the appropriate level) in each child’s book for them to jot around and solve individually. Guided intervention activity. The resource is provided in PDF as well as an editable Word document and the answers are included. Many thanks for looking.

Seven sessions of planning, accompanying PowerPoint and paper resources. Each session takes around 30 minutes and are aimed at Years 5 & 6. The objectives covered are: To correctly use the common homophones – there, their, they’re and where, wear, were and we’re. To spell unstressed vowels in polysyllabic words. To spell words with common letter strings and different pronunciations. To spell words with common pronunciations but different letter strings. To explore the spelling patterns of consonants and to formulate rules. To explore the spelling patterns of consonants and to formulate rules. To explore less common prefixes and suffixes.

This is a simple display that I put on the back of my classroom door. It consisted of an octopus in the middle with eight different ways of opening a sentence around it - one at each tentacle. One of my pupils drew and painted a octopus for me, but I have included an image of an octopus in the resource to save you time - just enlarge to A3. Of course, you could ditch the Octopus completely (especially for older children) and just display on the wall or laminate and add to a working wall. There is a PowerPoint to accompany the display, which is probably best if you focus on experimenting with one type of opener at a time to let it sink in! The PowerPoint is really plain and simple as it is intended to be annotated and used interactively as opposed to a presentation. Octopus picture credit: http://cliparts.co/octopus-clip-art

A set of nine mini-investigations that can be set up at different stations for pupils to move around and experiment. Idea for use: Laminate the instruction cards and set them up on tables with the required equipment. Provide groups with an A3 print out of the recording sheet to jot down notes as they carousel around the activities, or provide individual sheets at A4 size either during or after carrying out the mini-investigations. Files are provided in Word format as well as PDF for easy editing if necessary. The tasks are designed to link really well with the Year 4 Programme of Study for Science, but I did this with a Y3/4/5/6 mix class (!) and they all seemed to get a lot out of it. There was lots of discussion in the room and it was great to hear pupils practising the vocabulary of sound (e.g. vibrate, medium, volume, source). Would work well as a revision activity, baseline assessment for starting the topic, or as a Science Week activity. Year 4 ScienceProgramme of Study Sound Pupils should be taught to: • identify how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating • recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear • find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it • find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it • recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases

This resource is really useful for a fun end of term or Christmas maths or Enterprise activity related to planning a party. This is also great for honing team work skills as the pupils may have a strong difference of opinion and need to compromise. Simply choose a budget and send groups off to plan the best whole class party for their money. Pupils have to figure out whether the special offers are really that special and if the branded products are really worth the extra money. There are many ways that you could assess this activity, but I went round and talked to the children, asking them to justify why they had made certain choices. Maths Coverage Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals, Ratio Measures Money Problem Solving Reasoning Using a calculator (if desired) I followed this up with a discussion on healthy eating: what foods do we normal eat at parties? Are there healthier alternatives? This proved to be a really interesting and extremely worthwhile activity and resulted in a healthy end of term party. As well as PDF, the resource is provided in Word format to give you the opportunity to edit.

Guided reading planning for Y5/Y6 more able readers based on the text ‘Journey to the River Sea’. Six sessions of planning are included, although in reality it could spread over a much longer period of time if you wanted! The other files included are pictures of the Amazon used in lesson one. The planning includes teacher discussion prompts (each linked to AFs) and a follow up reading activity. In my class I had four groups and ran guided reading over four days. Each group had one session with me and three independent days. The pupils followed this cycle over the four days: Pre-reading in preparation for Book Club. Preparing answers for Book Club. Children had a preview of some of the more complex questions and wrote their answers in their reading journals. This had the benefit of me being able to ‘pick on’ any child without them being flustered, but also meant I had some written evidence for all pupils every week (I was finding that some weeks I hadn’t written any notes for some pupils during the Book Club session). Book Club with teacher. Follow-up task. Each group knew which day of the week was their follow-up/Book Club/prep day. On the fifth day I heard individual readers and the pupils did free reading of their own books/magazines. I sometimes used this day to catch up if we had missed a guided reading session earlier in the week due to special assemblies etc. (often the case!).

This was a bank of ideas that I put together for a very able Year 4 writer. It includes lots of techniques that pupils can use in their narrative writing to make their fictional characters more believable and three-dimensional. Perhaps most suitable for Upper Key Stage 2, but could be used with talented younger writers and with pupils in KS3 also. Resource is provided in PDF format and also Word format so that you can edit it. I have also provided it in black and white and full colour. Ideas for use: Provide pupils with a black and white A4 version to stick in their exercise books; when they have tried a technique in their writing they can colour in the bubble. At the beginning of a piece of writing encourage pupils to decide on a characterisation technique that they will try to include. Enlarge to A3 an display on working wall. Laminate and position in literacy toolkit or table trays; encourage pupils to go and grab it when they want to improve their writing or are struggling for ideas. Provide pupils with a black and white A4 version in their reading journal; when they spot that an author has used a particular characterisation technique they can colour in that bubble.

Ready-to-go ideas for developing pupils’ ability to add and subtract mentally and to reason about number. These activities link strongly with the CPA (concrete, pictorial, abstract) approach to teaching maths. I created these activities for a research project I was conducting in school as part of my Maths Specialist Teacher qualification. They are all aimed at improving children’s mental addition and subtraction by developing a broad range of strategies and encouraging them to reason about number. We had found that children were entering KS2 with only a handful of (often cumbersome) mental strategies, e.g. partitioning into tens and units, using number bonds to ten only or counting on/back in ones, and weren’t always applying them appropriately. We used the activities with Y3 and Y4 children, but it can be used from Y2 upwards as it links very strongly with the Y2 curriculum. The resource includes differentiated activities with written descriptions and accompanying interactive whiteboard slides and paper resources where applicable. Slides were originally in SMARTboard format and this is perhaps the best software to use if you have it as the slides can be interacted with this way; however, I have also copied the slides over to a PowerPoint presentation for those without SMARTboard software. Also included is a wall display, which shows visual representations of different strategies for mental addition and subtraction. The activities can be adapted for all year groups and abilities and you will find a lot more mileage in this resource once you get started and the impact on the classes studied in terms of both their confidence and ability in mental maths was phenomenal. National Curriculum Links Pupils should partition numbers in different ways (for example, 23 = 20 + 3 and 23 = 10 + 13) to support subtraction. Recall and use addition and subtraction facts to 20 fluently, and derive and use related facts up to 100 Add and subtract numbers using concrete objects, pictorial representations, and mentally, including: a two-digit number and ones; a two-digit number and tens; two two-digit numbers; adding three one-digit numbers. Show that addition of two numbers can be done in any order (commutative) and subtraction of one number from another cannot Recognise and use the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction and use this to check calculations and solve missing number problems. Pupils practise addition and subtraction to 20 to become increasingly fluent in deriving facts such as using 3 + 7 = 10; 10 – 7 = 3 and 7 = 10 – 3 to calculate 30 + 70 = 100; 100 – 70 = 30 and 70 = 100 – 30. They check their calculations, including by adding to check subtraction and adding numbers in a different order to check addition (for example, 5 + 2 + 1 = 1 + 5 + 2 = 1 + 2 + 5). This establishes commutativity and associativity of addition.

This display was used whilst teaching the IPC ‘Brainwave’ topic to a Y6 class. It covers: The different kinds of intelligence. Interesting facts about the brain. Labels for different parts of the brain. I painted a large brain and put it in the middle of the display with the text added around it. For those that don’t have time to paint (!) I have added an image of the brain to the last page of the resource that can be scaled up to A3 or you could ask your pupils to draw one.

This is a great investigation that builds so many rich mathematics connections. It is easily differentiated as the entry point is simple but more able pupils can extend right into algebra. I did this lesson with my Year 6 class, but it could be accessed by pupils across Key Stage 2. It supports the CPA approach to teaching maths as pupils realise that physically moving the ‘people’ (or rubbers, pencil sharpeners or whatever!) across the river (concrete) or using marks on paper (pictorial) really helps with this investigation. Whereas the higher ability pupils can move into the more abstract realm of writing a formula to predict how many trips are needed for x amount of people. Includes lesson plan, a PowerPoint or SMART notebook file so that question can be displayed on the interactive whiteboard and a pupil sheet also with the question on. The lesson also has a starter activity, which is unrelated to the investigation but a nice starter nonetheless!

Using the context of a dodgy car dealer, children must practise finding fractions of quantities to make sure that they get the best deal. Originally I used this with Year 4, but I think it could also work with Year 5 and less able Year 6 pupils. Resource is provided in PDF and editable Word format.

I created these ‘Odd One Out’ activities as part of a maths corridor display. It was designed for use by the whole school (Foundation to Y6) and the aim was the develop reasoning and raise the profile of maths in the school. This could also be used alongside my Developing Reasoning Powerpoint as an activity for staff to try during the session. As well as PDF, resource is provided in Word format for easy editing.