A PowerPoint explaining how Anthony Browne put his pictures together in Willy’s Pictures to tell stories, by looking at the work of other famous artists.
Anthony Browne was a past Children’s Laurette and is a leading illustrator and author. His picture books are literate and, often, contain a darkly humourous subtext. Willy’s Pictures uses famous paintings to create a sketch book of stories, with surreal images of Willy from the Willy the Wimp series of books.
You can use this power point as a way of exploring the pictures in the book and the famous art it refers to, as well as the way pictures are composed and are used as a method of expression. Honestly, though, it’s not as boring as it sounds…!
Two lesson plans, worksheets and a presentation to get young children thinking about measuring and potions! Inspired by The Witches’ Spell in Macbeth by William Shakespeare, these sessions are part of a longer unit covering all areas of curriculum, but are great as stand alone sessions too.
In this pack are two lesson plans and the printable resources, plus the presentation, that you’ll need for sessions brave EYFS children and their teachers. The children are introduced to the basic terms for comparing different capacities and there is a good balance of practical and formal work. Aims and success criteria are made clear, as are the key words and resources needed for the activities that take place. This is a resource heavy topic, but I hope that I have made it as simple and practical as possible, while still being creative and fun for everyone. If physical resources are not available, substituting for alternatives is great for the imagination and pictures can do the job as well.
Differentiation is built into the sessions, and the lessons can be seen as a starting point for your own ideas. There is scope for further development into a longer term project, with potion making and further measurement activities etc. Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 measurement activities will take the capacity and witches’ spell theme further, so please look out for them.
To hear a FREE recording of the poem that inspired the activities, please go to https://soundcloud.com/user-983069543/the-witches-spell
Piratey project stuff… there are resources here about famous pirates, pirate flags, pirate ships, what pirates ate and drank, piratey words and much, much more! There’s even a chance to design your own pirate flag.
All resources have been reviewed and renewed for their eleventh successful year! Please enjoy them and share how you’ve got on with them on #edutwitter, if you have had fun!
Follow me on twitter @EmmisStories to find out more resources and activities, and story related work
Piratey project stuff, just as broadcast! How cool is that? Everything you need (minus a bit that you probably you need as well, but this is a start) for project work on pirates in the Caribbean - who they were, what there flags were like (if you believe the rumours), what they are and drank (with recipes), and what their ships were like. The information is provided via recently reviewed and renewed PowerPoints and a newly updated wordcard. Good sailing me hearties!
Follow me on twitter @EmmisStories
A fun-packed, jam-packed goodie bag of Tricks and Treats for primary aged children at Hallowe'en time. There's a detailed set of activities for drama games, an arty party and warm-up games with a spooky twist, involving music, mindfulness, concentration , role-play, and moments of calm.
The activities can form sessions on their own, but can be cherry picked to be incorporated to stimulate or round-off similarly themed lessons.
At the end of the document, there's a short but informative recommended book list, including notes on the origins of the folk stories we know today that are far more terrifying in their original forms than their Disneyified counterparts.
JUST ADDED! A set of worksheets based on the skull decorations often seen during Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico and America. The first sheet provides illustrative examples for the children to look at and discuss (as a class. group, talking partner etc), the second sheet is a very basic colouring in (that can be added to with the children's own design and flowers etc), and the third is the basic skull shape, which is up to the children to design (and again flowers etc can be added). The children's skull pictures can be printed or stuck to card and made into masks by cutting out the eye holes and making holes at either side of the face.
A word mat of pirate words and a power point presentation on legends of pirates. It is made available here in both editable and PDF form for your free use.
Here are lots of activities based on the full text of the tale of Hansel and Gretel from the collection made by the Grimm brothers. There’s loads of ideas for both indoors and outdoors, with plenty to keep children’s minds and hands busy and active as they explore and learn, while interacting with one of Europe’s oldest folk tales.
There is a full introduction to the text used, with a brief historical notes on the context of the setting. I have included an approach to how to bring the text to children, either as a read story or a performed oral tale.
Following that, there are fun activities designed for warm-up games for concentration or drama, creative activities indoors or outdoors, at Forest School or outdoor learning areas. Tasks include: carving, cookery, puppetry, making and following pathways, fire safety, hot chocolate and bread, having a feast, drama, problem solving, art and design, science (light and dark), poetry and understanding texts. I have included a recommended background reading for teachers interested in the history of the Grimms Tales and the darker versions of the stories than the norm…
Most of the activities are suitable for EYFS or Key Stage 1, but Lower Key Stage 2 would probably benefit from them too.
Here are the full set of lesson plans, presentations and printable resources that you’ll need for sessions with EYFS, Key Stage 1 or 2 children and their teachers. These lessons introduce the famous ‘Double, double, toil and trouble…’ verses from the play, Macbeth, said by the witches as they create a spell and is a great way to bring children to the Bard for the first time. Children get to act out the spell and build their own verses, using key vocabulary, and rhythm and rhyme. There are also lessons on capacity, counting, sorting, music, and art.
Differentiation is built into the sessions, and the lessons can be seen as a starting point for your own ideas. There is scope for further development into a longer term project, with potion making and hallowe’en activities etc. A follow-up to the drama and music work could be a musical scene based on the spell, which could become a longer more demanding drama and movement performance for an assembly or end of term production, depending on the ability of your pupils.
Every lesson has clear aims and success criteria, a comprehensive list of resources, helpful key words and specially designed worksheets and/or presentations, which are all created to be adaptable for your settings and your classes. My aim to make something that is useful and usable for teachers, that is fun for everybody, while creating memorable educational experiences.
I have used the extract here with 3 to 11 year olds many times, and it is always a guaranteed winner, becoming a firm favourite warm-up game for drama activities.
To hear a FREE recording of the poem, please go to my SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-983069543/the-witches-spell
NOW REVISED AND UPDATED HERE
A quality lesson plan, worksheets and a presentation to get children thinking about measuring and potions! Inspired by The Witches’ Spell in Macbeth by William Shakespeare, these sessions are part of a longer unit covering all areas of curriculum, but are great as stand alone sessions too.
In this pack are two lesson plans and the printable resources, plus the presentation, that you’ll need for sessions brave Key Stage 2 children and their teachers. The children are given opportunities to calculate different capacities and there is a good balance of practical and formal work. Aims and success criteria are made clear, as are the key words and resources needed for the activities that take place. This is a resource heavy topic, but I hope that I have made it as simple and practical as possible, while still being creative and fun for everyone. If physical resources are not available, substituting for alternatives is great for the imagination and pictures can do the job as well.
EXTRA - Now with added Counting skills lesson!!! Don’t tell everyone, they’ll all want one.
Differentiation is built into the sessions, and the lessons can be seen as a starting point for your own ideas. Learning Objectives and Assessment for Learning boxes are included on the worksheets to help you with your marking. There is scope for further development into a longer term project, with potion making and further measurement activities etc. My EYFS and Key Stage 1 activities based on capacity and witches’ spell theme are also available via TES, so please look out for them.
Hear the poem read on SoundCloud here: https by ://soundcloud.com/user-983069543/the-witches-spell by your host. Yes, I know, I spoil you.
If you like my resources, I’d be really grateful for a review and some stars. If you don’t like them, ask your loved ones to stock up on flies for your breakfast x
Two user friendly lesson plans and sets of worksheets, with free audio, to download and use straightaway, in primary classrooms. They are fun, easy to manage and a great way to introduce Shakespeare to children, from Reception up to Year 6.
Each lesson has clear aims and criteria for achievement, differentiation for ability, a sample keywords and questions, a list of resources and next steps. Worksheets are plain and simple, and are designed specifically for the lessons, but can be adapted or seen as a template for your own worksheets or work in books. The lessons can be the starting point for other activities as a project on the text, such as music (creating a witches dance), science/technology (creating potions), maths (measuring potions, comparing measures etc) and so on. If you check out my resources, I have lesson plans based on the Witches Spell that you can use or adapt for your purposes, all for free.
I have used the extract here with 3 to 11 year olds, and it is always a guaranteed winner, becoming a firm favourite warm-up game for drama activities (reciting it, not, you know, heating up a cauldron or anything - Elf and Safety and all that, and I so got in trouble for destroying the Kingdom of Mordor, so not doing that again).
To hear a FREE recording of the poem, please go to my website: http://emblabee.org/the-31-days-of-scary-day-1/ or SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-983069543/the-witches-spell
If you like my resources, I’d be really grateful for a review and some stars. If you don’t like them, ask your loved ones to stock up on flies for your breakfast x
A lesson plan and worksheets (or ideas for display activities) for the ingredients. Great inspiration for World Book Day or Book Week activities, or inspiring young readers and writers to talk about their favourite books, this will get them thinking and putting ideas on paper or provide a focus for a class discussion.
Suitable for EYFS and KS1, I have done this activity as individual, group and class discussion work, and each time it has been different and the same! It's always fun, interactive, spirited, but full of ideas that come out of nowhere. Be prepared to be amazed.
Please let me know how you get on, via the review box or twitter @EmmisStories
An introduction to story writing for children, as it goes through the basics of identifying what makes a character interesting and then how to create characters, step by step. There are tips for teachers on how to deliver the lesson, aims, success criteria, and a list of easy-to-find resources. Used in conjunction with my What Makes a Good Story? lesson (find it here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/what-makes-a-good-story-11809440), they make a good sequence of lessons.
This is a lesson that has been tried and tested in the classroom and really works! Adaptable across the primary age range, this lesson works best with Key Stage 1 and Lower Key Stage 2.
A brief discussion of the themes behind Remembrance Day and how this can be introduced to young children in Primary Schools and carried forward with older children in Secondary Schools. There is information about the history of Remembrance Day, practical ideas for how to deal with the complex issues with children at an appropriate level and where to find further information.
The ideas here can be used in lessons or assemblies, as you feel appropriate and right for your children. It can be tied to RE and PSE curricula.
Here is the complete set of updated lesson plans based on The Witches Spell by William Shakespeare in Macbeth, complete with sample worksheets for you to use, adapt, cut and treat as ever you wish! There are ideas here for every area of the curriculum from Art to PE, via English, Maths, Science, Design and dancing about in a witchy way when nobody is looking.
Suitable for children from EYFS to Key Stage 2, there are IWB resources for potion jar measurement, help with introducing poetry skills, a (not successful) guide to potion making and cauldron design. In fact, there is everything here for the budding witch and wizard teacher to show their class how to perform to the of their ability and finally get into Hogwarts.
Each lesson has detailed Aims, Success Criteria, structured teaching points, lists of key words, resources, and next steps. They include differentiation opportunities at three levels, although, as you know your class better than I do, please adjust and adapt these lessons. It is my hope that you see them as a starting point for your own adventure into Shakespeare and poetry with young children, and that you have fun exploring this topic as much as the children!
For a free recording of the poem, please follow this link: https://soundcloud.com/user-983069543/the-witches-spell It isn’t an actual witch, its me… Or is it?
Two lesson plans, worksheets and three presentations to get young children thinking about measuring and potions! Inspired by The Witches Spell in Macbeth by William Shakespeare, these sessions are part of a longer unit covering all areas of curriculum, but are great as stand alone sessions too.
EXTRA: now contains a session on counting skills too!
In this pack are two lesson plans and the printable resources, plus the presentation, that you’ll need for sessions brave Key Stage 1 children and their teachers. The children are introduced to the basic terms for measuring different capacities and there is a good balance of practical and formal work. Aims and success criteria are made clear, as are the key words and resources needed for the activities that take place. This is a resource heavy topic, but I hope that I have made it as simple and practical as possible, while still being creative and fun for everyone. If physical resources are not available, substituting for alternatives is great for the imagination and pictures can do the job as well.
Differentiation is built into the sessions, and the lessons can be seen as a starting point for your own ideas. Learning Objectives and Assessment For Learning boxes are included in the worksheets to help your marking go quickly, and are editable in the Word version of the documents. There is scope for further development into a longer term project, with potion making and further measurement activities etc. A Key Stage 2 measurement activity takes the capacity and witches’ spell theme further, so please look out for it.
To hear a FREE recording of the poem that inspired the activities, please go to https://soundcloud.com/user-983069543/the-witches-spell I know, I spoil you!
If you like my resources, I’d be really grateful for a review and some stars. If you don’t like them, ask your loved ones to stock up on flies for your breakfast x
Based on The Witches Spell by Shakespeare, this is an engaging and fun lesson designed to help children develop and describe strategies to count objects up to 100.
It requires children to count the contents of cauldron, and encourages the use of estimation, multiplication and a range of mathematical strategies. A variety of teaching methods are employed, so that the children have the opportunity to explore and learn in the ways that best suit them.
A simple to use lesson plan, complete with aims and success criteria relating to the National Curriculum and EYFS, it should be easy to pick up and teach with minimum hassle and organisation. A specially prepared presentation and worksheet are included here and are ready for use, but can be adapted easily for your own children. If you would like any further adaptions, please contact me, emma@emblabee.org for more information.
I’d be grateful if you like my resources here to add review and rate them. Thanks!
To hear The Witches Spell read by host, click here: https://soundcloud.com/user-983069543/the-witches-spell
Three sets lesson plans, worksheets and full notes on how to deliver fab experiences to get young children thinking! Inspired by **The Witches Spell **in Macbeth by William Shakespeare, these sessions are part of a longer unit covering all areas of curriculum, but are great as stand alone sessions too.
In this pack are three lesson plans, and any printable resources you’ll need or may like as inspiration. The children are given opportunities to make music, sort objects, and create a cauldron of their own. Aims and success criteria are included in the plans, as are a list key words and resources needed for the activities that take place. I’ve put in some handy hints in too, but feel free to ignore them if you want to (I ignore me too, sometimes).
There are three levels of activities within the lessons, although you know your class best so you can take my ideas and the editable version of the lesson plans and run with the ideas. Learning Objectives and Assessment for Learning boxes are included on the worksheets to marking as straightforward as possible. There is scope for further development into a longer term project, with potion making and further potion and magical activities etc. if you’re inspired and brave.
All of the resources can be easily adapted for your use in the classroom, and the lessons are user friendly and well tested (by me). Nobody has ended up being turned into a frog yet. I’m making no comments about anyone being a toad already.
This is a lesson plan and related resources for a Key Stage 1 Guided Reading session based on Where the Wild Things Are. Key learning objectives are included for both Year 1 and Year 2, a whole class plan, and differentiated group plans with specific questions tailored for each group. Essential and recommended resources are included in the plan. Homework sheets are here at two different levels, to follow-up the work done in class. The lesson plan here is the first part of a unit based on Where the Wild Things Are, a book described as a classic of American Literature.
I have designed a simple blank plans and reflections for teachers, student teachers and supply teachers. This a PDF version, suitable for making speedy handwritten notes, that can help teachers think through what they are doing and pass on the information necessary for their sessions to TAs and other classroom support.
There are sections to indicate what resources are needed, what extra support or extension tasks should be given, the day’s timetable, what went well and the next steps to take in the children’s learning.
The diary style of planning and reflection here is meant to inform and guide the teacher through their activities with their pupils, and is based on years of researched and tested ways of working. There are several different formats here for you to choose from, so feel free to pick what suits you best or to cherry pick elements from these to create your own.
I would love to hear your feedback. Please let me know here, or via twitter @EmmisStories
Updated and Expanded VERSION
A detailed teaching guide for EYFS and LKS2 based on the traditional version of Snow White. A complete unit of work, it now comprises of extensive ideas for activities, both indoors and outdoors, and two complete lesson plans and resources. Used in conjunction with the story or a trip to the pantomime, this is a great way to get children thinking and loving a traditional story.
Most of the activities are based in drama, art & technology and literacy, and there are opportunities for outdoor learning which encompass geography and design technology.
Included in the pack are background notes on the history and changes to the text since it first appeared in print, suggested further reading and almost unnecessary references to Chris Hemsworth. I have included my notes on how I would approach telling the tale to a class as a oral tale - where I would have breaks for discussion (and a breather) and to create some tension in the tale.
I’d love to hear how you get on with your sessions, so please let me know here or via twitter @EmmisStories. Failing that, just enjoy the pack and have fun with the kids!