A teacher and tutor with more than thirty years' experience working in both mainstream and independent schools. I have an Honours degree in English Literature and Linguistics from UEA and have written a dissertation about encouraging children to write. I am a mother of three and interested in all things green. I am in the process of setting up my TES shop and hope to launch my "Spagbag" resources which are suitable for both Primary and Secondary aged pupils.
A teacher and tutor with more than thirty years' experience working in both mainstream and independent schools. I have an Honours degree in English Literature and Linguistics from UEA and have written a dissertation about encouraging children to write. I am a mother of three and interested in all things green. I am in the process of setting up my TES shop and hope to launch my "Spagbag" resources which are suitable for both Primary and Secondary aged pupils.
This resource looks at the problems faced by sea turtles in our polluted world and asks pupils to think of ways in which they might help creatures such as these. There is a how to guide on drawing a sea turtle and also a further investigation worksheet on finding out what sea turtles like to eat.
This resource would support study of seas and oceans and conservation issues. I include a Planet Patrol puzzle which has over twenty interlocked words to find concerning endangered animals. This could be easily differentiated to suit age and ability. All answers provided.
This resource compliments other resources available in my shop.
Suitable for ages 8+
This animated Powerpoint resource bases its information on Newt Scamander's special edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and compares and contrasts three pure bred breeds of dragon namely the Antipodean Opaleye, the Ukrainian Ironbelly and the Hungarian Horntail. Pupils are given a series of questions to answer based on this information and asked to compile an eye-witness report for The Ukrainian Daily Herald of an Ironbelly swooping over the Black Sea with disastrous consequences for the occupants of an unsuspecting sailing ship.
All answers are provided together with orders of merit upon completion of the task.Students are given reminders about how to organise their information effectively.
Fun activity for Harry Potter fans revising comprehension skills , report writing and independent reading.Students also get to devise their own dragon names!
Suitable for ages 8+
This animated Powerpoint gives advice on how to make a persuasive speech by following five simple steps. The AFOREST acronym is used to remind students of the features of persuasive writing.Pupils are required to write speeches of their own , putting themselves forward for election as head boy or head girl in the form of Ronald Dump who wants to build a wall in the school gym or , alternatively, as Angela Smirkle who advocates an open door policy.
This resource is ideal for revising persuasive writing techniques in light of the current political shananigans and is suitable for students aged 11 to 16.
This powerpoint tells the story of six blind men and an elephant. Each man believes he knows best about what an elephant is like, however they end up in an argument. A wise woman explains to them that they each encountered a small part of the creature in the cave and that they need to learn to see the bigger picture and listen better to one another.
A useful resource to use in assembly . Suitable for audiences of 5 to 10 years of age.
This animated powerpoint comprises eight slides celebrating the spooky spectacle of Halloween.
There are plenty of exercises involving adjectives, adverbs, fronted adverbials and apostrophes as well as poetry which could be used as a starting point for creative writing.
This resource would be ideal to use on the run up to half term as a means of revision or as inspiration for writing when trying to conjure up a spooky atmosphere.
This resource is intended to be used with pupils from 7 to 14 years.
This animated Power Point resource presents itself in the format of an Examination straight out of Hogwarts. Students read the descriptions of fantastic creatures such as the Hippogriff, the Basilisk and even the humble Puffskein and then answer questions about the information they have read. Students are required to draw detailed diagrams from the information they have acquired and are asked to compile their own entry to the latest edition of Fantastic Creatures concerning a new breed of werewolf.
Answers and feedback are provided in a humorous manner.
This resource is ideal to use in any exam period as a means of encouraging descriptive and informative writing whilst also inspiring students to read more widely from the pages of J.K.Rowling.
Suitable for Potter fans of all ages.
This resource is presented as an animated Powerpoint and in word format and takes inspiration from Newt Scamander’s fifty-second edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It showcases the native British breeds of dragon , namely the Common Welsh Green and the Hebridean Black. Pupils scour the information comparing and contrasting the physical attributes of these magnificent creatures in order to answer a series of questions. The answers are provided. Finally, they put their letter writing skills to the test by applying for an apprenticeship as a dragon trainer based in the Outer Hebrides under the auspices of the MacFusty clan.Pupils are reminded of the conventions of formal letter writing.
This is an activity which will appeal to Harry Potter fans and is one of three similar resources which can be found in my shop, each with different extended writing options.
Suitable for ages 8+
This animated Power Point resource looks at anxiety issues facing young teenagers today and shares tips on how to cope. Mindfulness is one tool to cope with anxiety as are talking therapies and artistic pursuits . A poem called “the room inside” is displayed which could be used as a starting point to a discussion about mental health. Students are asked to consider volunteering and doing something positive with their time once exams are over. An extract from Eleanor Morgan’s book “Anxiety for Beginners” is given and six plot ideas are given which relate to anxiety. Pupils are asked to select one of these to write about. Students are asked to think about the saying “every cloud has a silver lining” and to share strategies for developing resilience.
A Power Point on mindfulness and how to deal with difficult and troubling emotions is included which could be used when problems and anxieties surface within a group situation. Especially useful at this time of year when the pressure of exams on the horizon is beginning to mount.
Suitable for ages 12+
This animated Power point resource describes a day out at the sea-side for the Lute family who think they know all about pollution and yet show that their knowledge is as shallow as the sea lapping up against the litter with which they have decorated their sandcastle.
The audience are requested to think how the family could have behaved differently and to question what their own families do on days out at the coast.
Included is the famous riddle about St Ives and so the pupils can see how a small problem can be multiplied and that we should be all doing our bit by picking up the plastic one piece at a time. Ideal as a discussion starting point on the effects of pollution especially in a coastal setting and as the Summer holidays approach, a cautionary tale!
This resource will stretch reading and comprehension skills as well as providing an opportunity to demonstrate maths skills at the same time…
recommended for ages 8+
This animated Power Point takes extracts from J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter and the half-blood Prince and asks students to spot deliberate spelling mistakes. The spellings are ordinary words hidden within extraordinary passages. The answers will magically appear. Students are asked to show-case their knowledge of homophones such as witch and which and include as many as they can in a paragraph of their own. They are required to make "Muggle" words out of the letters within some of the characters' names. Finally they have the chance to write their own creative piece involving a hex which glues your tongue to the roof of your mouth, a jinx which makes your toe-nails grow alarmingly quickly or a muffliato spell which causes mayhem by means of the victim experiencing an unidentifiable buzzing sound in their ears. I include another resource about dragon breeds with comprehension questions and answers.
This resource is intended to be used to reinforce spelling, punctuation and grammar in a fun way as well as encouraging wider reading . Suitable for ages 10+
This animated Powerpoint presents pupils with information about the endangered leatherback sea turtle and highlights the problems faced by this creature as its numbers decline. One of the problems it faces is plastic pollution which is all too prevalent in our seas and oceans. Plastic bags are mistaken for the jelly-fish that the turtles love to eat. Worrying statistics are given about the growing problem of plastic in the ocean environment and a quote from Sir David Attenborough is displayed to highlight the need to act with some urgency before it is too late.
The resource will prove useful alongside clips from the Blue Planet series and should inspire further research, provocative posters and persuasive writing. I include information in a word document which could be easily used as a homework task or for further research on sea turtles. The planet patrol wordsearch contains over twenty interlocked words in a grid concerning conservation issues and could be easily differentiated to suit different abilities. All answers provided.
Included is a word document about the problem with plastic waste and includes some advice from Greenpeace. Students are invited to contribute ideas of their own and to design a poster conveying this problem in our marine environments.
Suitable for ages 8+
This animated Powerpoint presents pupils with information about the wandering albatross and the problems it faces with fishing boats and plastic waste. Pupils will learn about this endangered bird with its enormous wing span and how it glides across the Southern Ocean for huge distances in search of food. Pupils are asked to consider the challenges this creature faces in its quest for food and hear David Attenborough's warning about pollution in our seas and oceans as brought to our attention in the Blue Planet series. Students are asked to create their own eye catching poster and to use their persuasive writing skills in order to redress the problem of plastic waste.
I include a puzzle entitled Planet Patrol concerning conservation issues as an added extra. All answers are provided.A word document is also included concerning the problem of plastic waste and includes some advice from Greenpeace. Pupils are asked to contribute their own ideas by adding to the list.
These resources are intended to promote discussion and will encourage independent research and further investigation.
Suitable for ages 8+
This Powerpoint presentation details the life of Martin Luther King and focuses particularly on extracts from his I have a dream speech.
This resource will be particularly useful during Black History month when focusing on persuasive writing and speeches that had the power to change the world. The resource includes a brief biography, a timeline of major events in MLK's life as well as a transcript of Obama's Yes We Can speech.
The resource is intended to inspire pupils and make them think about how they can become better citizens by learning about Martin Luther King as a positive role model. Included is an extract from Barack Obama's Yes We Can speech so that pupils can see how King became a role model for future Presidents who utilised their powers of speech in a public arena. Echoes of Martin Luther King can be heard in Obama's words.
Suitable for all ages.
This animated Power point showcases the features of persuasive writing and then provides advice on how to use the powers of persuasion to win an audience over. The features are recorded in a way which will make the techniques memorable. The students are asked to put their writing skills to the test by choosing to write a leaflet about the dangers of smoking or, alternatively, writing a speech about taking up a new hobby which does not involve a screen.
I include a resource which explains how to build a speech rather like building a sandwich and has an activity where students need to identify rhetorical devices within a short passage; ideal for homework or revision purposes.
This resource is suitable for pupils aged between 11 and 16.
This animated Power Point asks pupils to punctuate passages from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The selected passages will test knowledge of proper nouns, apostrophes for contraction, hyphens, colons, brackets, speech marks and much more besides. The answers will appear as if by magic. There is an activity to invent muggle words from some of the characters' names and a bonus question to test knowledge of the book. Pupils are asked to write a formal letter to Harry complaining about inappropriate use of his wizarding skills.
This is an ideal way to test knowledge of punctuation and encourage reading at the same time.
Suitable for ages 10+
This animated Power Point presents pupils with five extracts taken from J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and asks them to provide the missing punctuation. The extracts selected will test knowledge of proper nouns, speech-marks, colloquialisms and colons in particular. The extracts will also require knowledge of how to write a formal letter and how to compose an advertisement. Pupils can be divided into Hogwarts' Houses and answer questions from each extract. Answers will magically appear. Finally, students are challenged to write their own advertisement for a super-charged broom of their own invention.
This resource is suitable for ages 10+ and is intended to test knowledge of punctuation as well as comprehension . Moreover, it will encourage further reading and develop writing skills.
I have bundled together five resources which should prove useful when learning about writing articles for different audiences. Students learn that an awareness of audience is key plus how to spot features. There is plenty here to inspire students to write some informative pieces of their own and some guidance on how to improve their spelling and grammar in the process.
Suitable for ages 10+
This animated Power Point has twenty questions all to do with water and its properties. The questions test scientific and geographical knowledge. This resource includes a poem about the sea which is told rather like a riddle.
This quiz can be dropped into any lesson concerning water and could be used as a resource for revision or to kick start further investigation and independent research. I include a word document about the problem of plastic waste in our seas and oceans which includes some advice from Greenpeace. Students are invited to contribute ideas of their own to help solve this growing problem and they are encouraged to design a poster outlining the issue.
Suitable for ages 8+
This power Point takes extracts from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, removes the punctuation, and asks the audience to rewrite the paragraphs inserting the necessary capital letters and punctuation marks to bring them back to life again.Pupils will need to consider paragraphing, capital letters and question marks. They will need to insert speech marks and apostrophes for contractions. They will need to think about starting a new line when a different character begins speaking. The perfected passages do magically appear and will inspire pupils to read and explore further for themselves. Formal and informal letters are looked at from the hand of J.K.Rowling and pupils are asked to write either a formal or informal letter for themselves. The formal letter explains why Harry Potter is to be expelled from Hogwarts; the informal letter is written by Harry himself explaining to his beloved Snuffles about the terrible week he's been having at Hogwarts.Pupils are given a further task of inviting either Neville, Draco or Hermione to a special event at their own school and are asked to consider why they wish this character in particular to attend.
This resource is intended to support the practice of perfecting punctuation in a fun way and also examine the skills of letter writing. Pupils will be inspired to read more widely from J K Rowling's novels, whilst also revising their writing skills.
Suitable for Potter fans of all ages. This resource will add an extra dimension to revision.
I have bundled together six resources which will be ideal for studies on oceans and seas. It would be ideal for use throughout the summer term. There are stories and quizzes, guessing games and activities aplenty here.There are opportunities for further research and investigation into environmental and conservation issues.
Suitable for use with Primary aged pupils 7-11 years.