These 8 lively, colourful pictures offer inspiration for story-writing, poetry-crafting, newspaper report inventing, and enhancement of the topics they reflect, which include: wild woods, migrating birds, ocean, sunset, jungle, wild animals (British and tropical), dragons, magic carpet rides, transport, myths and more. NB: I sketched and coloured the pictures by hand, adjusting them slightly with basic computer software, so expect spontaneity rather than professional artwork or machine neatness. I use them for all primary classes.
Haiku poetry frames and guidance for a range of topics. Trees, butterflies, oceans, birds and dragons feature in this bundle.
The haiku’s 3-line, 17-syllable format is more tricky to use than it looks, but it offers an engaging challenge that older children enjoy trying and sharing, with syllable-counting and a bit of adding up, as well as ideas and language to select. These frames, starter lines, prompts and warm-up recommendations will ensure constructive fun for all.
Stretch vocabulary and speaking/writing skills with these 3 word banks. They cover 3 interesting themes: Castles, Spring and Healthy Eating/Wholesome foods. Draw from them yourself in class discussions and elicit selected words from children. Encourage use in speech and writing; point out in reading material. Supports literacy, topic study and all-round education at all levels.
Rhyme banks for Space, Dragons, Castle Characters + Ocean (sailors, pirates, more), with Examples for all, PLUS Seabed Rhymes to complete. Fun for whole class, together, in groups or pairs, or individually. Literacy made fun! Themed information, topic study, & creativity scope incorporated. Huge discount!
Planets, Castles, Active Lifestyles and Healthy Eating feature in this collection of acrostic poem frames, with easy and hard versions and examples for teachers.
Great for National Poetry Day, World Book Day, and your school’s poetry week - and for literacy boosts and fun fillers any time! For higher/abler Juniors.
Children can design their own planet in simile form, using the easier or harder picture-poem frames, then make up crazy features for the aliens who inhabit it, again using the easier or harder Alien poem frames. Great for learning through fun!
Phonics learning activities: 6 rhymes for oo, ee, u, ar, er and long i (iy), Reading/Phonics Game, Woodland Animals Reading Challenge (labels on picture); Mini-beasts Phonics Fun (labels on picture). Supports Phonics, Reading, Writing, Listing, Speaking, and Understanding the World. EY/KS1. All original items.
**A Sea monster writing sheet in 3 differentiated versions. **
Attractively illustrated and presented. Will excite and amuse the whole class,
The starter phrases about its appearance, behaviour and favourite food will get all pens rolling.
Supports literacy, seaside, ocean, myths and other cross-curricular studies, and unlocks creativity. See my Sea Monster Food writing sheet too****: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/sea-monster-food-fun-writing-sheet-guide-12114876 ****, plus many other seaside and ocean literacy resources.
This resource comprises two Jungle poetry frames and two Snake picture-poems, for Yrs 1 and 2 respectively. The Jungle sheets are lavishly illustrated, with gaps in verse lines for descriptive words for animals and similes for jungle. In the Snake picture-poem frames, children can write describing words inside their looping snake. I’ve used all 4 sheets in my workshops with rewarding results.
Black and white PDF files.
3 Picture-Poem sheets for Early Years - Yr 1, representing a ladybird, a butterfly and a snail, respectively, with accompanying Guidance Notes for each. These resources promote Literacy, Creative Writing, Expressive Arts & Design and Understanding the World.
This 3-for-2 stack of punchy, comical rhymes will get children reading. Each sheet offers four 4-line crazy, humorous little rhymes that children can relate to.
They support reading, listening, linguistic and general literacy skills, as well as raising spirits and encouraging communication.
They are written by a published poet (website: poemsforfun.wordpress.com) with years of experience in breaking barriers to literacy for children through poetry workshops, often incorporating fun, rhythmic rhymes to get everyone of all abilities on board.
In these emotionally challenging pandemic times, this rich array of writing spurs offers channels through which feelings can be released and shared. The five items comprise Pandemic Haiku Writing - with details, frames and examples, an upbeat poem about Coronavirus by the author to bring cheer and comfort, a Lockdown Acrostic Poem, with lists of words and phrases to prompt for as needed, and a Lockdown Writing Guide - example lines and verses expressing different viewpoints, with tips for teachers. A PSHE-focused poem frame is also included - ‘Emotions’ - with example poem to read out.
Young children will enjoy thinking up words to describe dragons and sounding them out to complete the lines on these illustrated sheets, then colouring in the pictures. Non-writers can colour in the dragon and castle turrets picture and offer words verbally. Dragons can be any colour, have any character, and have exciting physical features to describe. Contents: 1 colouring picture, 1 writing/colouring sheet starting My dragon is…, 3 graded versions of a writing/colouring sheet starting Watch out for the… dragon, and Dragon’s Menu with alliteration (T… on Toast etc.).
This Wild Woods bundle contains 4 poetry frames suitable for varied levels, particularly around Yr 3, and a supporting picture of a wood at night, alive with creatures - hand-drawn.
Stormy Day poetry format with prompts and gaps to fill, illustrated, in three grades, recommended for ages 6-7, Yr 2. Tried and tested successfully with three Y2 classes of mixed ability.
Warm up with discussion, pictures, opening window to check today’s weather, and acting out. Be the wind, rain, lightning, thunder and finally the welcoming sun coming out. Remember the rainbow too! Discuss simile ideas for the lightning and thunder. Share describing words for the sun at the end - gentle, kind, merry, warm, cheerful…
The wind might be blowing at your coat, howling round the trees, roaring at the washing on the line. The rain might be going pitter-patter, drip-drop, or splish, splash, splosh. The lightning might be as bright as a flashing firework, flame or torch. The thunder could be as loud as drums, a lion’s roar or a popping balloon.
Above all, have fun!
4 star-themed activities for young children:
Sparkly star - phonics + hand-writing,
My star is - creative writing (3 grades),
Hello Star! - action rhyme + development ideas,
Star colouring sheet.
This colourful collection of activities for Early Years & Yr1 (+Y2) comprises:
2 colour-focused rhymes (one about different-coloured dragons, one about red things), and butterfly, ladybird and fish writing/colouring sheets.
See my video poem, Rainbow Glow -
https://youtu.be/qAq3CfoRaaE
Writing correctly is fun and simple with these attractive quizzes and challenges. Handy for introducing, practising, reinforcing and monitoring grammar points and spelling variations, namely:
(1) words that sound the same but are spelt differently; (2) plural variations; (3) its and it’s.
Butterfly, Ladybird, Robin, Squirrel, Hedgehog, Frog + Rabbit colouring sheets for young children. Clear, attractive, black-and-white drawings, with natural settings and details, nurturing a love of nature and wild animals while also developing colour sense, pattern appreciation and fine motor control.
Do have a listen (free) to this gorgeous cat music, by a favourite composer of mine! The children will love it too!
