Hi! I am a teacher with over 20 years' experience at Primary level. I try to make my resources as challenging as possible with a slice of fun, while cramming in as much detail as possible into the guided reading / writing activities, plays, worksheets and comprehension exercises that I produce. I also create and publish a range of free worksheets and resources, which now account for over 40% of my published resources. Any feedback and suggestions welcome!
Hi! I am a teacher with over 20 years' experience at Primary level. I try to make my resources as challenging as possible with a slice of fun, while cramming in as much detail as possible into the guided reading / writing activities, plays, worksheets and comprehension exercises that I produce. I also create and publish a range of free worksheets and resources, which now account for over 40% of my published resources. Any feedback and suggestions welcome!
This is a humorous, child - friendly 30 - 40 minute musical play with 10 separate scenes. It tells the story of Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to find a westward rout to the ‘Indies’.There are 6 main parts, 21 speaking parts altogether and other singing and dancing roles that will easily accommodate a class of 30. It can be practised and performed as a whole class or, as part of drama activities, in groups. Pupils will learn all about the conditions for sailors in the 15th century, the reasons why the voyage was so important and the story of why Columbus became known for discovering ‘The New World’.
However, the accent in this play is most definitely FUN!!! There are jokes, an S-Factor scene (giving opportunities for pupils talents to be showcased), magicians, singing, dancing and slots where you can insert your own class’s ideas!!!
If performed as a whole class play, it would take two or more weeks of rehearsals and learning the parts before delivering a performance. Alternatively, it can be used as a group reader for a group of 6 children, with the pupils switching roles and playing the roles of more than one character.
3 worksheets and a wordsearch to teach about the different food groups / healthy living.
There are questions on the pyramid and a fun activity where the pupils will talk about what sort of foods are represented by cartoon pictures, then list each food under the 5 main food group headings. As a challenge, the pupils then add other foods to the lists to even them up!
Suitable for Years 4-6 and helps to support the skill of note taking.
Pupils love the latest text message abbreviations so will enjoy working in pairs to find all the abbreviations contained in this worksheet.
It is a worksheet in 2 halves, the second activity is simpler and can be used to support pupils with SEN.
Useful for topic - based literacy lessons. Could also be used to stimulate non fiction writing.
First comprehension has detailed non fiction text followed by 10 questions.
Second comprehension consists of 20 cloze procedure missing words.
Third and fourth comprehensions look at the human ear and are both on the same A4 worksheet - cut in half to differentiate.
A useful Curriculum Plan and lots of activities / worksheets / PPs / Pics / Posters on the geography of Brazil and the Amazon Rainforest.
List of Resources:
A factfile containing some basic facts about the country
A cloze procedure activity on Brazilian landscapes and the Amazon,
A mindmap task.
A research activity to help learn the basic facts about Brazil - where it is located in the world, population figures etc. This could be used alongside Activity 1 or as a research lesson to use when beginning the topic.
An investigating Brazil worksheet for pupils to use when researching using books and internet sources.
PP on the landscapes of Brazil.
Three posters which can be used as part of a display for your Brazil topic and also for comprehension / reading activities. Each poster is factual, with key geographical words highlighted, and uses illustrations. The three posters are:
Brazilian History People and Culture Wildlife
Two comprehension exercises based on the Amazon rainforest:
These resources focus on exploring rainforests through literacy and give lots of scope for follow up writing activities! They’re also useful in the study of conservation issues.
Comprehension 1 - consists of a detailed A4 sized text on the Amazon rainforest, including conservation issues. The question sheet is designed to stick in the pupils’ books and includes lesson objectives and 2 differentiated dictionary challenges.
Comprehension 2 - an A4 - sized cloze procedure exercise called ‘What is a Rainforest?’
Map of world rainforests with space for written tasks.
Seven pages of rainforest images which are useful for initiating and inspiring a rainforest art project.
Also included are three posters which can be used as part of a display for your Brazil topic and also for comprehension / reading activities. Each poster is factual, with key geographical words highlighted, and uses illustrations. The three posters are:
Brazilian History / People and Culture / Wildlife
11 wordsearch puzzles - some based on Key Stage 2 units, some just for fun!
Superheroes and Superheroines
Rainforests
Greek Myths
Fronted Adverbials
Sounds
Solar System
Tudor Explorers
Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler
Firework-Maker’s Daughter
Adjectives
Healthy Living
Can be used as part of a display for your Brazil topic and also for comprehension / reading activities. Each poster is factual, with key geographical words highlighted, and uses illustrations. The three posters are:
Brazilian History People and Culture Wildlife
This is a Y5/6 science assessment on the key facts learnt in the ‘Sounds’ topic.
It could be given at the end of a unit, as assessment; at the start of a unit as a pre - learning task or as a whole class teaching activity.
These are weekly 15-word spelling lists and LSCWC practice based on the Regular Spelling and Common Exception spellings for both year 4 and year 5.
I have a mixed class this year so I have devised separate lists for the two year groups. Each worksheet contains a list of the weekly spellings alongside a table where the children practise the words 4 times using Look-Say-Cover-Write-Check. I usually let the children start off on a Monday morning, then take the sheet home to practise for a test on Friday.
There is 5 week's work included, alongside templates to make further lists of your own and displays of the weekly spellings for your literacy board.
This is a fun activity where the children will use the string telephones they have made to investigate how sound travels through solids. The main activity is best suited to be done outdoors, in pairs or threes. The children are firstly encouraged to make predictions on whether sound can travel through a number of solids and liquids. This part of the lesson can be done by teacher demonstration while the children discuss and predict what will happen. This leads to a practical investigation to find out how, (and if ), a string telephone works!
Encourages prediction, discussion and observation skills
‘A Victorian Diary’ is a series of 15 minute videos showing life in Victorian times. Events are reported by fictional character Maggie Johnson and by other characters she meets, providing different perspectives. This series is brilliant just to watch and enjoy, but it can also be used to help develop literacy skills.
These are resources based on chapters 2 and 3 and also include generic diary writing templates.
The chapter 2 resource is a punctuation and proof reading exercise. Pupils have to read and correct a diary entry, written from Maggie’s perspective. It could also be used as an example of writing in diary style and lead to the pupils writing their own version.
The main learning objective of the Chapter 3 worksheet is to develop pupils’ understanding of empathy, but there is activities on prediction skills and note - taking. Alongside the worksheet I have created some excerpts and images to cement the main learning objective.
Essentially, here are two really useful 2 homework activities. Activity 1 details how to make a string telephone at home. Secondly, the pupils are asked to research about Alexander Graham Bell.
I like to give this homework for the half term before we start the ‘Sounds’ topic in order to enthuse the children and get them started on the topic. It is also useful to have the string telephones for display and use in later investigations.
The pack contains a set of comprehension exercises covering all 15 chapters of the book. The activities are presented in two different formats: the first format consists of handy A4 worksheets which the pupils work on. Each A4 worksheet includes a reading challenge extension task. The second format requires the pupils to write the answers in their exercise books, and as there are 2 question sheets per A4 sheet this means the question sheets can be easily cut in half and stuck into the pupils’ books if required.
Each comprehension worksheet has a range of different questions, with 20 marks available (allowing for a % score to be made too!). I have tried to design questions which allow success for less able children but with challenging, higher order questions for above average pupils. Harder questions are signified by being awarded extra marks (up to 3 marks as in the SATs and key stage tests). Each comprehension has a learning objective in line with Year 3/4 National Curriculum objectives and requires the reading of one, two or three chapters of the book (most chapters are small).
The worksheets are are all written in Word, so can be easily adapted - for instance you could also add your own questions, objectives etc.
There are various ways to use this resource, including
As part of a shared reading session, with the pupils completing the written tasks after discussion and analysis of the text as a class or group.
As independent written tasks for the rest of the class, while the teacher is reading with a smaller group.
As an additional, ready-made resource to support the study of George’s Marvellous Medicine as a Unit of Work / class book.
As a stand-alone, independent reading activity / assessment.
As a useful teacher prompt/ discussion leader when doing a guided read.
SPAG ACTIVITIES
I have also included 5 SPAG activities which are based on the first 6 chapters. They include practice in proof reading, verb tenses, spelling and questions based on SATS format.
These resources are based on the following 3 poems by Allan Ahlberg:
Parents’ Evening
Please, Sir
Mrs Brady.
A large range of learning objectives and activities are covered, including:
Cloze procedure
Predicting rhymes
Features of a poem
Comprehension
Creative writing
Creating a whole class verse based on a verse of the ‘Please, Sir’ poem
I have created a chapter - by - chapter set of comprehension exercises with linked SPAG activities and additional writing tasks. There are 12 comprehension / SPAG worksheets and 5 corresponding writing tasks
Each comprehension activity has a variety of different questions, with 20 marks available (allowing for a % score to be made!). I have designed questions which allow success for less able children but with challenging, higher order questions for above average pupils. Harder questions are signified by being awarded extra marks (up to 3 marks as in the SATs and key stage tests). Each reading task has a learning objective in line with Year 5/6 National Curriculum objectives and requires the reading of one full chapter or part of a chapter of the Firework - Maker’s Daughter.
The worksheets are all A4 size, written in Word, and there are various ways to use the activity sheets, including:
As part of a shared reading session, with the pupils completing the written tasks after discussion and analysis of the text as a class or group.
As independent written tasks for the rest of the class, while the teacher is reading with a smaller group.
As an additional, ready-made resource to support the study of The Firework-Maker’s Daughter as a Unit of Work / class book.
As a stand-alone, independent reading activity / assessment.
As a useful teacher prompt/ discussion leader when doing a guided read.
Alongside the comprehension task, each worksheet has a SPAG challenge based on the Year 5 and 6 English frameworks - for example: dictionary activities, synonyms, etc. These could be the focus of the lesson, serve as an extension task or be used as a stand alone / separate activity.
As all worksheets are created on Microsoft Word they can be easily adapted to suit your needs. For example, in the past I have shrank the set questions to half-page size and photocopied them to stick in pupils’ books, ready for independent work. You could also add your own questions, objectives etc.
Thomas is trapped in a room but we don’t know why or how he has got there . . .
This resource can be used in a number of ways: as a story starter for a suspense / mystery story; for an example of creating empathy for a character; for a stimulus for a cold / independent write, etc.
I have used it as part of a wider drama scenario, whereby Tom has been arrested (wrongly) for shoplifting and is awaiting his mum whilst locked in the manager’s drab office, all alone with his mind racing . . .
The pack contains a set of comprehension exercises covering all 10 chapters of the book. The activities are presented on A4 worksheets which the pupils work on. Each A4 worksheet includes a reading challenge extension task.
Each comprehension worksheet has a range of different questions, with 20 marks available (allowing for a % score to be made too!). I have tried to design questions which allow success for less able children but with challenging, higher order questions for above average pupils. Harder questions are signified by being awarded extra marks (up to 3 marks as in the SATs and key stage tests). Each reading comprehension requires the reading of one chapter of the book (except for chapters 9 and 10, which I have combined into one comprehension sheet as the chapters are small).
The worksheets are are all written in Microsoft Word, so can be easily adapted - for instance you could also add your own questions, objectives etc.
There are various ways to use this resource, including:
As part of a shared reading session, with the pupils completing the written tasks after discussion and analysis of the text as a class or group.
As independent written tasks for the rest of the class, while the teacher is reading with a smaller group.
As an additional, ready-made resource to support the study of The Angel of Nitshill Road as a Unit of Work / class book.
As a stand-alone, independent reading activity / assessment.
As a useful teacher prompt/ discussion leader when doing a guided read.
Full chapter - by - chapter comprehension packs for 5 classic children’s books ideal for use in Key Stage Two:
*George’s Marvellous Medicine
*The Sheep - Pig
*The Angel of Nitshill Road
*The Firework-Maker’s Daughter
*The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler
There are 4 plays for use with Upper Key Stage Two:
Palm Sunday - 4 speaking parts
Palm Sunday - 7 speaking parts
Good Friday - 13 speaking parts
Peter’s Denial - 8 speaking parts
The plays can be used in guided reading sessions, as part of drama and R.E. lessons or even as class assemblies.
The two Palm Sunday plays are similar, with one being longer and having more speaking parts. They both use the modern day concept of ‘Live News’ reporting for dramatic effect.
Peter’s Denial and Good Friday could be acted out in small groups or read as a class.
I have created a set of 10 comprehension exercises which cover all 14 chapters (and postscript) of this classic book about life in a primary school. Also included are answer sheets which can be photocopied for pupils’ use or used on the whiteboard for all class marking.
Each comprehension activity has 20 questions, designed to allow success for less able children but with challenging, higher order questions for above average pupils. Being ‘out of 20’ also allows to find a quick percentage score for each pupil!
The worksheets are all A4 size and there are various ways to use the activity sheets, including:
As part of a shared reading session, with the pupils completing the written tasks after discussion and analysis of the text as a class or group.
As independent written tasks for the rest of the class, while the teacher is reading with a smaller group.
As an additional, ready-made resource to support the study of The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler as a Unit of Work / class book.
As a stand-alone, independent reading activity / assessment.
All worksheets are created on Microsoft Word so can be easily adapted to suit your needs. For example, in the past I have shrank the 20 set questions to half-page size and photocopied them to stick in pupils’ books, ready for independent work. You could also add your own questions, objectives etc.