I am an ex-primary head teacher and English, Maths and History specialist. I've mostly worked in KS2, often in Year 6. Although for the last two years, I've been working in Year 1, which has been delightful!
All the resources have been used successfully with children in a range of schools all over the country.
I am constantly reviewing and updating my resources. Please follow me to ensure that you have the most up to date versions of the resources you buy.
I am an ex-primary head teacher and English, Maths and History specialist. I've mostly worked in KS2, often in Year 6. Although for the last two years, I've been working in Year 1, which has been delightful!
All the resources have been used successfully with children in a range of schools all over the country.
I am constantly reviewing and updating my resources. Please follow me to ensure that you have the most up to date versions of the resources you buy.
Who’s who? Do you know your Romano Britons from your Anglo Saxon?
LO: To understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections and draw contrasts (KS2)
LO: To apply the above to the study of an aspect or theme in British history that consolidates and extends pupils’ chronological knowledge from before 1066 (KS3)
A complete activity to help children understand the similarities and differences between the Anglo Saxon and Romano British societies in Britain during the first millennium.
The activity consists of:
Teaching Input:
1. A PowerPoint identifying the key similarities and differences between the Romano Britons and Anglo Saxons including information about their:
- Origins
- settlements
- everyday lives
- lives of women and children
- laws and punishments
- beliefs
- stories and legends
- legacy.
This can either be run as an introduction, or shared with children in groups or pairs.
Independent Task:
2. A sorting activity consisting of a series of statements which apply to Romano Britons, Anglo Saxons, both, or neither. (This includes a fact sheet for teacher use, providing the correct answers and a series of websites which provide additional source information)
3. A set of different templates to allow you to choose how this information is then represented.
Challenge / Extension / AG&T
Using websites listed, children could try to find additional information about both peoples.
Plenary
Mark with the children, getting them to identify which description applies to which people.
Pose and discuss the statement The Anglo Saxons period is often called the Dark Ages because it is said that they destroyed Roman civilisation. In what ways were the Anglo Saxons more civilised than the Romans?
A series of questions, answers and reading journal activity based around all areas of reading. Great alternative to SATs tests or written comprehensions.
LOs
To be able to recognise and discuss an author’s style and content.
To recall facts to answer questions about a text.
To skim and scan to find facts about a character
To create a biographical time-line.
To emphasise with the main character as he escapes the Germans.
To understand how a single event changes the narrative of a story.
To reflect upon a completed story.
A series of questions, answers and reading journal activity based around all areas of reading. Great alternative to SATs tests or written comprehensions.
LOs
To use skimming and scanning to answer questions about the opening section of a story.
To emphasise with the children in the story.
To use skimming and scanning to make sense of a text.
To understand how an author can use a letter to summarise a story.
To make predictions based on what you have read to date.
To be able to empathise with the main characters as they reach the end of their journey.
To reflect upon a completed novel / to produce a piece of biographical writing.
A series of questions, answers and reading journal activity based around all areas of reading. Great alternative to SATs tests or written comprehensions.
LOs:
To be able to emphasize with the central character of a novel.
To be able to emphasize with two different family members.
To recognise the turning point of a story.
To relate to the feelings the main character in a book when his luck changes.
A series of questions, answers and reading journal activity based around all areas of reading. Great alternative to SATs tests or written comprehensions.
LOs
To use recall and retrieval to answer factual questions about the Giraffe, Pelly and Me
To use inference and deduction to understand how characters act and feel.
To use recall and retrieval to follow the plot of a story.
To see how an accomplished author brings a story to a close.
A series of questions, answers and reading journal activity based around all areas of reading. Great alternative to SATs tests or written comprehensions.
LOs
To use recall, inference and deduction to find out about two characters.
To be able to empathise with characters from the past
To use inference and deduction to understand a character’s actions
To understand how authors use chance encounters to shape their stories.
To understand how an author can choose archaic words and expressions when writing a story set in the past.
To understand how historical research is used to write a historical novel.
LO: To understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections and draw contrasts (KS2)
LO: To apply the above to the study of an aspect or theme in British history that consolidates and extends pupils’ chronological knowledge from before 1066 (KS3)
A complete activity to help children understand the similarities and differences between the Anglo Saxon and Viking invaders and settlers in Britain between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Norman conquest of 1066.
The activity consists of:
Teaching Input:
1. A powerpoint identifying the key similarities and differences between the Anglo Saxons and Vikings including information about their:
- Origins
- settlements
- everyday lives
- lives of women and children
- laws and punishments
- beliefs
- stories and legends
- legacy.
This can either be run as an introduction, or shared with children in groups or pairs.
Independent Task:
2. A sorting activity consisting of a series of statements which apply to Vikings, Anglo Saxons, both, or neither. (This includes a fact sheet for teacher use, providing the correct answers and a series of websites which provide additional source information)
3. A set of different templates to allow you to choose how this information is then represented.
Challenge / Extension / AG&T
Using websites listed, children could try to find additional information about both peoples.
Plenary
Mark with the children, getting them to identify which description applies to which people.
Pose and discuss the statement The Anglo Saxons and Vikings had more in common than they were different.
A series of questions, answers and reading journal activity based around all areas of reading. Great alternative to SATs tests or written comprehensions.
LOs
To make predictions based on what can be learned from a book before reading it.
To reflect on how a historical novel begins.
To reflect upon a key turning point the novel.
To understand how an author drops hints about the importance of certain characters.
To understand how one event changes that whole focus of a narrative.
To understand how an author uses book conventions to bring tension to a narrative.
To reflect on a completed novel.
A series of questions, answers and reading journal activity based around all areas of reading. Great alternative to SATs tests or written comprehensions.
LOs
To evaluate the opening of a story.
To understand how an author develops the relationship between his main characters
To understand how an author reflects on larger events beyond the story through the eyes of his characters
To draw comparisons between the behaviour of two main characters in a story
To make predictions based on what you know of the characters in the story.
To reflect on a completed text.
This Collective Worship resource includes:
a full PowerPoint of the text John 20.
Questions linked to the text differentiated by Year group.
A prayer linked to the story of Doubting Thomas and
3 suggested hymns complete with YouTube links to enable them to run directly from the PowerPoint.
Ideal for the start of the Summer term both in Church schools and non-denominational schools.
Alternatively could be used as a starter for RE lesson linked to the period between Easter and Ascension.
A series of questions, answers and reading journal activity based around all areas of reading. Great alternative to SATs tests or written comprehensions.
LOs
To reflect on the story start of a new novel.
To look at the way that the author use language to create a sense of tension.
To look at the way that the author uses language to develop characters
To understand how an author builds suspense by slowly revealing a plan.
To draw conclusions based on a completed text.
A series of questions, answers and reading journal activity based around all areas of reading. Great alternative to SATs tests or written comprehensions.
LOs
To understand how an author reintroduces characters.
To use recall to find facts and make deductions about the main characters.
To form opinions about characters and justify them using quotes from the text.
To understand how additional main characters can be reintroduced in a sequel
To empathise with the main character when he is placed in a difficult situation.
To use inference and deduction to understand character motives.
To reflect on a completed text.
A collection of activities, comprehensions and internet research projects ideal for topic work linked to dinosaurs.
The pack includes four comprehensions, three internet research led display activities and a skimming and scanning matching activity.
There are also two example simplified comprehension activities that could be run for your support groups, while the rest of the class complete the dinosaur comprehensions.
Alfred the Great – Fact from Fiction
LO: To understand how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world. (KS2)
LO: To apply the above to the study of an aspect or theme in British history that consolidates and extends pupils’ chronological knowledge from before 1066 (KS3)
A complete activity to help children understand the way that information about historical figures although rooted in fact, can also have legends attached to them.
The activity consists of:
Teaching Input:
1. A powerpoint providing information about the life and significance of Alfred the Great, both fact and fiction organised around the following sections:
- who Alfred was
- his early life
- his early reign
- Wessex under siege
- his flight and exile in the Marshes of Althelney
- his victory over the Vikings
- the subsequent peace
- the end of his reign
- his legacy to Britain.
This can either be run as an introduction, or shared with children in groups or pairs.
Independent Task:
2. A sorting activity consisting of a series of statements which are either factual or legendary about King Alfred. (This includes a fact sheet for teacher use, providing the correct answers and a series of websites which provide additional source information)
3. A template to allow children to sort the information provided into Truth or Legend.
Challenge / Extension / AG&T
Using websites listed, children could try to find additional information about both peoples.
Plenary
Mark with the children, getting them to identify how they knew whether or not something was a legend or the truth (links with Literacy language of myths and legends).
Pose and discuss the statement Why do you think there are so many stories told about Alfred the Great.
This lesson consists of:
A starter / connect PowerPoint where children revise value of specific digits up to 10,000,00 and to 3dps and tests their understanding of sequencing and ordering numbers.
An Interactive Whiteboard teaching introduction for both Notebook and ActivInspire, teaching the conventions using empty number lines to show how to work with negative numbers, find the differences between negative and positive numbers and order positive and negative numbers. (differentiated 3 ways for ability).
A 4 way differentiated series of independent tasks (including a Mastery Level Challenge Activity) where children to compare and order negative and positive numbers and find the differences between negative and positive numbers.
An AFL / Next Steps task where children check their understanding of the greater than (>) and less than (
LOs:
Starter:
To order and compare numbers up to 1,000,000 (Year 5)
To order and compare numbers up to 10,000,000 (Year 6)
To order and compare any numbers (KS3)
Main Lesson:
to count forwards and backwards with positive and negative whole numbers (Year 5)
to use negative numbers, and calculate intervals across 0 (Year 6)
to order positive and negative integers (KS3)
35 sets of complete lessons (7 x 5 days) covering current National Curriculum expectations for teaching Place Value, Addition and Subtraction, formal short and long multiplication and formal short and long division, division leaving remainders and fractions, multiples, common multiples, prime factors, common prime factors, BODMAS, multiplication and division by powers of 10, metric measures, conversions between metric and imperial measures, and multi-step Word Problems.
Each week ends with either an investigation of Word Problems linked to the topic studied.
Every lesson includes:
- a Starter based on Arithmetic and / or previous learning and a Connect Activity designed to activate the children's interest in the topic being covered that day.
- two interactive teaching presentations designed to run on either Smartboard's Interactive Whiteboard or Promethean ActivInspire software.
- a detailed 4 way differentiated lesson plan including all relevant learning objectives and AfL / next step opportunities.
- a 4 way differentiated worksheet designed to cater for the learning of virtually all children in Year 5 or Year 6 regardless of ability (and MA / LA Y7 - Y9)
A series of questions, answers and reading journal activity based around all areas of reading. Great alternative to SATs tests or written comprehensions.
LOs
To form and revise opinions about the Victorians
To make comparisons between past and contemporary entertainment.
To make comparisons between today and the past.
To use skimming and scanning to find information for research.
To gather information in order to write persuasively.
To reflect on a completed text
A series of questions questions, answers and reading journal activity based around all areas of reading. Great alternative to SATs tests.
LOs: To relate Roald Dahl’s childhood to their own, To understand the nature of autobiographical writing.
A series of questions, answers and reading journal activity based around all areas of reading. Great alternative to SATs tests or written comprehensions.
LOs:
To make deductions and predictions based on the first chapter of a novel.
To be able explain how layout contributes to the information being provided in a text.
Sample Key Stage 2 comprehensions. Text includes a range of non fiction, fictionalised, historical texts and short poetry. Questions include whole range of SAT style questions such as: inference and deduction, prediction and factual recall. Ideal for Guided groups, homework or whole class activity.
