A series of lessons to cover some of the objectives for Living Things and their Habitats (Year 5).
Included:
Plant reproduction (dispersal, germination, pollination, fertilisation);
Working scientifically: Investigation into factors affecting germination;
Branched keys and classification.
This work doesn’t include information on life-cycles, so this would need to be added in if teaching alongside.
A two-week writing unit on the text Archie’s War, by Marcia Williams. It links perfectly with my History unit on World War I but it can also stand alone.
There is a heavy focus on sentence structure in this unit, with three levels of differentiation - this makes it suitable for Years 3 - 6.
A magical poetry unit based on 'The Lost Words, by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
To be taught over approximately 2 weeks (if English is taught every day), this fully resourced unit of work focuses on the following Learning Objectives:
Use a varied and rich vocabulary.
Use an increasing range of sentence length and structure.
There is a focus on reading and talk for writing, as well as figurative language like simile, personification and metaphor.
I have included lots of video and music links to create a highly engaging and visual learning journey.
This unit can be easily adapted for both LKS2 and UKS2.
After the Fall by Dan Santat is a beautifully illustrated story about what happened to Humpty Dumpty after his oh-so-famous fall. It is a tale of resilience and overcoming fear.
The book is aimed at younger readers, which makes it accessible to all abilities. There are three levels of challenge within the unit:
Consolidate: Focuses on coordinating conjunctions;
Core: Focuses on subordination;
Extend: Focuses on relative clauses.
The unit could be easily adapted for use from Year 2 to Year 6.
A three or four week writing unit based around the books ‘Fantastically Great Women who Changed the World’ and ‘Fantastically Great Women who Saved the Planet’ by Kate Pankhurst.
The writing outcome is a Biography with a range of sentence structures and cohesive devices. The sentence structures are differentiated by ability group:
Consolidate: Coordinating conjunctions.
Core: Subordination.
Extend: Relative clauses.
This unit was originally taught to Year 5 but it could easily be used from Year 2 - 6, due to the accessible nature of the original books and the grammar covered. We also used supporting material from ‘What Would she do? Real-life Stories of 25 Rebel Women’ by Kay Woodward and other books of a similar theme.
This is a brilliant unit that has so many opportunities for discussion about racial and gender equality and women’s rights.
A one-stop-shop writing unit based around the book ‘Winter’s Child’ by Angela McAllister. All the resources you need are included in the download.
The writing outcome is a recount with a variety of sentence structures and expanded noun phrases. The sentence structures are differentiated by ability group:
SEND: Expanded noun phrases
Consolidate: Coordinating conjunctions.
Core: Subordination.
Extend: Relative clauses.
This unit was originally taught to Year 5 but it could easily be used from Year 2 - 6, due to the accessible nature of the original book, incredible illustrations and the grammar covered.
Everything you could possibly need to teach a 3 week writing unit on space! Tried and tested on a Year 5 class but differentiation is spread between Y1 - Y5, so easily adaptable for all year groups. The writing outcome is a non-fiction report about the Solar System.
There are three levels of differentiation within this unit:
Consolidate: simple sentences, full stops and capital letters;
Core: Subordination;
Extend: Relative Clauses
There is also a strong focus on spelling, with differentiated work on common exception words from Y2 - Y5
All worksheets are provided, as well as lesson slides to support teaching.
Links really well with the science topic: Earth and Beyond.
An alternative to the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood, this two-week (10 lesson) unit of work is based on the short animation ‘Red’. The themes in the animation are ‘never judge a book by its cover’ and ‘things aren’t always what they seem’.
The writing outcome (a recount) focuses on consistency in sentence structure and the use of coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. It was created to address some of the common errors in writing I often see at the start of Year 5, but this resource would be suitable for Year 3 - Year 6.
Writing unit based on the otter poem in The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane.
Pupils write ‘An Encounter with an Otter’ .
Suitable for UKS2, LKS2 (Y3, Y4, Y5, Y6).
Resource includes:
Planning;
Lesson presentation with all resources;
Planning sheet;
Assessment sheet.
Perfect if your class loves nature!
Fantasy Narrative Writing Unit (Year 4, Year 5, Year 6):
LO: In narratives, I can describe settings, characters and atmosphere.
LO I can use figurative language such as similes, alliteration, metaphors and personification.
Sentence structure includes:
Fronted adverbials;
Relative clauses;
Subordinating clauses;
Using common exception words.
Based around the novel: 'The Legend of Podkin One-Ear by Kieron Larwood.
**Your one-stop, earthquakes and volcanoes shop!
A fully planned and resourced 7 week unit on ‘Earthquakes and Volcanoes’. Suitable for upper KS2 (Y5 and Y6) but easily adaptable for lower KS2. **
The unit follows a geographical enquiry cycle, with key questions throughout.
Teaching strategies focus on visual tools and active learning, so that children ‘do geography’ rather than learning facts. Extensive video links make the learning highly visual.
Up to date case studies include: Mount Etna 2020 eruptions, Volcan de Fuego 2018 eruption, Christchurch earthquake of 2011, Japanese Tsunami of 2011.
Each lesson can be kept ‘short and sweet’ or you have the option to ‘explore deeper’ with discussion about all the key concepts.
Covers the National Curriculum objective: ’ Describe and understand key aspects of: physical geography, including: volcanoes and earthquakes’.
Writing unit for Y4, Y5, Y6 (UKS2)
Re-write the chapter in your own words
Poseidon Gets Salty (how Athens got its name)
Use informal language
Cohesive devices
Speech/dialogue to move the action along
Formal/informal language
Link to history (Ancient Greece)
Mythology
Ancient Greece History Unit
6 week unit for KS2
What is a civilization?
Compare Greeks with other civilizations
Geography of Greece
Greece then and now
Greek gods and goddesses
Athens vs Sparta
Democracy
End of unit assessment
For each geography topic, from Pre-school to Y6, I have defined 10 words. These were chosen with the topic’s key knowledge and the year group in which it is studied (related to the pupils’ developmental stage) in mind.
These should be given to each pupil at the start of the unit, briefly discussed as a class and ‘RAGged’ by the pupil, providing an AfL snapshot of their prior knowledge.
This information can be used by the teacher to adapt the coming lessons to embed the words (and their meanings) into pupils’ memories. The process will be completed again at the end of the unit, which will give a clear, visual measure of progress
**A fully planned and researched 6 week unit on The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China. **
Suitable for Upper KS2 but easily adaptable for Lower KS2.
Covers the National Curriculum objective: ‘The achievements of the earliest civilizations – an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer; The Indus Valley; Ancient Egypt; The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China’.
**A fully planned and resourced 6 or 7 week unit on the Tudor Age of Exploration. Suitable for upper KS2 but easily adaptable for lower KS2. **
The unit follows a historical enquiry cycle, with key questions throughout.
Teaching strategies focus on visual tools and active learning, so that children have a constant frame of reference for this historical period.
There are links to current issues around colonialism with an exploration of whether Columbus was a hero or a villain.
Each lesson can be kept ‘short and sweet’ or you have the option to ‘explore deeper’ with discussion about all the key concepts.
Covers the National Curriculum objective: ’ A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066’.
Also covers the following Geography from the KS2 curriculum: ‘Identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian’.
**A fully planned and resourced 6 week unit on World War 1. Suitable for upper KS2 but easily adaptable for lower KS2. **
The unit follows a historical enquiry cycle, with key questions throughout.
Teaching strategies focus on visual tools and active learning, so that children have a constant frame of reference for these events that are almost out of living memory.
Each lesson can be kept ‘short and sweet’ or you have the option to ‘explore deeper’ with discussion about all the key concepts.
Covers the National Curriculum objective: ’ A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066’.
Planning and resources for Earth and Space (Year 5 Science):
A six-seven week unit of work that covers the National Curriculum objectives for Earth and Space.
**A fully planned and resourced 6 week unit on ‘A Region in South America’, comparing it with a region in the UK (The Solent). Suitable for upper KS2 (Y5 and Y6) but easily adaptable for lower KS2. **
The unit follows a geographical enquiry cycle, with key questions throughout.
Teaching strategies focus on visual tools and active learning, so that children ‘do geography’ rather than learning facts.
Each lesson can be kept ‘short and sweet’ or you have the option to ‘explore deeper’ with discussion about all the key concepts.
Covers the National Curriculum objective: ’ Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country,
and a region within North or South America’.