Why I made this resource
Every maths lesson you teach, you give a clear learning outcome (or TBAT or WALT or Success Criteria - whatever it’s called in each school.) Your class follow your carefully planned steps, and succeed. However, in my experience, children then struggle when faced with:
-multi-step problems
-multi-operation problems
-questions without a clear method to use
-changes in maths skill required (E.g. suddenly needing to write an answer as a fraction)
How to Use
These lessons are designed to have limiting teaching beforehand, if at all. Instead, children tackle the real-life situation using a broad range of skills (money, decimals, written methods, mental strategies, converting between fractions and % etc) and get used to:
-thinking independently
-being less reliant on adults (“learned helplessness”)
-using a blend of skills at once
What’s included?
-20 real-life contexts (whole lessons) which each include:
>printable data pages (price lists, menus, information pages, league tables, timetables, fact files, recipes)
>15 differentiated questions (Band A = easiest, Band E = hardest. Harder Qs can be trimmed off the page, depending on your maths groups)
>Answer sheet
I created these tasks mainly to hit the NC statement, “increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including…modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage…” after realising that many of my pupils had never even heard of (let alone read) many of the classic stories from our heritage. These tasks provide samples and accompanying tasks from 15 classics (both older and modern.)
Please note: the 75 files were too large for one listing on TES, so I’ve compressed them into a zip file. I’ve also uploaded one lesson separately (Hound of the Baskervilles) so you can see the resource.
What’s Included:
*15 complete reading comprehension lessons, made up of:
-The extract in Microsoft Word format
-The extract in Notebook format (for Whiteboard projection)
-Questions with response spaces (plus points per question, like SATs papers)
-Just Questions (for higher ability pupils or just to save on photocopying!)
-Suggested answers (my TA does these tasks with small groups, so the answer sheet comes in handy)
Useful for:
-Whole-class comprehension lessons
-Small group work (E.g. Round Robin Reading Groups)
-Boosting / extra support for poor readers
Titles:
-Alice in Wonderland
-Great Expectations
-Northern Lights
-Stardust
-Stig of the Dump
-The Butterfly Lion
-The Hound of the Baskervilles
-The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
-The Secret Garden
-The Star of Kazan
-The White Giraffe
-The Wind in the Willows
-The Wizard of Oz
-Treasure Island
-Wonder
This set is designed to make life easier at the start of a new school year. All items in this bundle have been used by myself in class over a number of years.
Please note: Most resources are in ‘Arial’ font, as this is recommended for children with Dyslexia. However, all documents are fully editable
What’s included?
-blank weekly timetable
-visual timetable (recommended for children on the Autistic spectrum, and those with anxiety)
-3 variations of reading group timetables
-4 variations of reading group lists
-3 variations of spelling group lists
-my own master list of 10-spelling sets for the whole year, taken from NC Y5/6 word list
-Class contract (PowerPoint lesson and editable poster)
-Volume-meter (beahviour management)
-Table-top Traffic Lights (replaces the ‘hands up’ approach when a child needs help)
-Classroom Jobs poster
-6 pages of book labels (writing, maths, science, topic, reading, homework)
-5 variations of peg/tray labels
-Homework hand-in record sheet
-Reading at Home record sheet
-Blank record sheet
Details
-30 multi-page word documents
-Past paper questions
-Organised into areas of learning linked to Y5/6 National Curriculum
-Answers included
-Excellent for pre-SATs revision
-Great for Homework
-Tried and Tested in my own classroom - used every year to help my pupils prepare for SATs
Also Available: KS2 SATs Revision Booklets - SPAG (Visit my Shop for more details)
What’s included?
Arithmetic Set:
Arithmetic: Subtracting fractions
Arithmetic: BODMAS
Arithmetic: FDP (Fractions, Decimals, Percentage)
Arithmetic: Multiply and Divide by 10 100 1000
Arithmetic: Mutliply and Divide fractions
Arithmetic: Rounding
Data Handling Set
Multistep problems: Algebra
Multistep problems: Angles, Area, Perimeter, Volume
Multistep problems: Measurement, Scales, Conversion
Multistep problems: Number and Money
Multistep problems: Percentages
Multistep problems: Ratio
Geometry Set
Geometry: Coordinates
Geometry: Missing Angles
Geometry: Nets
Geometry: Properties of Shapes
Geometry: Reflection and Symmetry
Geometry: Translation
Number Set
Number: Doubling and Halving
Number: Explain why correct / wrong
Number: FDP (reasoning)
Number: Inverse Operations
Number: Number Sequences
Number: Roman Numerals
Reasoning ( Multistep problems) Set
Multistep Problems: Algebra
Multistep Problems: Angles, Area, Perimeter, Volume
Multistep Problems: Measurement, Scales, Conversion
Multistep Problems: Number and Money
Multistep Problems: Percentages
Multistep Problems: Ratio
A fantastic resource that specifically develops:
-creativity
-writing speed
-enjoying writing
-enjoying stories
-just writing, rather than overthinking / worrying about grammar, vocab choice etc
Recommended for:
-reluctant writers (My Y5/Y6 boys love doing 200 Words each week)
-slow writers
-‘can’t get started’ writers
-children who don’t read very much at home / have limited experience of stories
How does it work?
There are 4 Story Coordinate cards in each set: Character, Situation, Object and Place. Pupils randomly choose a coordinate from each card, giving you four very random story elements (E.g. a mysterious shadow, a hilarious accident, a tiny sword, behind a waterfall.)
Set a time limit (my Y5/6 like to be given 10 minutes for this.) Within that time limit, pupils write a short story (or a part of a story) which includes as many of the 4 items as possible.
It is important to stress to your pupils that, unlike writing lessons, this task is not about using amazing vocabulary/ broad range of punctuation / your neatest handwriting; it is about being creative, letting go and having fun.
What’s incuded?
-Notebook document (with an example-page to get you started)
-4 x Character cards
-4 x Situation cards
-4 x Object cards
-4 x Place cards
-Past-paper KS2 SAT questions, grouped by topic.
-I have used these for a number of years in standard maths lessons as Apply / Real life tasks. When pupils learn they’ve been doing SAT questions all along, it increases their confidence, ready for their May tests.
-All answers included as ‘Answer Sheets’ (so pupils can self-mark)
What’s included:
-2D shapes
-3D shapes
-Angles
-Area
-Coordinates and Translation
-Measurement
-Perimeter
-Tables and Timetables
-Time
-Unknown angles
-Volume
What’s included?
-10 complete comprehension resources themed around a poem.
-Each resource includes the poem itself, a series of questions and a mark scheme.
What’s included?
-A Liking for a Viking
-Bonfire
-Eletephony
-History
-Ice Cream Shop
-Ogre My Dead Body
-Seal Lullaby
-Song of the Engine
-Transylvania Dreaming
-Windy Nights
Great for:
-Year groups 4-8
-homework
-revision
-SATs prep
-home-learning
-links with PSCHE and British Values
-Booster groups
What is VIPERS?
VIPERS (which stands for Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Sequencing) is a way of teaching reading comprehension. It uses short extracts and poems, and is taught in short lessons (15-20 minutes each.)
What’s Included?
-10 PowerPoint documents
-Each PowerPoint document contains 3 slides (Day 1: Vocabulary and Inference. Day 2: Prediction and Explanation. Day 3: Retrieval and Sequencing).
Which texts are covered?
-Woodlouse
-Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
-Voyage of the Dawn Treader
-Malala Yusufsai
-The Mouse and his Child
-Winnie the Pooh
-Shopping List for a Firework Display
-Secret Garden
-Year 6 Residential
-The Bogeyman
What is VIPERS?
VIPERS (which stands for Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Sequencing) is a way of teaching reading comprehension. It uses short extracts and poems, and is taught in short lessons (15-20 minutes each.)
What’s Included?
-10 PowerPoint documents
-Each PowerPoint document contains 3 slides (Day 1: Vocabulary and Inference. Day 2: Prediction and Explanation. Day 3: Retrieval and Sequencing).
Which texts are covered?
-Cake
-The Dancing Bear
-The Enormous Crocodile
-Smasher
-Diamond
-The Blob that Ate Everyone
-Diary of a Killer Cat
-Lady Lollipop
-Polar Bear
-The Mystery Creatures
What’s included?
-20 comprehension lessons. Each lesson includes a poem, questions (retrieval, inference, authorial intent, word meaning and opinion) and a mark scheme.
-a mixture of traditional and modern
-a mixture of serious and funny
Poems in the Bundle
SET 1
-A Liking for a Viking (Celia Warren)
-Bonfire (Jean Kenward)
-Eletephony (Laura E.Richards)
-History (John Kitching)
-Ice Cream Shop (Shel Silverstein)
-Ogre My Dead Body (Colin McNaughton)
-Seal Lullaby (Rudyard Kipling)
-Song of the Engine (Worsley Benison)
-Transylvania Dreaming (Colin McNaughton)
-Windy Nights (Robert Louis Stevenson)
SET 2
-Entering a Castle (Brian Moses)
-Fire burn and Cauldron Bubble (William Shakespeare)
-Important Notice (Phillip Waddell)
-It’s a Wonderful World but they Made a Few Mistakes (Judith Viorst)
-Jabberwocky (Lewis Carroll)
-Mother to Son (Langston Hughes)
-Names (Brian Moses)
-Superman’s Dog (Paul Cookson)
-Two Witches Discuss Good Grooming (John Caldwell)
-Winter Time (Robert Louis Stevenson)
Great for
-Year groups 4-8
-homework
-revision
-SATs prep
-home-learning
-links with PSCHE and British Values
-Booster groups
What’s included?
30 complete comprehension resources themed on great Britons, both modern and historical (including a good spread of men, women and Great Brits from the BAME community.)
Each resource includes a short biography, a series of questions and a mark scheme.
Great for:
-Year groups 4-8
-homework
-revision
-home-learning
-links with PSCHE and British Values
-Booster groups
Who’s included?
-Beatrix Potter (Peter Rabbit creator)
-Bushra Nasir (UK’s first Muslim Head Teacher)
-Charles Dickens (author)
-Florence Nightingale (Revolutionised nursing)
-Freddie Mercury (of Queen fame)
-Helen Sharman (UKs first astronaut)
-Jane Goodall (conservationist)
-Paul Stephenson (Racial Equality activist)
-Sadiq Khan (politician)
-William Shakespeare (poet, playwright)
-Ashok Venkitaraman (cancer researcher)
-Charles Darwin (evolutionary biologist)
-Claudia Jones (racial equality activitist, founder of Nottinghill Carnival)
-Helen Bamber (founder of Amnesty International)
-John Lennon (The Beatles)
-Kelly Holmes (athlete)
-Queen Victoria
-Sir Isaac Newton (discoverer of gravity)
-Sir Stephen Hawking (scientist)
-Sir Winston Churchill (WW2 Prime Minister)
-C.S Lewis (author)
-Doreen Lawrence (modern-day racial equality activist)
-Emmeline Pankhurst (historical gender equality activist)
-Isambard Kingdom-Brunel (historical engineer)
-J.K Rowling (author)
-J.R.R Tolkien (author)
-Princess Diana (philanthropist and ex-Royal)
-Roald Dahl (author)
-Shami Chakrabarti (politician, political activist)
-Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the World Wide Web)
What’s included?
10 complete comprehension resources themed on great Britons, both modern and historical.
Each resource includes a short biography, a series of questions and a mark scheme.
Who’s included?
-Beatrix Potter (Peter Rabbit creator)
-Bushra Nasir (UK’s first Muslim Head Teacher)
-Charles Dickens (author)
-Florence Nightingale (Revolutionised nursing)
-Freddie Mercury (of Queen fame)
-Helen Sharman (UKs first astronaut)
-Jane Goodall (conservationist)
-Paul Stephenson (Racial Equality activist)
-Sadiq Khan (politician)
-William Shakespeare (poet, playwright)
Great for:
-Year groups 4-8
-homework
-revision
-home-learning
-links with PSCHE and British Values
-Booster groups
What’s included?
-9 complete comprehension resources themed around a poem.
-Each resource includes the poem itself, a series of questions and a mark scheme.
What’s included?
-Conversation Piece
-Haunted
-In the Wood
-Mirror Mirror
-Recipe for a class outing
-The Bogeyman
-The Wind
-There’s a Dragon
-What is it
Great for:
-Year groups 4-8
-homework
-revision
-SATs prep
-home-learning
-links with PSCHE and British Values
-Booster groups
What is VIPERS?
VIPERS (which stands for Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Sequencing) is a way of teaching reading comprehension. It uses short extracts and poems, and is taught in short lessons (15-20 minutes each.)
What’s Included?
-10 PowerPoint documents
-Each PowerPoint document contains 3 slides (Day 1: Vocabulary and Inference. Day 2: Prediction and Explanation. Day 3: Retrieval and Sequencing).
Which texts are covered?
-Matilda
-Postcard from a School Camp
-Autumn Leaves
-Back to School
-Shakespeare
-Beadle the Bard
-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
-Stig of the Dump
-Truth
-Hagbane’s Doom
What is VIPERS?
VIPERS (which stands for Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval and Sequencing) is a way of teaching reading comprehension. It uses short extracts and poems, and is taught in short lessons (15-20 minutes each.)
What’s Included?
-10 PowerPoint documents
-Each PowerPoint document contains 3 slides (Day 1: Vocabulary and Inference. Day 2: Prediction and Explanation. Day 3: Retrieval and Sequencing).
Which texts are covered?
-Tracy Beaker
-Ghosts
-Ghost Hunt
-Tom’s Midnight Garden
-The Sword in the Stone
-Watership Down
-The Werewolf of Fever Swamp
-The Moon of Gomrath
-Kaspar, King of Cats
-The Phantom of Billy Bantam