This animated Power Point resource tells a ghost story in the Gothic tradition. It is set in a grave-yard at midnight and uses such devices as owls hooting, wind howling and trees scratching against the window panes of a creepy church in order to make your blood run cold.Students are encouraged to see setting as character within the tale.The story is one of tragic loss: William Blythe is one of the thousands of young boys who lost their lives in a corner of a foreign field during the Great War. Sarah, his sister, remembers a happier time when they played as children on a warm summer’s day. Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is included as reference to a Victorian novel which could be classed as a famous ghost story and the character of Scrooge is brought to life with descriptive writing.Images are included of ghostly hands and tree silhouettes which could be used to inspire discussion and independent learning. This resource could be used to inspire creative writing or as a means to revise devices used by authors to create a ghostly atmosphere. The story reveals that William lost his life at Passchendaele and could be used to support studies of the effects of war on the family members left behind. As we look back over a hundred years of history, we are reminded of the sense of loss felt by the wider family left at home. Sarah is subjected to some of the same horrors that her brother would have endured on the battlefield.Opportunities for further reading and study are given. This resource could be used to support the study of novels by Dickens, Mary Shelley or Edgar Allan Poe. Suitable for ages 10+

This resource is presented as an animated Powerpoint and in word format and takes inspiration from Newt Scamander’s fifty-second edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It showcases the native British breeds of dragon , namely the Common Welsh Green and the Hebridean Black. Pupils scour the information comparing and contrasting the physical attributes of these magnificent creatures in order to answer a series of questions. The answers are provided. Finally, they put their letter writing skills to the test by applying for an apprenticeship as a dragon trainer based in the Outer Hebrides under the auspices of the MacFusty clan.Pupils are reminded of the conventions of formal letter writing. This is an activity which will appeal to Harry Potter fans and is one of three similar resources which can be found in my shop, each with different extended writing options. Suitable for ages 8+

This power point presentation gives an overview of what a Victorian Christmas was like including customs of the day such as The Christmas Tree, Parlour Games and Festive Food. Particular emphasis is given on how Dickens' novels A Christmas Carol and The Pickwick Papers helped to make Christmas more popular with the general public than other festivals. This resource will prove useful when studying Dickens' novels and thinking about historical context. Suitable for ages 10+

This animated Powerpoint gives advice on how to make a persuasive speech by following five simple steps. The AFOREST acronym is used to remind students of the features of persuasive writing.Pupils are required to write speeches of their own , putting themselves forward for election as head boy or head girl in the form of Ronald Dump who wants to build a wall in the school gym or , alternatively, as Angela Smirkle who advocates an open door policy. This resource is ideal for revising persuasive writing techniques in light of the current political shananigans and is suitable for students aged 11 to 16.

This power point showcases some famous Victorians such as Faraday and Darwin, engineers such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel and authors such as Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens. The presentation also includes an infamous Victorian: Jack the Ripper and the people who were suspected of being this notorious serial killer. Brief biographical details are given and an overview of major achievements/incidents given. Suitable for ages10+

This animated powerpoint comprises eight slides celebrating the spooky spectacle of Halloween. There are plenty of exercises involving adjectives, adverbs, fronted adverbials and apostrophes as well as poetry which could be used as a starting point for creative writing. This resource would be ideal to use on the run up to half term as a means of revision or as inspiration for writing when trying to conjure up a spooky atmosphere. This resource is intended to be used with pupils from 7 to 14 years.

This animated Powerpoint exhibits passages from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone which have deliberate spelling mistakes in them. Pupils are required to read the passages carefully to see if they can identify the mistakes. The corrected passages will magically appear. Homophones are introduced and students are set the challenge of writing interesting sentences of their own which demonstrate their understanding of such words as which and witch etc. Another spelling game is introduced where the audience have to make up as many muggle (ordinary) words as they can out of Potter's fabulous incantations. This is intended as a fun way to practise spelling whilst also encouraging careful reading at the same time. Ideal for Halloween week and beyond. Suitable for Potter fans of all ages.

This animated Power Point resource looks at anxiety issues facing young teenagers today and shares tips on how to cope. Mindfulness is one tool to cope with anxiety as are talking therapies and artistic pursuits . A poem called “the room inside” is displayed which could be used as a starting point to a discussion about mental health. Students are asked to consider volunteering and doing something positive with their time once exams are over. An extract from Eleanor Morgan’s book “Anxiety for Beginners” is given and six plot ideas are given which relate to anxiety. Pupils are asked to select one of these to write about. Students are asked to think about the saying “every cloud has a silver lining” and to share strategies for developing resilience. A Power Point on mindfulness and how to deal with difficult and troubling emotions is included which could be used when problems and anxieties surface within a group situation. Especially useful at this time of year when the pressure of exams on the horizon is beginning to mount. Suitable for ages 12+

This animated Power point resource describes a day out at the sea-side for the Lute family who think they know all about pollution and yet show that their knowledge is as shallow as the sea lapping up against the litter with which they have decorated their sandcastle. The audience are requested to think how the family could have behaved differently and to question what their own families do on days out at the coast. Included is the famous riddle about St Ives and so the pupils can see how a small problem can be multiplied and that we should be all doing our bit by picking up the plastic one piece at a time. Ideal as a discussion starting point on the effects of pollution especially in a coastal setting and as the Summer holidays approach, a cautionary tale! This resource will stretch reading and comprehension skills as well as providing an opportunity to demonstrate maths skills at the same time… recommended for ages 8+

This animated Power Point takes extracts from J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter and the half-blood Prince and asks students to spot deliberate spelling mistakes. The spellings are ordinary words hidden within extraordinary passages. The answers will magically appear. Students are asked to show-case their knowledge of homophones such as witch and which and include as many as they can in a paragraph of their own. They are required to make "Muggle" words out of the letters within some of the characters' names. Finally they have the chance to write their own creative piece involving a hex which glues your tongue to the roof of your mouth, a jinx which makes your toe-nails grow alarmingly quickly or a muffliato spell which causes mayhem by means of the victim experiencing an unidentifiable buzzing sound in their ears. I include another resource about dragon breeds with comprehension questions and answers. This resource is intended to be used to reinforce spelling, punctuation and grammar in a fun way as well as encouraging wider reading . Suitable for ages 10+

This resource looks at the problems faced by sea turtles in our polluted world and asks pupils to think of ways in which they might help creatures such as these. There is a how to guide on drawing a sea turtle and also a further investigation worksheet on finding out what sea turtles like to eat. This resource would support study of seas and oceans and conservation issues. I include a Planet Patrol puzzle which has over twenty interlocked words to find concerning endangered animals. This could be easily differentiated to suit age and ability. All answers provided. This resource compliments other resources available in my shop. Suitable for ages 8+

This animated Power Point resource presents itself in the format of an Examination straight out of Hogwarts. Students read the descriptions of fantastic creatures such as the Hippogriff, the Basilisk and even the humble Puffskein and then answer questions about the information they have read. Students are required to draw detailed diagrams from the information they have acquired and are asked to compile their own entry to the latest edition of Fantastic Creatures concerning a new breed of werewolf. Answers and feedback are provided in a humorous manner. This resource is ideal to use in any exam period as a means of encouraging descriptive and informative writing whilst also inspiring students to read more widely from the pages of J.K.Rowling. Suitable for Potter fans of all ages.

This animated Powerpoint resource bases its information on Newt Scamander's special edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and compares and contrasts three pure bred breeds of dragon namely the Antipodean Opaleye, the Ukrainian Ironbelly and the Hungarian Horntail. Pupils are given a series of questions to answer based on this information and asked to compile an eye-witness report for The Ukrainian Daily Herald of an Ironbelly swooping over the Black Sea with disastrous consequences for the occupants of an unsuspecting sailing ship. All answers are provided together with orders of merit upon completion of the task.Students are given reminders about how to organise their information effectively. Fun activity for Harry Potter fans revising comprehension skills , report writing and independent reading.Students also get to devise their own dragon names! Suitable for ages 8+

This animated Power point showcases the features of persuasive writing and then provides advice on how to use the powers of persuasion to win an audience over. The features are recorded in a way which will make the techniques memorable. The students are asked to put their writing skills to the test by choosing to write a leaflet about the dangers of smoking or, alternatively, writing a speech about taking up a new hobby which does not involve a screen. I include a resource which explains how to build a speech rather like building a sandwich and has an activity where students need to identify rhetorical devices within a short passage; ideal for homework or revision purposes. This resource is suitable for pupils aged between 11 and 16.

This power point explores anger issues and how being more mindful of our words and actions can be beneficial. A story is told of a young boy who is given a bag of nails by his father. Each time he says something hurtful to his family he has to hammer a nail into the tree at the bottom of the garden. As he discovers ways to control his temper, the nails are used less and less and eventually his father asks the boy to pull them out. The boy discovers that the nails have left holes in the tree trunk, just as his unkind words have left wounds in others that will take time to heal. Students are asked questions surrounding the story and asked to share strategies for dealing with anger. Suggestions are made at the end for using hand templates to pass round to friends to write kind words on and display ideas suggested. Talking therapies for dealing with mental health issues and mindfulness meditation are promoted as strategies for dealing with stress. This resource would be useful as an assembly or in tutor time and of particular importance around exam periods. It is suitable for ages 10+

This power Point takes extracts from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, removes the punctuation, and asks the audience to rewrite the paragraphs inserting the necessary capital letters and punctuation marks to bring them back to life again.Pupils will need to consider paragraphing, capital letters and question marks. They will need to insert speech marks and apostrophes for contractions. They will need to think about starting a new line when a different character begins speaking. The perfected passages do magically appear and will inspire pupils to read and explore further for themselves. Formal and informal letters are looked at from the hand of J.K.Rowling and pupils are asked to write either a formal or informal letter for themselves. The formal letter explains why Harry Potter is to be expelled from Hogwarts; the informal letter is written by Harry himself explaining to his beloved Snuffles about the terrible week he's been having at Hogwarts.Pupils are given a further task of inviting either Neville, Draco or Hermione to a special event at their own school and are asked to consider why they wish this character in particular to attend. This resource is intended to support the practice of perfecting punctuation in a fun way and also examine the skills of letter writing. Pupils will be inspired to read more widely from J K Rowling's novels, whilst also revising their writing skills. Suitable for Potter fans of all ages. This resource will add an extra dimension to revision.

This resource is ideal for Father’s Day and has two poems describing dads. One dad has extremely smelly feet that stink of gorgonzola and stale underwear. The other poem describes Dad as more of a super hero type who is earth-quaking, nerve-shaking and fast talking (but only before 6pm.). Pupils will enjoy the humour and vivid imagery within the poems and will be inspired to think of adjectives that describe their own father’s finest qualities. They are asked to think of a special memory about their Dad and perhaps create their own poetry in celebration of Father’s Day. Suitable for all ages.

This animated powerpoint celebrates Halloween with a collection of spooky activities surrounding adjectives, adverbs and rhyming words. The children are asked to provide suitable adverbs to create a spooky atmosphere and to think of a revolting recipe for a witch's spell. A black cat has an encounter with a hat in a poem inspired by Dr Seuss. This resource is intended to be used with younger children on the run up to Halloween and could be used to inspire creative writing and poetry on a spooky theme.

This animated power point presentation is of a poem written by a 15 year old about remembrance. November is the time of year to remember lives lost in war and this poem compares late autumn to this sense of loss in a very poignant way. The audience is asked to focus on particular words and phrases which the poet uses to compare the decaying leaves and the perforated bodies of the battleground. Pupils are also asked to consider the symbolic significance of poppies. This resource would be ideal to use when studying war poetry or reflecting on Remembrance Sunday. This resource is suitable for students aged 11 to 16 years. I include puzzles which will aid the revision of poetry such as Keats' ode to Autumn as well as Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade.