Reading/sounding out + learning about shells, seaside, nature and more. Eight describing words for shells for young readers (Reception - Y2), big, bright and clear, around a colourful photo of shells on beach. Words: shells, hard, curly, dry, shiny, hollow, sandy, wet. Help children turn sheet to read the words. Watch my video on seaside shells: https://photos.app.goo.gl/wkeZ8K6iCfcFQneZ9 See my other seaside and phonics resources too.

My poem ‘Dragon in the Sky’ is a simple yet exciting and atmospheric poem, published in The School Magazine, Australia, who have also made a highly popular YouTube video of the poem. 19 lines. Upbeat ending. Offers inspiration and poetry-writing ideas for young writers. Supports dragon topic too.

**Dragon writing! ** This illustrated writing frame invites similes, description, and action words for dragons - plus suggestions for their favourite food. Not Teachers on Toast, surely?!? The Guide sheet provides teacher support for firing enthusiasm, ideas and language, and presenting the sheet. Supports literacy, poetry, vocabulary-building, speaking and listening skills, expressive movement (in the recommended warm-up enactments), and study of mythical beasts. Best for lower juniors (7-9 year-olds).

Sun and sunshine similes with starter phrases in an attractive frame with picture prompts all round, for Yrs 2-4 approx. The sun is as hot as, as yellow as, as bright as, as round as…, and as - (gap for idea) as. And when it’s sunny, I like to – (line for filling). SEE ALSO: Weather Poetry Bundle - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/weather-poetry-bundle-ks1-11974784 **+ SEA SIMILES: **https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/weather-poetry-bundle-ks1-11974784 .

Exciting, illustrated writing frames supporting Journeys, Explorers, Transport, Space, Ocean and World topics, harder and easier versions. Children write in first person, as the explorer, describing their imaginary expedition: destination, means of transport, clothes, equipment, dangers (3 invited), and how they’re feeling. An activity to get everyone on board, fired up and thinking, also developing literacy skills.

Children love rhymes, but they can be tricky to construct, so this resource provides 4 structured rhyme frames on the theme ‘seabed’, with a sheet of tips and examples to help them along. Suitable for Yrs 5/6 working mostly independently, and for Yrs 3/4 with teacher support. However, all will benefit from a whole-class rhyme produced together, chanted and clapped to check rhythm, and written up on the board as an example. Year 2 would also enjoy a shared rhyme challenge, using a selected verse from the sheet. The resource supports literacy, especially poetry and linguistics, developing language dexterity and control of rhyme and rhythm. It would also support any topic related to sea, pirates, holidays, maritime history or the environment. Contents: 2 sheets, black-and-white, PDF.

‘Juicy Fruit Queen’ is the fun title of this lively, rhythmic poem. Clap and swing along to it with your class, to liven up your healthy eating guidance and encourage fruit-eating. As a published children’s poet, I’ve written this multi-verse poem specially for TES users. It’s versatile for a range of applications and age groups, also serving as an introduction to poetry-writing, rhyme fun or discussion, or as an action rhyme to get your class up and moving.

Young children will enjoy colouring in this rabbit picture, including the grass, sun, bird and flowers in the scene. The activity promotes fine motor skills, colour differentiation, design skills, creativity, and an understanding of the natural world. The picture also offers a focus for discussion.

This is a funny, crazy rhyme about face masks, for a little light relief in Coronavirus times. While taking a humorous look at our masks, and how they can come in handy for non-health purposes too, this three-verse, rhyming poem will also develop children’s sense of rhythm, rhyme and poetic form, stretching vocabulary and ideas, too. It also has great scope for actions and performance, and offers welcome cheer and fun for students and teachers alike at this time. Written by the author - a published children’s poet.

The climate change crisis, global warming, the greenhouse effect - these are key phrases in today’s heated global debate about the future of our planet. This word bank supports climate emergency discussion in the classroom with words for all aspects: causes - fossil fuels, carbon emissions, deforestation… , cattle-breeding, to effects - melting ice, rising sea levels, extreme weather, damaged ecosystem, broken food chain…, and goals - cleaner air, renewable energy sources, alternative lifestyles. The double column of words will help teachers and students alike, in group chats, debates, writing tasks and research projects. Rather than offer a vast maze of terms, it offers a broad selection, each potentially spurring further concepts and word choices.

What We Found at the Seaside - published by The School Magazine, Australia, celebrates natural seaside wonders, in a flowing pattern. 15 short lines, starting: Waves purring wind stirring      gulls chuckling      crabs scuttling spray splashing fish dashing Supports: poetry appreciation, poetry crafting, creative writing, ocean studies, nature, environment, green living, vocabulary, speaking and listening, and PSHE - calming and soothing.

Ocean poetry is exciting to write. This rhyme bank and the example verses on the next page will help you and your class to concoct fantastic poems about the wild and wonderful oceans, dangerous voyages, pirates, treasure and more. Supports literacy, as well as study of oceans, travel, history, geography and any class reading book with the theme. Recommended particularly for Yrs 4-7.

Emergent and newly independent writers will enjoy thinking up describing words to write on the swirly, little lines on their cloud. Think up some together first, e.g. - fluffy, puffy, white, grey, floaty, soft, light, high, drifting, quiet, slow, pink, dark, stormy, woolly, silky, silver, whirly, swirly or candy floss. Here’s a published poem of mine about clouds on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EOKVIktMh10 Let children sound out the words, whether or not correctly, to sustain flow and build confidence. See my other weather writing frames, including harder version of this: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/weather-poetry-bundle-ks1-11974784

An attractive picture of a ladybird with leaves and flowers, for colouring. Young children will enjoy colouring the spots red, and selecting colours for the other parts of this cheerful, natural picture. Develops fine motor control, colour sense, understanding of mini-beasts and the natural world, and more. I also have a butterfly colouring sheet: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/butterfly-colouring-sheet-12043732

These 3 punchy rhymes bring the past alive. Their titles are: Who Lived in the Castle?, Bowing and Curtseying, and My Castle is Old. Each contain rhyme and rhythm, while offering scope for alternative words to be slotted in (notes below provide ideas for these). There is also scope for acting-out, adding sound effects and enhancing with percussion. Suggestions for all of these are provided. They serve to prepare children for writing about castles, also enriching their vocabulary, developing their sense of rhyme and rhythm, and providing a window on the past. In addition, they promote physical development: the actions involved are fun and imagination-triggering, encouraging creative expression and physical exertion. The rhymes and illustrations are my own. 3 sheets in total -PDF.

A beautiful, calming snow scene to write on, following the snow’s gentle curves. The starter phrases invite describing words and similes.

Dinosaurs are exciting to write about, especially when you invent your own! This accessible, illustrated creative writing frame comes in easy and harder versions, for approx. Yrs 2 - 4. Supports Dinosaurs and related topics, and Literacy too. Get your whole class writing with enthusiasm and expression, while thinking and learning about the prehistoric world too!

Healthy eating becomes meaningful for children when thinking up healthy foods beginning with particular letters, e.g. Green beans for the last letter in “Healthy eating”. Adjectives, like Gorgeous, and phrases, like Good for you (for the G letter), are also fun and meaningful to select. The Ideas Sheet provides plenty of suggestions for each letter of the acrostic, to prompt for as needed. Supports Literacy as well as healthy eating drives. Recommended for upper Juniors (9-11 approx.).

Young children will enjoy colouring in this lively natural scene, and identifying insects and other crawly creatures as they work. They will develop colour awareness, fine motor skills and an understanding of the minibeasts and their natural environment, as they bring the picture alive with their own creative input.

This rhyme bank and examples page will provide all the back-up you need to concoct verses about castle characters with your class. There are rhyme lists for King, Queen, Knight, Prince, Princess and Ghost, with an example verse for each on the next page. Tips for presenting and guiding are also provided. Bring history alive by inventing funny, crazy, spooky or beautiful rhyming couplets (or more) about the people who lived in our ancient castles, or bring your literacy or poetry lesson alive this way. I introduce rhymes like these in my poetry workshops, adapting the presentation to suit the different literacy levels. It’s an activity that gets everyone hooked.