Hello, thank you for looking around my shop. I am a teaching deputy head teacher, with 16 years of experience, who works in a rural primary school. I know how wearing many hats can eat into your time but understand how important excellent resources are for engaging pupils so they make accelerated progress. I have included lots of free resources in my shop but placed a small charge for resources which have taken me many hours to create. I hope you enjoy them and use them to motivate your pupils.
Hello, thank you for looking around my shop. I am a teaching deputy head teacher, with 16 years of experience, who works in a rural primary school. I know how wearing many hats can eat into your time but understand how important excellent resources are for engaging pupils so they make accelerated progress. I have included lots of free resources in my shop but placed a small charge for resources which have taken me many hours to create. I hope you enjoy them and use them to motivate your pupils.
This is a 4 week unit of work that is based on the books 'Cracking Contraptions' by Wallace & Gromit and 'Until I Met Dudley' by Roger McGough (illustrated by Chris Riddell). The end piece of writing is an explanatory text that is based on an invention that the pupils have to design. This has always been a fantastic unit where pupil's are inspired to create a great explanatory text rich with technical language. There are lots of chances to link it with Science or Design & Technology work for circuits.
The learning objectives for this unit of work are;
Stage 1- Stimulate and generate- Learning outcomes
• To understand the purpose of an explanation text
• To write an explanatory text
• To find evidence of an author’s style
• To explain how to do something in a clear and logical sequence
• To identify main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph
Stage 2 - Capture, Sift and Sort- Learning outcomes
• To find key features of an explanatory text
• To write consistently in the present tense
• To design a Cracking Contraption
• To label a diagram
• To write an opening statement
• To label a diagram
• To use causal conjunctions
• To sequence in logical steps
• To order an explanatory text correctly
• To improve a given explanation text using time connectives
• To write accurate titles for explanatory texts
• To write complex sentences
Stage 3 - Create refine evaluate- Learning outcomes
• To create and label a Cracking Contraption
• To write an explanatory text
• To prepare a public presentation
• To present clearly with good voice projection to an audience
This unit of work uses the 3 stage planning process of:
• Stimulate and generate
• Capture, sift and sort
• Create, refine and evaluate
Stimulate and generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Activities can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, sift and sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, refine, evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
This is a 3 week unit which is inspired by the great text Varmints by Helen Ward. The story is a lovely tale of nature dealing with the imposing expansion of man-made developments but finding a way to survive. The theme of the book is regeneration and natures battle to survive in a man-made world. I have taught this in my class and have really enjoyed the wide-ranging elements from looking at deforestation to creating a plausible follow up to the story.
I have listed the learning objectives for all of the lessons below. Also, I have included all of the worksheets, PowerPoints, links and resources you will need to teach this unit straight away.
Stage 1 - Stimulate and generate- Learning outcomes
*To compare a film version of a book
*To write a character description of a varmint
*To understand themes in a book
*To identify specific techniques, explaining the effect on them as a reader
*To discuss philosophical ideas
*To take notes to summarise details
*To debate an issue
Stage 2 - Capture, Sift and Sort- Learning outcomes
*To use personification to describe objects
*To describe using figurative language
*To write expanded noun phrases
*To use different conjunctions
Stage 3 - Create refine evaluate- Learning outcomes
*To plan an alternative ending
*To revise, edit evaluate and improve my writing
*To write an alternative ending in the style of another author
Stimulate and generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Activities can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, sift and sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, refine, evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
This is a 4 week unit of work that is based around Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Wolves in the Walls’ book. This is a challenging text, as it covers the issue of nightmares but it really engages the boys in my class. Neil Gaiman has a fantastic story telling ability (he also wrote Coraline). The end piece is designed to be a descriptive nightmare where the child experienced it learns what to do in their life after they wake up. This unit of work is targeted best at Year 4 - 6 pupils. I have included all the resources you need to start teaching this tomorrow. Below are all the learning objectives and resources included for the unit:
Stage 1- Stimulate and generate- Learning outcomes
• To write a letter to a character in a book
• To create a fantasy world
• To select and retrieve key information
• To discuss philosophical ideas
• To find the meaning of words
Stage 2 - Capture, Sift and Sort- Learning outcomes
• To find the key features descriptive writing
• To write sentences using conjunctions
• To find near synonyms
• To write produce internally coherent paragraphs
• To write sentences with embedded clauses
• To write about all 5 senses
• To use a fronted adverbial to explain how, when or where something took place
• To write expanded noun phrases
Stage 3 - Create refine evaluate- Learning outcomes
• To plan my writing by discussing and recording ideas
• To plan and organise my ideas to effectively support my writing
• To revise, edit evaluate and improve my writing
• To revise, edit evaluate and improve my writing
• To create illustrations for a piece of writing
• To read my story to another pupil
Resources Include:
• 1 - Postcard from Lucy
• 3 - Animals in Dreams
• 3 - Animals in Dreams Reading Comprehension
• 4 - Philosophical Questions
• 5 – Reading
• 5 – Wolves Word Mat
• 6 - Key Features of Descriptive Writing
• 8 – Shades of meaning
• 10 - Embedded clauses
• 11 - 5 Senses
• 11 - Fantasy Pictures
• 12 - Fronted Adverbials WT
• 13 - Monk & Monkey Photos
• 14 – Storyboard
• 16 - Success Criteria
• WAGOLL
• PowerPoint LOs
This unit of work uses the 3 stage planning process of:
Stimulate and generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Acticitives can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, sift and sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, refine, evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
This is a 3-week unit of work which focuses upon writing a story poem about salmon on their run up stream where they need to avoid bears and eagles. I always teach this during my Raging Rivers unit as it fits so well in this topic. The text driver is a beautifully drawn book called ‘A River’ by Marc Martin. This unit focuses upon the key features of descriptive poetry such as; metaphors, personification, expanded noun phrases powerful adjectives and vivid language. It also exposes the pupils to a variety of different poets looking at their style and how they have used these key features.
The end written piece is an opportunity to generate a great piece of writing as there is a well-structured plan to support your less able pupils. My class love this unit as they are engaged by the story of how brave the salmon are though some of the class always choose to write a poem where their salmon does not make it! I have included all the resources including worksheets, WAGOLL and displays so you can start using this straight away. The learning objectives for this unit are;
Stimulate & Generate
• To find the meaning of words
• To organise paragraphs around a theme
• To identify specific techniques, e.g. imagery, metaphor, personification, powerful adjectives and repetition
• To read and perform a poem
Capture, Sift and Sort
• To recognise the key features of descriptive poetry
• To use figurative language such as metaphor
• To use figurative language such as personification
• To retrieve and record information from non-fiction
• To use vivid language to describe
• To write expanded noun phrases
Create, Refine and Evaluate
• To plan and organise my ideas to effectively support my writing
• To revise, edit evaluate and improve my writing x2 lessons
• To perform poetry
This unit of work uses the 3-stage planning process of:
• Stimulate and Generate
• Capture, Sift and Sort
• Create, Refine and Evaluate
Stimulate and Generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Activities can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, Sift and Sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, Refine and Evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
This is a great game to play in pairs or with the whole class. It really helps pupils to use persuasive language while improving their speaking and listening skills. They also love it.
For Pairs
You need 2 dice. The first player throws a dice for the horizontal and the second player throws a dice for vertical. You then choose who is for and who is against each statement. I usually choose the first round then the second round is chosen by whoever lost the first round and so on. Each pupil has to come up with the most reasons to support their side of the statement. The person with the most wins then you throw the dice again.
For Whole Class
You need 2 dice. The first player throws a dice for the horizontal and the second player throws a dice for vertical. You then choose who is for and who is against each statement. I usually choose the first round then the second round is chosen by whoever lost the first round and so on. The whole class decides, by raising hands, which was the most persuasive. It helps to limit the amount of time to say 1 minute each.
This is a fantastic whole book planned guided reading unit based on the book Song of the Dolphin by Elizabeth Laird. The story is based in a Scottish seaside town where a young boy discovers how plastic and balloons is endangering local dolphins. The story also has a mystery as his mother disappeared and is rumoured to be a selkie. The main character and his friends have to find a way to convince a local supermarket to not release thousands of balloons to save the local wildlife. I have included a variety of different guided reading formats to focus on word choices, retrieve key informing and summarising aspects of the text.
The questions are designed to easily fit English books as I have adjusted the margins so they fit. I hope your class enjoys this book as much as mine have always done.
This is a 3 week unit of work which focuses upon writing a descriptive narrative for an astronaut who has landed on the planet Pandora. The end written piece is a descriptive narrative about an alien animal, that is a Hexapod, which the pupils get to create themselves. This unit has word level focuses, guided reading, expanded noun phrasing, variation of sentence types as well as how to structure paragraphs. Pupils really enjoy the creativity and wonder of Pandora as the video is very engaging. The end written piece is always amazing in my experience, as pupils are incredibly engaged by the stimulus of a video compared to the usual text that this unit provides. I have included all the resources including worksheets, WAGOLL and displays so you can start using this straight away. The learning objectives for this unit are;
Stimulate & Generate
• To learn the meaning of new vocabulary including technical vocabulary
• To identify the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary
• To Retrieve, Record & Present Information from Non- Fiction
• To explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read
• To describe using expanded noun phrases
• To write a logbook entry as an astronaut
Capture, Sift and Sort
• To find the key features of descriptive writing
• To write expanded noun phrases
• To add embedded Clauses
• To use conjunctions to link paragraphs
• To vary sentence structure and type for effect
• To write a paragraph with restrictions
Create, Refine and Evaluate
• To plan and organise my ideas to effectively support my writing
• To revise, edit evaluate and improve my writing
This unit of work uses the 3 stage planning process of:
• Stimulate and Generate
• Capture, Sift and Sort
• Create, Refine and Evaluate
Stimulate and Generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Activities can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, Sift and Sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, Refine and Evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
This is a short 2 week unit of work that focuses on improving word choices through improving adjectives and culminates in pupils writing then performing their own poem. The poem they are end up writing is based on the Sound Collector by Roger McGough but it requires pupils to think of tastes or how something feels instead of sound. This unit always engages the pupils and is a great end of half term unit as it fully engages the class.
I have included every resource you need to teach this unit tomorrow. Also below I have listed all of the learning objectives from the unit of work.
Stage 1- Stimulate and generate- Learning outcomes
• To learn and read a poem by heart.
• To write about an Author’s style.
• To perform a dramatic version of a poem.
• To write a poem in another author’s style.
Stage 2 - Capture, Sift and Sort- Learning outcomes
• To find the key features of a poem.
• To write sentences with personification.
• To write similes.
Stage 3 - Create refine evaluate- Learning outcomes
• To improve word choices by using thesauruses.
• To write a Feel or Taste Collector poem.
• To perform poetry.
Stimulate and generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Activities can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, sift and sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, refine, evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
This is a fantastic resource I made for improving spelling during morning activities. There are 20 different 9 letter words which are placed in a wheel. One of the letters is put in the middle, which has to be used in every word. Pupils then try to make 3 letter or more words.
I score it by allowing the pupils 5 minutes to find words. They get 9 points for the 9 letter word and 8 points for 8 letter words etc. Pupils read their word out and if no one else has got it they get the points. Everyone who gets the 9 letter word gets 9 points, even if someone else gets it too. Each slide has a clue what the 9 letter word is. The next slide always reveals what the 9 letter word is.
This is a 3 week unit of work that is aimed at a year 4 and 5 class. The 3 week unit builds the pupils skills through drama and targeted lessons to give them the skills to write an excellent newspaper article. I have included all the resources you need to teach this today. The pupils in my class have always loved this unit and have never failed to create outstanding pieces of work from it. For a great hook I have also been known to dress up as a gorilla and run through the school the first day of teaching this unit.
The learning objectives for the unit are :
• To write a newspaper report
• To write common themes of the books of author Anthony Browne
• To write a job description
• To explore characters through role-play
• To explore the characters feelings and motivations in the story
• To raise questions for different audiences
• To understand the features of newspapers reports
• To identify the features of newspapers reports
• To identify the author’s style and use of language
• To use more descriptive verbs instead of using said
• To identify the differences between direct and reported speech then to convert direct speech into reported speech
• To write cohesive paragraphs
• To plan the introduction to a newspaper article including writing a catchy headline
• To draft and then write a newspaper article
• To write a newspaper article
This unit of work uses the 3 stage planning process of:
• Stimulate and generate
• Capture, sift and sort
• Create, refine and evaluate
Stimulate and generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Activities can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, sift and sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, refine, evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
This is a 3-week unit which I have planned to support my pupils to write a short story, with a twist in the tale, for the BBC 500-word competition. It is a challenging unit as pupils learn to plan backwards so they decide upon the ending first. Pupils decide upon a theme for their short story and plan where they are going to place this throughout the short story. I have set my short story loosely around an old Fairground which allows pupils lots of scope to decide upon what happens in there or did happen in there when it was open. My class love this unit as it allows them to be creative and cunning when they write their twist in the tale.
I have listed the learning objectives for all of the lessons below. Also, I have included all of the worksheets, PowerPoints, links and resources you will need to teach this unit straight away.
Stage 1 - Stimulate and generate- Learning outcomes
• To understand the key features of a short story
• To understand themes in stories
• To decide a theme for my short story
Stage 2 - Capture, Sift and Sort- Learning outcomes
• To write an engaging setting
• To improve a piece of writing by using fronted adverbials
• To write engaging character descriptions
• To create an engaging character
• To write a twist in the tale
• To write a climatic ending with a twist in the tale
• To write a list of escalating emotions to build tension
• To use dialogue in story to give clues about the characters
Stage 3 - Create refine evaluate- Learning outcomes
• To plan and organise my ideas to effectively support my writing
• To revise, edit evaluate and improve my writing
Stimulate and generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Activities can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, sift and sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, refine, evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
This is a 3 week unit of work that is based on the book ‘Ice Trap’ by Meredith Hooper. This book tells the amazing story of Ernest Shackleton’s epic attempt to be the first person to reach the south pole. When his ship, the Endurance, gets trapped in the ice his adventure turns into a battle to stay alive and fins a way to escape. My class love this gruesome and heroic story and always produce some amazing diary extracts as a character from the Endurance who suffered through this ordeal.
This unit includes all of the worksheets, plans and PowerPoints to teach it today.
The learning objectives for this unit of work are;
• To write a diary extract
• To ask questions and draw inferences to improve understanding
• To draw inferences and make predictions using the text
• To explore the themes of a book
• To evaluate the author’s use of language for effect
• To build background knowledge of a topic; gathering information and making notes
• To explore the character’s feelings and emotions through drama
• To identify different word classes
• To establish the key features for successfully writing in role
• To vary sentence openers to engage the reader
• To use brackets, dashes and commas to indicate parenthesis
• To understand the difference between colons and semi-colons and their use
• To portray contrasting viewpoints effectively in my writing
• To plan effectively for writing
• To edit and publish writing for the chosen audience
This unit of work uses the 3 stage planning process of:
• Stimulate and generate
• Capture, sift and sort
• Create, refine and evaluate
Stimulate and generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Activities can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, sift and sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, refine, evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
This is a list of over 140 fronted adverbials that include:
• How
• When
• Where
• Frequency
This is a great resource to improve pupils sentence starters that I use in most creative writing sessions in my class.
This is a 4 week unit of planning that produces a flashback recount from the time during the Lebanese civil war by a young girl called Ayesha. She has to brave the war zone to travel across enemy lines to find help for her sick granny by searching for medicine from a doctor. The story is fantastic and the writing produced as a result of it is even better. This text is best suited to Y4 and above as there are aspects of war such as loss (her mother dies after a shell hits their house) but the richness of the text has really engaged all my class and especially the boys.
I have listed the learning objectives for all of the lessons below. Also I have included all of the worksheets, PowerPoints, links and resources you will need to teach this unit straight away.
Stage 1- Stimulate and generate- Learning outcomes
• To write a flashback.
• To find the meaning of words.
• To retrieve and record information from text.
• To take notes to summarise details.
• To retrieve and record information from text.
• To write a diary extract as a character from a story.
• To retrieve and record information from text.
Stage 2 - Capture, Sift and Sort- Learning outcomes
• To find the key features of a flashback.
• To write expanded noun phrases.
• To write similes using abstract nouns.
• To find near synonyms of verbs.
• To write in the past tense.
• To write a descriptive setting.
• To modify adjectives with adverbs.
• To use a fronted adverbial to explain how, when or where something took place.
Stage 3 - Create refine evaluate- Learning outcomes
• To plan and organise my ideas to effectively support my writing.
• To convey viewpoint by writing in role.
• To revise, edit evaluate and improve my writing.
• To convey viewpoint by writing in role.
Stimulate and generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Activities can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, sift and sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, refine, evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
This is an adjectives word mat I have made to support the writing in my class. I have these on every table during lessons to encourage pupils to use new words and to check the spelling of words they want to use. They are in alphabetical order so pupils can find the word they want to write fast. The different sections include:
• Positive feelings
• Negative feelings
• Size
• People
• Objects
• Time
This is a 3 week unit of planning that produces a fantastic descriptive narrative writing piece based on the beautiful picture book Leon and the Place Between. This is the story of a boy who gets whisked away during a magical trick at the circus to where magic exists. This unit always inspires some excellent creative writing as it so engaging. This text is best suited to lower KS2 but can easily be adapted to upper KS2.
I have listed the learning objectives for all of the lessons below. Also I have included all of the worksheets, PowerPoints, links and resources you will need to teach this unit straight away.
Stage 1- Stimulate & Generate learning outcomes
• To be able to write in a form appropriate to the task
• To engage with a text through its setting
• To use expanded noun phrases to convey complicated information concisely
• To be able to select vocabulary to create an impact on the reader
• To identify different word classes in a text (e.g. verb, adjective, noun, adverb conjunction, pronoun & preposition
Stage 2 - Capture, Sift & Sort learning outcomes
• To modify sentences using a variety of word classes and adverbials
• To write poetic sentences, using authorial techniques
• To cohesively join sentences to build stanzas within poems
• To make plausible inferences about a character’s emotions throughout a text
Stage 3 - Create, Refine & Evaluate learning outcomes
• To generate and select ideas relevant to the text
• To sequence key events across a story
• To write a descriptive narrative based on the style of an author I have read
• To revise, edit evaluate and improve my writing
• To revise, edit evaluate and improve my writing
• To publish work for a given audience and purpose
Stimulate and generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Activities can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, sift and sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, refine, evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
This is a 3-week unit which is based on the text ‘Roman Soldier’s Handbook’ by Lucia Fabricius Imperiosa. This is a graphically pleasing and informative book which my class have enjoyed reading during our Roman topic. The final piece that this unit produces is a historical information text based on an area of Roman life (that interest each pupil). Most times pupils are inspired to either write about the army, Gladiators or the sanitation!
I have listed the learning objectives for all of the lessons below. Also, I have included all of the worksheets, PowerPoints, links and resources you will need to teach this unit straight away.
Stage 1 - Stimulate and generate- Learning outcomes
To gather information in note form
To write an information text
To find the meaning of words
To retrieve and record information from text
To gather information in note form
To use notes to write an information text
Stage 2 - Capture, Sift and Sort- Learning outcomes
To find key features of an information text
*To write in the third person
*To know how to write in the past tense
*To write using technical vocabulary
*To write headings and sub-headings
*To write captions
*To retrieve and record facts from a variety of texts
Stage 3 - Create refine evaluate- Learning outcomes
*To plan an information text
*Extended Writing - To write an information text
*To publish an information text using digital media
Stimulate and generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Activities can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, sift and sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, refine, evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
This is a fantastic whole book planned guided reading unit based on the book Oranges in No man’s Land by Elizabeth Laird. The story tells the struggles of a little brave girl called Ayesha during the civil war in Lebanon. I have planned a unit of work that has between 9 and 5 questions for each chapter (18 chapters in total).
I have also included printer friendly pages where there are 4 copies of the questions on each page so it is easy to prepare for lessons. I have included all the answers too as this is a great time saver. The questions are designed to easily fit English books as I have adjusted the margins so they fit. I hope your class enjoys this book as much as mine have always done.
This is a 3 week unit of work that teaches all the skills to write a descriptive poem then perform this at the end of the unit. The book is a rich text by an excellent writer that helps support the unit as it is based about the after effects of a hurricane. Pupils really enjoy the creative process of this unit as they get to paint elaborate and engaging pictures in the reader’s minds.
I have included every resource you need to teach this unit tomorrow. Also below I have listed all of the learning objectives from the unit of work.
Stage 1- Stimulate and generate- Learning outcomes
• To write a descriptive poem
• To find the meaning of words
• To retrieve and record key facts
• To use drama to explore characters’ feelings
• To read and perform a poem
Stage 2 - Capture, Sift and Sort- Learning outcomes
• To recognise the key features of descriptive poetry
• To use figurative language such as similes
• To Identify how language contributes to meaning
• To use figurative language such as alliteration
• To use figurative language about your senses
• To use figurative language such as personification to describe objects
• To use figurative language such as metaphors
• To use descriptive language to engage the reader
• To revise, edit evaluate and improve my writing
Stage 3 - Create refine evaluate- Learning outcomes
• To plan and organise my ideas to effectively support my writing
• To revise, edit evaluate and improve my writing
• To perform poetry
Resources included:
• Hurricanes LOs PowerPoint
• Hurricanes Word Mat
• Fact file template
• Facts About Hurricane Cards
• Lesson 5 - Descriptive Poems
• Lesson 6 - ARE + GDS
• Lesson 6 – WT
• Lesson 7 – Photo
• Lesson 7- Simile WT
• Lesson 8
• Lesson 9 - S Word
• Lesson 10 – Diamonds
• Least Effective & Most Effective
• Lesson 11 - Senses
• Lesson 12 – Personification
• Lesson 13 – Metaphors
• Lesson 14 - Pictures
• Success Criteria for Descriptive Poetry Display
• Success Criteria for Descriptive Poetry
Stimulate and generate = This usually starts with a hook to interest the class where the class realise who they are going to write for so they have a clear purpose and audience. Activities can include reading excellent model texts, drama or researching more about the author or the content of the book.
Capture, sift and sort = This is the part of the unit where pupils look at key features, practise skills they will need in order to complete the final piece or new learning for objectives they have not learnt yet.
Create, refine, evaluate = This is where you bring all you have learnt together and plan the final piece before you write it and then edit it to improve the piece. This can include self, peer or teacher led reviewing.
Here is a great list of ideas for supporting creative writing. It is a list of 'twist in the tale' ideas that pupils can use to help them write an engaging story.