A great bellringer, brain break, warm up or ‘getting to know you’ task that can also be used as an extended task. Differentiated in nine different ways, this resource encourages students to select and edit their thoughts to a strict limit… harder than they anticipate! It’s also worth using for fast finishers.
Includes:
9 levels of differentiation
Quick and extended versions of the task
US letter and UK A4 document sizes and terminology
Fully editable Google Docs version
This activity focuses on the idea of a time capsule - what would your students put in a time capsule to be opened in the past? The resource features three formats:
What eight items would you put in a time capsule, and why?
What six items would you put in a time capsule, and how would people react if they discovered it 100 years ago?
What six items would you put in a time capsule, and how would the people in the historical society in your novel or story react if they dug it up?
This makes this set of worksheets suitable for one-off lessons, or linked to historical study, or linked specifically to the study of a novel or story.
All worksheets are provided in US letter size and UK A4 size, and also as a Google Docs editable version.
This resource is a step by step guide to building sentences by rewriting a sentence and adding an example of figurative language or a creative device each time. Use as a full lesson, or spread it out over several lessons as a bellringer. A peer feedback task is built in to the end of the process.
The provided example models the process every step of the way whilst students work on their own sentence from a choice of three.
Students begin with a base, three word sentence and add an adverb, alliteration, simile, personification, onomatopoeia and oxymoron in guided stages. The slideshow provided steers this process, and can be used as a lesson slideshow, or as bellringer slides. An editable Google Slides version of the PowerPoint is also included.
Both US and UK document sizes are included!
Coach your students through the close reading and annotation of the opening description from the play An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley, then instruct them in the use of the differentiated essay frames to challenge and stretch pupils at all levels.
The extract and annotation sheet includes focused instructions, and the essay frame shows a clear route of progress with a built-in example and extension column to model development of ideas. Full answer key and suggestions provided.
These printable tone cards can be used to discuss and analyse the language in both fiction and non-fiction texts. Available in colour and black and white!
Prompt your students to use more sophisticated vocabulary with these sets of positive, neutral, and negative tone word mini-cards which also have the option to print four synonyms on the reverse to clarify meaning and avoid repetition in written or spoken responses.
Low prep - print and cut. For repeated use: print, laminate, cut, and store in small popper wallets or boxes.
Explore a wide variation of autumn-themed vocabulary through these word search sheets. Aimed at KS2 and KS3, these sheets make a great bellringer, starting task or brain break before moving on to an extended writing task linked to the season.
They also work well for fast finishers.
These tasks come with full answer keys and in both US letter and UK A4 size for easy printing, as well as US and UK spellings and references to Fall and autumn accordingly.
Engage your class with a problem-solving task for your unit on Homelessness or Global Issues. Use this differentiated activity to promote discussion and critical thinking - if you had $100 or £100, how would you help a homeless person?
US and UK currency versions included, plus appropriate document sizes. Either select items from a tabled list of resources, or use the image-based list. Quick bellringer task version provided, plus a vocab word search for fast finishers.
This task also includes editable Google Docs versions for online learning or homework tasks. Please note: The images on the second page are not editable or moveable due to the terms of use.
Using simple countdown prompts to guide students, this resource allows your class to get on with research responsibly with clear starting and finishing points. Supplement your unit on homelessness or social issues as either a classroom or a homework task.
There are three differentiated versions of this worksheet - one with suggested search terms and foci for pupils needing support, one without prompts but including writing lines, and one without prompts for more independent students.
This resource includes:
3 differentiated versions of the task
PDF versions for quick, no-prep printing
US and UK document sizes
A fun, thoughtful ‘would you rather’ slideshow for secondary school students focused on Halloween. Great for October or autumn!
Encourage discussion around 20 prompt pairs, all focused on the winter season. Perfect for warm-ups, bell-ringers or brain breaks.
A fun, thoughtful ‘would you rather’ slideshow for KS3 and KS4 school students focused on winter traditions and festivals around the world. Great for Christmas!
Encourage discussion around ten prompt pairs, all focused on the winter season. Perfect for warm-ups, bell-ringers or brain breaks.
Guide your students in the close reading of any quotation from any text with these Quote Marks - bookmarks with differentiated mix and match activities. Perfect for rounding off a bigger reading task!
Features three options for a front side and two options for the reverse, or print any of them as single-sided bookmark tasks.
Four repeated bookmarks per sheet in black and white allow for easy printing and ink-saving. Includes US letter and UK A4 document sizes, plus a quick guide for printing.
Tasks include:
Identifying a quote
Who said it and when
Meaning of quote
Tone of language
Key words or impact
In your own words…
Word group categorizing
Star ratings
Change a word to alter the meaning
This Halloween activity for KS3 and KS4 is a great bellringer, brain break or or exit ticket. Learn about the history of Halloween whilst also correcting errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar. Answer key included.
The slideshow is also accompanied by printable US letter and UK A4 size worksheet versions.
This proofreading activity for KS2 and KS3 is a great bellringer, brain break or or exit ticket.
6 errors on each slide are differentiated by outcome - an error to spot for all levels of ability!
Introduce your students to ten examples of classic literature whilst also correcting errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar. The café theme and quick, close reading skills needed makes this perfect for your book tasting event! Answer key included.
Four activities and a booklet containing the short story of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
Explore the symbolism of color in a pre-reading activity
Introduce the vocabulary of the text
Recreate the wallpaper with traditional art materials, or use the Easel version for students to add their digital art
Study the characters through hexagon diagrams (large and small provided)
Great for Halloween!
This differentiated quotation analysis task requires students to look closely at quotes from chapters 14 to 18 of Louis Sachar’s novel Holes and pick out the figurative language, devices and techniques Sachar has used.
This is followed by the opportunity to analyse the quotations for meaning and impact.
There are three levels of differentiation within the lists of writing techniques included, plus a double sided worksheet of fifteen quotations. Answer key also included.
All versions come in both US letter and UK A4 document size.
Round up independent reading or book tasting sessions by asking your students to fill out the sides of a hexagon with information about their own book. Then instruct them in the creation of a whole-class hex diagram by matching the sides, drawing links between the books to make a fantastic wall display.
This resource includes quick-print sheets of large, medium and small hexagons, and two differentiated versions.
Version 1 has sides for protagonist, antagonist, genre, theme, favorite quote, and setting. Version 2 has sides for hero, conflict, setting, favorite moment, genre, and pages.
An exciting activity that will also help your students to recommend new novels to each other!
This fun descriptive writing task includes everything you need to support your less able students and stretch your gifted ones.
First, students explore ideas for describing a pumpkin, bat or skeleton as individuals, or in pairs or as a class, using the visual prompts on the first sheet.
Some students might wish to express some of their ideas through colour as well as words.
Next, share the differentiated word bank of sensory words to support and stretch your students as needed.
Included are banks for sight, sound, smell and touch - taste is not included, but you could always do this as a separate bank or as another collaboration project. There is also a vocabulary bank for verbs.
US letter and UK A4 size documents included.
The outcome will be interesting and vivid descriptions of the humble pumpkin, misunderstood bat and spooky, scary skeleton. Enjoy!
Students can get a feel for the setting of their story or description with this set of ten graphic organizer planning sheets - select different sheets to differentiate for the needs of individual students.
Either use nine prompts to determine as many ideas or aspects of language as possible, or give more specific sheets like the five senses, one specific sense, or location building to aid development of detail.
Students can quickly and easily jot down notes, phrases, ideas and vocabulary; laminate the sheets and use with dry-wipe pens for lower printing costs!
Suitable for a range of ages - flexible mats in both US and UK document sizes.
Great for NaNoWriMo, but please note that this resource is not associated with or endorsed by the National Novel Writing Month team.
Printable book report templates in the style of a book cover or dust jacket!
Differentiated to three levels - with section headings, with limited guidance, and totally blank for student organisation or for you to instruct on specific content requirements.
All versions are provided on an A3 PDF sheet with instructions for students to fill in and cut out their cover or jacket.
Although not all book dimensions can be tailored for, if the A3 format fits the students’ books, they could wrap their finished reports around the books to create an interesting classroom display!
The headed version includes…
Title, illustration and author info
Genre, setting, characters and conflict
Favorite character and reasoning
review and star rating
Includes a completed example report.
Coach your students through discussion and note-taking for the themes of any novel, short story or play, and then instruct them in the creation of a hex diagram by matching the sides, drawing links between the themes and explaining their reasons.
Allow more able students to work independently on the hexagon diagram pieces.
Includes two differentiated versions - one with headings for three quotations, characters, context and symbolism for the theme, and one with subheadings in each of these areas.
VERSION 1 SIDES:
Characters
Context
Symbolism
Quotations x3
VERSION 2 SIDES:
Characters
Main characters
Secondary characters
Tertiary characters
Context
Historical context
Social context
Symbolism
Symbol
Meaning
Quotations x3
Who said it?
When?
This resource includes US letter and UK A4 size versions.