I provide a wide range of resources for use in the classroom and around school. My resources build on children's learning and consider the smaller steps children need to take to achieve the learning. My resources have a focus on 'mastery' style questions where possible, to develop children's critical thinking and reasoning skills. As a practicing primary teacher myself, I know how essential it is to have well organised lesson resources with engaging activities that focus on the learning.
I provide a wide range of resources for use in the classroom and around school. My resources build on children's learning and consider the smaller steps children need to take to achieve the learning. My resources have a focus on 'mastery' style questions where possible, to develop children's critical thinking and reasoning skills. As a practicing primary teacher myself, I know how essential it is to have well organised lesson resources with engaging activities that focus on the learning.
SPaG test focusing explicitly on fronted adverbials. Mark scheme included.
Assesses:
What a fronted adverbial is.
What a fronted adverbial describes
Punctuation
Linking fronted adverbials to sentences
Writing fronted adverbials.
27 mark SPaG test for the end of year 4. Answer paper and mark paper included.
The test covers:
Writing and punctuating fronted adverbials
Correct use of being/been
Converting indirect/reported speech into direct speech
Some year 4 spellings
verbs
Choosing appropriate co-ordinating conjunctions
Correcting tense
Correct use of were/where/we're
Determiners
Using subordinating conjuncitons and writing a subordinate clause.
Explores what a conjunction is used for and the clauses created by using conjunctions, including coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. All lessons are themed for an Ancient Greece topic - not only do children progress in using conjunctions, they learn more about Ancient Greece (Gods, Heroes, Mythical Beasts, Places etc). This also support their writing development on the topic.
Learning focuses around choosing appropriate conjunctions - a challenge for many children.
Learning progresses throughout the lessons.
Opportunity for discussion and reasoning (good for mastery).
Opportunity for all children to be involved in lessons.
Differentiated worksheets are provided for each lesson.
Conjunction word mats included
Learning is as follows:
1. We are learning to identify conjunctions and clauses.
PowerPoint plus 3 differentiated work sheets.
2. Conjunction quiz (programmed with hyperlinks, so use in full screen mode and click on the helmets. Even the most challenging children in my class were very engaged with this.
3. We are learning to choose appropriate conjunctions.
3 levels of differentiated activities.
4. We are learning to use coordinating conjunctions
2 levels of differentiated activities.
5. We are learning to use subordinating conjunctions
3 levels of differentiated activities.
6 week medium term planning for a Brazil Topic (30 lessons), some focus on the Olympic Games.
Planning/resources provided for each lesson, including coverage links for 2014 curriculum.
Includes range of key critical thinking (mastery) questions.
There’s planning, PowerPoints, resources and exemplar text for 12 literacy lessons-writing a persuasive letter. Literacy is linked to Brazil topic.
Fully interactive PowerPoint about Brazil (61 slides). Use in full screen mode to navigate between sections. A range of mastery style questions included. Covers:
Rain forest
Rubber Trade
Tribes
Climate
Geography
Lifestyles
History
Art
Olympics (Rio/ Ancient Olympics).
We are learning to's:
Geography: use scale maps to locate places in Brazil; use critical thinking skills (to compare areas of Brazil); understand what deforestation is and where it occurs; create a persuasive text about deforestation; investigate the similarities and differences between village and city life in Brazil; investigate what it is like to live in a tribe; investigate and compare the lives of Indigenous Indians; describe the structure of the Amazon Rain forest; investigate Fair Trade in Brazil; understand the importance of Brazilian carnivals.
History: investigate how the rubber trade started; explore the ancient Olympic games; understand the chronology of the Olympics.
Art: use pencil sketching skills; use pencil sketching skills; observe details; create a collage; observe details and create urban art; design a symbolic Olympic mascot; design a symbolic Olympic medal.
ICT: search safely on the internet; create a PowerPoint document; program hyperlinks in a PowerPoint; create and present data in a bar graph (using PowerPoint); create and present data in a line graph (using PowerPoint); present and evaluate a PowerPoint.
Design Technology: research and design a carnival float; build and evaluate a carnival float.
Music: listen to and recall sounds; experiment with percussion instruments; perform, using percussion instruments.
R.E: explore religion in Brazil.
P.E. apply a range of athletics skills (to compete in a mini Olympics).
Lessons can be adapted
Lessons differentiated.
Fact sheets, images, planning sheet, evaluations sheets etc provided for many lessons.
List of other suggested resources for each lesson.
List of suggested books and websites.
All images have been taken from: http://search.creativecommons.org/ where no attribution is required.
4 lesson PowerPoint. Lessons 1-3 have 3 differentiated work sheets each.
Lessons are generally 'sports' themed to engage and motivate boys, as well as girls.
The lessons develop and build upon children knowledge of using direct speech in their writing.
Each lesson initially recaps children's learning from the day before, prior to building upon it.
Lesson 1 - We are learning to identify and correct punctuation in direct speech. 3 differentiated follow up tasks included.
Lesson 2- We are learning to turn speech bubbles into direct speech. 3 differentiated follow up tasks included.
Lesson 3 - We are learning to choose verbs to describe how something is said. 3 differentiated follow up tasks included.
Lesson 4 - We are learning to use direct speech. Mixed ability, group task included, with 8 scenarios for children to turn into speech/ conversations after being read aloud by members of their group.
Peer assessment included as part of lesson 4.
If you only have a short period of time for SPaG, there is enough material to cover 8 sessions as each lesson PowerPoint has practise activities on it too. The tasks could be used on the following day.
Cross-curricular link - lessons also encourage children to be good team players/good sports.
5 Lesson PowerPoints and resources for activities for teaching or re-covering fronted adverbials.
Ancient Greece theme to all lessons/ resources so really good for supporting writing if you are doing a topic on Ancient Greece. The lessons could also add to children's exploration of Ancient Greek, including of: Gods, heroes, mythical beasts, temples and battles.
Lessons explore what a fronted adverbial is and encourage children to consider where in the sentence it goes; what the verb is that it describes; whether it describes when, where or how; and what punctuation is required.
Each lesson has a relevant task with it (task for lesson 4 is included within the lesson PowerPoint)
Some critical thinking is required from children as they have to reason why their fronted adverbial was appropriate.
There are opportunities for peer assessment.
Lessons continue to re-cap children's knowledge, whilst also building on it. Very visual with use of images.
Learning objectives include:
We are learning to...
identify a fronted adverbial;
re-order sentences to create a fronted adverbial;
create fronted adverbials;
write fronted adverbials.
All images have been taken from: http://search.creativecommons.org/ where no attribution is required.
Comprehension questions on rain forests, polar regions, coral reefs, deserts and savannas (suitable for a topic on biomes/climate)
Set of images to develop children's reading comprehension skills and discussion. Each image has two questions. These are particularly aimed at developing children's inference skills, justifying from using evidence in the pictures and broadening vocabulary. These will give any ability of child the opportunity to develop their comprehension skills.
Y4 SPaG tests. Total of 6 tests and 6 answer sheets.
Tests are written for the 2014 curriculum for year 4 and get progressively harder throughout the year.
The tests assess children on:
Nouns/ pronouns/ proper nouns
Adverbs/verbs
Adjectives
Expanded noun phrases
Fronted adverbials and use of commas
Direct/indirect speech
Some Y4 spellings
Homophones
Past/present/future tense verbs
Correct use of tense in a sentence
Determiners (articles)
Use of Standard English
Correct use of there/their/they're/been/being/too/to/two
Co-ordinating conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions/subordinate clauses
Plus more!
Two sets of 20+ images to develop children's reading comprehension skills and discussion. Each image has two questions. These are particularly aimed at developing children's inference skills, justifying from using evidence in the pictures and broadening vocabulary. These will give any ability of child the opportunity to develop their comprehension skills.
One set will link well with a Brazil/ South America theme and will also develop subject knowledge in this area.
One set is for a topic on biomes.
Exemplar persuasive letter based on oil extraction in Brazil.
To be used as a good example of a persuasive letter for KS2.
Uses a wide range of vocabulary and sentence structures.
Comprehension questions on explorers, exploration and discovery (past, present and future).
Set of images to develop children's reading comprehension skills and discussion. Each image has two questions. These are particularly aimed at developing children's inference skills, justifying from using evidence in the pictures and broadening vocabulary. These will give any ability of child the opportunity to develop their comprehension skills.
A series of 20 images to develop children's reading comprehension skills. Each image has at least two questions, particularly aimed at developing children's inference skills, justifying from using evidence in the pictures and broadening vocabulary.
These images are great to use a a starter to activity and really improve the comprehension skills of readers of ALL abilities.
This pack is based around a flight/aeroplane theme. Pictures include military and commercial aircraft.
A series of 20 images to develop children's reading comprehension skills. Each image has at least two questions, particularly aimed at developing children's inference skills, justifying from using evidence in the pictures and broadening vocabulary.
These images are great to use a a starter to activity and really improve the comprehension skills of readers of ALL abilities.
This pack is based around a topic for the Romans.
Three sets of 20 images to develop children's reading comprehension skills and discussion. Each image has two questions. These are particularly aimed at developing children's inference skills, justifying from using evidence in the pictures and broadening vocabulary. These will give any ability of child to develop their comprehension skills.
One set will link well with a Brazil/ South America theme and will also develop subject knowledge in this area.
One set is for a topic on the Romans.
One set is to link with a topic on flying and aeroplanes.
Two sets of 20 images to develop children's reading comprehension skills and discussion. Each image has two questions. These are particularly aimed at developing children's inference skills, justifying from using evidence in the pictures and broadening vocabulary. These will give any ability of child to develop their comprehension skills.
One set links well with a topic on flying and aeroplanes.
The other set is to link with a topic on the Romans.
Two sets of 20 images to develop children's reading comprehension skills and discussion. Each image has two questions.
These questions are particularly aimed at developing children's inference skills, justifying from using evidence in the pictures and broadening vocabulary. These will give any ability of child to develop their comprehension skills.
One set of pictures will link well with a Brazil/ South America theme and will also develop subject knowledge in this area.
The other set of pictures will link well with a topic on flying and aeroplanes.
A series of 20 images to develop children's reading comprehension skills and discussion. Each image has two questions. These are particularly aimed at developing children's inference skills, justifying from using evidence in the pictures and broadening vocabulary. These will give any ability of child to develop their comprehension skills.
The pictures will link well with a Brazil/ South America theme and will also develop subject knowledge in this area.
Lesson to introduce different types of nouns: proper nouns, pronouns, common nouns and collective nouns. Opportunity to practice within lesson plus separate, differentiated follow up task.
Lesson to introduce different types of verbs: action verbs (both physical and mental), ‘to be’ verbs, and modal verbs. Lesson includes opportunity to practise.
Used successfully with my capable year 4 class in the summer term, otherwise is suited to year 5.
Lesson PowerPoint covering the life of Julius Caesar, his role in Ancient Rome and his assassination. You may prefer to print the PowerPoint and hide it around your classroom for children to research for themselves.
At the end of the PowerPoint are three different task options.
Used with my Y4 task as part of a literacy project.
54 spelling lists for year 1 and 40 spelling lists for year 2.
Well organised. Each spelling list covers a specific rule from the year 1 or year 2 curriculum.
Easy to use in class and can be used easily alongside lessons/ other resources for learning spellings. Also useful to help you identify spelling rules to teach.
Sheets can be sent home to help children with learning their spellings.
These have also been used for recap work in lower key stage 2.