This 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s war poem ‘Ozymandias.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful throughout teaching, or for exam revision or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the key English Literature assessment objectives - suitable for all examining bodies. Students have found these resources extremely engaging, and it is clearly highlighted within each task regarding which assessment strands the task is designed to demonstrate. Activities within the booklet include: ‘Analysing Context’ - helping students to ‘Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.’ ‘Analysing Subject Matter, Language and Structure’ - to help students to ‘Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.’ ‘Diary Entry’ - to help students to ‘Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ ‘The Speaker’ - to help students to ‘Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.’ Plus many, many more activities I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer.

Based on the popular game show ‘Pointless’, this resource is perfect for use as a whole lesson resource, enrichment option, or revision tool. Editable, so that you can change to any other topic or change questions. (I’ve also added a blank template so that you can make your own games from scratch). Containing almost 30 slides of sound clips, interesting tasks, and suitably challenging questions, this resource is effective at both promoting engagement and enhancing learning. There are several full rounds of questions to build or revisit knowledge of characters, plot, and themes in ‘Stone Cold.’ Round 1. The characters in Stone Cold Round 2. Quotations from the text Round 3. Settings and Objects Round 4. Themes in Stone Cold The nature of this game ensures that the resource can challenge students of all levels. A blank template has also been added, so that you can create your own games!

This engaging and informative lesson helps students to understand one of the key themes running throughout Robert Swindells’ Stone Cold: Homelessness. Students use key information, research skills, and extracts from the text to understand how and why homelessness happens and who it can affect, before composing their own arguments about how they believe homelessness should be tackled. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Considering their own views towards homeless people, and thinking about how these were formed; - Researching how and why people become homeless, and who it affects ; - Reading an extract from ‘Stone Cold’ in which Link describes a night on the streets, to better empathise with those who are sleeping rough; - Answering comprehension questions about the extract, considering the writer’s use of language and retrieving textual information to back up their ideas; - Forming their own arguments about how homelessness should be tackled, using their own research and the information gathered throughout the lesson; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts; Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Research Template; - Selected extracts - Stone Cold - Link’s description of a night on the streets; - Writing to Argue Helpsheet; - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with a year 8 class, however colleagues have used them for between years 5 and 9 with minimal adaptations. Please note that internet access/ use of research mechanisms is required for the introduction task. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in exam revision, comprehension tasks, or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the KS4 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework - this makes the tasks suitable for all examining bodies. Students have found these resources extremely engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that students gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - ‘Context: 18th Century Europe’ - to aid students with ‘Drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation;’ - ‘Shelley’s Description’ - to aid students with ‘Analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact;’ - ‘Elizabeth’ - to aid students with ‘Seeking evidence in the text to support a point of view, including justifying inferences with evidence;’ - ‘Editing the Text’ - to aid students with ‘Making an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 30 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about Queen Victoria as a part of their history study of ‘Significant Individuals.’ It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in Her Life; Important Vocabulary; Queen Victoria Timeline; Answers to the Important Questions; Top Ten Facts. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about Abraham Lincoln, particularly those completing a history study of ‘Significant Individuals.’ It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in His Life; Important Vocabulary; Abraham Lincoln Timeline; Answers to the Important Questions; Top Ten Facts. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising knowledge relating to rainforests. It contains comprehensive sections on: The different layers of the rainforest (emergent, canopy, understory/shrub, forest floor) and diagram; Information about where rainforests can be found in the world; Animals of the rainforest (including distribution, images, habitat, size/weight, and key facts); Timeline of deforestation; The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included). The resource is most suitable for students in KS2 or KS3.

The year is 2086, and the students are needed for a special mission! This space mission has been designed to provide students with a fun and interesting group challenge, whilst also building key skills in critical thinking and collaboration, and essential knowledge for Science, English, and Mathematics. Students are placed in a scenario in which Earth is no longer habitable, and humans must seek to move to another planet in the Universe. Compiled for them is information on each of the potentially most habitable planets that are known to man (these are the real planets that have been confirmed by NASA and other agencies as having the most potential for life). In reading the key information, students will be drawing upon their knowledge of Science terminology, and will need to make some Maths calculations to work out implications of living on different planets. What will become clear fairly quickly is that none of the potential planets are perfect, and they must use reasoned judgements to determine which of them have cons that could perhaps be overcome. They then present their ideas, using clear and articulate speaking and listening skills, and write up their report, using appropriate written communication (a scaffold is provided to frame this). Everything is provided for you to download, print, and teach: - A comprehensive, whole-activity PowerPoint that guides the students through the mission; - Detailed and colourful information sheets on each of the contender planets for being the next Earth (these include links to amazing websites that can provide the children with more information); - A ‘Pros and Cons’ scaffold, to help students record their findings; - An information sheet on the ‘habitable zone’ around stars; - A scaffold for writing up findings; - Sorting cards for help with determining the key features of habitable planets; - Full teacher guidance. Considering the time and effort that it took to create these resources, I think that they offer exceptional value. Whenever I have used this activity before, it has taken at least 2-3 lessons, including the introduction, starter challenge, main mission, presentations, and write-up. I originally have used this with mid-ability Year 6,7, and 8 groups, but colleagues have easily adapted it for students across key stages 2-4. All images have been cited at the end of the PowerPoint presentation and are licensed for commercial use.

This whole class reading session aims to build their understanding of the life of Queen Elizabeth II, whilst simultaneously developing their reading comprehension skills. The resource pack includes the full text and all of the activities for the session, which the class are guided through via a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the text is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The session is best suited for children in years 3-4, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly older or younger year groups. This resource is suitable for home/ remote learning. These resources are also suitable for home/ remote learning.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about Elizabeth Fry. It is particularly useful for those completing a history study of ‘Significant Individuals.’ It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in Her Life; Important Vocabulary; Elizabeth Fry Timeline; Answers to the Important Questions; Top Ten Facts. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about Elizabeth II, as a part of their PSHE study of Britain and its values, history study of ‘Significant Individuals’, or cross-curricular learning about monarchs. It is also a useful resource for learning relating to the platinum jubilee. It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in Her Life; Important Vocabulary; Elizabeth II Timeline; Answers to the Important Questions; Top Ten Facts. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about toys as a part of their history study of ‘changes within living memory.’ It tracks the development of toys from ancient civilisations to the present day, and contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Popular Toys; Important Vocabulary; Toys Timeline; Toys Through Time; Top Ten Facts. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about toys as a part of their history study of ‘changes within living memory.’ It tracks the development of toys from 1900 to the present day, and contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Popular Toys; Important Vocabulary; Toys Timeline; Toys Through Time; Top Ten Facts. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use.

This engaging investigation activity allows students to use develop their innovation, creativity and collaboration skills to control the direction of their enterprise project. The resource set guides students through the entire project, from conception to evaluation, and includes resources/ guidance for the following activities: -Deciding upon different roles within their groups, in order to carry out multiple tasks effectively; -Designing a company name and appropriate logo and slogan; -Researching their product area, including competitors and USPs; -Conducting market research; -Budgeting; -Detailed product design; -Packaging design; -Creating instructions for users; -Formulating and presenting a persuasive pitch; -Surveying the target audience for their feedback; -Self-evaluating strengths and areas for development. A comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the project. There are at least a week’s worth of resources in here, enabling students to fully immerse themselves in the project. I orignally have used this with KS2 and KS3 students, but they could reasonably be adapted for students in KS4. All images have been cited at the end of the PowerPoint presentation and are licensed for commercial use.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising knowledge relating to the dinosaurs. It contains comprehensive sections on: Overview - the who, what, when, where of dinosaurs; Types of Dinosaurs - including Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus and Brontosaurus, amongst others; Key Questions about Dinosaurs - including ‘How do we know dinosaurs existed? and How are fossils formed?’ and more; Dinosaur Timeline - including details about the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods; Top Ten Dinosaur Facts! The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included). The resource could be adapted for a variety of ages and abilities, but I originally used this with Key Stage 2 children.