This resource is perfect for enabling students to build both their persuasive writing and their speaking and listening skills. Based upon the popular BBC series 'Dragons' Den', students have the opportunity to research, design, pitch, and evaluate arguments for their own inventions, whilst simultaneously analysing persuasive pitches, revising persuasive techniques, structuring arguments and articulating convincingly. Included is a 16 page booklet (I would say at least 4-5 hour lessons of tasks) that lead students to: - Introduce themselves and their interests; - Watch persuasive pitches (links included) and identify persuasive devices; - Analyse why persuasive devices are effective; - Structure an analysis appropriately; - Brainstorm ideas for an invention using imagination and helpful aiding questions; - Formulate an argument by considering key questions and counter arguments; - Write and present a persuasive pitch; - Peer-evaluate and self-evaluate persuasive pitches. I have also provided some examples of news stories featuring the worst and best pitches from the den, in order to provoke discussion about what makes a strong pitch. All images are licensed for commercial use and are cited throughout.

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, engaging visuals, 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 'Romeo and Juliet.' Round 1. The characters in Romeo and Juliet Round 2. Quotations from the play Round 3. Settings, themes, and objects Round 4. Who appears in Act 1 Scene 1? The nature of this game ensures that the resource can challenge students of all levels.

Based on the popular game show ‘Pointless’, this resource is perfect for use as a starter activity, plenary, or revision tool. Editable, so that you can change to any other topic or change questions. Containing almost 30 slides of sound clips, engaging visuals, and suitably challenging questions, this resource is effective at both promoting engagement and enhancing learning. There are several full rounds of questions to build learning of Persuasive Writing: 1. Emotive Language 2. Definitions of Persuasive Devices 3. Adding and Contrasting Connectives 4. Remembering Persuasive Devices The nature of the game ensures that this resource can challenge students of all levels. A blank template is now included, so that you can create your own Pointless games!

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, engaging visuals, 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 ‘Blood Brothers.’ Round 1. The characters in Blood Brothers Round 2. Quotations from the text Round 3. Settings and Objects Round 4. Themes in Blood Brothers 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!

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 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 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.' Round 1. The characters in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Round 2. Quotations from the text Round 3. Settings and Objects Round 4. Themes in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 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!

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, engaging visuals, 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 'A Christmas Carol.' Round 1. The characters in A Christmas Carol Round 2. Quotations from the text Round 3. Themes, Ideas, and Objects Round 4. Places where the ghosts take Scrooge 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 thought-provoking lesson is the last in a series lessons designed to accompany the reading and promote children’s comprehension of Roald Dahl’s ‘Esio Trot.’ It covers the end of the text (pages 50 to 63 in the Puffin version of the story). The lesson is guided by a comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation, and enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information about the events and characters in this section of the story; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings, including key inferences about Mr Hoppy and Mrs Silver’s marriage; -Summarising and sequencing the main events in the text. The sessions include a range of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. A clear, well-designed template is also provided for the storyboarding activity. The lessons are most suitable for children in upper KS1 or lower KS2, depending upon the individual context of the class - they have been tried and tested in the classroom with both year 2 and year 3 children.

This engaging and thought-provoking lesson is the third in a sequence of four lessons designed to accompany the reading and promote children’s comprehension of Roald Dahl’s ‘Esio Trot.’ This lesson covers the section of the text in which Mr Hoppy carries out his plot to create the appearance of Alfie ‘growing’ in an attempt to win Mrs Silver’s affection. It covers pages 34 to 49 in the Puffin version of the story. The lesson is guided by a comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation, and enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information about the events and characters in this section of the story; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings, including key inferences about how Mr Hoppy carefully carries out his plan; -Identifying and understanding Roald Dahl’s use of different types of vocabulary. The sessions include a range of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. The lessons are most suitable for children in upper KS1 or lower KS2, depending upon the individual context of the class - they have been tried and tested in the classroom with both year 2 and year 3 children.

This engaging and thought-provoking lesson is the second in a sequence of lessons designed to accompany the reading and promote children’s comprehension of Roald Dahl’s ‘Esio Trot.’ This lesson covers the section of the text in which Mr Hoppy has an idea to help Alfie the tortoise to ‘grow’ and win Mrs Silver’s heart. It covers pages 16 to 33 in the Puffin version of the story. The lesson is guided by a comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation, and enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information about the events and characters in this section of the story; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings, including key inferences about the sincerity of Mr Hoppy’s plan; -Explaining key ideas, including how they think Mr Hoppy’s plan will work. The sessions include a range of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. The lessons are most suitable for children in upper KS1 or lower KS2, depending upon the individual context of the class - they have been tried and tested in the classroom with both year 2 and year 3 children.

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 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 ‘To Kill A Mockingbird.’ Round 1. The characters in To Kill A Mockingbird Round 2. Quotations from the text Round 3. Settings and Objects Round 4. Themes in To Kill A Mockingbird 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 thought-provoking lesson is the first in a sequence of lessons designed to accompany the reading and promote children’s comprehension of Roald Dahl’s ‘Esio Trot.’ This lesson covers the beginning of the story (up to the end of page 15 in the Puffin version of the text). The lessons are guided by a comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation, and enables students to understand the text through: -Making predictions about the story; -Retrieving information about the events and characters in the story opening; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings, including what they have learnt about Mr Hoppy’s character from the opening section of the text. The sessions include a range of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. A worksheet/ template is also provided for the creative character profile activity (in both Word and PDF format). The lessons are most suitable for children in upper KS1 or lower KS2, depending upon the individual context of the class - they have been tried and tested in the classroom with both year 2 and year 3 children.

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, engaging visuals, 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 'An Inspector Calls.' Round 1. The characters in An Inspector Calls (takes approx 10 mins) Round 2. Quotations from the text (takes approx 15 mins) 3. Settings, themes, and objects (takes approx 15 mins) 4. Themes in An Inspector Calls (takes approx 10 mins) The nature of this game ensures that the resource can challenge students of all levels.

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 'Holes.' Round 1. The characters in Holes Round 2. Quotations from the text Round 3. Settings and Objects Round 4. Themes in Holes 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 whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension of the opening chapters of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach. It contains a link to the online chapter (on the first slide). This 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 extract 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 2-3, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

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 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 ‘The Hunger Games.’ Round 1. The characters in The Hunger Games Round 2. Quotations from the text Round 3. Settings and Objects Round 4. Themes in The Hunger Games 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!

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 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 ‘The Merchant of Venice.’ Round 1. The characters in The Merchant of Venice Round 2. Quotations from the text Round 3. Settings and Objects Round 4. Themes in The Merchant of Venice 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 whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills whilst reading key extracts from an age-appropriate adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (the pages needed for the lesson are provided). The extract is from the ‘Shakespeare Stories: Romeo and Juliet’ adaptation by Andrew Matthews and Tony Ross. The sections of the story that children read are when Romeo and Juliet meet at the ball (Act 1 Scene 5) and the balcony scene (Act 2 Scene 1). The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s VIPERS skills: vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval, sequencing and summarising. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract 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 text to read is provided in both PDF and Word format. The session is best suited for children across KS2 - the lesson has been tried and tested with children in years 4 to 6. Hope that you find it useful!

This whole class reading session aims to develop students’ comprehension skills through reading and interpreting the opening section of Ollie Spark and the Accidental Adventure.’ The resource pack includes the extract needed (as a PDF) and a clear and well presented PowerPoint, guiding the teacher and learners through the various activities. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop students’ retrieval, explanation, inference, sequencing and summarising skills. A vocabulary check helps to secure students’ understanding of any new or unfamiliar language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The session is best suited for learners in years 4-6, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

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 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 ‘Never Let Me Go.’ Round 1. The characters in Never Let Me Go Round 2. Quotations from the text Round 3. Settings and Objects Round 4. Themes in Never Let Me Go 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 whole class reading session aims to develop students’ comprehension skills through reading and interpreting the opening section of Nadia Mikail’s ‘The Cats We Meet Along the Way.’ The resource pack includes the extract needed and a clear and well presented PowerPoint, guiding the teacher and learners through the various activities. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop students’ retrieval, explanation, inference, sequencing and summarising skills. A vocabulary check helps to secure students’ understanding of any new or unfamiliar language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The session is best suited for learners in years 7-8, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.