These mini creative writing activities will help students to add authentic details when constructing characters and emotions. You will find a fabulous bundle of creative writing lessons here. They apply secrets from master storytellers to build on existing skills, These lessons will engage your students as they create compelling characters and emotions that elevate and sharpen any story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions.

This creative writing activity will help students to discover how a character’s flaws or mistakes can become the engine for an electrifying plot. You will find a fabulous bundle of creative writing lessons here. They apply secrets from master storytellers to build on existing skills, These lessons will help your students to create believable characters that inhabit confident and compelling narrative pieces. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions.

These mini creative writing activities help students to improve authentic details and take the pressure off when proofing and editing their stories. You will find a fabulous bundle of creative writing lessons here. They apply secrets from master storytellers to build on existing skills, These lessons will help your students to create realistic settings that elevate and sharpen any story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions.

These mini creative writing activities help students to improve authentic details and take the pressure off when proofing and editing their stories. You will find a fabulous bundle of creative writing lessons here. They apply secrets from master storytellers to build on existing skills, These lessons will help your students to create realistic settings that elevate and sharpen any story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions.

Dive into these food resources packed with playful activities as you head to the restaurant. Children can also enjoy the story The Stolen Smell and design their own menus. Yum! Resources included Full Lesson Plan including four activities Printables and worksheets Online resource links Activities Comprehension, speaking and listening, drawing / painting, design a restaurant, create a menu Learning objectives English listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by: writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional) writing about real events Art use drawing and imagination to develop their ideas Use tone, pattern, line and shape in pictures. These printables were created by children’s author and tutor Claire Vorster. Enjoy!

These mini creative writing activities will help students to add authentic details when constructing characters and emotions. You will find a fabulous bundle of creative writing lessons here. They apply secrets from master storytellers to build on existing skills, These lessons will engage your students as they create compelling characters and emotions that elevate and sharpen any story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions.

This creative writing activity will help students to discover how a character’s flaws or mistakes can become the engine for an electrifying plot. You will find a fabulous bundle of creative writing lessons here. They apply secrets from master storytellers to build on existing skills, These lessons will help your students to create believable characters that inhabit confident and compelling narrative pieces. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions.

Each student takes turns to receive a word or phrase. Their task is to figure out how to communicate the meaning of the word to a room full of space aliens. Resource contains Rules of the game List of words and phrases

This free antihero poster can be used to generate class discussion or writing activities. Your students could make a similar antihero poster for a character they are studying. You will find bundled creative writing lessons here to help students discover how a character’s flaws or mistakes can become the engine for an electrifying plot. Your students can learn to - • Craft compelling, honest, potentially hilarious characters using techniques including psychology. • Quickly set themselves up for a successful first draft. • See that it’s good for a story when nothing goes according to plan. • Add a rough edge to the over-perfect characters that can make a story too obvious. • Use a secret weapon when they are looking for character inspiration. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions.

There’s nothing quite like staring at a blank page. Using these five activities students will apply secrets from master storytellers as they discover techniques to conquer those first line blues. They will learn to - Grab the reader’s attention from the very first line and hold onto it. Review the first lines of relevant, famous novels and develop their own style. Write to inform and entertain. And be ruthless about the editing process. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Resources included in this plan Writing and Mini Writing Activities Story prompts Reading and Comprehension Story planner Online resource links

Every great picture packs an unforgettable story, but which one? With this adaptable Visual Story Starter Kit, your students can choose from 12 curated creative writing prompts. Each image is designed to inspire your students, and help them to write from the heart. Includes Teaching Guide Printables 12 Curated images + story prompts Story planner Learning objectives Writing Generating ideas, planning and drafting Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Differentiation opportunities Ask students to find an image they want to write a story about. With the flexible Story Starter Kit you can create your activities. It’s easy to add your own visual prompts to this resource. All my students enjoy this activity. It helps them generate ideas and practice creating characters and settings. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions. Many thanks!

Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean-spirited old man who hates everything - even Christmas! But when three spirits visit him one Christmas Eve, Scrooge is taken on a journey into the past, present and future that will change him forever. These four simple and engaging lesson plans and activities contain all the resources you need to turn up, engage, and teach this fantastic story. Lessons include listening and speaking, comprehension, writing, art and a memory game. Joy! Includes 4 Full Lessons Plans Learning Outcomes Printables Sequencing activity Story Mountain Story Planner Worksheets Online resources Learning outcomes English • listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers • give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings • use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising • imagining and exploring ideas • listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently • making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done • predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far • sequencing sentences to form short narratives • re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense • discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils • develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by: writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional) writing about real events Art • use drawing and imagination to develop their ideas. • Use tone, pattern, line and shape in pictures. These lessons are written by children’s author and tutor Claire Vorster. Enjoy!

We’ve all read great stories that end in a rush, and others that should have ended sooner. These four activities apply secrets from master storytellers to help students discover how to write effective story endings. They will learn to - • Review the closing lines of famous novels and develop their own style. • Discover how to use writing prompts to find their starting point. • Try out expert techniques to bring their stories to a close. • Stay motivated, right to the end. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Resources included in this plan Writing Activities Story Prompts Reading and Comprehension Story Planner Online Resource Links

Your students can create a compulsive plot and compelling characters, but their attention to detail in constructing where their stories takes place can make or break the narrative. These bundled lessons apply secrets from master storytellers to build on existing skills, Your students will learn to - • Bridge information with imagination to create fiction that builds credibility. • Understand how settings can act as secondary characters in their stories. • Layer a sense of place into every scene that they write. • Use a secret weapon to uncover great ideas for a story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions. Activities Speaking and listening, reading comprehension, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Reading and Comprehension Activities Mini and Comprehensive Writing Activities Famous quotes for discussion Literary examples Story prompts Story planner for students Online resource links

From Sherlock Holmes to Mary Poppins, some characters stay with readers far beyond the final page. These 12 activities will help your students to master the techniques required to create memorable and complex characters. Your students will learn to: • Bring characters to life using key details that contribute to their experience and journey. • Create a storytelling style that fits their unique characters. • Keep their character’s journey at the heart of their narrative. • Avoid the mistakes that turn readers off. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources include Range of activities Visual character prompts Examples of characterisation Discussion starters Comprehension questions Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions. Many thanks!

Every great picture has the makings of an unforgettable story, but which one? With this adaptable Visual Story Starter Kit, your students can choose from 12 curated creative writing prompts. Each image is designed to inspire your students, and help them to write from the heart. Includes Teaching Guide Printables 12 Curated images + story prompts Story planner Learning objectives Writing Generating ideas, planning and drafting Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Differentiation opportunities Ask students to find an image they want to write a story about. With the flexible Story Starter Kit you can create your activities. It’s easy to add your own visual prompts to this resource. All my students enjoy this activity. It helps them generate ideas and practice creating characters and settings. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions. Many thanks!

With the Story Starter Kit, your students can choose their own creative writing prompts. Each prompt will tell a great story, but which one? This activity is designed to inspire your students, or help them to write from the heart. Learning objectives Writing Generating ideas, planning and drafting Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Activities Planning, writing, reviewing. You can create use the Story Starter Kit to create your own favourite creative writing prompts. It’s easy to add your prompts to this flexible resource. All my students enjoy this activity. It helps them generate ideas and practice creating characters and settings. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Many thanks!

The secret to a memorable story is to start big, apply heat and reduce until you have the essence - everything that’s good. These activities apply secrets from master storytellers to help students discover how to review and edit their stories. They will learn to - • Let the mess out and fix problems later. • Throw away anything that isn’t plot. • Improve any confusing bits / plot holes. • Fix spelling, punctuation and grammar. • Uncover their stories in a new and improved way. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Resources included in this plan Reading and Comprehension Activities Mini and Comprehensive Writing and Editing Activities Story prompts

To help your children to develop great reading strategies, this handy packet contains easy to use activities that cover 5 key reading comprehension skills. Written by a children’s author and teacher, this fun kit also contains fiction passages, games and discussion starters, specifically designed for your children to develop 5 reading strategies. Reading Skill 1: Activate prior knowledge Reading Skill 2: Predict what happens next Reading Skill 3: Steal or acquire vocabulary Reading Skill 4: Retell in their own words Reading Skill 5: Visualise a scene Resources included in this packet Reading & Read Aloud excerpts Comprehension questions Games Discussion starters and images Activity suggestions & instructions Reusable templates Worksheets

To help your children to develop great reading strategies, this handy packet contains easy to use activities that cover 5 key reading comprehension skills. Written by a children’s author and teacher, this fun kit also contains fiction passages, games and discussion starters, specifically designed for your children to develop 5 reading strategies. Reading Skill 1: Swop genre Reading Skill 2: Scan & skim Reading Skill 3: Compare and contrast Reading Skill 4: Identify cause and effect Reading Skill 5: Express opinions Resources included in this packet Reading & Read Aloud excerpts Comprehension questions Games Discussion starters and images Activity suggestions & instructions Reusable templates Worksheets Online resources Poems