Fun dice activity exploring causal connectives, also warm-ups and model texts Explanation writing is one of the trickier non-fiction genres in the primary curriculum. Although we rarely explain sequences using formal language, we often explain things in every day terms. How do you complete that level of the game? How do you do that magic trick? How did you solve that problem? There is a group of words and phrases that can help explain cause and effect more precisely. These can be called ‘causal connectives’. This is not a strictly defined group of words – more collection of conjunctions, adverbs and other cohesive devices that can be useful for this genre of writing. Try the dice activity ‘Explain yourself’ and watch your class get comfortable using these connectives aloud as they explain diverse subjects including ‘how to take the perfect selfie’ and ‘how the digestive system works’. When they are ready, they can write some of their favourite explanations, using causal connectives with accuracy. I have added 4 simple oral warm up activities. These encourage to children to rehearse useful vocabulary (consequently, as a result of this, so, so that, therefore, however) and add brackets to explanation sentences. Try that tricky language aloud before you get into any writing! I have added an ‘eco-explanations’ activity. I have also added 9 model explanations to give some ideas of things to write about.

This is a one day greater depth writing workshop aimed at upper KS2. There are 13 resources attached and a detailed plan of the day. Children have a complete piece of writing by the end of the workshop. Here is a brief summary of the day: Part 1 Get to know the model Reading as reader: How did the story make you feel? Reading as writer: How did the author do that? Drama (pairs) – bring the text off the page Part 2 Know your animal! Part 3 Know your mysterious object! Part 4 Quick plan Part 5 Parentheses activity Part 6 Extended writing time Success criteria for extended writing I can organise my story creatively and keep the reader in suspense (withholding vital information and using flashbacks) I can create suspense using modal verbs and rhetorical questions I can interrupt my sentences using ‘dramatic dashes’ (parentheses) I can use technical language appropriately in my creative writing (precise language around my animal’s physical features, habitat, behaviour and offspring) I can use figurative language

Included in the zip folder: detailed lesson plan, presentation, four fantastic personification generators (spooky woods, old buildings - inside and outside, creepy caves and majestic mountains). You will need 1-6 dice to use the personification generators. Try them - the combinations really work! Everything is Word/PowerPoint so you can edit and adapt as you wish. This is a carefully planned, fully resourced and differentiated lesson about personification aimed at upper key stage 2 writers. I used this session to create poetry with personification, but it would work equally well with descriptive writing or story settings. The lesson is structured as follows: Warm up What is figurative language? What is personification? Can you personify your noun using one of the prompts on the screen? Shared writing 2 differentiated dice-based personification generator activities - children use these to create stunning examples of personification about spooky woods (one verse) or spooky buildings (two verse: inside/outside writing) - try it! Peer assessment There are two additional personification generators if your class are keen to do more (cave and mountains). Fully road tested - in one session the whole class had written superb personification poems (example included on the ‘woods generator’), and they really enjoyed the spooky theme. I hope your class have the same success.

Word and PDF versions of everything included! In this fun ‘fronted adverbials’ game, children are journalists, working for rival newspapers. Bitter rivals! Players want to be first to the big news stories before their rival scoops them. Only the ‘First on the scene’ will get the story in their paper. The first player to finish their newspaper is the winner! Assessment focus I can use fronted adverbials to say ‘How?’ ‘When?’ ‘Where?’ events happen I know that fronted adverbials come ‘first’ in a sentence Explanation If you’ve been teaching for as long as I have (don’t ask!), you’ll have heard adverbs referred to as ‘roving reporters’. ‘Roving’ because they have more freedom to move around the sentence than other groups of words and ‘reporters’ because they often tell us more about the action and how/when/where it happens. • Slowly, he entered the room. • He slowly entered the room. • He entered the room slowly. Fronted adverbials aren’t ‘roving’ because they always open the sentence. You could think of these words and phrases as reporters (journalists), chasing big news stories and wanting to be ‘first on the scene’ to tell us more about the action as it happens. That’s why I created the game ‘First on the scene’ to encourage young writers to open sentences with adverbials.

Children are expected to capitalise proper nouns from Year 1 onwards, but many children in Key Stage 2 find this tricky to remember. Often, children do not understand the difference between common and proper nouns. This lesson, complete with presentation and an dice game, will give children experience of using a wide variety of proper nouns, from book titles to shop names. Classes about to undertake the Y6 Grammar Test would find this a useful refresher on common and proper nouns. Make missing capital letters a thing of the past by playing: ‘How many capital letters?’

A simple presentation about active and passive sentences, with some key questions. It leads into a board game that could be used for independent work, in pairs. The game could be recorded in written sentences or simply to used to orally practise active and passive.

*In this resource I have argued against space travel and computer games as I thought it was likely that most of my class would like to take the opposing view for their own writing, later on. A fully planned and resourced lesson, complete with differentiated activities and a model text. First, children learn the opening paragraph to the model text ‘Computer games are harmful to children’. This should be quick and easy to learn – add a few actions if you wish. Use the PowerPoint or a text map to support. Then, take a quick look at how the text has been changed to the subject of space travel. What has changed? What has stayed the same? Briefly explore the idea that, in persuasive writing, if you can write one opening paragraph, you can write hundreds. It is simply: • Introduce the subject of the debate • Introduce which side you are on • State that you have many strong arguments Next, move on to looking at the how the first argument is structured. Again, it follows a pattern: • Topic sentence – to introduce the key idea of this particular paragraph • Facts and opinions • A rhetorical question On a flip chart or screen, show how you can use this simple structure to write a paragraph against exploring space on the subject of safety. There is an example of how you could do this on slide 8. Now the children should be ready to try this structure themselves. During independent time they use the same structure to create their own persuasive paragraphs about space travel. After this they can organise persuasive paragraphs about anything they choose. I have had great success with this approach and so have my colleagues. I hope you find it useful too.

Assessment focus I can compose simple and compound sentences. Explanation This is two versions of the same game. By rolling dice and flipping cards, children construct their own simple and compound sentences. The second version has lots of silent letters words as this was a spelling focus in my class. It is an effective way of making sure that children are secure with these basic - yet important - sentence structures.

This is a whole lesson about the spelling patterns able and ible. It includes 2 short quizzes, making up new words and a fun writing activity that encourages children to apply their understanding, using a tried and tested word bank and a fun (persuasive) context. Great for spelling and sentence work.

A version of battle ships which could be used to teach any spelling pattern you like. tried and tested in class. This version is for plurals, but you could quickly edit the game to be played with any 10 words. I hope your class like it as much as mine.

THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO MAKE PARAGRAPHING A FUN AND CONCRETE EXPERIENCE. This is a fun and engaging whole class activity about organisation within a paragraph. Using a non-fiction context (information about football) pupils go to a paragraph party. They have to work out who is hosting the party (the topic sentence), who is the uninvited guest (information that doesn’t belong) and various other activities. In short, it’s a lively and memorable way of exploring non-fiction paragraphs.

Five straightforward worksheets that require children to think about the meaning of prefixes, and select correct prefixes. A time-saver. Prefixes covered: dis, re, mis, over, in, il, im, ir, Suffixes covered: ence, ance

I can use a colon to introduce a list (when the clause before the list is independent) This fun dice game gives children lots of opportunities to use a colon to introduce a list. I have included three versions of the game, to ensure that all learners are included and challenged appropriately. On track version: In pairs, use the on track dice guide. As players progress in the game, they must shade one colon on their game board for every item (or noun phrase) they include in each list. The first player to reach the finish is the winner. Support version: In pairs, children use the support dice guide. During each round both players create a list sentence, using the opening clause on the dice guide, and a list of noun phrases. There are visual prompts on the dice guide to support writers with ideas. Challenge version: Use the ‘on track’ dice guide, but ask the children to experiment with lists made up of expanded noun phrases that include commas, wherever possible. They can try using semi-colons to separate the items in each list. Example of a sentence that could be created by playing this dice game at challenge level: To create her magic potion she needed the following: wild mushrooms, from the lower field; oak bark, from the oldest tree in Western Wood; three long, white feathers and a twist of fresh sap, not more than a day old. Your class will soon get the hang of colons to introduce lists if you play this for a session.

Word and PDF both included Assessment focus I can build solid sentences Explanation We teach a lot of grammar in primary schools, but many children still struggle to see how it all fits together. There are plenty of children in upper KS2 who cannot compose grammatically correct sentences. Whilst it is true to say that reading, story-telling and listening to stories are the best ways to build awareness of sentences, it may also be helpful to give children some basic sentence patterns to use. If children can internalise these basic patterns, they may be able to use them in infinite different ways. Ultimately, we hope that children feel confident enough to move away from the patterns we give them and onto creating patterns of their own. Who is this for? On Track (ARE) The ‘4 brick’ version of this activity is for writers who could be at age related expectation if they could create grammatically correct extended sentences. Support There is also very simple ‘3 brick’ version of the activity for learners who are not able to write in simple ‘one clause’ sentences. Going deeper Children who are already confident at writing in accurate sentences can try the ‘Follow the dice’ activity (included). These learners will focus on using sentence variety.

Put your children in pairs to play the fun spelling game ‘VictoriOUS’. It’s a two player dice game that enables children to learn these four rules for adding the suffix ‘ous’: Some root word do not change – just add ‘ous’ For many root words that end in e, take off the ‘e’ and add ‘ous’ If the root word ends ‘-ge’, keep the ‘e’ and add ‘ous’ Change the ‘y’ to an ‘i’ and add ‘ous’ How about words that can’t have the ‘ous’ suffix? Peer assessment is built in. Everything that you need is here - just add 1-6 dice!

Two model information texts (one about Celts and one about Romans) for use in KS2

Here is a fun 2 player dice game to liven-up exploring silent letters. There is also a PowerPoint with plenty of activities and questions to get the session started. There is an extension task for speedy players who finish games quickly.