What is Ruby saying? Based on your interpretation of what Ruby says, what do you think she is implying?

The Grotlyn by Benji Davies - a beautifully illustrated rhyming tale about things that go bump in the night. Perfect for readers 4 and up. What is the mysterious Grotlyn? Use your imagination and design your very own Grotlyn.

Midnight is the time when all children are fast asleep, except of course for… the Midnight Gang. That is when their adventures are just beginning… Show us what delicious treats would be on your table by cooking up a menu for your own midnight feast.

Here you’ll find five flexible resources with activities aimed at pupils in Years 5 and 6. Each resource explores a different aspect of Skulduggery Pleasant, Book I. All support the KS2 English curriculum requirement to develop understanding and appreciation of literary texts, including modern fiction by significant children’s authors.

Thinking about the sense of place, work with a partner to complete this task. a) Does the writer want us to like or dislike the place? Give a reason for your response. b) Why does the writer want the reader to recognise: the size of the place? What words or phrases do you think emphasise this?

Our planet is an amazing place. It is important that we take care of it. Design a guide leaflet to inform other people about how they can take care of planet Earth. Fold this template into three to make a trifold leaflet for your guide.

Task: Research and create a fact file about what life was like 1000 years ago. You can use information from the story as well as research from the internet to find out about what life was like 1000 years ago. Use the information you discover to create a fact file that could teach others about that period of time.

(a) Choose a dilemma faced by one of the characters. Think about the different perspectives – what should the character do? What are the pros and cons? What might happen if they make a decision either way? Hold a debate with a group of friends to discuss the dilemma. Make a decision about what the character should do. Make notes about your final advice to the character. (b) Dilemma and Debate Grid

Task: Write a newspaper article about the fire that burned down Oak Cottage. You can use ideas from the story and your own imagination to write your newspaper article. Ideas to include: • A catchy article heading • Who was involved in the event? • What happened that was interesting? • Why did it happen? • Where did it all start ? • When did it happen? • Quotes from witnesses • Picture with a caption

WELCOME TO EARTH Design a poster to welcome someone to planet Earth. Make it bright, colourful and packed full of useful information.

The activities in On Location can be used to meet the NC requirements in KS2 English to develop an understanding and appreciation of literary texts, including modern fiction by significant authors. And in particular it can help children to understand how setting is created. It can also be used to meet the NC requirements in KS2 Geography to investigate a variety of people, places and environments in the UK and abroad, through using geographical questions, skills and resources. In particular, to: * identify and describe what places are like * understand the location of places and describe where they are * explain why places are like they are * identify how and why places change.

Either: Write your own diary extracts, written in a chatty informal style using the first person ‘I’, based on some of your own school highlights – you plan to hide this secret diary hidden in a disused locker knowing it will not be found for many years. Or: Write some extracts of Scarlet’s diary written at Rosemoor Asylum for Young females. To help set a sense of place if you are writing as Scarlet (80 years ago) as a prisoner in an Asylum, look at the rough map Scarlet could have managed to draw based on what she can see from her tiny room, other rooms she has been taken to and sounds that she could have heard.

(a) A 16-word word search (b) Answers

Midnight is the time when all children are fast asleep, except of course for… the Midnight Gang. That is when their adventures are just beginning… The Midnight Gang love a great pair of pyjamas. Decorate the set below to show us what yours would look like.

Test your knowledge of the story. See how many quiz questions you can answer correctly. Use the book to help you find the answers.

Task: Make a poster to celebrate and advertise the newly rebuilt carousel. Ideas to include: • What the carousel looks like • What animals are on the carousel • What makes the carousel so enjoyable (why should people ride it?)

Research and answer the questions in the boxes. You could work by yourself or with a group. Then choose one of the boxes and create a short presentation that you could show the class.

(a) Design a fl yer to advertise an important banger racing race. Imagine that Frank has asked you to design the fl yer so he can have 1000 copies printed that he can display everywhere. His dad, Gilbert the Great, will be taking part. He wants all his friends, family and neighbours to know exactly when and where the race will be so they can either attend or watch on the television. (b) Design your fl yer here.

Task: Use the storyboard sheet to show the story of The 1,000-year-old Boy. Either draw or make notes in each section. Imagine you are planning on turning the written story into a film and you need to plan the scenes.

A bundle of FREE KS2-aligned teaching resources based on David Baddiel’s hilarious novel Birthday Boy!