A teacher and tutor with more than thirty years' experience working in both mainstream and independent schools. I have an Honours degree in English Literature and Linguistics from UEA and have written a dissertation about encouraging children to write. I am a mother of three and interested in all things green. I am in the process of setting up my TES shop and hope to launch my "Spagbag" resources which are suitable for both Primary and Secondary aged pupils.
A teacher and tutor with more than thirty years' experience working in both mainstream and independent schools. I have an Honours degree in English Literature and Linguistics from UEA and have written a dissertation about encouraging children to write. I am a mother of three and interested in all things green. I am in the process of setting up my TES shop and hope to launch my "Spagbag" resources which are suitable for both Primary and Secondary aged pupils.
This powerpoint comprises ten slides reminding pupils how to write a formal letter. It has some multiple choice questions regarding maintaining a formal tone and gives comparisons between informal and formal styles of writing. Pupils are required to set out their own formal letter and are given two options to choose from: a letter to the head teacher complaining about litter or a letter to a local restaurant owner complaining about poor service.
This resource is suitable for use with pupils aged 10 to 14 years.
This Powerpoint discusses how adding detail to descriptions with adjectives and adverbs can make a scene more vivid. Students are asked to make boring sentences more exciting and to bring a description of a staff canteen to life by using appropriate adjectives and adverbs.
I include a word document that could be used for homework purposes where students are asked to use adverbs in different places within sentences and to examine extracts of descriptive writing to see how adjectives and adverbs are used to appeal to our senses.
This resource is intended for use with pupils aged between 10 and 14, the exercises can be easily differentiated according to ability.
This animated powerpoint examines extracts taken from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and asks pupils to provide the missing punctuation. The correct answers will magically appear! This resource tests knowledge of commas, apostrophes, question marks , colons, brackets , inverted commas, ellipsis and using capitals to add emphasis. One of the extracts requires pupils to set out an address correctly. Another extract is a heated dialogue and could be used as an example of using other words for said.
At the end there is a quiz to test comprehension and other grammatical knowledge such as similes and alliteration. Pupils are asked to set out their own formal letter addressing it to Harry Potter himself.
I include another resource which gives information about different breeds of dragon and affords pupils the opportunity to write a letter applying for a job as a dragon trainer.
This resource will appeal to Potter fans of all ages.
This animated Powerpoint showcases three topical news items which contain deliberate spelling errors . The pupils have to identify these errors and then are faced with a report about school gym facilities which is riddled with mistakes. The pupils are requested to re-write the report correctly. The homophone errors in the final report are ones such as there/their, too/two, your/you’re which are commonly made and require a grammatical understanding of the text.
I include a resource about the problems of policing groups of teens who gather in public spaces and become labelled as hoodies or chavs. Pupils are required to answer questions related to the newspaper article and to respond with an article of their own. Also included are two articles, one about da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, an oil painting which achieved the highest auction price for any work of art and the other about space exploration and how this has become the playground of rich men.
These articles are intended to inspire debate and further discussion.
This resource is suitable for use with pupils aged 10 to 14 years.
This animated resource comprises nine slides and explains what prepositions are and how they are used. There are exercises along the way asking pupils to identify prepositions and encourages them to use prepositions in sentences of their own.
This resource could be used as a starting point or for revision purposes. It is intended for use with pupils aged between 7 and 11.
This is an animated Powerpoint presentation about homophones. It shows over fifty sets of homophones and gives examples of funny stories using words that sound the same but have different meanings in context. There are plenty of challenges for pupils to solve along the way.
This resource is intended for use with 7 to 11 year olds but could also be used with older pupils for revision purposes.
I include a more general grammar quiz where homophones is one of the sections questioned. Answers are included for ease of marking.
This animated power point presentation demonstrates how to separate ideas into paragraphs. The pupils are given the opening line of each paragraph and a series of questions to get them thinking about what each paragraph might include. There are six paragraphs in total which will result in the student writing a mystery story. The completed story might be scary or funny depending on the choices they make along the way.
This is an ideal resource to use at this time of year as it entails a walk through a wood and would complement work done on the changing seasons and shortening day-light hours.
This resource is intended for those students who need to add structure and order to their writing and will help them organise their ideas into a given framework. Suitable for ages 7 to 10.
This Powerpoint could be used as a starting point for introducing verbs or as a revision aid. Students are asked to identify verbs, to substitute more powerful verbs and consider how selecting alternatives can alter the meaning of a given scene. A poem about the wind is included along with suggestions for creative writing using all five senses.
I include a resource which which could be used for homework or revision purposes and encourages students to strengthen their writing skills and provides an opportunity to describe a favourite animal or pet.
This resource might be used with pupils aged between 10 and 14 years.
This animated power point is an informative profile about bats with related questions. It includes a short poem which highlights why some people find bats scary creatures.
This resource would suit a younger audience and would be ideal to use around Halloween. Hopefully the audience will realise there is nothing to be scared of at all.
Suitable for ages 5-7
This Power point resource asks pupils to change both nouns and pronouns into plurals and to insert apostrophes to show belonging and also in contractions. Choosing the correct pronoun I or me is also tested. I include a general spelling, punctuation and grammar quiz, one of several which can be found in my shop. All answers included.
This resource is suitable for ages 10+ and would be ideal when revising grammar and punctuation. Answers are included.
Four presentations on Nouns and Pronouns, Adjectives, Adverbs and Verbs.
A very useful tool for revision purposes and activities that can be easily differentiated according to ability.
Suitable for ages 7 to 14
This bundle comprises three related presentations:
The Waverley Manor Mystery which is an episodic story set in Victorian times. Getting to grips with grammar which takes each chapter and analyses each episode to focus on such things as adjectives, proper nouns, modal verbs etc. Describing a scene is a stand alone presentation and could be used in isolation or, to support The Waverley Manor Mystery. This bundle would make a very comprehensive revision tool for all things grammatical !
This power point explains what adjectives are and asks pupils to identify them within sentences, to match adjectives of similar meaning and to form adjectives by adding the suffix -ful or -less. Pupils are also required to form the opposites by adding the prefixes un- or dis-
I include a more general spelling ,punctuation and grammar quiz in which adjectives feature. All answers are provided.
This resource will be a useful revision tool and is suitable for ages 7+
Three Power Point presentations bundled together on how to write a persuasive speech, Martin Luther King's " I have a dream" speech and biography and how to write for different audiences.
This bundle of resources will prove a useful revision tool and will suit pupils aged 11 to 16
This Power- Point presentation takes Scrooge as its initial focus and then questions our notion of Christmas and how it has changed from the idyllic view of the Victorian era to the modern day commercial excesses. With reference to the migrant crisis and the quest to feed the world in challenging circumstances this presentation will make audiences think about the true meaning of Christmas and what issues should really be at the forefront of our minds at this time of year. The Australian bush fires are brought to mind with flaming imagery.
This resource could be used as an assembly piece or to initiate a debate or discussion with the audience. This would be particularly useful for those students who are studying Dickens or other Victorian novelists. Global warming as an issue that affects us all, both rich and poor, at this time of year.
Suitable for ages 7+
This power point presentation gives an overview of what a Victorian Christmas was like including customs of the day such as The Christmas Tree, Parlour Games and Festive Food. Particular emphasis is given on how Dickens' novels A Christmas Carol and The Pickwick Papers helped to make Christmas more popular with the general public than other festivals.
This resource will prove useful when studying Dickens' novels and thinking about historical context. Suitable for ages 10+
This power point explains the use of proper nouns and asks students to supply the missing capital letters in well known people, places and things. A more challenging activity is provided where the students are given a passage regarding Victorian theatre and are required to re-write it identifying all proper nouns.
This resource will make an ideal revision tool when revising grammar but also when studying information texts regarding Victorian Britain.
Included is a more general spelling, punctuation and grammar quiz where proper nouns is just one of the topics featured.
This resource is suitable for ages 10+
This animated power point looks at the difference between concrete and abstract nouns and asks students to identify both kinds within sentences. Pupils are required to sort out abstract nouns into two groups: emotions and things we understand. They are invited to discuss why certain abstract nouns do not fall into either category.
This resource will be useful when revising nouns of all sorts. I include a general spelling, punctuation and grammar quiz in which abstract nouns feature in one section. All answers included.
Suitable for ages 10+
I have bundled together five resources which cover different aspects of grammar and punctuation which should prove useful when it comes to revision. All answers are provided for ease of marking.
Suitable for ages 10+
This power point is a quiz which will test students' knowledge of apostrophes, making nouns plural, finding the opposite adjective by adding prefixes and deciphering a weirdly worded paragraph.
This resource could be used as a whole or split into sections over a week. The exercises can be easily differentiated according to ability. It is suited to ages 10+ and answers are provided.
I include a resource which encourages pupils to use a wider range of punctuation in their writing.