Children love this activity. Dragons can be sizzling-hot, ice-cold, fierce, friendly, clumsy, graceful - whatever the individual child wants them to be, and their exciting features, shown in the illustration, are sure to trigger a colourful array of possibilities, as your class dash down their descriptive word ideas on the lines. They’ll need to turn the sheet round as they go to follow the line angles - adding to the fun! Encourage able writers to add in similes under the lines, as demonstrated in the accompanying guide. Suggestions are provided there for warm-up and follow-on activities, as well as for words. See my other resources for more dragon-focused activities and supporting posters.

This simple game spurs children to read or sound out the 7 words, so they can link them (by pen, pencil or finger) to the correct picture representation below. Some of the words also feature in my ‘Seaside Findings’ phonics game; using both in quick succession will reinforce learning. Suitable for all KS1 and Reception/EY. Able children can add further words and pictures, or write a follow-on sentence about something they have found at the seaside. Younger children can identify initial letters and their phonics, guessing words they can’t yet read, with the help of the pictures. This resource also supports seaside and ocean studies. VIDEO INSPIRATION x 2 (author speaking and reading her poems about seaside wonders): https://photos.app.goo.gl/wkeZ8K6iCfcFQneZ9 + https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMarEm9uVBDEGPTykSlkAfT6jdVArKlPen6X5lk1le7dqUc89gEztNjSO7V6qsxUQ?key=X0hIWmdaV1M0Q2lHYURKbDdIVFFPMTVBTWRUdkhn

Space topic and literacy are both enhanced with this exciting, fun activity. The starry space photo has 8 gaps for inserting exciting, descriptive words and phrases about space. A gap-free version of the picture is included for inspiration. The supporting** Word + simile Bank** is for teacher use, offering handy examples and prompts. I have many other space/literacy resources at my shop.

This guided **‘Stormy Sea’ writing sheet is an exciting! With video How-to. Children love writing their simile ideas for a stormy sea on these wavy lines, as confirmed time and again in my Stormy Sea poetry sessions. Suggestions for teacher introduction and prompts are given in the accompanying guide sheet. the repeated phrase - The sea went… is followed by a wavy line for action words and description (rolling, roaring, wildly charging like an angry beast on the loose?). The poem ends calmly, inviting a simile for a peaceful sea. Yrs 3-6. **SEE ALSO - ** TREASURE MAP alliteration game - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/treasure-map-alliteration-game-yr1-6-guide-for-use-11887395 (popular) PLUS - SEA SIMILES (summer sea) -** https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/sea-similes-poem-frame-illustrated-12100413** .

2 FIREWORKS frames - simpler and more complex versions. These popular sheets call for action words - whizzing, booming, sparkling, crackling? - and more, for fireworks. Both sheets also invite describing words for the night sky - dark, misty, moonlit, mysterious, pitch black, spooky, foggy, windy, chilly, cave-dark?? The harder version also requires 3 similes, but the structure is clear, with a repeated pattern running through, and structured phrases with gaps to fill. Supports: seasons, celebrations, literacy, poetry, creativity, vocabulary, colour, night skies and firework features.

‘Fireworks’ - an exciting firework poem by this author - published children’s poet - on firework photo background. Celebrates the thrills, beauties, sounds and wonders of fireworks. Read out to your class, invite variations, and set as format for poetry-writing challenge. See my many other FIREWORKS reading/writing/colouringhttps://www.tes.com/resources/search/?authorId=23864398&q=fireworks&shop=katewilliams_poetry, +support video included with this download.

Great for St David’s Day dragon writing! Watch out for the ________ dragon! This exciting writing sheet starts. It’s as ___ as a ___ (perhaps hot as a volcano or red as a ripe tomato). Two more open similes follow, then two lines for features details, an action line - 'He goes__ ing __ ’ (perhaps gliding through the sunset to his secret cave, or cartwheeling over the mountaintops, or flame-blasting through your classrooms). The last line is always a favourite in this tried and tested sheet: His favourite food is __ ’ . Recommended for lower juniors. Supports Literacy, particularly poetry, creativity and vocabulary-stretching; also enriching Myths & Legends studies.

This is a fun, imagination-firing, creative writing activity, centred on a pirate’s treasure map. It has proved popular with children of all ages and abilities in my workshops. It can be written individually or shared verbally, the challenge being to think up nouns to fit the gaps, with one rule: they have to start with the same letter as that of the starter word (e.g. Forest of Feet). The Guide sheet offers lists of words to prompt for - if needed, and suggestions for embellishing the activity. The challenge of thinking up nouns starting with the same letter as the starter word - and on a treasure map - motivates even reluctant writers to have a go at this mind-stretching, language-enriching game.

Ocean rhyming words + example 2-line couplets - handy prompts and examples for class poetry-writing on sea themes. Two sheets to download, each backed with ocean photo: Sheet 1 offers paired rhyming words relevant to the sea, e.g. tide/wide, swishy/fishy, exciting/inviting. Sheet 2 offers examples of full rhyming couplets with some of the word pairs, e.g. Deep and wide, tilting with the tide. Display, photocopy as a hand-out, or just quote words and rhymes from the lists, to spur more ideas. See also my seaside word and simile lists and many other sea-themed resources.

These attractive star pictures are fun to write in, and there are plenty of straight lines to write on - shooting in all directions. The variations are graded in difficulty, with increasing opportunities for words and similes, the hardest having three descriptive lines to complete below, about stars, sky and space. Colouring possibilities are wide open. Recommended approach: first, in a wide space, ‘be’ stars with your group, pointing, shooting, whirling, glowing, winking, blinking, dancing, spinning. Then prompt for verbs like these, and adjectives, such as spiky, sharp, peaceful, gentle, high up, twinkly, pretty, delicate, dainty, tiny - and different colours. The similes are for sparkly stars and dark space. The 3-sheet resource has been used with rewarding results in my workshops. They are hand-drawn and home-produced, so don’t expect perfect symmetry!

Which of the eight given sound-words fits which slot? That’s the simple challenge here. Eight separate lines of prose are given below them, each with a gap for one, but which? There’s a blank line at the end, with an invitation to write a sentence containing onomatopoeia independently.

This engagingly illustrated under-the-sea writing frame will prompt your Yr 2s and confident Yr1s to write down their ideas about that fascinating world, with fish and treasure to describe, and a line for extra contributions. The wavy line below that can also be written on, and the many under-water items around it will fire all sorts of creative possibilities. The sheet is a simpler version of my Under the Sea writing frame for Ys 2-4, also available here.

Phonics and reading practice with seaside theme and picture. Ten simple describing words, clearly highlighted in red boxes over a beautiful seaside photograph. Words: wet, fun, cool, bubbly, wavy, splashy, shallow, fresh, calm, sandy. See also: Seaside Writing & Colouring Sheet: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/seaside-writing-colouring-sheet-simple-12099515, and Boat on Sea Colouring Sheet: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/boat-on-sea-colouring-sheet-12096606 .

Sea-themed haiku poetry - lesson plan, including 3 frames with gaps to fill, 3 starter lines, information about haiku and how they work, warm-up tips, and a whirl of ocean thoughts to spur discussion and writing ideas. The sea has wonderful potential as a poetic theme, possessing such a wealth of features and variables, including many contradictory ones: it can be both deep and shallow, warm and freezing, colourful or grey as iron, gentle or savage. It’s fresh, yet ancient, fun, yet formidable. It offers up a kaleidoscope of colours, sounds and moods. A haiku looks so small and simple, yet it can convey any concept you like, with impact. For more themes, see my Trees, Birds, Butterfly, and Dragon Haiku sheets too.

Recipe for a Night Sky is a published poem by this author, offered here as a source of inspiration and example of a recipe poem. Supports Halloween celebrations as well as poetry appreciation, reading and writing. Published in ‘The School Magazine’, Australia. Copyright Kate Williams, author of this catalogue.

Castle writing and vocabulary-stretching fun is offered in this attractive picture-writing frame. Independent and emergent writers will love thinking up words, similes and phrases to fill the ten gaps in and around this atmospheric photo of historic Caerphilly Castle, Wales. The GUIDE sheet supplies teachers with handy ideas for words and similes to give as prompts and examples, at all levels. The gap-free version of the picture, also included, will inspire pupils to think up their own words too. Uses: poetry-writing preparation, vocabulary stretching, writing confidence, castle topic enhancement, story-writing starter and more. Also useful as a gap-filler, any time, any class from around Yr 2-6. See my other topical pictures with word gaps too.

National Curriculum word lists for Year 2 are represented, category by category, in these 2 spelling tests. Each comes with teacher’s version to read out and children’s child-friendly version to write. First test has 15 questions; second has 16. The children’s versions have gaps to fill; the teacher’s versions have words highlighted to instruct children to write in the gaps provided, as in SATs tests. Children’s papers also have stars to colour in at start and end. See also child-friendly word lists for reading practice and assessment: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/ks1-spelling-reading-assessment-practice-mid-level-12107263, https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/ks1-spelling-reading-assessment-practice-sheet-hardest-12107572 (mid-level + hardest).

Emergent writers will enjoy thinking up describing words for the sea and writing them on the waves of this lively seaside scene. The sheet is very popular with children in my poetry workshops, offering exciting colouring opportunities as well as writing fun. See the harder (free) and easier versions, too.

These three little poems feature a caterpillar, a spider and a swarm of ants, each rhyme being informative as well as punchy and fun. Read out, chant and clap them with class, then discuss, enact, draw and write about these fascinating little creatures, with the verses to inspire and inform. The rhymes will support outdoor classroom activities and all related studies. Ideal for Early Years, KS1 and lower juniors. Supports Literacy - poetry and language - too.

Young emergent writers will be enthused to think up a word or more to complete the given phrase - My dragon is…, and to have a go at writing it on the line. More words can be added as wanted. Discuss first, drawing out a range of possibilities, e.g. - hot, red, spiky, scaly, fiery, funny, crazy, scary, friendly, magic, bold, brave, flying, zooming, flappy, and even fire-breathing. Colouring in the picture afterwards will provide an extra incentive for writing. Supports literacy, language development, fine motor control, colour differentiation, shape and pattern appreciation, creativity, and the concept of magical creatures (+ flight, fire, castles, travel and more).