‘In the jungle lives a __ snake’ - is the outline of this poem format, but the gap for description extends through the whole of this long, twisty snake. This creative writing task is suitable for pupils in and around upper KS1. It offers the secondary - and entertaining - challenge of trying to write at different angles, turning the paper around as need be. The fun of writing in a snake and, beyond that, within a jungle scene, will further motivate young writers. Stimulate ideas and descriptive words before giving out this sheet, through related activities, such as enacting snakes, discussing pictures of them and handling a toy one. Prompt for a wide range of words, including familiar and less usual ones. Here are a few suggestions: long, twisty, looping, slithery, sliding, slippery, scaly, patterned, stretchy, poisonous, venomous, scary, dangerous, shy, hungry, fast, creepy, coiling, smooth, slimy, dry, quiet.

This fascinating castle picture will lure your emergent readers into sounding out the ten words that describe it. The bright, bold lettering is easy to clear and attractive, and the words are intriguing, yet simple, comprising: old, cold, dark, big, grand, still, spooky, crumbly, stony and webby. Fun and motivating for older readers too; also for younger children to look at. Handy for quick revision, testing and general reading practice. Also supports castle and history studies.

A thrilling picture-poem to write on a windy day. Writing on wavy, whirling lines, children can express their sound and action ideas, with the starter line: ‘The wind went…’ Examples: whirling, roaring, racing, howling, moaning, whooshing, rushing, spiralling, pushing, tugging, bullying, teasing, buffeting, sailing, dancing, soaring, boom, shriek, rumble, mutter, flutter, whimper… ‘over the mountain tops’. Opportunities for personification, onomatopoeia, and exciting action words. Similes could be added below the lines, e.g. howling like a wolf. **SEE ALSO: ** - Sunshine poetry - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/sunshine-poetry-sun-similes-illustrated-12100615 , Clouds writing - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/clouds-poetry-writing-frame-guided-ks1-11974732, Stormy sea similes - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/stormy-sea-poetry-frame-guide-12043779 .

Dragons can be - let your students decide, filling the nine white slots in this colourful dragon picture. A pageful of word suggestions is provided for teacher’s use, when prompting and guiding ideas from the class. More words and phrases can be added around the dragon, too. An irresistable creative writing spur for children of all abilities, from approximately age 6, Yr 2, up to about age 9, Yr 5. A simple but effective boost for both literacy work and Dragon topic work, and handy as a constructive time filler, any time.

Windy Day poetry-writing sheet. Creative writing frame on wild, blustery day theme, illustrated, with** teacher’s guide sheet.** Format: poem in 4 verses, with gaps for action words, onomatopoeia and similes. Rhymes incorporated. Guide sheet provides completed example poem, with word and simile bank below, handy for quick reference when guiding and prompting students. Able writers can develop the poem with follow-on verses, introducing their own approaches if wished, while those needing support will enjoy the simplicity of inserting their word and simile ideas into the gaps to make a flowing, rhyming poem. More weather poem frames available in my catalogue too.

Squeak, howl, roar, rustle - there are countless exciting jungle sounds to pick from, and more to invent, when filling the lines on this lively picture. Hints of creatures and vegetation are sketched around the 12 writing lines to inspire ideas and add to the fun. Start by thinking up some jungle creatures and plant types together and making their sounds, perhaps listing a few, and encourage made-up words and sounded-out spellings. More examples: chatter, snap, hum, buzz, shriek, flap, yelp, crash, hiss, splash, croak, tweet, swish, crunch, bark. The sheet can then be coloured and displayed, or used as a stepping-stone to further creative writing, or enacted as a performance, or brought to life with percussion and musical instruments, or just used to celebrate a related topic.

My published poem 'Stormy Sea’is a dramatic, simile-rich poem in 20 lines. It’s easy to read and listen to, with rhymes and rhythm, conjuring up exciting images. SEE ALSO - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/stormy-sea-poetry-frame-guide-12043779.

This is a simple, illustrated frame for poetry-writing (or general descriptive writing), for beginner-writers, with jungle animals as the theme. There are three short sentences, referring to different jungle animals (tiger, money and snake), each with a gap for a one-word description. Below is a simile to finish: 'The jungle is as green as _ '. The activity calls for some preparation, such as learning about jungles and their inhabitants and sharing associated ideas and descriptive language. It supports literacy development, especially in creative writing, also providing a window on the wider world and natural environments - appropriate to the EYFS curricular learning area of Understanding the World. The opportunities for colouring support Expressive Arts & Design, and children will also develop other skills, such as pencil control and handwriting.

**Snappy dragon rhymes - with key colours. ** Great for all ages, especially early years, developing rhythm, rhyme, language, creativity and expressive confidence. Scope for drama, music and art developments. Once there was a dragon dressed in red. He liked to stay all day in… You can guess the last word, as can the children, though some may prefer to offer alternative rhymes. Red is just one example of the numerous colours featuring in these crazy dragon verses, which lend themselves to being enacted, and even sung to a made-up tune, as well as chanted and clapped. Follow on with dragon sketches or try my dragon’s menu for easy, crazy writing fun.

Dragon inspiration! Dragons are ever-popular with children, and make great starting points for all sorts of teaching, from creative writing and expressive arts and design, to studies of myths and legends, fire, flight, colour, movement, and even for counting - why not? These red, pink and green ones have been key to my numerous dragon poetry workshops this year. Great for all ages.

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.

This illustrated wild weather poetry frame inspires expressive action words and similes to depict a windy, stormy scene. The example poem offers prompts and guidelines for teachers and/or students. Best for KS2, Yrs 3-6.

Versatile resource to discuss, add to, prompt with, link and build with, or hand out individually for reference for descriptive writing on ‘Spring’ and related topics. Supports work on Seasons, Environment and Nature, Colour and more, as well as Literacy, including vocabulary-building, expressive writing and verbal language skills. **SEE ALSO - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/springtime-creative-writing-harder-easier-frames-12078237 + https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/3-spring-rhymes-12070798 .

Insect words - for creative writing and poetry. Quick reference for prompts and inspiration. Handy for teacher and/or students, for developing the love of rich, expressive writing, and igniting other possibilities and developments. Use as spurs for similes, metaphors, descriptive poems, ‘What am I?’ riddles, nature study write-ups, and to bring mini-beast topics alive. See my many other Mini-beast and nature resources too.

This pretty woodland picture will attract young children, and the big, bright, highlighted text will motivate them to read or sound out the ten animal words. These are all familiar, one- and two-syllable words, such as robin, frog, ants and rabbits. A handy resource for phonics and reading practice and monitoring, best used one-to-one or in small groups for most children, though able readers will enjoy working out the words independently. Also suitable for advanced EY and lower ability Yr 2 children. The resource will also support work on woods, countryside, animals, mini-beasts and nature generally.

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.

Plurals s, es, ies and unusual variations are all addressed in the 3 varied challenges here. There’s an odd-word-out game (s/es), some practice words for ies plurals with a line for children to think up their own, and a list of single nouns with unusual plurals (all different) to be provided, including some tricky ones like fungus and antenna. Recommended for Years 4-6, with support as needed. Fun to do and share; handy lesson enhancers and gap-fillers. Two sheets.

Squirrels are fun to watch and write about, so your class will enjoy this writing sheet. The illustrations will spur ideas, and the Guide sheet will supply you with a handy list of further ideas to bring in. Follow the warm-up introduction suggestions to get everyone focused and enthused first, and set colouring pencils ready for shading in the illustrations when they’ve all had a go and read out their chosen words and phrases. The resource supports creative writing, vocabulary development and other aspects of English, while also nurturing an appreciation of the natural world and local environment.

A lively little story brings meaning to grammar here. When to write “it’s” and when to leave out the apostrophe and just put “its”? That’s the burning question in this fun activity. The plentiful illustrations, the large, soft-blue script and the engaging narrative all add to the appeal, and the key words stand out bright and clear in bold red for simplicity. A summary of the grammar rule involved is given at the top of the two-sheet resource, with example phrases for both “it’s” and “its”. A few answers and tips are also given at the end for extra guidance. Children are then invited to compose two sentences of their own (lines provided), to illustrate “it’s” and “its”, to consolidate the concept. Best for Yrs 5 and 6 and able Yr 4s. Story: Rashid’s robot has gone crazy, but Ella finds a solution - recharging it! Seeing the robot enjoying its “tea”, they go off to have their own - including ice cream sundae!

This is an exciting, fascinating picture-poem frame, in 3 variations of graded difficulty. It will inspire your 5-7 year-olds to get dreaming and writing, drawing on passive vocabulary to express their buzzing imagination. Their castle might be dark, damp and gloomy, or grand, golden and magical, or ancient, crumbling and haunted. It’s as old as …, and as [__] as __ . What will you find inside? Treasure? A sword? A secret message? Who lives there? A lonely ghost? A fiery dragon? A bossy king? And what does he/she like to do? There’s scope for drama, humour and mystery here. Recommended for Yrs 1-2. Supports Poetry, Literacy and History. See my other Castle-themed resources too.