Poetry & literacy resources by published children's poet.
I also lead poetry workshops for UK primary schools.
Website: katewilliamspoet.com
Book news - Squeak! Squawk! Roar! Animal poems - out 9th January '25. Publisher: Otter-Barry Books.
Poetry & literacy resources by published children's poet.
I also lead poetry workshops for UK primary schools.
Website: katewilliamspoet.com
Book news - Squeak! Squawk! Roar! Animal poems - out 9th January '25. Publisher: Otter-Barry Books.
Four more daft, comical rhymes for school children, each 4 lines long, with punchy rhymes and familiar, popular topics. They offer reading incentives to able and struggling readers alike, promoting all-round literacy. They also raise spirits and encourage communication and sharing.
For more, see my others with similar cover design, including 3-for-2 bundle:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/12-funny-rhymes-12289724
This 3-for-2 stack of punchy, comical rhymes will get children reading. Each sheet offers four 4-line crazy, humorous little rhymes that children can relate to.
They support reading, listening, linguistic and general literacy skills, as well as raising spirits and encouraging communication.
They are written by a published poet (website: poemsforfun.wordpress.com) with years of experience in breaking barriers to literacy for children through poetry workshops, often incorporating fun, rhythmic rhymes to get everyone of all abilities on board.
Four funny, punchy, 4-line rhymes by the author. These four are all about supernatural creatures: aliens, giants and fairies. Easy, fun and cheerful reading material, encouraging children to read, and to write their own rhymes too.
For more rhymes in this style, see:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/4-funny-rhymes-12289613
and
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/funny-rhymes-2-12289686
Young children will enjoy thinking up a word or more to complete the phrase - This frog is…, and having a go at writing it on the line provided. More words can be added below, as wanted. Encourage sounding out and emergent writing, rather than accuracy, with this writing activity, to build confidence in independent writing. Perhaps prompt for - green, hoppy, wet, patchy, jumpy, friendly, smiling, splashy or croaking, if ideas are needed. See my other simple writing sheets on wildlife themes for more variety.
Young children will enjoy thinking up a word or more to complete the given phrase - I can see… , and having a go at sounding it out and writing it on the line provided. They can then be rewarded with colouring fun, shading in this fascinating picture. For the writing, encourage children to study the picture and identify some of its features first, then let them choose their favourite one or few to write. Examples to prompt for if needed - a snail, a bird, flowers, grass, leaves, sky, the sun, a ladybird. Able writers could be encouraged to add a describing word or other embellishment.
The resource promotes literacy, fine motor control, colour and shape awareness and an appreciation of the natural world.
Seasonal fun activity to stretch language and creativity! Beautiful autumn leaf picture to write on, with prompts and writing lines. Colouring potential too. Great for wall display. Let children gather, inspect and play with leaves, then write these sheets freely. Prompt for colour words, textures, movements - gliding, spinning, twirling through the sky. (What sort of sky?) Similes invited. Lots of poetic and expressive scope. Promotes calm and joy.
Four humorous 4-line rhymes that children can easily relate to. They’re all about food, spills, mouldy food remains and similar. Through the fun, children will naturally exercise their reading or listening skills. They can also develop their sense of rhythm and rhyme. The lightly humorous tone also promotes relaxation, cheer and joy of reading.
Dragon Rhyme Ideas video: https://youtu.be/iQhtFko3Y4U
My poem, ‘My Town at Night’ is exciting and atmospheric, stretching imaginations and language, and offering a spur for creative writing. I’ve used it very successfully with Year 3 classes upwards, together with pictures and discussion of the colours, shapes and mysteries of lit-up streets.
Now on YouTube with sound & pictures! https://youtu.be/BNzvD31flwo
The poem has been published twice over by https://theschoolmagazine.com.au/The School Magazine, Australia - .
This lively seaside picture has two wavy line spaces for describing words for the sea: “The sea is … and …”, and there’s a whole line below for further ideas. Young children will enjoy thinking up two words or more to describe the sea and having a go at writing them, before colouring in the waves, sea creatures, sand, bucket and spade and more. Children in my poetry workshops use the sheet with enthusiasm, for both writing and colouring. See my two harder versions too, plus Shells writing sheet: - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/seaside-writing-frame-r-y1-12099509, https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/seaside-writing-frame-y2-3-12099502 (free) and https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/shells-can-be-illustrated-writing-frame-guide-sheet-12099487 .
Video (looking at shells) https://photos.app.goo.gl/wkeZ8K6iCfcFQneZ9
Four activities for younger/less confident KS1 readers, with adult support. Contents: 2 fun word games; one seaside picture with describing words spread over; 1 colourfully decorated reading test with simple words using the whole alphabet. Handy for pre-test practice and assessment, and as year-round reading spurs.
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 .
7 activities (1 free) combining seaside and literacy, featuring shells, sea and under the sea. The attractive, illustrated sheets offer phonics and reading practice, creative writing opportunities and environmental learning. Shells and fish sheets have accompanying suggestions for teachers.
An inspiring seascape with gaps to write words and phrases in, for Yrs 2-6, as a starter sheet for poetry or creative writing, or a picture poem in its own right, use adaptable for different aims, ages and abilities. Also provided: the picture free from word gaps; guide sheet for teachers.
The 15 white writing slots in and around this inviting scene offer scope for expressive describing words, similes and phrases.
GUIDE: the accompanying teacher’s guide sheet provides a comprehensive list of word and simile ideas for use as spurs and examples for students.
USES: Literacy - building vocabulary, simile-writing, preparing for poetry or descriptive writing;
Topic enhancement: a simple, effective way to enthuse pupils in topics, e.g. seaside, ocean, seasons, weather, water, coastlines, sea pollution or global warming, while also enhancing literacy.
Time filler: offers learning through fun for any spare 10 minutes.
See my other words-in-gaps sheets too.
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.
Rhyming couplets to celebrate the end of the school year with your class. Pick and build together, perhaps adding in your own contributions too. Set to music? Perform in assembly? Lots of fun and food for thought as well in these two pages of specially crafted rhymes. I’m a well-published children’s poet, and use my rhymes with children in my school workshops. They bring lessons and learning alive for children, also building self-confidence and PSHE skills.
Please note: rhymes presented in random order.
Here’s a summery video-poem, with music & pictures:
https://youtu.be/wdQJtlPJpeQ
These punchy, fun rhymes each celebrate a colour, listing and describing different items of that colour in ways that bring it to life for children. The ‘green’ one is an action rhyme; the others are best read aloud. Invite further item suggestions for extra verses - they don’t need to rhyme, provided you can sustain the rhythm. Pick one of these to start a phonics, poetry or descriptive writing lesson. Children from Early Years to upper KS2 will find them thought-provoking and stimulating.
These 5 simple, rhythmic rhymes focus on everyday concepts. Their titles are: Busy Street, In the Park, Windy Day, Taller and Smaller, and School is for Me.
Each rhyme sheet includes guidance notes.
Suitable for clapping, enacting, word-swapping and performing with embellishments (such as percussion, a tune, or extra actions).
They support the learning areas Understanding the World, Expressive Arts & Design, Literacy, Communication & Language, and Physical Development.
The rhymes (and illustrations) are my own.
Let your class fly with these inspiring picture poems! Able writers can set their ideas sailing round a winding, looping line, developing ideas about the mat and its moods on the follow-on sheet. Younger or less confident writers can express their flying and floating concepts on straight lines, with structure to prompt and encourage. A 2-page teacher’s guide, with example poems to read out, is also included.
This resource will melt away anxieties about writing, especially with the recommended warm-up discussion and enactments. Able writers, meanwhile, can use the light-touch frames to explore poetic techniques and approaches, letting their talents fly too!
The sheets are hand-drawn and home-produced, so please expect spontaneity rather than computer-perfect lines.
Young children will enjoy picking an item or more from this exciting jungle scene to complete the given phrase below - I can see…, sounding out the word and having a go at writing it. If help is needed in getting started, help children identify and select an item from the picture (e.g. tiger, flower, spider), and clarify the first sound and letter. Able writers could add a describing word or extra items. Colouring could be presented as a reward for the writing effort. This resource promotes an understanding of the natural world, including plants, animals and mini-beasts, and the concept of jungle or rain forest, supporting related studies. It also promotes literacy, fine motor control, colour sense, shape and pattern appreciation, and more. See my other wildlife writing + colouring sheets for a variety.
A space project is never complete without a few aliens, and children can let their imaginations go wild with this simple writing frame. The starter phrases and illustrations will all trigger ideas, motivating even reluctant writers to have a go. The accompanying sheet of guidance notes provides all sorts of suggestions to prompt for, line by line, should any children be stuck for ideas. Follow-on rhyme ideas are also included in the Guide, with examples.
This hand-illustrated, home-produced, black-and-white sheet has been used successfully in classrooms. Recommended especially for Years 2-3.