The Ponder Box is a small self-publishing company with a passion for creating inspirational products fit for all kinds of purposes. In 2021, TPB began publishing low content books on Amazon through Kindle Direct Publishing, and now offers hundreds of books, journals, workbooks and more on Amazon's around the world. We also have our own Etsy shop where we also post a range of downloadable and digital products for people in all professions. Visit our website for more info!
The Ponder Box is a small self-publishing company with a passion for creating inspirational products fit for all kinds of purposes. In 2021, TPB began publishing low content books on Amazon through Kindle Direct Publishing, and now offers hundreds of books, journals, workbooks and more on Amazon's around the world. We also have our own Etsy shop where we also post a range of downloadable and digital products for people in all professions. Visit our website for more info!
Introduce the book Holes by Louis Sachar to your pupils through an in depth cover analysis lesson. Students will explore what they think the book is about before even opening the first page. This resource includes a full, interactive Powerpoint for a full 60 minute lesson, plus 2 handouts that go with the lesson. This resource is all you need to get your students making inferences before you start reading. Enjoy!
Skill development: inference / predictions
Stretch and challenge: Making metaphors, writing to explain and compare and contrasting skills
This resource is ideal for Key Stage 3
Use this fun creative writing worksheet to assess how well your students know the characters in the novel . This is a great little activity to assess comprehension, writing development and SPAG.
The History of the English Language
Allow your students to gain an understanding of the origins of the English language and develop an understanding how the language has changed over time. In this lesson, students will complete a student led information scavenger hunt through the use of learning stages in order to find key facts relating to the development of the English language from the Anglos to modern day English.
Student led activity excellent for kineasthetic learners
This resource includes
A Google slide (full lesson)
A blank timeline document for students to fill in (PDF and Doc)
The History of the English Language Document (5 pages) to place in your learning stations
Let me know how you get on with this resource in the feedback section!
Thank you for purchasing this resource!
Use these handy flashcards and character descriptions to asses how well your students know the characters in the novel Holes by Louis Sacher.
Included in this pack:
- Drama based activity lessons and variations
- 21 character flashcards
- 21 character descriptions
- Criteria for success handout
- Custom made lizard stickers for envelopes (to give it that extra special touch!)
Use this resource to teach students about the different types of characters they may find in a novel, relating it directly to the novel Holes. Included in this resource:
1. A list of character types and definitions (I recommend cutting them out and laminating the character type and definition separately, and using it as a starter task that gets students to match character type to definition).
2. A table which students complete to identify the different character types in Holes.
Lesson 1: Understanding the context of the novel
To understand the importance of context in a story.
To be able to identify the context in a story.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to develop an initial personal response to the author and the novel.
In this lesson, learners will be introduced to the novel and start to form an understanding of the context as well as begin making predictions about the book. This is the first lesson as part of a guided reading unit. Great for KS3 students or students with a lower lexile level.
Help your students enhance their vocabulary with this nifty little word bank that they can use to record new words they encounter while reading. Students can stick it in their exercise books or keep it in their folders, and record new words each or every other lesson.
Help your students gain a thorough understanding of what adjectives are and how to identify and use them in their own writing. This Power Point contains 5 full lessons to introduce / review the use of adjectives, suitable for key stage 2, 3 and lower ability key stage 4 classes. These lessons are also great for EAL/ESL learners. These lessons are perfect for a quick review and a great way to assess students’ understanding and use of adjectives. Accompanied with the Powerpoint is a 5 page Home Learning document to give to students to complete after each lesson to further embed learning. If you’re looking for a very easy, no prep adjectives package then this is ideal!
Getting to Know You - BUNDLE - 5 Awesome Activities in One
The start of a new year is fast approaching and many teacher’s will soon find themselves with a whole new class of students that they will nurture and support for the next full academic year. This BUNDLE pack aims to help you get to know your students, their personal interests and learning styles with five unique activities to get them thinking about the year ahead.
Including in this pack:
All About Me Worksheet - students answer basic questions about themselves in order for their new teacher to get to know a little bit about them
Silent ID - a fun activity to get students learning about each other!
Multiple Intelligences Quiz - Find out which intelligences your pupils most associate themselves with by providing them with this fun quiz. Getting students to acknowledge their own learning styles allows them to develop critical thinking skills relating to their own personal growth and learning style!
What I Like - You can personalize your lessons ahead by first getting to know what your pupils like. Is there a common interest in music across the board? Incorporate the music in later lessons to show pupils you don’t just care about filling their heads but also about their own enjoyment in the classroom. Help develop a strong student-teacher rapport by personalizing learning as much as you can!
What I will learn - this worksheet is useful after giving students the low down on what to expect over the next term. Let students know what topics they’ll be learning more about and what skills they should aim to acquire. You can use this worksheet as an exit task to see how much students remember about what you’ve told them to expect!
Stone Cold iGCSE / GCSE English Lesson 2
In this lesson students will explore the context of homelessness and form their own understanding of what it means to be homeless in order to understanding ideas presented throughout the text.
This is a whole lesson ready to go!
Literary Terms for iGCSE / GCSE / A-Level English Literature
This PDF contains the most basic to advanced literary terms for students to use when responded to literary texts. Encourage students to use several new words / phrases from the list each time they write about / discuss a literary text. The PDF includes key literary terms, definitions and examples of their usage.
In this lesson, students will start to form an understanding of what context is and how it can shape what the author writes. This lesson is a gentle introduction to the book and complete with fun starter and exit tasks to check for understanding. Students will learn interesting facts about Louis Sachar which will help them to form a personal and informed response about the text as they move throughout the unit.
Come back to my author’s dashboard to find the rest of the lessons within this scheme of work.
This resource is complete with:
PPTX file
PDF version
First Book of 100 Sight Words: An Engaging Learning Tool for Young Children
Unlock the world of reading for your students with the “First Book of 100 Sight Words.” Designed specifically for young learners, this book is an essential resource for teachers looking to enhance their students’ literacy skills through fun and interactive exercises.
Key Features:
Comprehensive Sight Word List: Covers the first 100 essential sight words, carefully chosen to build a strong foundation for early reading skills.
Engaging Activities: Each sight word is accompanied by a variety of activities including reading exercises, word tracing, and writing practice to reinforce learning.
Interactive Learning: Fun and interactive “Circle the Sight Words” and “Make a Silly Sentence” activities keep children engaged and excited about learning.
Drawing Time: Each section includes space for drawing, encouraging creativity while reinforcing word recognition and usage.
Practical Application: Real-life sentence examples help students understand the context and usage of each sight word.
Why Choose This Book?
Teacher-Friendly: Easy-to-follow layout and clear instructions make it perfect for classroom use.
Student-Centric: Designed to cater to young children, making learning sight words enjoyable and effective.
Skill Development: Helps children improve their reading, writing, and comprehension skills, setting them up for future academic success.
Empower your students with the “First Book of 100 Sight Words” and watch them develop confidence and proficiency in their reading abilities. Available now on Tes.com, this book is a must-have for any teacher dedicated to nurturing a love for reading in their classroom.
Use this mind map early on in the book to get students to think about how Stanley feels about certain people and situations. This will encourage students to develop a strong understanding of who Stanley is and how he's being described by the narrator. This worksheet can be used as an independent exercise or as part of a group activity.