Year 4 - Changing States of Matter Practical lesson - used as a hook following Christmas start of new topic - link to food waste - ways to preserve. This is a whole lesson where children make butter by shaking double cream in jars until it first becomes whipped cream and then butter. I prepared it to use in the first week back as a lesson to engage before moving on to solids, liquids and gases. It is an easy and fun practical lesson. This resource comes with a lesson plan, a learning objective table/slip where children are encouraged to link their task to the forthcoming learning by answering two questions about how the liquid cream was different from the solid butter, and a power point presentation - my first slides relate to food waste at Christmas, but this could be easily edited to link to food waste more generally. You will need to provide: several tubs of double cream, jars or lidded plastic tubs to use as shakers, salt, spoons, crackers. I hope you enjoy using this resource and if you could take the time to feed back, I would be grateful.

This assembly explores the Christian value of humility using Palm Sunday and the symbolism of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem on a donkey. It is ideal to use during the week preceding Easter (Holy Week) or in the lead up to Palm Sunday. Start by asking children what words they would use to describe the white horse. There is a word art image with likely answers. This assembly encourages children to think of ways they can practise the Christian value of humility, and ends with a prayer. It could also be used as part of a lesson input in a church school where children then create their own palm frond crosses, from paper or real palm leaves. I would be grateful if you could leave a review, once you have used this resource.

This practice test paper has been designed specifically for progression. It is written with deliberately more challenging vocabulary and sentence structures, to extend the learning of those children now familiar with practice test paper and content. It tests the grammar element of the SpaG test. I would be grateful if you could leave a review after purchase and implementation.

This year, the clocks go forward on 31st march 2024. This assembly is ideal in the week preceding or following the clocks going forward. It is of approximately 20 minutes duration. a) Starts with a more general ‘signs of spring’ discussion b) Includes activities that can be done as talk partner discussions or questions and answers c) Includes top tips that reinforce the importance of a sleep routine d) Links to an external quiz at the end. You could tie it in with some time related problems in maths: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/how-to-solve-time-word-problems-using-rucsac-11862812 I hope you enjoy using this resource. All author proceeds are donated to our partner school in Sierra Leone.

A ppt (including differentiated activity printouts) that gives an overview to where modern day Greece is located, the make up of the land and climate. It then includes major cities and reference points of ancient Greece. (All images/maps sourced via Google images) This is for KS 2 and has supported a Year 5 introduction to ancient Greece, alongside timeline lessons and more general introductions.

This is an animated Power Point that can be used over several sessions of teaching telling the time. Introduces: firstly, the time on the hour; quarter past then half past; midday/midnight; minutes past; and finally minutes to. The slides have been animated to carry out listen/repeat type exercises first, then recall exercises next. Option to print out slides as worksheets/ or play games with slides - I’ve included some notes about which slides can be used for what purposes. I hope you enjoy using this resource. I would be grateful if you could leave a review.

Tuesday 21st February is Mardi Gras (Shrove/‘Fat’ Tuesday)! This is a power point resource all about Mardi Gras that includes accompanying activities that can be done afterwards. It is designed as a French lesson, but can easily be used as a whole school assembly, especially in a French-teaching primary school. There are some links to be made with RE and Lent, so it will work especially well in a CE/Catholic primary school teaching French. It is suitable for KS2 or perhaps just lower Key Stage 3. There are already many resources out there on the subject of Easter, but very few on Mardi Gras, which is increasing in popularity in the UK as ‘Fat Tuesday’. The lesson commences with the children analysing 2 photos showing Mardi Gras (carnival) scenes. (A means of activating critical thinking skills) before introducing the lesson as one about Mardi Gras, how it is celebrated and some key vocabulary. The ppt links to a You Tube clip of a parade in Montreal (providing opportunities to discuss French culture around the world). It introduces some key vocabulary, (and can be used as an opportunity to revise colours, days of the week and dates, as they come up, naturally). Possible activities include: -2 word searches using the key vocabulary. One easier, one harder. Reading slide (depending on ability, could be read as a whole class looking for ‘the word that means…’ Recorded audio of the reading slide - you could give the challenge of listening to hear a specific word or phrase. (In the passage, as there are some near-cognate words that are not given in the vocabulary - children have to work out they mean based on how they look, sound or are spelled.) As a creative task, children can design a Mardi Gras mask, and several templates are given. The ppt slides can be printed in A3 when there are 2 per page. To make a larger art/DT project. This provides opportunities for wonderful displays!!! I have seen examples of Mardi Gras displays on the internet, where, having created the masks, the children’s photographs are taken and printed A3 size and the masks stuck over the top of the child’s face on the board - looks amazing! In my school, I haven’t gone that far, but the children were occupied for a whole wet-play, making gold, green and purple paper chains, which I decorated around a notice board, using my ppt slides as information for the mid-section. Sorry, there are no word search answers for the 2nd word search, but you could retain a child’s once they have solved - also, using the word ‘or’ in the word search has resulted in there being several possible answers - I didn’t change it - it’s probably something else of interest that will enable the word to stick in their minds. Please note: Selling resources on TES has enabled me to donate £500 to date to our partner school in Sierra Leone. All author proceeds from this resource will be donated to our partner school, where it is used to buy medicines and period products

Available in pdf and editable word, for personalisation options. The first is a larger flag simply to print and colour, the second a smaller flag, that can be folded and displayed over a washing line type rope. These would be good for younger classes, where you are attempting to improve pencil grip and writing stamina. I would print one per pupil and use it to create eye-catching bunting over the classroom. 50% of the author proceeds of this resource will be donated to our partner school in Sierra Leone.

A lesson that focuses on the witches’ use of word play and how this influenced Macbeth’s course of action. This includes a lesson plan, lesson presentation and differentiated activity. This lesson allows for a more detailed consideration of the role of the witches, and the use of the deliberately misleading in order to influence, but it is more than this, as it aims to foster a love of words and wordplay with the children. (There are some nice PSHE elements in terms of things people might say nowadays that are not actual lies, but not actually the truth, too.) There’s a great link to a clip from Shrek II where Pinocchio is attempting not to give away Shrek’s position but cannot lie. He uses double negatives and babble to mislead without lying! Children will really enjoy attempting to solve the riddles, which have been pitched so that at least 1 or 2 per bundle should be solved, possibly more. I’ve tried to source new ones, but there are a couple of oldies, too. The riddles should be distributed in tables or groups of 4-6. They are read and discussed in the groups. Once the solutions are given, pupils consider how the language was misleading/what it was about the riddle that was deceptive. This can be a piece of written work, or remain a spoken activity. I have used this resource in Year 5, with a re-written story version of Macbeth, once the story had been completed, so they could appreciate the significance of the second prophecies. We had puns and riddles galore for weeks afterwards! I hope you enjoy using this resource. I would be grateful if you could leave a review, once you have used it in class.

This introduces vocabulary for common household pets. This bumper powerpoint includes: French voice recordings for each animal. Guess the missing picture game (Que manque-t-il?) Guess the animal by the sound it makes (C’est quel animal?) Watch carefully to count the number of animals Animated noughts and crosses (Morpion) Printable word search. This resource is suitable for a variety of ages - photographs have been carefully selected to look modern and appealing; the activities are best used over several short sessions - introduce vocabulary and then come back to some of the other activities at other times.

A moving up day presentation with activity. Children play ‘two truths and a lie’ and then create their own passports to enable them to move up to the next year group. The presentation is a simple powerpoint that you can edit to include the names of the adults in the classroom and create your own “two truths and a lie” facts. I would also add slides about the topics that are covered in the year - it contains screen shots of the activity in order to model to the children what to do. The activity has been been based on a version of a TES recommended resource by tafkam which is excellent, so I can take no credit for the original idea. I have created my own version more suitable for lower Key Stage 2 and hopefully easy to edit to include school logos etc. It should be printed or photocopied double sided. When I have done this activity in the past, I have held onto the children’s passports and returned them to them in the summer, prior to their new moving up day. It’s a nice way to get them to reflect on the year that was, too. (Please note: the photograph on the example is an example of one I created with my son, for fun, not of any pupil I teach! I’ve also blanked out his school logos and school name.) I hope this resource helps you to get to know your new class better!

This assembly looks at the issue of single use plastic. Children are asked initially to use words to describe an idyllic scene, which they later find out is cropped, and the image reveals a litter-strewn beach. The slides talk through the origins of plastic and explore some of the benefits of plastic, so children can understand how we have arrived at this situation. The assembly goes on to look at the drawbacks -in simple terms, not too hard-hitting or upsetting. The final part of this assembly encourages children to think about what they can do to address the situation. There are slides encouraging recycling, not using in the first place, and participation in litter picks. The assembly ends with a prayer, but a good alternative would also be a silent promise - one thing the children will do in the next week to help the situation. There are also external links to two clips that could be used in the assembly - one a classroom clip about different types of plastic and another You Tube clip that’s quite a nice opportunity to ask children what unsustainable choices the man is making, and what the drawbacks for him of each of his choices are. I hope you enjoy using this resource. It is such an important issue and I’m very pleased it is becoming increasingly topical. I would be grateful if you would leave a review, once you have used the assembly.

This is a whole lesson (ppt, plan and printouts) on creating cinquain poetry. It is scaffolded for children whose own vocabulary might need developing - rather than having to think of words themselves from a limited pool, they read and highlight a piece of descriptive text to pull out powerful vocabulary from this and create their own word bank to use. Works for higher ability, too as they can add their own ideas to the same word bank. I recommend that an adult work with the lower ability readers to understand the text extract when creating the word bank. It would be good as a precursor to creating their own cinquains from scratch on something topical or relevant to a book you are reading in a subsequent lesson. I have chosen one extract from a book about skating, Bubble Wrap Boy, by Phil Earle, and the other has been drafted by me in a similar style. The examples in the slide show and handouts are based on skating - as I had a group of boys quite obsessed with it - who I wanted to make sure enjoyed the poetry. They did. Cinquains are always fun - all the better if they get to copy them up with illustrations, or do them on PCs to get the centering/format correct. I hope you enjoy using this resource.

Third resource of a three-part survival-themed set of maths lessons. Children imagine themselves shipwrecked on a desert island. After reading a shipping map/timetable to know when they will be rescued, they have to create a look-out rota.This is a power point to introduce the idea and facilitate the initial discussion. It is based on 4 individuals wishing to have 24 hour a day look-out duty. Pupils can decide on the best way to do this. There are extension scenarios, for if one person is ill and only 3 people can carry out look at duty in a 24 hour period. The other accompanying resources can be found at: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/i-can-reading-timetables-and-shipping-maps-desert-island-survival-theme-11904303 https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/coordinates-in-four-quadrants-desert-island-map-11866571

This is a printable activity with the option of printing with grid lines, without grid lines, in colour or in black and white. Developed initially for the Harry-Meghan royal wedding, but it is a standalone activity that is useful in its own right, not simply because of a royal wedding (although, that gives the perfect excuse to use it!) This uses a triangular shaped flag, that might be used for bunting - it could be displayed as bunting on a maths working wall once completed! Tip: N:rich has a nice activity on flag symmetry that could precede this or follow this lesson. https://nrich.maths.org/7749 (alternatively, download their ‘getting started’ advice, for questions that could be used to enrich this activity.) 50% of the author proceeds of this purchase will go to our partner school in Sierra Leone.

Mince Pie Mystery Christmas Fun. Someone has stolen the mince pies whilst everyone was in assembly - it is up to the class to turn detective and work out who it was! This is a structured activity suitable for Key Stage two - Years 3, 4 or 5 ideally, to be carried out close to the last few lessons of the term, when typical teaching has stopped and you need something engaging to hold them which has more value than a traditional quiz/Christmas activity. It would work well on Christmas Jumper day or Christmas Dinner day as a break from the usual routine, too. This is designed to take up the session which is typically the maths session, after play, but the skills needed to solve this are cross-curricular. Alternatively, it could end an afternoon session when something out of the ordinary has preceded it, such as a recorder concert/hymn rehearsal/church visit and the children need a highly structured activity to refocus them with the prospect of a treat at the end. Core skills being developed include: Maths- working within time periods and calculating time overlaps, English -reading and making deductions, Logic and Critical Thinking - Eliminating suspects based on cross-referencing given facts, Drama - acting or reading out in role (if you prefer). The lower abilities will simply need more support with the reading element and the deductions, but it would work well in mixed ability groups. The actual culprit is the most obvious one - but that was deliberate so that everyone feels good at the end - even if they couldn’t say with as much certainty why, most children will put their finger on the correct thief. There is an accompanying plan. Slides should ideally be printed and stapled as copies per table: a ‘Clue’ pack, an ‘Evidence’ Pack, Witness Statements, and an elimination sheet. The mystery itself is based on a story my son told me that actually happened at his school with the chocolates in an Advent calendar going missing during play, but I’ve gone for mince pies being stolen- all the better if you can buy a bulk lot of 30 cheaply, leaving tantalisingly on display all morning only to have them suddenly disappear at the start of the lesson - and then all munch on them as a reward once the activity has ended. I hope that the activity is as fun for you as it has been for me to envisage and create. As always, I would appreciated feedback once you have delivered it in class.

End of term fun. A classroom quiz full of topical and relevant questions. This was lots of fun in the making and I think it will be lots of fun in the doing! This quiz consists of four rounds of 5 questions each. The answers are multiple choice apart from the two bonus rounds. The rounds have been carefully selected to appeal to a wide cross-section of interests and abilities. Each new round is introduced with a sound bite to catch attention and each question also has a sound bite that plays automatically to gain silence, so you can read the question out. The answers are given after each round, groups being asked to swap to mark by passing to the left. The rounds are: Football (World Cup) Strange but True In the News Fads and Crazes The bonuses are pixelated images of famous people, books and films, to identify, some easy some more difficult, and can be done as timed extra rounds, or printed and given to children to do as a less-structured part of the quiz, and a quick break for the adult reading the questions. This quiz is written primarily for a KS2 audience, but could be used for older children, too. I have not had a chance to use this in the classroom, yet, but I did pre-test it on my own (key stage two) son, who loved it, and was begging for more the next day, even writing his own questions. I would appreciate feedback. In the end-of-term spirit, some of the questions are a little ‘colourful’ and be warned - the England chant as a sound bite on one slide will add to that ‘end of term’ vibe. :-) I have included lots of ironic potential answers to keep us quiz masters and mistresses amused, too. I hope you enjoy using this resource.