Inspire your students to develop meaningful and memorable mentor characters with Lesson 7: Creating a Wise Mentor, part of the 14-lesson Descriptive Writing Unit. This lesson dives into the role of the “wise” character in heroic tales, guiding students to analyze traditional mentor archetypes and create innovative versions for their own stories. Learning Objectives: Low: Understand the meaning of “wise” and what it entails in creating a wise character. Medium: Create a wise character by incorporating the key elements of a mentor from a traditional heroic tale. High: Innovate on the traditional wise character archetype, adding originality while maintaining essential mentor traits. Lesson Highlights: What Does It Mean to Be Wise? Students explore the concept of wisdom through a “Think, Pair, Share” activity, discussing real-life and fictional examples of wise individuals. Analyzing Mentor Archetypes: Through examples from Beowulf and popular Disney movies, students examine the traditional characteristics of wise characters (e.g., older, knowledgeable, often magical). Creative Writing Task: Students design their own mentor character, considering traditional traits while adding a fresh and innovative twist to fit into their hero’s journey narrative. Exit Task: Differentiated activities to consolidate understanding: Low: Define “wise” and provide an example from a story. Medium: Outline the traditional elements of a wise character. High: Reflect on whether a wise character must be an old man, providing examples to support their perspective. This lesson encourages Key Stage 3 learners to think critically about character development while fostering creativity and originality. By understanding and reshaping archetypes, students craft mentors that bring depth and intrigue to their storytelling. Download now as part of the Descriptive Writing Unit and guide your students to create wise characters that enrich their heroic tales!

Elevate your students’ storytelling with Lesson 6: Exploring Powerful Verbs, part of a 14-lesson unit designed to strengthen descriptive writing. This lesson focuses on understanding verbs, the difference between common and powerful verbs, and their role in creating compelling narratives. Learning Objectives: Low: Understand what a verb is and provide examples. Medium: Differentiate between common and powerful verbs. High: Identify and use common and powerful verbs effectively in writing. Lesson Highlights: Call to Adventure: Students write the “call to adventure” section of their hero’s journey, building on their narrative from previous lessons. Powerful Verbs Exploration: Through examples and exercises, students learn how powerful verbs add depth and excitement to descriptions, making their writing more engaging. Creative Practice: Students apply their understanding of verbs by refining their own writing with powerful verb choices, enhancing the action and emotion in their narratives. Exit Task: Differentiated reflection activities include: Low: Define a verb and provide an example. Medium: Explain the difference between common and powerful verbs with examples. High: Write a paragraph explaining whether writers should use more common or powerful verbs in their stories and why. This engaging and practical lesson empowers Key Stage 3 learners to enrich their writing by mastering verb usage, transforming ordinary actions into vivid, memorable moments. Download now as part of the Descriptive Writing Unit to help your students create stories that truly come alive!

Unlock the art of engaging storytelling with Lesson 5: Writing Descriptively, part of a 14-lesson unit designed to elevate students’ writing skills. This lesson focuses on understanding and applying descriptive writing techniques to craft vivid and immersive narratives. Learning Objectives: Low: Understand the concept of descriptive writing. Medium: Identify descriptive writing techniques in a text. High: Create a descriptive piece of writing using learned tools and tips. Lesson Highlights: Starter Activity: Students analyze exciting openings from Beowulf and modern stories, sparking inspiration for crafting their own engaging introductions. Exploration: A breakdown of the “ordinary life” segment of a hero’s journey, with examples of what this typically includes, helps students establish their hero’s world. Creative Writing: Students apply their plans from Lesson 4 to write the “ordinary life” section of their hero’s journey, focusing on descriptive details and maintaining tense consistency (past or present). Technical Focus: A brief exploration of writing in consistent tenses ensures polished and cohesive storytelling. Exit Task: Differentiated reflection tasks include: Low: Define descriptive writing in their workbooks. Medium: Identify which of two sentences is more descriptive and explain why. High: Craft a short, descriptive paragraph using the techniques introduced in the lesson. This practical and interactive lesson empowers Key Stage 3 learners to enhance their storytelling by incorporating sensory details, strong verbs, and vivid imagery. It bridges technical skills and creativity, guiding students to produce immersive narratives. Download now as part of the complete Descriptive Writing Unit and inspire your students to create unforgettable stories!

Empower your students to craft their own legendary adventures in Lesson 4: Creating Your Own Heroic Tale, part of a 14-lesson unit on Descriptive Writing. This lesson focuses on understanding and applying the traditional structure of a heroic tale, encouraging creativity, critical thinking, and storytelling skills. Learning Objectives: Low: Understand the structure of a traditional heroic tale. Medium: Identify a heroic tale by its structure. High: Create an original heroic tale using the traditional structure. Lesson Highlights: Starter Activity: Students brainstorm the elements that make a great heroic story, sparking discussion and creativity. Exploration: Using the iconic example of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, students analyze how the hero’s journey structure unfolds in a well-loved narrative. Creative Planning: Students begin crafting their own heroic tales by developing ideas through a comic strip template, providing a visual and structural foundation for their writing. Exit Task: Differentiated challenges allow students to consolidate their learning: Low: List the 10 key events in a hero’s tale. Medium: Provide examples of other heroic tales (e.g., movies, books, or comics) and explain how they follow the structure. High: Outline an original heroic tale, ensuring all 10 structural elements are included. This lesson provides an engaging mix of analysis and creation, allowing students to deepen their understanding of narrative structure while expressing their own ideas. Perfect for Key Stage 3 learners, this lesson inspires students to think critically about storytelling while building their descriptive writing skills. Download now as part of the complete Descriptive Writing Unit!

Bring history and storytelling to life with Lesson 3: An Introduction to Beowulf, part of a comprehensive 14-lesson unit on Descriptive Writing. This engaging lesson introduces students to one of the most famous epic poems in English literature, exploring its narrative, historical context, and enduring popularity. Designed for Key Stage 3 learners, the lesson focuses on these learning goals: Low: Understand key facts and events in the poem Beowulf. Medium: Retell the main events and important details about the poem. High: Analyze and express opinions on why Beowulf remains a celebrated story. Lesson Highlights: Introduction to Epic Poetry: Students learn fascinating facts about Beowulf, such as its origins in the 8th century, its status as the oldest surviving piece of English writing, and its anonymous authorship. Story Exploration: Through an interactive retelling, students uncover the thrilling adventures of Beowulf, from his battle with Grendel and his mother to his ultimate sacrifice against the dragon. Critical Thinking Task: Students participate in a “Think, Pair, Share” activity to guess the plot based on key characters, engaging their imagination and analytical skills. Exit Task: Reflective writing activities challenge students to summarize the poem, detail its historical significance, or analyze its timeless appeal in a structured and differentiated manner. This dynamic lesson introduces students to the art of epic storytelling while developing their descriptive writing, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. Perfect for inspiring creativity and deepening historical and literary appreciation. Download now to immerse your students in the world of Beowulf as part of the larger Descriptive Writing Unit!

Engage your students in the art of storytelling with Lesson 2: The Hero’s Journey, part of a 12-lesson unit on Descriptive Writing. This lesson introduces students to the process of peer assessment and emphasizes improving their creative writing skills by providing and acting on constructive feedback. Designed for Key Stage 3 learners, the lesson focuses on the following goals: Low: Understanding the concept of peer assessment and its benefits. Medium: Identifying examples of effective and ineffective feedback. High: Applying peer feedback to enhance their writing with specific examples. The lesson includes: Starter Activity: Brainstorm ways to improve writing skills through a “Think, Pair, Share” task. Interactive Task: Watch “Austin’s Butterfly” to explore how constructive feedback leads to improvement. Main Activity: Use a peer feedback sheet to provide detailed, actionable feedback on a partner’s story, focusing on elements like vocabulary, SPaG, structure, and storytelling. Exit Task: Reflect on the process by identifying good and bad feedback examples or explaining how peer assessment improves their writing. This engaging and practical lesson equips students with the tools to refine their storytelling while developing critical thinking and collaboration skills. A must-have for educators aiming to foster creativity and peer-led learning in their classrooms. Download this lesson now as part of the comprehensive Descriptive Writing Unit and inspire your students to craft vivid and compelling narratives!

Unlock your students’ creative potential with this comprehensive Sensory Descriptions Word Bank, designed to enhance descriptive writing and storytelling. This resource empowers young writers to craft vivid imagery by utilizing sensory details. Featuring categorized vocabulary for sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch, it serves as a versatile tool for enriching narratives, poetry, and essays. Perfect for Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 learners, the word bank encourages students to “paint a picture” in their readers’ minds by exploring rich, expressive language. It’s ideal for use in creative writing lessons, literacy workshops, or as a classroom display. Whether you’re working on improving sensory detail in stories or simply expanding students’ vocabulary, this resource will inspire creativity and build confidence in descriptive writing. Download now and bring writing to life!

Lesson 1 of 14 – Unit Introduction & Writing Task Description: This engaging first lesson sets the stage for a 14-lesson unit designed to teach students how to identify key narrative devices within the hero’s tale and craft their own creative Hero’s Journey. By the end of the unit, students will produce a polished piece of creative writing that reflects their understanding of narrative techniques and storytelling structure. In this introductory lesson, students will: Gain an overview of the unit and the creative writing goals they will achieve. Be introduced to the concept of the Hero’s Journey through an engaging, student-friendly presentation. Reflect on and discuss what they believe makes a story heroic, creating a collaborative class mind map. Begin writing their own ideas about what makes a great hero and a compelling journey. This initial piece will serve as a formative assessment, providing a baseline to measure their growth and development by the end of the unit. Complete an “Exit Task” to summarize their key takeaway from the lesson using a post-it or whiteboard. Learning Objectives: Understand the purpose and scope of the Hero’s Journey unit. Reflect on personal and cultural ideas of heroism. Begin drafting creative ideas for a Hero’s Journey story. Develop collaborative and independent thinking skills. Included Resources: A PowerPoint presentation introducing the Hero’s Journey, highlighting key stages and features including instructional notes. Materials Needed: Mind mapping tools: A large sheet of paper, notebook, or digital tool (e.g., Jamboard or OneNote). Writing tools: Pen and paper, laptop, or tablet for story drafts. Post-its or a whiteboard for the exit task. This lesson introduces students to the Hero’s Journey in a way that ignites curiosity and sets a solid foundation for deeper exploration of storytelling and creative writing in the coming weeks. Visit my shop to find lesson number 2 plus the other lessons that make up this 14 lesson unit.

Exploring the ‘At’ Word Family This engaging educational resource is designed to help young learners build foundational literacy skills by focusing on the ‘at’ word family. Perfect for homeschooling, classroom use, or supplemental practice, this resource includes: PDF Presentation: A short presentation that introduces every word in the ‘at’ family (e.g., cat, hat, bat, rat, sat, mat, pat). Each slide features bold illustrations and clear text, making it easy for learners to recognize, read, and understand the sound and structure of the ‘at’ family. Five Interactive Worksheets: Family Tree Activity: Learners expand their creativity by brainstorming ‘at’ words and writing them on the branches of a tree diagram. Identify Activity: Learners circle the image that belongs to the ‘at’ word family from a set of pictures, reinforcing their ability to recognize and differentiate these words. Giant ‘At’ Page: A fun craft opportunity where learners color, paint, or decorate a giant “at” graphic while staying connected to the word family. Writing Practice Page: Dedicated space for learners to practice writing each word in the ‘at’ family, enhancing their spelling and handwriting skills. Silly Sentence Challenge: A creative writing page where learners craft a silly sentence using as many ‘at’ words as possible, boosting vocabulary, imagination, and sentence structure skills. This resource offers a playful and interactive way to master phonics and early reading while fostering creativity and critical thinking. Suitable for early learners aged 4-7.

Anxiety & Me - A PSHE Lesson on Understanding and Managing Anxiety for all ages. This engaging and informative PSHE lesson is designed to help students understand anxiety, its triggers, and its effects on themselves and others. Through interactive activities and discussions, students will: Define anxiety and learn about its role in the fight, flight, and freeze response. Identify personal triggers and how anxiety manifests in thoughts and behaviors. Explore practical coping mechanisms to manage anxious feelings, including mindfulness, journaling, and creative outlets. Complete with visually appealing slides, thought-provoking questions, and actionable takeaways, this lesson empowers students to normalize conversations around anxiety and develop tools for emotional well-being. Suitable for upper primary and lower secondary students, this resource aligns with PSHE objectives and fosters a supportive, self-reflective classroom environment. Download now to equip your students with lifelong skills to handle anxiety with resilience and confidence!

Empower your child’s learning journey with Our Home Learning Plan, a flexible and comprehensive resource designed specifically for home-educating parents. This guide offers a structured yet adaptable framework to create a bespoke curriculum tailored to your child’s interests and goals. Featuring tools to set meaningful learning objectives, develop engaging themed units, and plan purposeful activities, this resource allows you to align your child’s education with their unique needs and aspirations. Highlights include: Step-by-step guidance to design annual learning goals. Templates for planning themed units and monthly objectives. Creative activity ideas across core and elective subjects. Strategies for incorporating hands-on projects, fieldwork, and real-world applications. Examples of performance tasks to showcase your child’s progress. Ideal for parents seeking to foster a love for learning, critical thinking, and creativity, Our Home Learning Plan helps you transform education into a personalised and enjoyable experience.

This presentation aims to be a talking point for anxiety through the lens of Cats. Explore anxiety, how it manifests in the body when triggered and what this looks like for both cats and humans. This is a great personal development lesson for students who love learning about cats!

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.

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

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.

Black & white flashcards help stimulate the development of the optic nerves the eyes of babies. As baby’s attempt to focus on the contrasting black & white images, their eye muscles and brain will be working hard to get in sync, improving their vision and focus. Babies love these contrasting images! These are the perfect images for little ones.

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!

Stone Cold Novel Study Series This lesson has been designed to evaluate students current letter writing skills.

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.