I provide a wide range of resources for use in the classroom and around school. My resources build on children's learning and consider the smaller steps children need to take to achieve the learning. My resources have a focus on 'mastery' style questions where possible, to develop children's critical thinking and reasoning skills. As a practicing primary teacher myself, I know how essential it is to have well organised lesson resources with engaging activities that focus on the learning.
I provide a wide range of resources for use in the classroom and around school. My resources build on children's learning and consider the smaller steps children need to take to achieve the learning. My resources have a focus on 'mastery' style questions where possible, to develop children's critical thinking and reasoning skills. As a practicing primary teacher myself, I know how essential it is to have well organised lesson resources with engaging activities that focus on the learning.
Statements to help you with assessing children against the 2014 Computing Curriculum, or with setting targets.
There are separate documents for each year group (from y1-y6), which break down the learning and help to show progress between year groups.
Each document is split into 4 categories: e-safety; digital literacy; programming and algorithms and information technology.
As the assessment grids help identify learning for children in each year group, they can also be used to guide planning, again to ensure progress between year groups.
We are learning to understand the dangers of online communication.
Clear learning, with lots of questions to get children to consider how they communicate online, what is safe and what is not safe.
Video to hook children and show how communicating with strangers online can be dangerous.
Opportunity for lots of discussion.
Choice of activity for differentiation and plenary.
We are learning to understand the dangers posed by online communication.
Learning focuses around using email safely.
Children learn about dangerous emails that trick you into opening them e.g. 'you have won a prize...'
A lot of learning is about the dangers of unknown attachments and the harm a virus can do to a devise.
Link to a video to hook children.
Lots of questioning to extend thinking and opportunities for discussion.
Two choices of activity for differentiation.
Unlock the secrets of Ancient Rome by finding the co-ordinates to spell the names of famous places and people from Ancient Rome.
4 differentiated work sheets, each with an answer sheet
2 sheets are in one quadrant
1 sheet is in two quadrants
1 sheet is in 4 quadrants
Some prior knowledge of basic Roman numerals required for the 4 quadrant sheet.
A brilliant way of linking maths to a Roman Topic.
Lesson PowerPoint covering the life of Julius Caesar, his role in Ancient Rome and his assassination. You may prefer to print the PowerPoint and hide it around your classroom for children to research for themselves.
At the end of the PowerPoint are three different task options.
Used with my Y4 task as part of a literacy project.
54 spelling lists for year 1 and 40 spelling lists for year 2.
Well organised. Each spelling list covers a specific rule from the year 1 or year 2 curriculum.
Easy to use in class and can be used easily alongside lessons/ other resources for learning spellings. Also useful to help you identify spelling rules to teach.
Sheets can be sent home to help children with learning their spellings.
These have also been used for recap work in lower key stage 2.
27 mark SPaG test. Ideal for year 4 in the spring term. Answer paper and mark scheme.
Tests children's knowledge on:
Possessive pronouns
Use of Standard English
Paragraphs
Past tense verbs
Conjunctions
Fronted adverbials
Homophones
Inverted commas
Subordinate clauses
Brackets
4 SPaG tests for use across Y4. Each test has an answer paper and mark scheme.
Autumn Term 1 tests children's knowledge on:
Using 'a' or 'an'
Past/present/future tense verbs
Identifying adjectives
Identifying verbs
Pronouns
Paragraph punctuation
Punctuating speech
Possessive 's'
Plural 's'
Time conjunctions.
Autumn Term 2 tests children's knowledge on:
Adverbs
Common nouns
Fronted Adverbials
Nouns
Adjectives
Expanded/contracted word forms
Expanded noun phrases
Use of there/their/they're.
Spring Term 1 tests children on:
Correct use of to/too/two
Adverbs
Pronouns
Some Y4 curriculum spellings
Punctuating fronted adverbials
Creating expanded noun phrases
Determiners
Conjunctions
Spring term 2 tests children on:
Possessive pronouns
Use of Standard English
Paragraphs
Past tense verbs
Conjunctions
Fronted adverbials
Homophones
Inverted commas
Subordinate clauses
Brackets
24 mark SPaG test for year 4 in summer term 1.
Answer paper and mark scheme included.
The test covers:
Direct speech
Indirect speech
Proper nouns
Pronouns
Articles
Subordinate clauses
Homophones
Co-ordinating conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions
Present tense verbs.
22 spelling lists for year 5 and 14 spelling lists for year 6.
Well organised. Each spelling list covers a specific rule from the year 5/6 curriculum. For ease of coverage, I have split the year 5/6 spelling rules and common exception words into two separate year groups. The bulk of the spellings are covered in the year 5 set, in order to give year 6 time to recap spellings from other year groups before SATs week.
Easy to use in class and can be used easily alongside lessons/ other resources for learning spellings. Also useful to help you identify spelling rules to teach.
Sheets can be sent home to help children with learning their spellings.
You may also like to use the year 3/4 sets for recap work.
Explores what a conjunction is used for and the clauses created by using conjunctions, including coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. All lessons are themed for an Ancient Greece topic - not only do children progress in using conjunctions, they learn more about Ancient Greece (Gods, Heroes, Mythical Beasts, Places etc). This also support their writing development on the topic.
Learning focuses around choosing appropriate conjunctions - a challenge for many children.
Learning progresses throughout the lessons.
Opportunity for discussion and reasoning (good for mastery).
Opportunity for all children to be involved in lessons.
Differentiated worksheets are provided for each lesson.
Conjunction word mats included
Learning is as follows:
1. We are learning to identify conjunctions and clauses.
PowerPoint plus 3 differentiated work sheets.
2. Conjunction quiz (programmed with hyperlinks, so use in full screen mode and click on the helmets. Even the most challenging children in my class were very engaged with this.
3. We are learning to choose appropriate conjunctions.
3 levels of differentiated activities.
4. We are learning to use coordinating conjunctions
2 levels of differentiated activities.
5. We are learning to use subordinating conjunctions
3 levels of differentiated activities.
6 week medium term planning for a Brazil Topic (30 lessons), some focus on the Olympic Games.
Planning/resources provided for each lesson, including coverage links for 2014 curriculum.
Includes range of key critical thinking (mastery) questions.
There’s planning, PowerPoints, resources and exemplar text for 12 literacy lessons-writing a persuasive letter. Literacy is linked to Brazil topic.
Fully interactive PowerPoint about Brazil (61 slides). Use in full screen mode to navigate between sections. A range of mastery style questions included. Covers:
Rain forest
Rubber Trade
Tribes
Climate
Geography
Lifestyles
History
Art
Olympics (Rio/ Ancient Olympics).
We are learning to's:
Geography: use scale maps to locate places in Brazil; use critical thinking skills (to compare areas of Brazil); understand what deforestation is and where it occurs; create a persuasive text about deforestation; investigate the similarities and differences between village and city life in Brazil; investigate what it is like to live in a tribe; investigate and compare the lives of Indigenous Indians; describe the structure of the Amazon Rain forest; investigate Fair Trade in Brazil; understand the importance of Brazilian carnivals.
History: investigate how the rubber trade started; explore the ancient Olympic games; understand the chronology of the Olympics.
Art: use pencil sketching skills; use pencil sketching skills; observe details; create a collage; observe details and create urban art; design a symbolic Olympic mascot; design a symbolic Olympic medal.
ICT: search safely on the internet; create a PowerPoint document; program hyperlinks in a PowerPoint; create and present data in a bar graph (using PowerPoint); create and present data in a line graph (using PowerPoint); present and evaluate a PowerPoint.
Design Technology: research and design a carnival float; build and evaluate a carnival float.
Music: listen to and recall sounds; experiment with percussion instruments; perform, using percussion instruments.
R.E: explore religion in Brazil.
P.E. apply a range of athletics skills (to compete in a mini Olympics).
Lessons can be adapted
Lessons differentiated.
Fact sheets, images, planning sheet, evaluations sheets etc provided for many lessons.
List of other suggested resources for each lesson.
List of suggested books and websites.
All images have been taken from: http://search.creativecommons.org/ where no attribution is required.
Lesson PowerPoint, planning and activities for identifying invertebrate groups and developing children's understanding of invertebrates that live in their local environment. Lots of mastery thinking required.
The fifth in a series of lessons to develop children's knowledge about 'Living Things and Their Habitats,' for the 2014 primary curriculum. Links to coverage of the curriculum are explicit in the planning.
We are learning to identify invertebrate groups in their own habitat.
An interesting starter to intrigue children and develop their scientific skills in estimating and discussing.
Recaps, revisits and builds on prior learning on living things, vertebrates and invertebrates.
Develop's children's scientific knowledge about grouping animals in different ways and looks at the specific scientific characteristics of invertebrate groups that are likely to be found in the local environment, as well as exploring examples of each group and their habitats.
Opportunity for outdoor work to identify invertebrate groups in the school grounds/ locality, with a focus on the type of habitat they were found in (recording sheet provided, although you will need bug hunting equipment from school and to set safety rules).
Lots of 'mastery' thinking required through the questions posed, for deepening and mastering learning.
Choice of 3 differentiated, engaging follow up activities to design a bug hotel, focusing on the type of habitat each invertebrate group would prefer (2 tasks are provided, all 3 are explained on the PowerPoint). Further resources e.g. prompt cards and pictures are provided too.
Opportunity for giving written peer feedback about the learning that has taken place.
An optional homework task is provided for children to develop their learning about classifying plants and consolidate their use of classification keys and scientific explanations.
All images have been taken from: http://search.creativecommons.org/ where no attribution is required.
4 lesson PowerPoint. Lessons 1-3 have 3 differentiated work sheets each.
Lessons are generally 'sports' themed to engage and motivate boys, as well as girls.
The lessons develop and build upon children knowledge of using direct speech in their writing.
Each lesson initially recaps children's learning from the day before, prior to building upon it.
Lesson 1 - We are learning to identify and correct punctuation in direct speech. 3 differentiated follow up tasks included.
Lesson 2- We are learning to turn speech bubbles into direct speech. 3 differentiated follow up tasks included.
Lesson 3 - We are learning to choose verbs to describe how something is said. 3 differentiated follow up tasks included.
Lesson 4 - We are learning to use direct speech. Mixed ability, group task included, with 8 scenarios for children to turn into speech/ conversations after being read aloud by members of their group.
Peer assessment included as part of lesson 4.
If you only have a short period of time for SPaG, there is enough material to cover 8 sessions as each lesson PowerPoint has practise activities on it too. The tasks could be used on the following day.
Cross-curricular link - lessons also encourage children to be good team players/good sports.
Lesson PowerPoint, planning and Activity
The sixth in a series of lessons to develop children's knowledge about 'States of Matter,' for the 2014 primary curriculum. Links to coverage of the curriculum are explicit in the planning (for both States of Matter and Working Scientifically)
We are learning to identify evaporation and condensation in the water cycle.
An interesting zoomed in image for the starter, to develop children's critical thinking and reasoning.
Recaps, revisits and builds on children's prior knowledge from previous lessons.
Develop's children's scientific knowledge of evaporation and condensation and is relevant to children by giving examples from every day life.
Step by step explanation of evaporation, condensation and precipitation in the water cycle.
Further 'mastery' thinking required for deepening and mastering learning, through thought provoking questions etc.
Choice of 3 differentiated follow up activities (2 are provided, one is an independent task and is on the PowerPoint)
Opportunity for verbal peer assessment as a plenary (on PowerPoint)
All images have been taken from: http://search.creativecommons.org/ where no attribution is required.
Lesson PowerPoint, planning and activity resources.
The third in a series of lessons to develop children's knowledge about 'States of Matter,' for the 2014 primary curriculum. Links to coverage of the curriculum are explicit in the planning (for both States of Matter and Working Scientifically)
We are learning to investigate freezing and melting.
We are learning to conduct a fair test.
An interesting mastery question for a starter - 'What weights more, a tonne of rocks or a tonne of feathers?'
Recaps children's prior knowledge from previous lessons.
Develop's children's scientific knowledge about what freezing and melting means.
Children explore the freezing and melting points of water.
Fun investigation to explore the melting point of water. Opportunity for everyone to be involved.
Encourages children to consider what a fair test is.
Step by step recording of the experiment modeled on the PowerPoint.
Further 'mastery' thinking required for deepening and mastering learning, through thought provoking questions etc.
3 differentiated activities (one is provided, one is supported by the PowerPoint, one is an independent task- tasks and is on the PowerPoint. Tasks can link with writing in literacy)
Everything you need to teach a States of Matter science topic for a half term.
7 lessons, including planning, PowerPoints and resources. Mastery questions included throughout. Plus an end of topic assessment paper and answer paper.
Lesson plans and PowerPoints are explicit and easy to follow.
Where equipment is needed for experiments, equipment lists are provided on the lesson plans and PowerPoints. There are also step by step guides for completing the experiments on the PowerPoints.
All lessons have 3 differentiated follow-up tasks. Most are provided, the rest are on the PowerPoints.
All lessons have an interesting starter, either a brain-teaser mastery style question or a zoomed in photograph to identify (that is relevant to the topic).
Lessons recap, revisit and build upon children's prior knowledge. The repetition during the recapping sections of the lessons are great for supporting children with retaining information.
Throughout the lessons, there are thought provoking 'mastery' style questions, to encourage children to reason and explain.
There are opportunities for peer assessment.
We are learning to's include:
to compare and group materials;
to identify states of matter and their properties;
to investigate freezing and melting/ to conduct a fair test;
to observe when different materials change state when heated or cooled;
to understand an irreversible change;
to identify evaporation and condensation in the water cycle;
to explain the processes of evaporation and condensation.
Opportunity to develop science skills is also covered.
Links to 2014 National Curriculum is made clear on each lesson plan.
Some activities are linked to an Ancient Greek topic through hooks, letters and instructions (not all lessons), however this could be VERY easily adapted to another topic.
All images have been taken from: http://search.creativecommons.org/ where no attribution is required.
How to make a cloud in the classroom! Lesson PowerPoint, planning and Activity
The seventh (final) in a series of lessons to develop children's knowledge about 'States of Matter,' for the 2014 primary curriculum. Links to coverage of the curriculum are explicit in the planning (for both States of Matter and Working Scientifically)
We are learning to explain the processes of evaporation and condensation.
An interesting mastery question for a starter, to develop children's critical thinking and reasoning.
Recaps, revisits and builds on children's prior knowledge from previous lesson on the water cycle, evaporation, condensation and precipitation. .
Develop's children's scientific explanations of evaporation and condensation, through participation in an engaging experiment.
Step by step explanation of how to make a cloud in a class. Equipment is easy to obtain, a list is provided on the planning an in the PowerPoint.
As the experiment needs the use of boiling water and a match, a warning is given on both the PowerPoint and in the planning, to be shared appropriately with the class to keep children safe.
Further 'mastery' thinking required for deepening and mastering learning, through thought provoking questions etc.
Choice of 3 differentiated follow up activities (2 are provided, one is an independent task and is on the PowerPoint).
Opportunity for written peer assessment as a plenary (included within tasks 1 and 2 and provided separately for group 3)
As an engaging hook, the follow up activity is linked to the Ancient Greeks (writing instructions for the King of Gods and God of the weather, Zeus). However, this could very easily be adapted to another topic.
All images have been taken from: http://search.creativecommons.org/ where no attribution is required.
Lesson PowerPoint, planning and activity resources.
The first in a series of lessons to develop children's knowledge about 'States of Matter,' for the 2014 primary curriculum.
We are learning to compare and group materials.
Children begin by working in groups and making their own decisions on how to group a range of materials and reason their choice to the class.
Opportunity for children to consider what the states of matter are and identify these within their own environment to make their learning meaningful.
Children start to explore the properties of materials.
Some 'mastery' thinking required for deepening and mastering learning.
3 differentiated activities (2 of these are provided, one is an independent task and is on the PowerPoint)
2 work sheets for finding the area of quadrilaterals through calculation.
Uses the measures millimetres, centimetres, metres and kilometers.
One sheet has grid lines, the other does not for progression.
Answer sheets for both work sheets included.