This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Mark Haddon’s ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS3 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children have found these resources extremely engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - ‘Context: Asperger’s Syndrome’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know the purpose, audience and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to support comprehension.’ - ‘Haddon’s Description - The Police Station’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, present meaning.’ - ‘Ed Boone’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Study setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these.’ - ‘Vocabulary Inspector’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Learn new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is 21 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

This stimulating and informative lesson develops students’ skills in creating formal letters that precisely meet the content, language and structural features of the form. In particular, they gain an in-depth understanding of how formal letters should be set out on the page, what information should be included within them, and what style they should be written in, in order to meet form, audience and purpose. Students follow a clear and logical learning journey, in which they: -Understand when and where formal letters are an appropriate form of communication; -Unjumble a model example of a formal letter in order to establish its structure; -Work collaboratively to identify and analyse the content and language features in further model examples of formal letters; -Create a success criteria for effective formal letters (although a ready-made success criteria is included); -Write their own formal letters, using a structure strip and helpsheet (if needed) and the techniques that they have learnt; -Peer/self-assess their writing attempts. There are enough resources here really for two lessons, including: -Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint; -Formal letters x 3 (a complaint, information about a school trip, and a covering letter for a job application) -Formal letters structure strip; -Formal letters helpsheet; -Step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.

This detailed and engaging lesson enables students to gain an understanding of what synonyms and antonyms are, and why knowledge of them is important when writing. Students also learn to use a variation of synonyms and antonyms in their own writing, for both clarity and effect. Students learn through a number of fun and interactive tasks, which enable them to: - Define and exemplify synonyms and antonyms; - Identify the synonyms and antonyms for a range of different words; - Understand and analyse how synonyms and antonyms can be used for clarity and effect; - Create a written piece using a variety of synonyms and antonyms for clarity and effect; - Evaluate their use of different synonyms and antonyms. The resources include: -Visually engaging and comprehensive whole-lesson presentation; -Resources for the card-sorting activity; -A model example and analysis worksheet; -Step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising knowledge relating to the British Empire. There are comprehensive sections on: -British Empire Overview; -British Empire Map; -Major Events/ Stages; -Timeline; -Countries/ Territories in the British Empire; -Key Vocabulary; -Top Ten British Empire Facts. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3 or A4, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included). It is most suitable for students in lower KS3/ upper KS2.

A Russian billionaire, Asman Veryrich, has approached you about setting up a new football club! This exciting, engaging investigation activity allows students to control the direction of their own learning, through speaking, listening, discussing, and reasoning. I initially created these resources to provide something interesting for the students to engage with for their English Speaking and Listening discussions, but it has since been used across Maths, Art and Design, and PSHE departments, as well as by form groups and holiday activity groups, to build teamwork and collaboration skills. Students get involved in all of the fun aspects of designing and setting up a new football club, including selecting a team of players, a manager, a stadium, and a training ground. They also design the team's club badge and football kits. They also need to use their skills of literacy to read and understand key evidence, and skills of numeracy to ensure that they keep their expenses within budget! What is more, groups can compete against one another to create the most successful team in the league, as all of the resources that they choose can help them to acquire valuable league table points! Included in this resource pack are: - Full PowerPoint lesson talking students through the process; - An 8 page team booklet, used to create their designs and calculate their budgets; - A pack of 96 player cards and 12 manager cards to select from (a combination of new and classic footballers are included, to ensure that this will never be outdated); - Budget and recording sheets to track their progress; - An A3 football pitch to strategise and select their team. Considering the time and effort that it took to create these resources, I think that they offer exceptional value. Whenever I have used this activity before, it has taken at least 3-4 lessons, including the introduction, design process, presentations, and evaluation. I originally have used this with mixed ability Year 9 and 10 groups, but colleagues have adapted it easily for students of all key stages. All images have been cited at the end of the PowerPoint presentation and are licensed for commercial use.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Kazuo Ishiguro’s ‘Never Let Me Go.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Chapter by Chapter Summary (with quotes); Main Characters; Themes; Ishiguro’s Language Devices; Influences on the Writer. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).

This fun and original assembly aims to inspire children to be ‘upstanders’ who know how to act when they see unsafe or unkind behaviour. The key aims of the session are to: -Understand why it is important to be an ‘upstander’ and not a ‘bystander;’ -Learn where the word ‘snitch’ comes from and understand why it is never ok to use the word against others in school; -Know the difference between ‘reporting’ and ‘telling tales.’ This assembly is tried and tested, and has always been really well received in the past. It is comprehensive (24 slides in total - there is enough material for a 30-35 minute assembly or perhaps two 15-20-minute assemblies). The slides are visually engaging and well-presented, and the subject matter is tailored to the interests and needs of young people. For example, there is an age-appropriate video to help explain the word ‘upstander’, entrance and exit music relating to the key themes, and references to scenarios and dilemmas that they themselves might find themselves in order to help them to make the right choices in their own lives. No further resources are required - everything that you need to present the assembly is included! It was originally delivered in a primary school, but may be tailored to suit the needs of your own students/ age ranges. The assembly presentation is fairly self-explanatory, but I’ve included guidance notes to assist the speaker just in case. Hope that you find this useful.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising knowledge relating to the The Holocaust. It contains comprehensive sections on: Holocaust overview; Stages of the Holocaust; Key People; Holocaust Timeline; Important Holocaust Events; Life in the Concentration Camps. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included). It is most suitable for students in upper KS2 and KS3.

This stimulating and informative lesson aims to improve students’ ability to adapt the style of their writing to suit their audience and purpose. In particular, they attempt to meet the purpose of writing autobiographically. Students follow a clear and logical learning journey, in which they: -Define autobiographies and their key features; -Read extracts of autobiographies, and analyse the language techniques used; -Use independent learning skills to analyse an autobiography of their choice; -Create a success criteria for effective autobiography writing (although a ready-made success criteria is included) -Write a section of their own autobiography, using the techniques that they have learnt; -Peer/self-assess their autobiographical attempts. There are enough resources here really for two lessons, including: -Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint; -Autobiography extract; -Analysing Autobiographies template; -Success Criteria; -Step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.

This interesting and engaging lesson enables students to know what colons and semi-colons are and when they should be used, to understand the effect of colons and semi-colons in the writing of others, and to use subtle and appropriate colons and semi-colons in their own writing. Over the course of their learning journey, students: - Define and exemplify what colons and semi-colons are; - Identify where colons and semi-colons should be placed in writing; - Place colons and semi-colons into unpunctuated sentences correctly; - Analyse the effect of colons and semi-colons upon sentences and wider texts; - Use colons and semi-colons accurately and with subtlety in their own writing; - Peer and self assess each other’s writing attempts. The resources include: -Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint; -Placing Colons and Semi-colons’ worksheet (and teacher answer sheet); -A model example of a colon and semi-colon filled piece of writing for analysis; -Helpful and comprehensive step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through reading and interpreting the opening section of Katherine Rundell’s ‘The Wolf Wilder.’ The resource pack includes the extract needed and a clear and well presented PowerPoint, guiding the teacher and learners through the various activities. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, sequencing and summarising skills. A vocabulary check helps to secure children’s understanding of any new or unfamiliar language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The session is best suited for children in years 5-6, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This informative, engaging CPD session is intended to offer a valuable introduction to phonics for teachers and support staff. It aims to enable participants to: -To understand what phonics are and understand why they are widely used; -To grasp key phonics terminology and apply it in different contexts; -To break down the key phonics stages, comprehending how skills develop. The session is aimed at those who are new to phonics. I myself moved from secondary to primary, and can understand how daunting phonics schemes can appear! These resources, whilst detailed, present ideas in a simple way, helping to make key ideas understandable. Included is: A 27-slide colourful, clear PowerPoint presentation, including post-CPD quiz; Resources for an optional card-sorting activity, to learn appropriate phonics terminology; A comprehensive phonics helpsheet, detailing most of the main points from the session. I hope that you find these resources helpful. Many thanks!

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising George Orwell's 'Animal Farm.' It contains comprehensive sections on: - Context; - Chapter by Chapter Summary (with quotes); - Main Characters; - Themes; - Features of Allegory; - 'The Power of Persuasion (in the speeches of Old Major and Squealer). Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).

This fun and original assembly aims to assist children in celebrating the differences between themselves and others, through: -Understanding how diversity is needed in the world; -Recognising and valuing the differences in their own school; -Considering how kind words can help us to unite together. I love leading this assembly, because I feel that the key message within it is so vital, especially in the present climate. More importantly, wherever I have presented this (to a wide-range of students from a wide-range of contexts) it has always gone down extremely well, with students being extremely engaged and informing me of the different ways in which they have celebrated differences in the months that follow! The slides are visually engaging and well-presented, and the subject matter is tailored to the interests and needs of young people. For example, there are references to Prince Harry, Emma Watson, and others in popular culture, to help engage the children in the idea that each individual has their own strengths, weaknesses, like and dislikes, no matter who they are or how successful they appear. There is also an exciting ‘toothpaste challenge’ included, which demonstrates the importance of ensuring that our words to others are kind and respectful. The challenge includes a hyperlink to a countdown clock. In addition to this, all other resources that you will need are provided in the pack. The slides are fairly self-explanatory, but I’ve included guidance notes to assist the speaker. Hope that you find this useful!

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children, teachers and parents learning about ‘Structures’ as a part of the KS2 curriculum in Design and Technology. The organiser is clear, logical and fully meets the expectations of the National Curriculum. This organiser has a particular emphasis on frame structures. It includes sections on: -Overview - Structures and Frame Structures; -Example Structures - The Eiffel Tower and Tents/Gazebos; -Designing - How do I design a strong, stable, secure frame structure; -Making and Evaluating; -Health and Safety Guidance. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).