Poetry & literacy resources by published children's poet.
I also lead poetry workshops for UK primary schools.
Website: katewilliamspoet.com
Book news - Squeak! Squawk! Roar! Animal poems - out 9th January '25. Publisher: Otter-Barry Books.
Poetry & literacy resources by published children's poet.
I also lead poetry workshops for UK primary schools.
Website: katewilliamspoet.com
Book news - Squeak! Squawk! Roar! Animal poems - out 9th January '25. Publisher: Otter-Barry Books.
Creative writing flows with a fun picture-poem frame, so your 5-7 year-old will be keen to think up words and similes to fill this fluffy cloud and the lines below. Prompt suggestions are provided on the Guide sheet, and your warm-up activities and real-life observations will inspire them further. See my Sun + Cloud resource for simpler writing and sunshine focus; also my Rain Rhymes resource.
YouTube recording of my poem ‘What is a Cloud?’
https://youtu.be/EOKVIktMh10
This rich assortment of castle-themed literacy resources includes poetry frames for all ages, rhyme and word banks, rhymes to clap and enact, an atmospheric picture to inspire, and fascinating illustrations, plus handy teacher tips. Similes, acrostics, descriptive writing and writing confidence are supported, while giving insights into castle life long ago.
This is an exciting, fascinating picture-poem frame, in 3 variations of graded difficulty. It will inspire your 5-7 year-olds to get dreaming and writing, drawing on passive vocabulary to express their buzzing imagination. Their castle might be dark, damp and gloomy, or grand, golden and magical, or ancient, crumbling and haunted. It’s as old as …, and as [__] as __ .
What will you find inside? Treasure? A sword? A secret message? Who lives there? A lonely ghost? A fiery dragon? A bossy king? And what does he/she like to do? There’s scope for drama, humour and mystery here. Recommended for Yrs 1-2.
Supports Poetry, Literacy and History.
See my other Castle-themed resources too.
Emergent and newly independent writers will enjoy thinking up describing words to write on the swirly, little lines on their cloud. Think up some together first, e.g. - fluffy, puffy, white, grey, floaty, soft, light, high, drifting, quiet, slow, pink, dark, stormy, woolly, silky, silver, whirly, swirly or candy floss.
Here’s a published poem of mine about clouds on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EOKVIktMh10
Let children sound out the words, whether or not correctly, to sustain flow and build confidence. See my other weather writing frames, including harder version of this: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/weather-poetry-bundle-ks1-11974784
This resource comprises a picture-poem frame sheet and a one-page guide for teachers.
The hand-drawn butterfly picture-poem is a Literature resource for young children. Its opening phrase invites describing words for butterflies, which can be written on the short, clear lines around the picture. There is also a simile to complete: 'They are as colourful as - ’ , and space for further ideas. There is plenty of scope for colouring too.
The guidance notes (or Guide) offers word and simile suggestions to prompt for, and thoughts about the colouring aspect, as well as ideas for preparing children for the activity as a whole.
The resource supports several aspects of the EYFS curriculum - Literacy, Expressive Arts & Design and Understanding the World, also providing opportunities for reading, spelling, fine motor skills and more.
7 simple writing and colouring sheets, focused on UK wildlife - robin, butterfly, ladybird, squirrel, hedgehog, frog + rabbit. One writing line per sheet, with space for 1, 2 or a few words to complete a simple phrase.
Promotes literacy (phonics, handwriting, expressive language, language structure), fine motor control, colour and pattern sense, and an understanding and appreciation of nature.
Young children will enjoy colouring in this lively natural scene, and identifying insects and other crawly creatures as they work. They will develop colour awareness, fine motor skills and an understanding of the minibeasts and their natural environment, as they bring the picture alive with their own creative input.
Crazy space alien to colour in. Drawn freehand, this whirly, twirly, crazy creature is waiting to leap to life with the first touch of colour. The resource supports Space studies at all primary levels, also serving for pencil control practice, colour sense development and expressive arts and design material.
Development tip: after colouring, suggest children design their own alien, then describe it in words.
See my many other space-themed creative resources too.
This space rocket is shooting through a busy part of space, with planets, stars, sun, moon and a shooting star around it. Its three windows show an astronaut waving, a curtained window and one with a dog looking out. It’s a picture full of fun, inspiration, and interesting shapes to colour.
5 space writing activities and support resources: funny rhymes, acrostics, slotting words into a space picture, space rhyme bank, and a simile poem to write - IN a planet! Guide notes provided where handy. Approx. Y3-6.
Young children will enjoy thinking up words to describe dragons and sounding them out to complete the lines on these illustrated sheets, then colouring in the pictures. Non-writers can colour in the dragon and castle turrets picture and offer words verbally. Dragons can be any colour, have any character, and have exciting physical features to describe. Contents: 1 colouring picture, 1 writing/colouring sheet starting My dragon is…, 3 graded versions of a writing/colouring sheet starting Watch out for the… dragon, and Dragon’s Menu with alliteration (T… on Toast etc.).
Wild weather, snow - 2 levels, wind, rain, clouds and sunshine all feature in this big pack of exciting, original poetry frame sheets, with rhymes for Infants too.
This exciting jungle picture offers fun and learning combined, with wide open scope for colour choices, interesting shapes to shade in and a range of exotic flora and fauna to identify and focus on. This resource promotes development of fine motor skills, colour sense, shape and pattern awareness, creative expression, and an understanding of nature, wildlife and, in particular, jungle and rain forest. See my other wildlife colouring sheets for variation.
**SEE ALSO - ** This snake is - writing inside a snake picture - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-this-snake-is-picture-poem-frame-yr-1-11885174
I wrote this one-verse poem to help draw children’s attention to the process and problems of global warming, and the need to preserve our precious, beautiful planet. I’m offering it free, as with my other climate crisis poems.
These attractive star pictures are fun to write in, and there are plenty of straight lines to write on - shooting in all directions. The variations are graded in difficulty, with increasing opportunities for words and similes, the hardest having three descriptive lines to complete below, about stars, sky and space. Colouring possibilities are wide open.
Recommended approach: first, in a wide space, ‘be’ stars with your group, pointing, shooting, whirling, glowing, winking, blinking, dancing, spinning. Then prompt for verbs like these, and adjectives, such as spiky, sharp, peaceful, gentle, high up, twinkly, pretty, delicate, dainty, tiny - and different colours. The similes are for sparkly stars and dark space.
The 3-sheet resource has been used with rewarding results in my workshops. They are hand-drawn and home-produced, so don’t expect perfect symmetry!
This beautiful and fascinating picture of a lush, flowery meadow will inspire children to colour in the details with thought and imagination. It promotes understanding of the natural world, including mini-beasts and birds, and develops fine motor skills, colour sense and pattern and shape awareness, also offering a focus for discussion.
See also my video-poem - ‘Summer Grass’ - https://youtu.be/WWBSjiBTDOg
Transport studies and Literacy development are combined in this attractive writing activity, with line starters:
Through the windscreen of my car, I can see -
Through the porthole of my boat,
Through the window of my submarine,
… the windscreen of my helicopter
… the porthole of my rocket…,
with a generous, wide-spaced line under each for description. Encourage rich, imaginative and relevant description for each one, e.g. for the view from the submarine, perhaps a list of sea creatures and features, with accompanying adjectives. Encourage further entries with views from other vehicles and transport means - crazy ones included - writing on the reverse or extra paper if necessary, firing imagination and creativity as well as interest in the subject.
Round off with illustrations on separate paper.
Best for Juniors (ages 7-11 approx.).
This pretty woodland picture will attract young children, and the big, bright, highlighted text will motivate them to read or sound out the ten animal words. These are all familiar, one- and two-syllable words, such as robin, frog, ants and rabbits. A handy resource for phonics and reading practice and monitoring, best used one-to-one or in small groups for most children, though able readers will enjoy working out the words independently. Also suitable for advanced EY and lower ability Yr 2 children. The resource will also support work on woods, countryside, animals, mini-beasts and nature generally.
Young children will enjoy picking an item or more from this exciting jungle scene to complete the given phrase below - I can see…, sounding out the word and having a go at writing it. If help is needed in getting started, help children identify and select an item from the picture (e.g. tiger, flower, spider), and clarify the first sound and letter. Able writers could add a describing word or extra items. Colouring could be presented as a reward for the writing effort. This resource promotes an understanding of the natural world, including plants, animals and mini-beasts, and the concept of jungle or rain forest, supporting related studies. It also promotes literacy, fine motor control, colour sense, shape and pattern appreciation, and more. See my other wildlife writing + colouring sheets for a variety.