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.
**A Sea monster writing sheet in 3 differentiated versions. **
Attractively illustrated and presented. Will excite and amuse the whole class,
The starter phrases about its appearance, behaviour and favourite food will get all pens rolling.
Supports literacy, seaside, ocean, myths and other cross-curricular studies, and unlocks creativity. See my Sea Monster Food writing sheet too****: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/sea-monster-food-fun-writing-sheet-guide-12114876 ****, plus many other seaside and ocean literacy resources.
8 lively, punchy rhymes to clap, chant, add to and act out. (One of the 7 sheets contains 2 rhymes.) Tips and ideas for use are provided in ‘Notes’ under each one.
These rhymes support all-round literacy, including aspects of poetry, vocabulary, speaking and listening, drama, expressive presentation and creativity.
They also support mental wellbeing and confidence, being reassuringly punchy, repetitive, meaningful and fun, with upbeat messages.
Their capacity for enacting supports physical education and fitness.
The rhymes will also enhance topic work on:
minibeasts, our world, space, oceans, the local environment, transport, sound, movement, colour, weather and more.
This simple, two verse rhyme invites ideas, with accompanying describing words, for what you might find under the sea. A list of suggestions to prompt for is provided below it, in the Notes section.
This resource offers multiple learning and development benefits. It supports all-round literacy, including vocabulary, rhythm and rhyme; it supports seaside topic work and awareness of the wider world; its cheerful, punchy style and personal touch (‘what could there be… for me?’) supports mental wellbeing, and , as the notes point out, it also offers opportunities for physical movement and dramatic effects. The intriguing, open question that runs through the rhyme - what could there be for me under the sea? - also opens up thrilling possibilities for young children, and with adult support, this could be extended to include all sorts from sea flora and fauna to ship wrecks, pirate treasure and messages in bottles.
Ten fun, simple reading and writing sheets with pictures.
Topics - from traffic lights to ships and sharks, from dogs to dragons, from cooking to Lego, and more!
Supports phonics and word recognition, handwriting, spelling, and motivation for learning.
Brings meaning to the written word for young children.
This attractive dragon sheet has three describing words - red, hot, spiky, to be written over and copied below, as well as the title word - dragon to over-write.
It’s fun to write words around a picture, especially dragon words! Yet the words are simple to sound out and clear to write over and copy, for children with a basic or partial grasp of phonics.
The dragon - who’s flying over a castle - can then be coloured in.
What other words could be used to describe a dragon? Able writers could add an idea or two of their own. Perhaps prompt for fiery, magic, mad, big, fast or kind.
Five fun phonics writing sheets, illustrated, with simple words to sound out and write over. A range of familiar topics are presented, such as animals, weather and colours, with colouring opportunities too.
These engaging, meaningful sheets bring phonics and the written word alive for young children. All are home-made and used with pleasing results.
Teachers on Toast or Catastrophe Curry? What delicious, disgusting, dangerous, dreadful dishes will your class place on this alliteration-focused menu? Don’t worry, though, it’s for dragons only: humans aren’t allowed in dragon cafes - except on plates, possibly. A great end-of-term slot-filler, combining fun with literacy development, creativity, humour and the promotion of class-harmony.
Bright colours abound in this stack of simple colour rhymes and colour-linked pictures to shade in. Poems and rhymes can be chanted, clapped, sung, enacted and associated with available objects of the relevant colours.
Contents: 11 rhymes and 4 printable colouring sheets (robin, butterfly, autumn leaves, frog).
See my colour poem videos:
Similes, metaphors, haiku, a recipe for the sea - all sorts of ocean and seaside themed poetry frames here, with lively, inspiring illustrations and presentations, encouraging even the most hesitant writers to engage and have a go, while confident poets can take off and sail out.
Bargain bundle!
Are oceans or related themes on your teaching agenda? Or trying to enthuse your class in poetry? Or just trying to get them to put pen to paper or put their hand up to volunteer an idea? Then this is for you!
Recipe poems are fun, quick and mind-stretching to concoct. They get everyone on board, instantly enhancing literacy skills and lateral thinking. Share ideas in a whole-class recipe, or hand out copies this relaxed-style, hand-illustrated sheet for individual, paired or group input. Then invite everyone to read out a line for one gigantic, beautiful, bonkers, thrilling, sparkling ocean concoction.
First decide what sort of sea it’s for, e.g. stormy, summer’s day, night-time, mysterious or undiscovered.
I’ve started you off with a spoon of, but that could be crossed out and changed to pinch, bowl, dish, ladle, teaspoon, handful, or other measurement. Below, add more, perhaps branching out into non-kitchen measurements to fit your ingredients, e.g. - a fountain of splashes, a rainbow of colours, a peacock’s tail of turquoise, a volcano of danger, a serpent’s nest of hisses, a cool drink of refreshment, etc.
Have fun!
Fun learning for indoors or out! Do for 5 mins. or an hour, in writing or just out loud.
Build funny sea-monster rhymes with your class, with this frame, partially done for you. List of extra rhyming words provided at bottom of page.
As I was swimming in the sea,
I saw a monster looking at me.
A whole story unfolds - but what story, exactly? That’s for you and the children to decide. Just help them make sure that every line ends in a word that rhymes with ‘sea’. There are lots to choose from. Elicit a list, perhaps starting them off with bee, key and flee.
Great for:- Literacy, Ocean,Myths, and other related topics, end-of-term fun, perhaps outside in the shade of a tree, with mini-whiteboards and pens for jotting ideas. Have fun!
Sea monster food? What’s that? Rock roast? Splash salad? Fish and ships? The starter words here open up ideas and get children dreaming and writing - even reluctant and struggling writers! The guide sheet offers teachers ideas for prompting with. Tip: think up sea features together -from fishes to mermaids and pirate ship wrecks - then combine with human dishes, like roasts, sandwiches and pies, perhaps bringing in alliteration (Killer Whale Crisps, Treasure on Toast). Best for KS2, or KS1 as a whole-class, teacher-led game.
SEA ALSO: Treasure Map alliteration game: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/treasure-map-alliteration-game-yr1-6-guide-for-use-11887395 .
**Two of my published poems: **
‘The Wind’ - fun, snappy, rhyming poem about being out in the wind. 9 lines.
‘Wind-Winding Wand’ - celebrating the wind turbine or windmill. Rhymes are woven through this poem. Rhythmic beat with gentle ukulele chords. 7 lines.
A poem (written by the author, a published poet), describing an autumn wood in metaphors. Blank frame in wood surround also included, for any style.
It’s a carpeted castle for hopping rabbits, for instance, and a climbing frame de-luxe for squirrels.
But the bright, warm, cheerful poem has a chilly ending.
Presented on a golden-red autumn wood backdrop.
Supports seasonal work, nature, poetry and literacy.
Butterfly, Ladybird, Robin, Squirrel, Hedgehog, Frog + Rabbit colouring sheets for young children. Clear, attractive, black-and-white drawings, with natural settings and details, nurturing a love of nature and wild animals while also developing colour sense, pattern appreciation and fine motor control.
Do have a listen (free) to this gorgeous cat music, by a favourite composer of mine! The children will love it too!
FREE - DRAGONS writing resource!
Dragons are fun, exciting, and anything you want them to be. Children love to dream up their own dragon. This simple writing sheet offers a launch pad for actions and similes, and the GUIDE sheet provides a poem, ready-written by this author, a published children’s poet, to clap, chant and build together first!
Tips and extra ideas also included in the guide.
See also my many other dragon writing sheets and pictures here.
A thrilling picture-poem to write on a windy day.
Writing on wavy, whirling lines, children can express their sound and action ideas, with the starter line: ‘The wind went…’ Examples: whirling, roaring, racing, howling, moaning, whooshing, rushing, spiralling, pushing, tugging, bullying, teasing, buffeting, sailing, dancing, soaring, boom, shriek, rumble, mutter, flutter, whimper…
‘over the mountain tops’.
Opportunities for personification, onomatopoeia, and exciting action words. Similes could be added below the lines, e.g. howling like a wolf.
**SEE ALSO: ** - Sunshine poetry - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/sunshine-poetry-sun-similes-illustrated-12100615 , Clouds writing - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/clouds-poetry-writing-frame-guided-ks1-11974732, Stormy sea similes - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/stormy-sea-poetry-frame-guide-12043779 .
Dragon Haiku
Haiku poems are fun to write. This 2-page haiku-writing guide is dragon-themed, for open-ended creativity. It contains a handy GUIDE - for teacher, pupils or both - and a** SHEET** of partly written haiku with gaps to complete. Your class will then be ready to compose their own, in groups, pairs or individually.
Dragons can be whatever the writers likes - fierce, brave, crazy, funny, mysterious… Share ideas first. They can move in a myriad different ways too - prowling, pouncing, leaping, flying, dancing… The scope for dragon imagery is boundless too, but fitting a concept into a 17-syllable haiku can be tricky!
Haiku poetry frames and guidance for a range of topics. Trees, butterflies, oceans, birds and dragons feature in this bundle.
The haiku’s 3-line, 17-syllable format is more tricky to use than it looks, but it offers an engaging challenge that older children enjoy trying and sharing, with syllable-counting and a bit of adding up, as well as ideas and language to select. These frames, starter lines, prompts and warm-up recommendations will ensure constructive fun for all.
Dragons can be - let your students decide, filling the nine white slots in this colourful dragon picture. A pageful of word suggestions is provided for teacher’s use, when prompting and guiding ideas from the class. More words and phrases can be added around the dragon, too. An irresistable creative writing spur for children of all abilities, from approximately age 6, Yr 2, up to about age 9, Yr 5.
A simple but effective boost for both literacy work and Dragon topic work, and handy as a constructive time filler, any time.