These sheets turn the apostrophe into a cartoon character. It knows it's unpopular because it confuses people. 'Apostrophe's Brain' tells you that the apostrophe only knows about two things: missing letters and things belonging to something. 'Apostrophe Unpopular' lets the apostrophe explain itself: how to use it's and its; when to use clown's shoes and clowns' shoes. Pupils can then write their own examples with explanations underneath of what the apostrophe knows and is telling us in each sentence. All this gives you a way of talking about apostrophes that makes sense to a child, e.g. 'What does it know here?' 'What is it trying to tell us?' Note: If the colours do not come out in your copy, just get the pupils to use coloured highlighters for the different functions of the apostrophe: missing letters and belonging to. See also my PUNCTUATION PEOPLE resources.

You can print this sheet straight off and give it to students. You know your class, so you will know if the older ones are likely to feel that a dragon's cave is a bit too Year 8 for them! You can add your own titles in that &'The Someone&';s Something' format to suit any subject area or literary text that you have studied or are going to study. &'The Sorcerer&';s Cave' for &'The Tempest&'; could ignite interest in how Shakespeare paints Prospero for us. Have fun!

This sheet helps pupils to visualise the different parts of an essay. The head is the introduction etc. The essay dinosaur keeps its mind on the question. It only starts moving when it knows where it's going. You can use it in your marking, eg: ‘Good bones, needs more flesh’ or ‘Why no tail?’ You can answer the question, &'How much should we write?&'; by saying how many bones you want. You could tell younger classes to start with three bones, working up to five for older pupils. The Essay Dinosaur can help you to start an essay and write a good conclusion, too. See Lesson Plan for more details

You can give this sheet to pupils and let them read all the words on the witch's cloak. They can then draw or write in words around her, to give her some things to fly over. Or give them the Page of Nouns, too, for lots suggestions! Finally, they can take one word on her cloak and partner it with one word that names a thing, eg &'The Ancient Tree&';, 'The Empty House&', &';The Secret Road' Later, use this in a grammar lesson (see my GRAMMAR OCTOPUS) - all the words on the witch&'s cloak are adjectives.

This song tells the story of Friendly Shoeman Jake whose red shoes suddenly learn to talk. They want to do different things so they start fighting... Enjoy using the song as a resource for lessons & concerts! This is my own song é recording so I own the copyright.

This song tells a story in the first person. As well as performing it, pupils can write their own ballad songs/poems. Use it as a springboard for stories: who was the Star Mountain Girl? What was her story? Diaries, posters etc. Pupils learn to create feeling with detail, imagery, rhythm & rhyme. In lit. lessons, the song can introduce ballads, monologues, setting, repetition é cyclical structure.Enjoy using the song as a resource for lessons é concerts! This is my own song é recording so I own the copyright. See base of lyric sheet for details.

A song about a puffer fish who has a terrible social life. Can his only friend, Jeremy the octopus, help him to solve his problems? A funny children's song or a study of friendship between very different sea creatures? You decide. For a follow-up piece in a creative writing class, pupils could write Henry&'s diary and Jeremy&';s diary at various points in the story. I wrote, performed & recorded the song myself, so the copyright is mine, but you can use it in lessons é school concerts however you wish!

Poetic rhythm is often neglected as it can be hard to write about. You can scoop up marks for doing it, though. The sheet 'Poetic Rhythm&' explains how rhythm can suit subject & feelings of a poem, é how to write well about this. You can give pupils this sheet on its own, then use it for anthologies é unseen poems. ‘The Tigger Song’ is a clear é memorable eg of how rhythm suits subject é feeling. Onomatopoeia, repetition, refrains é made-up words come up, too. Pupils analyse lyrics then watch the YouTube video, to experience the techniques in action! See Lesson Plan for more ideas.

‘I Shop Smartly’ presents the main advertising techniques as a mnemonic that can be learnt. ‘If Seal Puppies Shop Smartly, Do You?’ is more detailed, and you might just want to select from this sheet in your own way. Pupils could pick the techniques they tend to forget & make up their own mnemonic! The last page of this has ideas for written work. One way to teach the idea of target audience is to get pupils to design adverts for different year groups. They are so close to the distinctions between Years 7, 8 and 9 that their observations on concerns and language can be very sharp and funny!

'Comment on the choice of words&' often puzzles pupils. &';You're Shakespeare - Choose A Word!&' gets pupils to choose their own words to fill in the gaps in 10 lines of Shakespeare. Pupils then speak the lines aloud to see what effects their word choices have had on meaning, feeling and sound. &';Which Words Did Shakespeare Choose?' gives them the complete lines with the names of the characters and plays. Of course, you could compile your own examples from a play you&'re teaching. It’s worth teaching &';effect' = noun, &'affect&'; = verb, before they write their analysis.

Who or what is the Fire of the West? Get children to guess before they listen to the song. Get them to guess again after hearing you read aloud the first verse. Then listen to the song! Pupils could write their own ballads or stories with mysterious titles. Other creative tasks: diaries, letters, posters &c. For literature, use it to introduce ballad form: originally, a song that tells a story. Listen out for metaphor, simile, repetition, refrain, é rhymes. Enjoy using the song for lessons é concerts! This is my own song é recording so I own the copyright. See lyric sheet for details.

This song tells a story in the first person. As well as performing it, pupils can write their own ballad songs/poems, creating feeling with detail, imagery, rhythm & rhyme. In lit. lessons, the song can introduce storytelling poems, monologues, setting, repetition é cyclical structure. Interpretation, too: is ‘Thunder Gold’ a place? A symbol? In creative writing, use it as a springboard for stories: who is/was this person? Diaries, posters etc. Enjoy using the song as a resource for lessons é concerts! This is my own song é recording so I own the copyright. See base of lyric sheet for details.

A song that tells a story: so you can use it to help students understand ballad form. The use of quatrains, dialogue, repetition and rhymes will then make more sense. You can also use the song to inspire creative writing e.g. 'The Soldier&'s Letter&'; and 'The Maid&'s Diary&';. Pupils can write their own ballads & learn about rhythm é rhyme. Enjoy using this song as a resource for lessons and concerts! This is my arrangement é recording of a traditional song. See base of lyric sheet for details.

This song tells the story of a tooth fairy who wants to become a surgeon. It may comfort children worried about a wobbly tooth or going into hospital. As well as performing it, pupils can write their own songs/poems about a character who is fed up wants a change. Other creative tasks: diaries, letters, posters &c. The subtext for anyone worried about career choices is: one thing can lead to another. Enjoy using the song as a resource for lessons é concerts! This is my own song é recording so I own the copyright. See base of lyric sheet for details.

A song which creates a character mostly through setting, detail & imagery. As well as performing it, pupils can write their own songs/poems é learn about rhythm é rhyme. Other creative tasks: 'Meeting a Witch&', diaries, letters, posters éc. it can also introduce ballad form. This helps quatrains, dialogue, imagery, repetition, refrains é rhymes to make more sense. The use of metaphor é simile to create mood can be studied, too. Enjoy using the song as a resource for lessons é concerts! This is my own song é recording so I own the copyright. See base of lyric sheet for details.

This song tells a story through first-person description. As well as performing it, pupils can write stories, poems, songs e.g. ‘Letter from a Ghost’. They learn about creating atmosphere with detail, imagery, rhythm & rhyme. In literature lessons, the song can introduce storytelling poems, monologues, setting, repetition é cyclical structure. Enjoy using this song as a resource for lessons é concerts! This is my own song é recording so I own the copyright. See base of lyric sheet for details.

This works as an introduction to Shakespeare's characters and stories for young children. It also gives older pupils the experience of working with Shakespeare&'s raw materials of character, motive and props. This makes them think about how he wrote for the stage: crucial for gaining marks in Shakespeare exams!\nPlease read Lesson Notes to understand how it works.\nI have provided two of the sheets in a version with cartoons: Characters and Props. Useful if you are doing this in an MFL. The other sheets would probably need a translation on the back. Have fun!

A practical, hands-on way to get pupils to understand that Shakespeare wrote for the stage. You can print this out and give it to pupils as an introduction to speaking Shakespeare themselves - there are examples and things to listen out for, as well as connections made with how song lyrics use imagery to convey emotion. The idea is simple: these aren't books: they&'re plays - so play with them! You may want to give this sheet out one page at a time - it&';s up to you!

Click on the links in this Word Document to websites which advise advertisers about how to use language and images to sell products. Stimulating and thought-provoking for discussion, e.g. if you copy and paste selections from the advice and give it to a class when they have begun their study of advertising and already gained some confidence in using the terms. Reading about advertising from the advertising copywriters' viewpoint is quite revealing! The list of techniques with their effects shows how adverts carefully group consumers, then make them feel like special individuals.

These sheets use cartoons to explain when to write 'it's and when to write 'its'. Crazy Dog hates getting apostrophes stuck in his tail and loves rain... Pupils make up plenty of their own sentences using 'it's' and then plenty of their own using 'its'. Only then let them switch between the two! Note: the first page starts 'When does 'its' need an apostrophe?' Give that one first so that it makes sense as a little story.