This is an activity called Sweet Talk, a public speaking exercise for pupils from Y4-Y9. Hits 4 objectives for presentation and communication. The resource consists of a presentation to introduce the lesson, full and clear lesson plan, and three resources files (mark sheets for pupils' use, topic cards and reward tokens). Children are given time to prepare their Christmas themed topic, after which they speak for a whole minute to the class. Each member of the class assesses the performance and scores it out of 3. At the end of the session, scores are compared (show of hands), and pupils receive sweet tokens according to the number of points they are awarded. These are then cashed in for teacher goodies. It's an activity I invented one Christmas, and which subsequently became firmly embedded into the weekly timetable. Parents either love it or hate it. It is valued by those who notice and appreciate the increase in their child's confidence and articulacy; it's much less popular with those who resent having to get involved with homework!

A zip folder contains seven interlinked files, all of which are needed for this timed activity. Seven sentences have been jumbled up, and the student has one minute to put the words and the punctuation in the right order.

Worksheet for KS2/3 pupils who have learnt singular and plural possessive apostrophe. 12 sentences with missing apostrophes. Answer sheet provided.

3 sheets per page. Cut them up for weekly tests.

Two worksheets with answers. The task is to underline the verb and then to change the tense from present to past. Suitable for KS2.

Spelling and grammar in one resource pack. A PowerPoint presentation on the spelling rules for multi-syllable words. Slides on syllable counting, stress marking, the rules for doubling or not, and the difference between UK and US English (traveled / travelled). Accompanied by a grammar worksheet with 2 exercises where pupils have to apply the spelling rules in order to change verbs from simple present to present continuous/progressive, and from simple present to simple past. (e.g. benefit - benefited; refer - referred; cancel / cancelling). Best for upper KS2 or KS3.

This is a 13 page pdf file containing 5 separate activities suitable for KS3 or upper KS2 English. The unit begins with a 500 word comprehension about the origin of Christmas crackers. The comprehension contains 15 questions, with available marks indicated. A mark scheme is supplied. It is followed by differentiated dictation: 3 versions of the same 100 word text based on the reading passage. Teacher notes are supplied. The third activity is a speed dictation (Dictagloss). Another 100 word text is read at speed and pupils are tasked with re-assembling it collaboratively. This activity should generate a lot of talk. Full teacher notes accompany the text. After that there is a worksheet on root words and word families, with teacher notes. Finally, the writing activity is an acrostic poem entitled CRACKERS. 2 examples of teacher-generated acrostic poems are included in the teaching notes.

The poem about Henry King, who died from chewing string, is the text. Also included in the PDF are a poem analysis sheet and a jigsaw exercise to help with the learning of the text. Probably best for KS2, and would make a good lesson as part of a comic poetry unit of work.

For upper KS2 or lower KS3. This worksheet is for pupils who have studied the different ways in which commas are used, and who need practice in identifying them. There are ten sentences containing various kinds of comma. Some of the sentences contain more than one kind. The first part of the exercise is simple enough: pupils have to insert the missing commas in each sentence. The second part is more difficult: giving an explanation of the type of comma used. Answers are provided.

For Upper KS2 and KS3, a text about Burns, his poetry, and his place in Scottish life. The reading comprehension comprises 15 questions, with mark allocation indicated. The question type ranges from simple retrieval to inference and interpretation of language. Mark scheme is provided.

For upper KS2 / KS3. A PowerPoint with 5 vocabulary exercises for use as lesson starters. Each one has 15 words to find. Answers are included in the presentation. Topics: collective nouns, opposites, animals and their young, homes, plurals.

A short PDF presentation revising the rules for doubling consonants to keep short vowel sounds, and for adding suffixes. Accompanied by a spelling worksheet where pupils have to find 20 mis-spelled words and correct them. It is assumed that pupils are familiar with the terms 'long/short vowels' and 'hard/soft c and g'. Good for upper KS2 and KS3. Answers are provided.

A poster showing how three English present tenses each have corresponding past tenses. Some of the terminology around verbs can be confusing. Present continuous, present progressive are the same thing. So are imperfect, past continuous and past progressive. An explanation of the three uses of the emphatic tenses is given underneath the verb chart.

Short, 3 slide presentation demonstrating how a new paragraph is required for both change of speaker and change of focus.

The revised and extended 16-slide presentation includes a short text to be used at the beginning of the week as a whole class presentation and basis of SPaG discussion and challenges for the rest of the week. The main spelling area covered is the schwa, particularly in words ending in er, ar and or. The punctuation focus is on apostrophes for contractions, and on the 3 different types of sentence. The grammar lesson is on the infinitive. Other topics include fronted adverbials, interjections and dashes This is supported by worksheet activities to be used on subsequent days. There is a language based comprehension (30 marks), a punctuation activity, a cloze exercise and a spelling crossword. All are based on the original text. The final activity is a dictation, which is provided at two levels. The material was written for a mixed age Y4/5/6 class.

PowerPoint presentation showing how to punctuate speech in 3 positions in the sentence.

PDF Presentation about complex sentences (with both relative and subordinate clauses). Includes a list of subordinating conjunctions and examples of both types of complex sentence. An accompanying worksheet consists of 15 complex sentences where the task is to underline the main clause. A more difficult extension activity (identifying the verbs) is included for more able pupils.

The third in a series of comprehension exercises from Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The text (unabridged) is the description of Scrooge and Bob Cratchit in the counting-house in Stave 1. There are 8 questions on the text, worth 20 marks in all. Mark scheme is provided. The same text is used as a starting point for four other exercises (cloze, punctuation, reading aloud, and spelling). Suitable for Y6 and up.

An interactive comprehension exercise taken from Stave 2 of A Christmas Carol.

A 15 slide presentation in both PowerPoint and PDF format which could be used either for an assembly or for an introduction to a lesson or project on Louis Braille. It is accompanied by a comprehension exercise with 10 questions (20 marks) along with a mark scheme. Content and language appropriate for upper KS2 and above.