Based upon the mythical beast fought by Bellerophon and other similar ‘hybrid’ creatures (griffin, minotaur, manticore), I have used these spinners as stimulus for creative writing. By spinning, pupils generate a head, body and tail of a mythical beast and describe the monster, its behaviour and habitat. Print on card, cut out and stick a pencil through the centre and spin. Large and small versions are included.

Blank A4 postcard printouts for quick write opportunities or start of the school year activities. 5 variations of postcard in either wide or narrow lines for writing. Basic postcard printout with blank area for picture and lines for writing. Other styles have more traditional postcard formatting with up-to-date stamp style. Traditional “Wish you were here” and “Greetings from” versions to create a holiday postcard image. Useful to create a quick writing display at the start of the school year.

A comprehension activity used with higher attainers in Year 4. A Victorian setting for historical stories, and a diary entry format. There are simple answers to the questions and a mark scheme. The second page has a print out of the questions.

A number of clerihews linked to people/characters given, some by established poets. Opportunity for pupils to work out the conventions of a clerihew through discussion before explicitly demonstrating and setting a class task.

Text taken from an instruction manual, found on a referenced website, for an old computer game that I used with my Year 4 literacy class. Comprehension questions with points at the end of the text. My answers are given for guidance for marking.