Spooky rhyming couplets to complete, with prompts and rhyme choices. One PDF sheet of rhyme starters, in different colours, with picture. This is a teacher’s guide, for sharing with class as they wish - verbally, with written out selections, or photocopied and distributed (for older). Whole-school Halloween fun! Upcoming book - Squeak! Squawk! Roar! (54 animal poems for 6+) available to pre-order now from all good bookshops + Amazon. It’s the SQUAWK of the town!

Snow is … This simple, one-line picture poem will tempt any emergent writer to have a go at a word or more to describe snow, especially if they’ve just been out in some! Encourage with simple suggestions, such as soft, cold, fluffy, fun… For more adventurous writers, encourage interesting words like - smooth, gentle, swirly, floating, peaceful, pure white, white as icing sugar, calm, exciting, magical, twinkly, crunchy. See also my harder version: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/snow-writing-ys-1-3-12466490 BOOK NEWS! ‘Squeak! Squawk! Roar!’ - my animal poetry book - comes out with Otter-Barry Books on 9th January! Available from all good bookstores.

Windy Day poetry-writing sheet. Creative writing frame on wild, blustery day theme, illustrated, with** teacher’s guide sheet.** Format: poem in 4 verses, with gaps for action words, onomatopoeia and similes. Rhymes incorporated. Guide sheet provides completed example poem, with word and simile bank below, handy for quick reference when guiding and prompting students. Able writers can develop the poem with follow-on verses, introducing their own approaches if wished, while those needing support will enjoy the simplicity of inserting their word and simile ideas into the gaps to make a flowing, rhyming poem. More weather poem frames available in my catalogue too.

A beautiful butterfly poem idea, using condensed similes - sun-yellow, pansy-pretty, feather-floaty, for example. More examples are provided, taken from a butterfly poem in my book of animal poems - ‘Squeak! Squawk! Roar!’ A suggested format for the poem is also suggested, with the single word ‘butteryfly’ to finish. Illustration idea also given. An engaging creative writing activity for children aged approx. 8-11, stretching language and imagination, while also nurturing an appreciation of the natural world around us. ‘Squeak! Squawk! Roar! Amazing Animal Poems’ is out now. A solo debut collection by this author.

Children get to write a secret answer in code in this poetry activity! The PDF riddle poem guide sheet offers a fun and successfully tested format for class poetry-writing, using different aspects of language. Best for older children who can follow the simple guide and examples and think up their own ideas to fit their secretly chosen animal. With examples from a poem in my book, Squeak! Squawk! Roar!, children are invited to describe their mystery animal in imagery-phrases like ‘I have the grace of an angel, the whiteness of snow’ (for a dove). They must then find words for how their creature moves, and lastly, words to describe its environment. The poem ends as it begins: ‘What am I?’ And now the coded answer can be added below (tiny, backwards, upside down?). Children will love guessing each other’s poetic riddles!

Language-stretching guide, with describing words as focus and animals as the theme, with examples from my book, *Squeak! Squawk! Roar! Amazing Animal Poems. * Suggestions for building (best) volunteered words into a class poem, or for individual poem-crafting. Starter line ideas provided. Illustration recommended, adding to the fun.