A Walker has worked as an LEA Literacy Consultant, an Expert Leading Literacy Teacher, a primary school teacher, an author and was responsible for teaching and learning at one of the UK’s leading Independent Prep schools. She is an author of educational materials used in schools for Cambridge University Press, Pearson, Rising Stars and Cambridge Hitachi and is an experienced KS2 & KS3 English teacher.
A Walker has worked as an LEA Literacy Consultant, an Expert Leading Literacy Teacher, a primary school teacher, an author and was responsible for teaching and learning at one of the UK’s leading Independent Prep schools. She is an author of educational materials used in schools for Cambridge University Press, Pearson, Rising Stars and Cambridge Hitachi and is an experienced KS2 & KS3 English teacher.
A brief worksheet on how apostrophe's change meaning. It is available at 65% reduction as part of a bundle of resources on how punctuation mistakes can cause funny meanings.
This delivers great short story writing results for upper KS2, because this photo story includes a scaffold frame to support weaker writers to get good story writing results. It also includes a popular visual stimulus and a story start. It also includes a vocabulary building sheet to develop the vocabulary of the most able.
I started the task by watching Steve Backshall's Shark Bites - very short CBBC programmes on sharks, including the Great White.
Next, I read the extract from Anthony Horowitz's Skeleton Key where Alex Rider came in contact with a shark and discussed how the writer uses description of the character's feelings as well as description of the shark to build suspense.
The worksheet of vocabulary can be used to model an effective noun phrase and sentence to describe the shark as a speaking and listening, or guided writing task.
The story starts with a diver swimming next to a tiger shark and everything is calm. Next, he notices the shadow of a great white approaching. The pupils need to finish this story start. I suggested that the story ends with the diver getting away from the shark.
The children that need more support could work with the scaffold frame for guided story writing to structure their work and show how feelings and description are required to build suspense.
We also listened to 'Jaws' music from John Williams.
Reading challenge homework to find similes, good description and unfamiliar words from pupil's independent reading. There is also a certificate for pupils that complete both sides of their bookmark. You could choose the bookmark from the selection, or pupils could complete all three over a number of weeks homework.
These are just some book discussion ideas used to challenge Upper KS2. The book talk looked for evidence that the book is a comedy, evidence that the book is about a tryanny and evidence of themes. We also discussed our likes and dislikes and words we felt described the book. We also looked at words used by reviewers to describe Wed Wabbit and decided if we did, or did not agree with their opinion . There are examples of the response to the topics by a child included as a model. There are also blank sheets for pupils to fill in their own discussion ideas. The words that have been used by critics to describe the book to promote discussion is also included.
This is everything you need to teach recount texts and to get children to write successful recounts. There is a recount PowerPoint that uses simple animations to teach recount text features. There are two scaffold planners to provide support for children that need more support to write recount texts. There is also a Minion recount learning mat for display to remind children of key success criteria when planning a writing a recount text.
This is an excellent way to build children's vocabulary in a personalised way. These are three bookmarks aimed at different ability ranges. They are designed for independent reading and are an activity of finding and recording unfamiliar words.
This is a great lesson on character. The modelled writing task makes pupils focus on Dahl's style.
There are two word documents for pupils to adapt to create modelled character descriptions.
See the two pdfs which show the work produced by the task.
There is a list of ultimate spy vehicle features for discussion. There are teaching notes and a scaffold frame to ensure you get good explanation text writing results. There is also an Alex Rider jet pack task, if required.
Pupils write explanatory texts that they enjoy and which allow for their creativity. There is a list of ultimate spy vehicle features for discussion and ideas. There are teaching notes and scaffold frame to ensure you get good explanation text writing results. There are examples of a spy vehicle explanation text written by a Year 6 to give an idea of the end product. There is also an optional extension task included.
This is a PowerPoint presentation discovering through questions and examples the rules for punctuating dialogue. The presentation also shows how to punctuate and use speech tags and includes alternative words for the speech verb, ‘said’.
If you look at AWalkerEducation Shop you can find the same presentation available with an added speech punctuation investigation task using a range of well known texts.
A compound sentences PowerPoint that shows co-ordinating conjunctions, including 'for' and 'yet'. It also introduces the use of semi colons for compound sentences.
Change the symbols for punctuation. It is a word document, as well as PDF, so it is an activity that children could do on the computer, or as a written task.
This could be homework tasks. This is a reading challenge homework for KS1 and Lower KS2. There are 3 bookmarks - one on unfamiliar words, one on other words for said and one on powerful verbs for children to fill in from their independent reading. You could choose to use just one bookmark, or all three over a number of weeks. There is a certificate that can be used as a reward for completing the bookmark.
