A block of 11 lessons with one ‘stand alone’ diary entry lesson which links to Letters from the Lighthouse’. The main body of the lessons is looking at features and skills to create a news article based on the mass evacuation of children and vulnerable adults during WWII. This unit goes well with learning about WWII in history. Please note: this is a smart notebook file. I have attached pdf and ppt versions of these files but these are not editable. Smart notebook is the best format for this! LI: To write a diary entry (cold task) Success Criteria: I can take on the persona of a character. I can write in first person. LI: To explore the features of a news article. Success Criteria: I know what makes something ‘news’. I can identify key language and structural features. I can answer questions based on a text. LI: To use compound sentences with accuracy. Success Criteria: I can identify main and subordinate clauses. I can use a range of coordinating conjunctions. I can write topical compound sentences. LI: To use a range of conjunctions when creating complex sentences. Success Criteria: I can identify a range of complex sentences. I know that a complex sentence contains a main (independent) clause and at least one subordinate (dependent) clause. I can identify a range of conjunctions. I can form a variety of complex sentences. LI: To use parenthesis to add additional information. Success Criteria: I can identify parenthesis. I can decide what punctuation to use for parenthesis. I can write sentences including parenthesis. LI: To use direct and reported speech. Success Criteria: I can differentiate between direct and reported speech. I can punctuate direct speech accurately. I can draw out key quotes from a range of information. I can write the main body including a variety of reported and direct speech. LI: To write an effective introduction. Success Criteria: I know what the 5Ws are. I can use the 5Ws to create an effective introduction. I can suggest an appropriate headline. I can use prepositions and adverbs to express time, place and cause. LI: To form detailed paragraphs. Success Criteria: I understand the structure of a news article. I can expand on a point. I can link my sentences together to provide cohesion. LI: To plan a newspaper article. Success Criteria: I can box up a newspaper report. I can use the 5Ws. I can write factually. LI: To write a newspaper article. Success Criteria: I can use my plan to help me. I can include an appropriate heading and hook. I can use the 5w’s in my introduction. I can link my sentences, selecting appropriate time words. LI: To publish a newspaper article. Success Criteria: I can carefully proof-read my work. I can make changes to improve my work. I can present my work using my best handwriting.

Drawing inspiration from Letters from the Lighthouse and Goodnight Mr Tom, the outcome of this unit is to write a story containing a flashback. LI: To write a story with a flashback (cold task) LI: To investigate and use a range of fronted adverbials. LI: To write a story opening. LI: To evoke an emotive response through my writing. LI: We are accurately punctuating dialogue. LI: To write a flashback. LI: To create a character description (missing person poster) LI: To plan a story with a flashback. LI: To draft a story with a flashback. LI: To edit and improve my work. LI: To publish my work. Work format is as a smart notebook file. I have provided a PDF of the slides also.

14 English starters perfect to be stuck into books at the start of a lesson. Each starter has five questions in different formats, exploring grammar, punctuation and spelling. Ideal for UKS2.

8 lessons focusing on WWII poetry. This is used with my Year Sixes but could work across KS2. Starters range from games to recapping nouns, synonyms and expanded noun phrases. Additional handwriting agreement lesson included. Lessons include: LI: To write a piece of poetry (cold task) LI: To explore a range of poems. LI: To use a thesaurus to find synonyms and antonyms. LI: To explore and use figurative language. LI: To class write a poem. LI: To plan a WWII inspired poem. LI: To write a WWII inspired poem. LI: To publish and perform a poem. Please note these lessons are in SMARTnotebook format. I have also included a PDF version of the slides.

Aimed at Year 5/6, this unit or work looks at a range of skills needed to compose effective non-chronological reports. Includes an example NCR on Hippogriffs to be used as a model text, hot and cold task unit targets, Smart Notebook slides. 12 lessons in this unit for Non-Chronological Reports. Content can be tweaked to focus on certain aspects of HP. We used a trip to the Warner Bros Studio Tour to research and collect information about Harry Potter. You may wish to add an extra lesson or two creating a lesson through research of books/internet to help develop note taking, etc. Lessons/LIs: Cold task: To write a NCR. To explore a non-chronological report (ERIC) To explore language and structural features of a non-chronological report. To compose effective and concise introductory paragraphs. To construct compound sentences using coordinating conjunctions. STAND ALONE ‘Extended Write’ - (focus on modal verbs) To start my sentences in different ways. To write well structured paragraphs. To plan a NCR. Hot Task: To write a NCR. (You may want to do this over two lessons to ensure content and quality). To edit and improve my writing. To publish a piece of work.

A unit exploring flashbacks within stories, drawing inspiration from the Harry Potter books. Taught to our Year Sixes as a three week unit. Lessons include: Cold Task - Write a story with a flashback To define and identify a flashback To write a flashback To write sentences containing relative clauses. To use a range of adverbials. To plan my own pensive memory. To write an example story opening. To accurately punctuate dialogue. To explore the language and techniques used within the Harry Potter books (ERIC/reading comp task) To include emotive language and memories. To include emotive language and memories. To plan a story opening. To write a story. To present my work in a different way/to edit.

A short one week unit looking at diary entries inspired by Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. This could be expanded by using separate lessons to draft and then write their entries and then an extra lesson to edit and ‘publish’. Aimed at KS2, went down a hit with my Year Six class. Lessons include: Cold task - To write a diary entry. To explore the features of a diary entry. To explore a characters thoughts and feelings. To write a setting description Hot task - To plan and write a diary entry. Files include the Smart Notebook file, a pdf version of these slides, an example diary entry, unit targets for cold and hot tasks.

A short poetry unit which we are using to start off our WWII history topic. Looking at some example war poems including ‘Flanders Fields’, ‘Christmas Truce’, ‘The Wound In Time’, ‘High Flight’ & ‘A Gunner’s Day’. COLD TASK - Write a poem about Life in Lockdown LI: To analyse and comment on a poem. (ERIC) LI: To use a thesaurus to find antonyms and synonyms. LI: To use similes and metaphors. LI: To use personification for effect. LI: To plan and write a poem. LI: To edit and perform a poem. COLD TASK - Narrative

A Year Five unit of work on quest stories inspired by Beowulf. (We used a short copy in class as our model text, and read the book by Michael Morpurgo alongside the unit). Three weeks worth of lessons as we used two lessons to write the story, one to edit and improve, and one to write a final copy. Please note For two of the lessons, one on dialogue and one on character description, I used Twinkl PPTs (NOT included) so a Twinkl subscription is beneficial, however you can always just add to the slides. Lesson objectives as below… LI: To write a story with an imaginary creature. (cold task) LI: To memorise a text to help support my writing. (T4W) LI: To understand the meaning, structure and features of a story. LI: To identify the 5 part story structure. LI: To write different story openings using description, action and dialogue. x2 LI: To develop a character description. x2 (TWINKL PPT ON SUPERLATIVE/COMPARATIVE) LI: To create atmosphere through my use of language. LI: To use dialogue in my writing. (INVERTED COMMAS PPT) LI: To plan a quest story. LI:To write a quest story. LI: To edit and improve a quest story. The slides are a Smart Notebook file, not a PPT. There is also a PDF version of the slides but this is, of course, not editable.

Watercolour reading quotes great for a reading display or book corner! 10 quotes on a5, can be blown up bigger.

‘Tweet about your learning’. Fantastic as an end of unit summary or stuck on a class noticeboard for children to add to during the week to celebrate the weeks learning and achievements. Available as editable word document or ready to print PDF.

A fun way to end the week and encourages the children to reflect on the week/their learning and set a target for the following week. Slips could go home at the end of the day as a discussion point, stay in the classroom to be referred to or recycled!

Link to history/The Ancient Egyptians. Investigate the mummification process and consolidate understanding of mummification. Children get to mummify their own apples, making predictions, comparing the experiment to what the Ancient Egyptians did and evaluating the experiment at a later date. (Can leave the apples as long as you like - we left them for 10 days!) Children love completing this experiment and are engaged the entire time! Materials needed: Small apples, antibacterial hand gel, table salt, bicarbonate of soda, plastic cups, paper towels, vegetable peeler, labels.

A 3-4 week unit based on the book ‘The Egyptian Cinderella’. Great cross curricular links to Ancient Egypt. The final outcome is the children writing their own traditional tale set in a different culture. Follows the T4W approach of immitation/innovation. Includes: -T4W/story map to learn the text -Boxing up the text/five-part story structure Inverted commas for dialogue Paragraphs Comprehension (ERIC) Similes Fronted Adverbials Complex sentences (FANBOYS) Writing a story opening, build up, problem, resolution and ending My children loved learning about this story and writing their own traditional tales.

Aimed at Year Three, this Instructions unit is based on T4W’s ‘How to Build A Pyramid’. It includes learning the text, boxing up, experimenting with different instructions (I used examples of Twinkl instructions, but you could just google ‘origami instructions’ and see what comes up. Includes: Prepositions, Time conjunctions, Inperative verbs, Introduction, Exploring different instructions, Memorising a text, Planning/Writing. MTP contains key objectives and some notes. Notebook has slides, learning intentions and content, resources included.

A song based on The Stone Age, sang to Queen’s We Will Rock You. Perfect for a bit of fun, or in our case, our class assembly!

A song written for my class assembly about the Ancient Egyptians. Sang to the tune of Uptown Funk, it mentions stages of the mummification process and talks about how Pharaoh’s were the rulers of the land. Enjoy! x

Two week unit based on ‘Ning Nang Nong’ but a Stone Age take on the poem. Main focus is on language - prepositional phrases, noun phrases, rhyme. Touches on onomatopoeia/alliteration when looking at features - this could be expanded and be two separate lessons if you wanted to make the unit longer. We’ve used this as a stepping stone to historical fiction. Cold task - writing a poem based on The Stone Age Learn ‘On a Grassy Hill’ - story map Identifying key features Noun phrases Prepositional phrases Rhythm and rhyme (creatiing a whole-class rhyming dictionary) Planning a poem (with scaffold) Writing Stone Age poem Perform poem to class. Each day there is a ‘teacher slide’ to explain each lesson. All resources included. PLEASE NOTE: I do not have PPT on my mac. I have copied the pages from the Smart Notebook file onto Keynote and have exported this into ppt. I therefore do not know what the formatting is like in this format. -This works best if you are able to use the Notebook file-

A ‘Stig of the Dump’ inspired character description used as a model text to help demonstrate sentence starters, sentences of three, fronted adverbials and powerful verbs/adjectives. Links with topic work based on the stone age. "Stumbling to his feet, the musty, stale smell of damp clung to Barney’s nostrils. "