This dance idea encourages children to work individually, building up to large group work. The music really evokes the movement of the sea and develops to a crescendo for the shipwreck. You will have to listen carefully to the 1st movement of Scherehazade to find the right length of music for your group.

I usually photocopy this Elmer Template onto A3 paper and allow the children to decorate their Elmer as imaginatively as possible, using bright colours and patterns. When the children have completed their Elmers, I cut them out and they make a lovely classroom display.

I used these jigsaw pieces to make up teams within the class. Each member of the group has one piece of the jigsaw. They draw lots of things which are important to them; things that they like to do, their families, their favourite things, etc. My groups were teams of 9, but you could adapt this for your class. It was a nice activity for the beginning of the school year. The finished jigsaws make a colourful display in the classroom.

This is a test that I have used with Year 5/6 students reviewing many aspects of English grammar that they will have studied during the year.

This is a maths activity to do at the beginning of a term, (all becomes clear once you have cracked the code). The questions need to be answered using the four basic operations.

I use the book The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively as a class reader. I have made up these question sheets for each chapter of the book to help my Year 5/6 class to complete their reading logs as many of them find the language of the book quite difficult to understand. I have also attached the review and cover design sheets which I use.

These two sheets describe parts of speech in the English language. They could be used as revision aids by children before assessment tests.

This is a template of a picnic basket which can be used for children to plan their own lunch following on from reading The Lighthouse Keepers Lunch. They can either draw the items in their basket or write them depending upon age and ability levels.

I have used this as part of a Space topic. After we have looked at the division of the globe into 24 time zones, they then complete this worksheet.

This is a simple, cut and stick activity for younger children. They can colour in the pictures first, then cut them out and stick them in a circle so that the concept of a cycle is clear.

When making clay thumb pots, the children can design their pot on this sheet. They can create a pattern for the outside of the pot and an image to go inside. The pot templates can be adapted so that the children design Greek or Roman pots, or create special decorative pots for Mothers or Fathers day.

This is a series of questions to encourage children to use and understand a calendar. You will need to provide a calendar, but the questions would be relevant for any year.

A crossword based on elements of English grammar and vocabulary. The answers are provided.

I collect pictures of famous people from magazines, (preferably A4 size). Children can choose a picture which they then cut in half. Stick one half onto a piece of drawing paper and draw in the other half. It sometimes helps to turn the paper upside down so that the children look at specific lines, not the person as a whole. They can then colour in their drawn half matching the original as closely as possible. Once finished, the pictures can be mounted and make a great display in the classroom.

If you know The Jolly Christmas Postman you will have seen an example of a diorama like this. They are quite easy to make and look great on display. I have based my example on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but you could have any theme. There are clear instructions, plus photographs of a finished diorama and images of the four parts of my example. You can use this idea for any book or topic in your curriculum.

These two worksheets look at adding a silent 'e' onto the ends of words, changing the vowel sound in the word. There are a series of sentences with missing words for the children to fill in.

I have used this worksheet to give children the opportunity to practice changing singular nouns to plurals.

A sheet of multiplication sums, multiplying four digit numbers by single digits. The answers are provided on the second sheet.

This is a simple idea for a Christmas card with pop-up figures. It could be adapted and used for other celebrations. It only requires card and some imagination.

A worksheet on units of time and converting them.