This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s ‘The Secret Garden.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS3 expectations within the National Curriculum framework. Children have found these resources extremely engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: ‘Burnett’s Description’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, present meaning.’ ‘Mary Lennox Profile’ and ‘Colin Craven Profile’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Study setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these.’ ‘Context: Edwardian Era’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know the purpose, audience and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to support comprehension.’ ‘Vocabulary Inspector’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Learn new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is 23 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Cressida Cowell’s 'How to Train Your Dragon.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS2 expectations within the National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: ‘An Interview with Gobber the Belch’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’ ‘Cowell’s Language Techniques’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;’ ‘Character Analysis of Fishlegs’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’ ‘Storyboarders’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Read books that are structured in different ways and for a range of purposes.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 20 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. The resource is suitable for home/ remote learning.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Katherine Rundell’s 'The Good Thieves.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS2 expectations within the National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: ‘An Interview with Vita’s Grandfather’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’ ‘Rundell’s Language Techniques’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;’ ‘Character Analysis of Sorrotore’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’ ‘Storyboarders’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Read books that are structured in different ways and for a range of purposes.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 20 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. The resource is suitable for home/ remote learning.

In this engaging lesson, children develop an understanding of Anglo-Saxons daily life, in particular: farming, jobs and village life, settlements and buildings and food. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge recall - gauging what children already know about the Anglo-Saxon era (answers are provided); -Understanding that the scale of time between the Anglo-Saxon period and the modern day, helping to contextualise the how comparatively simple and harsh life was in the time of the Anglo-Saxons; -Interpreting and analysing four sources (provided) in order to gain a deeper understanding of each of the key areas of Anglo-Saxon daily life; -Completing their own extended research to find out more about one of the key areas of daily life; -Composing a creative piece in which they put themselves in the shoes of an Anglo-Saxon villager; -Comparing Anglo-Saxon daily life with other eras; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. Included is the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (20 slides), the four sources for the source analysis activity, and the template upon which to record their findings. In the past, I have used this lesson with children in upper KS2 (years 5 and 6) - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for history. All images are licensed for commercial use.

In this engaging lesson, children develop an understanding of the religions and beliefs that were predominant throughout the time of the Anglo-Saxons. In particular, they learn about Pagan Gods and Goddesses, beliefs with regards to ceremony and the afterlife, and the Christian conversion catalysed by St. Augustine. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge recall - gauging what children already know about the Anglo-Saxon era (answers are provided); -Understanding the key ideas of Paganism and how this replaced Christianity as the dominant belief system after the Anglo-Saxons settled; -Learning about some of the Anglo-Saxon gods and goddesses (through a short video, which is hyperlinked into the presentation) and using a template to research their chosen God/ Goddess in more depth; -Discovering Pagan beliefs about death, ceremony and the afterlife (again, through a short video about Sutton Hoo) and demonstrating their understanding through comprehension questions; -Learning about St. Augustine and how he began the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity; -Producing a persuasive piece of writing, imagining that they are St. Augustine and they are convincing Ethelbert to become Christian. -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. Included is the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (21 slides) and the research template for the Pagan Gods and Goddesses activity. In the past, I have used this lesson with children in upper KS2 (years 5 and 6) - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for history. All images are licensed for commercial use.

In this engaging lesson, children are provided with an understanding of Anglo-Saxons rulers and social structure, through learning about: how the different kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxons gradually unified; three Anglo-Saxon rulers: Egbert, Alfred the Great and Athelstan; the social hierarchy that governed Anglo-Saxon life. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge recall - gauging what children already know about the Anglo-Saxon era (answers are provided); -Understanding that Britain was split into Kingdoms under the Anglo-Saxons, and that these gradually unified over time to create England; -Researching and learning about the three Kings - Egbert, Alfred the Great and Athelstan - who were each important in this transition towards unification; -Learning about the social structure of Anglo-Saxon life under the King, and considering how life differed at each level of the hierarchy; -Reflecting on what life was like for different people within Anglo-Saxon society; -Comparing Anglo-Saxon society with the societal structure of modern Britain; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. Included is the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (22 slides), and the worksheet for the researching activity. In the past, I have used this lesson with children in upper KS2 (years 5 and 6) - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for history. All images are licensed for commercial use.

This interesting and engaging lesson enables students to build their knowledge of the content, language, and structure of Simon Armitage’s contemporary relationships poem ‘Mother, Any Distance...’ In particular, students learn how the poet’s use of figurative language portrays the key messages in the poem, for example the maternal relationship between the speaker and his mother. Students learn through a logical and step-by-step learning journey, including: -Discussing and applying the key messages and meanings in the poem; -Understanding key contextual information about the poet and his life; -Reading and interpreting the poem; -Understanding the poem, with a particular emphasis upon the content, language, and structural features; - Identifying and analysing the poet's use of figurative language; -Writing an extended analysis piece based upon how Simon Armitage presents the strength of the maternal bond in Mother, Any Distance; -Peer assessing their partners' analysis attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful, engaging and substantial; (including hyperlink to a reading of the poem) - Copy of poem; - Figurative Language in 'Mother, Any Distance' worksheet; - Figurative Language in 'Mother, Any Distance' answer-sheet; - Analysis template with in-built success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to middle-ability year 9/10 groups, but can easily be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This fun and original assembly aids children in understanding the value of being patient, through: Understanding what patience is, and recognising why it is important; Looking at examples of patient and impatient behaviour (including through personal examples and acting out an adapted version of 'The Tortoise and the Hare), and determining the impact that it has on the individuals and others around them; Learning strategies to demonstrate patience in their own lives. The session includes a comprehensive, engaging PowerPoint presentation, hyperlinks to relevant and interesting video clips, and both a PDF and Word copy of the script for the fable. There are also various discussion prompts to enable children to understand how they can be patient in different areas of their own lives. The slides are fairly self-explanatory, but I’ve included guiding notes to assist the speaker. Hope that you find this useful!

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Seamus Heaney’s poem 'Punishment.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Line-by-Line Analysis; Poetic Devices/ Language Devices; Themes; Form/Structure; Poems for Comparison; Links to Wider Reading. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Anne Fine’s 'The Diary of a Killer Cat.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS2 expectations within the National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: ‘An Interview with Ellie’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’ ‘Fine’s Language Techniques’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;’ ‘Character Analysis of Ellie’s Dad’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’ ‘Storyboarders’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Read books that are structured in different ways and for a range of purposes.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 20 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. The resource is suitable for home/ remote learning.

This fun and original assembly aims to assist children in understanding the value of honesty, through: Understanding what honesty is, and recognising why it is important; Looking at examples of behaviour that is honest or dishonest, and noting the effect that it has on different people; Learning strategies to demonstrate honesty in their own lives. This assembly is tried and tested, and has always been really well received in the past. The slides are visually engaging and well-presented, and the subject matter is tailored to the interests and needs of young people. For example, there are references to scenarios and dilemmas that they themselves might find themselves in (for example how they might react in different situations in which their honesty is tested), in order to help them to make the right choices in their own lives. The session also includes a fun role-play task, a beautiful, thought-provoking video about the importance of honesty, and top tips for being honest information slide. No further resources are required, everything that you need to present the assembly is included. The slides are fairly self-explanatory, but I’ve included guidance notes to assist the speaker. Hope that you find this useful!

This lesson enables students to build their knowledge of the content, language, and structure of William Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 116.’ In particular, students learn how metaphor, the sonnet structure, rhyme, and iambic pentameter help the poet to get across his message about love. Students learn through a logical and step-by-step learning journey, including: -Exploring the key concept of 'love' and its many meanings; -Understanding key information about William Shakespeare and his sonnets; -Reading and interpreting the poem; -Understanding the poem, with a particular emphasis upon the content, language, and structural features; -Writing an extended analysis piece based upon how Shakespeare gets across his messages about love in the poem, through the use of language and structure; -Peer assessing each other's learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; (including hyperlink to a reading of the poem) - Copy of poem; - Structural devices worksheet - Analysis template with in-built success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to middle-ability year 9/10 groups, but can easily be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students revising knowledge relating to Russia, as a part of their study of place, human and physical geography. It contains comprehensive sections on: Overview and Maps; Physical Geography; Human Geography; Comparison with the United Kingdom; Russia Timeline; Key Vocabulary. The organiser is designed to help children to learn the relevant place, human and physical geography knowledge from the KS2 Geography National Curriculum: -‘understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom and a region in a European country’ -‘physical geography, including: climate zones, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes’ -‘human geography, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy.’ The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).

In this engaging and informative lesson, students learn to make sustained and precise interpretations of the character of Tonga in 'The Sign of Four.' In particular, students analyse Watson’s account of Tonga’s appearance, mannerisms and behaviours in chapter 10 of the novel, before linking this to notions of the savage cultural ‘other’ that were commonly held during the colonial era in Britain. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which students learn through: - Understanding the social and cultural context of Britain's colonial past; - Reading and understanding chapters 9 and 10, in which Tonga makes his appearance; - Identifying and analysing the language techniques used by Doyle in describing Tonga; - Understanding how readers at the time would react to the depiction of Tonga; - Peer assessing each other's learning attempts. Included is: - Whole Lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Paper Copies of Chapters 9 and 10; - Tonga - Links to Context Worksheet (and teacher answer sheet); - Essay Template; - Detailed Lesson Plan There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. These resources were originally taught to GCSE students, but with subtle adaptations they have also been used with both younger and older (up to A Level) students. Please note that you'll need access to internet/laptops for opening quiz activity. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This engaging, in-depth lesson enables students to understand how Shakespeare uses a range of dramatic devices for effect within ‘Much Ado about Nothing.’ In particular, the lesson focuses upon the dramatic irony and tension used to build the themes of confusion and deception. A close analysis of Act II Scene I: The Masquerade Ball, is included, to exemplify the impact of the dramatic devices upon Shakespearean audiences. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which students learn through: - Defining and exemplifying the key dramatic devices; - Relating key dramatic devices to the themes of confusion and deception; - Reading and comprehending the predominant plot events in Act II Scene I. - Completing an essay style response in which they consider how dramatic devices help to create Shakespeare's intended effects upon audiences. - Peer assessing each other's learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and detailed - just download and teach from it! - Cards for card-sorting activity; - Confusion and Deception worksheet (and teacher answer sheet); - Act II Scene I analysis sheet - Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Comprehensive lesson plan.

This lesson aims to help students to build their skill at inferring and deducing the hidden meanings in texts, whilst also providing students with valuable SMSC messages about the horror of the Holocaust. Students also hone their skills of writing to argue, utilising information that they gain from reading extracts of John Boyne’s ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.’ Informative and engaging, this lesson follows a clear and logical learning journey. Students learn to: - Define key terms related to reading between the lines of a text; - Consider the concepts of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ using the poem ‘Vultures.’ Use this knowledge to consider the actions of those involved in the Holocaust; - Read extracts from The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas; - Answer a range of questions designed to demonstrate students’ ability to infer and deduce the hidden meanings in texts; - Write an argumentative letter from Bruno’s Grandma to his father, using a writing to argue help-sheet; - Peer-assess each others’ learning attempts. Included in this resource pack: A comprehensive, whole-lesson, visually engaging PowerPoint presentation, which guides the teacher and learners through the lesson, a writing to argue help-sheet, a copy of the poem ‘Vultures,’ extracts from ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ and teacher guidance notes. All images are cited at the end of the PowerPoint presentation, and are licensed for commercial use.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Roald Dahl’s ‘Danny, the Champion of the World.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS2 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - ‘An Interview with Danny’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’ - ‘Dahl’s Description’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;’ - ‘Description of Mr. Victor Hazell’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’ - ‘Figurative Language’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, to create an impact on the reader.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 20 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for KS2 students learning or revising knowledge relating to the Tudors. It contains comprehensive sections on: Tudor Monarchs - date of reign, biography, spouse info, and key facts; Major Events and Key Information; Everyday Life in the Period; Timeline of Major Events; Key Vocabulary. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).

This resource pack is comprised of: 1.) Observation & Learning Walk Performance Grid 2.) Marking and Feedback Performance Grid 3.) Pupil Progress Performance Grid For use alongside lesson observations, learning walks, book monitoring, and discussions about pupil progress, these succinct performance grids enable observers to gauge, categorise, and feedback on teaching and learning using OFSTED guidance for effective teaching. The documents provide descriptors of 'outstanding', 'good', 'requires improvement' and 'inadequate' practice within appropriately considered teaching and learning focus areas, for example: Questioning, Positive Feedback, Use of Additional Adults, Noticing Data Trends and Plotting Interventions etc. Schools who opt to grade individual teachers on their performance have noted that these are helpful aids in arriving at an overall judgement.

Now with PDF version included! This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use in guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the Year 6 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They are also generic enough to ensure that they are appropriate for use with all texts. Activities and games within the booklet include: - Texts from other Cultures - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Increase their familiarity with a wide range of books, including from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions.' - Court Case: Defending a Text, and Room 101 - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Provide reasoned justifications for your views, Explain and discuss and understanding of what has been read, including through presentations and debates, maintaining a focus on topic.' - Stress Graph - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what you read by drawing comparisons within and between books.' Plus many more activities (the booklet is over 20 pages in length!) All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included.)