This resource includes 17 slides and a paper resource. There are examples from Rose Blanche and Carrie’s War as we were working on a WW2 topic; however, this lesson will work just as well in any other context. The lesson looks at the effect of different sentence lengths to begin with and then moves on to look at how effective - ing and -ed openers are in varying sentences. Pupils then write a descriptive paragraph about an image (I chose one from Rose Blanche but this could be any image) and try to incorporate sentences of varying lengths and use -ed and -ing openers. Pupils then up-level their passages by using connectives. To consolidate the learning there is a paper resource featuring a selection of different notes to the class asking for advice. Cut each of these notes up and put them in a hat or bowl. Have pupils select and read a note from the bowl and discuss as a class or groups what sort of sentence lengths and structures we would recommend to achieve the effect the writer is aiming for, e.g. lots of short simple sentences one after the other; long flowing complex sentences; start with short sentences and then gradually increase to build pace – use the conjunction ‘and’ repeatedly to give a sense of rushing.

This is a power point I made for a presentation I did to a group of Y6 Parents at the start of the year. The aim was to education the parents on the kind of questions they should be asking their children when reading with them at home and the kind of comments they should encourage their children to write in their reading journals. The model of reading on, between, behind and beyond the lines is used to link to the reading AFs and make them more accessible. The Powerpoint also includes examples of past Y6 SATs paper questions to give parents an idea of what their children will be faced with. There are activities throughout, which giving parents the opportunity to try asking, answering and marking reading comprehension questions. It also gives an example of a film clip to demonstrate to parents that they can help develop their child's reading comprehension skills when watching a film or TV programme, not just when reading. I worked through the powerpoint with my Y6 class and this was a great idea as both the Parents and children were then 'reading from the same page' (pardon the pun!). This powerpoint would work well with Parents of pupils from age 7-11. It could also be used equally well as a staff CPD session.

This PowerPoint is for a unit of work that took a week with my Year 6 class and looked at the features of discussion texts. Persuasive techniques are also revised. The texts are taken from The National Literacy Strategy ‘Argument Unit’. Children read and analyse a persuasive text ‘Should mobile phones be banned in schools?’ as a class and come to define the key features of discursive writing. Pupils then analyse a different text based on the circus and highlight the key features that they have previously identified. Pupils then prepare for a debate. Taking the story of the Pied Piper, pupils are assigned roles and have to prepare a persuasive speech to argue their point of the debate. We then hold debate and discuss the value of debates in real life. Pupils finish the week with two lessons to write a piece of discursive writing on whether pupils should be able to write on laptops in schools. Pupils are provided with the arguments for and against, but must do the rest of the work on their own. This then forms an assessment piece. National Curriculum Links: Year 5 & 6 Programmes of Study discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader plan their writing by: identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own. Through debate the pupils also hone their speaking and listening skills and this also provides a good opportunity for assessment.

Labels of thirteen prefixes and suffixes commonly used today, which were derived from the Ancient Greek language. Provided in PDF format and also Word so you can edit or add to. Ideas for use: Add to working wall (some could go on maths working wall) with slips of paper and challenge pupils to add words that include these suffixes and prefixes. Lesson starter - how may words with the prefix ‘geo’ or ‘tele’ can you think of in 1 minute? Use as part of a spelling lesson to introduce the concept of prefixes and suffixes and the meanings that they convey. Provide as a stimulus for pupils when writing their own Ancient Greek Myths and Legends - can they use these suffixes and prefixes to inspire their character or place names? Build on this to explore prefixes and suffixes derived from Ancient Rome or Latin. Words included (with translation): geo hex hydro mega micro octo pente phone photo poly scope techne tele

This is a simple display that I put on the back of my classroom door. It consisted of an octopus in the middle with eight different ways of opening a sentence around it - one at each tentacle. One of my pupils drew and painted a octopus for me, but I have included an image of an octopus in the resource to save you time - just enlarge to A3. Of course, you could ditch the Octopus completely (especially for older children) and just display on the wall or laminate and add to a working wall. There is a PowerPoint to accompany the display, which is probably best if you focus on experimenting with one type of opener at a time to let it sink in! The PowerPoint is really plain and simple as it is intended to be annotated and used interactively as opposed to a presentation. Octopus picture credit: http://cliparts.co/octopus-clip-art

This resource looks at the three main types of sentence structure: simple, compound and complex. Opportunities are given for pupils to: Learn the features of each type of sentence structure. Use the terms noun and verb and consolidate their understanding of word classes. Use the terms main clause and subordinate clause (the idea of adult and child is given as a pictoral representation). Identify sentence structures within texts: a newspaper article and an extract from Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda’. Up-level sentences by adding suborindate clauses to simple sentences before, after and in the middle of the main clause. Use commas correctly the mark clauses and clarify meaning. The presentation has little activities throughout, which you could build on to structure a mini unit of work or just dip into for ten minutes at a time. It would work well as an introduction earlier down the school, revision in upper KS2/KS3 or with a guided intervention group who have gaps in their understanding. I found it particularly useful for assessing the pupil’s understanding of the vocabulary associated with sentence level and word level work.

Guided reading planning for Y5/Y6 Middle to Higher ability readers based on the text ‘The Invention of Hugo Cabret’. Five sessions of planning are included, although in reality it could spread over a much longer period of time as I must admit that I struggled to fit it all in to five 30 minute sessions! The planning includes teacher discussion prompts (each linked to AFs) and a follow up reading activity. In my class I had four groups and ran guided reading over four days. Each group had one session with me and three independent days. The pupils followed this cycle over the four days: • Pre-reading in preparation for Book Club. • Preparing answers for Book Club. Children had a preview of some of the more complex questions and wrote their answers in their reading journals. This had the benefit of me being able to ‘pick on’ any child, but also meant I had some written evidence for all pupils every week (I was finding that some weeks I hadn’t written any notes for some pupils during the Book Club session). • Book Club with teacher. • Follow-up Task. Each group knew which day of the week was their follow-up/Book Club/prep day. On the fifth day I heard individual readers and the pupils did free reading of their own books/magazines. I sometimes used this day to catch up if we had missed a guided reading session earlier in the week.

This was a bank of ideas that I put together for a very able Year 4 writer. It includes lots of techniques that pupils can use in their narrative writing to make their fictional characters more believable and three-dimensional. Perhaps most suitable for Upper Key Stage 2, but could be used with talented younger writers and with pupils in KS3 also. Resource is provided in PDF format and also Word format so that you can edit it. I have also provided it in black and white and full colour. Ideas for use: Provide pupils with a black and white A4 version to stick in their exercise books; when they have tried a technique in their writing they can colour in the bubble. At the beginning of a piece of writing encourage pupils to decide on a characterisation technique that they will try to include. Enlarge to A3 an display on working wall. Laminate and position in literacy toolkit or table trays; encourage pupils to go and grab it when they want to improve their writing or are struggling for ideas. Provide pupils with a black and white A4 version in their reading journal; when they spot that an author has used a particular characterisation technique they can colour in that bubble.

Seven sessions of planning, accompanying PowerPoint and paper resources. Each session takes around 30 minutes and are aimed at Years 5 & 6. The objectives covered are: To correctly use the common homophones – there, their, they’re and where, wear, were and we’re. To spell unstressed vowels in polysyllabic words. To spell words with common letter strings and different pronunciations. To spell words with common pronunciations but different letter strings. To explore the spelling patterns of consonants and to formulate rules. To explore the spelling patterns of consonants and to formulate rules. To explore less common prefixes and suffixes.

Guided reading planning for Y5/Y6 more able readers based on the text ‘Journey to the River Sea’. Six sessions of planning are included, although in reality it could spread over a much longer period of time if you wanted! The other files included are pictures of the Amazon used in lesson one. The planning includes teacher discussion prompts (each linked to AFs) and a follow up reading activity. In my class I had four groups and ran guided reading over four days. Each group had one session with me and three independent days. The pupils followed this cycle over the four days: Pre-reading in preparation for Book Club. Preparing answers for Book Club. Children had a preview of some of the more complex questions and wrote their answers in their reading journals. This had the benefit of me being able to ‘pick on’ any child without them being flustered, but also meant I had some written evidence for all pupils every week (I was finding that some weeks I hadn’t written any notes for some pupils during the Book Club session). Book Club with teacher. Follow-up task. Each group knew which day of the week was their follow-up/Book Club/prep day. On the fifth day I heard individual readers and the pupils did free reading of their own books/magazines. I sometimes used this day to catch up if we had missed a guided reading session earlier in the week due to special assemblies etc. (often the case!).

Originally used in my Y6 classroom, this simple and clear resource consists of eight different ways of opening sentences with an example underneath each. I laminated these and displayed them permanently on my working wall for pupils to refer to when they were struggling to vary their sentence openers - particularly in narrative writing. Could be used across KS2 - particularly if each type of opener was introduced one at a time, or challenge pupils to include a particular kind of opener in their writing for that lesson. Both PDF and Word formats included. If this resources isn’t for you then maybe take a look at my octopus opener display and PowerPoint or Sentence Openers Display Bundle.

This display is all about the author Michael Morpurgo. Information is taken from the website michaelmorpurgo.com and consists of interview questions and answers. I used this in a Year 4 reading corner as he was a favourite author amongst this class. The resource also includes a picture of Michael Morpurgo and posters of some of his most well-known novels. The display is provided in Word format ready for you to edit and also PDF.

A fun ‘Where’s Wally’ themed display with tricky ‘W’-words and matching example sentences. Pupils can refer to the display when they unsure and select the correct spelling. Word format provided, as well as PDF, for easy editing. Picture Credit - Wally and Woof pictures from http://freecoloringpages.co.uk/?r=wheres wally

Selection of key vocabulary originally used for Literacy working wall with a Y6 class.

This is the sales particulars that I created for a lesson on persuasive writing. It gives pupils and idea of layout and what is included in a persuasive house brochure, but can they write their own so that it is a bit more persuasive?