This Sci-Fi Thriller has echoes of Stranger Things and has been designed for upper primary to read as a whole class. Every chapter is an A4 page and can be printed or shared via device for pupils to read in pairs. There are tasks to accompany every chapter, covering all of the second level reading E&O’s (some not in much depth but enough to complement any other work you might be doing in literacy).
“I can see this working brilliantly at the start of the year for any upper primary classroom”
“I was hooked and raced to find out what happened as every chapter seemed to end on a cliff hanger”
“A fantastic read, I really need to know what happens in the final chapter”
And that, is where you might be a little annoyed - this story doesn’t have a final chapter - it hopefully reveals enough throughout the story for the pupils to try and create their own endings. Could be a Big Write or end of unit assessment style task too.
However, if you are desperate for a solid ending, just message me on twitter and I’ll gladly send it over to you.
16 games for your class to enjoy that don’t require anything more than a set of cones and some enthusiasm! Games that can be played individually, in pairs, trios and even some whole class games.
I am a big advocate of the Daily Mile but in my experience it doesn’t motivate every pupil and doing it daily can become a chore as opposed to a joy. Little games like these are intense, inclusive and add a small element of competition (not that there are ever any prizes on offer) which is great for building resilience.
These lessons are designed to provide stimulating and immersive writing experiences. I would:
Have pupils draw out the map on a large surface (like a whiteboard table or big sheet of paper)
Create a LEGO figure/peg doll to serve as their character
Gather kids on the carpet and model writing the first interaction with an object
Then set the class to play independently
You could stop half way for a wee peer or self assessment
With 5 minutes to go, present the last slide in the story and have pupils conclude their stories
Following on from ‘They Change’ and ‘From Beneath’ this is another whole class story that is aimed at upper primary/early secondary pupils.
What would happen to Earth without the Moon? A thrilling tale that rockets from laughs to deep dilemma . Peppered with cliffhangers and deep questions, this story is sure to keep your class on the edge of their seats throughout. Another wonderful story from Mr Minchin, delighted to see that links can be made to the Global Goals and UNCRC in every chapter.
Twelve Chapters in all (12 lessons) each no more than two A4 pages, meaning you print these out easily enough and distribute to your class. In my own setting, our P6 and P7 pupils have iPads and I airdrop the chapters to them using the Notes app, which allows for read aloud, word lookup etc
I usually task the class with 3 reads - one in their head, the other with their partner and a third taking turns with paragraphs. By P7, you can often drop this to two reads.
The tasks are designed to follow the same pattern every lesson. Some quickfire questions to consolidate key concepts, a comprehension task (I would have mine do this in their jotters/books) and then a creative, hands on task (again, having iPads means the class can use Clips/Keynote/Sketchbook/Minecraft and more but very easy to adapt to your setting if you lack the ICT).
This is a set of 10 reading lessons aimed at upper primary. All the tasks are designed for success criteria to be co-constructed. I have found these to be a great vehicle for pupils choosing their preferred reading style.
A general lesson sees the class reading for 20 minutes in their chosen setting (independent, pair, small group, techer group) and with their own novel. We then all come together as a class to co-construct success criteria before moving to desks and jotters to complete the activities.
I’ve found peer assessment and self assessment to work well with these tasks. I pause 10 minutes before the end of the lesson, the class assess and then they have 5/6 minutes to act upon the feedback.
Here is a full unit of work. I delivered this over 7 weeks, with a whole Wednesday dedicated to an Engineer each week. At the end, we had the pupils create their own STEM museum for the whole school to come and view.
The day largely followed this model:
Play with K’nex/Blocks
Maths
Outdoor Game
Literacy (Podcasts)
Art
Lunch followed by another Game/STEM challenge
20 min speed write
Ethics Debate
Minecraft Models (using Redstone)
6 full days of learning here - biggest upload yet and it’s a big file!
These are the slides I used for my ‘Habitat Wednesdays’ last year, where we immerse the class in a whole day of learning around a specific biome. The day followed rough format:
Morning block play (building a Habitat with k’nex etc whilst researching)
Tabletop maths play (dice and spinners - then jotter work)
Games outside
Poetic Writing
Music (using Garageband but could just use percussion)
Art (painting progression)
Paired Dance
This is a 10 lesson long unit that saw my class using Keynote to create various graphs, charts and interrogate their data.
You could very easily use this and have your class create the graphs in their jotters - but Keynote is a wonderful app for quickly compiling data and allows for more time in a lesson to analyse and discuss what is being shown.