Drama! Talk! Poetry map! Scavenger hunt! Reading skills! Team work! Creative writing! 13 resources included! This is a seven day poetry unit exploring Alfred Lord Tennyson’s ‘The Kraken’. It has been planned in a lot of detail and is fully resourced. There is clear guidance all the way through, so if you’re in a rush, you can pick it up and use it! There is also a one-symbol-per-line story map to help children learn the poem off-by-heart with help from picture cues. All of the tricky words are also defined. The unit begins with children performing and learning the poem through drama and then moves on to explore the imagery in the poem, including comprehension questions. Children then begin to use imagery of their own. They work collaboratively (using a’ jig-saw’ approach, explained in the plan), use language playfully and finally write their own poem. It is a very enjoyable unit, which inspired some superb writing in my class. It could work with Year 4, Year 5 or Year 6. Sessions cover these objectives: 1. I can recite one line of a poem from memory. (Drama) I can recite a whole poem from memory. I can find meaning within the puzzle of a poem. 2. I can understand wide range of imaginative and ambitious vocabulary. (Definitions scavenger hunt included) I use a wide range of imaginative and ambitious vocabulary accurately and precisely. 3. I understand the term imagery. (14 comprehension questions included) I can find examples of imagery in poem. I can suggest reasons why a poet has used certain imagery. 4. I know what the terms metaphor and simile mean. (Group work activities creating new Kraken imagery) I can use simile and metaphor (imagery) and magic! I can play with the order of words to add impact. 5. I can draft a poem and develop my ideas by ‘magpie-ing’ from other writers and drawing on poems that I am reading. (Supportive writing frame included) 6. I can evaluate, edit and improve my own writing. I hope your class love it and create some incredible poems.

Orally rehearse the language of persuasive writing and balanced discussion before writing using these dice games, model texts, planning frames and toolkits. Throughout Key Stage 2, children are expected to take part in debates and compose one-sided arguments or balanced discussions. To be successful at this, children need plenty of opportunities to use the language of argument. Connecting phrases such as ‘it is obvious that’, ‘other people claim that’ and ‘opponents of’ need to be orally rehearsed as children do not encounter them regularly in their daily lives. This fully planned session, complete with a presentation and a fun dice game, will give children the experience of using the language of argument in a purposeful way. Use this session prior to any ‘argument’ style writing and it will give children the tools to be successful. *I have now added ‘Whose side are you on? Advanced’. This version is for 4 players and enables children to create full balanced discussions orally. The patterns they use exactly mirror the structure of a written balanced discussion. **I have also added a model text, a planning frame and a self assessment sheet for persuasive writing and a model text, a planning frame and a self assessment sheet for discussion writing. ***I have also added: a one sided model text in favour of Victorian style child punishment (for children to argue against!) a one sided model against mobile phones in school for children to argue ‘for’ a mobile phone fact or opinion sorting activity a one sided model for animals in circuses for children to argue against a one sided argument against computer games for children to argue ‘for’ a computer games counter argument activity a computer games fact or opinion sorting activity a for and against sorting activity linked with space a for and against sorting activity linked with aliens

This one week KS2 English unit has a focus on performance and art (instead of writing). Over five sessions, children learn about intonation and perform two poems expressively. Both poems retell famous Greek myths (‘The Minotaur’ and ‘Icarus’). Children also present lines from a poem through art and book making. A highly enjoyable unit! Here is a brief overview of each session. Detailed plans and all resources are included. Session 1 Watch and evaluate • I can say which poetry performance I enjoyed the most • I can evaluate a poetry performance Open questions You are the judge! Convince another Session 2 Performing poetry • I can show understanding through tone, volume and action Ping pong! What does Michael Rosen have to say about performance poetry? Explore the model Perform – small groups Peer assessment Perform – whole class Session 3 Applying our new skills and knowledge to a new poem • I can show understanding through tone, volume and action (revisit) • I can prepare a poem to read aloud and to perform “Rock… paper… anything!” Let’s perform Introducing a new poem Can we use our new knowledge and skills for a different poem? Perform – whole class Session 4 Presenting a poem through book making and art (part 1) • I can discuss words and phrases that capture the reader’s interest and imagination Performance poetry! Windows and words How will we show the meaning of each line through pictures? Session 5 Presenting a poem through book making and art (part 2) • I can discuss words and phrases that capture the reader’s interest and imagination Warm up: Ping-pong Activity 1: Capturing a poem in pictures

There are two useful resources here: 1. A carefully planned lesson about parentheses using dashes, exploring how different types of extra information can be added to a sentence. This includes a detailed lesson plan and 3 activities (the final one is a team game, with clear differentiation). All resources are included. The lesson covers these Year 5/Year 6 objectives: I understand the terms dash and parenthesis/parentheses; I can explain some uses for parentheses; I can use parentheses creatively for lots of different purposes. This is perfect for a demonstration lesson or an observed session. There is minimal ‘teacher talk’ and lots of active pupil engagement. 2. I have also included a further punctuation game: ‘Punctuation show-offs’. I can use brackets, dashes (parentheses) and semi-colons in my sentences. Would you like the writers in your class to be ‘punctuation show-offs’? Me too. I created this dice activity to encourage children to add extra information to sentences using parentheses (brackets and dashes) and also to separate closely related main clauses using semi-colons. I have also provided teacher and - more importantly - child friendly explanations and examples of all concepts. Children may incidentally find out about Usain Bolt, Picasso, Stephen Hawking and a 1000kg bowl of cereal. Have I caught your interest yet? This whole activity has a ‘show-off’ theme and it’s fun. After playing this, you can remind your class to be ‘punctuation show-offs’ in their own writing. Finally, I have added a ‘Victorian’ version of the same game, to show how it can be adapted to different themes.

Six poetry lessons for upper KS2 with a focus on performance and creative writing. All plans and resources included - everything you need is here. All work is produced using Word and Powerpoint, so edit as you wish. Most of all… enjoy. This is a fun unit! Please use the contents within the zip folder, and not the PNG files, which are previews of the unit. Overview of unit Session 1 Explore tricky vocabulary I can explore the meaning of words Session 2 Read, discuss, perform I can bring a poem to life using my voice **Session 3 Explore, map, recite ** I can visualise a poem and recite it from memory Session 4 Comprehension I can explain the meaning of words in context I can find information in poetry I can justify inferences with evidence Session 5 Create poetry I can write a free verse poem using a familiar theme and structure Session 6 Peer edit for impact + perform I can choose verbs and nouns phrases to create imagery I can perform my own composition fluently

KS2 poetry with patterns - 4 lessons - fully resourced. I love using ‘Amulet’ by the amazing Ted Hughes as a model for children’s poetry writing. Here are four sessions that explore this rich and powerful poem in creative ways. By the end of session 4, children will have created powerful poems of their own. Objectives covered: Part 1 Understanding a poem I can discuss a poem in a group, listen carefully to others and build on my own ideas. I can explore the meaning of tricky words and phrases. I can infer what the poet may have been thinking. Part 2 Reciting a poem I can read using intonation to add meaning I can visualise a poem I can recite a poem from memory Part 3 Exploring nouns and noun phrases and gathering ideas I understand the terms noun and noun phrase I can use precise nouns and rich descriptive language Part 4 Creating poems of our own I can create a magical poem with patterns Your class will love creating poems in the style of Ted Hughes!

This is a one week (5 lesson) poetry unit inspired by a Simon Armitage poem. The unit is based on my popular free resource ‘First day back poetry’. I have spent some time developing that activity into five fully resources lessons. I hope your class enjoy it as much as mine did! Everything you need is here. All resources are fully editable (PowerPoint and Word). If you buy this unit, please please open the zip folder, containing lesson-by-lesson sub folders within. The PNG files are just to preview the unit. Lesson 1 Reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension • I can read poem showing understanding through pace, tone and volume • I can discuss a poem and discover its meaning Activity 1 Model expressive reading of a line and then a verse. Activity 2 Partner reading. Activity 3 Discuss the poem and try some comprehension questions Lesson 2 Exploring vocabulary • I can explore the meaning of words (in context) Activity 1 Reusing and defining Activity 2 Sketchnoting Lesson 3 Capturing ideas for poems of our own • I can compose lines for a free verse poem using my own life experiences Activity 1 Connect Activity 2 Enjoy listening to poetry Activity 3 Partner talk Independent task Can you make the ordinary sound amazing? Lesson 4 Arrange and edit for poetic techniques • I can edit my poem for poetic techniques Activity 1 Warm up Activity 2 Listen Activity 3 Arrange Activity 4 Edit for poetic technique Activity 5 Peer assess Lesson 5 Present and perform! • I can prepare a poem to be presented to an audience Activity 1 Read your poem Activity 2 Think of title for your poem Activity 3 Prepare your poem to be read aloud Activity 4 In groups of four, read your poems to each other

Here are seven sessions inspired by Louis Sachar’s ‘Holes’ (or the film of the same name) pitched at Year 5 or Year 6. First, children write an informal letter from Stanley to a member of his family back home. After that, they write a formal letter of complaint from Mrs. Yelnats to Warden Walker. There are also optional cold task and hots tasks (Pizza Problems!) if you need them. It’s all in Powerpoint and Word, so edit as you wish. Absolutely everything you need is in the zip folder. Models and planning are frames included along with many other supporting resources (word banks, text extracts and information pages). Get stuck in! Here is an overview of the six sessions: OPTIONAL COLD TASK Pizza problems! Write an informal email to a friend. Use the planning frame and the word bank if you need them. Reading fluency and tricky vocabulary Look at tricky words and rank them. Use synonyms and paraphrases to replace tricky words. Improve reading fluency through modelled and paired reading. • I can explore unfamiliar vocabulary in context • I can read a story fluently Plan an informal letter to Mom ** Read the start of Stanley’s letter and Mom’s reply. Discuss how Stanley is creative with the truth. Focus on planning structure – give each paragraph a theme. Share read an example letter before starting. • I plan an informal letter • I can use informal language and sentence structures Write a letter to Mom Explore the difference between formal and informal. Identify formal and informal language. Revisit contractions and dashes – they are common in informal writing. Write a letter home. • I can make contractions by dropping letters and using an apostrophe in their place • I can add chatty afterthoughts using dashes Plan a formal letter Explore formal language choice. Get into role as one of Stanley’s parents. Pick three key points to complain about. Read information relating to your three points and plan your letter. • I can use precise language (limited, inadequate, insufficient) and write in a formal style Write a formal letter Share read a formal letter paying close attention to grammar features. Spend time exploring word banks. Write formal letters, maintaining an appropriate register throughout. • I can write maintain a formal style throughout my writing • I can use a range of (upper KS2) punctuation OPTIONAL HOT TASK Pizza problems 2! Write a letter of complaint. Use the planning frame and the word bank if you need them.

Reading comprehension! Drawing! Drama! High quality writing! Newspaper reports! These five fully resourced sessions aimed at Year 5 or Year 6 give children an opportunity to produce excellent non-fiction using a fiction context - no research required! Available in Word and PowerPoint so that you can edit and adjust to suit your needs. Through these 5 sessions, children will explore 3 news reports about heroes; generate their own toolkits; strip a fiction text (Beowulf) back to its bare bones; create captions and draw scenes from the story; take part in drama activities and finally write news reports using a consistent style and appropriate register. I have recently added useful editing questions for children to ask each other - I would suggest a final session for editing and improving. It is helpful (though not essential) if the children have previously explored the story of Beowulf. If they have not heard the story before, allow a little extra time to get familiar with the text (included). These sessions could make up a one week unit or be run over one day, as a writing workshop. Enjoy!

This is a one day greater depth writing workshop aimed at upper KS2. There are 13 resources attached and a detailed plan of the day. Children have a complete piece of writing by the end of the workshop. Here is a brief summary of the day: Part 1 Get to know the model Reading as reader: How did the story make you feel? Reading as writer: How did the author do that? Drama (pairs) – bring the text off the page Part 2 Know your animal! Part 3 Know your mysterious object! Part 4 Quick plan Part 5 Parentheses activity Part 6 Extended writing time Success criteria for extended writing I can organise my story creatively and keep the reader in suspense (withholding vital information and using flashbacks) I can create suspense using modal verbs and rhetorical questions I can interrupt my sentences using ‘dramatic dashes’ (parentheses) I can use technical language appropriately in my creative writing (precise language around my animal’s physical features, habitat, behaviour and offspring) I can use figurative language

This is a five session writing workshop designed to support Y6 writers achieve their age related expectation. It could easily be adapted by other KS2 classes for use as news report unit. During the project, children pick events from the story of Theseus and retell them in a journalistic style. They explore topic sentences, direct speech, reported speech, passive voice and many other skills. All resources are included. I ran this as a one-day writing workshop for writers who were a little off track. It could easily be adapted for use in any KS2 setting - everything is fully editable. I had some great outcomes - I’m sure you will too.

Massive 3 week writing unit, planned in detail and fully resourced and differentiated. It is pitched at Year 4, but would work equally well in Year 5 or 6 (please see the key skills covered below). For most sessions, there are resources to extend high attainers and resources to support SEN learners. This unit is ready to go! Three weeks of differentiated resources is a lot of files, so you can’t see it all in the preview. When you buy, please use the zip folder. The contents of the zip are organised into weeks and then into individual lessons (the other files are only there so that people can preview the unit!) . The zip will enable you to navigate your way through the plan and related resources with ease. All resources are PowerPoint and Word, so you will have no issues opening anything - and you can edit to suit your own needs - no PDFs! There are many, many resources included. Here are a few key examples: model text (short and long versions); a story map; drama activities; story boards; cold task/assessment task; reading comprehension activities; conjunctions activities; scavenger hunt; paragraphing activities; pronoun activities; noun phrase activities; fronted adverbial activities; tool kits; idea gathering resources; planning grids; peer assessment resources; and many more! The key objectives covered repeatedly throughout the unit are: Reading: • increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths and legends, and retelling some of these orally • asking questions to improve their understanding of a text • drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence Vocab/grammar/punctuation • I can use a wide range of subordinating conjunctions (when, if, because, although) • I understand the term ‘adverbial’ and I can use fronted adverbials (with a comma) • I can choose a variety of nouns and pronouns (to avoid repetition) Composition • discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar • organising paragraphs around a theme Evaluate and edit by: • assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements These have been broken down and written in ‘child speak’ within the planning.

Three week writing unit for Year 3/Year 4. A fully resourced and differentiated unit including all slides and activities. Drama! Talk! Reading skills! Grammar skills! Organising information in fun and inviting ways! It’s all ready to pick up and use. I have included the full unit in a zip folder (if you buy, just use the zip!), as you cannot see it all in the preview. The children begin with an assessment task (a cold task) and then spend a week exploring a model text about the Stone Age and learning some key grammar skills for year 3 and 4. They go on to learn about structure and organisation whilst also learning about mammoths! Finally they use all of their new skills to create their own information text about the Iron Age. The whole 15 lesson unit is full of games and activities focused on these skills: I can show what I already know about writing an information text I can ask questions to improve my understanding of the text I can quickly find information in non-fiction texts I can use conjunctions (when, before, after, while) to explain when things happen I can use prepositions (in, on, inside, at, by, during, before, after) to explain when and where I can spot the key features of information texts I can use paragraphs to group information I can use headings and sub-headings to organise an information text I can present (show) information in different ways I can use glossaries to check the meaning of words (repair ‘meaning breakdowns’)

Talk! Drama! Reading skills! Sentence skills! Making and drawing! Spelling skills! Writing a narrative! This is a creatively planned and fully resourced three week writing unit. It is aimed at year 1, or the beginning of year 2. The planning and activities have been carefully differentiated and there are plenty of opportunities for greater depth writing. If you buy this, please use the zip folder. It is organised into folders, lesson by lesson. There is also one sentence grammar activity themed with Jack and the Beanstalk. The following objectives are covered across the three week unit (many are covered more than once): Drama • I can explore a story through improvisation and role play. I can act out a story I know using voices for characters. Spelling • Suffixes that can be added to verbs) with a focus on -ed endings: I can add the –ed suffix to verbs. Sentence/Punctuation • How words can combine to make sentences: I can show what I already know about sentences. I can talk in sentences. I can spot sentences. • Introduction to capital letters, full stops demarcate sentences: I can add full stops to the end of a sentence. • Joining words and joining clauses using and: I can join my ideas together using ‘and’. • Capital letters for names: I can use capital letters for names. Composition • Sequencing sentences to form short narratives: I can put sentences in a sensible order. I can use the skills I have learned to write a story. • Similes: I can write a simile. **Reading: ** • Vocabulary: I can fix meaning breakdowns. • Inference: I can tell you about why a character does or says things. **Terminology: ** • letter, capital letter, word, sentence, punctuation, full stop

This is a KS2 sentence intervention for the whole class based on the brilliant short film ‘The Present’! It is made up of 12 carefully planned and fully resourced sessions, complete with PowerPoint slides. Everything is editable and it’s all ready to use with no additional preparation. For one reason or another, many children arrive in Year 4, 5 or 6 with significant gaps in their understanding of basic sentence grammar. Often we are asking them to repeatedly take part in extended writing tasks when they can’t tell us what a sentence is or write accurately. Use these 12 lively sessions with your class and you will quickly see an impact on sentence accuracy. Soon, children will be engaging with grammar and you’ll here: “Is this a run-on?” or “Does this sentence make sense?” Music to any teacher’s ears! Allow about an hour for each workshop and adapt it to suit your own needs. Let’s give children the knowledge and skills to start talking about sentences. If you purchase this unit, please use the zip. Each lesson is resourced in its own sub-folder for ease of use. All planning (Word) and slides (PowerPoint) are included too. The images are just to enable previewing of the unit. Overview of the unit Workshop 1 (slides 1-3) Sentence assessment task Workshop 2 (slides 4-14) I can tell the difference between a sentence, a fragment and run-on I can change fragments and run-ons into sentences Workshop 3 (slides 15-19) I can tell the difference between a sentence, a fragment and run-on I can change fragments and run-ons into sentences Workshop 4 (slides 20-28) I can start a sentence with How? When? or Where? Workshop 5 (slides 29 – 39) I can use these conjunctions: ‘because’, ‘but’, ‘so’ Workshop 6 (slides 40-45) I can tell the difference between statements, questions and exclamations I can write statements, questions and exclamations Workshop 7 (slide 46 – 52) I can identify a run-on I can correct a run-on Workshop 8 I can punctuate direct speech (slide 53-59) Workshop 9 (slides 60-64) I can start a sentence with How? When? or Where? (2) Workshop 10 (slide 65-69) I can peer assess writing and set a target I can plan a story Workshop 11 (slides 70 – 74) I can use accurate sentences in my story writing Workshop 12 (slide 75-84) I can edit my work and improve it for my readers