Fiona, of Teachers Telling Tales, has taught in the UK and international schools, trained teachers, worked as environmental educator, in a range of learning support roles and she is currently a tutor.
Through Teachers Telling Tales she aspires to share this experience through creating high quality and affordable resources. While most are targeted at the primary age range, the aim is to provide versatile and adaptable resources to suit a range of ages and abilities.
Fiona, of Teachers Telling Tales, has taught in the UK and international schools, trained teachers, worked as environmental educator, in a range of learning support roles and she is currently a tutor.
Through Teachers Telling Tales she aspires to share this experience through creating high quality and affordable resources. While most are targeted at the primary age range, the aim is to provide versatile and adaptable resources to suit a range of ages and abilities.
These sheets inspired by Hooray for Fish! by Lucy Cousins feature little fish and some new fishy friends created by Teachers Telling Tales. They are great for developing fine motor skills, awareness of shape and pattern and early writing skills.
The fishy characters feature in a range of resources by Teachers Telling Tales on opposites, rhyming words and puzzles. They can be bought individually or you can bundle and save.
Celebrate #WorldBeeDay with some bee-themed handwriting patterns and cutting skills!
For more minibeast-themed resources including card and board games, mazes, sudoku and book making check out https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/minibeasts-big-bug-bundle-12340248
Teachers Telling Tales also have a free bee-themed maths activity here which can be adapted for different ages and abilities:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/buzz-off-square-numbers-multistep-game-12521661
Socks are a great topic for exploring patterns. This pack contains resources to explore repeat patterns.
Contents:
Complete the stripes.
There are striped socks to complete, two with a 2 colour AB pattern and two with a 3 colour ABC patterns to complete. The socks are included in PDF and PNG form so the size is flexible. A blank sock is included for pattern creation.
Complete the sock sequence.
Pairs of socks repeated with a range of colour patterns. Includes a blank line for pattern creation.
A teacher’s guide
Read more ideas for sock topics here https://teacherstellingtales.com/socks-rock/
Related resources are available from Teachers Telling Tales, including an Odd Socks pack, sock-topus counting activities and Fantastic Footwear which includes templates for socks and a variety of shoes and themed design challenge task cards.
These resources are great for awareness days:
#oddsocksday November 16th (part of Anti-bullying Week)
#LotsOfSocksDay 21st March (World Down Syndrome Day)
Improve cutting skills by cutting along the lines. Test skills with zig zag (straight) and wavy lines. Cute cartoon minibeasts at the end of each dotted line.
Check out the other minibeasts resources in the Teachers Telling Tales shop.
This resource was created to celebrate #WorldSpaceWeek 2023 (October 4–10).
Planet Anagrams / solar system spelling
This fun activity sheet was created to celebrate #WorldSpaceWeek 2023 (October 4–10).
It features cute and colourful clip art and invites students to solve the anagrams of the names of planets in our solar system and write them in order. A sneaky way to squeeze in some spelling!
Check out the free Astronaut Spelling Activity pack featuring two levels and answer sheets.
You may also like this fun Alien poem reading and drawing activity.
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/the-alien-read-and-draw-12166304
These fun activity sheets were created to celebrate #WorldSpaceWeek 2023 (October 4–10).
They feature cute and colourful clip art and invite students to make as many words as they can from the letters in ‘astronaut’. The simpler sheet encourages students to complete the countdown by finding ten words. A sneaky way to squeeze in some spelling!
There are colour and ink-saving versions of activity and answer sheets.
Also check out the Teachers Telling Tales free Planet Anagrams / solar system spelling activity.
You may also like this fun Alien poem reading and drawing activity:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/the-alien-read-and-draw-12166304
Pirate anagrams are a great way to introduce or reinforce topic vocabulary. This worksheet has picture clues alongside the mixed up letters and a space to write the word correctly. It can be kept to refer to when completing writing tasks to assist with spelling. Also useful as an activity for early finishers. A greyscale version is included for ink saving or for those who like to colour in their work.
The worksheet can be downloaded on its own or as part of a pirates pack, check out the other pirate themed resources by Teachers Telling Tales.
Some children can be anxious when they feel sick or are hurt and need to visit the school nurse. A classroom visit from the nurse to demonstrate what he/she does can help to overcome this. There are 8 editable common scenarios here to role play with class toys or teddies. For example, taking temperature, using a hot water bottle or ice pack, putting on a plaster.
If children are still anxious, especially about going to the ‘sick room’ they could take a teddy to visit the nurse with a scenario card for a further demonstration. A hospital or doctor role play area with the teddies is a good follow up to this lesson. For more information or ideas check out the post on teacherstellingtales.com https://teacherstellingtales.com/a-visit-from-the-nurse/
Update: new resources developed to encourage writing in the role play area, doctor’s consultation and prescription (simple pictorial sheet for early years).
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/doctor-s-orders-role-play-writing-frames-12248191
Get creative colouring these cool ice lollies. There are 4 character designs and 6 outlines of different shaped lollies to colour. Great for talking about flavours, colours, patterns and preferences.
As a challenge, children could think up a name for their ice lolly and maybe even design the packaging too.
Print or stick on card for creating textured lollies using collage with sequins, beads etc.
Check out the other ice lolly and ice cream resources by Teachers Telling Tales. This resource is included in the ‘Ice Ice Bundle’.
A great pirates topic activity to keep early finishers busy.
Good for problem solving skills.
This resource goes well with the Teachers Telling Tales Pirates in Position resources. It can also be purchased as part of a bundle along with other pirate themed puzzles such as sudoku and anagrams.
Having a theme for each day is a good way to build community with a group of learners, especially when teaching online. It adds structure to the week and gives students an opportunity to participate.
This pack contains alliterative ideas for each day, such as ‘tongue-twister Tuesday’ or ‘fact or fiction Friday’. There is inspiration for starter activities, quizzes, a range of subject areas and fun dressing up activities.
Ideas can be printed on individual cards for each day or a chart for the week to add to your wall or stick in your planner.
The cards come with UK and US spelling versions, A4 and letter size.
Charts also in UK/US spelling with landscape and portrait variations. PDF and PNG files (so you can adjust the size to suit).
New Update (22.01.21)
Now includes example cards for Would You Rather, This or That and Friday Faves, blank cards for each day and lists of discussion points for Would You Rather and This or That.
Further Update (28.08.22)
Printable cards for Would You Rather (new examples) and This or That for one-to-one or small group discussion. I found these helpful for social games working in alternative provision.
Puzzles inspired by Little Fish’s quest to find his mum in the story Hooray For Fish! by Lucy Cousins.
A colourful maze in the shape of a heart can be used to demonstrate how to solve a maze by projecting the image on an interactive whiteboard. It can also be printed and laminated for completing with dry wipe pens.
The slightly more challenging circle maze encourages problem solving and pencil control skills. There’s lots of detail in the fish and background for colouring.
A dot-to-dot picture for children to discover who Little Fish found also reinforces pencil control with the additional skill of following the numbers from 1-10. This resource is also good for colouring when complete.
This resource can also be bought as part of a Hooray For Fish bundle.
The classic tale of Sam’s Sandwich is fantastic for engaging students as they eagerly await to discover which creature will be added with each sandwich ingredient. This pack contains resources to accompany the book, including word and picture cards for participation in read-alouds and retellings, a fill the gaps activity focussed on rhyming words (with two levels) and reading comprehension questions.
Good for food and minibeasts topics.
You may also like the Teachers Telling Tales minibeasts resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/minibeasts-big-bug-bundle-12340248
This pack contains two formats, PowerPoint and PDF.
These worksheets feature a selection of poems from Commotion in the Ocean and Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae. Students are given the rhyming words to choose from to fill the gaps. There is space for drawing when the work is complete. There are greyscale (black and white) versions for saving on ink.
Chill out this summer by making cool ice lollies! Outlines to print, colour or decorate using collage. Fold in half and paste with a lollipop stick (real or made from the template). Ten designs.
Ideas for use:
Design your own lolly - choose your shape, colour, pattern, flavour, toppings etc. Great as a stimulus for speaking or writing.
Use for role play, (no dripping unless you use a lot of glue!)
Use beads, sequins, pom poms etc. for sprinkles.
Create a cool character. Add eyes, arms, cool sunglasses etc. Googly eyes and pipe cleaners are great for this!
Make a puppet show with your characters.
At home: a great craft activity for a party or play date.
At school or play scheme: these make a fantastic display.
This is a good way to keep children occupied after making real ice lollies and waiting for them to freeze.
Check out the other ice lolly and ice cream resources by Teachers Telling Tales. You can also purchase this resources as part of the ‘Ice Ice Bundle’.
Creating these cute ice lolly characters is a fun activity for learning about symmetry. The challenge is to draw the missing side of the picture so it is the same on both sides. A grid over the image helps with drawing shapes and placing details in the correct place. You could also use a mirror, place it along the middle line to check in the reflection. There are 3 character designs to complete, two ice lolly shapes with no detail and a blank grid for creating your own designs. Colour and ink saving versions included.
Children love to create a name for their finished lolly and for an extra challenge can design the wrapper using the blank grid.
Check out the ice cream symmetry resources and other ice lolly activities by Teachers Telling Tales for summer topics or parties.
This resource can also be purchased as part of the ‘Ice Ice Bundle’.
A cool creative pack of ice cream goodies, ideal for summer topics or parties. Contains 3 activities:
Ice cream cone symmetry. complete the pictures so the delicious dessert is the same on both sides (3 designs).
‘I dream of ice cream’ design your perfect ice cream template, single and double cone versions.
Ice cream creative colouring sheets (4 designs).
Great for talking about colours, flavours, toppings, preferences.
There are similar symmetry resources featuring ice lollies in the Teachers Telling Tales shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/ice-lolly-symmetry-12355898
You can also purchase this resource with other ice lolly resources as part of the ‘Ice Ice Bundle’.
Develop phonics and reading skills with this Bingo game. Featuring 28 ‘ar’ words, there is a clue for each, for example, “The opposite of blunt”. There are 6 colour coded game boards, each with 16 words. Players must try to get 4 in a row.
Good for listening skills and consolidating vocabulary with English learners.
For more fun with the ‘ar’ sound, check out the board game:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/ar-talk-like-a-pirate-phonics-board-game-12403169
Teachers Telling Tales also have Pirate phonics packs with the long ‘o’ sound. Pirate fans, check out the pack with position activities, mazes, anagrams and sudoku.
A Bingo game featuring pictures of things with the long ‘o’ sound, for example, rhino, rainbow, soap, window etc. 4 color coded boards each with 16 pictures, students cover the pictures as they are called out and see if they can get 4 in a row. Includes a list of the words, 24 in total, (can be cut into cards/slips of paper).
For a fun game featuring words and pictures with this sound check out this board game:https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/yo-ho-ho-talk-like-a-pirate-games-12403172
Other Talk like a Pirate phonics resources feature the ‘ar’ sound.
Further pirate themed resources by Teachers Telling Tales include positional language activities, mazes, anagrams and sudoku. Get them all in a value bundle: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/pirates-pack-12183976
