A fun, creative activity that is adaptable to different ages and abilities. Can be used as speaking and listening or to encourage writing on the theme of conversation and dialogue. The phone format motivates students and keeps them engaged. The activity begins with reading examples and using inference to deduct who the phone belongs to then builds to completing the speech bubbles before inviting students to create their own dialogue using a blank template. A guide is included for the adult and there is also a student guide to support step by step with inspiration for further exploration. Although this resources is based on fairy tales it can be used for any fictional characters or real people. It can be used to assess recall of speech or imaginatively to create speech. The activity is presented in Word format with PNG images so it can be adapted. Students can work on the document on a computer or it can be printed out. (Instructions provided for both).

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.

Read the poem and colour the pictures. Good for reading comprehension, EAL, extending colours and animals vocabulary. This poem is fantastic for introducing new colour words like ‘lavender’, ‘turquoise’, ‘lilac’. It gives students the opportunity to explore blending colours and creating lighter and darker shades using different pressure. The worksheets with the poem allow teachers to assess students’ understanding. The blank sheet (with just the pictures) allows students to use their imagination and be encouraged to record their ideas by writing their own descriptions. A resource guide gives suggestions for use and differentiation. The worksheets are provided in PDF and Word (editable) formats. Dyslexia-friendly versions are included.

Great for a space topic. A fun alien poem for shared reading, worksheets with a copy of the poem for more careful reading and a space to draw the scene. A checklist is provided for students to work with a buddy and see how many of the descriptions they included in their drawing. (This could be printed on the back of the sheet). While they are challenged to include all the specified details, students can be encouraged to use their imagination to complete the scene. The activity provides lots of opportunities for discussion and develops reading comprehension skills. Worksheets provided in PDF and Word (editable) formats. Dyslexia -friendly font versions are provided.

In ‘Quack! said the Billy Goat’, the silly poem by Charles Causley, the animal sounds are all mixed up. The poem is fantastic for learning about farm animals, the sounds they make and using speech bubbles. Children enjoy making the sounds and exploring how to write them. This resource comes with a guide with suggestions for introducing the poem, shared reading ideas to involve children and follow up games. There are animal silhouette pictures, animal names and speech bubbles with sounds. These are in the form of a picture for retelling the poem and to make cards for games and activities.

An activity pack with garden themed games inspired by Nature Trail, a poem by Benjamin Zephaniah. A range of activities for different ages, abilities and literacy skills. Good for living things, habitats, garden, animals and minibeasts themes. Read or listen to the poem and remember or find all the creatures living in the garden. Scavenger hunt, bingo, matching and list variations using pictures and words. Dyslexia friendly font version of poem. Draw the garden or design your own including habitats for living things. Create your own nature trail.

Jar and bottle templates, blank and with lines for Word Collector activities and display. Inspired by the short story in Eren by Simon P. Clark about a man who collected words, locking the ones he liked in special jars so that no-one could ever use them again. Ideas: A ‘jar’ for each student to put their words in. This is a good use for those plastic food and drink containers that collect in cupboards! Foil packaging (such as crisp packets) can be used to write words with a permanent marker, or use glitter glue for sparkle. Displayed in a dark corner with fairy lights this will look really special. Whenever a new word is found it can be added to the jar which then become a resource at creative writing time. Sensory jar creations. Add oil, water, glitter, cubes or Lego with letters on to build the words inside the jar. A Word Collection notebook to add to and refer to. A display of The Greatest Words. Each student adds their favourite word to a jar (2D or 3D) on the shelf. See https://teacherstellingtales.com/word-collectors/ for more.

Good for spelling and vocabulary. Can be used in class or for online teaching / home learning. These presentations feature twenty pairs of homophones, split over two quiz PowerPoints, suitable for two lessons. The Lesson Starter: a fun tongue twister activity Main: Quiz Choose from the two versions with differing levels: • Label (students drag or cut and paste correct spelling to picture) • Annotate (students type/write words next to pictures) Follow up activity: create a mnemonic to remember how to spell tricky words. Examples are shown and a worksheet is included for this. A lesson plan is included and presentations have notes as guidance. To further consolidate homophones try the Teachers Telling Tales Pairs or Pears Games. Receive a discount if you buy both resource packs as a bundle.

Complete lesson with: Lesson Plan with photos Visual aids Worksheet (blank cards design with instructions) Activity resources, printable cards for games / exercises. Three types of cards: Pictures only (colour and black and white versions) 2 sheets Pictures and words (colour and black and white versions) 2 sheets Words only (black and white and ink saving versions) 2 sheets Features twenty pairs of homophones (total forty words), good for spelling and vocabulary. To further consolidate homophones, try the Teachers Telling Tales Which Witch Quiz and activity pack. Receive a discount if you buy both resource packs as a bundle.

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.

The Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl have some good examples of figurative speech. This short presentation gives a few examples of idioms, for example: the cat’s pyjamas, he’s had his chips, up my street There are links to videos of the Revolting Rhymes on YouTube in the notes. Perfect as a follow up to reading The Revolting Rhymes or as part of a study of figurative language such as idioms. Check out the other Revolting Rhymes resources by Teachers Telling Tales with a focus on reading comprehension skills: Revolting Times and Revolting Crimes.

Creating a Wanted poster or a Missing Poster is a great way to follow up reading The Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl. These templates provide a framework for students to demonstrate their reading comprehension skills through character description and fact retrieval (listing the crimes, stating the place last seen etc.). There are educator’s notes and student notes with instructions to guide through the text characteristics as well as examples of students’ work using the templates. Provided in Powerpoint and PDF format for flexibility, the activity can be printed or completed digitally. Other Revolting Rhymes resources are available from Teachers Telling Tales, including Revolting Times (a news summarising pack) and Sublime Rhymes (with examples of idioms). If your students are motivated by the crime theme, they may also enjoy the Once Upon a Crime resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/fairytale-forensics-learning-unit-12222954

An engaging activity to develop reading comprehension skills linked to The Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl. Focus on retrieval and summarising the main idea or events. Use the templates to create a newspaper, newsflash or breaking news on the television. Guidelines for students include: headline, caption and story characteristics of news texts is included such as punctuation, alliteration, rhyme The television (old and new style) templates can be used for other topics too. Powerpoint and PDF versions allow for adapting the resource for your needs. Includes educator’s notes and examples of work by students using the templates. You may also like the Teachers Telling Tales resource Revolting Crimes and Sublime Rhymes, (available as a Revolting Rhymes bundle).

Loanwords are words we borrow from other languages, like ‘ski’, or ‘pizza’. This fun quiz features five words each from other languages, can you guess which words come from where? A fascinating introduction into the origin of words and encouraging a love of language. Students who speak more than one language will recognise that common feeling when you feel the need to borrow form another language to express what you mean! Includes information on the meanings of some of the words and activity ideas to follow up, using the words in context. The presentation is also useful for exploring spelling patterns in loanwords. Powerpoint and PDF versions provided for flexibility. Originally created for and used with Year 6 pupils (UK) age 10-11, but fun for older ages, even adult learners! Includes a slide that can be used interactively and an answer slide.

A complete lesson in a Powerpoint presentation, easily adaptable. Includes a starter activity to engage students and draw out vocabulary, group activities to describe ice lollies using adjectives, comparatives and superlatives and analysing features of advertising. Students then apply what they have learned in creating their own advertisement for a ice lolly of their choice. A suggested lesson plan provides guidance to educators and two printable word mats support students with inspiration and spelling. This lesson is suitable for classroom or distance / home learning. I have a range of creative resources on the ice lolly / ice cream theme you can check out here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/ice-ice-bundle-12355950 and will be uploading some word problems on the same themes shortly.