This animated Power Point resource tells a ghost story in the Gothic tradition. It is set in a grave-yard at midnight and uses such devices as owls hooting, wind howling and trees scratching against the window panes of a creepy church in order to make your blood run cold.Students are encouraged to see setting as character within the tale.The story is one of tragic loss: William Blythe is one of the thousands of young boys who lost their lives in a corner of a foreign field during the Great War. Sarah, his sister, remembers a happier time when they played as children on a warm summer’s day. Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is included as reference to a Victorian novel which could be classed as a famous ghost story and the character of Scrooge is brought to life with descriptive writing.Images are included of ghostly hands and tree silhouettes which could be used to inspire discussion and independent learning. This resource could be used to inspire creative writing or as a means to revise devices used by authors to create a ghostly atmosphere. The story reveals that William lost his life at Passchendaele and could be used to support studies of the effects of war on the family members left behind. As we look back over a hundred years of history, we are reminded of the sense of loss felt by the wider family left at home. Sarah is subjected to some of the same horrors that her brother would have endured on the battlefield.Opportunities for further reading and study are given. This resource could be used to support the study of novels by Dickens, Mary Shelley or Edgar Allan Poe. Suitable for ages 10+

This resource could be used to revise different aspects of grammar such as adjectives, adverbs, proper nouns and modal verbs. Students are given opportunities to flesh out the characters of Sarah, Mr Grizzle and Mrs Plumworthy-Brown using their descriptive writing skills. This resource accompanies a Power Point about the Waverley Manor Mystery which is a tragic story set in the Victorian era and can be found in my shop. Suitable for ages 8+

This Power Point uses the techniques of mindfulness as a tool to combat anxiety. The audience is encouraged to observe their troublesome thoughts and deal with them, clarifying the mind and freeing it up for more reasoned thinking.Different scenarios are presented which evoke the senses and help the students focus on their breathing whilst thoughts and feelings are observed and compartmentalised. The purpose of this resource is to assist pupils at times of pressure and anxiety such as exam periods or when stress levels are running high.I include ideas for creative writing about anxiety attacks as a way of dealing with powerful emotions which can sabotage our best efforts. This resource is suitable for all ages but is most relevant to those aged 12+ Other resources regarding anger issues and mindfulness can be found in my shop.

This animated Power Point examines different kinds of texts and literary techniques that are used to entertain us. Pupils are given examples of short and long sentence structures which achieve different effects. They are also shown examples of different techniques which appeal to different senses. Alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia appeal to our sense of sound whilst similes, metaphors and personification often rely on a visual impact. The use of first, second and third person narrators is also covered. Short poems which can entertain us by means of shape and sound effects are included too. Lastly, students are asked to consider what kinds of literature they enjoy the most and to suggest favourite authors or genres to others in order to inspire further reading beyond the bounds of the curriculum. Extracts in this resource are by J.K.Rowling and Charles Dickens. Suitable for ages 14+

Turn over a new leaf and get to the bottom of some well known proverbs and idiomatic phrases, Students will enjoy matching the sayings to their meanings and even acting out such phrases as "Donald Trump doesn't sit on the fence" or "I wouldn't be seen dead wearing pink". This resource will be useful in those times when you want to have fun with the English language and demonstrate how peculiar some of our sayings really are... Suitable for ages 10+

This PowerPoint focuses on those words which are especially difficult to spell because they have silent or unexpected letters in them. Pupils are asked to supply the missing letters , to complete a passage using those tricky words and to invent sentences of their own. This resource should prove useful when revising tricky spellings of all kinds and is suitable for ages 7+ depending on ability.

This animated Power Point has ten questions based on Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. The pupils choose between two possible answers. If they select the wrong answer they have to perform a task such as solving an anagram or putting items into alphabetical order; solving a puzzle of some sort. If , of course, they manage to get all the questions correct, then that leaves them more time to read from their favourite book... This resource is suitable for all Potter fans , but the forfeits are aimed at those aged 10+ This resource would be ideal to use when promoting wider reading and particularly around Halloween. Other Potter themed activities can be found in my shop which focus more on spelling and punctuation .

This Power Point tests knowledge of adjectives and adverbs, personal pronouns, homophones, prefixes, alphabetical ordering, apostrophes, words which can act as a noun or a verb and much, much more. There is a weirdly worded passage featuring the love sick (luv sic?) Joe. This is one of many popular Spagbag quizzes to be found in my shop. Questions can be easily tweaked to suit your students' needs and answers are provided. I suggest using the quizzes on a regular basis so that pupils become familiar with the format and the hapless Joe who needs serious help with his spelling. I include a resource to encourage informal letter writing. Suitable for ages 10+

This animated Power Point gives an overview of Shakespearean acting techniques and actors who would have performed in his day. The audience discover how a play like Romeo and Juliet would have been staged originally and also what an interactive experience it would have been to visit the theatre in Shakespeare's day. The audience go on to discover how this particular love story has inspired many different adaptations including musical and film representations. This resource is suitable for all ages and students of Shakespeare. It is particularly relevant to those studying Romeo and Juliet. I include a resource comparing an Elizabethan audience with a contemporary one and information about Theatre Companies and the Globe. A quiz relating to Romeo and Juliet can also be found in my shop.

This animated PowerPoint uses five extracts from J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as a focus for punctuation. Pupils have to insert the missing punctuation and make sense of the passages which are chosen to highlight such things as the use of proper nouns and apostrophes, a letter format, dramatic dialogue, colloquialisms and dialect, questions and exclamations and much, much more. The answers will magically appear and will inspire further discussion on how Rowling uses punctuation effectively to create tension and drama and a sense of character in her writing. Pupils are required to answer questions about each extract at the end in a short quiz. This is a fun way to check pupils' understanding of punctuation which will also encourage further reading and discussion. Similar resources based on the series of Harry Potter books can be found in my shop. This resource is suitable for ages 10+

This animated Power Point draws inspiration from the 500 words short story competition and Mary Poppins in equal measure. The story unfolds of Mrs. Brownley who , when trudging home one stormy night, finds a discarded umbrella and is whisked away on the breeze . Pupils read the short story and then are invited to write one of their own using their knowledge of setting and characterisation. Pupils are asked to consider how the tension will build towards a climax and how their story will reach a satisfactory conclusion. They are asked to empathise with their character's situation and to focus on the detail in their observations. Ideas are given paragraph by paragraph on how to structure their writing and how to improve its quality using devices such as similes , metaphors and personification. This resource is intended to inspire creative writing and is suitable for ages 10+

This animated Power Point takes three extracts from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and asks pupils to spot deliberate spelling errors. The spellings are common words but are set in inspiring passages by J.K.Rowling, so as the pupils hunt for the mistakes they are also learning about informal letters, sports reviews and character descriptions. Pupils are required to demonstrate they know how to use homophones such as witch/which and aloud/allowed. They are required to make muggle words out of enchantments to stretch their powers. Finally they are asked to write a piece of their own : an informal letter from Sirius Black to Harry or an exciting review of a Quidditch match. This resource will make spelling activities more fun and will inspire further reading and writing in one fell swoop. Included is a resource about the development of the racing broom for Quidditch enthusiasts. Suitable for ages 10+