This resource is presented as an animated Powerpoint and in word format and takes inspiration from Newt Scamander’s fifty-second edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It showcases the native British breeds of dragon , namely the Common Welsh Green and the Hebridean Black. Pupils scour the information comparing and contrasting the physical attributes of these magnificent creatures in order to answer a series of questions. The answers are provided. Finally, they put their letter writing skills to the test by applying for an apprenticeship as a dragon trainer based in the Outer Hebrides under the auspices of the MacFusty clan.Pupils are reminded of the conventions of formal letter writing. This is an activity which will appeal to Harry Potter fans and is one of three similar resources which can be found in my shop, each with different extended writing options. Suitable for ages 8+

This resource is a newspaper article about police endeavours to control groups of teens gathering in public places. There are questions related to the article and students are asked to write their own response to a government policy to ban unsupervised youngsters from gathering together in groups in public spaces. This is intended as a means of revising features of an article in the tabloid press and analysing loaded language. Students are asked to highlight features within a short example of an article written for a magazine discussing what life is like for a teenage girl in the 21st century. Ideal for revision purposes and will promote further discussion. Suitable for ages 12+

This resource uses extracts from Harry Potter scenes and removes the punctuation. Pupils have to make sense of the scenes and reinsert the punctuation as necessary. Passages require knowledge of dialogue, speech marks,proper nouns, commas, colons and semi-colons and exclamations. The correct , fully punctuated passages will magically appear so that your pupils can see how J.K.Rowling does it. This will prove a fun way to revise the full range of punctuation marks whilst also encouraging further reading of the Harry Potter books. This is one of many Potter themed resources you can find in my shop which focus on spelling, punctuation and grammar. Suitable for ages 10+

This resource tests knowledge of apostrophes, proper nouns and prefixes. Students will need to apply their skills to decipher Joe's writing and correct his mistakes. This resource can be dropped into a revision session and can be easily tweaked. All answers are provided, so students can identify their own errors and address them. This is one of many quizzes to be found in my shop which, if used regularly, will improve standards of spelling and grammar. I include a worksheet encouraging informal letter writing. Suitable for ages 10+

This animated Power Point collates several pieces of writing about hurricanes. There are informative texts, diagrams, eye-witness reports as well as poems about hurricanes. There are before and after descriptions as well as a transcript of a public radio announcement broadcast before a hurricane strike. Having absorbed and discussed the varied texts, students are then given the option of writing either a news report, an appeal leaflet or a poem inspired by this fascinating phenomenon. I include a resource about wild wind which would be useful when discussing poetry and in particular personification. Suitable for ages 10+

This animated PowerPoint consists of 25 slides and is intended to accompany the reading of Patrick Ness’ novel, A Monster Calls. Students are asked to consider what constitutes a nightmare and how our senses can feed into our subconscious mind. They are required to consider elements of a Gothic novel and how atmosphere is created both in terms of the words and the illustrations here. What is the significance of the ancient yew tree and how does this relate to modern day cancer treatments? Pupils are asked to list what they can glean about the major characters and to examine where their own sympathies lie. Finally they are required to write their own review of this memorable novel and are invited to do their own independent research about Herne the Hunter and the techniques the illustrator used to ensure this novel became a multi-award winning one. I include a resource about mindfulness as a tool to help with anger issues and difficult emotions which Conor might have benefited from as he coped with losing his mother. Also included are other word documents which display information about the mythology of the Green Man and a poem which is a call to the Green Man, which will be useful when discussing wider symbolism and environmental issues.There are worksheets on which pupils can record character sketches for both major and minor characters within the book, as well as explore Conor’s emotional struggle in graphic detail. Suitable for ages 12+

This is one in a series of similar quizzes testing various aspects of grammar, punctuation and spelling to be found in my shop. In this one students need to decide between homophones to complete sentences, to choose between I and me, to insert semi-colons and to form opposites by adding a prefix. They will encounter Joe whose spelling needs a little more attention in order for his words to make sense. All answers are provided . Used on a regular basis, these quizzes will help to identify and eliminate those errors which need addressing. Suitable for ages 10+ I include an extra resource to enable students to display their knowledge of punctuation.

This Powerpoint is one in a series of quizzes which helps students get to grips with grammar. This one looks at apostrophes, speech marks, tenses,using prefixes to form opposites and homophones. There is a passage including deliberate spelling mistakes which students can attempt to correct themselves.All answers are provided for ease of marking and sections can be easily modified for differing abilities. I include a further resource where students can display their knowledge of punctuation marks. Suitable for ages 10+

This Power Point quiz revises plurals, commas, apostrophes for contractions, adverbs and capital letters. There is a passage for the audience to decipher featuring Joe which has lots of deliberate spelling mistakes in it.Joe prefers watching his favourite football team on TV rather than completing his homework. Pupils have the opportunity to write about their favourite sport or activity whilst demonstrating their knowledge of a range of punctuation marks. This is just one in a series of similar quizzes which can be found in my shop and which , when used on a regular basis , will help to raise levels of achievement. I include a word document which could be used as an extension task where pupils are asked to demonstrate their use of a variety of punctuation marks. All answers are provided for ease of marking. Suitable for ages 10+

This animated PowerPoint presents a short quiz based on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The audience is presented with three possible answers to each question. The correct answer will magically reveal itself. Pupils are required to make as many Muggle words as possible out of the letters contained within the Hogwarts' house names. Finally students are presented with information texts describing two different breeds of dragon. Their task is either to design a meal which will tantalise the taste-buds of a Peruvian Vipertooth or else design a matching shield and gauntlets set made from the skin of the Swedish short snout... This resource will appeal to Potter fans of all ages. Prior knowledge of the text is not vital.

This animated Powerpoint asks pupils to improve sentences by adding adjectives. They are asked to identify adjectives within a paragraph and then to alter the tone of the paragraph by supplying different adjectives to the ones given in the original version. Colour synonyms need to be sorted into those associated with red, blue, yellow and green and pupils are then given objects and scenarios to describe using these more unusual words.Two poems are showcased one about the changing colours of the sea and one about the colour red. Lastly an extract taken from J.K.Rowling’s The Prisoner of Azkaban is displayed and pupils are asked to consider how she appeals to different senses through her descriptive techniques. A worksheet is included in word format to accompany the Powerpoint and to explore further creative writing activities as well as a further Power Point which takes extracts from The Prisoner of Azkaban and asks students to identify spelling errors. Answers will reveal themselves as if by magic. Suitable for ages 8+

This animated Powerpoint presents pupils with information about the endangered leatherback sea turtle and highlights the problems faced by this creature as its numbers decline. One of the problems it faces is plastic pollution which is all too prevalent in our seas and oceans. Plastic bags are mistaken for the jelly-fish that the turtles love to eat. Worrying statistics are given about the growing problem of plastic in the ocean environment and a quote from Sir David Attenborough is displayed to highlight the need to act with some urgency before it is too late. The resource will prove useful alongside clips from the Blue Planet series and should inspire further research, provocative posters and persuasive writing. I include information in a word document which could be easily used as a homework task or for further research on sea turtles. The planet patrol wordsearch contains over twenty interlocked words in a grid concerning conservation issues and could be easily differentiated to suit different abilities. All answers provided. Included is a word document about the problem with plastic waste and includes some advice from Greenpeace. Students are invited to contribute ideas of their own and to design a poster conveying this problem in our marine environments. Suitable for ages 8+

This animated Powerpoint presents pupils with information about the wandering albatross and the problems it faces with fishing boats and plastic waste. Pupils will learn about this endangered bird with its enormous wing span and how it glides across the Southern Ocean for huge distances in search of food. Pupils are asked to consider the challenges this creature faces in its quest for food and hear David Attenborough's warning about pollution in our seas and oceans as brought to our attention in the Blue Planet series. Students are asked to create their own eye catching poster and to use their persuasive writing skills in order to redress the problem of plastic waste. I include a puzzle entitled Planet Patrol concerning conservation issues as an added extra. All answers are provided.A word document is also included concerning the problem of plastic waste and includes some advice from Greenpeace. Pupils are asked to contribute their own ideas by adding to the list. These resources are intended to promote discussion and will encourage independent research and further investigation. Suitable for ages 8+

Suitable for ages 10 to 14 . These resources are intended to put pupils' knowledge of grammar and punctuation to the test and identify gaps in their understanding. Pupils are required to demonstrate their knowledge of questions and statements as well as make sense of lengthier paragraphs which have had all punctuation removed. They are provided with an opportunity to demonstrate their descriptive writing techniques by describing someone they admire. I include a quiz which is one of many similar quizzes to be found in my shop which test knowledge of various aspects of spelling and grammar. These resources can be easily tweaked to suit differing abilities. Answers are provided to the quiz to assist ease of marking.

A resource aimed to improve grammar skills. Adjectives, adverbs, common nouns, proper nouns and verbs can be revised and revisited whilst a story unfolds set in a Victorian Manor House. These resources can be used as stand alone lessons or as homework to reinforce literacy skills. The story builds and unfolds to keep pupils engaged and interested, wanting to know what happens next. For the complete animated story see The Waverley Manor Mystery. Suitable for ages 8+

This is an animated Power Point presentation which introduces the characters of Sarah, Mr Grizzle and Mrs Plumworthy- Brown. The story is set in Victorian Britain and has been brought to life with animated text and imagery. The story has been written to aid revision of aspects of grammar specifically adjectives, adverbs, proper nouns and modal verbs. This presentation is purely a telling of a mystery story and can be used as such or could be dissected slide by slide to identify grammatical devices. There are accompanying worksheets which could be used to focus on the grammar in more detail or to inspire descriptive writing. The story would appeal to students aged 8+

This animated powerpoint consists of nine slides and is a collection of different examples of writing about Autumn. There are slides containing informative writing such as signs to look out for that the season is changing and also an instructional text on how to make vegetable stew. There are three poems on an Autumnal theme, one about adjusting the clocks, one in the form of a Haiku and one about spider webs. This resource is suitable for pupils aged 7 to 11 and could be utilised in any Autumn themed activity.

Activities involving cloze procedure useful for the revision of adjectives and adverbs in descriptive writing. Students are invited to describe typical playground and classroom scenes. These resources could be used for revision purposes or as a stimulus for creative writing. I include a resource which requires pupils to supply a range of punctuation to make sense of lengthier paragraphs, decide which sentences are questions or statements and also offers them an opportunity to demonstrate their own descriptive writing skills when describing someone they admire. These resources are aimed at pupils aged 11 to 14.