A teacher and tutor with more than thirty years' experience working in both mainstream and independent schools. I have an Honours degree in English Literature and Linguistics from UEA and have written a dissertation about encouraging children to write. I am a mother of three and interested in all things green. I am in the process of setting up my TES shop and hope to launch my "Spagbag" resources which are suitable for both Primary and Secondary aged pupils.
A teacher and tutor with more than thirty years' experience working in both mainstream and independent schools. I have an Honours degree in English Literature and Linguistics from UEA and have written a dissertation about encouraging children to write. I am a mother of three and interested in all things green. I am in the process of setting up my TES shop and hope to launch my "Spagbag" resources which are suitable for both Primary and Secondary aged pupils.
This Power Point tests knowledge of plurals, the use of commas and apostrophes in contractions. It asks pupils to find the opposite by adding a prefix and alphabetical ordering. Students will meet Joe who loves football but hates homework and who needs a little help with his spelling.
This resource is intended as a revision tool and is one of many that can be found in my shop. It can be dropped into a revision session on the run up to SATS or assessment weeks. All answers are provided at the end , so pupils can easily identify their own mistakes without taking up valuable teaching time.
Suitable for ages 10+
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 resource revises the use of adverbs in different positions within sentences and asks pupils to create sentences using adverbs appropriately. Students rearrange sentences to make them flow and look at descriptive extracts which use both adjectives and adverbs for effect. Pupils decide which extract is the more descriptive and find evidence to support their choices.
I include one of my Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar quizzes in which adverbs and adjectives feature in one of the sections. Answers are provided.
Suitable for ages 10+
This animated Power Point is based on extracts taken from J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Pupils are asked to re-write passages inserting the necessary punctuation and missing capital letters. The correctly punctuated passages will magically appear, once they have made an attempt to recreate Rowling's work. Two of the passages take the form of letters; one formal and one informal. The other extracts take the form of dialogues so that pupils will need to insert speech marks and question marks and remember to begin a new line when a different character starts to speak.
Students are asked to write their own letters and have the choice whether to select a formal or informal tone for their writing.
Students are required to form as many Muggle words of their own out of the letters contained within some of the principal characters' names.
This resource is intended to be used when revising formal and informal letters as well as when revising punctuation in general. Other Harry Potter themed resources can be found in my shop.
This resource is suitable for ages 10+
This set of four worksheets accompanies the Waverley Manor Mystery Power Point Presentation but equally they could be used in isolation. Pupils are required to read the short chapters which focus in turn on different grammatical features. They will become intrigued with the characters and want to find out what happens next. Your pupils will be revising without realising it!
This resource is one of several based on the Waverley Manor Mystery which can be found in my shop.
I include a more general quiz on spelling, punctuation and grammar , all answers provided at the end.
Suitable for ages 10+
This resource draws comparisons between an Elizabethan audience and a contemporary audience of a Shakespeare play. Comparisons are made between the size of an average audience, the age, the cost per ticket, the social class, their expectations of a play and their behaviour as audience members. In formation is given about the role of the fool, boy actors and the hierarchical nature of the performers within an acting company. This information is relevant particularly to Shakespeare and the Globe.
Suitable for ages 12+
This resource has three revision mixes of grammar and punctuation exercises as well as three worksheets on homophones. These could be used for general revision purposes or set as homework tasks. Pupils attempt to improve sentences and make them more interesting, substitute more powerful verbs, identify prepositions etc. They are required to write descriptive paragraphs such as describing a friend, an ideal bedroom or a favourite animal. Colour synonyms need to be sorted into groups. The intention here is to widen and improve vocabulary choices.
Suitable for ages 10+
This animated Power Point provides pupils with 56 sets of homophones and varied opportunities to test their knowledge of the meaning of these words in different contexts. Passages are given containing multiple homophones and pupils are asked to put their own creative writing skills to the test.
This resource has an element of fun to it, including puns and challenges to think outside the box.
I include another word document which could be used alongside the Power Point , or separate from it , which includes a revision mix featuring homophones. This document could cater for differing abilities within the class or as a homework task.
Suitable for ages 8+
This power point is a simple narrative about a hamster called Spock. Pupils are required to read the short story and then answer the related questions. They are required to use dictionary skills to define trickier words from the story. The pupils are then required to choose an option to write about: describe their ideal pet or design a des res for a hamster like Spock.
I include an extra revision aid which could be used to strengthen writing skills and provides an opportunity for descriptive writing concerning animals and pets.
This resource is suitable for ages 7+
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 gives advice on how to make a persuasive speech by following five simple steps. The AFOREST acronym is used to remind students of the features of persuasive writing.Pupils are required to write speeches of their own , putting themselves forward for election as head boy or head girl in the form of Ronald Dump who wants to build a wall in the school gym or , alternatively, as Angela Smirkle who advocates an open door policy.
This resource is ideal for revising persuasive writing techniques in light of the current political shananigans and is suitable for students aged 11 to 16.
This animated Power point examines four different sentence types: simple, complex, compound and minor. Pupils are given examples of how sentence structure might differ according to the intended audience. Later they are given examples of how sentence structure might differ according to the effect an author is trying to achieve.
Finally students are asked to discuss the sentence structures found in an extract taken from a crime novel: M.J. Arlidge's Eeny Meeny.
I include a resource which requires students to demonstrate their knowledge of punctuation by inserting a range of punctuation in lengthier paragraphs as well as allowing them to show off their own descriptive writing skills by describing someone they admire.
This resource is suitable for audiences aged 10+
This powerpoint comprises ten slides reminding pupils how to write a formal letter. It has some multiple choice questions regarding maintaining a formal tone and gives comparisons between informal and formal styles of writing. Pupils are required to set out their own formal letter and are given two options to choose from: a letter to the head teacher complaining about litter or a letter to a local restaurant owner complaining about poor service.
This resource is suitable for use with pupils aged 10 to 14 years.
This Powerpoint discusses how adding detail to descriptions with adjectives and adverbs can make a scene more vivid. Students are asked to make boring sentences more exciting and to bring a description of a staff canteen to life by using appropriate adjectives and adverbs.
I include a word document that could be used for homework purposes where students are asked to use adverbs in different places within sentences and to examine extracts of descriptive writing to see how adjectives and adverbs are used to appeal to our senses.
This resource is intended for use with pupils aged between 10 and 14, the exercises can be easily differentiated according to ability.
This animated Power Point is about writing to inform and explain. Students are asked to think about the structure of their writing, how to organise it logically with sub-headings or bullet points, how to include facts and statistics and how to maintain a formal tone throughout. Finally students are requested to write a piece of their own and may choose to write a report to the head teacher about an accident in the science lab, a leaflet to eleven year olds explaining how to cope with an asthma attack in PE or explain how to make a healthy meal from scratch to people with no previous cooking experience.
This resource is suitable for ages 10+
This Power Point resource show cases the dirty thirty : the thirty most common spelling mistakes. Pupils are given five at a time to try and memorise and then insert them into sentences to show they understand their meaning. Tips are given along the way as to how to remember tricky spellings whilst also encouraging the students to share their own techniques for better spelling. A useful resource to drop into lessons to check spelling abilities at every stage of the education journey.I include one of my popular quizzes which will aid revision of spelling grammar and punctuation. Answers are provided for ease of marking.
Ages 10+
This resource is one in a series of similar quizzes which test various aspects of spelling , punctuation and grammar. This one focuses on of/off and where/wear and we're as well as other homophones. Pupils need to insert commas where needed, use prefixes to form opposites and invent examples of their own. They are given a weirdly worded passage featuring Joe who finds spelling difficult. All answers are provided at the end. This resource can be easily dropped into a revision session and will enable students to review their own mistakes, without the need for lengthy marking. Used on a regular basis, these quizzes will help to raise standards in SPaG.
I include an activity which encourages pupils to write an informal letter to Joe and also a further worksheet which looks at questions and statements and asks pupils to utilise a range of punctuation in their own descriptive writing.
Suitable for ages 10+
This is a mystery story set in Victorian times and is told in a series of episodes. Each episode focusses on revising aspects of grammar such as adjectives, adverbs, verbs (including modal verbs) and nouns (including proper, common and abstract).
Opportunities are given for creative writing and further historical investigations.
This is intended for use with pupils aged between 10 and 14 years and could be spread over a half term period in hourly chunks depending on ability.
The characters of Sarah, Mr Grizzle and Mrs Plumworthy-Brown are introduced who will feature in my forthcoming resources.
This animated Power Point comprises twelve slides and analyses statements, questions, commands and exclamations. pupils are asked to consider how these kinds of sentence are used in articles, reports, reviews and persuasive texts. Examples are given of how authors might vary the length of their sentences to convey the passing of time or because they are trying to appeal to different audiences. Pupils are shown how , by rearranging the order of words in a sentence, greater emphasis can be placed on a particular phrase. They are reminded to not only identify such techniques but also to analyse and explain the effect on the reader.Students are required to discuss two texts; one extract from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the other is an advertisement for a Lunchtime Laughter Club.
I include a resource in which the onset of an anxiety attack is described in detail and the situation escalates to feeling out of control. Suggestions for a longer written task are given where pupils are required to describe a difficult situation such as the first day at a new school, or the moment you realise something embarrassing is circulating on social media.
Suitable for ages 12+
This Power Point tests knowledge of plurals, contractions, commas, using prefixes to form opposites, verbs and adverbs and much more besides. There is a weirdly worded passage for pupils to decipher and put their spelling skills into action. This is one in a series of quizzes which can be found in my shop. These quizzes will test knowledge and understanding of all aspects of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Answers are provided for ease of marking and sections can be easily differentiated.
I include a resource to promote informal letter writing and another resource which will be useful for punctuation practice and descriptive writing.
Suitable for ages 10+