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+

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 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 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 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+

This Power Point tests knowledge of plurals, questions, apostrophes, statements, exclamations, direct speech and contractions. Pupils are required to add prefixes to form the opposite and alphabetically arrange words. They must decide whether to use an or a in front of given words and sort them accordingly. They have homophones to decide between and a weirdly worded passage to decipher. This quiz is one of several quizzes to be found in my shop and is ideal for revision purposes. Questions can be easily tweaked to address specific needs and answers are supplied. I include a resource which will enable pupils to insert a wide range of punctuation marks appropriately and also offers an opportunity to engage in some descriptive writing about a person they admire. Suitable for ages 10+

This animated Power Point tests pupils' knowledge of plurals, apostrophes, using suffixes, matching adjectives of a similar meaning, compound sentences, using appropriate adverbs to create an effect and much more besides. The resource includes a weirdly worded passage for pupils to decipher and apply their knowledge of spelling. This is one in a series of quizzes which can be found in my shop . They are intended to be used on a regular basis to aid revision especially on the run up to SATs. I include a resource to promote informal letter writing. This resource is suitable for ages 10+

This animated Power Point asks pupils to examine extracts taken from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and try to spot deliberate spelling mistakes. Pupils split into houses as if in Hogwarts and answer questions from the extracts. Finally they choose between two writing challenges. One is to invent their own recipe for Butterbeer and write instructions on how to make it. The other is to write a descriptive piece , explaining how to make a spell using Neville's mimbulus mimbletonia, a sinister looking cactus-plant whose stinksap smells of rancid manure. This resource is intended to be used to encourage further reading, whilst also revising spelling. The extracts chosen will inspire pupils to write their own descriptive pieces. Other Potter based resources can be found in my shop. Suitable for ages 10+

This animated Power Point takes extracts from J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter and the half-blood Prince and asks students to spot deliberate spelling mistakes. The spellings are ordinary words hidden within extraordinary passages. The answers will magically appear. Students are asked to show-case their knowledge of homophones such as witch and which and include as many as they can in a paragraph of their own. They are required to make "Muggle" words out of the letters within some of the characters' names. Finally they have the chance to write their own creative piece involving a hex which glues your tongue to the roof of your mouth, a jinx which makes your toe-nails grow alarmingly quickly or a muffliato spell which causes mayhem by means of the victim experiencing an unidentifiable buzzing sound in their ears. I include another resource about dragon breeds with comprehension questions and answers. This resource is intended to be used to reinforce spelling, punctuation and grammar in a fun way as well as encouraging wider reading . Suitable for ages 10+

This resource revises the use of the colon and semicolon. Pupils are reminded how each are used and then given a series of sentences in which they need to insert the necessary punctuation. Sometimes they decide between the two. Lengthy, complicated lists are also given so that pupils need to decide how to break them up with semicolons. The sentences should be written out as the subject material is useful for revision regarding history, geography, literature, poetry and world religions. I include a more general spelling, punctuation and grammar quiz which features semi-colons in one of the sections.I also include a worksheet which will promote the use of a wider variety of punctuation and offers an opportunity for pupils to describe a person they admire. All answers included. Suitable for ages 12+

This resource tests knowledge of past and passed, to/two and too, apostrophes, homophones, adding prefixes to form opposites and much more besides. This is one of many quizzes to be found in my shop, which , when used on a regular basis will help to raise standards of spelling, grammar and punctuation. Pupils are presented with a passage which they need to perfect featuring Joe whose spelling leaves a lot to be desired. All answers are provided at the end so this resource can be dropped into a revision session easily and students will be able to identify areas which need improvement. I include a worksheet to provide opportunities for further development. 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 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+