Poetry & literacy resources by published children's poet.
I also lead poetry workshops for UK primary schools.
Website: katewilliamspoet.com
Book news - Squeak! Squawk! Roar! Animal poems - out 9th January '25. Publisher: Otter-Barry Books.
Poetry & literacy resources by published children's poet.
I also lead poetry workshops for UK primary schools.
Website: katewilliamspoet.com
Book news - Squeak! Squawk! Roar! Animal poems - out 9th January '25. Publisher: Otter-Barry Books.
Emergent and newly independent writers will enjoy thinking up describing words to write on the swirly, little lines on their cloud. Think up some together first, e.g. - fluffy, puffy, white, grey, floaty, soft, light, high, drifting, quiet, slow, pink, dark, stormy, woolly, silky, silver, whirly, swirly or candy floss.
Here’s a published poem of mine about clouds on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EOKVIktMh10
Let children sound out the words, whether or not correctly, to sustain flow and build confidence. See my other weather writing frames, including harder version of this: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/weather-poetry-bundle-ks1-11974784
This engagingly illustrated under-the-sea writing frame will prompt your Yr 2s and confident Yr1s to write down their ideas about that fascinating world, with fish and treasure to describe, and a line for extra contributions. The wavy line below that can also be written on, and the many under-water items around it will fire all sorts of creative possibilities. The sheet is a simpler version of my Under the Sea writing frame for Ys 2-4, also available here.
This resource comprises a picture-poem frame sheet and a one-page guide for teachers.
The hand-drawn butterfly picture-poem is a Literature resource for young children. Its opening phrase invites describing words for butterflies, which can be written on the short, clear lines around the picture. There is also a simile to complete: 'They are as colourful as - ’ , and space for further ideas. There is plenty of scope for colouring too.
The guidance notes (or Guide) offers word and simile suggestions to prompt for, and thoughts about the colouring aspect, as well as ideas for preparing children for the activity as a whole.
The resource supports several aspects of the EYFS curriculum - Literacy, Expressive Arts & Design and Understanding the World, also providing opportunities for reading, spelling, fine motor skills and more.
This guided **‘Stormy Sea’ writing sheet is an exciting!
With video How-to.
Children love writing their simile ideas for a stormy sea on these wavy lines, as confirmed time and again in my Stormy Sea poetry sessions.
Suggestions for teacher introduction and prompts are given in the accompanying guide sheet. the repeated phrase - The sea went… is followed by a wavy line for action words and description (rolling, roaring, wildly charging like an angry beast on the loose?). The poem ends calmly, inviting a simile for a peaceful sea. Yrs 3-6.
**SEE ALSO - ** TREASURE MAP alliteration game - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/treasure-map-alliteration-game-yr1-6-guide-for-use-11887395 (popular)
PLUS - SEA SIMILES (summer sea) -** https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/sea-similes-poem-frame-illustrated-12100413** .
Lead your class into the wonderful, wild woods with this rich and varied array of descriptive words, similes and creature references. Draw from it for your own use and to prompt more suggestions from your students. This comprehensive list provides for every sort of wood, from damp and soggy to misty and mysterious, sparkling and scented, and twitching with animal life. The last column lists hints of creature and plant activity - squawks, squeaks, prickles and stings… Let your young writers roam this absorbing concept-bank to build their own ideas for creative writing, drama, art, music or speaking.
Firework writing frames, excitingly illustrated, for all ages - Reception to top Juniors - able writers using sheets as launch pads to independent poetry or descriptive writing.
Five writing sheets altogether:
2 graded ones for EY/KS1, 2 graded ones for Y2 upwards, and one for all ages - word gaps within an image of fireworks, inspiring expressive words and onward creative development.
This bundle supports: poetry, literacy, seasonal studies, celebrations, night and day, outdoors, colour, creativity, PSHE, and more.
Windy Day poetry-writing sheet.
Creative writing frame on wild, blustery day theme, illustrated, with** teacher’s guide sheet.**
Format: poem in 4 verses, with gaps for action words, onomatopoeia and similes. Rhymes incorporated. Guide sheet provides completed example poem, with word and simile bank below, handy for quick reference when guiding and prompting students.
Able writers can develop the poem with follow-on verses, introducing their own approaches if wished, while those needing support will enjoy the simplicity of inserting their word and simile ideas into the gaps to make a flowing, rhyming poem.
More weather poem frames available in my catalogue too.
5 space writing activities and support resources: funny rhymes, acrostics, slotting words into a space picture, space rhyme bank, and a simile poem to write - IN a planet! Guide notes provided where handy. Approx. Y3-6.
Rhyme banks for Space, Dragons, Castle Characters + Ocean (sailors, pirates, more), with Examples for all, PLUS Seabed Rhymes to complete. Fun for whole class, together, in groups or pairs, or individually. Literacy made fun! Themed information, topic study, & creativity scope incorporated. Huge discount!
Dragons are fun, exciting and versatile - open to any interpretation while offering thrilling and fascinating features. This bundle of activities and imagination-firing colour-sketches will inspire your children’s creativity, while supporting phonics, language and literacy development - not to mention colour clarifying and rhyme, rhythm and performance development.
Recommended for Reception + KS1, while the rhymes and pictures will appeal to older children too.
Dragons abound in this great array of fun and exciting literacy activities. There are rhymes to chant, enact and develop, a rhyme bank for concocting more, a dragon’s crazy menu to complete (with alliteration), a dragon word-building sheet, dragon similes to write, and six lively, colourful dragon sketches to fire ideas and enthusiasm. Children love this theme! Resources tried and tested - with great results.
Young children will enjoy thinking up words to describe dragons and sounding them out to complete the lines on these illustrated sheets, then colouring in the pictures. Non-writers can colour in the dragon and castle turrets picture and offer words verbally. Dragons can be any colour, have any character, and have exciting physical features to describe. Contents: 1 colouring picture, 1 writing/colouring sheet starting My dragon is…, 3 graded versions of a writing/colouring sheet starting Watch out for the… dragon, and Dragon’s Menu with alliteration (T… on Toast etc.).
Great for St David’s Day dragon writing! Watch out for the ________ dragon! This exciting writing sheet starts. It’s as ___ as a ___ (perhaps hot as a volcano or red as a ripe tomato). Two more open similes follow, then two lines for features details, an action line - 'He goes__ ing __ ’ (perhaps gliding through the sunset to his secret cave, or cartwheeling over the mountaintops, or flame-blasting through your classrooms). The last line is always a favourite in this tried and tested sheet: His favourite food is __ ’ . Recommended for lower juniors. Supports Literacy, particularly poetry, creativity and vocabulary-stretching; also enriching Myths & Legends studies.
3 creative writing resources to support ocean + pirate topics, featuring alliteration, similes and rhyming couplets. 4 sheets - Treasure Map (alliteration game), Stormy Sea poem frame (similes + description on wavy lines), Rhyme Bank (full page), Example Verses sheet. Learning through fun activities for junior writers of all abilities. Tips - warm up for each with discussion, pictures and perhaps acting out; start with whole-class version; some may need 1-1 support for verse-writing; invite everyone to read out.
Fun, motivating literacy activities for practice and assessment of tricky spellings (e.g. its/it’s, which/witch, and s/es plurals; also practice of lit. techniques - onomatopoeia & alliteration. Handy for pre-SATs or general testing, and year-round literacy development.
Stormy Day poetry format with prompts and gaps to fill, illustrated, in three grades, recommended for ages 6-7, Yr 2. Tried and tested successfully with three Y2 classes of mixed ability.
Warm up with discussion, pictures, opening window to check today’s weather, and acting out. Be the wind, rain, lightning, thunder and finally the welcoming sun coming out. Remember the rainbow too! Discuss simile ideas for the lightning and thunder. Share describing words for the sun at the end - gentle, kind, merry, warm, cheerful…
The wind might be blowing at your coat, howling round the trees, roaring at the washing on the line. The rain might be going pitter-patter, drip-drop, or splish, splash, splosh. The lightning might be as bright as a flashing firework, flame or torch. The thunder could be as loud as drums, a lion’s roar or a popping balloon.
Above all, have fun!
Seaside Creative Writing Sheets - easier/harder:
Seaside writing on wavy lines is fun! Children love using these sheets in my poetry workshops.
The sea is __ and __. It is as sparkly as __. You might find , My sandcastle is as big as a - and more on the harder sheet.
These line-starters open up exciting possibilities for young writers.
See my very simple version too. Many other sea-themed writing sheets here too.
These attractive star pictures are fun to write in, and there are plenty of straight lines to write on - shooting in all directions. The variations are graded in difficulty, with increasing opportunities for words and similes, the hardest having three descriptive lines to complete below, about stars, sky and space. Colouring possibilities are wide open.
Recommended approach: first, in a wide space, ‘be’ stars with your group, pointing, shooting, whirling, glowing, winking, blinking, dancing, spinning. Then prompt for verbs like these, and adjectives, such as spiky, sharp, peaceful, gentle, high up, twinkly, pretty, delicate, dainty, tiny - and different colours. The similes are for sparkly stars and dark space.
The 3-sheet resource has been used with rewarding results in my workshops. They are hand-drawn and home-produced, so don’t expect perfect symmetry!
Transport studies and Literacy development are combined in this attractive writing activity, with line starters:
Through the windscreen of my car, I can see -
Through the porthole of my boat,
Through the window of my submarine,
… the windscreen of my helicopter
… the porthole of my rocket…,
with a generous, wide-spaced line under each for description. Encourage rich, imaginative and relevant description for each one, e.g. for the view from the submarine, perhaps a list of sea creatures and features, with accompanying adjectives. Encourage further entries with views from other vehicles and transport means - crazy ones included - writing on the reverse or extra paper if necessary, firing imagination and creativity as well as interest in the subject.
Round off with illustrations on separate paper.
Best for Juniors (ages 7-11 approx.).