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.
These four funny, punchy rhymes are about animals (elephants, monkeys and slugs) + a witch. Easy and fun to read, building confidence and nurturing the invaluable habit of reading for pleasure. Great for reading alone or out loud, for listening to, sharing and discussing. Develops rhyme and rhythm sense and encourages writing of rhymes too.
For more, see my others with similar covers.
Four more daft, comical rhymes for school children, each 4 lines long, with punchy rhymes and familiar, popular topics. They offer reading incentives to able and struggling readers alike, promoting all-round literacy. They also raise spirits and encourage communication and sharing.
For more, see my others with similar cover design, including 3-for-2 bundle:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/12-funny-rhymes-12289724
Four funny, punchy, 4-line rhymes by the author. These four are all about supernatural creatures: aliens, giants and fairies. Easy, fun and cheerful reading material, encouraging children to read, and to write their own rhymes too.
For more rhymes in this style, see:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/4-funny-rhymes-12289613
and
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/funny-rhymes-2-12289686
Young children will enjoy thinking up a word or more to complete the phrase - This frog is…, and having a go at writing it on the line provided. More words can be added below, as wanted. Encourage sounding out and emergent writing, rather than accuracy, with this writing activity, to build confidence in independent writing. Perhaps prompt for - green, hoppy, wet, patchy, jumpy, friendly, smiling, splashy or croaking, if ideas are needed. See my other simple writing sheets on wildlife themes for more variety.
Young children will enjoy thinking up a word or more to complete the given phrase - I can see… , and having a go at sounding it out and writing it on the line provided. They can then be rewarded with colouring fun, shading in this fascinating picture. For the writing, encourage children to study the picture and identify some of its features first, then let them choose their favourite one or few to write. Examples to prompt for if needed - a snail, a bird, flowers, grass, leaves, sky, the sun, a ladybird. Able writers could be encouraged to add a describing word or other embellishment.
The resource promotes literacy, fine motor control, colour and shape awareness and an appreciation of the natural world.
Seasonal fun activity to stretch language and creativity! Beautiful autumn leaf picture to write on, with prompts and writing lines. Colouring potential too. Great for wall display. Let children gather, inspect and play with leaves, then write these sheets freely. Prompt for colour words, textures, movements - gliding, spinning, twirling through the sky. (What sort of sky?) Similes invited. Lots of poetic and expressive scope. Promotes calm and joy.
Four humorous 4-line rhymes that children can easily relate to. They’re all about food, spills, mouldy food remains and similar. Through the fun, children will naturally exercise their reading or listening skills. They can also develop their sense of rhythm and rhyme. The lightly humorous tone also promotes relaxation, cheer and joy of reading.
Dragon Rhyme Ideas video: https://youtu.be/iQhtFko3Y4U
This 61-word, springtime story is easy to read.
Newly independent readers will enjoy the little tale unaided, while those on the brink may need a little support as they sound out the words or make semi-informed guesses from the context.
See my other stories for more confidence-building reading practice.
This funny 60-word story is easy to read.
Newly independent readers will enjoy reading it alone, while those on the brink will benefit from adult support as they sound out the words or make wise guesses.
The text offers a wide range of phonics and familiar words, while keeping the reader engaged.
See my other stories for more reading practice.
A woodland poem example, featuring description, presented over a colourful autumn wood photo.
Writing frame also included.
Repetition of the opening line also features in this simple format.
**Offers a framework and idea spurs **for KS2 writers, and for KS1 verbal contributions.
Warm-up: go outside to experience trees (and woods?) with all the senses. Then discuss - what did the children notice? What creatures might live there, and what are they like? How would the trees be in different seasons? What might they be like on Halloween night? Enact trees together, then pretend you’re walking through a wood, finding “treasures”.
You’ll find more poem guides and poetry themes here at my TES shop.
This 60-word story is fun and simple to read.
It tells the story of Waggy the dog’s happy lifestyle, from playing ball with his owner, Emma, to rolling in mud and chasing birds.
Ideal for newly independent readers, and, with guidance, those on the verge of reading. Assorted phonics, spellings, grammar and punctuation included, and a range of simple, familiar vocabulary.
See my other stories too, for variety.
This 48-word story is fun and simple to read, with large, clear text and supportive illustrations. Ideal for newly independent readers and those on the brink, with one-to-one support.
See my other stories in the series - all about Jack, his life and friends, e.g.
https://www.tes.com/resources/search/?authorId=23864398&q=at the zoo&shop=katewilliams_poetry
Note - there are no pictures of hero Jack. Readers are free to imagine him as they like - like them perhaps.
This short, simple story is fun to read.
Ideal for newly independent and emergent readers.
The zoo animals that Jack sees are vividly described in a few, simple words. The funny monkey offers humour too.
Plenty to discuss and follow up. There’s also a little space at the bottom for an extra illustration.
See my other simple stories too, for variety.
This is a simple, 53-word story for young readers and almost-readers. It’s fun and meaningful to read, with supportive illustrations.
The central character, Jack, features in other stories in the series too.
The story features the dentist’s chair, and its exciting movements up and down. In the story, the dentist inspects Jack’s teeth and mends one, and Jack thanks him.
This little reading resource is engaging and relevant to children’s lives. It also encourages tooth care and dental visits.
See my other simple stories in the series, e.g. Ball in the Tree:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/story-ball-in-the-tree-simple-reading-12493185
This phonics writing sheet offers the words ‘tap, pot, lid’ in pale colours for writing over, with extra initial letters for practice. The homely, hand-drawn pictures of these familiar objects will engage children and give meaning to the phonics and letters they’re learning. The pictures can be coloured in.
Help children sound out the words before and after writing over them, to ensure they understand and recognise them.
If interested, have many other phonics writing sheets to browse in this catalogue.
This 14-line poem inspires confidence in beating Covid and its effects. It points out that, while tiring, it’s inspiring - making us stir and think outside the box, warning the virus to be prepared for a battering.
Offers support for students suffering from mental health issues at this time, and opens doors to discussion, writing and general artistic expression.
Recommended for Year 6 upwards.
Written by this author - a published poet.
Simple, cheerful writing sheet. Pale coloured letters to write over, and some to copy below too.
Two short sentences:
the sun is hot
it is happy
Smiley sun and smiley face pictures add to the merriment. Children can also add a face and/or sun in the spaces.
I have many other phonics sheets in this catalogue.
This simple, two-verse rhyme celebrates the colour red, listing some attractive and exciting red items. The tips below include ideas for more red things to prompt for, besides other developments.
The rhyme introduces children to rhythm, rhyme and the concept of poetry, also stretching vocabulary and developing colour awareness. It can be chanted, clapped to a tambourine or drum beat, and even set to music with a simple tune. The items mentioned can also be shaped with hands or, in some cases, enacted.
There is also a cheerful, lively tone to the rhyme, supporting mental wellbeing. Rhythm and rhyme themselves offer a pleasing, reassuring sense of security and order, so this resource also supports PSHE.
This simple, two-verse rhyme about traffic and pedestrians in a busy street provides wide scope for variation and action, stretching vocabulary, dramatic expression, sound awareness, and creativity. The tips below the verses offer handy prompts and ideas for embellishment and development.
Children will develop language skills, including vocabulary-building and dramatic expression. The rhyme also teaches rhythm and rhyme, introducing the concept of poetry. It has a cheerful, upbeat tone, and also encourages physical movement, supporting mental and physical wellbeing. Its theme supports awareness of the outside world, social behaviour and even touches on carbon footprint issues - so there’s plenty to discuss here!
If you have a percussion or musical instrument to hand, you could take the rhyme even further by setting it to music.
Letters and their sounds, c, d, e and f, are presented in pale letters for writing over, alongside pictures of items starting with those letters:
c - car, d - dinosaur, e - elephant, f - fish and frog.
There are no words to read, just letters and their associated pictures, helping children make meaningful links between phonics and their uses. The dinosaur can be coloured in, adding to the fun of this attractive sheet.
For more, see my many other phonics sheets, including one for a, b, c and d. This one revisits the c and d, moving on to e and f too.