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.
This ghost, in its spooky castle poetry frame, will get your young writers hooked, and the 2 graded versions cater for different ability levels. The clear and spacious gaps for description, and the atmospheric illustrations, will inspire expressive language, as they describe the ghost’s movements through a castle’s passages, dungeon and stairs - and further perhaps. The accompanying Guide Sheet provides an example version of the poem to read out or refer to for prompts. Preparation suggestions for the activity are also given.
Tried and tested with success in many schools.
NB: 2 differentiated frames; guidance notes.
Orange, yellow, purple and black/white/grey are the focus of these catchy, meaningful rhymes. I have written them to help young children identify colours and associate them with familiar items, also triggering ideas and inviting discussion. The rhythms and rhymes serve as introductions to poetry, too. Some of these are best for reading and listening, others for chanting, clapping and acting out.
These 5 simple, rhythmic rhymes focus on everyday concepts. Their titles are: Busy Street, In the Park, Windy Day, Taller and Smaller, and School is for Me.
Each rhyme sheet includes guidance notes.
Suitable for clapping, enacting, word-swapping and performing with embellishments (such as percussion, a tune, or extra actions).
They support the learning areas Understanding the World, Expressive Arts & Design, Literacy, Communication & Language, and Physical Development.
The rhymes (and illustrations) are my own.
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.
These larger-than-life spider pictures are fun to write on, and the Guide offers word prompt ideas for each section.
Both writing sheets invite describing words and action words for spiders, though the pictures are different. On the ‘Spider’ sheet, words can be written on the eight legs; on the ‘Speeding Spider’ sheet, they can be written along the zigzag line of its route over the… floor/grass/path/step? That’s for the child to decide. The first offers colouring opportunities; the second, space for imaginative drawing or shading.
Both sheets are hand-drawn and home-produced, and have been successfully tried out in my workshops.
Haiku poems are easy and fun to write when you know how, and your class will love the syllable-counting fun, too. This 2-page, 10-step guide will see you through the process of introducing the format, practising it with the class and helping them produce their own haiku. There are also suggestions for topic, approach and follow-on poetry-writing. I use the process myself in my workshops, and am always amazed by the fascinating and powerful lines produced.
Recommended for Year 5 upwards - ideally Year 6 and above.
Inspiring spring writing frames, illustrated, in 5 grades.
Opportunities to describe different young animals, as well as daffodils and more, with similes invited and space for individual input.
Prepare by taking children outside on a fine spring day and sharing experiences and observations. Talk about the soft, fresh, fragrant air, the bright, cheerful daffodils, the busy, nesting birds, the budding leaves and crisp, green grass. Look out for buds, insects, squirrels, birds of all kinds, and any other flora or fauna around.
Be the different young animals yourselves, and the budding trees, swaying gently in the breeze. Be birds, butterflies, squirrels and frogs. Have fun!
Invite similes when helping children describe spring features. Lambs are as white as what? Wedding lace? Fluffy clouds? Snowdrops? Daffodils are as yellow as the sun, sunspots, corn, buttercups, lemons.
SEE MY OTHER SPRING SHEETS TOO.
Autumn leaves picture poem activities. Writing and colouring sheets for all stages from Reception to Ys 2-3. Describing words, similes, movement words and more are invited on these beautiful, inspiring, leafy sheets. Supports seasonal study and literacy together.
Warm up tip: combine with outdoor fun watching leaves blowing off trees and gathering fallen ones. Examine, discuss and launch them together, then fly and spin like leaves yourselves, building language and imagery as you go.
Very popular in my workshops.
KS1 Reading, Spelling, Phonics support - 3 sheets, differentiated: Easy, Mid-Level, Hard, for assessment and practice of reading and spelling, in accordance with word types, phonics and spellings for KS1 National Curriculum. Decorated and coloured, child-friendly sheets, taking the fear out of testing and adding fun to learning.
Children will be motivated to sharpen up their own spelling with these fun quizzes. They involve differentiating between words that sound the same but are spelt differently, and words the rhyme - or look as though they rhyme. The 2-page resource includes a checking/sorting challenge and an odd-one-out challenge, with opportunities for children to think up their own spelling quiz questions too.
Ideal for spelling reinforcement, revision and enrichment, and handy for time-fillers and lesson enhancers.
Get your class up and moving in your poetry warm-ups and performances, with this lively mix of poems to read, write and act out. There’s also an 8-point list of outdoor literacy activities for healthy and motivating learning approaches. Approx. age range - lower juniors, and younger as verbal, teacher-led group.
Sunshine and clouds are the focus of this 4-sheet pack. The illustrated writing sheets - or picture poems - provide attractive and accessible means for children to develop their writing and phonics skills, also spurring creativity and stretching active vocabulary. There are colouring opportunities too. The accompanying rhymes can be chanted, clapped, swayed to or enacted, and are recommended (on the Guidance Sheet) as warm-up activities.
The Guidance Sheet offers lists of prompt ideas for each writing sheet, with development suggestions for the cloud one. Suggested preparatory activities are also included.
The sheets are hand-illustrated and home-produced, rather than machine-perfect. All sheets are black-and-white, PDF.
YouTube recording of my poem: ‘What is a Cloud?’ - https://youtu.be/EOKVIktMh10
This 4-pack bundle will enthuse your juniors and able Yr 2s, as they dream up ideas about space, planets and aliens to express with similes on these attractive sheets. Contents: planet poetry frame (easier and harder versions + teacher guide for harder), alien fun sheet, and rhyme bank with example couplets for class verses on the theme.
Shooting stars, planets & aliens feature in these space-themed Literacy activities. There are two action rhymes for EY/KS1 + 3 graded versions of a star picture-poem; for confident/older writers there are 2 fun, illustrated poetry frames of planet and alien respectively. Guidance notes for all.
These are my own designs and rhymes, home-produced, hand-illustrated, successfully tested in schools.
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 two poetry frame sheets have lively, idea-triggering illustrations, and are designed to be fun and accessible to use.
Both invite creative input, in terms of ideas and choice of words. ‘Watch Out for the Giant’ is easier, being shorter and simpler, with the chief focus on description and some giant meal possibilities at the end - suitable for Yr2-3, or as a starter-sheet for older writers to build ideas. ‘The Giant Went…’ sheet is more challenging, though clearly structured, requiring action-words and accompanying similes, as well as description and settings.
Onomatopoeias, alliteration, rhymes within lines, and other poetic techniques can also be employed, and there is scope for all sorts of crazy, giant-themed possibilities in each frame.
The Examples for Use (one sheet per poetry frame) provide whole-poem examples for teachers’ and pupils’ guidance. Suggestions for extending the activities are provided at the end of each.
Children can dream up any under-sea creature, treasure, relic, mystery, beauty or blight they like, to list and describe in these 3, ability-graded, creative-writing sheets. Writing inside the fascinating picture will draw them right into the ocean world, prompting adventurous, experimental language to express their knowledge and thoughts. Will embellish any related projects or events.
Summer Sea Word Bank + Summer Sea Simile Bank, on two separate sheets, each backed with beautiful seaside photo panorama.
Useful for reference and prompts in creative writing lessons and ocean studies.
Words and similes selected by published children’s poet.
I have many other seaside and ocean writing resources here.
3 attractively illustrated creative writing sheets, guided. There are two graded squirrel sheets - harder + easier versions, and a pond picture-poem with lots of writing opportunities to complete or choose between. Fun, familiar topics with plenty of rich writing potential. Great price too!
3 Healthy Eating language and expression resources:
Healthy Eating Word Bank
Healthy Eating Acrostic Writing Frame, with ideas sheet,
Healthy Eating rhyme about oranges to read out and discuss.
These attractive, versatile resources will spice up your healthy eating drive, making it fun and meaningful for children, also supporting literacy development. Present and combine them all in one session for a lively, thought-provoking, entertaining, inspiring lesson.