I am an experienced Primary school teacher with over twenty years experience in EYFS, KS1 and KS2. I have made and used all of the interactive topic based lesson plans, power-points and resources in this shop with my classes. I hope you enjoy using them with your classes too.
I am an experienced Primary school teacher with over twenty years experience in EYFS, KS1 and KS2. I have made and used all of the interactive topic based lesson plans, power-points and resources in this shop with my classes. I hope you enjoy using them with your classes too.
How to write a biography. Upper KS2. Set of five complete lessons with all worksheets and pupil resources. Includes a Biography checklist, sample biographies about Queen Victoria and Nelson Mandela, a blank biography spider-gram, blank planning templates (scaffolded) and a fact sheet about Mary Anning. The series of lessons include opportunities for pupils to give peer feedback and analyse two sample biographies.
I have used these with Y5 and Y6 and have also extended the unit to include famous people which the children asked for or who we were covering in topic work eg Louis Pasteur, famous explorers/sports achievers.
Learning objectives.
Lesson 1
• To explain what a ‘biography’ is in my own words.
• To name people who have had a biography written about them.
• To list the features of a biography.
• To identify the features in a short biography of a famous person.
Lesson 2
• To explain what a ‘biography’ is in my own words.
• To recall the features of a biography.
• To plan then write a biography about someone in my family and use the checklist to include the main features.
• To give helpful feedback to my partner.
Lesson 3
• To read a biography about Nelson Mandela.
• To use the Biography Checklist and identify whether the main features have been included in the biography about Nelson Mandela.
• To identify areas where the biography could be improved.
Lesson 4
• To choose a famous person for a biography.
• To plan your ideas on a writing frame and listen to the feedback about the features from your partner.
• To write an interesting biography which includes all of the main features.
Lesson 5
• To use the factsheet about Mary Anning, taking out information which would be interesting in a biography.
• To write an interesting biography about Mary Anning which includes all of the main features of a biography.
Series of 6 Y2 and KS2 powerpoint lessons on the topic of Easter. Each lesson includes the timings for each activity at the top of each slide. There are opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively in every lesson and record and share their ideas and knowledge.
Lesson 1: (30 mins) focuses on celebrations and Easter as a celebration and begins with an initial assessment based on pupil starting points. Pupils work in small groups of 2 or 3 and create a Spider diagram and Mind Map to record their knowledge. There is an opportunity for group feedback at the end of the lesson.
Lesson 2: (30 mins) focuses on the Easter story told through a link to a story on YouTube. The pupils raise questions about the story and have a P4C debate. There are Teacher notes on slides 14 and 15 to help shape the debate session.
Lesson 3: (30mins) focuses on Holy Week through images and key questions on each slide. There is a short YouTube clip on how to make a Palm cross. The pupils will need green activity paper or card and glue.
Lesson 4: (40 mins) focuses on Maundy Thursday and the Last Supper. There is a 20 min research activity based on the painting ‘The last Supper’ (naming the disciples and finding out their responses to Jesus). Pupils will need access to books about this subject and the internet. There are opportunities for pupils to explore responses and feelings to different aspects of the story leading into the Resurrection. A template on slide 35 can be printed for pupil recording.
Lesson 5: (60 mins) focuses on the Christian symbol of the cross with a 45min Hot Cross Buns baking activity which can be either as a Teacher demonstration or as a group task.
Lesson 6: (40 mins) focuses on how Easter is celebrated today and explores some of the traditions such as Easter Bunny, lambs, chocolate eggs, daffodils etc. There are key questions for pupils to discuss in small groups and an end of unit assessment using all the information they have learnt in lessons 1-6 in the design of an Easter poster.
The final slide offers an additional Easter creative activity for pupils to follow instructions to make an Easter sheep for a card or a display. I used activity with the class when a group was completing research (Lesson 4) and a group were making Hot cross Buns (from Lesson5) with a Teaching Assistant).
I have also included a blank easter egg colouring template and an easter bunny and chick colouring template.
China today: Series of 6 KS2 power-point Geography lessons.
Each lesson is broken into short focused activities. There are opportunities for pupils to recall prior learning, participate in a short quiz, take notes from a YouTube clip, scrutinise and compare population graphs and weather charts (included on slides), research native animals and use maps and atlases to locate China’s key cities and geographical features. Each lesson has supporting worksheets, written tasks and paired ‘talk’ activities. Each set of slides contain images to help pupils ‘get a feel’ for the geography of China as well as simple cultural information such as greetings in Mandarin at the beginning and end of lessons.
Great to link with cross curricular topics such as ‘Ancient civilizations’, ‘Asia’, ‘Weather’.
Lesson 1
Learning Objectives
I must find China in my atlas.
I should recognise some of the features of China.
I could describe where China is in the world using geographical words.
Lesson 2
Learning objectives
I must be able to spot the main features of China.
I should find and label the features on my map.
I could write a description about two features.
Lesson 3
Learning Objectives
To identify the different climate zones in China.
To describe and explain the climate found in each zone.
To explain the temperature in different locations.
To interpret a climate data and temperature chart
Lesson 4
Learning objectives:
I must explain the definition of the term ‘population’.
I should interpret the population table and identify how the physical features affect where people live in China.
I could compare population information and explain how the population has changed in China over 50 years.
Lesson 5
Learning Objectives
I must explain the definition of the term ‘population’, ‘climate’ and ‘weather’.
I must order the ten most populated cities in China.
I should explain how the location of Chinese cities affects population size.
I could explain how the weather and climate affects the lifestyle of the Chinese people.
Lesson 6
Learning Objectives
I must identify some features of natural beauty in China.
I should identify and research some of the areas of natural beauty which come from China.
OR
I should identify and research some of the animal, fish and birds which come from China.
Australia today: Series of 6 KS2 power-point Geography lessons.
Each lesson is broken into short focused activities with supporting worksheets and maps. There are opportunities for pupils to recall prior learning, participate in a short quiz, take notes from a YouTube clip, scrutinise and compare population graphs and weather charts (included on slides), research native animals and use maps and atlases to locate Australia’s key cities and geographical features. Each set of slides contain images to help pupils ‘get a feel’ for the geography of Australia as well as simple cultural information such as greetings in at the beginning and end of lessons.
Great to link with cross curricular topics such as ‘Indigenous people’, ‘Rainforests’, ‘Weather’, ‘Deserts’ etc.
Lesson 1
Learning Objectives
I must find Australia in my atlas.
I should recognise some of the features of Australia.
I could describe where Australia is in the world using geographical words.
Lesson 2
Learning objectives
I must be able to spot the main features of Australia.
I should find and label the features on my map.
I could write a description about two features.
Lesson 3
Learning Objectives
I must describe a tropical climate.
I should explain the temperature in different locations.
I could interpret the climate data and temperature chart for each month.
Lesson 4
Learning objectives:
I must explain the definition of the term ‘population’.
I should interpret the population table and identify the challenges for living in Australia.
I could compare population graphs for Australian cities and explain population issues.
Lesson 5
Learning Objectives
I must explain the definition of the term ‘population’, ‘tropical climate’ and ‘weather’.
I must order the ten most populated cities in Australia.
I should explain how the location of Australian cities affects population size.
I could explain how the weather and climate support the life of the Australian people.
Lesson 6
Learning Objectives
I must identify some features of natural beauty in Australia.
I should identify and research some of the areas of natural beauty which come from Australia.
OR
I should identify and research some of the animal, fish and birds which come from Australia.
Africa today: Series of 6 KS2 power-point Geography lessons.
Each lesson is broken into short focused activities. There are opportunities for pupils to recall prior learning, participate in a short quiz, take notes from a YouTube clip, scrutinise and compare population graphs and weather charts (included on slides), research native animals and use maps and atlases to locate Africa’s countries and geographical features. Each set of slides contain images to help pupils ‘get a feel’ for the geography of Africa as well as simple information such as greetings flags of countries in the different regions at the beginning of lessons.
Great to link with cross curricular topics such as Continents, Deserts, Weather, Animals, Tourism etc.
Lesson 1 There are 4 supporting pupil worksheets with this lesson.
Learning Objectives
I must find Africa in my atlas.
I should recognise some of the countries and features of Africa.
I could describe where Africa is in the world using geographical words
Lesson 2 Two supporting worksheets and a short class warm up quiz.
Learning objectives
I can explain the 5 main areas of Africa.
I should find and label some of the countries from each region on my map.
I can shade a map showing the features of Africa.
Lesson 3 There are 2 supporting pupil worksheets with this lesson.
Learning Objectives
To identify the different climate zones in Africa.
To describe and explain the climate found in each zone.
To explain the temperature in different locations.
To interpret a climate data and temperature chart.
Lesson 4 : 1 pupil worksheet and mapwork
Learning objectives:
I must explain the definition of the term ‘population’.
I should interpret the population table and identify the challenges for living in Egypt.
I could compare population graphs for Egyptian cities and explain population issues.
Lesson 5: 1 pupil worksheet and discussion activities.
Learning Objectives
I must explain the definition of the term ‘population’, ‘desert climate’ and ‘weather’.
I should explain how the geography of Africa determines where people settle.
I must be able to say how Africa’s natural resources helps people make a living.
I should explain how tourism supports the African people.
I could name important African exports.
Lesson 6
Learning Objectives One pupil worksheet. Research task with grid and quiz task.
I must identify some features of natural beauty in Africa.
I should identify and research some of the areas of natural beauty which come from Africa.
OR
I should identify and research some of the animal, fish and birds which come from Africa.
Chinese New Year Bundle
Powerpoint 1: KS1 and KS2 Assembly/Lesson.
A simply written whole school assembly to cover the main aspects of Chinese New Year . Can be used as a stand-alone lesson. Music can be easily slotted in (link included). 37 slides include:
Music (links to Chinese Dragon Dance, Festival music) and hymns.
Geographical information about China’s location in the world .
Lunar calendar, Chinese zodiac, Chinese New Year celebrations and traditions, Lantern festival.
Poem ‘Chinese New Year’ by Wendy Larmont.
A short prayer.
Powerpoint 2: Animals of the zodiac KS1 and KS2 Assembly/ Lesson.
A story of how the 12 animals were chosen to represent the years on the Chinese Calendar. Can be used as a stand- alone lesson. Links to royalty free music included.
27 slides include:
Links to Chinese Dragon Dance, Festival music and hymns.
The Jade Emperor’s race and the animals who enter it.
Zodiac wheel and animals which represent the dates.
A short prayer.
Resource 1 : Glossary workbook
A stand- alone lesson on glossaries or part of topic on Chinese New Year.
Activities are organised into a short workbook.
Learning objectives:
To know that a glossary is an alphabetical list of words with definitions found in a non-fiction book.
To put words in alphabetical order.
To match words about Chinese New Year to the correct definitions.
Page 1. An information page about Chinese New Year.
Page 2. Vocabulary relating to Chinese New Year. 4 words to order alphabetically and set out as a glossary.
Page 3. Questions about vocabulary.
Page 4. Alphabetical order guide for pupils.
Page 5. Create 3 questions from the information text to ask a partner to include words from the glossary cards.
Set of 16 ‘Chinese New Year’ glossary cards for pupils to cut out and order into alphabetical order.
Page 6. Answers - alphabetical order.
Resource 2. Picture writing descriptions (paragraphs).
Four images to stimulate language and descriptive paragraph writing.
Resource 3. Three different worksheets with 3 different images (9 images in total) with key vocabulary for each image to support writing.
Resource 4. Set of 12 Chinese animal zodiac cards with picture of the animal and their personality/ characteristics.
Resource 5. What is your Chinese zodiac sign? Pupils can work out their animal year and write it in Chinese letters.
Resource 6 Write your name in Chinese characters. Not an exact match but will give children an idea of how the Chinese alphabet is structured.
Resource 7. Chinese zodiac animal code breaking maths (20 questions in total to practice place value and rounding 10, 100. Multiplication and division using 2 and3 digit numbers. Decimal multiplication. Answers included.
Resource 8. Instructions make a simple fortune cookie.
Resource 9 The traditional tale of Nian the Lion the basis for the traditions of Chinese New Year. Can be read aloud, small group guided reading or as a factsheet or comprehension text or Drama starting point.
Crime and Punishment ‘Witch Trial’ resource pack.
The pack is based around a fictional short story set in 1649 and based on true events. A ‘Witch-Picker’ travels from Edinburgh to the North of England carrying out witch trials which resulted in the execution of over 100 people. The story includes a historical context and notes.
I wrote the story myself after being unable to find resources which helped pupils understand the concepts, beliefs, fear and motivation surrounding the persecution of individuals as witches in the 17th century rather than focus on the gore and horror of punishment.
The resource pack includes:
• Short story and historical notes.
• Historical information power-point about witches in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Seven pupil resources:
• Pupil worksheet to summarise the historical context of the story.
• Glossary Activity
• Glossary cards
• Courtroom drama activity and resources for pupils.
• Pupil activity about how the witch picker was so powerful.
• Pupil activity – Thought Pyramid and questions for small group discussion (6 sets).
• Pupil activity – match the crime to the punishment.
India today: Series of 6 KS2 power-point Geography lessons.
Each lesson is broken into short focused activities. There are opportunities for pupils to recall prior learning, participate in a short quiz, take notes from a YouTube clip, scrutinise and compare population graphs and weather tables (included on slides), research native animals and use maps and atlases to locate India’s key cities and geographical features. Each set of slides contain images to help pupils ‘get a feel’ for the geography of India as well as simple cultural information such as a greeting in Indian (Hindi) at the beginning and end of lessons.
Great to link with cross curricular topics such as ‘India’, ‘Rainforests’, ‘Weather’, ‘Ghandi’ etc.
Lesson 1
Learning Objectives
I must find India in my atlas.
I should recognise some of the features of India.
I could describe where India is in the world using geographical words.
Lesson 2
Learning objectives
I must be able to spot the main features of India.
I should find and label the features on my map.
I could write a description about two features.
Lesson 3
Learning Objectives
I must describe a tropical climate.
I should explain the temperature in different locations.
I could interpret the climate data and temperature chart for each month.
Lesson 4
Learning objectives:
I must explain the definition of the term ‘population’.
I should interpret the population table and identify the challenges for living in India.
I could compare population graphs for Indian cities and explain population issues.
Lesson 5
Learning Objectives
I must explain the definition of the term ‘population’, ‘tropical climate’ and ‘weather’.
I must order the ten most populated cities in India.
I should explain how the location of Indian cities affects population size.
I could explain how the weather and climate support the life of the Indian people.
Lesson 6
Learning Objectives
I must identify some features of natural beauty in India.
I should identify and research some of the areas of natural beauty which come from India.
OR
I should identify and research some of the animal, fish and birds which come from India.
Tudor History full Y6 6-8 weeks unit of work ‘Off with their heads!’ covering the following learning objectives:
• To know the names and order of the Tudor monarchs.
• To know who was important in Tudor government and which people were the most powerful.
• To understand why it was important for Henry V111 to marry Catherine of Aragon.
• To explain why Henry V111 needed a healthy male heir and consider solutions.
• To order the names of Henry V111’s wives and children and explain whether Henry’s marriages solved his problems.
• To explain how and why the religion of England changed during Henry V111’s reign.
• To explain how England was ruled after Henry V111’s death.
• To consider the reign of Mary Tudor and judge the impact of her rule on England.
The power-point contains 98 slides which include the 6/8 week planning grid. There are interactive pupil tasks, prepared factsheets to guide pupil research, a range of worksheets and tasks to scaffold the Tudor family tree, ruling hierarchy etc. Also sentence starter exercises and drama activities, sorting activities (Catholic and Protestant), letter and portrait discussion stimulus and link to You tube clip. There are also opportunities for pupils to complete written tasks and summaries.
My class of Y6 enjoyed these lessons and particularly engaged with the drama tasks of Conscience Alley and Hot Seating.
Resource 1 Halloween powerpoint lesson. Fully resourced with 9 pupil worksheets.Learning objectives
• To know the origins of Halloween.
• To compare long ago Halloween customs, superstitions and rituals with those celebrated today.
• To create and perform spells and spine-chilling descriptions about Halloween.
• To work co-operatively with a partner or small group to discuss answers and ideas about Halloween and create a short role play.
Fun, interactive lesson which begins with pupil experiences of Halloween. Simple historical origins, customs and superstitions are introduced through riddles, mapwork, completing captions in speech bubbles, role play and idea showers. There are opportunities for pupils to complete structured written tasks and develop literacy ideas through writing spells (using ‘the witches’ from MacBeth) and short descriptions. The lesson includes nine pupil worksheet activities which link (optional) to the lesson and include a creepy picture description, Haunted house spine chilling vocabulary, witch / monster descriptive template, Halloween activity mat (jumbled words, wordsearch, maze, pumpkin decorating, draw the other half), a spell template, co-ordinates activity, Pumpkin acrostic poem template and a 32 card Halloween Quiz.
This lesson can also be broken into 2-3 lessons if all of the templates are used.
Resource 2: Halloween Quiz of 32 quiz cards
Resource 3: Horror Story Planning Template
Resource 4: Bats 2 week planning grid including learning objectives and ideas for a topic on Bats.
Resource 5: Bats Factsheet.
Resource 6: Halloween wordsearch x2