Raising standards in KS1 and Special Needs: helping every child to succeed.
I have taught systematic phonics to all ages and abilities for over 30 years. My teaching degree was in Environmental Studies and I hate to see science reduced to box-ticking when there is so much to discover about the wonderful world we live in.
So, I produce Phonic resources that meet the real needs of children and teachers, along with science resources to engage children in learning about the natural world.
Raising standards in KS1 and Special Needs: helping every child to succeed.
I have taught systematic phonics to all ages and abilities for over 30 years. My teaching degree was in Environmental Studies and I hate to see science reduced to box-ticking when there is so much to discover about the wonderful world we live in.
So, I produce Phonic resources that meet the real needs of children and teachers, along with science resources to engage children in learning about the natural world.
Frog-life-cycle worksheets for Y1:
Stick the pictures of the frog’s life-cycle in order - 2 choices of format.
A life-cycle mat for display, or to stimulate discussion/writing
A frog development poster/mat for display/discussion
A sheet on which to write descriptive words about a frog.
A picture to colour for early finishers.
Use with our Frog-Life-cycle PowerPoint for Y1 and Y2!
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12410937
Young children are always fascinated by frog spawn and frogs.
Life-cycles is not just for Y2!
These sheets help teach the Science National curriculum for Y1:
KS1 Overview:
To enable pupils to experience and observe phenomena, looking more closely at the natural and humanly-constructed world around them. They should be encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice.
*
Y1: Animals, including humans
Statutory requirements
identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals
identify and name a variety of common animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores
These frog Life-cycle worksheets can be used in mixed Y1/Y2 classes when Y2 children are learning about frog life-cycle, or in Y1 classes.
Watch and learn the seasonal changes in an Apple Tree that lead to the formation of apples.
32 slide PowerPoint. Helps children to learn
The life cycle of an apple tree through winter, spring, summer and autumn with beautiful pictures. Watch leaves unfolding day by day and then see the blossom appear.
How apples grow on trees: watch the development of apples from the swelling at the base of the flower, through to ripe, juicy apples.
Learn the parts of an apple tree: leaves, buds, sepals, fruit, seeds, blossom, flowers,
Learn simply about pollination and the concept of seed dispersal
Great in Y1 to teach changes through the seasons.
Great in Y2 to
Help pupils to use the local environment throughout the year to observe how different plants grow. (Plants: Notes and guidance (non-statutory))
Begin to introduce the idea of food chains and how animals and plants in a habitat depend upon each other ( insects pollinating the flowers and animals eating the fruit and helping to disperse the seeds, seeds). These are not discussed in depth, but the PowerPoint could be used as a springboard to further explore these subjects.
This powerpoint is provided in two formats, narrated and un-narrated with narration notes supplied in PDF form as well as being written under each slide so that you can use presenter mode.
Suitable for use in either autumn or spring.
See our other life-cycle Lesson resources and Powerpoints:
Life-cycle of a Horse Chestnut Tree
Apples
Frogs
Daffodils
Butterflies
20 Autumn topic word cards for use however you wish:
display
flashcards
to aid with writing
etc… etc…
Phonetically coded to help early readers.
See our phonetically coded Autumn Word Mat too!
This 34- page Y1 teaching resource pack, based on Blackbirds, will help children to use the local environment throughout the year to explore and answer questions about animals in their habitat. It can be used to teach both science and English: reading and writing non-fiction.
Contains:
Two lesson outlines (but material for more)
3 differentiated factual reading pages (print A 3 and fold into A4, or print 2x A4)
The story of Blackbirds nesting (4 A4 pages with text and drawings)
1 page mini black and white pictures of the nesting story for ordering/writing about)
2 colouring pages
3 differentiated Blackbird Facts worksheets
4 differentiated reading comprehension sheets (based on the factual reading pages and matched in ability
2 differentiated writing sheets for factual writing
5 Photographs
Helps children to ask questions and find answers, first through observation and then from other sources. Learn about
colour/identification
what Blackbirds eat
where they live,
how they move and
nesting behaviour.
The pack will:
Help you to fully embrace the non-statutory guidance for the Year 1 National Curriculum for Science as well as teaching the statutory requirements.
Bring Science alive and help you to deliver excellent lessons based on squirrels in the local environment.
Use with our 41-slide Blackbird PowerPoint!
Get more hints and tips about teaching your lesson at KS1 Nature:
https://ks1nature.weebly.com/science-lessons/blackbirds-a-complete-lesson-for-ks1
Designed to appeal to the Y1 child, gently introducing key vocabulary.
Written by an Environmental Education, Early Years specialist (ages 3 to 8) who understands how children learn.
Year 1: Science curriculum covered:
• identify and name a variety of common animals, including birds.
• describe and compare the structure of a variety of common animals (including birds).
Identify and name a variety of common animals that are …omnivores.
Once the Blackbird has been studied you can compare it to other birds, or even other animals in the local environment.
See our Squirrel Resources fro Y1 here:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12742537
Brought to you by KS1 Nature: Helping teachers teach science, naturally, through the local environment.
This is a pack of 12 phonic worksheets to teach ‘O-E’ (silent ‘e’, Magic ‘e’, Long Vowels) words.
These ‘O-E’ Phonic Worksheets can be used with very young children, although I made them for children who have processing difficulties and need more systematic teaching.
They are:
highly systematic
have a limited amount on each page as these pupils tire easily.
Pupils should be confident blending with consonant blends (Phase 4 Letters and Sounds for example).
I use ‘Sound-it-out boxes’ for new words, where digraphs are grouped together to give the child the visual reminder to make one sound.
The worksheets include activities to:
Develop blending and segmenting
Give needed repetition to to develop word recognition
Develop phonemic awareness - much needed by early learners
Tracking activities - to see and recognise the new sound in words
Comprehension activities
Writing practice
Reading of longer passages
Fluency triangles
Lots of repetition builds confidence and success! Help a struggling reader today.
You will find it hard to find such a comprehensive programme of systematic phonic instruction for a special needs child for such a price.
A pack of 40 ‘L Blends’ Phonic Worksheets - differentiated so plenty for all abilities.
These phonic worksheets are for any pupil of any age, including those with a special need.
The worksheets cover:
bl; cl; fl; gl; pl; sl.
There is a selection of varied tasks for each blend and then a mix of activities to help children read and spell L-blend words with a short vowel sound.
See it! Sound-it-out! Write it! is my powerful 3-step process.
These L belnds worksheets are intended to be used in a multisensory capacity so needed by young children, in which the child sees the sound/word, feels the sound with the mouth parts, and then traces/writes it.
My ‘sound-it-out’ boxes help to visually group sounds in words, guiding the pupil’s attention to the sounds to help them to sound out effectively.
These structured worksheets take the pupil through the following stages:
Hear the L Blend in familiar words (to familiarise the child with the sound)
Write the L Blend (writing adds a multisensory dimension so needed by these pupils)
Sort words by initial consonant (hearing and writing)
Decoding words with initial L-Blends
Writing/spelling words with the initial L-Blend
Reading sentences containing initial L-Blend words
Reading longer passages containing initial L-Blend words
Suitable for use with any recognised phonic programme, inc RWI, and Letters and Sounds.
111 SH, CH and TH consonant digraph phonic worksheets for use with any program including RWI Set 1 Speed sounds and Letters and Sounds Phase 3.
This pack contains:
38 SH worksheets
34 CH Worksheets
10 Miced SH/CH worksheets
14 TH worksheets
14 Mixed SH/CH/TH worksheets
Each of the single sound worksheets is discrete, not requiring knowledge of any other digraph.
These SH, CH and TH consonant digraph worksheets give simple, but effective practice in:
Reading and spelling basic SH, CH and TH words
Tracking the SH, CH and TH sounds in words and sentences
Proofreading
*Reading sentences and longer passages
Comprehension
Writing sentences using SH, CH and TH words.
All are provided through a variety of exercises - no room for boredom - and plenty for those who challenging along with those who need more practice.
These worksheets can help you teach the SH, CH and TH sounds to any ability or age including EFL/ESL learners.
Find SH, CH and TH activities suitable for all abilities, especially special needs including dyslexia.
The worksheets assume no knowledge of other digraphs
Two SH, CH and TH worksheets for most activities: one without consonant blend words, and one with consonant blend words
Suitable for Special Needs/intervention work
Suitable for homework to practice work given in class
These worksheets have been made as I have worked with children of differing abilities, finding out the things that children get stuck on and need help to work through, as well as those things that help to integrate phonic skills into reading and writing. Find the right worksheet for each child, so that every child can succeed.
This game practices spelling words with ee or ea. Suitable for use with Read, Write inc. Set 3 words, or Letters and Sounds Phase 5 words.
Be the first to pick all the apples on your tree as you decide whether a word is in the ee or the ea sound family.
This game helps children to learn which combination of letters to use to spell common words in the ‘ea’ and ‘ee’ sound families.
Excellent for reluctant learners, special needs, and just about all children.
Full instructions and teaching notes included.
For use with any phonic programme, including Read, Write Inc. and Jolly Phonics.
3 differentiated worksheets to teach KS1 children to label the parts of a tree when they are visible in winter.
4 parts taught: branches, trunk, crown and twigs.
See our blogpost for more help to teach children to identify trees by their structure in winter. Become a Nature explorer yourself too!
https://ks1nature.weebly.com/free-science-lessons/trees-in-winter-for-kids
A pack of simple games to help teach children the initial sounds.
Everything provided.
Games can be played by 2 players, or an adult with a child. They are great for sending home to reinforce work done in class, or for use by teaching assistants.
They can also be enlarged and used for whole class/group teaching activities.
Several games are suggested, but you can make up your own using the given materials!
If you can enlarge them to A3 it would make them more suitable for really tiny fingers.
A simple game to help children over the tedium of learning to blend, giving plenty of practice blending CVC words, while having fun.
An updated version of a classic game!
Youc an just play as a board game with the fish cards scattered on the table or add more fu by making your own simple rod with a stick, string and magnet and pop a paperclip on each fish.
Over 90+ words included so you will never get bored!
Target the medial sound that each pupil needs practice of.
Yes, Y1 can study the life-cycle of a frog.
If frogs or frogspawn captures your children’s interest then use it to teach KS1 Science. Just because the National Curriculum says do life-cycles in Y2, it does not mean you cannot touch the subject in Y1! Much can be learnt that can actually covers the Y1 Science Curriculum!
KS1 Overview:
To enable pupils to experience and observe phenomena, looking more closely at the natural and humanly-constructed world around them. They should be encouraged to be curious and ask questions about what they notice.
Y1: Animals, including humans
Statutory requirements
identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals
identify and name a variety of common animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.
Y1 Science is all about arousing interest in the world around the child - use whatever is at hand, such as…
Butterflies: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12679180
Conkers: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12239335
Squirrels: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12742537
Two PowerPoints suitable for use when teaching about Seasons/weather/changing levels of light through the year.
Covers many areas of science:
Seasons:
Learn what changes to look out for across the four seasons
Learn that days get shorter and longer throughout the year
How this affects the weather
How the seasons affect us: what we wear/what we do
How the seasons affect plants and animals
Light and Dark
Darkness is the absence of light
The sun is the main source of light on Planet Earth
Reminds pupils never to look directly at the sun
The sun provides warmth too - or Earth would be very cold
Why plants need the sun: to make food to help them reproduce
Creatures of the day (the need for survival)
Shadows - how they are formed
Plants and animals that prefer the shade and why (the need for survival)
Creatures of the night
Nocturnal (the need for survival)
Both with full narration notes plus notes under slides for use in Presenter View.
22 ‘ck’ fully differentiated worksheets, for use with any phonic programme. Written for those just beginning to blend, e.g Letters and sounds Phases 2 -4 and RWI Speed Set 1, Special friends. These worksheets cater for the needs of the average class and special needs.
The worksheets give practice in:
Reading and spelling ck words
Tracking the ck sound in words and sentences
Proofreading
Comprehension
Writing sentences using ck words.
These worksheets are simple, but effective. For use by teachers and private tutors.
Find activities suitable for all abilities
Assume no knowledge of other digraphs
Two worksheets for most activities: one without consonant blend words, and one with consonant blend words.
Suitable for Special Needs/intervention work/homework.
If you have already purchased our big book of Phases 3 and 4 worksheets for Letters and Sounds, you may have a few of these sheets, but this pack contains mainly new/changed material.
Here is a bundle of over 90 worksheets to teach number recognition, formation and simple addition and subtraction.
The worksheets provide unashamedly, old-fashioned maths teaching that is time proven to help all pupils, including those with a special need, to develop strong, foundational maths skills.
Suitable for use as individual worksheets in class, or as a workbook for home-school use.
See individual products for full contents details.
18 weather-related worksheets and puzzles covering 6 areas of weather:
•What is the weather like today?
•Hot and Cold
•What shall I wear today?
•It’s Windy
•It’s Raining
•General Weather
3 Worksheets for each:
1 easy activity for younger children/lower ability,
2 word searches, 1 easy and 1 harder.
Use for a topic on weather, or as early finisher activities at any time of the year.
The harder words searches were originally written for a class of Y3 children so can be used with that age group too.
These worksheets are included in the Weather Project Pack but are listed here separately for those who only want the worksheets.
Six phonics games to help children learn initial sounds for use with Read Write Inc Learning Set 1 sounds or any phonic programme. You may think up others of your own using the materials given.
It contains games:
to help with ordering the alphabet,
learning initial sounds,
helping children with b/d confusion and
learning the vowel sounds.
Matching objects to letters
Easy to make and play!
These games are very versatile: they can be enlarged for whole class/small group use, or used by parents/classroom assistants on a one-to-one basis, or with a pair of children. They could even be sent home in book bags for the child to play with a parent, reinforcing classroom work.
They provide the teacher with ample assessment while working with the children.
The games are already coloured in. Just print, cut and play! All you need is in the pack. Full instructions provided and tips on how to help your child/ren.
These games work well with my Initial Sounds Worksheets - 70 differentiated phonic worksheets for all ages.
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-11998343
Five phonic games to help pupils read and spell words with consonant blends (short vowel sound only). Suitable for use with Read, Write Inc.
Make Phonics learning fun and help it to stick!
These games have all been written by a special needs teacher, who knows exactly where children get stuck and what is needed to help them progress. The children will not know they are learning!
These games work wonderfully to help disillusioned readers succeed, but great for helping all children Pre K to 2nd grade and older special needs pupils.
Great for book bags, for use by classroom assistants and for the home-school.
Supplied in pdf format, all ready coloured in. Just print and play! These games are very simple to play but very effective. Full instructions provided and tips on how to help your child/ren.
See our Games for teaching Initial Sounds and CVC words too!
Help your child/ren learn to count and write the numbers 6 to 10 - suitable for home or school use. 32 worksheets.
Each number is introduced and then practiced to build confidence and ensure success.
Includes:
Learning to write numbers
Matching 1 to 1
Ordering
Biggest/smallest
Number patterns
The easy, clear format is suitable for all ages and abilities - including those with learning difficulties.
Reinforces classwork - schools can print individual pages for home or school use.
Parents can download and print themselves as an early maths workbook.
Teachers can print out individual sheets as required.
See also
Count 0 to 5
Beginning addition and subtraction
34 Autumn themed number worksheets/workbook for EYFS/KS1/special needs.
Suitable for home-learning.
This book includes worksheets to teach:
Recognising and forming numbers 0 to 10
Plenty of counting practice
Introducing addition and subtraction
Introducing multiplying and dividing (sharing)
Either print a whole book for a child, or use as individual worksheets to meet a need.
This pack of worksheets is sure to delight children this autumn. Featuring conkers, acorns, cones, leaves and squirrels, and giving heaps of counting practice alongside learning to add and subtract, share and group, it is a must for every Pre-K/K class!
Works well with our other Numbers books, learning numbers 0 to 5, 6 to 10 and Beginning Addition and Subtraction.