Pupils have to read a paragraph from chapter one and change the verb tense from present to past tense. The challenge is to carry on the story using past tense. Class discussion on the effect of changing the tense is recommended before attempting the activity!

Thomas is trapped in a room but we don’t know why or how he has got there . . . This resource can be used in a number of ways: as a story starter for a suspense / mystery story; for an example of creating empathy for a character; for a stimulus for a cold / independent write, etc. I have used it as part of a wider drama scenario, whereby Tom has been arrested (wrongly) for shoplifting and is awaiting his mum whilst locked in the manager’s drab office, all alone with his mind racing . . .

There are 4 plays for use with Upper Key Stage Two: Palm Sunday - 4 speaking parts Palm Sunday - 7 speaking parts Good Friday - 13 speaking parts Peter’s Denial - 8 speaking parts The plays can be used in guided reading sessions, as part of drama and R.E. lessons or even as class assemblies. The two Palm Sunday plays are similar, with one being longer and having more speaking parts. They both use the modern day concept of ‘Live News’ reporting for dramatic effect. Peter’s Denial and Good Friday could be acted out in small groups or read as a class.

This is a bundle of 4 activities based on a 21 page powerpoint presentation and a non fiction text called, ‘Why don’t penguins feel the cold?’ The PP could be used as a starter or discussion activity or as a stand alone activity. The other activities include: * Cloze procedure - 10 missing words * Dictionary Challenge * Cartoon picture - invent a caption There are also lots of opportunities, within this pack, for pupils to practise their non fiction writing .

This resource will help children to write their own rhyming, nonsense poems modelled on the Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear. There sre 2 basic resources to use: An exemplar of a poem written in the style of The Owl and the Pussycat, called The Dog and the Budgie. It could be displayed on the whiteboard alongside the original or printed out for discussion. A cloze procedure activity to help lower attaining pupils to succeed in the activity. I have also included a Twinkl PP of the original poem, to use or delete as necessary.

A comprehension exercises based on chapter four, with an extension challenge based on spelling / editing. There are 21 comprehension questions with 25 marks available, allowing for an easy percentage score to be found! Can be used as guided reading, independent work, whole class teaching, homework or assessment. Answer sheets included for the comprehension and challenge.

A comprehension exercise based on chapter three, with an extension challenge based on the use of a dictionary. There are 20 comprehension questions with 25 marks available, allowing for an easy percentage score to be found! Could be used in independent work, guided reading sessions, whole class teaching, homework or an assessment activity. Answer sheets included.

A comprehension exercises based on chapter five, with an extension challenge based on vibrant verbs There are 20 comprehension questions with 25 marks available, allowing for an easy percentage score to be found! Can be used in guided reading, independent work, whole class teaching, homework or assessment. Answer sheets included for the comprehension and challenge.

A comprehension exercises based on chapter two, with an extension challenge based on compound words, There are 21 comprehension questions with 25 marks available, allowing for an easy percentage score to be found! Can be used in independent work, whole class teaching, homework or an assessment activity. Answer sheets included for the comprehension and challenge.

Suitable for Years 4-6 and helps to support the skill of note taking. Pupils love the latest text message abbreviations so will enjoy working in pairs to find all the abbreviations contained in this worksheet. It is a worksheet in 2 halves, the second activity is simpler and can be used to support pupils with SEN.

Useful for topic - based literacy lessons. Could also be used to stimulate non fiction writing. First comprehension has detailed non fiction text followed by 10 questions. Second comprehension consists of 20 cloze procedure missing words. Third and fourth comprehensions look at the human ear and are both on the same A4 worksheet - cut in half to differentiate.

Two comprehension exercises based on chapter one, with extension challenges, suitable for Y5/6 Comprehension 1 - based on pages 7 to 13. There are 25 marks available with a Dictionary Challenge extension activity. Comprehension 2 - based on pages 13 to 18. Again, there are 25 marks available with an Astounding Alliteration extension activity. Could be used in independent work, guided reading, whole class teaching, homework or assessment activities. Answer sheets included for both comprehension exercises.

Based on two poems from the ‘English Alive’ series of literacy books for Key Stage Two. Contains two detailed lesson plans written in simple language, giving step by step instructions to make your lessons go smoothly (!) - plus scope for follow up lessons in reading and writing poetry. The lessons teach use of verbs, similes and poem structure in fun activities where pupils write and perform their own poems based on the two poems read. Pupils will play interactive starter games, read and discuss poems and write and perform their own poems based on the models provided. The accent is on fun!!! Theme: Feelings Objectives include: 1) Compare and contrast poems on a similar theme. 2) Recognise and begin to use similes. 3) Use rhythm and rhyming couplets

wo Year 4-5 Comprehensions based on The Shocking Story of Electricity by Anne Claybourne. The first set of questions is more challengiung, the second set more suitable for pupils who require support. Could be used after a guided reading session or as a stand alone independent task. 1st comprehension - 10 questions , 14 marks 2nd comprehension - 8 questions, 8 marks Extension / Challenge activity - Keeping Safe

Several literacy schemes are asking Year 6 teachers to use The Piano animation (readily available on YouTube) as a resource to teach ‘flashback’ writing. This is a writing example which could be used to stimulate discussion and help pupils to grasp how they can write a flashback scene. I wrote it in collaboration with a Y6 class I taught and it took a week to do - and is unfinished as I asked the children to complete it! There are 5 paragraphs and everything written - the names of the characters, their backstories etc. are all from the class’s imagination. There are two versions, one with text only, one with illustrations added. Both are created in Microsoft Word so can be easily tailored. I am also including a planning worksheet for a two week block with the main objective being to write a story with flashbacks.

A worksheet designed to teach about trickier connectives such as: However Therefore In addition Consequently etc . . . to help build cohesion within a paragraph. After discussion, pupils will redraft a paragraph about keeping fit. A simple but effective resource.

These resources focus on exploring rainforests through literacy and give lots of scope for follow up writing activities! They’re also useful in the study of conservation issues. As some of the language is tricky the comprehensions are mainly suitable for Year 5 and above, but could be a challenge for a bright Year 4 class! Comprehension 1 - consists of a detailed A4 sized text on the Amazon rainforest, including conservation issues. The question sheet is designed to stick in the pupils’ books and includes lesson objectives and 2 differentiated dictionary challenges. Comprehension 2 - an A4 - sized cloze procedure exercise called ‘What is a Rainforest?’ Map of world rainforests with space for written tasks. Seven pages of rainforest images which are useful for initiating and inspiring a rainforest art project.

‘A Victorian Diary’ is a series of 15 minute videos showing life in Victorian times. Events are reported by fictional character Maggie Johnson and by other characters she meets, providing different perspectives. This series is brilliant just to watch and enjoy, but it can also be used to help develop literacy skills. These are resources based on chapters 2 and 3 and also include generic diary writing templates. The chapter 2 resource is a punctuation and proof reading exercise. Pupils have to read and correct a diary entry, written from Maggie’s perspective. It could also be used as an example of writing in diary style and lead to the pupils writing their own version. The main learning objective of the Chapter 3 worksheet is to develop pupils’ understanding of empathy, but there is activities on prediction skills and note - taking. Alongside the worksheet I have created some excerpts and images to cement the main learning objective.

These resources are based on the following 3 poems by Allan Ahlberg: Parents’ Evening Please, Sir Mrs Brady. A large range of learning objectives and activities are covered, including: Cloze procedure Predicting rhymes Features of a poem Comprehension Creative writing Creating a whole class verse based on a verse of the ‘Please, Sir’ poem

These are weekly 15-word spelling lists and LSCWC practice based on the Regular Spelling and Common Exception spellings for both year 4 and year 5. I have a mixed class this year so I have devised separate lists for the two year groups. Each worksheet contains a list of the weekly spellings alongside a table where the children practise the words 4 times using Look-Say-Cover-Write-Check. I usually let the children start off on a Monday morning, then take the sheet home to practise for a test on Friday. There is 5 week's work included, alongside templates to make further lists of your own and displays of the weekly spellings for your literacy board.