Hi! I am a teacher with over 20 years' experience at Primary level. I try to make my resources as challenging as possible with a slice of fun, while cramming in as much detail as possible into the guided reading / writing activities, plays, worksheets and comprehension exercises that I produce. I also create and publish a range of free worksheets and resources, which now account for over 40% of my published resources. Any feedback and suggestions welcome!
Hi! I am a teacher with over 20 years' experience at Primary level. I try to make my resources as challenging as possible with a slice of fun, while cramming in as much detail as possible into the guided reading / writing activities, plays, worksheets and comprehension exercises that I produce. I also create and publish a range of free worksheets and resources, which now account for over 40% of my published resources. Any feedback and suggestions welcome!
This is a homework task for primary aged pupils who are learning about schools of the past. The task is to interview an older person and find out about their childhood and schooldays - to compare them with modern schools and children nowadays. Pupils could interview a grandparent, parent or other relative, or even a good family friend – the older, the better!
Pupils are given a few questions to start the interview - then it is up to them to think of their own.
A4 worksheet with 2 actiivities. Firstly, pupils have to complete the missing letters of 10 named gases. Secondly, pupils research into 2 gases and write notes on their properties.
Could be used as research homework.
16 questions worth a total of 20 marks.
Pupils may write on the worksheet so is ideal for use as an independent task.
Could also be used as a teacher prompt sheet when reading the first chapter in guided reading.
Landscape A4 worksheet.
Reading challenge extension.
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 chapter - by - chapter (12 chapters in all) set of comprehension exercises with linked Spelling and Grammar activities. Each comprehension activity has at least 10 questions, which I have designed to allow success for less able children but with challenging, higher order questions for above average pupils. Harder questions are signified by being awarded extra marks (up to 3 marks for a tricky question). Each reading task has a learning objective in and requires the reading of one full chapter of the Sheep-Pig. The worksheets are all A4 size and there are various ways to use the activity sheets, including:
As part of a shared reading session, with the pupils completing the written tasks after discussion and analysis of the text as a class or group.
As independent written tasks for the rest of the class, while the teacher is reading with a smaller group.
As an additional, ready-made resource to support the study of The Sheep - Pig as a Unit of Work / class book.
As a stand-alone, independent reading activity / assessment.
As a useful teacher prompt/ discussion leader when doing a guided read.
Alongside the comprehension task, each worksheet has a Spelling or Grammar challenge - for example: fronted adverbials, dictionary activities, word classes, etc. These could be the focus of the lesson, serve as an extension task or be used as a stand alone / separate activity. All worksheets are created on Microsoft Word so can be easily adapted to suit your needs. For example, in the past I have shrank the 10 set questions to half-page size and photocopied them to stick in pupils’ books, ready for independent work. You could also add your own questions, objectives etc.
This is a literacy pack containing chapter- by - chapter activities based on the first seven chapters of the book The Witches by Roald Dahl, plus associated grammar, punctuation, vocabulary and spelling activities. There are ten worksheets in all, comprising:
6 x reading comprehension worksheets (including extension activities)
2 x vocabulary / grammar / punctuation worksheets
2 x spelling worksheets
For each of the seven chapters there is a comprehension / guided reading worksheet which also contains a reading / spelling / writing challenge. (Chapters 6 and 7 are combined as chapter 6 is very short.) There are 25 marks available in each comprehension, allowing pupils to work out their percentage score. The worksheets could be used as part of SATs practice as the questions are set in a similar vein. Similarly, pupils could do the reading comprehension worksheets as independent tasks or as part of whole class revision.
Alternatively, each worksheet could be used as part of a guided reading session, reading assessment or whole class teaching.
Each Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation worksheet is double A4 - sized, with space for pupils’ answers. Pupils could do the worksheet as an independent task or as part of whole class revision for the SATs. There are 25 marks available - which again allows pupils to find their percentage score!
All activities are created in Word so can be edited to your own taste.
Five worksheets about Victorian inventions and inventors for Key Stage Two.
The first worksheet has two activities: firstly, pupils will discuss and link Victorian inventors with their inventions; secondly, there are four questions to discuss and answer. The questions focus on the significance and impact of several inventions.
The worksheet will work best when it follows on from discussion and looking at artifacts or photographs, where pupils will have thought about the relative merits of the inventions and asked whether they are relevant today.
2nd worksheet: Images of Victorian inventions
3rd and 4th worksheets: Comparing Victorian objects with modern
5th worksheet: Welcome to the Victorian Museum activity. For this activity you need to place obscure and interesting Victorian artefacts (or photos of them) on each table of classroom. Pupils go round to each table and try to figure out what each artefact is!
This is a literacy pack containing chapter- by - chapter activities for the first five chapters of the book Matilda by Roald Dahl. For each of the five chapters there is a comprehension / guided reading activity and a SPaG activity, plus several additional vocabulary and writing tasks.
Each A4 comprehension worksheet has a variety of questions worth 20 marks and could be used as an independent task, as part of a guided reading session, reading assessment or whole class teaching.
Each SPaG worksheet is double A4 - sized, with space for pupils’ answers. It could be used as part of SATs practice as I have styled the questions in a similar vein. Similarly, pupils could do the worksheet as an independent task or as part of whole class revision for the SATs. There are 25 marks available - which again allows pupils to find their percentage score! At the end of the formal questions there is an extension spelling task on each sheet.
There are two extra Vocabulary and spelling activities included for chapter one, plus a writing task. I have also included a landscape - version of the comprehension task with space on the worksheet for the pupils’ answers.
All activities are created in Word so can be edited to your own designs.
Answer sheets are included!
I have created the first 3 parts to an original myth based on traditional Greek myths, which can be used to teach pupils how to develop their own myth.
Lesson 1 - Creating the setting.
Lesson 2 - Introducing the villain and setting out the problem.
Lesson 3 - Introducing the hero and creating tension in the story.
I have used this exemplar to teach children to write their own ‘myth’ over the course of a week, in stages, with time allowed for editing and improving. I have included the main features of a Greek myth, such as the use of magic, fantastic, hybrid creatures, and the Good vs Bad scenario.
In the course of a lesson, these features will be emphasised as the teacher writes alongside the pupils, discussing the language and why it has been chosen. Characters will be developed with detailed descriptions and the plot will be discussed and used as a model for pupils’ own myths.
I have not written the last parts of the story as this is where I would put the children fully in charge of the story - it is amazing the ideas they will devise for the hero to vanquish the evil villain Voltar and his terrifying creature, the Scorpidon!
As the story is in Word, it can be adapted an lots of ways and also used to develop spelling, punctuation, cloze procedure and grammar activies. I have also included some Greek island images for use in pupils’ books, and an A4 feature list for myths. Enjoy!
There are 17 questions, based on chapter one of Matilda, on two sides of A4.
The questions are written in SATs format and offer 1, 2 or 3 marks.
Altogether, 25 marks are available, meaning pupils can work out their percentage score at the end.
Answer sheet included.
Could be used as an independent task, homework or for SATs revision.
There is also an A4 spelling worksheet with 3 tasks for independent work.
There are 16 questions, covering chapters 1 and 2, with 20 marks available, plus a reading challenge which could be used as an extension task.
The worksheet could be used as an independent task, for whole class reading / guided reading or as a homework task.
3 x Comprehensions based on chapter one (The Reader of Books) of one of the greatest books ever written for children, Matilda!
A landscape comprehension with two columns and space for answers. 14 questions worth 20 marks. Plus a reading challenge task.
Portait comprehension with the same 14 questions as above, but with no space for pupils’ answers.
A more detailed 2 - part comprehension containing 2 x 20 questions worksheets awarding 25 marks per comprehension.
Could be used as independent tasks, alongside a whole class read or as an aid to guided reading.
Ten Comprehension questions plus a dictiuonary chjallenge on an A4 worksheet.
Could be used in a guided reading session or as an independent reading task.
The pack consists of 4 comprehension worksheets with additional SPAG activities, plus two combined 20 question comprehensions, all written in Word on A4 worksheets.
Each of the 4 main worksheets contains 10 questions on the book. The comprehension questions cover the whole book in 4 worksheets.
On each worksheet there is a comprehension and writing activity as follows:
Worksheet 1 - Comprehension based on pages 8 to 18
- Dictionary Challenge
Worksheet 2 - Comprehension based on pages 19 to 36
- Spelling Challenge
Worksheet 3 - Comprehension based on pages 37 to 49
- Vibrant Verbs activity
Worksheet 4 - Comprehension based on pages 50 to 60
-Sensational Similes activity
Additionally, I have made two 20 question comprehension worksheets, scoring 24 and 26 respectively, giving a whole book score of 50. These could be used as an assessment resource or for pupils to work on independently.
Lastly, I have combined the 4 writing activities on two A4 worksheets.
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.
Two different Comprehension worksheets suitable for Year 5/6
1 - Ten questions on chapter one plus a vocabulary challenge. Can be stuck in pupils’ books for independent work. Two sets of questions per A4 sheet.
2 - 14 questions and a dictionary challenge on an A4 sheet.
The main comprehension is A4 sized and contains 19 questions, giving a total of 25 marks (could be turned into a percentage score!), plus a dictionary challenge. The comprehension could be used as an independent task for Y5/6 children or to use in a guided reading session.
The second comprehension task is shorter, containing 10 questions to answer, for a total of 16 marks, plus a reading challenge based on a paragraph from chapter one.
Could also be used as an independent activity or as part of a group reading. it is half A4 sized, so I have put two comprehensions on one A4 worksheet.