I have been teaching across the foundation phase and Key Stage 2 since 2004, and I have created a wide range of effective resources for all sorts of topics and subjects, all of which have been tried and tested with my own pupils. Most of my resources are already differentiated, as I know how much time this saves. I hope other teachers find these resources useful and that other pupils enjoy and benefit from them as much as my classes have. All reviews/ratings gratefully received!
I have been teaching across the foundation phase and Key Stage 2 since 2004, and I have created a wide range of effective resources for all sorts of topics and subjects, all of which have been tried and tested with my own pupils. Most of my resources are already differentiated, as I know how much time this saves. I hope other teachers find these resources useful and that other pupils enjoy and benefit from them as much as my classes have. All reviews/ratings gratefully received!
I made this worksheet for my Year 3 class for a homework task to take advantage of their Pokémon Go obsession! They just have to look at each row of Pokémon and put their CP scores in order from smallest to largest.
There are 3 differentiated versions -
LA - Ordering 2-digit numbers (with a couple of 3-digit ones at the end!)
MA - Ordering 3-digit numbers
HA - Ordering 3-digit and 4-digit numbers
This is a sunflower growing diary I created for a Year 1 class, but it would also suit Year 2 pupils. My class planted sunflowers in pots in school, which they then took home, along with the diary booklets. They completed one page each week, drawing, measuring and describing the changes in their sunflower each weekend for their homework over a half term, before returning the booklets and sunflowers to school during the last week of term.
Three differentiated versions of a digital time worksheet with a superhero theme. For each time there is a picture of a superhero doing an everyday chore (e.g. Batman brushing his teeth, Spiderman grocery shopping) and the time next to it in word form. Pupils have to complete the digital clock display to show the correct time. Three differentiated versions - o'clock times / o'clock & half past times / o'clock, half past, quarter past & quarter to times.
I decided to make the most of the Pokemon Go obsession in my Year 3 class by making these worksheets as part of a unit on symmetry. They could also be used with able Year 2 or less able Year 4 children. I differentiated the task for three ability groups as described below (all 3 versions are included!):
LA - Children must decide which pokemon are symmetrical or asymmetrical, and draw one line of symmetry through the symmetrical ones.
MA - Pictures of different pokemon characters cut in half, so children can draw the missing half, making sure they remain symmetrical.
HA - Asymmetrical pokemon cut in half and split apart - children then draw the missing halves to match the two separated original halves, which in turn creates two brand new symmetrical Pokemon (they really liked this idea, and had great fun trying to think of names for the new pairs of Pokemon they had created afterwards!).
A set of outdoor maths activity cards, which should be cut up and laminated for use outside. The cards have different mathematical tasks, including weighing, counting, sorting, addition, subtraction and shape, all using free outdoor resources (daisies, twigs, stones, etc). The cards feature clear, simple instructions, including pictures for less able pupils to be able to read them more independently. These cards could be used first in a whole class or group maths lesson, and then put into the outdoor provision for independent use.
Simple worksheet that works well to encourage maths within a construction corner by asking pupils to analyse the model houses they build (counting blocks, measuring height, etc).
I created this project for my Year 3 class, but it could be easily adapted used in Y4 or higher. I based a whole week around it, including thinking skills, applying maths skills, designing products and advertising. I split my class into mixed ability teams for the week. The powerpoint file introduces the task, and contains instructions for every part of the task as you go through the week, including examples to demonstrate each maths activity. The maths activities are all differentiated for higher, middle and lower ability groups, and include calculating factory opening times, converting distances between metres and kilometres for 'distribution' and calculating production costs (multiplying by 2, 4 or 40). There are group thinking skills templates, which I enlarged to A3 for groups to brainstorm ideas for cereal types, flavours and brand names. There are also templates for designing a cereal box, an advertising poster, and a cartoon strip-style planning sheet to storyboard ideas for a TV advert. Afterwards, we filmed an advert for each group using an iPad and green screen.
Differentiated worksheets for Year 1 or 2 for practising digital times. Pupils complete digital clock times to match with the written times that the pirates need to do all their chores on the ship (scrub the decks, stack cannonballs, clean the cannon, feed the parrot, hoist the sail, drop the anchor - Yes my Y1 class is doing a pirates topic!).
Worksheet 1 - o'clock
Worksheet 2 - o'clock + half past
Worksheet 3 - o'clock, half past, quarter to + quarter past
The second set is similar but as a follow-up to the first set pupils have to write times on both analogue and digital clocks.
Pupils use the grid to draw an island, and then have to add a list of things on their map, such as a lake, hotel, beach, etc.
Once they have finished creating their island, they need to complete directions for tourists to help them get around their island. Using North, South, East and West pupils have to tell them how to get to and from different places on the map.
There are 3 differentiated versions:
LA - Have to give simple instructions for 4 different routes.
MA - Have to give instructions for 9 different routes.
HA - Have to give 9 instructions for different routes, and also have to give some directions for routes with more than one stop (e.g. hotel -> lake -> beach).
I printed them out on A3 for my Year 3 class to use, which worked well, but they could be printed A4 too.
4 differentiated versions of a worksheet where pupils identify and colour odd and even numbers;
*Numbers within 10,
*Numbers within 20
*2-digit numbers
*3-digit numbers
Simple differentiated (3 levels) worksheets where pupils have to read temperatures on thermometers, and also calculate simple changes in temperature (e.g 3 degree warmer, etc).
The scales on the thermometers are blank, so they can be differentiated or edited depending on pupils' ability. I printed copies for my class, then wrote on my own scales and shaded the temperature levels, before photocopying, to ensure accurate differentiation for my class.
Based on our current rainforest topic, I created these 3 differentiated versions of a multi-step money problem. The 'tribe' makes items to sell to raise money for the village. Each worksheet has a table showing how much each item was sold for, and how many they sold. Pupils must multiply to find the total for each item, then an overall total, before completing a subtraction sum at the end to work out how much more the tribe need to reach their target. The three levels are differentiated by the difficulty of the numbers used, but the format of the task is the same.
Differentiated worksheets for three ability groups, made for Year 3, but adaptable. There is a sheet of addition and a sheet of subtraction for each group. I printed them back-to-back and sent them out for homework after doing a few lessons on both, but they could be used separately too to introduce or consolidate the concept. There is also a QR code on the top of the sheet which links to a really useful youtube video that demonstrates the method very simply - great for parents who needed to understand the method we used so that they could work with their children at home!
Two differentiated worksheets; one has o'clock times, and the other has o'clock and half past times, both with analogue clock face displays which pupils complete to match with the times written in word form. Both worksheets have a firefighter theme, asking pupils to complete a timetable to help the firefighters get all their jobs done at the right times during the day.
A whole bundle of superhero-based resources, including differentiated poem and cartoon strip templates, fact files to create you own superhero or super villain, differentiated digital times worksheets, and a variety of other tasks including designing a cape and utility belt gadgets, and links to health eating by creating healthy superhero meals. Also links to PSE with a poem called 'Superhero in my house' where pupils write about one of their parents/relatives and everything they do for them. Some of these resources are also available separately...browse my 'shop' for details.
Two worksheets for identifying and sequencing days of the week. One is a matching exercise where pupils match the days of the week to activities they do during the week. The other has the days of the week in a jumbled order, and pupils have to identify 'yesterday' and 'tomorrow' for each of the days of the week.
Differentiated versions of a zoo animal themed data handling task. There are differentiated templates for pictograms with animal pictures included, already sized to fit into the spaces on the pictogram, and differentiated templates for zoo animal block graphs/bar charts. Originally created for Year 1, but suitable for more able Reception pupils and also for Year 2.
2 differentiated sequencing worksheets based on international rugby statistics. Worksheet 1- sequencing players in order of the number of international games they have played (2-digit numbers). Worksheet 2 - sequencing players in order of the number of points they have scored for their countries (3-digit numbers).