During a dull school trip to an art gallery, the narrator sees one of the portraits being to move… A short narrative (2 pages) which could be used for guided or shared reading or as a modelled text. Teaching Points: GRAMMAR: past tenses; fronted adverbials; adjectives and adverbs for descriptive detail; connectives (contrast and time); relative clauses; first person narration; rhetorical questions PUNCTUATION: commas around clauses; exclamation and question marks; speech marks; ellipsis STRUCTURE: paragraphing (opening, build-up, events, resolution); balance of action, dialogue and setting CONTENT & THEME: stepping into another world; setting based opening; character (old lady in portrait); cliff-hanger ending; figurative language (similes)

A Power Point which explains the function of verbs. A task sheet with questions about verbs. An exercise for students to complete after the presentation. Answers are included. You can purchase the whole set of these Power Points (11 in total) about different grammar points or punctuation marks. It’s a resource called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Explanations’. There’s also a whole set of task sheets like the one here with each exercise corresponding to the Power Point. It’s called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Exercises’.

A Power Point which explains the function of adverbs. A task sheet with questions about adverbs. An exercise for students to complete after the presentation. Answers are included. You can purchase the whole set of these Power Points (11 in total) about different grammar points or punctuation marks. It’s a resource called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Explanations’. There’s also a whole set of task sheets like the one here with each exercise corresponding to the Power Point. It’s called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Exercises’.

Can Captain Ark and his crew stop Commander Skull from destroying the galaxy? The beginning of a science fiction (think Star Wars) narrative (2.5 pages) which could be used for guided or shared reading, as a modelled text or as an opening prompt for students to continue. Teaching Points: GRAMMAR: past tenses; fronted adverbials; adjectives and adverbs for descriptive detail; connectives (contrast and time); relative clauses; 3rd person narration PUNCTUATION: commas around clauses; exclamation and question marks; speech marks; brackets STRUCTURE: paragraphing, balance of action, dialogue and setting CONTENT & THEME: science-fiction; character (hero, villain); figurative language (simile)

After a heavy snowstorm, staff and students at a school have been forced to spend the night, entirely cut off from the outside world… Here are 5 texts which describe the experience: It’s Snowing!: a story describing the the reaction of students as the snow begins to fall at school. Night: a poem describing the atmosphere as students try to sleep in a classroom. A Search Party: a discussion text outlining arguments for and against sending out a search party to look for help. Expedition: an action story in which a search party attempt to brave the outside. Safe at Last!: a news report detailing the rescue of the staff and students. All brilliantly illustrated by Nick Hilditch These texts could be used in a variety of ways: exploring and comparing different text types or genres; texts for whole class or guided reading; the basis of reading comprehensions; modelled texts for students’ own writing. Language features: Narrative Writing: past tenses, including past perfect; fronted adverbials; adjectives and adverbs for descriptive detail; coherence; relative clauses; commas around clauses; semi-colons; colons; ellipsis; inverted commas; paragraphing, including short paragraphs and sentences for dramatic effect; balance of action, dialogue and setting; themes of adventure, rescue, overcoming fear; character description; figurative language (simile, metaphor). Poetry: metaphor; figurative language; personification; contrasts; patterns; alliteration; repetition. Discussion: formal writing; direct address; objectivity; quotations; sentence adverbs; punctuation range. News Report: layout; report structure; direct and reported speech; formal language.