A teacher and tutor with more than thirty years' experience working in both mainstream and independent schools. I have an Honours degree in English Literature and Linguistics from UEA and have written a dissertation about encouraging children to write. I am a mother of three and interested in all things green. I am in the process of setting up my TES shop and hope to launch my "Spagbag" resources which are suitable for both Primary and Secondary aged pupils.
A teacher and tutor with more than thirty years' experience working in both mainstream and independent schools. I have an Honours degree in English Literature and Linguistics from UEA and have written a dissertation about encouraging children to write. I am a mother of three and interested in all things green. I am in the process of setting up my TES shop and hope to launch my "Spagbag" resources which are suitable for both Primary and Secondary aged pupils.
This animated powerpoint consists of twelve slides exploring different audiences and appropriate ways of addressing them. Different openings and closings of letters are considered and the pupils are asked to match the correct ones. Two opportunities are given to write for very different audiences. One is a letter of complaint to the council, the other is an advertisement for an upcoming musical event. This resource could be used to introduce the concept of audience or for revision purposes. It is aimed at pupils aged 12 to 16.
This power point presentation gives an overview of what a Victorian Christmas was like including customs of the day such as The Christmas Tree, Parlour Games and Festive Food. Particular emphasis is given on how Dickens' novels A Christmas Carol and The Pickwick Papers helped to make Christmas more popular with the general public than other festivals.
This resource will prove useful when studying Dickens' novels and thinking about historical context. Suitable for ages 10+
This animated power point looks at the difference between concrete and abstract nouns and asks students to identify both kinds within sentences. Pupils are required to sort out abstract nouns into two groups: emotions and things we understand. They are invited to discuss why certain abstract nouns do not fall into either category.
This resource will be useful when revising nouns of all sorts. I include a general spelling, punctuation and grammar quiz in which abstract nouns feature in one section. All answers included.
Suitable for ages 10+
This power point resource can be used to test pupils' knowledge of homophones, adding prefixes to form opposites, using commas, alphabetical ordering and much more besides. There is a passage to perfect with deliberate errors such as missing punctuation and capital letters.
This is one of many similar quizzes in my shop which can be used in rotation to test different aspects of spelling, grammar and punctuation on a regular basis.
Suitable for ages 10+
Start the term with another quiz to check understanding of plurals, tenses, prefixes,suffixes, homophones, alphabetical order and much more besides. Answers are provided for ease of marking. Each section of the quiz can be tweaked to suit specific needs within your group.
This is one of many similar quizzes to be found in my shop which can be used on a rotational basis when revising spelling and grammar.
Suitable for ages 10+
I have bundled together five resources which explore the techniques of writing to inform, persuade, describe and entertain. These resources explore different formats and structural devices and give ideas for students to write and develop their own style to suit various real life scenarios and a range of different audiences.
Suitable for ages 10+
I have bundled together five resources which should prove useful when learning about writing articles for different audiences. Students learn that an awareness of audience is key plus how to spot features. There is plenty here to inspire students to write some informative pieces of their own and some guidance on how to improve their spelling and grammar in the process.
Suitable for ages 10+
This animated Power Point advises students how to write for specific audiences. They are asked to consider the tone, style and register of what they are writing in order that these match the audience. Audiences might be determined by age, gender, expertise and the relationship to the author. Pupils are advised to TAP before writing: in other words consider the topic, audience and purpose of their writing. Finally they are given three options to write about: a speech aimed at Y6 explaining what to do about cyber-bullying; a letter to a newspaper editor arguing for or against expensive international travel or a leaflet advising young adults how to establish healthy sleep patterns.
Suitable for ages 10+
This animated Power Point tells the story of a broken pot, which despite its obvious flaw, enables wonderful flowers to grow along the path's edge. This is a heart warming story which will inspire students to accept their weaknesses but aspire to keep trying and fulfil their potential as life-long learners. There are activities included such as questions about the story, analysing and ordering the key words, some discussion opportunities about identifying our own potential and that of others. Words beginning with pot are introduced and students have to match these with their definitions. They will discover that certain words can mean different things according to whether they are used as a noun, a verb or even a proper noun.
Included is another resource about working hard to get results. Ideal when reviewing achievements and progression made so far.
This resource is suitable for ages 10+
This animated Power Point asks pupils to identify adjectives and nouns, adverbs and abstract nouns. Pupils are given colour synonyms to sort into groups according to blue, green , yellow or red. They are given a poem about the sea to consider and also a poem about a lawn mower. Pupils are required to write their own descriptive passages or poems using techniques such as personification and alliteration.
Pupils are given a variety of scenes to describe such as an erupting volcano, a misty graveyard or a bat-infested cave. Finally, students are required to use literary devices to describe inanimate objects such as a kettle, washing machine, sewing machine, printer or phone.
I also include a resource which allows pupils to demonstrate their knowledge of punctuation by inserting a wide variety into lengthier paragraphs.This leads to an opportunity to write descriptively about a person they admire.
These resources will be useful when revising descriptive techniques and offer students plenty of ideas and opportunities to hone their writing skills.
Suitable for ages 10+
This Power Point takes extracts from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, removes all traces of punctuation and asks readers to re-write Rowling's words adding the necessary capital letters etc
The intention is that students will have to focus carefully on the passages and use their knowledge and understanding of punctuation to bring the extracts back to life. The correct versions will magically appear. Comprehension questions based on the extracts follow and opportunities for further reading and creative writing are provided.
This activity will appeal to Potter fans and give a novel twist to revision.
This resource is ideal for Father’s Day and has two poems describing dads. One dad has extremely smelly feet that stink of gorgonzola and stale underwear. The other poem describes Dad as more of a super hero type who is earth-quaking, nerve-shaking and fast talking (but only before 6pm.). Pupils will enjoy the humour and vivid imagery within the poems and will be inspired to think of adjectives that describe their own father’s finest qualities. They are asked to think of a special memory about their Dad and perhaps create their own poetry in celebration of Father’s Day.
Suitable for all ages.
This animated powerpoint comprises eight slides celebrating the spooky spectacle of Halloween.
There are plenty of exercises involving adjectives, adverbs, fronted adverbials and apostrophes as well as poetry which could be used as a starting point for creative writing.
This resource would be ideal to use on the run up to half term as a means of revision or as inspiration for writing when trying to conjure up a spooky atmosphere.
This resource is intended to be used with pupils from 7 to 14 years.
This animated powerpoint celebrates Halloween with a collection of spooky activities surrounding adjectives, adverbs and rhyming words. The children are asked to provide suitable adverbs to create a spooky atmosphere and to think of a revolting recipe for a witch's spell. A black cat has an encounter with a hat in a poem inspired by Dr Seuss. This resource is intended to be used with younger children on the run up to Halloween and could be used to inspire creative writing and poetry on a spooky theme.
This animated power point presentation is of a poem written by a 15 year old about remembrance. November is the time of year to remember lives lost in war and this poem compares late autumn to this sense of loss in a very poignant way. The audience is asked to focus on particular words and phrases which the poet uses to compare the decaying leaves and the perforated bodies of the battleground. Pupils are also asked to consider the symbolic significance of poppies.
This resource would be ideal to use when studying war poetry or reflecting on Remembrance Sunday.
This resource is suitable for students aged 11 to 16 years.
I include puzzles which will aid the revision of poetry such as Keats' ode to Autumn as well as Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade.
This power point presentation looks particularly at the letter received by Lord Monteagle on November 4th 1605 and asks students to consider the implications and explore the inferences within. Questions are asked about the morality of the situation and the audience is asked to put themselves in the position of having a relative in Parliament and knowing full well something bad is going to happen. Students are required to reorganise the major events of the Gunpowder Plot into a cartoon strip to reinforce chronology. Background information is given about Guy Fawkes and we are asked to question why it is only his name we remember all these years later.
I enclose information about the forthcoming three part screenplay entitled Gunpowder in which Kit Harington plays Robert Catesby and reveals he is related to him.There is a comprehension related to this article and opportunties for further research into Kit Harington's biography, a story board of the major events of the Gunpowder Plot or a comparison of crime and punishment then and now.
Answers are provided to the questions.
This resource is suitable for ages 10+
This animated power point collates ten facts about Guy Fawkes and his part in the Gunpowder Plot that are not widely known.
I include information about the drama series in which the Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington plays Robert Catesby, the brains behind the Gunpowder plot. Harington reveals there is a family connection which prompted him to get involved in the screenplay.There is a comprehension related to this article and opportunities provided for further writing and research such as a biography, a story board and a comparison of crime and punishment then and now. All answers are provided to the comprehension for ease of marking.
This resource would prove useful as a lesson starter or as a means of starting a discussion about this infamous historical figure. Was he really a bad guy? Why is it that we know Guy Fawkes' name and yet Robert Catesby's name is less well known today.
The resource is suitable for ages 10+
I have bundled together four resources which will prove useful on the approach to Halloween. Powers of comprehension will be tested, punctuation will be practised and letters will be written. Potter fans will be encouraged to widen their reading as they explore the history of broomstick games through the ages...
Suitable for ages 10+
I have bundled together three resources which will be useful for the study of letter writing and in particular how a letter saved the day when we look at the intrigues surrounding the Gunpowder Plot.
This resource has more relevance today because of the new drama series entitled Gunpowder which stars Kit Harington of Game of Thrones fame who plays Robert Catesby, the brains behind the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Here Harington reveals he is a direct ancestor of Catesby.
This animated Power Point resource is ideal for the run up to Easter. It includes a short story about a visit to a free range egg farm and comprehension questions to check understanding of the humorous nuances. The differences between free range and caged hens eggs could be used to inspire further independent investigation and research.A passage from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone is included which describes the birth of Norbert a baby dragon. A poem is included about a dragon birth and students are invited to write descriptively about the birth of a dragon as it bursts from its shell.
Lots of ideas and explorations here around eggs and the symbolism surrounding them. Ideal for Potter fans .
Suitable for ages 8+