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Some fairytale folk have been up to no good! After reading the model case file on the alleged crimes of Goldie Locks, students practise their form filling skills to complete a case file for another fictional character. There are sections for personal details (name, age, address etc. as well as information on the crime, witnesses and a short statement from the accused. This activity provides the opportunity for humour and imagination, while developing real-life writing skills. Basing writing on well-known stories will support students who struggle to come up with ideas. Good for: fairy tales writing skills citizenship, crime There are thirteen fairy tale character writing frames, (including a blank version of Goldie Locks) and 1 blank template so other characters can be used. There are UK and US versions (UK is A4 with ‘defence’, US letter size and ‘defense’). This resource is part of a ‘Once upon a crime’ series by Teachers Telling Tales. The activity is one of twelve in a Fairy Tale Forensics unit of study and works well as a springboard for other activities involving role play and writing in the unit. The mug shots are also available as a separate resource. You can also ‘bundle and save’ on this series. This pack was updated with new characters and UK and US versions in November 2024.

These badge and photo ID card templates will help students get in role as a police officer of the Fairy Tale Police Department (FTPD), or a special agent of Fairytale Investigation Bureau (FBI)! Great for role play and drama activities. The ID cards have frames for drawing a self portrait (photo) and writing names / job titles. Colour and greyscale versions included. This resource is part of the ‘Once upon a Crime’ series by Teachers Telling Tales. It is designed for Collecting Evidence and Special Agent Investigation Board activities, two of twelve lessons featured in a Fairy Tale Forensics unit of study. You can bundle and save on these resources.

A fun fairy tale quiz in a presentation format. There are 3 rounds each with six questions. Who said it? Given a famous quote, guess the character and story. Complete the quote. Riddles - guess who, Fairytale Folk in their own words. This presentation can be used as a ‘knowledge harvest’ to assess prior knowledge at the start of a Fairy Tales topic and/or learning at the end of a unit of study. It can be a stimulus for discussion and a springboard for learning about characters, drama and speech in any kind of story. Of course, it can also be just for fun! Notes with suggested tiebreaker/advanced questions and discussion points are included. This presentation perfectly complements other Teachers Telling Tales ‘Once said in a Fairytale’ resources. It is useful as an introduction to the other games and activities in the series and can be purchased as part of a bundle.

The classic tale of Sam’s Sandwich is fantastic for engaging students as they eagerly await to discover which creature will be added with each sandwich ingredient. This pack contains resources to accompany the book, including word and picture cards for participation in read-alouds and retellings, a fill the gaps activity focussed on rhyming words (with two levels) and reading comprehension questions. Good for food and minibeasts topics. You may also like the Teachers Telling Tales minibeasts resources: /teaching-resource/minibeasts-big-bug-bundle-12340248 This pack contains two formats, PowerPoint and PDF.

A collection of lessons / activities in the form of a presentation with slides to inspire, instruct and guide through each activity. This unit uses well known fairy tale stories and characters to explore story and citizenship themes through a fairy tale crime topic. The activities are designed to build from one another and can be followed consecutively, or used as a stand-alone lesson or activity in any order. Teachers notes are included in the presentation and a document with screen shots of each slide, notes and links. This presentation can be bought as part of a bundle which includes lots of supplementary materials such as templates to enhance the lessons. These resources are optional and linked to specific lessons so you may prefer not to use them or to purchase individually. Key ideas, concepts and questions explored Good and bad deeds What is a crime? Victim or Villain? Viewpoints and motivation, do two wrongs make a right? Mitigating circumstances. Truth, Lie or Excuse? Consider complexity moving from black and white to shades of grey. Perspectives and Persuasion, considering, expressing and explaining a viewpoint. Investigation. Questions: who, what, why, when, where. Fact and Opinion, looking at evidence. Critical Thinking Skills Focus Reasoning Expressing an opinion Considering differing viewpoints Explanation Persuasion Ways of Working Discussion Drama (hot seating, role play) Writing (different genres and styles – forms, reports, statements, social media posts, case files, persuasive, factual). Drawing Contents Introduction (assess prior knowledge). Police line-up of fairy tale characters Right, Wrong or Crime? Discussion, vocabulary. Right, Wrong or Crime? Write a list. Share and compare with classmates. Victim or Villain. Consider case of Jack and the Giant. Truth, Lie (or excuse) show and share your opinion. Arrest or Release (or keep for further questioning) show and share your opinion. Criminal Case File. Record personal details, crimes, witnesses, defence. Present your Case (drama) take turns to be the accused and questioners and have a discus about your case. (Questioners in role as witness / victim / law enforcement etc.). Perspectives and Persuasion Writing Prompts. Four styles to choose from – police report, lawyer case notes, reporter article and suspect/victim social media post. Detective Evidence gathering. In small forensics teams collect the evidence from a scene. Photograph, bag and label each item. Special Agent Investigation Board. Examine a sample investigation board then apply the questions (what, when, why, who, where) and different aspects (crime scene, suspect, witness, evidence, victim) to assigned case. Create investigation board. Magic Mirror. Draw a portrait of the meanest, guiltiest or biggest villain from the fairy tale world in the magic mirror frame. Explain your choice. Who would be the kindest or most heroic of them all?

A fun, creative activity that is adaptable to different ages and abilities. Can be used as speaking and listening or to encourage writing on the theme of conversation and dialogue. The phone format motivates students and keeps them engaged. The activity begins with reading examples and using inference to deduct who the phone belongs to then builds to completing the speech bubbles before inviting students to create their own dialogue using a blank template. A guide is included for the adult and there is also a student guide to support step by step with inspiration for further exploration. Although this resources is based on fairy tales it can be used for any fictional characters or real people. It can be used to assess recall of speech or imaginatively to create speech. The activity is presented in Word format with PNG images so it can be adapted. Students can work on the document on a computer or it can be printed out. (Instructions provided for both).

This pack features fifteen adorable monsters to describe, compare and sort. They come in four colours with carefully selected similarities and differences, perfect for Guess Who games to develop observation, concentration and vocabulary skills. Use the quiz as a model for describing, for example, I am pink, I have three sharp teeth, I have horns. The presentation can be used on screen / interactive whiteboard and there are PDF files for poster / cards. Ideas and instructions for games along with photograph illustrations are included. For more monster-themed literacy and numeracy resources, check out the Teacher Telling Tales shop.

Updated November 2024 with six new characters and improved templates. These mug shots were taken at the Fairy Tale Police Department! The fairy tale characters are suspects of crimes. Did they do something wrong? Did they commit a crime? Are they innocent or guilty? There are thirteen mug shot pictures featuring well-known characters from favourite stories and blank templates for students to create their own. The pictures are a versatile resource that can be used for guessing games, discussion, drama and writing prompts. Activity ideas are included in the download. Good for a fairy tale or crime topic, English including oracy and Citizenship. This resource is part of a ‘Once upon a Crime’ series by Teachers Telling Tales and accompanies the Fairytale Forensics unit of study. You can also ‘bundle and save’ on this series.

Fairy tales and traditional tales are a great way to learn about speech in stories. Children love to join in with repeated phrases using different voices developing their language and drama skills. This Bingo game is a fun way to familiarise children with fairy tale characters and favourite quotes. Contains 6 colour-coded Bingo boards featuring characters from well-known fairy tales and sets of cards for different ways to play including character names, story titles and quotes. A resource guide with instructions is included in the pack. Ideal for younger children as boards have nine squares, including one ‘free’ space in the centre. Great for learning about fairy tales, traditional tales, speech, game playing and social skills. There are further ‘Once said in a fairytale’ resources available in the Teachers Telling Tales shop and this game pack can be purchased as part of a bundle. Updated May 2025 with additional chgaracters and two additional boards.

Complete Literacy Lesson PowerPoint / PDF with 14 pages. Guidance, answers and ideas in notes. Spot the Difference (three activities) Descriptive language: draw out vocabulary for body parts, colours etc. Monster Names (Three levels of difficulty.) Phonics: Roll a die to select beginning, middle and end sounds, combine to make a monster name. Can be completed as class / individual activity. Record sheets are provided with 8 monsters. The ink-saving version can be coloured by students. Make a Monster Roll a die to select colour, pattern/texture, body parts, home and food for a monster. Annotate on screen or print, place in plastic envelope and use a dry wipe pen. Say sentences about the monster created – the second version has sentence starters to support. My Monster Writing Frame Write sentences about the monster created using the ‘make a monster’ activity or your imagination. Draw the monster. Follow up ideas: Create a class book of all the monsters. Create large paintings, collages or models of monsters for a class display. You may also like the Teachers Telling Tales Little Monster Balloon Party numeracy games. Buy both together as a bundle with a discount.

Writing and drawing frames for evidence collecting at the scene of a crime! Great for role play or building a case in a crime scenario. Contains a model for students to use as inspiration / guidance, label and two sizes of bags. You can, of course, use real bags and add the printed labels, especially if using real objects as evidence. This resource is part of the ‘Once upon a crime’ series by Teachers Telling Tales. It is designed for one of twelve activities featured in a Fairy Tale Forensics presentation. It can be a one-off lesson or an introduction to the Special Agent Investigation Board project. The police and Fairytale Bureau of Investigation (FBI) badges and ID cards complement this resource. You can also ‘bundle and save’ on this series.

Good for spelling and vocabulary. Can be used in class or for online teaching / home learning. These presentations feature twenty pairs of homophones, split over two quiz PowerPoints, suitable for two lessons. The Lesson Starter: a fun tongue twister activity Main: Quiz Choose from the two versions with differing levels: • Label (students drag or cut and paste correct spelling to picture) • Annotate (students type/write words next to pictures) Follow up activity: create a mnemonic to remember how to spell tricky words. Examples are shown and a worksheet is included for this. A lesson plan is included and presentations have notes as guidance. To further consolidate homophones try the Teachers Telling Tales Pairs or Pears Games. Receive a discount if you buy both resource packs as a bundle.

These worksheets feature a selection of poems from Commotion in the Ocean and Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae. Students are given the rhyming words to choose from to fill the gaps. There is space for drawing when the work is complete. There are greyscale (black and white) versions for saving on ink.

Creating a Wanted poster or a Missing Poster is a great way to follow up reading The Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl. These templates provide a framework for students to demonstrate their reading comprehension skills through character description and fact retrieval (listing the crimes, stating the place last seen etc.). There are educator’s notes and student notes with instructions to guide through the text characteristics as well as examples of students’ work using the templates. Provided in Powerpoint and PDF format for flexibility, the activity can be printed or completed digitally. Other Revolting Rhymes resources are available from Teachers Telling Tales, including Revolting Times (a news summarising pack) and Sublime Rhymes (with examples of idioms). If your students are motivated by the crime theme, they may also enjoy the Once Upon a Crime resources: /teaching-resource/fairytale-forensics-learning-unit-12222954

An engaging activity to develop reading comprehension skills linked to The Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl. Focus on retrieval and summarising the main idea or events. Use the templates to create a newspaper, newsflash or breaking news on the television. Guidelines for students include: headline, caption and story characteristics of news texts is included such as punctuation, alliteration, rhyme The television (old and new style) templates can be used for other topics too. Powerpoint and PDF versions allow for adapting the resource for your needs. Includes educator’s notes and examples of work by students using the templates. You may also like the Teachers Telling Tales resource Revolting Crimes and Sublime Rhymes, (available as a Revolting Rhymes bundle).

This resource was created to celebrate #WorldSpaceWeek 2023 (October 4–10). Planet Anagrams / solar system spelling This fun activity sheet was created to celebrate #WorldSpaceWeek 2023 (October 4–10). It features cute and colourful clip art and invites students to solve the anagrams of the names of planets in our solar system and write them in order. A sneaky way to squeeze in some spelling! Check out the free Astronaut Spelling Activity pack featuring two levels and answer sheets. You may also like this fun Alien poem reading and drawing activity. /teaching-resource/the-alien-read-and-draw-12166304

Jar and bottle templates, blank and with lines for Word Collector activities and display. Inspired by the short story in Eren by Simon P. Clark about a man who collected words, locking the ones he liked in special jars so that no-one could ever use them again. Ideas: A ‘jar’ for each student to put their words in. This is a good use for those plastic food and drink containers that collect in cupboards! Foil packaging (such as crisp packets) can be used to write words with a permanent marker, or use glitter glue for sparkle. Displayed in a dark corner with fairy lights this will look really special. Whenever a new word is found it can be added to the jar which then become a resource at creative writing time. Sensory jar creations. Add oil, water, glitter, cubes or Lego with letters on to build the words inside the jar. A Word Collection notebook to add to and refer to. A display of The Greatest Words. Each student adds their favourite word to a jar (2D or 3D) on the shelf. See https://teacherstellingtales.com/word-collectors/ for more.

Inspired by the magic mirror from Snow White that tells the truth about characters, these templates can be used as frames for portraits. Heroes and villains are key feature of fairy tales. Characters tend to be represented in black and white terms, purely good or evil. This makes fairy tales a great vehicle for exploring character traits and discussing good and bad deeds. Children can decide who they think is the meanest (or kindest) fairy tale character and draw them. Depending on their age/developmental stage they can ‘show and tell’ their thoughts, perhaps scribed by an adult or write a few sentences to explain their choice. Some children may prefer to write in the frame instead of drawing. The pack contains two colour images (useful for discussion/display/modelling) and six black and white versions for drawings of the ‘kindest’ and ‘meanest’ of them all. There are variations on the wording, for example, the ‘biggest villain’ and ‘most heroic’. Did you know in the Disney film the evil queen says “Magic mirror” not “Mirror, mirror”? There is a magic mirror version too, in case you prefer this! This resource is part of a ‘Once upon a crime’ series by Teachers Telling Tales. The activity is one of 12 in a Fairy Tale Forensics unit of study presentation which includes a police line-up of characters that could be used as a stimulus for mirror portraits. The Mug Shots resource would also complement this activity. You can ‘bundle and save’ on this series.