51����

Here is a simple worksheet that provides students with seven questions and two challenges following a reading of Dr.Seuss’ “Oh, the places you’ll go!”. The questions ask pupils to consider the title, their favourite lines, the meaning, the poet’s intention, symbolism and word choice. The challenges as the pupils to label adjectives and memorise the poem. I use this as a stepping stone into poetry for my year 7 classes.

This is a fun, vocabulary expanding worksheet that is based on a play on words. To introduce the concept of synonyms to KS3 pupils I state to the students how “synonym” sounds like another funny word - “cinnamon”! In then asking who likes/ knows what a cinnamon roll is it allows the pupils to remember what a synonym is by association once I show them the task. Pupils must fill in the dry and boring synonym roll with a delicious drizzle of ambitious vocabulary. This is a great introduction to pupils on how to use a thesaurus as well as a way for teachers to note at the start of the year which pupils already have an ambitious vocabulary or gaps in their vocabulary. There is an additional challenge at the end of each worksheet for pupils to write either a sentence or paragraph which includes some of their collected synonyms. I always print out the four different challenges of worksheet and allow the pupils to choose whether they would like the sheet with 4, 6 or 9 synonym rolls. Keep these in their workbooks and encourage pupils to return to them in any creative writing tasks.

**A timeline of events of Maya Angelou’s autobiography, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings”. ** This document details the key events, and some key quotes, from the 36 chapters of the novel. It is an ideal resource for pupils, teachers and parents to have as : Pupils progress in their reading of the text and need to remember events at the start of the novel. Teachers need a consistent document for their pupils to refer to when they are preparing to write extended essays on the novel. Parents help support their children during their studies and perhaps want to quickly understand the main events of the novel. This timeline includes subtitles for each chapter to help pupils remember the main event of the chapter as well as picture to, again, help associate the events of the chapter with an image.

This is a simple worksheet focusing on Maya Angelou’s “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me At All”. There are five tasks including: Analysis of the title Rhyme scheme labelling prompt Analysis of three images in the poem Consideration of which lines are repeated and why A question about the main message of the poem Disclaimer: Worksheet does not include any answers, but teachers will not struggle to find the answers. This task is suitable when starting a poetry analysis unit. I personally use this with my year 7 class before moving on to more complex poems.

A very straightforward chapter tracker sheet for Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” which has space for the pupils to note the main events and key quotations from the 36 chapters of the novel. Disclaimer: This worksheet does not have space to write about the preface - apologies!

Here are four knowledge organisers for the first four chapters of John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”, including: A “clock task” activity where they collect information about 12 elements of the first chapter, with the goal of filling in each hour of the worksheet. “Bubble” boxes for the second chapter with 11 prompts for information to locate and collect. A fun, competitive, pyramid shaped quiz for the third chapter with 15 questions, totalling 35 points. Each tier of the pyramid has questions of various values, increasing with challenge and culminating in a 5 mark “Point Evidence Explain” paragraph. Answers are not available but they won’t be difficult for a teacher to find following a reading of the chapter. Finally, for chapter 4, a “Thinking and Linking” grid that challenges pupils to consider and collect evidence that reflects the dynamics between 6 sets of characters. I found this to be great preparation for exam style questions and considering the relationships between characters.

This is a simple sheet that allows pupils to collect, correct and reflect on the language errors they may be making in their writing. What’s good about this sheet compared to other “spelling correction list” sheets is that it offers pupils a space to correct more than just spelling errors. It also asks pupils to: Write down their error Copy out their correction more than once Prove that they understand their mistake by writing a small sentence Have some accountability by having a friend sign off on their progression

This is a small, three-page worksheet that I usually use with my KS3 classes to help them compare Alan Brownjohn’s “We are going to see the rabbit” and Sheenagh Pugh’s “Do you think we’ll ever get to see Earth, Sir?”. The first poem follows the narrator as they journey to the last patch of grass in England to see the last rabbit, which is being kept “protected” by barbed wire and is surrounded by thousands of spectators. Eventually the rabbit burrows under the earth and escapes the crowd, to the crowd’s disappointment, only to be sat wondering when they will find it. The language is quite straightforward and can be understood by all ability of classes. The second poem is marginally more challenging in that there are some words that you may have to explain to your class, however the meaning of it is clear if recited well (with the correct tone) so that the class can sense the narrator’s meloncholy. The title of the poem is a question asked by a student in a space-ship classroom; humanity have had to abandon the earth for environmental reasons. The student asks if they will ever get to see the Earth and the poem is the teacher’s response as they reminisce about their life on earth when it was still habitable. This worksheet has three mirroring tasks for both poems where it asks them to consider their feelings after reading, their six favourite quotes and three key images central to the poem. The final page gives the student space to turn the initial tasks into comparative sentences (introducing connectives for comparison to them) and then a challenge at the end of turning one comparative sentence into a comparative paragraph. I have used this worksheet with my classes in an Introduction to Poetry unit and eventually had year 7 students turn their points into a comparative essay which could stand toe-to-toe with some of my KS4 students!

A blank knowledge organiser for students studying John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” to collect key information as a form of revision. This organiser has space for pupils to consider and collect: Information about key contextual factors. Summaries of the events and key quotes of each of the 6 sections of the novella. Key themes and how the events and characters in the novel reflect these. Important information about both main and minor characters in the novel, considering their relationships with others and and key quotes/ events linked to them. John Steinbeck’s choice of language and form to convey meaning. Please note that this knowledge organiser doesn’t provide the information or answers, rather it offers a space for them to collect all of this information independently and in one space before their exam. I know that my students found it useful to use this sheet as their main source for revision in the days leading up to their exam.

This worksheet is a fusion of poetry analysis and contextual consideration for “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou. I use this worksheet after reading the first two chapters of “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” with my class. Benefits of this resource include: Traffic light system task that clearly states what is expected of all, most and then some of the pupils. Good for setting high expectations but also clearly differentiating for pupils. Word bank included at the bottom of the worksheet to aid with more complicated vocabulary from the poem. Three-tiered challenges which asks pupils to consider links to context, characters and finally a poetry analysis.

This is a worksheet for the tenth chapter of Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” where Maya and Bailey move to St. Louis to live with the Baxters, their maternal grandmother’s family. Benefits of this worksheet include: Staggered extracts from the novel including page numbers. Definition list at the start of the worksheet. A colour coding system so that pupils can see when they are focusing on: Maya’s mother’s side of the family that she meets for the first time/ Her and Bailey’s experience at their new school/ Her description of her new hometown of St. Louis/ Descriptions of Maya and Bailey’s biological mother, Vivian. A mixture of question types which ask pupils to consider their first impressions of characters, recall prior knowledge and questions that clarify character’s emotions. An activity at the very end where they can collect key quotes from the extracts in the worksheet and to categorise them accoring to the colour coding.

A “Catalysts and Consequences” sheet offers pupils the chance to consider how cataclysmic events in the novel have consequently affected the characters.

Here is a resource that allows pupils to navigate some of the key moments of the boxing match in Chapter 19. It offers students key quotes and a mixture of questions that challenge their inference skills, language analysis skills and memory skills. There is also a “Point Evidence Explain” writing prompt at the end of the worksheet.

This is a simple, one page worksheet that offers: 1. Three extracts from Chapter 20 where Maya receives her first Valentines Card from a boy called Tommy in her class, but due to her complicated history with relationships she has a negative reaction to it. 2. Six reading comprehension and inference questions based on these extracts. 3. A definition of "kindred spirits". Note: A copy of the novel is needed (the Virago Press 2007 version) as the first two questions ask the pupils to read specific pages to find answers to the questions posed.

Is your class studying the mystery or detective genre this year? Nancy Springer’s “Enola Holmes” series (and the popular Netflix adaptation) has proven to be a brillianbt introduction to the genre for my classes. Whether you’re reading “The Case of the Missing Marquess” or watching the brilliant Millie Bobby Brown adaptation, this simple collection activity will give students the opportunity to investigate how these stories have key tropes of the genre woven into them. The sheet is colourful with a “detective’s scrapbook” feel to it. Tropes that it asks pupils to evidence include: weapons, spooky locations, detectives, guilt, disappearances, deaths, trail of clues, crime scenes, spying, cliff hangers, plot twists, blood, suspicious activity, revelations, lies If you can think of any other topes that you would want to see on this sheet please feel free to leave a comment and I will make any amendments needed.

If your department use Class Dojo to award points to their pupils this project poster may be helpful when studying a class reader! The poster includes descriptions of six tasks, each worth a different amount of Class Dojo points, that act as additional homework or projects that pupils can complete alongside the reading of a class reader. The options of tasks focus on improving the pupils independent research, creative writing and wider reading skills.

This resource is best used during group work and group planning. It includes four worksheets, each focusing on a different location in a haunted house. The image that is the center of their description is at the heart of the worksheet and it is surrounded by five activities designed to improve students’ descriptive writing skills. You could differentiate the groups by giving stronger pupils the trickier locations to describe. For every location pupils must consider, discuss and then plan actions, vocabulary, and imagery that would best describe their assigned location. These tasks are colour coded, so you could ask a class to feedback on the yellow “Sequence of Events” section or the pink “Superlatives” section - even colour coding the written task or further anchor charts/ help sheets. This task is a great way to build pupils’ confidence and give them the imaginative language tools necessary before attempting their own descriptive writing assignment. Please leave a comment or contact if you see any errors in this sheet and I will contact ASAP with an updated sheet.