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Three-week writing unit about a Greek myth, planned in detail and fully resourced and differentiated. It is pitched at Year 4, but would work equally well in Year 5 or 6 (please see the key skills covered below). For most sessions, there are resources to extend high attainers and resources to support SEN learners. By the end of the unit, children will have written a Greek myth of their own, informed by the structure of Theseus and the Minotaur. Along the way, there is drama, grammar skills, vocabulary work and short-burst diary writing - please see the objectives below. This unit is ready to go! Three weeks of differentiated resources is a lot of files, so you can’t see it all in the preview. When you buy, please use the zip folder. The contents of the zip are organised into weeks and then into individual lessons (the other files are only there so that people can preview the unit!) . The zip will enable you to navigate your way through the plan and related resources with ease. All resources are PowerPoint and Word, so you will have no issues opening anything - and you can edit to suit your own needs - no PDFs! There are many, many resources included. Here are a few key examples: model text (short and long versions); a story map; drama activities; story boards; cold task/assessment task; reading comprehension activities; conjunctions activities; scavenger hunt; paragraphing activities; pronoun activities; noun phrase activities; fronted adverbial activities; tool kits; idea gathering resources; planning grids; peer assessment resources; and many more! The key objectives covered repeatedly throughout the unit are: Reading: • increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths and legends, and retelling some of these orally • asking questions to improve their understanding of a text • drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence Vocab/grammar/punctuation • I can use a wide range of subordinating conjunctions (when, if, because, although) • I understand the term ‘adverbial’ and I can use fronted adverbials (with a comma) • I can choose a variety of nouns and pronouns (to avoid repetition) Composition • discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar • organising paragraphs around a theme Evaluate and edit by: • assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements These have been broken down and written in ‘child speak’ within the planning.

Here are seven sessions inspired by Louis Sachar’s ‘Holes’ (or the film of the same name) pitched at Year 5 or Year 6. First, children write an informal letter from Stanley to a member of his family back home. After that, they write a formal letter of complaint from Mrs. Yelnats to Warden Walker. There are also optional cold task and hots tasks (Pizza Problems!) if you need them. It’s all in Powerpoint and Word, so edit as you wish. Absolutely everything you need is in the zip folder. Models and planning are frames included along with many other supporting resources (word banks, text extracts and information pages). Get stuck in! Here is an overview of the six sessions: OPTIONAL COLD TASK Pizza problems! Write an informal email to a friend. Use the planning frame and the word bank if you need them. Reading fluency and tricky vocabulary Look at tricky words and rank them. Use synonyms and paraphrases to replace tricky words. Improve reading fluency through modelled and paired reading. • I can explore unfamiliar vocabulary in context • I can read a story fluently Plan an informal letter to Mom ** Read the start of Stanley’s letter and Mom’s reply. Discuss how Stanley is creative with the truth. Focus on planning structure – give each paragraph a theme. Share read an example letter before starting. • I plan an informal letter • I can use informal language and sentence structures Write a letter to Mom Explore the difference between formal and informal. Identify formal and informal language. Revisit contractions and dashes – they are common in informal writing. Write a letter home. • I can make contractions by dropping letters and using an apostrophe in their place • I can add chatty afterthoughts using dashes Plan a formal letter Explore formal language choice. Get into role as one of Stanley’s parents. Pick three key points to complain about. Read information relating to your three points and plan your letter. • I can use precise language (limited, inadequate, insufficient) and write in a formal style Write a formal letter Share read a formal letter paying close attention to grammar features. Spend time exploring word banks. Write formal letters, maintaining an appropriate register throughout. • I can write maintain a formal style throughout my writing • I can use a range of (upper KS2) punctuation OPTIONAL HOT TASK Pizza problems 2! Write a letter of complaint. Use the planning frame and the word bank if you need them.

This is a fully planned, fully resourced 3 week narrative unit. It has been designed to enable Year 6 writers to produce ARE and possibly greater depth writing. All docs have been created on Word and PowerPoint so you can adapt it as you wish. The unit is driven by chapter three of ‘The Explorer’. Children spend time getting to know ‘The Den’ before creating their own survival stories. If you have an opportunity to do some den building, this unit really comes to life. If this is not possible, you could design dens or create model dens. There are den building resources included. By the end of the unit, children will have produced some extended narrative writing after many short bursts of preparatory writing. But more than that, everyone will have a lot of fun too - the plan is packed with games and creative activities (‘Three words only’, ‘Would I lie to you?’, ‘Knights, riders and dancers’, ‘Survival Quiz’ and many more…). Everything is oraganised into lesson-by-lesson folders for ease of use. If you buy this unit, ignore the PNG files which have been used to preview parts of the unit. Instead, find the zip folder that contains all of the resources in full. Enjoy!

This resource is 15 fully resourced sessions exploring the Anglo-Saxon legend Beowulf. Everything you need - models, PowerPoint slides, activities - is included in the ZIP file. The previews you can see show snippets of the first five sessions. It has been created for Year 5, but could be used in other KS2 classes. The unit draws on many versions of Beowulf. The model text harnesses the rich language used in Beowulf: dragonslayer by Rosemary Sutcliff. Each session has been carefully sequenced. The unit begins with immersion into the story through images and drama. There are also reading fluency and comprehension activities. Children in engage in short burst writing activities to learn and apply new skills. They also explore the key features of legends through a tool kit. Towards the end of the unit, children pick from a wide range of hot tasks, choosing the one that excites them most. Finally, children create their own legends, making use of planning grids and storyboards. This unit is ready to go. Creative teachers (and children!) will enjoy getting stuck-in to this one. Please also check out my other units, including ‘Theseus and the Minotaur’. with every lesson creatively planned in detail and many sessions resourced for SEN, EXP and GDS. /teaching-resource/theseus-and-the-minotaur-3-weeks-of-detailed-planning-fully-resourced-and-differentiated-11914692

A three week KS2 writing unit with a powerful environmental theme. All lesson plans, PowerPoints and activitiy resources included - it’s ready to go. Pupils explore a one-sided argument about fossil fuels, and then create their own persuasive writing about food waste. Turn your class into eco-heroes! Teach children about persuasive devices, and encourage them to use these skills to make a positive change. I used this project in Y4, but it could be quickly adapted for any KS2 class - all resources are fully editable. If you buy this resource, ignore the preview images (these are just png screen shots) and open the zip folder. Inside this folder, you will find full versions of all plans, presentations and tasks, organised into lesson-by-lesson folders for ease of use. Please also see my new ‘climate change’ unit, Waste Monsters, aimed at upper KS2. /teaching-resource/resource-12966461

This is now the original 40 grammar dice games (a 145 page word document containing 40 fun grammar games) and also 38 more grammar games. Unlike a lot of sellers, my work is a Word document, so you can edit-and-adapt to make it work in your classroom. All of these games have been tested in class and adjusted if needed. They have a real impact on learning. For each grammar skill there is: a child friendly explanation of the concept; printable rules and resources for a lively dice game; suggestions to challenge or support learners; suggestions for application of the skill in written work. For some grammar games there is also a lesson plan and a presentation. Some of the games included are: 1. Mission Control - Write commands, questions and statements 2. Mythical Six 3. Simple or Compound 4. Adverb Sea Monsters 5. How many proper nouns? - Use proper nouns in a sentence 6. Castle of Nouns - Classify different types of nouns 7. The Memory Test – contractions 8. Apostrophe abductions - Identify possessive apostrophes and contractions 9. Synonym racers (adjectives) - Use more adventurous adjectives 10. Unplanned Story - Use sentence variety 11. Whose side are you on? - Learn the language of argument 12. Whose side are you on? (advanced) - Use extended arguments in a balanced discussion 13. Sentence Extenders - Extend simple sentences in a variety of ways 14. Battle of the complex sentences - Create complex sentences 15. Simple, compound or complex - Create simple, compound or complex sentences 16. Explanation game - Use causal connectives 17. Fronted adverbials - Use a variety of fronted adverbials 18. Warrior swords - Vary the length of fronted adverbials 19. Score my speech - Punctuate direct speech accurately 20. Score my interrupted speech - Interrupt direct speech by dropping a reporting clause in 21. The relative clause team game - Drop a relative clause into a sentence 22. Will you or won’t you? - Use modal verbs in sentences 23. ‘Time’ or ‘Place’ - Classify prepositions into two groups 24. Add a prepositional phrase - Add a prepositional phrase to a main clause 25. Punctuation show-offs - Use dashes, brackets and semi-colons 26. Plural planets - Explore 6 rules for making plurals 27. Battle words - Use this for any spelling rule! 28. Determiners ‘Point or show quantity’ - Learn all about determiners 29. Determiners ‘Introduce the noun’ - Classify and use determiners 30. Unstressed vowel race - spell unstressed vowels 31. Follow the rule/break the rule - spell ‘ie’ and ‘ei’ words 32. Creepy crawly colon sentences - Colons to explain 33. Colons to introduce lists ...and more!!!

This is a KS2 sentence intervention for the whole class based on the brilliant short film ‘The Present’! It is made up of 12 carefully planned and fully resourced sessions, complete with PowerPoint slides. Everything is editable and it’s all ready to use with no additional preparation. For one reason or another, many children arrive in Year 4, 5 or 6 with significant gaps in their understanding of basic sentence grammar. Often we are asking them to repeatedly take part in extended writing tasks when they can’t tell us what a sentence is or write accurately. Use these 12 lively sessions with your class and you will quickly see an impact on sentence accuracy. Soon, children will be engaging with grammar and you’ll here: “Is this a run-on?” or “Does this sentence make sense?” Music to any teacher’s ears! Allow about an hour for each workshop and adapt it to suit your own needs. Let’s give children the knowledge and skills to start talking about sentences. If you purchase this unit, please use the zip. Each lesson is resourced in its own sub-folder for ease of use. All planning (Word) and slides (PowerPoint) are included too. The images are just to enable previewing of the unit. Overview of the unit Workshop 1 (slides 1-3) Sentence assessment task Workshop 2 (slides 4-14) I can tell the difference between a sentence, a fragment and run-on I can change fragments and run-ons into sentences Workshop 3 (slides 15-19) I can tell the difference between a sentence, a fragment and run-on I can change fragments and run-ons into sentences Workshop 4 (slides 20-28) I can start a sentence with How? When? or Where? Workshop 5 (slides 29 – 39) I can use these conjunctions: ‘because’, ‘but’, ‘so’ Workshop 6 (slides 40-45) I can tell the difference between statements, questions and exclamations I can write statements, questions and exclamations Workshop 7 (slide 46 – 52) I can identify a run-on I can correct a run-on Workshop 8 I can punctuate direct speech (slide 53-59) Workshop 9 (slides 60-64) I can start a sentence with How? When? or Where? (2) Workshop 10 (slide 65-69) I can peer assess writing and set a target I can plan a story Workshop 11 (slides 70 – 74) I can use accurate sentences in my story writing Workshop 12 (slide 75-84) I can edit my work and improve it for my readers

This is a 14 session biography writing unit for upper KS2. Children explore the life of Anne Frank - supporting history learning about WW2 - and then go on to choose one of four other people who SHOOK THE WORLD while they were young (Boyan Slat, Greta Thunberg, Pele or Marley Dias). After learning new writing skills, children write a biography about their chosen subject. If you purchase this unit, please open the youthquake biography zip file. Each of the 14 lessons is organised into its own subfolder. All lesson plans, lesson slides and activities are included - it’s ready to go. Everything is created in PowerPoint and Word, so you can edit and adapt as you wish. The png files you can see in the previews are just there to give a taste of the first few lessons. Your class will enjoy learning about biographies and creating a YOUTHQUAKE! Throughout this unit, I would recommend reading children selected biographies from YouthQuake: 50 Children and Young People Who Shook the World by Tom Adams & Sarah Walsh.

Three week writing unit for Year 3/Year 4. A fully resourced and differentiated unit including all slides and activities. Drama! Talk! Reading skills! Grammar skills! Organising information in fun and inviting ways! It’s all ready to pick up and use. I have included the full unit in a zip folder (if you buy, just use the zip!), as you cannot see it all in the preview. The children begin with an assessment task (a cold task) and then spend a week exploring a model text about the Stone Age and learning some key grammar skills for year 3 and 4. They go on to learn about structure and organisation whilst also learning about mammoths! Finally they use all of their new skills to create their own information text about the Iron Age. The whole 15 lesson unit is full of games and activities focused on these skills: I can show what I already know about writing an information text I can ask questions to improve my understanding of the text I can quickly find information in non-fiction texts I can use conjunctions (when, before, after, while) to explain when things happen I can use prepositions (in, on, inside, at, by, during, before, after) to explain when and where I can spot the key features of information texts I can use paragraphs to group information I can use headings and sub-headings to organise an information text I can present (show) information in different ways I can use glossaries to check the meaning of words (repair ‘meaning breakdowns’)

I or Me? These two pronouns are used regularly in English spoken language and writing, but often incorrectly! In KS2 children are expected to make an 'appropriate choice of pronoun or noun within and across sentences to aid cohesion and avoid repetition'. This resource provides a lesson plan outlining the rules regarding when to use 'I' and 'me' correctly (focussing on using I or me with another name) through a Powerpoint presentation with working examples and a board game. It also teaches the children a 'trick' to use to self-check that they have chosen the correct pronoun. There are 'support' and 'challenge' versions of the game and the grids are complete with no cutting out required, saving you plenty of time! The game is a fun way to consolidate the learning and includes a simple lesson plan, the game, the powerpoint presentation and the game boards, all of which can be edited and adpated to suit your pupils. I or Me? is best suited to Years 4-6 for use with children who speak english as their first language or for older children for whom english is an additional language.

I can use the relative pronouns ‘who’, ‘which’, ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘whose’ and ‘that’ to write relative clauses. Specific relative pronouns are used when referring to different nouns. The fun dice game ‘Meet the relatives’ encourages children to think about which relative pronoun is most suitable for the noun in the sentence. The aim of the game is to be the first player to write an embedded relative clause using each of the relative pronouns on the game card. There are three versions of the game, to ensure that all learners are included and appropriately challenged. Enjoy meeting the relatives!

Seven poetry lessons for upper KS2 with a focus on performance, creative writing and book making. All plans and resources included - everything you need is here. All work is produced using Word and Powerpoint, so edit as you wish. Most of all… enjoy. This is a fun unit! Please use the contents within the zip folder, and not the PNG files, which are previews of the unit. Overview of unit Session 1 Explore tricky vocabulary I can explore the meaning of words Session 2 Read, discuss, perform I can bring a poem to life using my voice **Session 3 Explore, map, recite ** I can visualise a poem and recite it from memory Session 4 Comprehension I can explain the meaning of words in context I can find information in poetry I can justify inferences with evidence Session 5 Create poetry I can write a free verse poem using a familiar theme and structure Session 6 Peer edit for impact + perform I can choose verbs and nouns phrases to create imagery I can perform my own composition fluently Session 7 present your poem as a book Optional session: fold and cut A3 paper to create a 3-D concertina book showcasing your poem

Create stunning descriptive sentences about WW2 settings. During this sentence building activity, young writers describe damaged homes, a pier and a pavilion. You could quickly edit the images and the word banks to match landmarks in your local area. We went on to use the sentences we created in stories set during WW2. Enjoy!

Key Stage 2 nouns A fun game for 2 players exploring proper, common, concrete, abstract and collective nouns. I designed it to support children preparing for the Y6 grammar test. It could be useful for anyone exploring different types of nouns. Enlarge the game board and playing cards up to A3 for less fiddly fun. Enjoy! If you would like more like this please download my other games. They come with presentations and lesson plans. If you use this, please leave a review - it's good teacher karma!

Two dice games for KS2: ‘Point or show quantity’ pupils explore the two basic functions of determiners. ‘Introduce the noun’ pupils add determiners to noun phrases and sort determiners into groups. Both games have a competitive element but are tightly focused on the following objectives: I know that determiners have two jobs: ‘pointing’ or ‘showing quantity’ I can use determiners accurately in sentences I can use a wide variety of determiners to introduce nouns I can sort determiners into groups Determiners can get a little confusing for primary school aged children when you get beyond simple ‘a’ or ‘an’ activities. How far you go with your class is best judged by you (of course!). Through the presentation (which you may wish to simplify, depending on how far you wish to go with determiners) and engaging dice games, children will use lots of talk, and really engage with this tricky-to-define but important group of words.

6 editable posters, pupil questionnaire, pupil response sheet, spreadsheet for data This resource is designed to support learning about growth mindsets in primary schools. It includes 6 growth mindset posters. These are saved as jpegs and as a powerpoint, so that you can edit them to meet your own needs. It also includes a pupil questionnaire made up of 11 questions in a powerpoint, so that you can assess the impacts of raising awareness of mindsets in your school. Use it before you start any work on mindsets, and then again at the end of the year. There is a pupil response sheet too, to make data analysis easy. I used this across Year 5, as a sample group, but I think it could be used across the primary age range. I have now added a simple spreadsheet. This will help you analyse your data giving a percentage for each response and generating a simple bar graph for each question. I dropped the graphs into a powerpoint to share with staff, governors and of course pupils. It’s a useful ‘before and after’ activity to show any impact/identify where you need to do more work.

This one works a treat! ***This game and 39 others are included in ‘40 Grammar Dice Games’ available from my TES shop*** ’More Grammar Dice Games’ is also now available Fronted adverbials should now be taught from Year 3 upwards and this is a useful way in - it will also stretch talented KS2 writers. This dice-based activity encourages children to add a wide variety of fronted adverbials to a main clause. The game is differentiated into three different versions. In its simplest version, less confident writers can pick appropriate adverbs to open sentences. In the most challenging version writers must elaborate and include more than one adverbial before the main clause. This can produce some stunning sentence work. My class have been able to apply this skill in their own writing and I’m sure yours will too. There is a presentation to provide your class (or any less confident teachers) with the knowledge needed to use the activity creatively. NEW! I have added a new game ‘Warrior Swords!’ to develop the skill of varying the length of fronted adverbials. It is more challenging than the other 3 versions attached. I hope you find the games as useful as I have. ***This game and 39 others are included in ‘40 Grammar Dice Games’ available from my TES shop*** ’More Grammar Dice Games’ is also now available

A simple presentation about active and passive sentences, with some key questions. It leads into a board game that could be used for independent work, in pairs. The game could be recorded in written sentences or simply to used to orally practise active and passive.

Simple ‘label a mosque’ activity. I couldn’t find one, so I hope it saves you some time. I drew the mosque.

If you are reading Goodnight Mr. Tom here are three very short drama activities for children to try in pairs. They could be used just to help children engage with the story. I asked children to use these three short pieces of drama to support them in writing a diary entry and they produced some wonderful writing. If you like this creative and active approach to teaching, you will love my pack of 40 grammar games - available to buy in my TES shop. Hope they are of use to someone out there in teacherland. If you use it, please review it! *2200 downloads…2 reviews