Promote exercise and physical fitness with this acrostic poem sheet, using the letters of ‘Active’ to start words or phrases, e.g. Alive for A. Examples page accompanies the writing sheet, with suggestions for single words and whole phrases. SEE ALSO: Keeping on the move - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/keeping-on-the-move-fitness-rhyme-for-all-ages-12106811

This large and varied list of rhyming words will provide the backing you need for class dragon poems. See video for extra ideas + song! Select your favourite words, or those best suited to your group, and read out some of the example verses on the next page, to build your class poem, or help children concoct their own, in pairs or individually. These words and examples offer funny, exciting, mysterious and crazy possibilities, opening up the potential for inspired creativity. Your pupils will love this activity. Watch your reluctant writers and hesitant speakers come alive as the activity takes off! With young children, make up your own, leaving a word gap for contributions, or concoct a simple couplet together. Clap the beat to ensure a punchy rhythm. Now, how about some illustrations?

A class rhyme about space will bring your lesson to life. This list of relevant rhyming words, together with the example rhyming couplets on the next page, will provide all the back-up you need. There are plenty of other rhyming words (and near-rhyming ones) to think up too, and any number of ways to write your verses, but these suggestions will provide a solid starting point to branch out from. Recommended: read out some of the verses first, to give your class an idea of what rhyming couplets are like and how fun and varied they can be. Then read out and write up a selection of the rhyming words, inviting others too, to spur and guide ideas. Next, read out one of the first lines offered, and either invite word alternatives for variation, or ask for a different second line from the one given here. Try some more together, drawing on these resources as need be, then let your class have a go independently, or in pairs or groups, with help as needed.

Pirate treasure from the sea bed could be beautiful, mouldy or smashed to bits. It could be flamboyant or faded, delicate or dangerous, and you might find it floating and drifting or submerged and water-logged. It’ll probably be secret, too - stolen, smuggled and concealed. All these words and many more are listed in this mind-stretching word bank. Either read out from it yourself or copy and distribute it around your class, for selecting and trying out, or to trigger other ideas. Encourage some of these words in conversation too. VIDEO SUPPORT: me reading my published poem, ‘Treasure Chest Mystery’ - details on my website, poemsforfun.wordpress.com : https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMarEm9uVBDEGPTykSlkAfT6jdVArKlPen6X5lk1le7dqUc89gEztNjSO7V6qsxUQ?key=X0hIWmdaV1M0Q2lHYURKbDdIVFFPMTVBTWRUdkhn SEE ALSO: **Under the Sea **poem frame: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/under-the-sea-poem-frame-example-y2-4-11922054 , Seabed Rhymes Y2-4: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-seabed-rhymes-fun-rhyming-couplet-frames-ks2-11892578 . Seabed Mystery Poem Frame KS2: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/seabed-mystery-poem-frame-ks2-guide-11892739 and Treasure Map alliteration game: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/treasure-map-alliteration-game-yr1-6-guide-for-use-11887395

Lead your class into the wonderful, wild woods with this rich and varied array of descriptive words, similes and creature references. Draw from it for your own use and to prompt more suggestions from your students. This comprehensive list provides for every sort of wood, from damp and soggy to misty and mysterious, sparkling and scented, and twitching with animal life. The last column lists hints of creature and plant activity - squawks, squeaks, prickles and stings… Let your young writers roam this absorbing concept-bank to build their own ideas for creative writing, drama, art, music or speaking.

The Thrill of December - this is the title of my uplifting, 4-verse poem for children and their teachers. Enjoy the magical images, the rhythm and rhyme, the sparkle and glow of natural, outdoor Christmastime in this upbeat poem. Discuss, share similar experiences, add a verse of your own. Poem written by me, a published children’s poet.

Teachers on Toast or Catastrophe Curry? What delicious, disgusting, dangerous, dreadful dishes will your class place on this alliteration-focused menu? Don’t worry, though, it’s for dragons only: humans aren’t allowed in dragon cafes - except on plates, possibly. A great end-of-term slot-filler, combining fun with literacy development, creativity, humour and the promotion of class-harmony.

Dragon Haiku Haiku poems are fun to write. This 2-page haiku-writing guide is dragon-themed, for open-ended creativity. It contains a handy GUIDE - for teacher, pupils or both - and a** SHEET** of partly written haiku with gaps to complete. Your class will then be ready to compose their own, in groups, pairs or individually. Dragons can be whatever the writers likes - fierce, brave, crazy, funny, mysterious… Share ideas first. They can move in a myriad different ways too - prowling, pouncing, leaping, flying, dancing… The scope for dragon imagery is boundless too, but fitting a concept into a 17-syllable haiku can be tricky!

Creative writing flows with a fun picture-poem frame, so your 5-7 year-old will be keen to think up words and similes to fill this fluffy cloud and the lines below. Prompt suggestions are provided on the Guide sheet, and your warm-up activities and real-life observations will inspire them further. See my Sun + Cloud resource for simpler writing and sunshine focus; also my Rain Rhymes resource. YouTube recording of my poem ‘What is a Cloud?’ https://youtu.be/EOKVIktMh10

Sea similes and free style creative writing are invited on this wavy-sea picture poem, entitled “Summer’s Day Sea”. Children in my workshops are keen to write on the waves, thinking up their own similes for the sea and sand, and details to follow ‘It goes…’ and ‘You may find…’ IDEAS: The sea might be as blue as the fresh, summer sky, as refreshing as a dripping, mouthwatering, mint ice lolly, and as lacy as a bride’s frilly wedding dress. Or it might be as curly as hair rollers, as fun as your dream birthday party, or as reflecting as a gleaming, polished mirror. Perhaps start children off with similes for sparkly, e.g. as a whirl of precious diamonds, as silver glitter on a Christmas card, or as the twinkling stars in the night sky. SEE ALSO Stormy Sea simile sheet:**** https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/stormy-sea-poetry-frame-guide-12043779**** and Treasure Map alliteration fun: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/treasure-map-alliteration-game-yr1-6-guide-for-use-11887395 - both very popular!

Exciting words-in-picture writing challenge for Fireworks or related topic, or Literacy starter sheet before extended writing. GUIDANCE SHEET included, with tips for helping students think up words and phrases of different kinds to fill the gaps, e.g. describing words, verbs, onomatopoeia, simile, kenning, with examples of each. Fires enthusiasm for writing, stretches active vocabulary, builds confidence in self-expression and literacy, and helps children focus minds on specific concepts. Use across year groups, from Yr2-Y6, adapting challenge levels as appropriate, e.g. describing words for youngest and kennings for oldest. Extra tip: similes can be reduced to metaphors (Yr 5+) by removing ‘as…as’ or ‘like a…’. Can also be inverted, e.g. ‘hot as lava’ = ‘laver-hot’. See my other Firework sheets, too; also, my other gap-filling activities.

8 outdoor-classroom literacy ideas. Outdoor learning addresses obesity, fitness, mental wellbeing, brainpower, and pupil attitude, inspiring and stimulating through fun, fresh air and free movement. The change of setting from the classroom, and the sensual stimuli of outside influences brings learning alive for children. This ideas list for Literacy lessons will help you maximize use of your school grounds and environment for reading, writing, creativity and performance skills, motivating and stretching students of all abilities and ages.

Space studies and writing practice are both brought to life with these fun acrostic poem frames. Give the easier, shorter-line version to younger/less able writers, and the long-line version for confident writers. With the first, ask for a single describing word to tie in with each letter down the page; for the second, ask for a phrase or sentence on each line, again tying in with the letters down the page. See Examples sheet for ideas to prompt for - supplied for each version. There’s space for an extra letter below each. Perhaps suggest making PLANET into PLANETS, for a line starting with S, or suggest they give their planet a letter name, e.g. Planet G or Planet H. Then they can think of a word/phrase starting with that letter too. Space is provided on each version for student’s own illustration. Supports Literacy (vocabulary, phonics, creative writing, poetry, hand-writing and presentation), and Space studies.

Children love rhymes, but they can be tricky to construct, so this resource provides 4 structured rhyme frames on the theme ‘seabed’, with a sheet of tips and examples to help them along. Suitable for Yrs 5/6 working mostly independently, and for Yrs 3/4 with teacher support. However, all will benefit from a whole-class rhyme produced together, chanted and clapped to check rhythm, and written up on the board as an example. Year 2 would also enjoy a shared rhyme challenge, using a selected verse from the sheet. The resource supports literacy, especially poetry and linguistics, developing language dexterity and control of rhyme and rhythm. It would also support any topic related to sea, pirates, holidays, maritime history or the environment. Contents: 2 sheets, black-and-white, PDF.

Young children will enjoy colouring in this rabbit picture, including the grass, sun, bird and flowers in the scene. The activity promotes fine motor skills, colour differentiation, design skills, creativity, and an understanding of the natural world. The picture also offers a focus for discussion.

What We Found at the Seaside - published by The School Magazine, Australia, celebrates natural seaside wonders, in a flowing pattern. 15 short lines, starting: Waves purring wind stirring      gulls chuckling      crabs scuttling spray splashing fish dashing Supports: poetry appreciation, poetry crafting, creative writing, ocean studies, nature, environment, green living, vocabulary, speaking and listening, and PSHE - calming and soothing.

**Dragon writing! ** This illustrated writing frame invites similes, description, and action words for dragons - plus suggestions for their favourite food. Not Teachers on Toast, surely?!? The Guide sheet provides teacher support for firing enthusiasm, ideas and language, and presenting the sheet. Supports literacy, poetry, vocabulary-building, speaking and listening skills, expressive movement (in the recommended warm-up enactments), and study of mythical beasts. Best for lower juniors (7-9 year-olds).

Sun and sunshine similes with starter phrases in an attractive frame with picture prompts all round, for Yrs 2-4 approx. The sun is as hot as, as yellow as, as bright as, as round as…, and as - (gap for idea) as. And when it’s sunny, I like to – (line for filling). SEE ALSO: Weather Poetry Bundle - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/weather-poetry-bundle-ks1-11974784 **+ SEA SIMILES: **https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/weather-poetry-bundle-ks1-11974784 .

An attractive picture of a ladybird with leaves and flowers, for colouring. Young children will enjoy colouring the spots red, and selecting colours for the other parts of this cheerful, natural picture. Develops fine motor control, colour sense, understanding of mini-beasts and the natural world, and more. I also have a butterfly colouring sheet: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/butterfly-colouring-sheet-12043732

A beautiful, calming snow scene to write on, following the snow’s gentle curves. The starter phrases invite describing words and similes.