SEND The Suitcase Planning

This three-week English unit is based on the book ‘The Suitcase’ by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros. Week 1 focuses on exploring special items and discussing what is special to us, Week 2 explores the emotions and feelings of characters throughout the story, and Week 3 focuses on describing our school.

The resource pack includes lesson plans, PowerPoint and PDF lesson slides, lesson resources, tuff tray suggestions, link to customise the pack through Canva and additional cross-curricular activity ideas to support wider learning opportunities.

These English lessons were used to support learning around the topics of refugees, migration and natural disasters in an accessible and age-appropriate format. The planning has been specifically designed for KS2 pupils with SEND who are working at KS1 level or below. To support accessibility, slides use a dyslexia-friendly approach including Comic Sans font, blue backgrounds, Widgit symbols, minimal text, and clear visual layouts.

Lessons include verbal discussion, short handwriting activities, practical activities, and cut-and-stick tasks to ensure all pupils can access and engage with the learning. Activities are carefully scaffolded with simple instructions and uncluttered slides to reduce cognitive load and promote confidence.

Weekly Lesson Structure:

Monday – Hook lesson - Practical introduction to the week’s learning - Evidence of learning is learning objective, lesson description, and photographs of pupil participation

Tuesday and Wednesday – Vocabulary or story exploration - Focused work linked to the text - Evidence of learning is completed worksheets

Thursday – Handwritten gap-fill sentences - Evidence of learning is completed worksheet

Friday – Editing sentences - Pupils edit prewritten sentences - Evidence of learning is completed editing worksheet

This resource is ideal for teachers and support staff looking for engaging, highly accessible English lessons that combine literacy development with practical learning experiences for pupils with additional needs.