It is exam season - Year 7 English test or classwork. A comprehension with a serving of Paul Jenning’s “Smart Ice Cream” adapted for a 1 hour test. The ending is missing! Reading Assessment Questions cover a range of comprehension skills and grammar focus. Encourages quoting from the text. Writing Assessment Three different tasks with style choices. The mark scheme is attached. A lovely engaging resource and ideal for end of year assessment.

If you are setting a reading comprehension and a piece of writing as an end of term test to Yr7/Y8 then this hand crib sheet will steer them in the right direction. A nice little writing assessment attached too.

Non Fiction writing - a good area for exploration of language and layout. Here is a piece of writing to instruct stimulus with questions and mark scheme. Lovely test for Yr7 or 8 to do in 30 minutes. Worth a look even…just for the lemon drizzle recipe!

George Elliot at her best - An easy chapter summary guide to the novel, Silas Marner. Good for low ability students or an easy ready to grasp the plot.

We know that our students have to upgrade their writing - here is a handy worksheet to get them going. Could be used with KS3 and it should motivate for better style. A few tricks to offer them a way forward. Happy Pimping!

How could you resist - a fidget spinner on Scratch. Start coding...then start spinning. Worksheet tells you how...but not why!

Do you think you can make CIRCLE in Scratch? Have a go - Get busy making your favourite apps in Scratch. A step-by-step guide which you can adapt for the ability of your coders. Computing can be so much fun - when you are making games. Tried and tested in KS3.

Who says we can't have festive fun in Computing. If you are teaching Small Basic (free coding software from Microsoft) then how about a Christmas assessment for KS3 with If Then Else. Teaching Selection has never been more festive! Try the worksheet and then set the assessment - Mark Scheme and code provided. HO - HO - HO!

Kodu is a great platform for game making of any age. It is free from Microsoft. This worksheet will allow students to add interactive buttons. So many possibilities for coding and teaching Selection.

A little bit of winter comfort - use as a homework task, end of unit assessment or a seasonal classroom opportunity to consider personification. Mark scheme attached. Have a good one…

The CPU - the nerve centre of a computer system...

Teaching game narrative in Computing combines English skills with their coding ability. This sheet offers the nudge that Kodu gaming demands a seed of creativity just like a story. Make them think about characters and setting then create the worlds and the creatures that inhabit their visualisations. Plenty of discussion and then loads of fun. A writing frame is provided.