Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean-spirited old man who hates everything - even Christmas! But when three spirits visit him one Christmas Eve, Scrooge is taken on a journey into the past, present and future that will change him forever. These four simple and engaging lesson plans and activities contain all the resources you need to turn up, engage, and teach this fantastic story. Lessons include listening and speaking, comprehension, writing, art and a memory game. Joy! Includes 4 Full Lessons Plans Learning Outcomes Printables Sequencing activity Story Mountain Story Planner Worksheets Online resources Learning outcomes English • listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers • give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings • use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising • imagining and exploring ideas • listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently • making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done • predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far • sequencing sentences to form short narratives • re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense • discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils • develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by: writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional) writing about real events Art • use drawing and imagination to develop their ideas. • Use tone, pattern, line and shape in pictures. These lessons are written by children’s author and tutor Claire Vorster. Enjoy!

Mr and Mrs Grinling are looking forward to an extra-special Christmas with their great-nephew, George. But on Christmas Eve, Mr Grinling and George get stranded in the middle of a storm! Can Mrs Grinling reach them in time for a Christmas Dinner? The Lighthouse Keepers Christmas Kit includes four lesson plans plus all the resources you need to turn up, engage, and teach this fantastic story. Lessons include listening and speaking, comprehension, writing, art and a memory game. Delicious! Includes 4 Full Lessons Plans Learning Outcomes Printables Sequencing activity Story Mountain Story Planner Worksheets Online resources Learning outcomes English • listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers • give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings • use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising • imagining and exploring ideas • listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently • making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done • predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far • sequencing sentences to form short narratives • re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense • discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils • develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by: writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional) writing about real events Art • use drawing and imagination to develop their ideas. • Use tone, pattern, line and shape in pictures. These lessons are written by children’s author and tutor Claire Vorster. Enjoy!

Every picture tells a story, but which one? Here are 8 curated, visual creative writing prompts. Each image includes a writing prompt designed to inspire your students, or help them to write from the heart. Learning objectives: Generating ideas, planning and drafting Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings Differentiation opportunities: Ask students to find an image they want to write a story about. You can create your own favourite visual creative writing prompts from headlines. It’s easy to pull up images from pinterest or amazing free image sites like unsplash. All my students enjoy this activity. It can help them generate ideas and write about characters and settings they are interested in.

With the right plot, your students can write confident and exciting stories. These Creative Writing lessons start with a simple plotting tool and will build on existing skills, each time adding a new story telling element. Your students will learn how to - • Develop a solid plot structure. • Quickly set themselves up for a successful first draft. • Get tools to keep their stories clear and on track. • Discover how to use a writing prompt to find their starting point. • Remove the fear from the thought of writing a whole story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Time Allowance 2-4 lessons Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Story Mountain Story Mountain for Advanced Climbers Images - Flood, Worst Hotel Reading - Why should I plan? Reading / Ranking Activity - Famous quotes Activity Sheets Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks!

In an old lighthouse, where a twenty-four-candle lantern lights a sparkling blue-green sea, live a lighthouse keeper and his little companion – a cat called Mackerel. One day, a huge storm comes and the lights go out. Mackerel has an ingenious plan to help…but will it work? Resources included 10 Activities Printables Story Mountain Worksheets Handouts Story planner Online resource links Activities Comprehension, speaking and listening, story & information writing, labeling, drawing /painting, memory game Learning outcomes English • listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers • give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings • use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising • imagining and exploring ideas • listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently • re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense • discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils • develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by: writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional) writing about real events Art • use drawing and imagination to develop their ideas. • Use tone, pattern, line and shape in pictures. These lessons are written by children’s author and tutor Claire Vorster. Enjoy!

With the right plot, your students can write confident and exciting stories. These Creative Writing lessons start with a simple plotting tool and will build on existing skills, each time adding a new story telling element. Your students will learn how to - • Develop a solid plot structure. • Quickly set themselves up for a successful first draft. • Get tools to keep their stories clear and on track. • Discover how to use a writing prompt to find their starting point. • Remove the fear from the thought of writing a whole story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Time Allowance 2-4 lessons Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Story Mountain Story Mountain for Advanced Climbers Images - Flood, Worst Hotel Reading - Why should I plan? Reading / Ranking Activity - Famous quotes Activity Sheets Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks!

Every picture contains a secret story, but which one? Here are 8 curated, visual creative writing prompts. Each image includes a writing prompt designed to inspire your students, or help them to write from the heart. Learning objectives: Generating ideas, planning and drafting Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings Differentiation opportunities: Ask students to find an image they want to write a story about. You can create your own favourite visual creative writing prompts from headlines. It’s easy to pull up images from pinterest or amazing free image sites like unsplash. All my students enjoy this activity. It can help them generate ideas and write about characters and settings they are interested in.

There are many great reasons why The Lighthouse Keepers Lunch is so fun to read and teach. Here are four lesson plans plus all the resources you need to turn up, engage, and teach this fantastic story. Lessons include listening and speaking, comprehension, writing, art and drama. Delicious! Includes 4 Full Lessons Plans Learning Outcomes Printables Sequencing activity Story Mountain Story Planner Worksheets Online resources Learning outcomes English • listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers • give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings • use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising • imagining and exploring ideas • listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently • making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done • predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far • sequencing sentences to form short narratives • re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense • discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils • develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by: writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional) writing about real events Art • use drawing and imagination to develop their ideas of 17th Century London. • Use tone, pattern, line and shape in pictures. Drama • develop confidence using movement • develop spatial awareness • act out a story • facilitate the creation and communication of ideas These lessons are written by children’s author and tutor Claire Vorster. Enjoy!

From Sherlock Holmes to Mary Poppins, some characters stay with readers far beyond the final page. This bundled lesson guide will help your students to master the techniques required to create memorable and complex characters. Your students will learn to: Bring characters to life using key details that contribute to their experience and journey. Create a storytelling style that fits their unique characters. Keep their character’s journey at the heart of your narrative. Avoid the mistakes that turn readers off. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources include Range of activities Visual character prompts Examples of characterisation Discussion starters Comprehension questions Story planner for students Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks!

With the right tools, your students can write confident and compelling narrative pieces. These lessons apply secrets from a master storyteller to build on existing skills, adding a dynamic story telling element. Your students will learn how to - • Develop a solid plot structure. • Quickly set themselves up for a successful first draft. • Get tools to keep their stories clear and on track. • Discover how to use a writing prompt to find their starting point. • Remove the fear from the thought of writing a whole story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Time Allowance 1-2 lessons Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Story prompts Story planner for students (2 pages) Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks

Every great picture packs an unforgettable story, but which one? With this adaptable Visual Story Starter Kit, your students can choose from 12 curated creative writing prompts. Each image is designed to inspire your students, and help them to write from the heart. Includes Teaching Guide Printables 12 Curated images + story prompts Story planner Learning objectives Writing Generating ideas, planning and drafting Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Differentiation opportunities Ask students to find an image they want to write a story about. With the flexible Story Starter Kit you can create your activities. It’s easy to add your own visual prompts to this resource. All my students enjoy this activity. It helps them generate ideas and practice creating characters and settings. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions. Many thanks!

With the Story Starter Kit, your students can choose their own creative writing prompts. Each prompt will tell a great story, but which one? This activity is designed to inspire your students, or help them to write from the heart. Learning objectives Writing Generating ideas, planning and drafting Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Activities Planning, writing, reviewing. You can create use the Story Starter Kit to create your own favourite creative writing prompts. It’s easy to add your prompts to this flexible resource. All my students enjoy this activity. It helps them generate ideas and practice creating characters and settings. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Many thanks!

With the right tools, your students can write confident and compelling narrative pieces. These lessons apply secrets from a master storyteller to build on existing skills, adding a dynamic story telling element. Your students will learn how to - • Develop a solid plot structure. • Quickly set themselves up for a successful first draft. • Get tools to keep their stories clear and on track. • Discover how to use a writing prompt to find their starting point. • Remove the fear from the thought of writing a whole story. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or other questions. Time Allowance 1-2 lessons Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Story prompts Story planner for students (2 pages) Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks

Ray Bradbury’s advice on how to write confident and compelling narrative? “Let the world burn through you. Throw the prism light, white hot, on paper.” With the right tools, your students can write narrative pieces that blaze. In these lessons they will turn life’s strangest moments into a dramatic story. They’ll gain the skills to become highly attuned to the world around them, develop their voices and create their best work. They will learn how to - • Identify and develop strong ideas that add heat to a story. • Use popular song lyrics to find story ideas. • Beat writer’s block. Discover the technique that award-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin uses to make a great start, every time. • Craft compelling stories that are relevant and timeless. Time Allowance / Key Stage 3-6 lessons KS4 and 5 Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Story prompts Images (copyright free) Quotes and song lyrics Story planners for students (2 pages) Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks!

Ray Bradbury’s advice on how to write confident and compelling narrative? “Let the world burn through you. Throw the prism light, white hot, on paper.” With the right tools, your students can write narrative pieces that blaze. In these lessons they’ll gain the skills to become highly attuned to the world around them, develop their voices and create their best work. They will learn how to - • Identify and develop strong ideas that add heat to a story. • Use popular song lyrics to find story ideas. • Beat writer’s block. Discover the technique that award-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin uses to make a great start, every time. • Craft compelling stories that are relevant and timeless. Time Allowance / Key Stage 3-4 lessons KS3 Activities Speaking and listening, planning, writing, reviewing. Learning objectives Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Writing Composition: generating ideas, planning and drafting Composition: shaping and constructing language for expression and effect Speaking and Listening Developing active listening skills and strategies Group discussion and interaction: Developing and adapting discussion skills and strategies Resources included in this plan Story prompts Images Quotes and song lyrics Story planners for students (2 pages) Online resource links Please contact Claire Vorster with any questions. Many thanks!

Mr Grinling locks himself out of the lighthouse. Not only is Hamish the cat trapped inside, he also needs to switch on the light to warn the ships that they’re near the rocks! Mrs Grinling has an ingenious plan to get back in…but will it work? The Lighthouse Keepers Catastrophe Kit includes four lesson plans plus all the resources you need to turn up, engage, and teach this fantastic story. Lessons include listening and speaking, comprehension, information and story writing, art and a memory game. Delicious! Includes 4 Full Lessons Plans Learning Outcomes Printables Sequencing activity Story Mountain Story Planner Worksheets Online resources Learning outcomes English • listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers • give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings • use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising • imagining and exploring ideas • listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently • making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done • predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far • sequencing sentences to form short narratives • re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense • discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils • develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by: writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional) writing about real events Art • use drawing and imagination to develop their ideas. • Use tone, pattern, line and shape in pictures. These lessons are written by children’s author and tutor Claire Vorster. Enjoy!

Dive into these 5 Senses lesson plans, packed with playful activities, as you head to the beach. Children can enjoy the story Hello Ocean by Pam Muñoz Ryan. You can almost feel the salt spray on your face and smell the musky scent of ocean in the cool morning air in this great example of the 5 Senses in writing. Then it’s time to eat… Resources include Full Lesson Plans including 12 Activities Printables and Worksheets Story ideas Excerpt from children’s story Ellie Sparrow and the Great Fire of London Online resource links Activities Comprehension, speaking and listening, memory game, diary writing, drawing / painting, research and design Learning objectives English • listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers • give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings • use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, • imagining and exploring ideas • listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently • making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done • predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far • sequencing sentences to form short narratives • re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense • discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils • develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by: writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional) writing about real events Art • use drawing and imagination to develop their ideas • use tone, pattern, line and shape in pictures.

Every great picture has the makings of an unforgettable story, but which one? With this adaptable Visual Story Starter Kit, your students can choose from 12 curated creative writing prompts. Each image is designed to inspire your students, and help them to write from the heart. Includes Teaching Guide Printables 12 Curated images + story prompts Story planner Learning objectives Writing Generating ideas, planning and drafting Developing viewpoint, voice and ideas Writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings Reading Understanding the author’s craft: story shape Differentiation opportunities Ask students to find an image they want to write a story about. With the flexible Story Starter Kit you can create your activities. It’s easy to add your own visual prompts to this resource. All my students enjoy this activity. It helps them generate ideas and practice creating characters and settings. Please contact Claire Vorster for free resources, or with other questions. Many thanks!

One little spark, that’s all it took to start the Great Fire of London. Here are four lesson plans plus all the resources you need to turn up, engage, inspire and teach KS1 Great Fire of London. Lessons include listening and speaking, history, fiction, writing, art and drama. Watch the sparks fly! Learning outcomes: English • listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers • give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings • use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising • imagining and exploring ideas • listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently • making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done • predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far • sequencing sentences to form short narratives • re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense • discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils • develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by: writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional) writing about real events History • learning about: events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally [for example, the Great Fire of London, the first aeroplane flight or events commemorated through festivals or anniversaries] the lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements. • use inquiry skills to gain information from photographs and written text • understand and create a timeline • offer opinions and suggestions about why things happened Art • use drawing and imagination to develop their ideas of 17th Century London. • Use tone, pattern, line and shape in pictures. Drama • develop confidence using movement • develop spatial awareness • act out a story • facilitate the creation and communication of ideas Lessons include excerpts and an illustration from the popular children’s novel Ellie Sparrow and the Great Fire of London. These lessons are written by author and tutor Claire Vorster. Enjoy!