Updated with all new graphics and some new videos, this resource has QR codes linked to TED Ed talks on YouTube with think about it prompts for children to consider while watching, before completing a writing task in write about it (scaffolds provided). More difficult videos are indicated with a * and a link to a digital file for editing and sharing on different digital platforms is also provided. Great for retelling and demonstrating skills with cohesive devices!

Included is a mini writing assignment that I have used for an extra credit opportunity in grades 7 and 8 ELA and Social Studies. Students will have a background in pirates before being given the assignment, but it is also adaptable for different significant people, as well. When I have assigned it, I have also reviewed features of eulogies and compared them to different styles of writing.

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with El Deafo  by Cece Bell. The pack has been designed in alignment with Common Core Reading Standards for Grade 7. I am trying out a new format and would appreciate feedback! The pack has been designed to cover five weeks, with assigned pages for reading, comprehension tasks and quotation and structure analysis. A digital copy of the file is available with download.

An extra credit writing assignment designed for middle school ELA. Students assume the roles of Vikings applying to go on a raid before writing a cover letter and resume that use modal verbs and persuasive devices.

Included is a mini writing assignment that I have used for an extra credit opportunity in Middle School ELA. Students will have a background in Norse Mythology before being given the assignment. When I have assigned it, I have also reviewed features of narratives and storylines and compared them to different styles of writing. *A link to the digital file is provided for completion online using Google Slides.

Included is a mini writing assignment that I have used for an extra credit opportunity in Middle School ELA. Students will a novel being studied to re-write the climax of the story. In the past, I’ve used this extra credit assignment with: Flush by Carl Hiaasen, The Weirdo by Theodore Taylor, The Explorer by Katherine Rundell, and The Last Wild by Peter Torday – all in a unit about the environment and conservation. *A link to the digital file is provided for completion online using Google Slides.

In this resource, children will participate in activities as they learn about the circulatory system and the heart in a hands-on and meaningful way before building an anatomical heart. In the past, I have taught these sessions in a carousel over several days, but they could be taught whole-class as well. A digital file for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw is available with download.

In this resource, children will diagnose the symptoms of a Conquistador who has scurvy through research of his symptoms. Once this is established, they will do a blind taste test of foods high in Vitamin C, and will create a menu of items that Conquistadors can eat to stave off scurvy on their trip to the New World. This pack includes lesson plans, rubrics, and editable rubrics to support with the learning process. Lessons and objectives are aligned with objectives from the 2014 National Curriculum of England. A digital file for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw is available by following the link provided with download.

Children will research the geography of the Yucatan Peninsula faced by the Conquistadors, before exploring sources to learn about the achievements of the Mayan Civilisation. They will then create a digital presentation to show off what they’ve learned. Children will use chronology to compare how their chosen focus has changed over time (before, during, after contact with the Conquistadors). This pack includes lesson plans, rubrics, and editable rubrics to support with the learning process. Lessons and objectives are aligned with the objectives of the 2014 National Curriculum of England, but ties are made to the CCSS where appropriate. A digital file for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw is available with download.

Children will look at popular avatars from different video games, including Super Mario, Bowser, Link, and Donkey Kong. They will look at how their design has changed over time, and will compare how characters are similar and different. Children will then design their own video game characters; a hero and an enemy. In the past I have used this alongside a unit on designing a video game on Scratch, where the children can include their avatar in their game. To do this, we took photos of the drawn characters and then edited them online before uploading them to the program. A link to digital resources for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw is available with download.

Children will look at how video game controllers have changed over time, including controllers from Nintendo and Playstation. After plotting changes on a timeline, children will consider what makes the designs effective before designing their own to use and evaluate. In the past, I have used this learning outcome alongside an explanation text and video game design on Scratch (both also available in my shop). A digital copy of the file is available for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw with download.

Children will begin by playing different video games online to evaluate what makes them fun and engaging for their audience. They will then analyse the mechanics of the games and then plan a game of their own remixing a game on Scratch based on their criteria. Children will then use conditionals, operators, and variables on Scratch to make their own game. Lesson plans, editable rubrics, and classroom examples from Year 6 are provided, as well as links to additional support on the Scratch website. A digital copy of the file is available for editing and posting on Google Classroom and Seesaw provided with download.

Children will consider video game controller design before discussing what makes a controller effective. Children will then write an informative text about how a MakeyMakey works, including what they can be used for and what makes them effective. Scaffolds and planning checklists are provided to support children in their writing. Objectives from Year 6 are used, pulled from the 2014 National Curriculum of England and the Interim Framework. Lesson plans, editable rubrics and classroom examples are included. A digital copy of the file for editing and sharing on digital platforms is available with download. ----------- You might also like: Working Scientifically with MakeyMakey in Years 3 & 4 Working Scientifically with MakeyMakey in Years 5 & 6

Children will write a narrative text about being pulled inside of a video game. Scaffolds and planning checklists are provided to support children in their writing. Writing objectives from Year 6 are used, pulling from the 2014 National Curriculum of England and the Interim Framework. A digital copy of the file is available for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw by following the link provided with download.

This BUNDLE brings together different SIX learning outcomes from the shop related to video games and video game controllers: * DESIGN A VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER USING MAKEYMAKEY * WRITING AN INFORMATION TEXT ABOUT MAKEYMAKEY * EXPLANATION TEXT ABOUT CHANGES IN VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS * DESIGN YOUR OWN VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS * DESIGN YOUR OWN VIDEO GAME ON SCRATCH * NARRATIVE WRITING ABOUT VIDEO GAMES The download is a zip file of the different individual packs, each with digital files for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw.

**Aligned with the 2014 National Curriculum of England Included are the resources to follow a sequence of sessions where they develop their own ideas before applying them to the style of the model poem. Children are introduced to the poem and decide what they would include in their own magic box. After reviewing poetic devices, children return to their ideas and include poetic devices to make them stronger before drafting their own poems. As a maths and arts link, children can then design and make the nets of their magic boxes before building them into their boxes. Children can then add items and illustrations to their boxes representing the different ideas from their poems. Digital copy provided with download.

*Updated with new graphics I have used this project with different classes and in different ways. With more able cohorts, the pitch can be adjusted with different parameters on the designs (eg: no adhesives, instead researching different ways to attach boards with latches and folds vs. using tape and glue guns; setting rules for the height of the walls of the maze to use measurement in a meaningful way; only allowing a certain length of board that needs to be cut, etc). Our Year groups used this as an alternative to making periscopes, as it reinforces the same Science objectives about light and the way it travels. In my experience, the children have enjoyed this project more because they’re more in control of the design. A digital copy of the file for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw is available by following the link provided with download.

*Updated with new graphics To introduce this Learning Outcome, we took the children outside with different materials to make shadow art. Some were given challenges, and some were left to explore. Children are then exposed to how shadow is moved to create fear in horror films before being challenged to design a movie trailer of their own. We used iMovie’s Trailer option, but the same project could be done with a variety of different software options. At the end, we invited parents in to school and served popcorn as we all watched the horror trailers made by the children in the year group. A digital copy of the outcome for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw is available by following the link provided with download.

*Updated with new graphics This resource has been planned for a 6-week Half-Term. It connects the curriculums for Design Technology, Science, Art, English, and History. Children investigate light and how it travels while also studying the eye and the history of cinema, with a focus on special effects. A zip file with PDF units and links to digital files for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw is available with download.

This 69 page resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable Fib by Adam Shaughnessy. ABOUT THE NOVEL: “What is the Unbelievable FIB?” That’s the question eleven-year-old Prudence Potts discovers on a baffling card no one else in Middleton--except ABE, a new kid at school with a knack for solving riddles--seems to see. Then a mysterious man asks for ABE and Pru’s help investigating mythical beings infiltrating the town, and that’s just the first of many things Pru finds hard to believe. Soon Pru and ABE discover another world beneath their quiet town, where Viking gods lurk just out of sight. And when the pair find themselves locked in a battle against a dangerously clever enemy, they must race to secure the Eye of Odin, source of all knowledge--and the key to stopping a war that could destroy both human and immortal realms. ABOUT THE RESOURCE: Designed in alignment with the 2014 National Curriculum of England’s reading objectives for Year 6, the pack includes: Chapter Summaries, Comprehension Questions, Digging Deeper Opportunities (includes character studies and plot studies), Creative Writing Tasks, and Non-Fiction Tasks related to content of the novel (Thor, Loki, Odin, runes, Vikings). Resource is provided as a PDF but a digital copy of the pack is available for editing and sharing on Google Classroom and Seesaw available with download. ----------- You might also like: The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable Fib Novel Study + Viking STEAM