A practical activity for sorting 2D shapes that I’ve created for my Year 2 class remote learning. Sometimes it can feel like death by worksheet so I loved creating this practical activity for children get involved with. You can see a few examples in my cover picture of children’s work - they loved it! Created for KS1 but can be adapted for any year. Enjoy! :)

Practical idea sheet for home phonics learning.

PowerPoint and worksheet based on the 2020 Kevin the Carrot Christmas advert. I used this as out big write at the end of Autumn Term 2. We watched the advert, went through the PowerPoint and then completed the worksheet based on Kevin’s feelings and the changes in mood within the advert.

A PowerPoint and worksheet based on the BBC Christmas advert ‘Sprout Boy’. Learning about/discussing the video clip, then moving on to recapping what a speech bubble is, where we would use one, why we would use one etc. Worksheet gives children the opportunity to write their own speech for Sprout Boy in different scenarios during the advert.

‘Measuring monsters’ activity which I used for my Year 1 class during the Autumn term when they had to work from home. You can edit and adapt this to add more of a challenge or to link it to a specific Maths unit/objective (we were learning about shape). I loved seeing what each child had created - although they were following instructions, their imagination blossomed and they had some super ideas!

I discovered M.I.N.T.S last year after searching the web for ages trying to find strategies to help children remember when and where to use capital letters (as I find this the main component children forget in their writing). M.I.N.T.S has worked fantastically in both the Year 3 and Year 6 class at my school (I haven’t got round to giving one to the other teachers yet, woops!) as this poster is a constant reminder for children. When peer marking, I often hear children say, ‘XXX, you haven’t remembered your MINTS!’ etc. I was also thinking of sticking a mini copy of this poster in the front of children’s English books so that they can refer to it this way too. I have one poster stuck on my whiteboard and one by the English resources. Hope this helps :)

A mindfulness checklist to use at the end of each school day. Children can take a moment to think about the day, check in on others and highlight their successes. When I have used this, we have done it as a class and discussed as a group, but I also have a copy of this on our exit door so children can read it and think about it as they wish. This really helps children to end their day on a high and promotes communication! Hope this helps :)

A great practical way to understand what friction means and how a surface can impact on friction. I have used this with both a Year 3 and a Year 5/6 class (added extensions for Y5/6). Using toy cars and different surfaces (carpet, wood, concrete, sand, grass etc), test the amount of friction there is between the car and the surface (measuring distance). Comes with a full lesson PowerPoint and a worksheet for children. Hope this helps :)

Worksheet and class PowerPoint for learning about Gravity and Weight. Linked to a practical activity with an ‘egg drop’ - seeing if children can protect/cushion an egg falling from a distance using difference materials. Used with a Year 3 class but can be adapted and used with different year groups. Hope this helps :)

Here is a Novel Study/Guided Reading unit on ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’. I used this with my Year 3 class and we had 30 minute Novel Study sessions - I would read the chapter(s) and they each had a copy to follow along with and then we would discuss the chapter, look at the questions and then they would answer them in their books. I encouraged children to focus on quality over quantity as can be seen with some of the messages in the PPTs. This sequence worked really well with my class and they definitley got the most out of their writing. The way I organise the questions is by ‘good’, ‘amazing’ and ‘awesome’ - a bit like the chilly challenge where the questions get harder and move from retrieval to inference etc. Hope this helps :)

Here is a Novel Study/Guided Reading unit on ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’. I used this with my Year 3 class and we had 30 minute Novel Study sessions - I would read the chapter(s) and they each had a copy to follow along with and then we would discuss the chapter, look at the questions and then they would answer them in their books. I encouraged children to focus on quality over quantity as can be seen with some of the messages in the PPTs. This sequence worked really well with my class and they definitley got the most out of their writing. Most PPTs have an example answer as well as answers to discuss at the end of the sessions. The way I organise the questions is by ‘good’, ‘amazing’ and ‘awesome’ - a bit like the chilly challenge where the questions get harder and move from retrieval to inference etc. Hope this helps :)

A PowerPoint made with the learning intention of drafting designs and creating rock art based on Aboriginal rock art. I used this with a Year 3 class but can easily be adapted and used for other year groups. All you need: this PowerPoint and some rocks! Hope this helps :)

A home learning grid for the story ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’. Can be adapted and activities can be used within the classroom or for a homework grid. Hope this helps :)

PowerPoint full of a range of activities to use alongside the book ’ The Day the Crayons Quit’. Designed to suit both KS1 and KS2 and can be adapted to suit the needs of all learners. Hope this helps :)

Word of the Day template. This is a nice activity to do either in the mornings before/during the register or at the start of an English lesson. I have used this with Years 2-4 but it can be adapted to suit any year group. Hope this helps :)

Number of the Day template - I have used this with Years 2-4 but it can be adapted to meet the needs of your class. This nice activity can be displayed on the interactive whiteboard for children to complete in the mornings or during the start of a Maths lesson. I have used both 2-digit and 3-digit numbers as the Number of the Day. Hope it helps :)