The Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl have some good examples of figurative speech. This short presentation gives a few examples of idioms, for example: the cat’s pyjamas, he’s had his chips, up my street There are links to videos of the Revolting Rhymes on YouTube in the notes. Perfect as a follow up to reading The Revolting Rhymes or as part of a study of figurative language such as idioms. Check out the other Revolting Rhymes resources by Teachers Telling Tales with a focus on reading comprehension skills: Revolting Times and Revolting Crimes.

This pack features fifteen adorable monsters to describe, compare and sort. They come in four colours with carefully selected similarities and differences, perfect for Guess Who games to develop observation, concentration and vocabulary skills. Use the quiz as a model for describing, for example, I am pink, I have three sharp teeth, I have horns. The presentation can be used on screen / interactive whiteboard and there are PDF files for poster / cards. Ideas and instructions for games along with photograph illustrations are included. For more monster-themed literacy and numeracy resources, check out the Teacher Telling Tales shop.

Loanwords are words we borrow from other languages, like ‘ski’, or ‘pizza’. This fun quiz features five words each from other languages, can you guess which words come from where? A fascinating introduction into the origin of words and encouraging a love of language. Students who speak more than one language will recognise that common feeling when you feel the need to borrow form another language to express what you mean! Includes information on the meanings of some of the words and activity ideas to follow up, using the words in context. The presentation is also useful for exploring spelling patterns in loanwords. Powerpoint and PDF versions provided for flexibility. Originally created for and used with Year 6 pupils (UK) age 10-11, but fun for older ages, even adult learners! Includes a slide that can be used interactively and an answer slide.

An engaging activity to develop reading comprehension skills linked to The Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl. Focus on retrieval and summarising the main idea or events. Use the templates to create a newspaper, newsflash or breaking news on the television. Guidelines for students include: headline, caption and story characteristics of news texts is included such as punctuation, alliteration, rhyme The television (old and new style) templates can be used for other topics too. Powerpoint and PDF versions allow for adapting the resource for your needs. Includes educator’s notes and examples of work by students using the templates. You may also like the Teachers Telling Tales resource Revolting Crimes and Sublime Rhymes, (available as a Revolting Rhymes bundle).

Creating a Wanted poster or a Missing Poster is a great way to follow up reading The Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl. These templates provide a framework for students to demonstrate their reading comprehension skills through character description and fact retrieval (listing the crimes, stating the place last seen etc.). There are educator’s notes and student notes with instructions to guide through the text characteristics as well as examples of students’ work using the templates. Provided in Powerpoint and PDF format for flexibility, the activity can be printed or completed digitally. Other Revolting Rhymes resources are available from Teachers Telling Tales, including Revolting Times (a news summarising pack) and Sublime Rhymes (with examples of idioms). If your students are motivated by the crime theme, they may also enjoy the Once Upon a Crime resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/fairytale-forensics-learning-unit-12222954

Fun pirate-themed activities to consolidate positional language / introduce pirate topic vocabulary. Great for English language learners. Starter - Spot the difference posters to get students talking and using positional language. The same poster but in outline so students can add the objects in the correct place and colour their completed picture. Instructions are provided in picture and text form. making the activity accessible to a range of ages and abilities. A guide to using the resource with vocabulary lists is included. Updated March 2021 to correct a typo on the written instruction sheet and add resources for remote teaching: PNG images to click and drag to complete the picture instead of drawing with updated instructions. Related Resources A free pirate vocabulary anagrams sheet can be downloaded here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/pirate-anagrams-12322262 There are pirate-themed mazes, sudoku and phonics games in the Teachers telling Tales shop with options to bundle and save. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/talk-like-a-pirate-phonics-bundle-12403177

Complete Literacy Lesson PowerPoint / PDF with 14 pages. Guidance, answers and ideas in notes. Spot the Difference (three activities) Descriptive language: draw out vocabulary for body parts, colours etc. Monster Names (Three levels of difficulty.) Phonics: Roll a die to select beginning, middle and end sounds, combine to make a monster name. Can be completed as class / individual activity. Record sheets are provided with 8 monsters. The ink-saving version can be coloured by students. Make a Monster Roll a die to select colour, pattern/texture, body parts, home and food for a monster. Annotate on screen or print, place in plastic envelope and use a dry wipe pen. Say sentences about the monster created – the second version has sentence starters to support. My Monster Writing Frame Write sentences about the monster created using the ‘make a monster’ activity or your imagination. Draw the monster. Follow up ideas: Create a class book of all the monsters. Create large paintings, collages or models of monsters for a class display. You may also like the Teachers Telling Tales Little Monster Balloon Party numeracy games. Buy both together as a bundle with a discount.

Good for spelling and vocabulary. Can be used in class or for online teaching / home learning. These presentations feature twenty pairs of homophones, split over two quiz PowerPoints, suitable for two lessons. The Lesson Starter: a fun tongue twister activity Main: Quiz Choose from the two versions with differing levels: • Label (students drag or cut and paste correct spelling to picture) • Annotate (students type/write words next to pictures) Follow up activity: create a mnemonic to remember how to spell tricky words. Examples are shown and a worksheet is included for this. A lesson plan is included and presentations have notes as guidance. To further consolidate homophones try the Teachers Telling Tales Pairs or Pears Games. Receive a discount if you buy both resource packs as a bundle.

Complete lesson with: Lesson Plan with photos Visual aids Worksheet (blank cards design with instructions) Activity resources, printable cards for games / exercises. Three types of cards: Pictures only (colour and black and white versions) 2 sheets Pictures and words (colour and black and white versions) 2 sheets Words only (black and white and ink saving versions) 2 sheets Features twenty pairs of homophones (total forty words), good for spelling and vocabulary. To further consolidate homophones, try the Teachers Telling Tales Which Witch Quiz and activity pack. Receive a discount if you buy both resource packs as a bundle.