After a heavy snowstorm, staff and students at a school have been forced to spend the night, entirely cut off from the outside world… Here are 5 texts which describe the experience: It’s Snowing!: a story describing the the reaction of students as the snow begins to fall at school. Night: a poem describing the atmosphere as students try to sleep in a classroom. A Search Party: a discussion text outlining arguments for and against sending out a search party to look for help. Expedition: an action story in which a search party attempt to brave the outside. Safe at Last!: a news report detailing the rescue of the staff and students. All brilliantly illustrated by Nick Hilditch These texts could be used in a variety of ways: exploring and comparing different text types or genres; texts for whole class or guided reading; the basis of reading comprehensions; modelled texts for students’ own writing. Language features: Narrative Writing: past tenses, including past perfect; fronted adverbials; adjectives and adverbs for descriptive detail; coherence; relative clauses; commas around clauses; semi-colons; colons; ellipsis; inverted commas; paragraphing, including short paragraphs and sentences for dramatic effect; balance of action, dialogue and setting; themes of adventure, rescue, overcoming fear; character description; figurative language (simile, metaphor). Poetry: metaphor; figurative language; personification; contrasts; patterns; alliteration; repetition. Discussion: formal writing; direct address; objectivity; quotations; sentence adverbs; punctuation range. News Report: layout; report structure; direct and reported speech; formal language.

A simple but effective game which teaches and revises various aspects around simplifying fractions. Pupils play in teams. They choose a category from the game board. The PowerPoint will throw up a question about the chosen area and reveal the answer when clicked. This activity can easily last a whole one hour lesson. Pupils enjoy the competitive element. Topics covered in the game: fractions; simplifying; factors; multiples; prime numbers; explaining answers; reasoning problems.

A simple but effective game which revises different topics in maths. Pupils play in teams. They choose an area (eg ratio) from the game board. The PowerPoint will throw up a question about the chosen area and reveal the answer when clicked. This activity can easily last a whole one hour lesson. Pupils enjoy the competitive element. It can be used as a ‘fun’ way to revise maths in preparation for the KS2 SATs. Categories in the game: calculation, reading scales, algebra, perimeter, area, angle, fractions, decimals, percentages, data handling (pie charts, line graphs), measure, co-ordinates etc.

A simple but effective game which revises different parts of grammar and punctuation. Pupils play in teams. They choose an area (eg verbs) from the game board. The PowerPoint will throw up a question about the chosen area and reveal the answer when clicked. This activity can easily last a whole one hour lesson. Pupils enjoy the competitive element. It can be used as a ‘fun’ way to revise grammar terminology in preparation for the KS2 SATs. Categories in the game: verbs, connectives, adverbs, subject and object, names for words (eg plural, antonym), prepositions and articles, adjectives and determiners, apostrophes, various punctuation.

Six letters of complaint. These could be used to teach formal language, paragraphing, using cohesive devices (e.g. connectives) etc. Good models for Year 6 ‘greater depth’ writers. Letters about… 1 Delayed Train 2 Litter on street 3 Problems at a pizzeria 4 Problems at a fast food restaurant 5 A disappointing day at a theme park 6 Poor service at a toy shop

Letters written in a sarcastic tone or with an unreliable narrator. The reader must “read between the lines” to understand what is really being said. There is a short text and a corresponding set of comprehension questions. These texts might be useful if you were working on tone, narrator voice or character, the manipulation of the reader, or the use of humour, sarcasm or insincerity in writing. Good models for ‘greater depth’ writers.

A Power Point which explains the role of subjects and objects in a sentence and the form of passive and active voice… A task sheet with questions about recognising subjects and objects in a sentence. An exercise for students to complete after the presentation. Answers are included. You can purchase the whole set of these Power Points (11 in total) about different grammar points or punctuation marks. It’s a resource called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Explanations’. There’s also a whole set of task sheets like the one here with each exercise corresponding to the Power Point. It’s called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Exercises’.

A Power Point which explains the function of prepositions and articles. A task sheet with questions about prepositions and articles. An exercise for students to complete after the presentation. Answers are included. You can purchase the whole set of these Power Points (11 in total) about different grammar points or punctuation marks. It’s a resource called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Explanations’. There’s also a whole set of task sheets like the one here with each exercise corresponding to the Power Point. It’s called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Exercises’.

A Power Point which explains the function of the full stop, question mark, exclamation mark and ellipsis. A task sheet with questions about those marks. An exercise for students to complete after the presentation. Answers are included. You can purchase the whole set of these Power Points (11 in total) about different grammar points or punctuation marks. It’s a resource called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Explanations’. There’s also a whole set of task sheets like the one here with each exercise corresponding to the Power Point. It’s called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Exercises’.

A Power Point which explains the function of semi colons, colons, hyphens, dashes and brackets. A task sheet with questions about these marks. An exercise for students to complete after the presentation. Answers are included. You can purchase the whole set of these Power Points (11 in total) about different grammar points or punctuation marks. It’s a resource called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Explanations’. There’s also a whole set of task sheets like the one here with each exercise corresponding to the Power Point. It’s called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Exercises’.

A Power Point which explains the function of commas. A task sheet with questions about commas. An exercise for students to complete after the presentation. Answers are included. You can purchase the whole set of these Power Points (11 in total) about different grammar points or punctuation marks. It’s a resource called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Explanations’. There’s also a whole set of task sheets like the one here with each exercise corresponding to the Power Point. It’s called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Exercises’.

A Power Point which explains the function of verbs. A task sheet with questions about verbs. An exercise for students to complete after the presentation. Answers are included. You can purchase the whole set of these Power Points (11 in total) about different grammar points or punctuation marks. It’s a resource called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Explanations’. There’s also a whole set of task sheets like the one here with each exercise corresponding to the Power Point. It’s called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Exercises’.

A Power Point which explains the function of apostrophes. A task sheet with questions about apostrophes. An exercise for students to complete after the presentation. Answers are included. You can purchase the whole set of these Power Points (11 in total) about different grammar points or punctuation marks. It’s a resource called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Explanations’. There’s also a whole set of task sheets like the one here with each exercise corresponding to the Power Point. It’s called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Exercises’.

A Power Point which explains the function of adverbs. A task sheet with questions about adverbs. An exercise for students to complete after the presentation. Answers are included. You can purchase the whole set of these Power Points (11 in total) about different grammar points or punctuation marks. It’s a resource called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Explanations’. There’s also a whole set of task sheets like the one here with each exercise corresponding to the Power Point. It’s called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Exercises’.

A Power Point which explains the function of adjectives and determiners. A task sheet with questions about adjectives and determiners. An exercise for students to complete after the presentation. Answers are included. You can purchase the whole set of these Power Points (11 in total) about different grammar points or punctuation marks. It’s a resource called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Explanations’. There’s also a whole set of task sheets like the one here with each exercise corresponding to the Power Point. It’s called ‘Grammar & Punctuation Exercises’.

A 16 page non-chronological report booklet on the Roman Baths of Caracalla in Rome. It contains a report, pictures, a map and several question pages. It could be printed out as a pamphlet for students to use as a guided reading resource or when studying non-chronological reports. Teaching Points: GRAMMAR: past and present tenses; direct questions to the reader; relative clauses; complex sentences PUNCTUATION: exclamation marks; questions marks; commas around clauses; brackets; semi-colons STRUCTURE: paragraphs with sub-headings; labelled pictures and diagrams CONTENT & THEME: historical report; specific vocabulary (eg Latin); persuasive language

Three poems to use in shared or guided reading or as modelled texts to teach poetry writing. NIGHT: Subject: trapped inside during a heavy snow storm Language: similes; (extended) metaphors; personification; alliteration Organisation: 4 x 4 line verses; repetition of openings; a variety of patterns and contrasts Theme: mood; mystery; feelings of being trapped; contrast with inside and outside, light and dark ROLLERCOASTER Subject: the excitement of being on a rollercoaster Language: short lines to imitate movement of ride; similes; metaphors; repetition of sounds Organisation: chronological: walking to ride, waiting in queue, getting on, riding, getting off; 6 verses Theme: the thrill of a ride; on to the next thing ROMAN SOLDIER Subject: a Roman soldier marches to a British fort Language: historically related vocab. (cohort, century); metaphor; alliteration Organisation: 6 verses Theme: homesickness; historical fiction; being a foreigner in a new place

A Power Point which explains the function of nouns in sentences. It includes information on different types of noun (common, proper, abstract, concrete, collective). A task sheet with questions about nouns. An exercise for students to complete after the presentation. Answers are included. There is a whole set of these Power Points (11 in total) about different grammar points or punctuation marks. It's a resource called 'Grammar & Punctuation Explanations'. There's also a set of task sheets like the one here with each exercise corresponding to the Power Point. It's called 'Grammar & Punctuation Exercises'.

The staff and pupils in a school have been snowbound after a heavy storm. A group of students and teachers decide to go out to search for help… A short narrative which could be used for guided or shared reading or as a modelled text to highlight or teach different objectives (see teaching points below). Teaching Points: GRAMMAR: past tenses, including past perfect; fronted adverbials (lots of these, especially +ing verb starts); adjectives and adverbs for descriptive detail; connectives (contrast and time); relative clauses PUNCTUATION: commas around clauses STRUCTURE: paragraphing, including short paragraphs and sentences for dramatic effect; balance of action, dialogue and setting CONTENT & THEME: adventure, rescue, overcoming fear; character; figurative language (simile, metaphor)

Neil joins the queue for a shop selling the latest computer game… A short (2 page) narrative which could be used for guided or shared reading or as a modelled text to teach a variety of objectives (see Teaching Points below). Teaching Points: GRAMMAR: past tenses; fronted adverbials; adjectives and adverbs for descriptive detail; connectives (contrast and time); relative clauses; 3rd person narration PUNCTUATION: commas around clauses; exclamation and question marks; speech marks; brackets STRUCTURE: paragraphing, including short paragraphs and sentences for dramatic effect; balance of action, dialogue and setting CONTENT & THEME: build of excitement; character; resolution with surprise; question to the reader; figurative language (simile, metaphor)