A list of questions that parents can use to talk about the book they have read with their child. These are the same questions on the classroom fiction question sheets, but on one sheet that can be shared with parents. This could be included as homework or in reading records to extend the reading experience between parents and children. Reading Riddle is a free website that aims to encourage parents and help them become more confident when reading with their children.

Editable vocabulary on sweet wrappers for display. The words were brainstormed by my class so obviously you can use them or edit and add your own according to your class. I hope they are useful.

Questions about non fiction fact books on a prompt sheet. These are intended to help parents to discuss books with their children. There is a separate sheet of questions about fiction books. Reading Riddle is a free website that aims to support parents and gives information about reading with children.

This is a set of history plans for the topic of Ancient Egypt. They are linked to Vlad and Tutankhamun’s Tomb picture book, and show how to use the story and facts in this in the lessons. All linked resources (powerpoints, information sheets are available to download for free on the Teacher resource section of the Reading Riddle website Further activities and plans can be found on the shop and on our YouTube channel.

This is one of the resources for the Great Fire of London topic - although any work needing to observe and collect fire words could use it. The full free planning and other linked resources are available to download on the Reading Riddle website in the Free Resources section.

This is a free recorded session that I made for the Wandsworth Heritage Festival 2021. I have confirmed that they intend to leave the session up so have linked it on here so it can continue to be used. In the video I compare a Tudor house, which would have been the common structure during the Great Fire of London as much of the housing stock was old and dated from that period. I discuss how houses were built, heated, lit and supplied with water. There is a demonstration of the house Sam Cunningham created especially for this event. A free template is available to download and make from the Reading Riddle website This is a great session to help children understand how very different life was around 350 years ago and how much our homes have changed since then.

This step-by-step video shows how to make an Ancient Egyptian sarcophagus or coffin from cardboard and salt dough. It can be adapted to make without the salt dough. The video is quite long but gives a detailed description of each stage and could be shown in parts at each stage of the make if preferred. It can be used as a creative part of the history topic on ancient Egypt and has been made in connection with the book Vlad and Tutankhamun’s Tomb. The book is a story about the artists who were responsible for creating the decorations and art that was discovered in the tomb and is a great starting point for generating vocabulary and thinking about the contrast between the wealth of the pharaohs and the life of ordinary Egyptians. To find out about this and other Flea in History books go to the Reading Riddle website Further planning and ideas are available on the shop and through the website. Other books include Great Fire of London, Florence Nightingale, First World War and Space.

Linked to Vlad and the First World War this is an activity to make a version of Crsip VC the carrier pigeon, that can then zoom down his own zip wire! Lot’s of possibilities to carry out an investigation such as: how fast does he travel? (and how do we measure this accurately?) does the length of the string affect his speed? does the difference in height, from start to finish, affect his speed? does the size/weight of Crisp VC affect his speed? does the type of string affect his speed? The video has step-by-step instructions on creating the mechanism. For more activities and ideas for this and the other books go to the Reading Riddle website. Vlad and the First World War introduces many of the real people caught up in the conflict, such as 2nd Lieutenant Walter Tull, Dr Phoebe Chapple, Captain Thomas Crisp, the Red Baron, the Chinese Workers Corps and the Indian Cavalry. From this children can research, write and dig deeper into a wider range of international experience. Also in the series: Vlad and the Great Fire of London, Vlad and Tutankhamun’s Tomb, Vlad and the Space Race, Vlad and the Florence Nightingale Adventure.

A craft activity to make a light linked to the topic of Great Fire of London and a resource by Kate Cunningham, author of Vlad and the Great Fire of London and the other Flea in History series. This video demonstrates step-by-step how to make the light. Resources needed include jar/bottle, battery operated tea light, cellophane/tissue paper, scissors, glue, pencil and ruler. Go to the Reading Riddle website for information about the other books, visits and resources. Other books include First World War, Tutankhamun, Space and Florence Nightingale.

A vocabulary sheet/word mat using images from the picture book Vlad and the Space Race. Linked free lesson plans and resources are available on the Reading Riddle website. The picture book Vlad and the Space Race is available from the Reading Riddle website, Amazon, or any bookshop. Further information about all the Vlad flea books and my schools visits is available on this website too.

This classroom activity looks at war memorials and considers who they are for, what they are made from and what images are used. Children then use this to design a memorial of their own. Through this activity the children think about why we have memorials and the wide range of people and animals who are being remembered. For further information about the Vlad flea books visit the Reading Riddle website.

Florence Nightingale demonstrates how to wash hands effectively and uses a song to remember the different stages to ensure your hands are clean. 2020 is the UN Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Handwashing is essential practice to health professionals but should also be important to all of us if we want to stay healthy and prevent the spread of germs and diseases. These two films show how to clean hands well using the NHS guidelines on the different steps and a song written by Kate Cunningham to remember them. Film 1 shows why a quick rinse under the tap is not enough, followed by the song. Film 2 is the short version with just the song. Kate is the author of Vlad and the Florence Nightingale Adventure picture book and more information about the books, visits and events can be found on the Reading Riddle website

The planning and resources are based on the research and illustrations from the picture book Vlad and the Florence Nightingale Adventure. It works well with the book but can also be used independently. Florence Nightingale’s influence included working to make hospitals cleaner, train nurses to be professionals and gathering data to determine what changes improved healthcare. The lessons cover these ideas and include looking at hospitals past and present, timelines, science investigation on hygiene, the role of a nurse now and in history, first aid and making a difference and data gathering. There are links to RE, PSHE, Science, English and Maths. Within the lessons are Big Questions link to the topic to promote speaking and listening. There are powerpoints and resources to support lessons. Planning for English lessons on persuasive writing and instructions has been downloaded separately. For further information about the Vlad series of books (Vlad and the Great Fire of London, Vlad and the First World War), school visits, lesson resources and encouraging reading with families see the Reading Riddle website.

This is a set of 5 lessons which focus on the personal testimonies of those caught up in the First World War. The activities and objectives are included on the lesson plan and there are resource sheets and a planning sheet. Children work in groups to read and re-enact stories from eye-witness accounts. They then plan and write their own accounts and read them to the class. For other free resources, information about the Vlad history stories school visits and online sessions visit the Reading Riddle website.

This is a word mat including vocabulary needed to write as part of a topic on Florence Nightingale. It uses illustrations from Vlad and the Florence Nightingale Adventure. Look for the other planning and resources on the topic from my shop on TES or on the Reading Riddle website Check out the website for information on the books, author visits and links to other resources.

This is a lesson plan linked to the Florence Nightingale plan but can be used as a stand-alone lesson. The objectives of this lesson are for children to learn a first aid skill and to be able to write instructions on this skill. For further free resources see my TES shop or the Reading Riddle website There is also further information on the other Vlad books and author visits on the Reading Riddle website.

These resources support a set of lessons on purposeful persuasive letter writing (KS2). Based on research I did to write Vlad and the First World War, they focus on Walter Tull and Phoebe Chapple. Both could have been awarded the Military Cross, but prevailing attitudes discriminated against them. The lessons support writing a letter to persuade the Ministry of Defence to award them posthumously. It includes a set of lesson plans linked to the literacy curriculum, templates for making notes and crib sheets if you want to focus on the letter writing rather than note taking. There are website links for research and 2 videos summarising their lives. Government offices respond to letters so if sent will receive a letter back. Further resources are available on the Reading Riddle website along with information on my books and school visits.

This 6 minute video shows the evidence for the fire starting at Pudding Lane in Thomas Farriner’s bakery. It shares Pepys diary entry, the Hearth Tax entry for 1666 and maps from 1593, 1667 and now. The film then moves to Pudding Lane to show what it looks like now, the memorials and the spot where it all began. It is suitable for sharing during the primary topic and is based on the research I used when writing my picture book, Vlad and the Great Fire of London. I have lots of other resources here and on the Reading Riddle website.

This is a word sheet which includes labelled illustrations from the book Vlad and the First World War. The book includes a fuller glossary, map, fact file and story told by Vlad flea and his companion Crisp VC, the carrier pigeon. For other resources, activities and information on visits go to the Reading Riddle website.

Vlad and Tutankhamun’s Tomb is a story about Kel the tomb artist and the rush to prepare Tutankhamun’s tomb after his sudden and unexpected death. The illustrations show the methods and materials the artists used and this plan explains this and helps children understand some of the logistic and artistic challenges to painting the tombs. There are activities including the resources to recreate an illustration from the book and produce a large scale mural for the classroom wall. Finally, there is information about copyright - what it means, how to check it in a book and crediting artists and understanding that this is their livelihood.