A fun and easy-to-do 'back to school' activity for your new class, which is ideal for getting to know each other and for creating a first day display. The objective of the lesson is for the children to create an imaginative list of 10 things that they would like to have in their school bag for the first day of a new school year. Their choices can be as strange or as sensible as they like, allowing for plenty of creative writing opportunities. The resource has two writing frames - one for a simple decorative piece and one for adding more imaginative written details - so the task can easily be differentiated to your class' needs. I have used the activity across KS2, but it can also be easily adapted for younger children. Includes: • Teacher PowerPoint presentation - provides instructions and examples for introducing the activity. • Writing frame 1 - can be completed with personal details and the 10 chosen items and then used for display. • Writing frame 2 - can be used to add imaginative written details about each of the children's 10 items and can then also form part of the display. Please see the Goldtopfox shop for a full range of useful teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox

This is an ideal set of resources for a range of 'back to school' lessons and activities. It is best suited to KS2, although it can also be easily adapted for younger children. It includes plenty of creative art and writing, some puzzles and a differentiated mental maths activity, making it a handy resource for the first few days of a new term. The overall aim of the activities is to welcome children to their new class, while also giving them some constructive work to do. The activities should also provide you with some useful displays for the start of a new term. The pack contains: *Teaching PowerPoint with introductions and examples for 4 separate activities - design a personal shield; design a target/achievements wall; create a school superhero; design some serious or fun class rules. *Templates for: target wall, shield, superhero design and a rules poster. *Back to school themed anagram and wordsearch puzzles - easier and harder versions. *Mental maths - number bonds. This is differentiated 4 ways (bonds to 20, 100, 1000 and 1). *Answer sheets for the maths. Please see the Goldtopfox shop for a full range of useful teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox

This poster and target sheets set is aimed at supporting assessment of 15 key objectives for the Year 1 maths curriculum, making it ideal for back to school preparations. The 15 objectives are presented in an engaging and child-friendly style, which encourages children to be aware of their own learning targets and to begin to use self-assessment strategies. The objectives cover number, fractions, measures, calculation, shape and money and can be used in the following ways in the classroom: 1. Two A4 sized PDF files, which have full-sized versions of the target sheets (8 targets on one sheet & 7 on the other). These can be used for a class poster. 2. A PDF file containing smaller versions of the 2 sheets, which can be stuck into children's books for self-assessment. Each target contains a tick box for the children to complete when it has been met. In addition, the original images are included as PNG files, which can be used in any way necessary, and there is also a certificate for children who achieve all of the targets. If you have any requests for changes to any of the target sheets, please contact me in the comments section below. Please check the Goldtopfox shop for a full range of useful teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox

This is a fun and engaging quiz that can be used at any time of year. It contains 20 multiple choice questions about some crazy Guinness World Records - they are virtually impossible to know, so it is all about the children guessing and having some fun! It is great to do in small teams as a 'back to school' ice-breaker, as it gets the children talking about some real nonsense... All answers are included on the PowerPoint, as well as internet links to each record (in case anybody doesn't believe they are real). In addition, the last 2 slides of the PowerPoint contain an optional independent task for the children to try, which involves creating an account of their own imaginary weird world record. There also 2 differentiated writing templates included to support this. This resource includes: *25 slide PowerPoint, containing all questions, answers, internet links and outline of optional independent task. *PDF version of the PowerPoint for printing *2 differentiated writing templates for the optional independent task Please see the Goldtopfox shop for many other useful teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox

This is an enjoyable creative writing English project, which easily contains enough work for up to two weeks of lessons. It can be used at any point in the term, but is certainly a great way to start a new academic year and provides everything that you need for some fun back to school English lessons. I have used this in Years 5 and 6, but it can also be easily adapted to Lower Key Stage 2. The basic aim of the project is for the children to design a strange and unique school, which could be a magic school, monster school, superhero school, etc. There are no limits to how the children approach this and the project leaves plenty of room for creative writing and art work. The project also works well alongside book work linked to schools, such as Harry Potter, Demon Headmaster or Diary of a Wimpy Kid. There are 6 separate sessions included in the planning and PowerPoint, which can be used over anything from 3 to 10 days - it just depends on how much time you have and how much detail the children want to include! All teaching resources, student support sheets, planning and differentiation are included, making this a simple and rewarding project to manage. In addition, each activity can be introduced in as much depth as required, allowing the children to then work independently on various engaging tasks. Included in this resource are: *21 slide teaching PowerPoint, containing all task instructions, examples of work to discuss and challenge/extension activities. *9 resource sheets to support the independent tasks. *Full planning grid, including differentiation. Please see the Goldtopfox shop for a full range of teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox

A great set of resources for supporting practice and mastery of multiplication facts in the 2x, 5x and 10x tables in the primary maths curriculum. These sets of sheets can be used for independent work in class, for supporting individual students, as morning work activities or as homework tasks. Depending on the needs of your class, they can easily be used in Years 1-6. Each pack contains: *6 worksheets related to the times tables facts *A support sheet of the basic tables facts *Answer sheet The worksheets contain: *Missing number activities *Tables test sheets *Correcting mistakes *Sorting numbers into the chosen times table *Division facts and fact families *Number line tasks The worksheets also include a variety of challenge tasks to extend the children's learning. These activities support learning in the following areas of the English mathematics curriculum: • Year 1: solve one-step problems involving multiplication and division, by calculating the answer using concrete objects, pictorial representations and arrays with the support of the teacher. •Year 2: recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 multiplication tables, including recognising odd and even numbers. See the Goldtopfox shop for a full range of useful teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox

This is an E-safety lesson, which focuses on responsible use of social media and the importance of good digital citizenship. Children can discuss the concept of social media, identifying areas for caution, before creating an online profile for a famous celebrity. The lesson is most suitable for upper Key Stage 2 and it is fully resourced with planning and differentiated writing templates. It is an ideal resource for Safer Internet Day. Includes: *Teaching PowerPoint *Full lesson planning, linked to UK computing curriculum *Writing template sheets (differentiated) This resource supports the following objectives from the UK computer science curriculum: KS1: ‘Use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.’ KS2: ‘Use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.’ Please see the Goldtopfox shop for more useful teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox

This is a great time-saving set of maths homework sheets! They cover six written calculation methods for multiplication, division, addition and subtraction. The methods covered are: 1. Column addition 2. Number line subtraction 3. Column subtraction 4. Column multiplication 5. Grid multiplication 6. Chunking division in columns Each method contains 3 differentiated versions of the worksheet (LA, MA and HA) and a set of answers. The worksheets all start with a visual example and explanation of the method, followed by 8 questions to answer and an extension/challenge task. I have used these for homework and for independent class work in Years 4, 5 and 6. The sheets are all fully editable, so they could also be adapted for other ages. Please see the Goldtopfox shop for other useful maths and general teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox

A fun and easy-to-organise Easter lesson for KS1 addition of 1 or 2 digit numbers. The children need to help the Easter Bunny to find the missing eggs by solving addition problems - a really enjoyable and challenging activity for the final week of term! The lesson can be used in Year 1 and Year 2 (or up to Year 3), as it contains a full range of 6 differentiated activity sheets. Extension tasks, planning and answers are also included. Includes: *Teacher PowerPoint presentation *6 differentiated activity sheets (covering 1 and 2 digit addition) *Easter code challenge tasks (2 differentiated versions) *Teacher answer sheet *Bonus Easter wordsearch! *Full planning grid, linked to English curriculum Please see the Goldtopfox shop for more great maths and general teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox

This pack is designed for teaching two straightforward maths lessons on the use of column addition for whole numbers and decimals. Both lessons contain differentiated levels of questions and extra challenge tasks. They are most suitable for upper KS2, but can also be easily adapted for other age groups. A set of differentiated homework sheets are included, which could also be used as alternative independent tasks in the main lessons. Includes: • 2 full lesson PowerPoint presentations (including answers) • Differentiated questions (higher, lower and middle ability, plus a further extension task) • 3 sets of differentiated homework sheets with answers • Full planning Please see the Goldtopfox shop for more useful maths and general teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox

A word puzzle for primary children, which is based on Edward Lear's 'Jumblies' poem. This would be ideal for use around World Poetry Day (21st March 2017). 2 versions of the puzzle are provided (with and without clues).

Two/three fun and easy-to-do lessons for KS2 poetry work. These would also be ideal for use around National Poetry Day or World Poetry Day. The lessons are based on 'The Jumblies' nonsense poem, by Edward Lear. All lesson resources, differentiated activities, answers and planning are provided as part of the pack. Lesson 1: Reading the poem and identifying various key features. Then planning a diary of the Jumblies' adventure. Lesson 2 (and 3 if needed): Writing 1 or 2 diary entries for the Jumblies' adventure. There is differentiation built into both lessons, with challenge tasks and activity support for those who need it. The flexibility of the lessons means that I have been able to use them in Years 4 to 6, but they could also be easily adapted for younger children. Please note: some video links are included in the sessions, which should always be assessed for suitability prior to use! Includes: *Teacher PowerPoint presentation *Writing support sheets *Text version of the poem *Full planning grid, linked to English curriculum Please see the Goldtopfox shop for more great English and general teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox

This is my best selling resource and is a set of lessons and activities for KS2 poetry work. These would also be ideal for use around National Poetry Day or World Poetry Day. The lessons are based on 'Revolting Rhymes' by Roald Dahl. All lesson resources, differentiated activities and planning are provided as part of the pack. I have used this pack for a week of activities linked to Revolting Rhymes, as well as for a one-off lesson on Poetry Day. It could also be used for a set of guided reading activities. The teaching PowerPoint contains some background and introduction, as well as examples for modelling and discussing each independent task. The PowerPoint and the task sheets are provided in Word and pdf format. There are 5 independent activities, so the pack can be used for a whole week or just for 1 or 2 lessons. Focus can also be on one of the Rhymes or on all six, depending on your requirements. The flexibility of the lessons and the entertaining nature of the text means that I have been able to use this pack in Years 4 to 6, but it can also be easily adapted for younger children. Please note: some video links are included in the sessions, which should always be assessed for suitability prior to use! Also, as is well known, Cinderella is called a 'slut' at one point, so be prepared! Includes: *Teacher PowerPoint presentation *5 independent task sheets for support or structure *Challenge tasks are built into the PowerPoint slides *Full planning grid, linked to English curriculum Please see the Goldtopfox shop for more helpful English and general teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox

The lesson focuses on exploring the famous work of Edward Jenner in helping to develop a vaccine for smallpox. It also provides opportunity to discuss how science has helped us in the fight against serious diseases. Full differentiation is built into the independent task, with challenge activities and support sheets for those who need them. The flexibility of the lesson means that I have been able to use it in Years 3 to 6, but it could also be easily adapted for younger children. Includes: *Teacher PowerPoint presentation *2 differentiated activity sheets *Full planning, linked to science curriculum Please note: some video links are included in the sessions, which should always be assessed for suitability prior to use! Please see the Goldtopfox shop for more useful teaching resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/goldtopfox