Sending cards home for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day is lovely and incredibly touching, but I’ve found that newspaper articles dedicated to them by their children have an equally strong impact whilst benefiting the children at the same time. There are 2 templates, the first being generic and empty (the title, picture, and caption can easily be deleted if you want the children to come up with these on their own). The second also has a few starting sentences to give the children an idea of the expectations. Included in this resource is also a quick Mother’s Day and Father’s Day PowerPoint to reiterate to the children the reasons behind it, and the acknowledgment that it does not have to be a biological mum/dad, woman/man etc, and that we do not have to buy gifts. This template was designed and used in a Year 4 class, however it can be used and be adapted to be used in almost any year group. I would also recommend changing the award to ‘International Parent Award’ or ‘International Women’s Award’ for those looked after children or whose family dynamics are a little different. There is a Mother’s Day and Father’s Day version that can be saved for a later date.

A fantastic starter for Year 4 children who have been introduced to fractions of quantities, or as a recap for Year 5 children. It allows the children to work in pairs and use the starter as a game to practice their ability to calculate fractions of quantities. Included is two separate documents, one is for higher ability (HA) and the other for lower ability (LA). Each document has two sets of the game on one sheet allowing the required number of sheets to simply be printed. Printing them on coloured paper can also make it more interesting for the children. Laminating them and keeping them in envelopes/plastic pouches can keep the individual games together and allow them to be used over and over again.

Year 3. This resource includes the lesson plan and the relevant accompanying worksheet. This lesson can involve the children in the production of music for a particular setting and can give the use of instruments an ‘enjoyable, challenging and also achievable” context for KS2 (DfE, 2011). Allowing the children to listen to and identify sounds can encourage “active and passive listening” and the playing of instruments, “tuned and un-tuned percussions” as the basis of this lesson also satisfies the music curriculum (DfE, 2011). Providing an activity whereby group activity through music is a key feature can at KS2 contribute to the children’s social skills (DfE, 2011). The lesson provides a wealth of opportunities for the children to express their creativity in terms of music through their performances, choices of instrument, and interpretation. This resource is designed to be used alongside the cross-curricular links to both Art and Drama also through the Rainforest theme. Having a theme such as the Rainforest can give children a broad concept to work with so that they have the opportunity to explore the theme in a way that suits their learning style. To get the most from this lesson plan you will need to create the PowerPoint listed in the resources.

Year 3. This resource includes the lesson plan and the relevant accompanying worksheet. This lesson gives the children the opportunity to create their own scenes as they are using their imaginations in response to the video clip they are shown, developing different Drama skills such as hot seating, improvisation, performing and evaluation. It provides them with opportunities to perform to “a range of audiences” by improvising in smaller groups during hot seating, and performing their scenes to the wider group (ACE, 2003). This resource is designed to be used alongside the cross-curricular links to both Music and Art also through the Rainforest theme. Having a theme such as the Rainforest can give children a broad concept to work with so that they have the opportunity to explore the theme in a way that suits their learning style. Using the Rainforest theme can allow the children to access their appropriate KS2 expectations to “produce work with a clear story line and structure”, and following the theme through the activity provides the children with the opportunity to engage more with their characters (ACE, 2003).

This resource is a Year 6 Mathematics lesson plan on Geometry: Properties of Shapes. Included in this resource is: A detailed lesson plan including lesson objectives, outcomes, starter, main activity and timings (based on a 1 hour lesson). There is also two types of worksheets differentiated based on ability. The Green Sheet (as detailed in the lesson plan) is for the lower-ability children, and the Blue Sheet is for the higher-ability children, with the opportunity for you to decide on the activity most appropriate for those children in the middle. The activity itself is for the majority the same, as is the final outcome, and the basic knowledge of the topic. The worksheets come as two sets of Green and Blue, one set is a Task List of the activities, the second is a Worksheet with space for answers/drawings removing the need for books during the lesson. For those children who are significantly struggling there is also a Net Guidance Sheet. The learning objectives (DfE, 2014) for this lesson are: 1. To recognise, describe and build 3-D shapes 2. To make nets for 3-D shapes 3. To draw 2-D shapes using given dimensions and angles A free download of one of the worksheet sets is available for you to take a look at before you buy, however the lesson plan helps considerably as does having the differentiated worksheet. If you do choose to download this resource or the free one I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review.

This resource comes with a lesson plan for the Year 2 topic Uses of Everyday Materials (DfE, 2014) and is done in detail with timings, materials, learning objectives, learning outcomes, links to other areas of the curriculum, the science process skills, new vocabulary underlined, and the activity itself. The activity should be set up as a circus of activities with four tables set up differently for each activity (to be done before the lesson). With this resource there is also a risk assessment (feel free to edit as you feel necessary), and an Everyday Materials Worksheet to be used alongside the plan. This lesson plan and subject area in particular is ideal for joining with a Design and Technology lesson in making a bird feeder, and as such there are references to that in this lesson plan. This lesson also requires the use of a TA where possible due to the use of water. I would greatly appreciate it if you could review this resource whether you use it or simply download it. Also, if there are any issues with the worksheet itself due to the varying differences in Microsoft Word, please do let me know by contacting me and I will try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Year 3. This resource includes the lesson plan and the relevant accompanying worksheet. It provides the children with the opportunity to “explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form, and function” (DfE, 2014). They have the opportunity explore an artist who paints with the Rainforest as inspiration linking directly with the theme. Using their sketchbooks to develop their ideas and create a final piece is appropriate for KS2 children and contributes to their Art subject objectives (DfE, 2013). The specific activities and resources provide opportunities for the children to develop their skills, thought processes and evaluation abilities, which are valued across the curriculum. This resource is designed to be used alongside the cross-curricular links to both Music and Drama also through the Rainforest theme. Having a theme such as the Rainforest can give children a broad concept to work with so that they have the opportunity to explore the theme in a way that suits their learning style. To get the most from this lesson plan you will need to create the PowerPoint listed in the resources.

This resource includes a lesson plan for the introduction of tables with timings and key vocabulary. Also included is a worksheet for the children to work on during the lesson with guidance and modelling. The resource is most suited to Year 4 children but could be adapted to suit other year groups. It fits well with the Bar Charts lesson that can be found in my TES shop. This resource is part of the Tables and Bar Charts Bundle in my TES shop which includes this lesson, the bar charts lesson, and the final consolidation lesson with worksheets. I hope you find this resource useful and I would greatly appreciate a review!

Worksheet to practice and revise addition and subtraction fact families to 10 and 20. Includes an extension to encourage the children to use what they know to work more independently. Sheets can be used on their own or combined to get equal practice for related facts to 10 and 20. Visual aids to match the exact pictures used (socks, apples etc.) can also be found in my shop under ‘Fact Families Visual Aid’ In both PowerPoint and PDF format and comes with answers for ease of marking.

This bundle is designed to be used alongside an after school club primarily, however there are elements that could easily be used individually. The idea is to provide an opportunity for those who may not have the opportunity to travel or experience other cultures to do so in an exploratory and fun context with their peers. There are many simple and free ways in which the classroom can be transformed to support the context of being on an aeroplane such as moving chairs, lights off, belt checks and these can go a long way to supporting the theme and creating an exciting atmopshere. Included: Session plans Introductory PowerPoint-Travelling by Aeroplane PowerPoints for each country (Spain, Mexico, China, U.S.A) Passport Templates Boarding Pass Templates Flag Templates The children should be encouraged to colour and use their ‘Passport’ to document their travels, the document should be printed, cut and stapled together to make their whole passport. They should also be given a boarding pass at the beginning of their ‘flight’. These passes are editable allowing you to change the departing airport and names. The flags will be coloured and the children must choose each week the correct flag to stick in their passport. Their pages allow space for the draw/write about their ‘visit’ and include key information to share. Each country PPT includes examples of must-see areas, language translations, key facts (currency and capital) and an example of a popular food. The session plans outline ways in which the classroom can be transformed as well as incorporating food testing. Should you wish to use food samples, a permission slip has also been included to hand out to parents. I really hope you find this resource useful should you decide to set up a Travel Club- I would love to see it in action. If you download this resource could you also post a review, as this really helps to ensure the best content is available.

Counting to 40 (tens and ones) Numbers to 40 (one more and one less) Missing number sequences to 40 All worksheets come with answers. PDF format Aimed at Year 1

This resource is for Year 5 and includes a variety of resources covering gestation (humans and animals), puberty, and old age developments. This resource includes: a topic cover page, 2 lesson plans, 2 lesson powerpoints, a variety of worksheets, and a differentiated worksheet. The lesson plans are detailed but can easily be reduced. The learning objectives are: 'to know what happens during pregnancy and explore the gestation periods of different animals' and 'to consider the changes that take place during puberty and old age'. This resource covers the statutory requirement: 'describe the changes as humans develop to old age' (DfE, 2013), as well as some aspects of working scientifically. The resources are all designed to be used together.

KS2 Geography (with links to Religious Education and History). This resource includes a PowerPoint presentation (including teacher notes) introducing Europe and its countries, a relevant worksheet to accompany the PowerPoint, and a cross-curricular plan for Geography, History and Religious Education. Learning objectives for this lesson and resource are linked to the National Curriculum: locating European countries on a map, identifying human and physical characteristics of European countries, and comparing geographical similarities and differences between European countries including the United Kingdom. To benefit fully from this resource I recommend using the link in the PowerPoint to locate the map of Europe to print and photocopy for the children to have one each, as with the Geography Worksheet.