Skellig English Pack

#TheCompleteEnglishPack20lessons

Download this complete Skellig Teaching Resources Pack and receive 20 meticulously planned and resourced English lessons for your Year 6 class. Each individual lesson comes complete with a detailed plan, a set of engaging slides for the teaching input, differentiated, printable worksheets and activity ideas - saving you hours of planning time!

Please be aware that, for copyright purposes, we are unable to provide the full text for this scheme of work. Extracts are provided where appropriate.

#AllREADINGCOMPREHENSIONLessonsinPack

This set of Year 6 Skellig Comprehension lessons based on David Almond's book will challenge your class to explore and discuss different aspects of this thought-provoking story, with a particular focus on the skills of inference and deduction.

Throughout the seven lessons, children are encouraged to explain the thoughts, emotions and motives of the characters, and explore the similarities and differences between them. They will be challenged to locate evidence to support or refute statements, make predictions based on the text, and finally identify the main themes of the book.

Included with this Year 6 Skellig Comprehension Lesson Pack are detailed plans, informative slideshows for the teaching input, and differentiated, printable worksheets and activity ideas.

#AllNARRATIVELessonsinPack

These Year 6 story writing lessons based on David Almond's 'Skellig' will inspire your class to write their own prequel or sequel to the book!

They will begin by generating ideas in groups before planning and writing their story, and finally evaluating and editing their own and others' work.

This Year 6 story writing planning pack contains four lessons, which each include: a detailed lesson plan, a comprehensive slideshow for the teaching input, and differentiated worksheets and activity ideas.

#AllPOETRYLessonsinPack

In these KS2 Skellig Poetry lessons based on David Almond's book, your class will explore the work of William Blake and the many references to both the poet and his poems throughout 'Skellig'.

After a general introduction to the poet and his work, your Year 6 class will analyse 'The Schoolboy' by William Blake before being challenged to write their own poetry based on a character's viewpoint.

This 3-lesson Skellig Poetry pack contains detailed plans, informative slideshows and differentiated worksheets and activity ideas.

#AllDEBATELessonsinPack

Download this KS2 Debate lesson planning pack, inspired by the events within David Almond's 'Skellig', and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling with your Year 6 children, before challenging them to hold a debate on the motion: 'Homeschooling should be banned. All children should go to school.'

This compact, two-lesson KS2 Debate pack comes with detailed plans, engaging slideshows and differentiated activity ideas - everything you need to teach your class about the features of a debate!

#AllDIARYENTRIESLessonsinPack

Use this Diary Entries KS2 English planning pack to guide your class through the process of writing a diary from the perspective of a character in 'Skellig'. They will examine the purpose and features of a diary, then discuss and gather ideas before writing and evaluating their own diary entry from the viewpoint of Mina or Skellig.

This four-lesson Diary Entries KS2 English Pack contains detailed plans, engaging slideshows, differentiated worksheets and activity ideas - everything you need to teach your Year 6 class all about writing diary entries!

#Lesson1ReadingComprehensionCharactersThoughtsandEmotions

In this Skellig Characters lesson, children read the first seven chapters of the book together before discussing what they have found out so far.

Your class will look carefully at the words and phrases the author has used in order to convey a character's thoughts, feelings or emotions. In their independent activities, they will further analyse the text in relation to Michael's emotions, or in the alternative activity, children will focus on the man in the garage, and his possible thoughts and feelings.

This downloadable Skellig Characters lesson pack contains everything you need to develop your class's knowledge and understanding of the characters in Skellig: a detailed plan, an engaging slideshow, and differentiated, printable worksheets.

#Lesson2ReadingComprehensionLocatingEvidenceintheText

In this Skellig lesson plan, which focuses on developing your class's skimming and scanning skills, children explore how to locate evidence within the text to support or refute a given statement.

Including a detailed lesson plan, an engaging set of slides for the teacher input, as well as differentiated, printable worksheets and activity ideas, this Skellig lesson plan has everything you need for a successful, enjoyable English lesson with your Year 6 class!

#Lesson3ReadingComprehensionMakingPredictions

In this Making Predictions KS2 Skellig lesson plan, children are first encouraged to share their opinions about the characters and events so far, before being challenged to discuss and explain their predictions for the rest of the story. In the alternative activity, children are challenged to create a short role-play based on how they predict the meeting between Michael, Mina and the man in the garage might unfold.

Download this complete Making Predictions KS2 Skellig planning pack, which contains everything you need for a successful English lesson - a detailed plan, a set of informative slides, and differentiated worksheets.

#Lesson4ReadingComprehensionCharacterDescription

In this Character Description KS2 Skellig lesson, children begin to think more deeply about characters' thoughts, feelings and motives, and how these are portrayed through their words, behaviours and actions.

As a class, your Year 6 children will look at how to analyse short extracts from the text and discuss what they reveal about a character. They will continue to apply this skill in their independent activities, which include a variety of tasks including answering questions, writing character descriptions, hot-seating and discussion.

This downloadable, ready-to-teach Character Description KS2 Skellig lesson includes a detailed plan, an informative slideshow, and a range of differentiated printable worksheets and activity ideas.

#Lesson5ReadingComprehensionComparingandContrastingCharacters

Use this Skellig lesson to encourage your children to compare and contrast characters within the book, and explore the effect that their interactions have on each other.

In their independent activities, children are challenged to explore the similarities and differences between different combinations of characters, as well as inferring their opinions of each other by referring to events in the text. In the alternative activity, children create a role-play of the four young characters all meeting together.

This downloadable Skellig lesson pack comes complete with a comprehensive plan, engaging slides and differentiated activity ideas.

#Lesson6ReadingComprehensionCharacterAnalysis

In this Skellig Character Analysis lesson, children will focus on specific events or things that have been said or thought by a character, and discuss how this furthers our knowledge and understanding of the story.

Your class will be challenged to discuss some thought-provoking questions and encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions about them. In their independent activities, they will further discuss specific events or quotes from the book.

Instantly download this ready-to-teach Skellig Character Analysis lesson pack, complete with a detailed plan, a comprehensive slideshow, and printable, differentiated worksheets.

#Lesson7ReadingComprehensionThemes

In this final Skellig Themes lesson, children will explore and discuss the main ideas in the book.

They first discuss the closing events by answering questions on the slides as a whole class, before beginning to explore what a 'theme' is, and discussing the themes they think appear in the book. In their independent work, children are challenged to choose a specific theme and find evidence for it within the book. In the alternative activity, they work in groups to create a short presentation on a theme of their choice.

This Skellig Themes lesson pack is ready-to-teach and comes with a detailed plan, an engaging set of slides for the teaching input, and printable, differentiated worksheets.

#Lesson8NarrativeDevelopingIdeas

In this Skellig lesson plan based on David Almond's book, your Year 6 children will begin by thinking carefully about how the character of Skellig is portrayed both at the beginning and end of the story. They will then use this insight to help them develop ideas for a possible prequel or sequel to the book.

Complete with a detailed lesson plan, an informative and engaging set of slides, as well as differentiated worksheets and activity ideas, this downloadable Skellig lesson plan has everything you need for a successful English session with your Year 6 class!

#Lesson9NarrativePlanningaStory

In this Planning a Story Year 6 lesson, your children will first recap on the structure of a story by discussing the five main parts: opening, build-up, dilemma, resolution, and ending.

They will then use this structure and their ideas from the previous lesson to plan their own story inspired by David Almond's 'Skellig'.

This Planning a Story Year 6 lesson pack comes complete with a comprehensive plan, an engaging slideshow and differentiated activity ideas.

#Lesson10NarrativeWritingaStory

In this Year 6 Story Writing English lesson, your class will explore and discuss some ways in which to create an engaging narrative. They will focus on vocabulary choice, dialogue to convey character traits, and maintaining cohesion within and across paragraphs. They are then challenged to use these features when writing their own prequels or sequels to 'Skellig'.

This Year 6 Story Writing lesson pack contains everything you need to teach this lesson: a detailed plan, an engaging set of slides, printable worksheets and differentiated activity ideas.

#Lesson11NarrativeEditingandImprovingWriting

Use this Editing and Improving Writing KS2 lesson to teach your children the importance of evaluating and amending their written work.

During the lesson, children are challenged to work in groups or pairs to identify and improve different aspects of their 'Skellig'-inspired stories, giving each other feedback about their choices.

Within this Editing and Improving Writing KS2 lesson pack there is a detailed plan, an informative slideshow, and activity ideas to suit a range of ability levels.

#Lesson12PoetryWilliamBlakePoetry

This first lesson in the poetry strand of the Skellig scheme of work encourages your Year 6 class to explore the life and poetry of William Blake, and discuss why both he and his poems are referenced throughout David Almond's book.

This individual lesson contains a detailed plan, an engaging set of slides for the teacher input, printable, differentiated worksheets and activity ideas - everything you need for a successful Skellig Poetry lesson!

#Lesson13PoetryTheSchoolboybyWilliamBlake

In this ready-to-teach Poetry Comprehension Year 6 lesson, your class will analyse 'The Schoolboy' by William Blake.

They will explore the thoughts and feelings of the narrator, and how the images created through the use of carefully chosen words enhance the viewpoint of the poem. They will begin to talk about the poem's link to David Almond's 'Skellig'.

This downloadable Poetry Comprehension Year 6 lesson pack contains a detailed plan, informative slides and differentiated worksheets to suit all ability levels.

#Lesson14PoetryWritingaViewpointPoem

Use this KS2 poetry lesson, based on 'The Schoolboy' by William Blake, to inspire your Year 6 class to write their own viewpoint poem of school from the perspective of the main character in 'Skellig'. They will be challenged to choose and use vocabulary to convey opinions and create images in the reader's mind.

#Lesson15DebateHomeschoolingProsandCons

Download this ready-to-teach KS2 Debate lesson plan and get your class exploring and discussing homeschooling pros and cons! Children will prepare for a debate on the motion that homeschooling should be banned. They will be split into two teams and will develop arguments for their team's viewpoint.

#Lesson16DebateDebateonHomeschooling

In this Features of a Debate KS2 lesson, children will learn about the role of the chairperson, the proposition speakers, the oppositional speakers and the floor speakers, as well as the rules and timetable for the debate. They will discuss the equal importance of listening, thinking and speaking skills for being a successful debater, before taking part in a whole class debate on the motion: 'Homeschooling should be banned. All children should go to school.'

#Lesson17DiaryEntriesFeaturesofDiaryWriting

Use this Features of Diary Writing KS2 lesson, based on David Almond's book 'Skellig', to teach your Year 6 children about the purpose and features of diaries.

Children are challenged to identify and rank features according to their importance within this genre of writing, as well as exploring the use and effect of rhetorical questions, stream of consciousness, and figurative language, in particular hyperbole and idioms.

This Features of Diary Writing KS2 lesson pack includes a detailed plan, an engaging and informative slideshow, differentiated printable worksheets and activity suggestions.

#Lesson18DiaryEntriesDiscussingIdeasforDiaryEntries

In this Diary Writing KS2 lesson based on David Almond's 'Skellig', your Year 6 children will focus on gathering and discussing ideas about a particular character's thoughts, feelings and opinions, in order to better understand their viewpoint of events.

Included in this Diary Writing KS2 lesson pack is a detailed plan, a set of informative slides for the teaching input, and differentiated worksheets and activity ideas.

#Lesson19DiaryEntriesWritingDiaryEntries

In this Diary Entries KS2 lesson, your Year 6 class will first recap on the purpose of diary writing, and link this more explicitly to the features of a diary.

They will then be challenged to step into the shoes of a character from David Almond's 'Skellig', and write about an event in the story from that character's perspective, including the diary features discussed in previous lessons.

Including a detailed lesson plan, an informative set of slides and printable resources, this Diary Entries KS2 lesson pack based on 'Skellig' has everything you need!

#Lesson20DiaryEntriesEvaluatingandEditing

Use this Editing Writing KS2 lesson, based on diary entries inspired by the characters from 'Skellig', to help your children develop ways to evaluate and edit their own and other's writing.

Your Year 6 class will focus on evaluating one aspect of the text at a time and discuss suggestions for edits and improvements, sharing and explaining their thoughts and ideas.

The lesson pack comes complete with everything you need: a detailed lesson plan, an informative and engaging slideshow, differentiated, printable resources, and activity ideas.

Free Overview (Medium-Term Plan)

Download a free overview to support your teaching of this scheme of work.

Free Assessment Grid

Download a free, editable assessment grid to support your teaching of this scheme of work.

Free Suggested Teaching Sequence

Download a free, suggested teaching sequence to support your teaching of this scheme of work.

Curriculum Objectives covered

• continuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
• reading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
• identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing
• learning a wider range of poetry by heart
• preparing poems and plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience
• asking questions to improve their understanding
• drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
• predicting what might happen from details stated and implied
• Identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
• discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader
• participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously
• explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates, maintaining a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary
• provide reasoned justifications for their views.

• identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own
• noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary
• in writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings in what pupils have read, listened to or seen performed
• selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning
• selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning
• in narratives, describing settings, characters and atmosphere and integrating dialogue to convey character and advance the action
• using a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs
• assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing
• proposing changes to vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning
• ensuring the consistent and correct use of tense throughout a piece of writing
• proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors

• ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge
• articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
• give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings
• maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments
• use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
• speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English
• participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates
• gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)
• consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others