A collection of lessons / activities in the form of a presentation with slides to inspire, instruct and guide through each activity. This unit uses well known fairy tale stories and characters to explore story and citizenship themes through a fairy tale crime topic. The activities are designed to build from one another and can be followed consecutively, or used as a stand-alone lesson or activity in any order. Teachers notes are included in the presentation and a document with screen shots of each slide, notes and links. This presentation can be bought as part of a bundle which includes lots of supplementary materials such as templates to enhance the lessons. These resources are optional and linked to specific lessons so you may prefer not to use them or to purchase individually. Key ideas, concepts and questions explored Good and bad deeds What is a crime? Victim or Villain? Viewpoints and motivation, do two wrongs make a right? Mitigating circumstances. Truth, Lie or Excuse? Consider complexity moving from black and white to shades of grey. Perspectives and Persuasion, considering, expressing and explaining a viewpoint. Investigation. Questions: who, what, why, when, where. Fact and Opinion, looking at evidence. Critical Thinking Skills Focus Reasoning Expressing an opinion Considering differing viewpoints Explanation Persuasion Ways of Working Discussion Drama (hot seating, role play) Writing (different genres and styles – forms, reports, statements, social media posts, case files, persuasive, factual). Drawing Contents Introduction (assess prior knowledge). Police line-up of fairy tale characters Right, Wrong or Crime? Discussion, vocabulary. Right, Wrong or Crime? Write a list. Share and compare with classmates. Victim or Villain. Consider case of Jack and the Giant. Truth, Lie (or excuse) show and share your opinion. Arrest or Release (or keep for further questioning) show and share your opinion. Criminal Case File. Record personal details, crimes, witnesses, defence. Present your Case (drama) take turns to be the accused and questioners and have a discus about your case. (Questioners in role as witness / victim / law enforcement etc.). Perspectives and Persuasion Writing Prompts. Four styles to choose from – police report, lawyer case notes, reporter article and suspect/victim social media post. Detective Evidence gathering. In small forensics teams collect the evidence from a scene. Photograph, bag and label each item. Special Agent Investigation Board. Examine a sample investigation board then apply the questions (what, when, why, who, where) and different aspects (crime scene, suspect, witness, evidence, victim) to assigned case. Create investigation board. Magic Mirror. Draw a portrait of the meanest, guiltiest or biggest villain from the fairy tale world in the magic mirror frame. Explain your choice. Who would be the kindest or most heroic of them all?

This pack features fifteen adorable monsters to describe, compare and sort. They come in four colours with carefully selected similarities and differences, perfect for Guess Who games to develop observation, concentration and vocabulary skills. Use the quiz as a model for describing, for example, I am pink, I have three sharp teeth, I have horns. The presentation can be used on screen / interactive whiteboard and there are PDF files for poster / cards. Ideas and instructions for games along with photograph illustrations are included. For more monster-themed literacy and numeracy resources, check out the Teacher Telling Tales shop.

Some fairytale folk have been up to no good! After reading the model case file on the alleged crimes of Goldie Locks, students practise their form filling skills to complete a case file for another fictional character. There are sections for personal details (name, age, address etc. as well as information on the crime, witnesses and a short statement from the accused. This activity provides the opportunity for humour and imagination, while developing real-life writing skills. Basing writing on well-known stories will support students who struggle to come up with ideas. Good for: fairy tales writing skills citizenship, crime There are thirteen fairy tale character writing frames, (including a blank version of Goldie Locks) and 1 blank template so other characters can be used. There are UK and US versions (UK is A4 with ‘defence’, US letter size and ‘defense’). This resource is part of a ‘Once upon a crime’ series by Teachers Telling Tales. The activity is one of twelve in a Fairy Tale Forensics unit of study and works well as a springboard for other activities involving role play and writing in the unit. The mug shots are also available as a separate resource. You can also ‘bundle and save’ on this series. This pack was updated with new characters and UK and US versions in November 2024.

Featuring the beloved little fish and his mum from the story by Lucy Cousins, these activities explore the rhyming words: tiny and spiny, hairy and scary, carrot and parrot, lime and time, heart and dart. This pack contains sets of picture, silhouette and word cards, Bingo cards and simple worksheets with three levels of challenge. There are greyscale versions of resources for those who want to save ink or include colouring as part of the activity. Themes: rhyming words, fish, under the sea Skills: shape recognition, cut and sticking, colouring, beginning reading and writing skills. A guide is enclosed with the pack which includes ideas for card games. These activities are a great springboard for creative work, inventing new rhyming fish. This resource is part of a Teachers Telling Tales series inspired by the Hooray for Fish story and can also be purchased as part of a bundle. Updated April 2025: compiled in one pack for ease of use improved quality of images

A fun fairy tale quiz in a presentation format. There are 3 rounds each with six questions. Who said it? Given a famous quote, guess the character and story. Complete the quote. Riddles - guess who, Fairytale Folk in their own words. This presentation can be used as a ‘knowledge harvest’ to assess prior knowledge at the start of a Fairy Tales topic and/or learning at the end of a unit of study. It can be a stimulus for discussion and a springboard for learning about characters, drama and speech in any kind of story. Of course, it can also be just for fun! Notes with suggested tiebreaker/advanced questions and discussion points are included. This presentation perfectly complements other Teachers Telling Tales ‘Once said in a Fairytale’ resources. It is useful as an introduction to the other games and activities in the series and can be purchased as part of a bundle.

The classic tale of Sam’s Sandwich is fantastic for engaging students as they eagerly await to discover which creature will be added with each sandwich ingredient. This pack contains resources to accompany the book, including word and picture cards for participation in read-alouds and retellings, a fill the gaps activity focussed on rhyming words (with two levels) and reading comprehension questions. Good for food and minibeasts topics. You may also like the Teachers Telling Tales minibeasts resources: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/minibeasts-big-bug-bundle-12340248 This pack contains two formats, PowerPoint and PDF.

Contents: Spots and Stripes worksheets and printable socks for games, templates for colouring. Cute patterned socks matching pairs card game. Teacher’s guide with instructions for games and ideas for activities. These resources are great for awareness days: #oddsocksday November 16th (part of Anti-bullying Week) #LotsOfSocksDay 21st March (World Down Syndrome Day) Read more ideas for sock topics here https://teacherstellingtales.com/socks-rock/ Related resources are available from Teachers Telling Tales, including sock-topus counting activities, repeat patterns and Fantastic Footwear which includes templates for socks and a variety of shoes and themed design challenge task cards. Get them all in a bundle at a discounted price.

Robot, Monster and Ogre get confused with tens and ones, can you help them? Great starter activities for online and classroom sessions. Count and create 2 digit numbers. Say which is most / least, double numbers, add one more and correct common mistakes. A presentation with six problems to solve using tens and ones blocks and candles on cakes… Use the templates to create many more based on your students’ needs. For more early counting activities check out https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/count-the-coins-treasure-chest-challenges-12563480

Writing and drawing frames for evidence collecting at the scene of a crime! Great for role play or building a case in a crime scenario. Contains a model for students to use as inspiration / guidance, label and two sizes of bags. You can, of course, use real bags and add the printed labels, especially if using real objects as evidence. This resource is part of the ‘Once upon a crime’ series by Teachers Telling Tales. It is designed for one of twelve activities featured in a Fairy Tale Forensics presentation. It can be a one-off lesson or an introduction to the Special Agent Investigation Board project. The police and Fairytale Bureau of Investigation (FBI) badges and ID cards complement this resource. You can also ‘bundle and save’ on this series.

Fairy tales and traditional tales are a great way to learn about speech in stories. Children love to join in with repeated phrases using different voices developing their language and drama skills. This Bingo game is a fun way to familiarise children with fairy tale characters and favourite quotes. Contains 4 colour-coded Bingo boards featuring characters from well-known fairy tales and sets of cards for different ways to play including character names, story titles and quotes. A resource guide with instructions is included in the pack. Ideal for younger children as boards have nine squares, including one ‘free’ space in the centre. Great for learning about fairy tales, traditional tales, speech, game playing and social skills. There are further ‘Once said in a fairytale’ resources available in the Teachers Telling Tales shop and this game pack can be purchased as part of a bundle.

An activity pack with garden themed games inspired by Nature Trail, a poem by Benjamin Zephaniah. A range of activities for different ages, abilities and literacy skills. Good for living things, habitats, garden, animals and minibeasts themes. Read or listen to the poem and remember or find all the creatures living in the garden. Scavenger hunt, bingo, matching and list variations using pictures and words. Dyslexia friendly font version of poem. Draw the garden or design your own including habitats for living things. Create your own nature trail.

Updated November 2024 with six new characters and improved templates. These mug shots were taken at the Fairy Tale Police Department! The fairy tale characters are suspects of crimes. Did they do something wrong? Did they commit a crime? Are they innocent or guilty? There are thirteen mug shot pictures featuring well-known characters from favourite stories and blank templates for students to create their own. The pictures are a versatile resource that can be used for guessing games, discussion, drama and writing prompts. Activity ideas are included in the download. Good for a fairy tale or crime topic, English including oracy and Citizenship. This resource is part of a ‘Once upon a Crime’ series by Teachers Telling Tales and accompanies the Fairytale Forensics unit of study. You can also ‘bundle and save’ on this series.

This resource pack features a board game and a set of cards with ten minibeasts and corresponding movements. The cards are great for brain breaks and circle times. With the board game children perform the action when they land on the minibeast, for example, spin when they land on a spider. There are variation prompts on the game such as saying a fact about the animal, saying how many legs it has or saying where it lives. The board also features pictures of where minibeasts are commonly found, for example, logs, flowers, a pond. There are minibeast habitats resources (as well as a range of other minibeast activities) in the Teachers Telling Tales shop. Updated March 2025 to one file with improved resolution and links to similar resources.

A fun, creative activity that is adaptable to different ages and abilities. Can be used as speaking and listening or to encourage writing on the theme of conversation and dialogue. The phone format motivates students and keeps them engaged. The activity begins with reading examples and using inference to deduct who the phone belongs to then builds to completing the speech bubbles before inviting students to create their own dialogue using a blank template. A guide is included for the adult and there is also a student guide to support step by step with inspiration for further exploration. Although this resources is based on fairy tales it can be used for any fictional characters or real people. It can be used to assess recall of speech or imaginatively to create speech. The activity is presented in Word format with PNG images so it can be adapted. Students can work on the document on a computer or it can be printed out. (Instructions provided for both).

Great for a space topic. A fun alien poem for shared reading, worksheets with a copy of the poem for more careful reading and a space to draw the scene. A checklist is provided for students to work with a buddy and see how many of the descriptions they included in their drawing. (This could be printed on the back of the sheet). While they are challenged to include all the specified details, students can be encouraged to use their imagination to complete the scene. The activity provides lots of opportunities for discussion and develops reading comprehension skills. Worksheets provided in PDF and Word (editable) formats. Dyslexia -friendly font versions are provided.

Celebrate #WorldBeeDay (20th May each year) with some bee-themed handwriting patterns and cutting skills! For more minibeast-themed resources including card and board games, mazes, sudoku and book making check out https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/minibeasts-big-bug-bundle-12340248 Teachers Telling Tales also have a free bee-themed maths activity here which can be adapted for different ages and abilities: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/buzz-off-square-numbers-multistep-game-12521661 Note: updated March 2025 with two extra sheets (one each for tracing and cutting). This resource has been selected twice by the TES Resource Team for handwriting and letter formation blogs (Septemebr 2024 and January 2025).

Improve cutting skills by cutting along the lines. Test skills with zig zag (straight) and wavy lines. Cute cartoon minibeasts at the end of each dotted line. Check out the other minibeasts resources in the Teachers Telling Tales shop. Updated March 2025 with a third sheet and links to similar resources.

This resource was created to celebrate #WorldSpaceWeek 2023 (October 4–10). Planet Anagrams / solar system spelling This fun activity sheet was created to celebrate #WorldSpaceWeek 2023 (October 4–10). It features cute and colourful clip art and invites students to solve the anagrams of the names of planets in our solar system and write them in order. A sneaky way to squeeze in some spelling! Check out the free Astronaut Spelling Activity pack featuring two levels and answer sheets. You may also like this fun Alien poem reading and drawing activity. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/the-alien-read-and-draw-12166304