Literacy
shorts
168 quick literacy activities.
For use across the Key Stages
and the curriculum.
Click a button…get an activity
Add a comma to save their Dad!
Let’s watch the tigers eat Dad.
they’re/their/there – which one?
Put your bags over th---.
Is there a mistake in this sentence?
What do you now know, that you did
not know at the start of the lesson?
Spot the mistake – correct it.
Every morning Grandma cooks Bills
dinner.
2 mistakes – find them.
Although I live in england, I speak
italian.
1 mistake – find it.
I dont like Mondays!
Where does the comma go?
The sky was full of fluffy white clouds.
Correct it!
The cats tail is black.
Correct it.
The cats tails are black.
Put in the apostrophe.(‘)
Youve taken the wrong road.
Whats wrong with this sentence?
Where should the full stop go? What else
do you need to add?
Roy pushed his bicycle all the way
home one of the tyres had a puncture.
2 mistakes – find them.
Do you need a full stop if you have
used a question mark. no.
Put in two commas. Can you explain why
they’re needed?
John stopping for a moment
considered the junk on his bedroom
floor.
Add in the commas.
He found a football boot a computer
magazine his model helicopter a dirty
tracksuit rollerblades and his missing
homework under the bed.
Shorten it! (Don’t say you can’t)
Could have, would have, should have.
Correct it.
We was going to school.
5 mistakes – find them.
Were mite you make used of the
learning we done today.
What’s wrong?
The dog’s ate their dinner.
What’s wrong?
Their is my house.
What’s wrong?
I am going too do my nails.
How might you explain when to
use capital letters to an alien?
1 mistake – find it.
I were happy playing the guitar.
Correct it.
We get confused when words in
are the wrong order in a sentence.
2 mistakes – find them.
“I dont like chocolate” said Brenda.
2 meanings – what are they?
Genetic engineering splits
scientists.
Punctuate it.
are you going to the youth club
tonight asked della
Correct the mistakes.
I knew that bill was touring africa,
staying in tripoli and then travelling to
egypt to see the pyramids near cairo.
Correct it.
i hate homework i cant see why we
have to do it i just don’t see the
point in it
How might you improve your
punctuation next lesson?
Answer the question. Correct it.
What are the strengths’ and
weaknesses of your punctuation skills?
Correct it.
What punctuation skills’ have you
used during this lesson?
What’s wrong?
I always like chips with alot of ketchup.
2 mistakes – find them.
He is reluctant to take part in class. He
reads widely about the subject but is
quite. His critical judgement is
developing. A good studnet overall.
What’s wrong?
‘You must learn that dog not to
bark so much,’ Mum complained.
How many words for ‘good’ can you
write down in 1 minute?
How many words for ‘bad’ can you
write down in 1 minute?
Oops.
What do you need to do to make your
writting better?
Find the mistake.
I buyed my brother another bar of
chocolate.
3 mistakes – find them.
The man telled us to put are bikes over
their.
I think, therefore I am.
How many more conjunctions
(joining words) can you
remember?
Correct it.
The dj is in the house.
What’s wrong?
She sang beautifuly.
Add in a pair of brackets to help this sentence.
What do you feel you have
or have not learnt this lesson?
Add the most original adverb.
The dog barked…..
Correct it.
I speak french.
Add the semi-colon (;).
The expedition may be on or off it all
depends on the weather.
Add commas.
How did you feel at the beginning
middle and end of the lesson?
Answer it. Correct it.
How might you work differently next
lesson in order to improve you’re
punctuation?
Write down the plural of these words:
bottle, watch, glass, leaf, knife, half
How many words can you make
with the prefix ‘under’ in 1
minute? (e.g. understand)
Write a poem about punctuation.
How many punctuation marks can you
fit into one sentence – it must still
make sense!
, “” :;(). - !? …
How many words can you make
with the prefix ‘inter’ in one
minute? (e.g. interview)
How many words can you make with
the prefix ‘dis’? (e.g. disappoint)
To, too, two. Draw a picture/symbol to
show the difference between these
three words.
There, their, they’re. Explain the
difference to the person on your
left.
If you start a letter ‘Dear Mr
Jones’, how should you end it
Yours faithfully
OR
Yours sincerely?
2 meanings – what are they?
Milk drinkers turn to powder.
Write down 5 key writing skills to look
for when checking your work.
What spelling mistakes do you
make most often? Choose one
now and write it in your planner to
learn.
Create a set of instructions for
using capital letters which anybody
could follow
2 mistakes – find them.
Netball is one of my favourite sports’
but I like going swiming in the
summer.
Correct it.
The zombie had eyes the colour of
lead hair like wires and breath that
smelled like boild cabbage.
Write down 3 examples of this rule.
i before e except after c
but only when it rhymes with bee
2 mistakes – find them.
the first thing he done was clean
his teeth.
Create a slogan to encourage
people to use capital letters
correctly.
Create a short radio advert ‘selling’
accurate punctuation.
Create a 2 question quiz, based on
punctuation skills, which you could use
to test other students
Make up a hand signal for any
punctuation mark without using
words or a pen.
Correct it.
Abigail seen the giraffe.
Re-write the sentences as one longer sentence.
Johnny threw the ball. It flew
through the air. Gary caught it.
Where does the comma go?
“Come in” whispered Grandma.
Write a sentence that doesn’t use
the letter ‘e’.
2 mistakes – find them.
Scientists’ who study volcanos and
eruptions are called volcanologists.
3 mistakes – find them.
The tsunami caused by krakatoas
1883 eruption killed around 31400
people.
3 capital letters missing – put them in.
a general election is held at least once
every five years.
Correct it.
Many schools use elections’ to
make decisions’ for example who
will be on the school council.
2 mistakes – find them.
Around a quarter of single homeless’
people sleeping rough or living in
hostels’ are under the age of 25.
How many commas are needed?
You, are aged 16 or 17 and, the
local authority considers your
welfare, would be seriously
threatened if it does not, provide
accommodation.
Spell briliantly!
“what does that have to do with
anything”
“monsters are not a joke bella”
I started at the headline again, and
then up to his hard expression. “a... a
vampire is doing this” I whispered.
How many mistakes?
Add the commas.
I have to clean my room walk the
dog and take out the rubbish.
Where does the comma go?
If you are good you will get a green
slip.
Where does the comma go?
Because she is only twelve she is
not old enough to drive.
How many commas are needed?
My brother a 26 year old male is
watching TV.
Put in two commas.
My favourite colour navy blue is very
popular.
Put in two commas?
“We need to buy more sugar” she
said “before it runs out!”
Put in two commas?
“Okay” shouted the referee loudly
“Time’s up!”
Add the comma.
Wait is there another way?
Spot 2 mistakes and correct them.
Sorry we dont have enough room.
What’s missing?
That is Davids house.
What’s missing?
The childrens school.
Add the semi-colon (;)
I cannot buy a new car I do not
have much money.
Where does the semi-colon go? (;)
The president likes sweets he does
not like toffees.
Add in the semi-colon. (;)
The man was hot he was standing in
the mid day sun.
Add in the colon. (:)
I gave you the polish for one reason to
clean the table.
Add in the colon (:)
I have invited the following people to
my party Kevin, Amy and Keeley.
Add in the colon (:)
There is only one way to make it to
the top hard work.
How many mistakes?
morris the martian was flying
round the solar system one day
when he saw a strange light in
front of him
Punctuate it!
leave the room immediately
Punctuate it!
we have a lot of trees in our garden they
provide plenty of shade
Punctuate it!
if you dont stop that ill go now
Punctuate it!
come here no stay where you are
When do you use a semi-colon?
If you don’t know, you need to find
out!
Add the apostrophes.
The class didnt go on the schools
trip to butlins because the school
hadnt ordered the company buses.
Correct it!
At thorpe parkes gates the teacher
said that students shouldnt fool
around.
Punctuate it!
last week i went to london zoo i
saw elephants and tigers i ate
lunch in the café the best thing
about the day was the gift shop i
bought a keyring i cant wait to go
again
Punctuate with “”, ! ? . and capital letters.
Have you asked him out yet she asked no way
she replied I don’t fancy him.
Add the apostrophes!
‘Apostrophe’ by Roger McGough
twould be nice to be
an apostrophe
floating above an s
hovering like a paper kite
in between the its
eavesdropping, tiptoeing
high above the thats
an inky comet
spiralling
the highest tossed
of hats
Add the apostrophes.
Bobs new car comes with three
years free insurance and its a
pleasure to drive.
How many mistakes?
Dont forget to turn of the
computer at the end of the day.
Punctuate it!
doe’s your gutter’s need cleaning
Add in the colon.
Winston sat in utter horror he knew
what lay in Room 101.
Work in pairs. Create a thirty-second
advert for one punctuation mark
which could be used on a television
shopping channel.
Add in the missing punctuation.
O’Brien spoke: “By itself he said pain is
not always enough there are occasions
when a human being will stand out
against pain even to the point of
death.
Punctuate this.
my favourite book is Skellig because it
really like the main charcter michael i realy
enjoyed the way that michael found the
man in the garag and the description if the
cobwebs and bluebottles
Work in pairs. Each person, in secret, chooses a
question, exclamation mark or pause (comma
for short, dash for long)
Next, conduct a discussion about what you had
for breakfast, only using your chosen
punctuation .
Correct it.
i am realy looking forward to reading
the rest of the book so that i can find
out who the man in the garage is and
why he is their
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence,
then a 5 word sentence and finally a 10
word sentence about it. Don’t forget to
punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence,
then a 5 word sentence and finally a 10
word sentence about it. Don’t forget to
punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence,
then a 5 word sentence and finally a 10
word sentence about it. Don’t forget to
punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence,
then a 5 word sentence and finally a 10
word sentence about it. Don’t forget to
punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence,
then a 5 word sentence and finally a 10
word sentence about it. Don’t forget to
punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence,
then a 5 word sentence and finally a 10
word sentence about it. Don’t forget to
punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Pick an image. Write a 1 word sentence, then a
5 word sentence and finally a 10 word sentence
about it. Don’t forget to punctuate.
Add the semi-colon (;)
It had been raining all day the
miserable clouds emptied their tears
onto the windows of the classroom.
Join these sentences using a semi-colon (;)
I like to each chips. My friend
doesn’t like fast food.
Write a txt msg explaining how to use
commas.
Change the ‘and’ for a semi-colon (;).
Next, write your own example using a ;
I sat in class and it was so boring.
Choose one sentence you wrote
this or last lesson and redo it so
that it is better
Add in the colon. (:)
Another dismal day the rain, the
clouds and the mood lingered
heavily in the air.
Add in a pair of brackets.
Mr Jones my teacher droned on as
always about rules and regulations.
Add in the dash.
I shook my head it hurt.
Add in the missing punctuation.
The moon was bright and the sky was
clear a perfect evening.
Put the comma in.
My dog was howling I had never
seen him like that before.
Punctuate it.
I love mice said the gruffalo.
Correct it.
When using the bunsen burner dont
forget to wear your safety goggles.
Correct it.
oxygen carbon and nitrogen are
three of he most commonly found
gases
Unscramble the words.
tucnatupnoi
eellahcgn
nniiiftode
Unscramble the sentence and correct it.
his becham is name david
In pairs, take it in turns to try and
talk for a minute about today’s
topic without pausing or repeating
yourself.
In pairs, one person is ‘for’ and one person is ‘against’.
The motion is: ‘Accurate writing is extremely important.’
The people ‘for’ will go first, for a minute.
The people ‘against’ will get a minute after that.
Finally, there will be a minute of free-for-all, where both sides
can speak.
How many words can you make from this one?
dodecahedron
Correct it.
martin luther king was born in atlanta
georgia in 1929
Correct it.
Unless christine finishes her calculus
homework she will have to suffer Mr Jones
wrath in class tomorrow
Correct it.
While bailey slept on the sofa in
front of the television samson the
family dog gnawed the wires on his
xbox 360
Correct it.
Tanya did poorly in her geography
exam because her best friend
brenda insisted on chatting to her
on facebook the night before
Correct it.
Jhon who thought he was rubbish
at sport decided to give up in
lessons
Think about the best sentence you
could create. Write it down.
Which is correct?
The yolk of an egg are white.
or
The yolk of an egg is white.
Correct it.
Source 1 a detailed drawing of a first world war
soldier clearly shows the type of weapon used in
battle.
Write your name.
How many people forgot the capital letter for first name and surname?
What are your 3 top tips for improving your writing.
Write a sentence with 3 deliberate
mistakes in. Swap and check.
Could you write one with which you think
you could beat the teacher?