Introduction
No Pens Day Wednesday lesson plans and activity templates have been created by specialist teachers and speech and language therapists and
quality assured by practising mainstream teachers.
Lesson plans
These were developed by taking example plans for September from one school’s planning as a starting point. As all schools will be covering
different topics and have different ways of planning, the lesson plans provide an example for schools to adapt, though they can be used as they
are if this fits in with your planning.
Lesson plans aim to follow good practice principles; e.g.



They identify explicit learning objectives
Support use of questioning, using Blooms taxonomy, to support learning
Include plenary sessions that encourage pupils to reflect on their learning through assessment for learning strategies
Some lessons include reflection on how the “no pens” theme of the day has affected learning. This could be a discussion you could have in any
lesson in order to gather pupils’ views on how an emphasis on talk in the classroom has impacted on their learning and enjoyment of lessons.
Each lesson plan also has key vocabulary identified, signposting to the vocabulary section of the activity templates. Vocabulary is key to all pupils,
particularly those whose language is not at an age appropriate level or pupils learning English as an additional language. Teaching vocabulary
explicitly as part of the lesson, using tried and tested strategies can make a significant difference to these pupils in particular.
A speaking and listening objective has also been identified for each lesson. Some have been taken from QCA guidelines, whilst others have been
taken from our Universally Speaking guides (available to download and order for free from www.hello.org.uk/resources), which track language
development throughout the primary years.
Plans are available for every lesson in primary school across the year groups.
Activity templates
In addition to lesson plans, we’ve provided activity templates (separate download on www.hello.org.uk/no-pens-day-wednesday), which are more
generic and can be adapted to any lesson. These give some information about the activity and how it can be implemented, highlighting any
resources / links that might be useful to support that activity. These activities can be used within any element of a lesson - as a starter activity,
main activity, plenary or as methods of recording learning. See also separate guidance on ways of recording without using pens (available on
www.hello.org.uk/no-pens-day-wednesday).
Year 2 Lesson Plans
Class:
Teacher:
Lesson objectives:
 To recognise traditional stories
 To know characters, themes and settings
Date:
Previous learning:
Knowledge of a variety of fairy tales
Activity
Starter:
 Teach 3 words - Ogre, beanstalk, harp. Use picture prompts
 Introduce each word – ask children to ‘think, pair, share’ a meaning
for each word
 Choose pairs to share their explanations
 As a group - what is the first sound, the last, clap the syllables, what
category does each word belong to? Use the I CAN Communication
Cookbook word magic template below to help
 Give the meanings for children to guess the word
Vocabulary: Ogre, beanstalk, harp
Main:
Ask the question? - What sort of stories might have ogres, beanstalks
and harps in? - What sort of stories might we learn about today?
Jigsaw activity
1.Give each child an object or picture from a variety of fairy tales (castle,
ogre, Jack, pumpkin, harp, cow, wolf, beans, pig, slipper, sticks, straw,
bricks, ragged clothes, gold coins, prince, Cinderella, Ugly Sisters, apple,
mirror, dwarf, Wicked Queen)
2. Ask children to move around and, by talking to each other, get together
in groups with all the other children that have things from their story.
3. In the groups - what is your story? What are the main things that
happen in the story? Where does the story take place? Are the characters
‘good’ or ‘bad’? How does your story end?
4. Make a podcast from your group using Easi Speak microphone - what
is the story, who’s in it, where does it takes place, how does it ends
Plenary:
Listen to podcasts
Question - what things are similar in the stories? What are differences?
What other things could we find out about traditional stories?
Lesson: English – Traditional tales
Speaking and listening objectives:
 Take turns to talk and listen, and respond in two-way conversations
 Identify what is important and unimportant information
Differentiation
Picture prompts for each
word
Resource
Picture prompts for each word on A4 cards or
IWB
Management of ‘pair, share’
groups
Use Word Magic template below, taken from
I CAN’s Communication Cookbook, available to
order from www.ican.org.uk/cookbook
Forced alternative target
questions - e.g. would a pig
be in Jack and the Beanstalk
or Red Riding Hood
Bags of pictures/objects per group; picture
resources www.picsearch.com,
Clicker 5 picture library, fairy tale charades cards
www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Fairytalecharacter-cards-possibly-for-charades-6068488
www.k-3teacherresources.com/storysequencing.html
Management of grouping
For target children – ‘find
everyone who has things
from........’
Prompt cards to focus group
discussion – good/bad
character, setting
Narrative cue cards – ‘What’ happens? ‘Where
does it happen?’ ‘Who are the characters?’
www.blacksheeppress.co.uk
Easi Speak recorder http://www.digitalblue.org.uk/Voice_Recorders.ht
ml
Assessment for learning: Children to use self assessment checklist to see how well they worked in the groups http://www.teachfind.com/nationalstrategies/seal-working-together-self-review-checklist
In groups, ask the children to think about how they know what is important information when listening to the stories and what is less important – use traffic
lights to show how confident they are with this objective.
Year 2 Lesson Plans
Class:
Teacher:
Lesson objectives:
 To know what maps are for
 To know that maps share common features
Date:
Lesson: Geography – Map work
Previous learning:
To have investigated features of their
surroundings
Speaking and listening objective:
Join in a discussion about an activity using topic related
vocabulary
Activity
Starter:
Active listening - ‘Simon Says’ with direction words
Vocabulary: Forward, back, left, right, up, down, stop, next to, symbol, sign, route
Teach vocabulary using strategies and materials suggested in the activity template pack.
Highlight vocabulary for the lesson and explain that all children will have the opportunity to
use these words throughout the lesson – encourage all children to listen out for them
Main:
 Introduce lesson with the slide show of different maps
Question - what are these pictures of?
 Children talk about – where they have seen maps being used, when they have used
a map.
Jigsaw activity - give each child part of a cut up map (photocopies or printed images from
slide show). The children are asked to move around the room talking to others about the
features of their map part, and find the other parts of their map.
In groups - put the pieces together to make the map. Take a photo of the reconstructed
map.
Differentiation
Visual prompt cards for
direction words - e.g.
arrow pointing up/down
Resource
Give more obvious
elements of map
pictures to lower
achieving pupils
PowerPoint - Map images
Ensure lower achieving
children ask and
answer the more
concrete questions “who and what” rather
than more abstract
“why” question
Printed images from the slideshow,
photocopied maps - cut into jigsaw
pieces
Camera
Structured discussion - how do I know what this map is of? Who might need this map?
Why would they need this map?
Children re-gather to report back on 3 things they have found out - what, who, why.
Plenary / Assessment for learning:
 What have we learned?
 What are the common features of all the maps (symbols, signs, route marking, key)?
 What else do we need to learn to do with maps?
 ‘Tell your neighbour’ - Class teacher to display one of the words from vocabulary list
and children to tell their neighbour a sentence or piece of information which includes
this word. Share some examples with the class.
Homework: Find an old map or leaflet with a map. Make your own map jigsaw or draw a route map of your journey to school. Give your mum/dad/carer
directions to follow on how to get to school.
Year 2 Lesson Plans
Class:
Teacher:
Lesson objectives:
To explore the effect of the fire on
people in London
Date:
Previous learning:
 To have listened to recounts of the Fire
 To have seen images of the Fire; to have understood
that the fire occurred long in the past
Activity
Starter:
What do we know already? Speedy think - one minute to think of something you know already
about the Fire. Then share that idea with your partner and any other things you can remember.
Structure thinking - ask children to think about when was it, what happened, where
Revisit key vocabulary
Vocabulary: Emotions vocabulary, flames, destroy, loss
Teach vocabulary using strategies and materials suggested in the activity template pack
Main:
 Tell children that today we will be thinking about the people who were involved in the fire.
How did it affect them? How did they feel?
 Use TES PowerPoint presentation to re-tell the sequence of events - encourage children to
actively think about how it might feel to be in London at the time of the fire, how people were
affected.
Round Robin - collecting ideas on feelings and how affected
Lesson: History – The Great Fire
Speaking and listening objective:
Work in role in small or large groups. Pupils can improvise
and respond to a variety of actions and situations.
Differentiation
Use pictures of the
fire of London for
target children to
promote thinking
Resource
Emotions icons (from
SEAL resources)
http://teachfind.com/n
ationalstrategies/sealresource-sheetwords-core-feelings
Eye witness accounts and
background detail
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.u
k/education/lesson47.htm
PowerPoint presentation
http://www.tes.co.uk/teachingresource/Y2-GREAT-FIRE-1-2Term-Plan-Lessons-Resources6086407/
Support questioning
Hot seating  Select key characters/ people from the event – Pepys, King, Thomas Farrinor (baker), a child with question cue
Other sources card, e.g. what,
and a home owner. In groups, assign a character to each group.
http://www.fireoflondon.org.uk/
 Remind children of being ‘in role’ - e.g. talking in first person, speaking from the point of view where, who
Question cards available in the
of another person etc.
I CAN Communication Cookbook
 What questions do I want to ask this person?
www.ican.org.uk/cookbook
 One child in hot seat, others to interview in role – what did you see, what happened to you,
Digiblue and / or Easi Speak
how did you feel, what will you do now?
microphones to record outcomes
 Record or video interviews
Plenary:
What did we learn? - each group say one effect the fire had on people in London
Ask a specific child (good example) to repeat being ‘hot seated’ - draw attention to their use of
tone of voice, stress on words and gestures. If not present, then model how they could be
included to enhance the performance.
Assessment for learning: use traffic lights to say how well they worked in Homework: Find out what you should do if you see a fire starting
groups
Year 2 Lesson Plans
Class:
Teacher:
Lesson objectives:
 Collect and record data
 Read data and generate questions
Date:
Lesson: Maths - Data
Previous learning:
 Tallying
 Recording data in a variety of forms
Speaking and listening objective:
Ask questions using appropriate question words
Activity
Starter:
20 questions - I’m thinking of a number between..........’
Vocabulary - higher, lower, 2 digit, 1 digit, odd, even
Vocabulary: Higher, lower, 2 digit, 1 digit, odd, even, tally, data, more, less
Teach vocabulary using strategies and materials suggested in the activity template pack
Main:
Problem solving
 Introduce the idea of a class survey of 5 pets - but remind children that it is ‘no pens’
day’ so we cannot write numbers or use a tally chart!
 How else could we record what children like with some of the maths resources we
have in the classroom?
 Show an assortment of concrete counting materials – elicit ideas as to how they could
be used e.g. a Sumthing string for each animal, a Unifix tower for each animal, same
colour beads/counters for a particular animal.
Class survey
 Assign children to 3 groups with a set of concrete apparatus per group
 Each group creates their own tally chart based on their own preferences.
What do we know?
 Children discuss what they know from their data and create their own questions to
ask and record them on Talking Tins
 Remind children of possible question words - what type of answers would you expect
to get from this type of question word (include open and closed questions)?
Answer my question
 Leaving the tallies (whatever form) and the Talking Tins, rotate the groups
 Each group visits the other tally charts, listens to questions on the Talking Tins and
answers them from the data.
Plenary:
What did we learn? - was it easy to understand what the data meant? We can record
data in different ways.
Assessment for learning: Children to use number cards (1-5) and rate how well they felt
they did. Comment on how they managed to generate questions. Discuss and evaluate
Differentiation
Narrow range of numbers for
lower achieving children; visual
representation
Give sentence starter to support
questioning
“Who has a .....”
“How many...”
Give specific roles in groups to
lower achieving pupils
Give examples of how tallies can
be represented
Resource
Number cards
Pets pictures - dog, cat,
rabbit, guinea pig, fish
Sumthing beads
Counters and pots
Beads and laces
Unifix cubes
Numicon
Each group - a set of pet
picture cards and one set of
concrete apparatus
Cue cards - altogether, most,
least, how many
Talking Tins or other voice
recorders
Homework: Think of a way of doing a traffic survey past your
house or on your journey home - without writing anything down!
Year 2 Lesson Plans
Class:
Teacher:
Date:
Lesson objective:
Previous learning:
Children will know what they are good at (strengths) Children will have had experience of
and be able to talk about things they want to get
talking about themselves
better at
Activity
Starter:
Swaps – all the children sit in a circle. The teacher explains that the children must find a new
place if what s/he says applies to them. e.g. ‘Find a new place if...’
 you like cheese and onion crisps
 you like splashing in puddles
 you enjoy helping other people
 you like reading
 your favourite colour is green
 you don’t like bananas
 you have 2 brothers
Vocabulary: Good / better, because
Main:
 Structured pair activity - think / pair/share. Think alone for 1 minute; talk to your partner
about your idea, some children chosen to share. Pass round a ‘big mike’ for children to
share ideas about what they are good at/would like to get better at.
 Remind children of the use of the word ‘because’ - encourage children to think of a reason
why they would like to get better at certain things or reasons why they are good at certain
things. Highlight how ‘because’ adds detail/reason to a sentence/explanation. Model if
necessary; “I’d like to be better at cooking because I like eating delicious food”
 In pairs - structured talking task - 1st child says something they are good at and
something they want/need to get better at. 2nd child then says another thing the child is
good at and another thing they need to work at. Swap roles.
 Change partners. Repeat exercise with new partner. Change partner. Repeat exercise.
Plenary:
Thumbs down, thumbs up - teacher begins by saying one thing s/he wants to get better at
(thumbs down) and one thing they are good at (thumbs up) then names child to do the same,
who names another child and so on.
Assessment for learning: What do pupils think about this activity, how easy or difficult was it
to identify things they are good/not so good at?
Lesson: PSHE – Good to be me
Speaking and listening objective:
Join phrases with words such as if, so, because, etc.
Differentiation
Resource
Big microphone
More able children to
use ‘strengths’ instead
of good at
Use visual prompts /
forced alternatives for
lower achieving pupils
Optional - Big foam thumb prop
http://wavyhands.net/acatalog/Blan
k_Hands.html
Homework: practise one of the things you would like to get
better at; ask Mum and Dad to help you.
Year 2 Lesson Plans
Class:
Teacher:
Lesson objective:
To compare and contrast – similarities
and differences between animal life
Date:
Lesson: Science - Living things: similarities and differences
Previous learning:
Identifying and classifying animals and their key
features
Activity
Starter:
Riddles - clues are given to the children about an animal/bird/fish; children guess the
creature.
Vocabulary: Category, same, different, fur, hair, feathers, scales, beak, claws
Teach vocabulary using strategies and materials suggested in the activity template pack
Main:
 Display and discuss vocab. (Other words to be added throughout the lesson if children
think of more). Encourage the children to use these words where appropriate to help
them achieve the lesson objective.
 Describe it - circle activity. Children take a turn at describing a creature they can think of
(or pick from a selection). Model or encourage children to use animal categories,
descriptive vocabulary etc. Other children must guess the creature being described.
Encourage children to ask questions if they cannot guess straight away.
 What do you need to know? – What does it look like/sound like, what does it eat, where
does it live?
 Remind children of the vocabulary for describing properties of creatures
Speaking and listening objective:
Use newly learnt words in a specific and appropriate way
Differentiation
Resource
www.meddybemps.com/riddles for
examples of riddles with picture answers
that could be displayed through IWB
Words printed on cards
Picture selection /
use objects rather
than pictures
Communication activity
 Give each child a picture card from a range of different creatures. Children move around
the room, talking to each other about their creature.
 Encourage children to discuss their creatures’ characteristics and compare with the other
children.
 Find a partner who has an animal that shares characteristics - e.g. lion and dog both eat
meat, worm and mole both live underground.
Plenary / Assessment for learning:
 What did we learn? Re-group as a class - each pair tells the group why they paired up.
Make a recording (‘we go together because.....’) or take a photo to record what children
have learned.
 Rest of class to identify the newly learnt words when used in explanations. In pairs
children pull out one of the new vocabulary words and put it into a sentence; all judge
whether it makes sense.
Homework: Make a PowerPoint collage of ‘creatures that live in the sea’ or ‘animals that eat meat’
Picture selection
Templates for teaching new vocabulary in
the “activity templates” pack attached
Colorcards – Animals
www.speechmark.net/category/speechla
nguagecolorcards
Voice recorder, camera