Classroom Essentials
Do you have/use?
 Tub of Texts ( collection of various forms of writing- good for
modelling)
 Magnetic board and letters
 Use of whiteboards (see below)
 Word pattern fans
 'Show Me' cards for spelling, phonics and grammar
Use of Whiteboards
This information describes some of the ways that individual
whiteboards can be used to increase pupil involvement in the
Literacy session.
Each child is provided with a whiteboard to jot down and show ideas
and answers during the whole class time. Suggestions for their use
are listed below.
Individual whiteboards can be purchased, but durable ones can be
made cheaply by laminating A4 card and using felt tips or
chinagraph pens. Small blackboards are equally effective. Each child
will need a cloth to wipe the board clean.
Merits
 Promotes more interaction during carpet time - all pupils are
expected to respond.
 Focuses attention and requires pupils to listen attentively.
 Pupils like them.
 Promotes 'having a go'
 Is highly versatile - supports text, sentence and word level
teaching, and works equally well with KS1 and KS2 classes. It
can be used in other subjects.
 Provides children with more opportunities to write during the
Literacy Hour, and can make the link between shared and
independent writing.
 Provides teachers with 'at a glance' assessment opportunities
as pupils hold up their whiteboards to show their ideas.
Limitations
 Financial outlay required to purchase and maintain the
resources
 No written evidence as boards are wiped clean.
 Some pupils may feel anxious about writing.
 Temptation to over-use - beware the novelty factor!
Points to consider
 Select boards carefully - some contain infant logos which
juniors may find babyish.
 Select pens carefully for size and washability. Like chalk, pens
can get on clothes.
 Use different coloured pens for further differentiation.
 Cloths/board rubbers are essential. Half a J-cloth is enough.
 Provide children with opportunities to 'get to know' their board
(and pen/chalk1) before they start working with them.
 Establish clear routines for distributing, collecting and working
with the boards.
 Think about storage.
ACTIVITY IDEAS
Mental exercise
Children are asked to think, write and show. Good for revision and
consolidation.
Examples:
 Think of a word that rhymes with/ begins with / ends with ....
 Think of a noun/verb/adjective.
 Which word (to, too, two) in this sentence?: I went to see my
friend etc.
 Which punctuation mark do I need to put here?
 Think of a better word than 'said'.
 Which letter comes before 'm' in the alphabet?
 Spell this word.....
Word building
Children build and break words to improve their phonics and
spelling.
Examples:
 Write the letter that makes this sound....
 I'm going to say a word. Listen for the sounds and write them
down.
 Add a prefix/suffix to this word.
 Write down the plural of daisy.
 Make a compund word using two of the words on the board.
 How many word can you find within this one? (e.g.
grandmother)
 How many syllables are there in....?
 Play 'I spy'.
Jotting
Use the whiteboards as a jotter. It creates thinking time and primes
pupils with ideas for discussion. Pupils can work in pairs, too.
Examples:
 Take notes.
 Jot down your first reactions to the story.
 Jot down three questions you would like to aks the writer.
 Complete the sentence in your won words.
 You have one minute to think of as many words as you can
containing the letters OW.
 Write down five words which describe Tyke's character.
Sorting and Categorising
Children generate their own words which are used for sorting and
categorising.
Examples:
 Write you name. Line up in alphabetical order.
 Write a word containing a long A sound. Show. How many
ways of making the long A sound can we see? Group together.
Do you have anything in common?
 Write your name. Count the vowels/syllables/letters. Stand in
a group of children with the same number.
 Choose any word on the page. Show. Group with others who
are the same part of speech: nouns, verbs, etc. (Alternatively,
write a word beginning with B)
 Green pens write verbs, red pens write nouns, etc. Make
sentences and note common features.
Transformation
A small group of children stand at the front holding cards which can
form a sentence.
The others are holding cards which can be interchanged.
Examples:
 An opening activity - can we make a sentence out of these
words?
 Remove a child - who can fill the gap?
 Can anyone pop themselves into the sentence?
 Who can put this sentence into the past tense? First person? A
question?
Other ideas


Teaching high frequency words e.g. Look, say, cover, write,
check.
Testing spellings and spelling rules. Pupils write and show.



Independent writing e.g. Experimenting with opening
sentences.
Handwriting practice. e.g. Practising new joins.
Brainstorming e.g. List ideas in your group.
With special thanks to:
Paula Daybell
Linda Evans
Janice Rice