Book One · complete accessible teacher guide
A Broom Too Soon
Six detailed lessons, the exact Chapter One sample, adaptations, assessment guidance, worked models and six pupil sheets—available as semantic HTML with no pupil sign-in.
- Ages 8–12
- School Year 4+
- Year 4 supported route
- Year 5 core route
- Year 6+ deepen route
- Print-friendly A4 layout
Recommended classroom use in England: ages 8–12 and school Year 4+. This is an internal curriculum-and-text judgement, not a formal reading age, book band or accreditation.
Start here
Use the guide without extra planning
This is a menu, not a scheme that must be followed from beginning to end. Choose one lesson, the full sequence or a short book-talk route.
Text needed
The numbered Chapter One sample on this page or a printed copy of the book.
Preparation
Display or read aloud the text, then print only the chosen pupil sheet.
Teaching rhythm
Activate, model, guide, practise and finish with one precise check.
| Time | Use |
|---|---|
| 10 minutes | Read aloud, ask one evidence question and finish with a prediction. |
| 20 minutes | Add a modelled response and one pupil task or exit check. |
| 45–60 minutes | Teach the full sequence with scaffold choices and an independent outcome. |
Print map
Print only what you need
The HTML guide is designed for reading, enlargement and assistive technology. The PDFs remain the quickest pre-paginated print option.
| Need | Use online | Pre-paginated file |
|---|---|---|
| Staff planning copy | Start here through formative assessment, plus sources | 30-page guide-only PDF |
| Full classroom pack | Guide, pupil sheets and Chapter One on this page | 44-page complete PDF |
| Individual editable-scale pupil sheets | Pupil sheets 1–6 below; each starts and ends on a print page | Pages 19–24 of the guide-only PDF, plus six separate one-page PDFs in the ZIP |
| Colouring only | Browse all 13 pages | 13-page colouring PDF |
| Every separate file | Use the HTML guide for adaptable digital reading | Classroom ZIP |
Print A4 at 100%. On US Letter choose “Fit to page”. Enlarge pupil sheets to A3 when more writing or motor space is useful.
Teacher planning
Curriculum-aware, not badge-heavy
The useful question is whether pupils are taught a clear reading, writing, speaking or art process—not how many labels can be attached to an activity.
| Area | Genuine connection | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| English: reading | Listen to and discuss fiction; explain vocabulary; predict; infer with evidence; identify themes; justify views. | Lessons 1–3 and 6 |
| English: writing | Discuss and record ideas; rehearse orally; compose and draft; assess effectiveness; edit for purpose and audience. | Lessons 4–5 |
| Spoken language | Ask relevant questions; build vocabulary; articulate and justify answers; participate in discussion. | All lessons |
| Art and design | Record and revisit ideas; use line, pattern and colour deliberately; explain design choices. | Lesson 5 and optional colouring |
| Relationships and wellbeing | Kindness, respectful friendship and help-seeking through safely distanced fictional scenarios. | Lesson 6 only; not full PSHE coverage |
Evidence translated into lesson design
- Model comprehension strategies explicitly, then guide and release practice.
- Teach vocabulary in context, speak it, examine it and reuse it rather than copy a list.
- Move writing through oral rehearsal, planning, drafting and purposeful revision.
- Use the least scaffold needed, then fade it as the pupil takes control.
- Keep pupil instructions short, left-aligned and separated from generous response space.
Year-group adaptations
One story, school Year 4+
The full manuscript and lesson demand place Year 4 at the supported starting point. Year 5 is the core route; Year 6 and beyond deepen analysis, control and independence.
Year 4 supported
Model, guide, practise
- Teacher reads the chapter aloud before pupils reread short marked passages.
- Pre-teach the small set of vocabulary needed for the chosen lesson.
- Model the first response and retain sentence stems or organisers where needed.
- Use oral rehearsal before one manageable independent outcome.
- Check fluency and comprehension rather than assuming independent access.
Year 5 core
Guide, apply, revise
- Use the full lesson objective and one matching pupil sheet.
- Use teacher read-aloud plus purposeful independent rereading.
- Teach the model explicitly and move towards one independent outcome.
- Use sentence stems or organisers temporarily, then reduce them.
- Finish with the printed exit check and use it to plan the next move.
Year 6+ deepen
Evaluate, compare, control
- Compare the strength and limitations of different pieces of evidence.
- Examine narrative viewpoint, humour, tone and deliberate language choices.
- Expect greater independence in planning, drafting and revision.
- Use counterexamples and require pupils to justify why one response is stronger.
- Keep the same safe-discussion boundaries and right to pass.
Canonical reading sample
Chapter One: A Late Arrival
This sample is read directly from the current Book One manuscript. Stable labels P1–P26 support lesson references, screen navigation and shared classroom discussion.
The Slightly Spooky School for Wandering Witches
Book One: A Broom Too Soon · by L. Hine
- P1
At least my hat hadn’t caught fire this time, Eliza thought. That was something.
- P2
The Slightly Spooky School for Wandering Witches loomed ahead like a crooked crown of towers and turrets, each one more peculiar than the last. Ivy clung to the stone like it had secrets to whisper, and bats flitted through the afternoon sky as if rehearsing for some ghostly ballet. It should have felt magical.
- P3
It felt terrifying.
- P4
Eliza Evermist gripped her broomstick with damp hands, knees knocking together as she hovered above the school gates. She was already thirty minutes late, her satchel had fallen off somewhere over the Cackling Woods, and now her broomstick, a hand-me-down called Windwhistler, was making a noise like an old teapot with a cold.
- P5
“Steady… steady…” she mumbled, trying to coax it down gently.
- P6
It didn’t listen.
- P7
With a sputter and a sneeze of purple sparks, the broom dropped like a startled pigeon. Eliza let out a squeak and clung on tight as she zig-zagged past a flock of weather sprites, clipped the top of a hedge beast, and, BANG! crashed head-first into the side of the Weather Tower with a sound like a very loud drum made of Eliza.
- P8
Her hat flew off and twirled merrily down into the courtyard… where it plopped into a simmering cauldron that wasn’t hers.
- P9
By the time Eliza staggered to her feet (mostly in one piece), every single first-year witch in the courtyard had stopped what they were doing to stare.
- P10
Someone snorted. Someone else pointed. And someone, probably Drusillda Curdle, muttered, “Worst landing I’ve ever seen. Even for a garden gnome.”
- P11
Eliza brushed soot from her cheeks and tried to smile like this sort of thing happened all the time. Which, unfortunately, it sort of did.
- P12
Eliza opened her mouth to say hello, but nothing came out.
- P13
The crowd blinked.
- P14
Then someone laughed. Then someone else. Then the whole courtyard rippled with giggles, sniggers, and one actual cackle from a girl whose laugh sounded like a squeaky door.
- P15
Eliza’s ears burned. Her socks didn’t match. Her wand (still in her boot, because her satchel had vanished over the woods) poked her in the ankle as she stumbled forward. She was quite certain this wasn’t the grand magical entrance she’d imagined. Not even close.
- P16
At the front of the group, a girl with glossy black plaits and a perfect, pointy hat gave her a look that could curdle fresh milk. Her name, Eliza already knew from the school’s welcome scroll, was Drusillda Curdle, and her uniform was so neatly pressed it might have been enchanted to repel dust.
- P17
“Are you sure you’re in the right place?” Drusillda asked sweetly. “This is a school for witches, not… lost garden tools.”
- P18
Eliza tried to answer, but the words stuck in her throat.
- P19
Just then, a tall woman with a walking cane shaped like a lightning bolt stepped out from the school doors. She wore midnight-blue robes and had silver hair pinned in a bun so sharp it looked like it might stab the wind.
- P20
“Miss Evermist, I presume,” she said briskly. “I’m Headmistress Bramble. You’re late.”
- P21
“I… know,” Eliza said, shrinking under the weight of forty-two curious stares. “My broom went all wobbly over the marsh.”
- P22
“Happens to the best of us,” Headmistress Bramble said, though her face didn’t twitch even slightly. “Come along.”
- P23
A few more sniggers followed Eliza as she trailed behind the Headmistress, cheeks glowing redder than a fireberry.
- P24
So this was witch school, she thought miserably.
- P25
And she’d already crash-landed, lost her satchel, dropped her hat in someone’s potion, and made a dazzling first impression as the clumsiest witch in the history of ever.
- P26
Perfect.
Six-session sequence
A real teaching journey, not a list of prompts
Prediction, vocabulary, inference, purposeful writing, creative design and safely distanced discussion all use the same model–guide–practise rhythm.
- 01Enter the schoolUse clues to make and revise a plausible prediction.
- 02Word detectivesExplain and reuse vivid words from Eliza’s arrival.
- 03Read between the linesInfer Eliza’s feelings and justify the inference with evidence.
- 04The late-arrival recordRetell an event in a formal school voice for a clear audience.
- 05Invent a WhimkinDesign and describe a magical companion using deliberate, connected detail.
- 06Belonging in the storyDiscuss a fictional dilemma and explain a view about belonging.
Lesson 1 of 6
Enter the school
Prediction · book talk · purposeful listening
- Objective
- Use clues to make and revise a plausible prediction.
- Text reference
- Cover, then Chapter One P1–P7 and P24–P26
- Exit check
- I changed / kept my prediction because…
Prepare
- Display the Book One cover or open the Chapter One sample on this page.
- Print pupil sheet 1 only if pupils will record. The lesson also works as discussion.
- Choose one stopping point before Windwhistler drops in P7.
Look-fors
- The prediction grows from a specific clue.
- The pupil uses uncertainty language rather than presenting a guess as fact.
- The revision refers to something heard in Chapter One.
Explicit teaching sequence
- Set the purpose: “We are collecting clues, not guessing at random.” Model one cover clue and a cautious prediction using might, could or perhaps.
- Pairs notice one detail each. Gather clues under character, setting and mood. Ask: “What can we see? What can we reasonably infer?”
- Read P1–P6 aloud. Pause before P7 and invite pupils to hold or adjust a prediction without yet confirming it.
- Finish the chapter. Model revision: keep, change or reject the original prediction, then point to the new evidence that caused the decision.
- Pupils rehearse their final explanation with a partner before speaking or recording.
Access
Offer three visible clues and the stems “I notice…”, “This might mean…” and “After P__, I changed / kept my idea because…”. A pupil may speak while an adult or partner records.
Extend
Ask pupils to rank two predictions by plausibility, identify the stronger evidence and explain what further evidence would change their view.
Year-group routes
Year 4 supported
Read the chapter aloud, model the first clue and use the three-clue sheet with sentence stems. Require one clue-linked revision.
Year 5 core
Combine two or three clues, justify the prediction and revise it independently after the read-aloud.
Year 6+ deepen
Compare two plausible predictions and evaluate the relative strength and limits of the evidence.
Worked model
Clue: the school “loomed” like a crooked crown, while ivy seems to whisper secrets.
First prediction: The school might be magical but unsettling, and Eliza could find that it hides something she does not yet understand.
Revision after reading: I would keep the idea that the school feels unsettling, because P3 says Eliza feels terrified. I would change the idea that a hidden mystery will appear immediately, because this chapter concentrates on her difficult arrival and the other pupils’ reaction.
Answer notes
- There is no single correct prediction. Accept alternatives that are plausible and linked to a visible or heard clue.
- A revision may keep the original idea. The important evidence is the pupil’s reason for keeping, changing or rejecting it.
- Do not reward confident guessing above cautious, evidence-aware language.
Lesson 2 of 6
Word detectives
Vocabulary · morphology · fluent rereading
- Objective
- Explain and reuse vivid words from Eliza’s arrival.
- Text reference
- Chapter One P2, P4–P9
- Exit check
- The author chose ______ instead of ______ because…
Prepare
- Choose four to six words: loomed, peculiar, hovered, coax, sputter and staggered.
- Mark the paragraph containing each word in the numbered sample.
- Decide which two sentences pupils will reread aloud for phrasing and expression.
Look-fors
- The meaning fits the original context.
- The pupil can distinguish a near-synonym from an exact replacement.
- The new sentence shows the meaning rather than merely containing the word.
Explicit teaching sequence
- Read each word in its sentence. Say it together; do not begin with dictionary copying.
- Model the clues an expert reader uses: nearby meaning, action, word parts, tone and a quick physical demonstration.
- Build a pupil-friendly meaning, then test it by replacing the word in the sentence. Discuss what is lost with a duller synonym.
- Reread two selected sentences with phrasing and expression.
- Pupils choose one word for an original spoken sentence, improve it with a partner, then record it.
Access
Use a word card, gesture or simple sketch; offer two possible meanings to compare. Adult read-aloud keeps decoding difficulty separate from language thinking.
Extend
Explore morphology or word families, then choose the most precise word for a new magical arrival and justify why a near-synonym is weaker.
Year-group routes
Year 4 supported
Teach three or four words through context, gesture and oral rehearsal. Model one definition before pupils reuse a word.
Year 5 core
Study four to six words, test near-synonyms and independently reuse one precisely in context.
Year 6+ deepen
Study all six, compare semantic shades and explain how word choice shapes mood or comic effect.
Worked model
Word: loomed (P2). Pupil-friendly meaning: appeared large and rather threatening, as if it were hanging over Eliza.
Replacement test: “The school stood ahead” keeps the basic position but loses the sense that the school feels huge and intimidating.
New sentence: The storm tower loomed above the tiny broom shed, making the first-years hurry inside.
Answer notes
- loomed: appeared very large, close or threatening; peculiar: unusual or strange.
- hovered: stayed in one place in the air; coax: gently persuade or encourage.
- sputter: a short, uneven series of bursting or choking sounds; staggered: moved unsteadily as if likely to fall.
- Accept pupil-friendly wording that fits the passage. Reject definitions copied accurately but used incorrectly in the new sentence.
Lesson 3 of 6
Read between the lines
Inference · evidence · character viewpoint
- Objective
- Infer Eliza’s feelings and justify the inference with evidence.
- Text reference
- Chapter One P4, P7–P16 and P23–P26
- Exit check
- Which clue is your strongest evidence, and why is it stronger than another clue?
Prepare
- Select three moments: waiting above the gates, after the crash and when the courtyard watches.
- Print pupil sheet 3 or reproduce its four-column evidence chain.
- Prepare a small, age-respectful emotion word bank if pupils need it.
Look-fors
- The feeling word is precise enough for the moment.
- Evidence is relevant rather than copied at length.
- The explanation makes the link between evidence and inference explicit.
Explicit teaching sequence
- Model the difference between what the text says and what the reader infers. Use the chain: action or detail → what it suggests → feeling.
- Reread P4. Gather more than one possible feeling and reject any that cannot be supported.
- Pairs complete the chain for P7–P11. Invite challenge using “What makes you think that?”
- Pupils independently explain the courtyard moment in P12–P16.
- Compare how Eliza’s feelings shift by P23–P26 and how humour affects the reader’s response.
Access
Provide an emotion word bank and the stem “Eliza may feel… I noticed… This suggests…”. Allow pointing, sorting, drawing or oral explanation before writing.
Extend
Consider two emotions at once or explain how the comic narration makes readers feel sympathy without removing Eliza’s embarrassment.
Year-group routes
Year 4 supported
Model the first evidence chain, provide a precise emotion bank and guide pupils through two further moments.
Year 5 core
Complete all three evidence chains independently and explain the change between two moments.
Year 6+ deepen
Explore simultaneous emotions, narrative humour and the difference between reader response and character viewpoint.
Worked model
Moment: above the gates. Inference: Eliza may feel anxious. Evidence: P4 describes damp hands and knocking knees. Explanation: those physical reactions suggest she is frightened and struggling to stay calm.
Moment: when everyone watches. Inference: she may feel exposed and embarrassed. Evidence: P15 says her ears burned and she thinks about everything that looks wrong. Explanation: she becomes sharply aware of how the crowd may judge her.
Change: by P24–P26, the short thoughts and final “Perfect” sound miserable and sarcastic, showing that the arrival has confirmed her worst fears.
Answer notes
- Anxious, frightened, overwhelmed, embarrassed, exposed and miserable may all be valid when tied to the correct moment.
- Evidence alone is not a complete inference answer; pupils should explain what the evidence suggests.
- Do not require pupils to disclose a time when they personally felt embarrassed.
Lesson 4 of 6
The late-arrival record
Audience · voice · planning and drafting
- Objective
- Retell an event in a formal school voice for a clear audience.
- Text reference
- Chapter One P4–P11 and P19–P23
- Exit check
- Underline one phrase that creates the official voice. Explain the choice in five words or fewer.
Prepare
- Reread the crash-landing section and identify three facts that must remain accurate.
- Print pupil sheet 4 or provide a plain incident-report frame.
- Prepare one short informal retelling and one concise official sentence to compare.
Look-fors
- Essential events stay in a clear order.
- Word choices suit Headmistress Bramble and the intended audience.
- The pupil makes one purposeful revision and can explain it.
Explicit teaching sequence
- Compare an excited pupil retelling with a brisk official record. Identify differences in vocabulary, selected detail and tone.
- Model a short Headmistress Bramble sentence. Think aloud about which comic details to keep and which an official writer would compress.
- Orally rehearse the sequence: arrival, mishap, response. Collect precise time-order language.
- Pupils plan and draft the record.
- Ask pupils to revise one sentence so the voice sounds more official without becoming confusing or inaccurate.
Access
Use the three-box plan, shared oral rehearsal and sentence starters. Scribe the plan while the pupil owns the wording; reduce copying demands.
Extend
Add a margin note in Eliza’s informal voice, then explain how selection, sentence structure and vocabulary change between the two viewpoints.
Year-group routes
Year 4 supported
Co-construct the opening sentence, use the three-part plan and support pupils to write a short accurate record.
Year 5 core
Independently write a concise record, then revise vocabulary and sentence structure for an official audience.
Year 6+ deepen
Control formality deliberately, compare viewpoint and justify which comic details were omitted or retained.
Worked model
Late-arrival record: Miss Evermist arrived thirty minutes after the expected time on the broom Windwhistler. The broom lost height above the school gates, struck the Weather Tower and caused Miss Evermist’s hat to fall into a courtyard cauldron. Miss Evermist stood after the incident and reported that the broom had become unstable over the marsh. She was directed to follow the Headmistress inside.
Revision example: change “Her broom went bonkers” to “The broom became unstable” because the second phrase is concise, neutral and suitable for an official record.
Answer notes
- Core facts include lateness, Windwhistler’s unstable descent, the Weather Tower collision, the hat in the cauldron and Bramble’s response.
- Do not require invented times, injuries, punishments or motives. An official voice must not add unsupported facts.
- A clear, accurate record matters more than using unnecessarily complicated vocabulary.
Lesson 5 of 6
Invent a Whimkin
Description · oral rehearsal · art and design
- Objective
- Design and describe a magical companion using deliberate, connected detail.
- Text reference
- Use Trouble as a published example; no Chapter One detail is required
- Exit check
- Star the detail that makes this Whimkin unlike any ordinary animal.
Prepare
- Show Trouble as one example of a creature whose appearance, habit and magic fit together.
- Print pupil sheet 5 and provide pencils. Colouring materials are optional.
- Explain that the worked creature below is a non-canon classroom model, not a new series character.
Look-fors
- Visual and written details agree.
- Nouns and verbs do most of the descriptive work; adjectives are chosen, not piled up.
- The creature has a limit, habit or need as well as a power.
Explicit teaching sequence
- Model a connected design choice: a physical feature causes a habit, which shapes a small magical effect. Avoid a random list of powers.
- Pupils sketch silhouette, texture and one distinctive feature. Ask them to annotate choices before decorating.
- Rehearse a three-sentence description aloud: what it looks like, what it does and why it might choose a witch.
- Pupils write, then improve one vague noun or verb.
- Partners respond with one detail they can picture clearly and one connection they understand.
Access
Offer a mix-and-match bank for body, movement and gentle magic. Accept a labelled design, oral description or jointly constructed sentence before longer writing.
Extend
Write a Sanctuary archive entry that hints at character without explaining every mystery, then edit for precision and restraint.
Year-group routes
Year 4 supported
Use a labelled design, oral rehearsal and three connected sentences. Model how one feature causes a habit or magical effect.
Year 5 core
Create a coherent design and purposeful paragraph, then replace one vague noun or verb.
Year 6+ deepen
Control implication and restraint in an archive entry; ensure the limitation shapes the creature as clearly as its magic.
Worked model
Non-canon model: Pebblepip is a palm-sized, owl-like Whimkin with slate feathers and one soft tail-feather shaped like a key. It taps that feather against locked pencil cases until the owner remembers where the real key is. The magic only works for lost objects that matter to somebody, so Pebblepip cannot be used to open anything on command.
Design connection: key-shaped feather → tapping habit → memory-based finding magic → clear limitation.
Answer notes
- There is no required creature type. Look for internal connection rather than the largest number of powers.
- A labelled drawing or oral description can show the objective before extended writing is added.
- Keep teacher-created examples explicitly non-canon so they are not confused with creatures from the series.
Lesson 6 of 6
Belonging in the story
Theme · safe discussion · reader recommendation
- Objective
- Discuss a fictional dilemma and explain a view about belonging.
- Text reference
- Chapter One P9–P23
- Exit check
- This story may suit a reader who likes… because…
Prepare
- Read the safe-discussion section in this guide and follow the school’s current policy.
- Display the fictional scenario: “A new witch arrives late, makes a mistake and hears unkind laughter.”
- Prepare role cards for the new witch, a bystander and a trusted adult if helpful.
Look-fors
- The pupil stays with the fictional scenario and gives a reason.
- Suggested actions are kind, realistic and do not promise secrecy.
- The recommendation names a likely reader and a story feature.
Explicit teaching sequence
- Agree ground rules: discuss characters, listen without judgement, pass if desired and do not ask for personal stories.
- Model a distanced response: “A bystander could… because…”. Distinguish kindness from rescuing or speaking over someone.
- Groups consider what the new witch, a bystander and a trusted adult could each do. Invite more than one safe response.
- Connect back to P9–P23: how does the opening make the reader want Eliza to find belonging?
- Finish with a spoken or written reader recommendation.
Access
Use role cards, allow a pass and offer sentence stems. Pupils may draw or sequence responses instead of speaking to the whole class.
Extend
Compare two bystander responses and evaluate which protects the character’s dignity as well as addressing the immediate problem.
Year-group routes
Year 4 supported
Use the three fictional roles, sentence stems and an adult-led read-aloud. Rehearse one reason before recording.
Year 5 core
Compare the three roles, give evidence-based reasons and produce a concise reader recommendation.
Year 6+ deepen
Evaluate competing responses, dignity, power and the difference between support and speaking over someone.
Worked model
Bystander response: A pupil could stop laughing, make room beside them and quietly explain what happens next. This helps without making the new witch perform her embarrassment again.
Trusted-adult response: The adult could check that the new witch is safe, address the unkind behaviour and explain where she should go. The adult should not promise to keep a safeguarding concern secret.
Recommendation: This story may suit a reader who likes funny magical schools and characters who keep going after an awkward start, because Eliza’s landing is comic but the reader can also understand how exposed she feels.
Answer notes
- Accept different kind and realistic actions when pupils explain why they help.
- Reject answers that blame the new witch, demand personal disclosure, promise secrecy or place all responsibility on the target of unkindness.
- A recommendation should identify both a likely reader and a relevant feature of the story.
SEND, EAL and mixed attainment
Support the barrier in this moment, not a fixed label
A pupil may need support for decoding in one lesson and no support for imaginative discussion in the next. Start with high-quality whole-class teaching, then adapt the route.
| Barrier noticed | Try first | Fade towards |
|---|---|---|
| Decoding blocks access | Adult read-aloud, age-respectful text and a marked short rereading section. | Independent access to a manageable passage. |
| New vocabulary is insecure | Image, gesture, context sentence, pupil-friendly meaning and repeated spoken use. | Selecting and reusing the word independently. |
| Too much to hold in mind | Chunk one instruction, show a worked example and use a visual organiser. | A shorter prompt or a self-selected scaffold. |
| Writing output is the barrier | Oral rehearsal, sentence stem, scribing or appropriate speech-to-text. | An independently composed sentence or paragraph. |
| Discussion feels risky | Third-person scenario, paired response, pass option and predictable turns. | Chosen participation without forced disclosure. |
SEND and dyslexia-friendly access
Keep essential text at a comfortable size, use left alignment and generous spacing, reduce copying, offer cream paper where helpful and enlarge sheets to A3. Follow current individual plans and specialist advice.
EAL and language development
Protect the richness of the read-aloud. Preteach only the words needed to enter the task, pair gesture or image with the spoken word, allow rehearsal with a partner and accept home-language thinking where school practice supports it.
Speech, language and communication
Make the turn-taking pattern visible, allow processing time, offer choices before open prompts and let pupils point, sequence or select before constructing a longer response.
Mixed attainment without fixed groups
Keep the shared story and objective. Change the response route, amount of modelling or scaffold—not the pupil’s access to vocabulary, imagination and discussion.
Safe discussion and safeguarding
Talk about belonging without soliciting disclosure
Stories create useful distance. Keep the learning focused on Eliza or a fictional character so private experience is never the price of participation.
Before the lesson
- Check current safeguarding, child-protection and PSHE policies.
- Agree ground rules: listen, challenge ideas rather than people, use fictional examples and allow a pass.
- Name trusted adults and the routes pupils can use after the lesson.
- Consider known vulnerabilities and whether advance notice, an adapted task or an exit route is needed.
During the lesson
- Ask “What could the character do?” rather than requesting personal stories.
- Do not invite secrets, promise confidentiality or press a pupil to explain a pass.
- Use inclusive names, families, bodies and backgrounds without making one pupil a spokesperson.
- Correct unkind or stereotyped claims calmly and keep discussion age-appropriate.
| Avoid | Use instead |
|---|---|
| When has “different” felt hard for you? | What makes Eliza feel out of place in this scene? |
| Tell the class about a time you were laughed at. | What could a bystander do in this fictional moment? |
| Who would you tell your secret to? | Which trusted adult could the character approach, and what might happen next? |
Formative assessment
Small checks that change the next teaching move
Collect less evidence, but make it useful: secure, revisit or change the support.
| Lesson | Listen or look for | Next decision |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Prediction | Clue → plausible prediction → justified revision. | Model the evidence link again if guesses stay random. |
| 2 Vocabulary | Context-fit meaning and accurate reuse. | Revisit later if the word disappears after one task. |
| 3 Inference | Evidence → explanation, not copied evidence alone. | Use another worked inference chain before independent practice. |
| 4 Voice | Accurate sequence and choices suited to audience. | Compare one formal and one informal sentence. |
| 5 Description | Connected design choices and precise nouns and verbs. | Reduce or extend the planning scaffold. |
| 6 Theme | Reasoned, safely distanced response. | Re-establish ground rules or deepen comparison. |
Secure
The pupil applied today’s process to a new example. Reduce the scaffold next time.
Revisit
Part of the process is missing or fragile. Reteach one step with a fresh example.
Add access
The response does not yet reveal the thinking. Change the response mode or remove the barrier before judging understanding.
Supported practice can inform teaching, but do not present this commercial resource as statutory assessment material or independent-writing evidence without applying the school’s normal requirements.
Six reusable pupil sheets
Print the response page that matches the lesson
Each following section uses semantic HTML, generous write-in space and explicit print page breaks. Use the browser print command and select only the pages required.
Or download one ready-paginated A4 worksheet
Pupil sheet 1 · Book One
Cover clues and prediction
A strong prediction grows from a clue. It may change when the story gives you new evidence.
| What I notice | What it might suggest |
|---|---|
My prediction — use might, could or perhaps
After reading — keep, change or reject the prediction. Explain why.
Self-check: I named a clue · I linked it to my idea · I revised using new evidence
Pupil sheet 2 · Book One
Vocabulary lab
Choose three words: loomed · peculiar · hovered · coax · sputter · staggered
| Word | Meaning in this scene | Clue or test that helped |
|---|---|---|
The author chose __________ instead of __________ because…
Use one chosen word in a new sentence that clearly shows its meaning.
Say the sentence aloud first. Then check: does the word truly fit?
Pupil sheet 3 · Book One
Character evidence chain
Inference combines a story clue with what you know. Evidence alone is not the explanation.
| Moment | Eliza may feel… | Evidence I noticed | This suggests… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Above the gates | |||
| After the crash | |||
| When everyone watches |
How do Eliza’s feelings change? Link at least two moments.
Useful stem: Eliza may feel… I noticed… This suggests…
Pupil sheet 4 · Book One
Headmistress Bramble’s late-arrival record
Retell the crash landing in a brisk, official school voice. Keep the facts accurate.
| Three facts that must stay | Official words or phrases I might use |
|---|---|
| 1. | 1. |
| 2. | 2. |
| 3. | 3. |
Incident record — arrival · mishap · official response
Revision: underline one phrase that creates the official voice. Improve it if needed.
Pupil sheet 5 · Book One
Design a Whimkin
Connect the creature’s look, habit and gentle magic. Give it a limit or need as well as a power.
Sketch and label the distinctive details
Name
Habit
Gentle magic and its limit
Describe it in three or more connected sentences.
Improve one vague noun or verb. Star the detail that makes your Whimkin unique.
Pupil sheet 6 · Book One
Belonging in the story
Discuss the fictional character, not private experiences. You may pass on any spoken question.
| Character | A kind and realistic action | Why this could help |
|---|---|---|
| The new witch | ||
| A bystander | ||
| A trusted adult |
Reader recommendation — This story may suit a reader who likes… because…
Nobody has to share a personal story. Speak to a trusted adult privately if you need help.
Sources and licence
What informed this guide
These sources informed the design. They do not endorse this series or guide. Teacher judgement and current school policies remain essential.
- English programmes of studyDepartment for Education
- The reading frameworkDepartment for Education
- The writing frameworkDepartment for Education
- Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2Education Endowment Foundation
- SEND in Mainstream SchoolsEducation Endowment Foundation
- Dyslexia Style GuideBritish Dyslexia Association
- Handling complex issues safely in the classroomPSHE Association
- Publishing accessible documentsGOV.UK
Classroom print licence
Copyright © 2026 L. Hine. One school may print and photocopy this guide for its own pupils and staff. Do not resell, publicly upload, remove credits or redistribute the files outside that school without written permission. Contact the author before trust-wide redistribution.
The Chapter One sample remains copyright L. Hine and is included here for use with this free classroom resource.