Cover Lessons
Cover lesson ideas that practise literacy and numeracy, linked to the Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF), for a range of subjects.
Choosing Keywords to Research a Frog Life Cycle
Literacy: Reading strategies
Pupils plan a search about how a common frog grows, set success criteria, and compare pretend search screens for the keywords "frog", "frog life cycle" and "common frog life cycle Wales" to see why specific keywords work better and which result to trust. They skim the headings and scan a wildlife charity page for 7 facts, check 3 claims on an unreliable blog against it, record their source and answer the question in their own words. The skimming, scanning and reliability work is marked as literacy. All websites are invented; the frog facts are real. Paper-based; no computers needed.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Choosing Keywords to Research a Frog Life Cycle
- Stimulus: pretend search screens, a wildlife charity page and a blog about the common frog
- Worked example and answer key: judged results, chosen keywords, scanned facts and the blog check
Tools required
- Pen and paper
Software / weblinks
Ordering the Sizes of the Planets
Numeracy: The number system
Numeracy in Science and Technology: the number system. Using the real diameters of the 8 planets from NASA, pupils write numbers up to 142,984 in words and figures, give the value of digits, order the planets by size, round each diameter to the nearest 1,000 and 10,000 and explain when rounding hides differences, find differences, estimate how many Earths fit across Jupiter and check it, and order sizes compared with Earth written as decimals to 3 places.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Ordering the Sizes of the Planets
- Stimulus: planet fact cards with real diameters, and the planets drawn to scale
- Worked example and answer key: numbers in words, ordered and rounded diameters, estimate and decimals
Tools required
- Pen and paper
Software / weblinks
Reading Data Logger Graphs of Cooling Cups
Numeracy: Interpreting data
An invented Year 5 class used a temperature data logger to test which of 4 cups keeps hot water warm for longest. Pupils read cells in the spreadsheet, write formulas for the temperature drop and the lowest reading, sort the cups, then read the line graph to find when each cup cooled and how fast. They judge 4 pupils' conclusions as supported, not supported or not sure, spotting that only the flask had a lid, and suggest how to make the test fairer. Reading the graph and judging the conclusions is marked as numeracy. Paper-based; nothing hot is used.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Reading Data Logger Graphs of Cooling Cups
- Stimulus: Ysgol Maes y Wawr data logger results, spreadsheet and line graph
- Worked example and answer key: formulas, sorted results, graph readings and judged conclusions
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Ruler
Software / weblinks
Linking Ideas in a Review of a Dance Show
Literacy: Connectives and syntax
Writing about performance. An invented pupil has written a choppy review of his school's Four Seasons dance show. Pupils sort 14 connectives into adding, contrasting, cause and effect and time, join six pairs of short sentences with connectives from a given group, and move phrases to the start of sentences with a comma. They then rewrite the review in two paragraphs using his notes, with at least 6 different connectives, a sentence that opens with Although, When or Because, better words than good and nice, and a reasoned opinion of the best moment. Paper-based; no computers needed.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Linking Ideas in a Review of a Dance Show
- Stimulus: The Four Seasons dance show, the invented programme, Jac's notes and his first draft
- Worked example and answer key: sorted connectives, joined sentences and a model two-paragraph review
- Printed stimulus sheet, one between two
Tools required
- Pen and paper
Software / weblinks
Writing Photo Rules for the School Show
Literacy: Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context
Show week at an invented school in Caernarfon. Pupils judge six pretend posts and photos of a Year 6 musical, from a public rehearsal video that gives away the children's routine to a photo whose hidden location data points to a pupil's house, and decide which are fine, which need changing and which should not be shared. They list what a stranger could learn, explain digital footprints, then plan and write a letter to parents and carers for the show programme with an introduction, numbered rules with reasons and a conclusion, and rewrite one rule for a Year 2 audience. Paper-based; no computers needed.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Writing Photo Rules for the School Show
- Stimulus: show week at Ysgol Glan Menai, six invented pretend posts and a photo information screen
- Worked example and answer key: every post judged, hidden information found and a model letter to families
- Printed stimulus sheet, one between two
Tools required
- Pen and paper
Software / weblinks
Planning a Healthy Picnic on a Budget
Numeracy: Financial literacy
Numeracy in Health and Well-being: financial literacy. Four friends have £10.00 for a beach picnic in Tenby, with rules based on the NHS Eatwell Guide. Using an invented price list, pupils find the price of one item in each pack and discover that the best value per item is not always the cheapest buy for what they need. They add up Ffion's hurried basket (£11.35, £1.35 over budget, missing vegetables and dairy) and fix it to £9.45, plan their own balanced picnic with a running total and change, share the cost equally to the nearest penny, decide whether a treat is affordable, and persuade the parents using their figures.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Planning a Healthy Picnic on a Budget
- Stimulus: Harbour Street Shop picnic price list, rules and Ffion's basket
- Worked example and answer key: unit prices, Ffion's basket fixed and a model picnic
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Calculator
Software / weblinks
Planning a Water Tracker Spreadsheet
Numeracy: Interpreting data
Six invented Year 6 pupils at Ysgol Penrhos logged the cups of water they drank at school for a week. Pupils enter the log into a paper spreadsheet, write SUM, AVERAGE, MAX and MIN formulae with cell ranges, and fill in totals (15, 5, 20, 15, 10, 20), means and day totals (grand total 85). They debug five typed formulae, including a range that misses Friday and a formula with no equals sign, then interpret the results: the mean of the totals (14.2), why MAX cannot name the top drinker, and whether statements are true, false or can't tell, noticing that the log covers school hours only and that a 0 meant a pupil was out. They suggest changes to make the conclusions more trustworthy. Paper-based; computers optional.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Planning a Water Tracker Spreadsheet
- Stimulus: Class 6 water challenge log, NHS drinks advice and a spreadsheet help card
- Worked example and answer key: the finished spreadsheet, formulae, debugged cells and conclusions
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Calculator
- Computer/Laptop (optional)
Software / weblinks
Comparing Rainfall in the Mountains and on the Coast
Numeracy: Interpreting data
Numeracy in Humanities: interpreting data. Pupils compare a year of invented monthly rainfall for two invented weather stations, a valley in Eryri and a beach village on the Pembrokeshire coast, after reading a real explanation of why mountains get more rain. They read values from a bar chart and a line graph, find the wettest and driest months and the range, work out totals and the mean, and compare winter with summer. They expose a chart from an invented holiday website whose axis starts at 40 mm and redraw it fairly, judge conclusions as true, false or cannot tell, and write evidence-based holiday advice for an invented family.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Comparing Rainfall in the Mountains and on the Coast
- Stimulus: invented rainfall table and charts for two weather stations in Eryri and Pembrokeshire
- Worked example and answer key: chart readings, totals, means, the fair chart and judged conclusions
- Rulers for drawing the fair bar chart in Step 5
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Ruler
- Calculator (optional)
Software / weblinks
Emailing a Pen Pal in Welsh Patagonia
Literacy: Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context
Pupils read an invented email from Elen, aged 11, who lives in Gaiman, Patagonia, and learn the real story of Y Wladfa: the Mimosa, the landing at Puerto Madryn on 28 July 1865, and Welsh still spoken alongside Spanish. Working on paper, they find the parts of an email, compare email, video call and letter, work out time differences between Wales and Argentina, then plan and write a reply on a pretend email screen, check it for safety and kindness and improve one paragraph. Elen, both schools and the photo are invented. A teacher can assess literacy from the talk-based plan and the reply organised into paragraphs.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Emailing a Pen Pal in Welsh Patagonia
- Stimulus: An email from Elen in Gaiman
- Worked example and answer key: email parts, comparison table, time differences, plan and a model reply
Tools required
- Pen and paper
Software / weblinks
Reading and Rounding Welsh Speaker Numbers
Numeracy: The number system
Using real figures from the Welsh Government’s report on the 2021 census (538,300 people aged 3 or older could speak Welsh, against a target of a million by 2050), pupils write large numbers in words and figures, give the value of digits, order the census results from 1921 to 2021, round to the nearest 1,000, 10,000 and 100,000, estimate before calculating differences exactly, order and round percentages such as 64.4% for Gwynedd, and decide whether newspaper-style headlines round fairly. No calculators.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Reading and Rounding Welsh Speaker Numbers
- Worked example and answer key: number words, rounding table, estimates and exact answers, and headline judgements
- The census data is printed on the worksheet
Tools required
- Pen and paper
Software / weblinks
Searching for Reliable Facts about Roald Dahl
Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis
For a Roald Dahl Day display on his childhood in Wales, pupils compare 3 pretend searches (from "dahl", which finds a lentil recipe, to "roald dahl childhood cardiff llandaff"), improve the keywords and judge 5 of the 9 results by who made them and why. They scan a reliable pretend heritage page and an unreliable fan blog, find the 3 facts the blog gets wrong, tell fact from opinion, then write a 5-fact file and a short summary in their own words with the source of every fact, and decide what to bookmark. The scanning answers and the referenced summary give literacy evidence for understanding, response and analysis.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Searching for Reliable Facts about Roald Dahl
- Stimulus: 3 pretend search results pages and 2 pretend web pages about Roald Dahl
- Worked example and answer key: keywords, reliability judgements, the 3 mistakes and a model summary with sources
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Highlighters
Software / weblinks
Improving a Maths Help Page on Long Multiplication
Literacy: Proofreading, editing and improving
Pupils check the first draft of a maths help page made by 3 invented Year 6 pupils at an invented school for Year 5 readers, printed as a pretend web page with numbered parts. They name its purpose and audience, work out 47 x 36 two ways to find the missing placeholder zero, and score the page against success criteria with reasons. For the literacy work they proofread a paragraph with 8 errors and redraft the method as numbered steps, explaining their changes, then write a kind online-style comment.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Improving a Maths Help Page on Long Multiplication
- Stimulus: a draft maths help page on long multiplication, printed as a pretend web page
- Worked example and answer key: correct 47 x 36 working, page scores with reasons, all 8 proofreading corrections, a model redraft and a model comment
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Highlighters
Software / weblinks
Reading Logic Puzzle Clues to Plan an Eisteddfod Line-Up
Literacy: Reading strategies
Pupils use reading strategies on the programme for an invented school eisteddfod. They skim it for gist in 1 minute and scan for 5 exact details using key words. Then they link 8 clue cards in logic grids to work out which of 5 performers does each act and when, recording which cards gave each deduction. They write the final line-up, check it against every card, answer inference questions about things the programme suggests but does not say, and write a new clue that keeps the same answer.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Reading Logic Puzzle Clues to Plan an Eisteddfod Line-Up
- Stimulus: the Ysgol Glan Morfa eisteddfod programme and 8 logic puzzle clue cards
- Worked example and answer key: skimming and scanning answers, completed logic grids with a deduction log, the final line-up, model inferences and checked replacement clues
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Pencil
Software / weblinks
Explaining Animal Adaptations with Connectives
Literacy: Connectives and syntax
Literacy in Science and Technology: connectives and syntax. Using fact cards about the puffins of Skomer, otters, barn owls and red kites, pupils sort connectives by their job (cause, result, contrast, time), join pairs of facts into one sentence, fix sentences that use the wrong connective, and rewrite sentences to start with a connective and a comma. They then write a paragraph explaining 3 adaptations of one animal with at least 4 different connectives, and check it.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Explaining Animal Adaptations with Connectives
- Stimulus: Welsh wildlife fact cards for the puffin, otter, barn owl and red kite
- Worked example and answer key: sorted connectives, joined and fixed sentences, and a model paragraph
Tools required
- Pen and paper
Software / weblinks
Improving a Draft Slideshow about Circuits
Literacy: Proofreading, editing and improving
Two invented Year 6 pupils have made a draft slideshow to teach Year 4 about circuits, printed as 4 slides. Pupils judge each slide against success criteria, correct 3 science mistakes (a "complete circuit" with a gap, plastic and wood called conductors, and an open switch that lights the bulb), proofread the text and explain where and why they made each change, suggest layout changes with reasons, redesign one slide and write kind, specific feedback. The proofreading and explained corrections are marked as literacy. Paper-based; no computers needed.
Resources required
- Pupil worksheet: Improving a Draft Slideshow about Circuits
- Stimulus: Nia and Tomos's draft slideshow about electricity, 4 printed slides
- Worked example and answer key: judged slides, science fixes, proofread text, redesigned slide and feedback
Tools required
- Pen and paper
- Coloured pencils (optional)