Cracking the Code

Overview

Subject: English
Key Stage: KS1 (delivered to Year 7/8 pupils in a special school setting)
Class Size: 9 pupils
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Theme: Easter Literacy Adventure
Curriculum Focus:

• Spoken Language (KS1)
• Reading Comprehension
• Writing (Composition, Vocabulary)
• Phonics and Word Recognition (as appropriate)

Intent

This Easter-themed English lesson is designed to be highly interactive, literacy-rich, and sensory-friendly, catering for the needs of students working at Key Stage 1 within a KS3 age context. It leverages plastic Easter eggs and toy chicks to create a tactile, engaging experience, promoting speaking and listening, reading, and basic writing skills.

By the end of the session, pupils will have:

• Reinforced key vocabulary linked to Easter
• Engaged in phonemic awareness tasks
• Created short descriptive or creative sentences
• Practised collaborative learning and imaginative storytelling in a meaningful context

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Resources

• Plastic Easter eggs (at least one per student)
• Toy chicks (fluffy or plastic – enough to be the class mascots)
• Word/sentence cards (differentiated)
• A large egg basket
• Whiteboards and pens for each student
• Picture clues (simple illustrations matching Easter vocabulary)
• Stickers or tokens for encouragement
• Pre-written short riddles or clues
• Visuals for classroom display (e.g., Easter word mat)
• Timer or soft chime for transitions

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Structure and Activities

⬤ 10 mins – Warm-Up: Chick Chat Circle

Curriculum Links: Spoken Language
Objective: Develop vocabulary and confidence in speaking

1. Seat students in a circle and introduce the Easter "Class Chick" (toy mascot).
2. Pass the chick around – when a student holds the chick, they say one word they know about Easter (e.g., "egg", "chocolate", "bunny").
3. Adults support with pictorial prompts if needed.

Differentiation notes:

• Use communication boards or AAC devices if students are non-verbal.
• Allow pointing or gesturing to picture choices.

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⬤ 5 mins – Mission Brief: Egg-cellent Hunt!

Curriculum Link: Reading Comprehension – Understanding simple sentences

Story starter: “Oh no! The Easter Bunny has lost some very special eggs filled with secret clues to help us find the Golden Chick!”

Explain the task: Pupils will work individually or in small supported groups to find plastic eggs around the room/area. Inside each egg is a puzzle, word, or picture to complete the Easter mission.

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⬤ 15 mins – Literacy Egg Hunt

Activity Breakdown:

1. Hide plastic eggs around the controlled classroom area.

2. Each egg contains a literacy activity appropriate to the child's ability:

   • Picture–word matching task (e.g., picture of a chick with word card options)
   • Simple CVC word-building puzzle (e.g., the letters ‘c’, ‘a’, ‘t’ to form ‘cat’)
   • Sentence starter cards (e.g., “I see the…” or “The bunny is…”)
   • Rhyme finders: match words that sound the same
   • One or two “Golden Eggs” with bonus group challenge inside (e.g., act out a word, use 3 words in a sentence)

3. Each time a student completes an egg task, they earn a “chick token” to collect in a central Easter basket.

Differentiation:

• Tasks are colour-coded by difficulty (e.g., red = simpler word match, blue = build-a-sentence).
• One-to-one adult guidance as needed, especially for non-readers.

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⬤ 10 mins – Build-a-Story Circle

Curriculum Links: Writing: Composition and Vocabulary
Objective: Create a short group story using Easter-themed vocabulary

1. Pupils gather in a circle with their completed egg contents (words, sentence starters, pictures).
2. As a group, use these elements to help co-create a class Easter story.
   • Example prompt: “Once upon a time, a chick found a magical egg that could...”
3. Adults scribe on the board, modelling sentence structure and punctuation.
4. Pupils contribute one sentence each using items from their egg.

Support & extension:

• Allow drawing their part before saying it aloud if verbal processing is difficult.
• Higher-ability students can assist in sequencing story ideas.

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⬤ 5 mins – Cool Down: Chick Check & Reflect

Curriculum Link: Speaking and Listening, Reading Intentions

• Show the class story again (or display key words/images used)

• Ask pupils to reflect:

  • “What was your favourite word today?”
  • “Did we find the golden egg?”
  • “What would you put in your own Easter egg story?”

• Celebrate each student’s participation with a sticker or chick token prize.

• Option: students draw their favourite part and label it using phonetic spelling.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observations during egg hunt: Were pupils able to recognise, read, or match target words?
• Verbal participation in Chick Chat and Story Circle: Are they using the Easter vocabulary introduced?
• Creative output in co-constructed story: Are sentences developing?
• Engagement: Did pupils stay involved throughout the egg tasks?

Record brief notes for each pupil on their progress with vocabulary recognition, sentence building, and phonics understanding.

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Extension/Follow-up Ideas

• Create “My Egg Story” booklets next lesson with the plastic eggs as covers
• Set up a chick postbox with written postcards from the class chick
• Make Easter word bingo boards to solidify new vocabulary

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Teacher Tips

✓ Use a soft-spoken voice or calming Easter music during transitions to keep sensory levels balanced
✓ Take photographs of the tasks in action for visual prompts in later writing activities
✓ Offer alternative communication and visual support at each stage
✓ Encourage imaginative play and role-play Easter scenes during break times

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Curriculum References

This lesson draws from the National Curriculum for England (KS1) in English:

Spoken Language

• Participate in discussions, listen and respond appropriately
• Express ideas clearly using appropriate spoken vocabulary

Reading – Comprehension

• Listen to and discuss a wide range of texts
• Link what they read or hear to their own experiences

Writing – Composition

• Saying out loud what they are going to write about
• Composing a sentence orally before writing it

This plan is scaffolded for KS3 students working at P Levels and KS1, acknowledging their specific developmental and educational needs within a SEN-focused setting.

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We hope this Easter-themed literacy journey brings joy, language growth and a sprinkle of magic to your classroom! 🐣