Writing for Different Purposes and Audiences: Planet Sapphire (Year 7)

Lively, student-friendly project packs with over 10 worksheets and handouts to use in class or as homework. Guide your class through an engaging scenario as they work towards creating their own meaningful independent writing.

An excellent resource....

...The writer has dressed up, what is frankly really dull skills-based work, as something exciting and engaging....

...The pupils would love this, they would be able to write in an enthusiastic way because of the engaging nature of the wide variety of tasks.

K Chanter, English Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Assuming roles from astronaut to secret service official, students gain valuable experience in writing for a range of purposes and audiences across fiction and non-fiction. With a clear focus on the new 2014 National Curriculum, your class will be completely prepared for the writing demands of GCSE English.

The project is lively and entertaining, engaging the pupils to complete the tasks

S Owen, English Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Example writing tasks:
  • Letters
  • Newspaper articles
  • Travel writing
  • Speeches
  • Blog articles
  • ... and many more!
Interlinking activities with a continuous theme
  • Appealing, relevant tasks based on modern media to captivate students
  • Ideal blend of independent, pair and group work
  • Heaps of extension tasks to challenge your high-fliers


Covers a significant range of writing styles

S Owen, English Teacher & Peer Reviewer
Student support throughout
  • Confidence-building preparation questions to aid the all-important planning process
  • Activities to support every learner type - mind maps, presentations, role plays...
  • Packed with checklists to keep students on track - great for AFL and quick marking
  • Structured with example texts and sample activity answers for inspiration
  • Plus handy tips and essential guidance on SPaG

Planet Sapphire (for Year 7)
Embark on a mission to save planet Earth with a series of 12 entertaining creative writing tasks, including an instruction manual for aliens and an interview with expedition members. The writing form and skills used are signposted for each activity, so you can be sure every technique is covered. Includes full example answers and clear and accessible language analysis.

What do teachers say about this resource? (6211)

An excellent resource. The writer has dressed up, what is frankly really dull skills-based work, as something exciting and engaging. The pupils would love this, they would be able to write in an enthusiastic way because of the engaging nature of the wide variety of tasks... I really liked the fact that this was an ongoing project, and yet it encompassed so many aspects of the various writing triplets, in smaller more manageable activities. You can be confident you are covering all of the areas, and yet it is learning by stealth because of the nature of the project. I like how each mini activity builds on a specific skill and enables the students to practice that skill. I like the practical activities, which get kids out of their seats and the fact that there are so many ready done examples to provide pupils... directly linked to the NC requirements... It builds the basic skills which enables students to catch up right at the beginning of year 7 and be ready to move onwards from there... it is presented in a very user friendly manner... I like the fact that the photocopiable resources are A5 and have the budgeting teacher in mind! The hyperlinks to YouTube are incredibly useful as it saves an age of trawling through the very distracting internet... It matches the requirements of the national curriculum beautifully and enables students to work through the DFE checklist of what they should be able to do by year 7 in an interesting fashion, rather than just completing a series of dry grammar and mechanics activities... A super resource!

K Chanter, English Teacher & Peer Reviewer

The resource covers all the aspects needed for a comprehensive understanding of the topic. It is presented with an underlying theme which gives it cohesion and adds interest to the material. The instructions are simple to follow and accessible for this age. This resource is for KS3 but is excellent preparation for GCSE English Language papers.
It can easily be adapted to lower ability as well as gifted and talented. The model answers are particularly helpful.
The links to the newspapers are helpful and would encourage pupils to carry out their own research. These could be set as a homework task. Also, the check lists are invaluable and give the opportunity for pupils to review their work.
It enhances learning in the way that it makes pupils think.
I would look forward to using this resource as it is self contained and can be completed in a set amount of time.

M Lagoyianni, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Covers a significant range of writing styles. The project is lively and entertaining, engaging the pupils to complete the tasks... links effectively with the Literacy and Numeracy Framework. The tasks have useful models which support weaker pupils... Website links act as guides for pupils to recognise key features of specific writing types. Check lists for each piece of work act as success criteria to ensure pupils have produced meaningful work. Accuracy of SPaG is constantly highlighted as important... The educational merit of this project is that it systematically leads the pupils through a series of linked tasks, allowing them to develop their writing skills as they have fun with the over-arching narrative. It provides clear evidence for the teacher of examples of work which can be used to track progress in literacy... The layout and presentation are clear and lively – easy for both staff and pupils to follow... The boxes which remind pupils to look out for SPaG, or which encourage them to remember that that these are transferable skills for GCSE are useful and they draw the eye... This resource fits with KS3 National Orders, with particular reference to Literacy strands in the LNF...
very useful to help pupils develop their writing in a way they will enjoy

S Owen, English Teacher & Peer Reviewer