Topic tasters
Each ‘Topic taster’ is a fun, interactive literacy activity based on a short piece of text relating to a topic likely to be familiar to children from previous work in different curriculum areas.
All Topic tasters can be used with a whiteboard for teaching and developing literacy skills in the context of work from other curriculum areas. Topics can be searched under curriculum headings: science, technology, geography, history, environmental studies and environment and society.
There are activity sheets and teachers’ notes for each Topic taster to help teachers deliver the activities.
Summary table of curriculum relevance for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland
TOPIC TASTERS
Science
Using your teeth - Learn about different types of teeth and their uses
Teachers’ notes on Using your teeth
Activity sheet for Using your teeth
Launch Using your teeth
Looking at food chains - Learn about a garden food chain
Teachers’ notes on Looking at food chains
Activity sheet for Looking at food chains
Launch Looking at food chains
How does the heart work? - Find out why your heart beats
Teachers’ notes on How does the heart work?
Activity sheet for How does the heart work?
Launch How does the heart work?
What makes day and night? - People haven’t always agreed how day and night work
Teachers’ notes on What makes day and night?
Activity sheet for What makes day and night?
Launch What makes day and night?
Geography
Starting a new settlement - Find out what was important to early settlers in Britain
Teachers’ notes on Starting a new settlement
Activity sheet for Starting a new settlement
Launch Starting a new settlement
Looking at the water cycle - Find out where rain comes from
Teachers’ notes on Looking at the water cycle
Activity sheet for Looking at the water cycle
Launch Looking at the water cycle
History
How to make a mummy -Learn how the Ancient Egyptians made mummies
Teachers’ notes on How to make a mummy
Activity sheet for How to make a mummy
Launch How to make a mummy
The Ancient Greeks and the battle of Marathon - Find out about this battle between the ancient Greeks and Persians
Teachers’ notes on The Ancient Greeks and the battle of Marathon
Activity sheet for The Ancient Greeks and the battle of Marathon
Launch The Ancient Greeks and the battle of Marathon
Literacy and cross-curricular
Finding information in the library - Learn how to track things down in a library
Teachers’ notes on Finding information in the library
Activity sheet for Finding information in the library
Launch Finding information in the library
- Topic taster 1: How to make a mummy
- Topic taster 2: Using your teeth
- Topic taster 3: Starting a new settlement
- Topic taster 4: Looking at food chains
- Topic taster 5: Looking at the water cycle
- Topic taster 6: How does the heart work?
- Topic taster 7: What makes day and night?
- Topic taster 8: The Ancient Greeks and the battle of Marathon
- Topic taster 9: Finding information in the library
Ten years of Box Tops
Learn more about the Box Tops scheme over the last 10 years
More about Box Tops
New big book
Check out Goldilocks – the latest interactive big book to be added to our online literacy resources. View the big book