Art
Digital sketchbook of weekly observations (KS2)
Each child keeps a digital sketchbook adding one observation sketch per week (e.g. a pet, a leaf, their breakfast, a family member's hand). They submit at half-term.
Tools: Procreate
Digital photo collage on a theme
Each child takes 6-8 photographs around their home or school on a chosen theme (colours, textures, faces, light). They arrange the photos into a digital collage with title and submit.
Tools: Canva, Adobe Express
Single observational digital painting
Each child paints a still-life (a fruit, a small object) from observation in Procreate. Submit individually.
Tools: Procreate
Computing
Each child programs a Bee-Bot to navigate a course
Each small group programs a Bee-Bot to navigate a simple course on the floor (e.g. forward, turn, forward, stop). Children take turns and refine their sequence.
Tools: Bee-Bot
Each child builds a simple Scratch animation
Each child builds a simple Scratch animation: a sprite that moves, changes colour and responds to a key press. They submit the project.
Tools: Scratch
Each child creates a block-based interactive quiz
Each child builds a Scratch quiz with at least three multiple-choice questions where the sprite reacts differently to right and wrong answers. Submit the project.
Tools: Scratch
English
Class posts main idea to a Padlet column
The class reads a short story together. Each student then posts what they think the main idea is, in their own words, to a class Padlet. The teacher scrolls the wall, picks four notably different responses and asks the contributing students to defend.
Tools: Padlet
Emotion labels dragged onto poem lines
Each student gets their own Jamboard frame with the same poem displayed and a row of emotion-word stickers (joyful, anxious, hopeful, weary, defiant). They drag the stickers onto specific lines. The class scrolls all thirty frames and the teacher highlights any line where students placed contrasting emotions, asking three students to explain.
Tools: Jamboard
Predicting next chapter on a class wall
After reading the latest chapter of a class book, each student posts a one-sentence prediction for what happens next to a class Padlet. The class votes on the most likely. The teacher then reads the next chapter aloud and the class compares predictions to what actually happened. Students post a one-line reflection on what their prediction missed.
Tools: Padlet
Audiobook with vocab popups
Each student listens to a chapter of a class novel through an audiobook app. When the narration hits a flagged vocabulary item, the audio pauses and a definition popup appears for the student to read before tapping continue. Students listen for 25 minutes; the teacher tracks completion in the app.
Adaptive comprehension reader
Each student reads through an adaptive reader that adjusts text complexity based on their reading speed, comprehension question accuracy, and time spent on each page. Stronger readers see denser passages; weaker readers see simpler vocabulary and shorter sentences. The teacher reviews the app's per-student analytics afterwards.
Tools: Lexia
Documentary clip with embedded check-in pauses
The class watches a 15-minute documentary clip that has been pre-loaded into Edpuzzle with five embedded checkpoint questions. The video auto-pauses at each question; each student answers on their own device before the video continues. The teacher reviews per-question accuracy after.
Tools: Edpuzzle
Geography
Interactive class habitat map
The class collaboratively builds an interactive habitat map of the school grounds. Each pair surveys one habitat zone (a hedge, a corner of the playground, a flowerbed) over the week, photographs the species they find and adds them to a shared map with drop pins. Each pin opens to species notes the children write. Visitors navigate the map by zone.
Tools: Google Earth
Children build a digital story-map of their local area
Each child builds a digital story-map of their local area that includes at least four locations (their house, school, a chosen park, a chosen shop or community space). Each location has a child-recorded audio commentary explaining what happens there and one photo. Visitors navigate the map and listen to children's voices about their place.
Tools: Google Earth, Google Sites
360-degree virtual tour of school grounds
Small groups capture 360-degree photographs of six locations around the school grounds and stitch them into a virtual tour with child-recorded audio commentary describing what they observe at each location. They publish to a class showcase that visitors can navigate.
Tools: Google Earth
History
Artefact era sorting with class debate
The teacher posts twelve artefact pictures (mixing modern, Roman, Egyptian, medieval, prehistoric). Each pair sorts each artefact into one of four era columns on a class Padlet. The class scrolls the columns and the teacher highlights any artefact placed differently across pairs, asking those pairs to defend.
Tools: Padlet
Ancient civilisation pins on a shared map
Each pair is assigned one ancient civilisation (Egypt, Greece, Rome, Maya, Indus Valley, China). They drop two pins on a shared class map: one on the heartland of the civilisation, one on a place it traded with or influenced. They label each pin. The class scrolls the populated map and discusses how civilisations connected.
Tools: Google Earth
Mystery artefact prediction wall
The teacher posts a photo of one mystery artefact (e.g. a Roman strigil, a medieval thumb-shaped lock, an Anglo-Saxon brooch). Each pair posts a prediction of what it was used for, with reasoning, to a class Padlet. The class scrolls all predictions, the teacher reveals the artefact's actual use, and pairs reflect on which clues they noticed and missed.
Tools: Padlet
Maths
Fractions equivalence sorting on a shared whiteboard
Each student gets a stack of digital fraction cards (e.g. 2/4, 3/6, 4/8, 1/3, 2/6) on their own frame of a shared class Jamboard. They drag each card into one of three equivalence groups. In the plenary, the class scrolls all thirty frames; the teacher highlights any student who placed a card differently from the rest, asking them to explain their reasoning.
Tools: Jamboard
Times-tables timed challenge with shared scoreboard
Each student answers rounds of three random times-tables questions. After each round, the live class scoreboard updates automatically. The class watches the scoreboard between rounds, with the teacher pointing out which students are improving and which tables tend to slow the class down. After five rounds, the class identifies the two times-tables to drill again next week.
Tools: Google Sheets, Quizizz
Word problem matching to equations on a class wall
The teacher posts twelve word problems and twelve algebraic expressions on a Padlet. Each student links each word problem to its matching expression by dragging a connector on their own copy. Some problems intentionally have similar-looking equations that solve a different question. The class reviews mismatches together and the teacher draws out the difference.
Tools: Padlet
Music
Each child composes a 16-second melody
Each child composes a 16-second melody on virtual piano in GarageBand using four pitches and a clear rhythm. Submit as exported audio.
Tools: GarageBand
Each child builds a soundtrack for a short video
Each child takes a 30-second silent video clip (school sports highlights, a nature scene) and composes a soundtrack using a DAW. Submit clip with embedded soundtrack.
Tools: GarageBand, BandLab
Each child records and layers a percussion pattern
Each child records four simple percussion lines (foot stomp, hand clap, body percussion, shaker) and layers them into a 16-bar pattern.
Tools: GarageBand, BandLab
Science
Magnetic vs non-magnetic sorting on a class wall
Each pair gets a tray of mixed objects (paperclip, plastic spoon, eraser, key, coin, button). They test each with a magnet, then post a photo of each object to one of two Padlet columns: magnetic or non-magnetic. The class scrolls and the teacher asks any pair whose classification differed from others to demonstrate.
Tools: Padlet
Class plant growth measurements on shared sheet
Each pair plants two seeds (one in dark, one in light) and measures shoot height daily. Pairs enter measurements into a shared class spreadsheet. After two weeks, the class scrolls all pairs' data and identifies fastest-growing plants, slowest, and discusses likely reasons (tied to the dark/light condition).
Tools: Google Sheets
Forces investigation prediction wall
Before the teacher demonstrates a forces experiment (e.g. pulling a heavy box with rollers vs without), each pair posts a prediction on a class Padlet about what will happen and why. The class votes on Mentimeter. The teacher then runs the demo and the class compares predictions to outcome, posting one-line reflections on a shared sheet.
Tools: Padlet, Mentimeter
Lessons that look CR but are not
Useful counter-examples when you are checking your own lesson placement on the PICRAT grid.
This page is one of a growing set of PICRAT examples by cell, subject and key stage. Page maintained by Andy Perryer.