the teacher behind the resources
I've been a primary school teacher for over 20 years. I've taught every year level, every kind of kid, and spent two years teaching on the other side of the world in London. I'm currently in the classroom teaching Year 3, which means when I sit down to create a resource, I'm doing it as someone who will be using it on Monday morning just like you.
That matters, because there's a difference between resources made by someone who used to teach and resources made by someone who is still there, still planning, still printing, still standing in front of a class figuring out the best way to explain what compound sentences are for the sixteenth time to 25 nine year olds.
The Emu Teacher started when I found myself repeatedly making things for my own classroom, the resources I wished already existed and realised other teachers probably needed them too. I remember spending a weekend making a set of writing task cards and thinking, there has to be a better way for all of us.
So I started sharing them.
What I didn't expect was how much I'd care about getting them right. Not just aligned to the curriculum, but making sure they were not overstimulating, easy to use and flexible enough to work in a real classroom with real kids who have real differences in what they need on any given day.
Every resource I build starts with the same question: would I actually use this?
If the answer is no, it doesn't make it out of my classroom and into yours. What does make it through is thoughtfully designed, Australian Curriculum aligned, and built with enough flexibility that you can use it the way you teach, not the way I do.
I think it's important that you know I'm not making these based on what might work in the classroom, I'm making them for you to use on Monday morning. I'm still amongst the staffroom conversations, dealing with the same curriculum demands, working with the same students who need something engaging and will actually help them learn.
When you buy a resource from The Emu Teacher, it's been made by someone who genuinely understands what your week looks like.
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Are your students struggling to generate ideas and organise their thoughts for story writing independently?
These Story Writing Photo Prompts provide a low-prep, highly structured approach to story and narrative writing. Using engaging photo prompts and a simple planning scaffold, students generate ideas, organise their thinking and write complete stories with greater confidence and independence.
Each prompt card includes guided brainstorming boxes for character, setting, problem, reaction and resolution, helping students plan their stories at the point of writing. Visual prompts, writing checklists and structured story scaffolds reduce cognitive load while supporting independent narrative writing success.
HOW YOU CAN USE THIS RESOURCE:
๐ฟ Daily narrative and creative writing practice
๐ฟ Writing warm-ups, fast finishers or literacy rotations
๐ฟ Homework or consolidation tasks
๐ฟ Small-group intervention
๐ฟ Whole-class modelling and explicit instruction
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
๐ ฆ 40 Photo Prompt Cards
Independent writing, provided character sentence version, and completed character, setting and problem brainstorm version
๐ ฆ Customisation Options
2 prompt card templates to choose from
๐ ฆ Multiple Formats
Print-ready PDF
Google Slides
Microsoft PowerPoint
Photo-only presentation
๐ ฆ Editable Templates
Canva template
Microsoft PowerPoint template
Insert your own images and customise the checklists
๐ ฆ Student Writing Supports
Writing checklists included on every prompt card
Printable checklist slips for student workbooks
๐ ฆ Resource Guide PDF
Setup instructions
Quick access links to Google resources and Canva templates
Teaching suggestions
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RESOURCE:
Designed to build confident, independent writers, these Story Writing Photo Prompts help students generate ideas, organise their thinking and write engaging narrative stories using a simple story planning scaffold. Guided brainstorming boxes for character, setting, problem, reaction and resolution support students at every stage of the writing process, while multiple formats and editable templates make it easy to adapt the resource to your classroom.
EDITABLE TEMPLATES
Editable Canva and Microsoft PowerPoint templates allow you to:
insert your own images
customise the writing checklists
Please note: The page design, headings and instructional text are fixed.
Looking for a purposeful way to strengthen studentsโ understanding of multi-digit addition and subtraction?
This resource explicitly teaches the Partitioning strategy, supporting students to break numbers apart and recombine them in ways that make calculations clearer and more manageable. Learning is grounded in meaningful word problems that encourage sense-making rather than memorisation.
Students develop confidence in partitioning numbers into tens, hundreds, and ones, then recombining these parts to solve addition and subtraction problems accurately and efficiently. Each problem strengthens number sense, promotes flexible thinking and deepens studentsโ understanding of how numbers work together.
HOW YOU CAN USE THIS RESOURCE:
๐ฟ Teach and reinforce the partitioning strategy
๐ฟ Small group or guided maths instruction
๐ฟ Whole class rotations or maths stations
๐ฟ Relief-teacher friendly lesson with minimal prep
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
๐ ฆ 40x Word Problem Task Cards
๐ ฆ 4x Levels of Number Complexity Differentiation
- 10x two-digit plus two-digit problems
- 10x two-digit minus two-digit problems
- 10x three-digit plus three-digit problems
- 10x three-digit minus three-digit problems
๐ ฆ 2x Levels of Strategy Support Differentiation
- Empty strategy model cards
- Partially filled strategy model cards
๐ ฆ PDF Version
- 2x Colour options - minimal colour and black & white
- Empty strategy model worksheets
- 2x recording sheets
- Answers
๐ ฆ 2x Digital Versions
- MS Powerpoint
- Google Slides
๐ ฆ Self-checking options - no teacher marking!
- Provide access to the Google Form for checking answers
- Print the self-checking cards double sided
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RESOURCE:
๐ฟ Explicit strategy support โ builds confidence and number sense
๐ฟ Word problems that encourage thinking & reasoning
๐ฟ Minimal prep โ just print and go or assign digitally
๐ฟ Works for whole class, small groups or interventions
๐ฟ Helps students see addition and subtraction as strategic thinking
Bring story and descriptive writing to life all year round with this Holiday Writing Prompt Cards bundle. Bring St Patrick's Day, Easter, Earth Day, Halloween and Christmas fun into your classroom with this pack of prompt cards perfect for Years 3-6. Packed with engaging prompts, this bundle includes:
Connections - identify self, text and world connections to a St Patrick's Day, Easter and Earth Day image and write a text based on a connection
Character Descriptions - identify character traits and write descriptions about Halloween and Christmas characters
Story Writing - write St Patrick's Day, Easter, Earth Day, Halloween and Christmas adventures based on images using a narrative structure
What Ifโฆ - write St Patrick's Day, Easter, Earth Day, Halloween and Christmas stories based on โwhat ifโฆโ question prompts
Show Donโt Tell - write vivid descriptions based on St Patrick's Day, Easter, Earth Day, Halloween and Christmas images and passages
Figurative Language - write St Patrick's Day, Easter, Earth Day, Halloween and Christmas texts using figurative language based on images and passages
HOW YOU CAN USE THIS BUNDLE:
๐ฟ Great for story and descriptive writing practice
๐ฟ Perfect for literacy centres, morning work or fast finishers
๐ฟ Use for homework and consolidation
WHAT'S INCLUDED:
๐ ฆ 150x Prompt Cards
30x St Patrick's Day Writing Prompt Cards
30x Easter Writing Prompt Cards
30x Earth Day Writing Prompt Cards
30x Halloween Writing Prompt Cards
30x Christmas Writing Prompt Cards
๐ ฆ 2x Digital Versions
MS Powerpoint
Google Slides
๐ ฆ Editable Version
MS Powerpoint template
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS BUNDLE:
๐ฟ Differentiated and editable
๐ฟ Easy to prep โ just print and go
๐ฟ Versatile use โ perfect for literacy centres, rotations, morning work, homework, small groups or independent practice
๐ฟ Engaging seasonal theme โ captures student interest by linking writing skills to St Patrick's Day, Easter, Earth Day, Halloween and Christmas
๐ฟ Builds key writing skills โ strengthens narrative structure, figurative language and descriptive writing in a fun way
๐ฟ Encourages creativity โ prompts spark imaginative thinking while giving enough structure for students to succeed