Rapid 10-Minute Activities: Arithmetic, Grammar and Reading for Years 2 to 6
Rapid packs are quick whiteboard starters for the start of a lesson, the start of the day or any spare ten minutes. Each year group has three packs – Rapid Arithmetic, Rapid Grammar and Rapid Reading – with 40 activities in each, in teaching order from an autumn-term recap to end-of-year standard in the summer term. Every activity has a question slide and an answer slide, so children mark their own work. The slides print well too, so you can send an activity home as homework, and parents can use the packs for ten minutes of practice at home.
Choose a year group
One subject is £10, and all three subjects for a year group are £25 (save £5). One-off purchase, instant download, licensed to the purchasing school, tutor or family.
Year 2Rapid Year 240 activities each in arithmetic, grammar and reading.
Year 3Rapid Year 340 activities each in arithmetic, grammar and reading.
Year 4Rapid Year 440 activities each in arithmetic, grammar and reading.
Year 5Rapid Year 540 activities each in arithmetic, grammar and reading.
Year 6Rapid Year 640 activities each in arithmetic, grammar and reading.
Years 2 to 6Whole-school packAll 15 packs – 600 activities – for £99 (save £51).
What’s in each Rapid pack
| Pack | Each activity | Answer slide |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid Arithmetic | Six calculations from the year’s programme of study, in the style of the arithmetic test | Every answer, with written methods shown in full: carried digits, exchanges and long methods |
| Rapid Grammar | One grammar, punctuation or vocabulary topic, answered with letters or short words on paper or mini whiteboards | The correct letters and words in green, with anything else to accept |
| Rapid Reading | An original text (often one part of a longer story or article) and three questions | Answers in the style of a test mark scheme, with marks and ‘also accept’ points |
Every question is coded to the STA test frameworks – KS1 for Year 2, KS2 for Years 3 to 6 – the same codes as our year group tests. Each PDF has a clickable contents page, a ‘find by topic’ page and teacher notes. The reading questions move from mostly retrieval in Year 2 to mostly inference in Year 6, with four-option multiple choice and 2- and 3-mark questions in Years 5 and 6.
ArithmeticExample: Year 4 Rapid ArithmeticActivity 12, question slide and answer slide.
GrammarExample: Year 3 Rapid GrammarActivity 12, question slide and answer slide.
ReadingExample: Year 6 Rapid ReadingActivity 12, question slide and answer slide.
Free tasters
Try the first five activities of each subject free. Each taster has the three PDFs for one year group, with the contents page and teacher notes.
FreeYear 2 free tasterActivities 1 to 5 in arithmetic, grammar and reading.
FreeYear 3 free tasterActivities 1 to 5 in arithmetic, grammar and reading.
FreeYear 4 free tasterActivities 1 to 5 in arithmetic, grammar and reading.
FreeYear 5 free tasterActivities 1 to 5 in arithmetic, grammar and reading.
FreeYear 6 free tasterActivities 1 to 5 in arithmetic, grammar and reading.
Rapid for the whole school
All 15 packs for Years 2 to 6 – 600 ten-minute activities – in one download for £99 (worth £150 at £10 a pack – save £51). Every class gets a daily starter that matches what they are learning, with the same format from Year 2 to Year 6.
How to use Rapid activities
- Show the question slide on the whiteboard. Children answer on paper or mini whiteboards in about ten minutes.
- Click ‘Answers’ to show the answer slide. Children mark their own work, or swap with a partner.
- Talk through any question most children got wrong: the answer slides show the method or the evidence in the text.
- Print a question slide for homework, with the answer slide for parents or children to mark at home.
- Move on with ‘Next activity’, or use the contents page to jump to any activity or topic.
The activities run in teaching order, but each one stands alone, so you can pick out a topic when your class needs it.
Frequently asked questions
Which year group should I choose?
Choose the year group you teach. Each pack starts with a recap of the year before, so it works from the first week of the autumn term.
Do I need PowerPoint?
No. Each pack is a PDF designed for the whiteboard (16:9). Open it in any PDF viewer, such as Adobe Reader or your web browser, and click the buttons to move between slides.
Are the reading texts original?
Yes. Every text is written by PrimaryTools for the year group: stories, poems, letters, instructions, biographies and non-fiction.
What happened to the old Key Stage Rapid packs?
These packs replace the earlier KS1, Lower KS2 and Upper KS2 Rapid packs. They have been rewritten from scratch, one pack per year group, with new questions, answer slides and framework codes.
Can parents use them at home?
Yes. Parents and tutors are welcome to buy any pack, or start with a free taster. Each pack is licensed to the school, tutor or family that buys it. Children can answer on paper, then check their own work on the answer slide, so it suits short practice at home.
Can I print the activities?
Yes. Print any question slide on A4 (landscape) for homework, a quick paper test or a child who needs more time, and print the answer slide for marking. The packs work on a tablet or laptop too.