A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Mother, any distance…’ by Simon Armitage in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 6-9 The resource contains the following: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper A brief biography of Simon Armitage A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint) A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes -two slides containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Armitage’s use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. subversion of form, use of rhyme, fricative sounds etc.) NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Kind regards, Englbee x

This is high-level revision sheet (PDF) of Seamus Heaney’s 'Follower’ for students aiming for levels, 6-9 in the new GCSE Literature Paper 2 The revision sheet is laid out in sections with minimal graphics to allow effective revision of ideas and method. Ideas are written in a brief format rather than being too text/colour heavy to aid key learning and memory The method focus is rooted in structure and form as well as language choices in order to hit higher band criteria. Only a few choices for each as AQA stresses depth as opposed to breadth to achieve top grades. There are suggested links to ‘Walking Away’ and evaluative questions to consider in a potential essay conclusion. The sheet is not definitive, and students should have a much deep knowledge of the poem from class studies; however, it will help as an aid for themes and methods regarding the second, unprinted poem in the examination in which they will need to draw on their memory. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Follower’ in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 6-9 The resource contains the following: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper Warm-up activity A brief biography of Seamus Heaney A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint) A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes -two slides containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Heaney’s use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. symbolism, juxtaposition, enjambment, etc.) NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Kind regards, Englbee x

This is high-level revision sheet (PDF) of Maura Dooley’s ‘Letters from Yorkshire’ for students aiming for levels, 6-9 in the new GCSE Literature Paper 2 The revision sheet is laid out in sections with minimal graphics to allow effective revision of ideas and method. Ideas are written in a brief format rather than being too text/colour heavy to aid key learning and memory The method focus is rooted in structure and form as well as language choices in order to hit higher band criteria. Only a few choices for each as AQA stresses depth as opposed to breadth to achieve top grades. There are suggested links to ‘Netural Tones’ and evaluative questions to consider in a potential essay conclusion. The sheet is not definitive, and students should have a much deep knowledge of the poem from class studies; however, it will help as an aid for themes and methods regarding the second, unprinted poem in the examination in which they will need to draw on their memory. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Letters From Yorkshire’ in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 6-9 The resource contains the following: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper Warm-up activity A brief biography of Maura Dooley A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint) A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes -two slides containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Dooley’s use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. juxtaposition, enjambment, communication as metaphor, pronoun shifts etc.) NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Kind regards, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Before You Were Mine’ in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 6-9 The resource contains the following: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper Warm-up activity A brief biography of Carol Ann Duffy A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint) A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes -three slides containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Duffy’s use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. time shifts, enjambment, use of tableau, verbs, symbolism etc.) NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Kind regards, Englbee x

A high-level revision sheet (PDF) of Cecil Day-Lewis’ ‘Walking Away’ for students aiming for levels, 6-9 in the new GCSE Literature Paper 2 The revision sheet is laid out in sections with minimal graphics to allow effective revision of ideas and method. Ideas are written in a brief format rather than being too text/colour heavy to aid key learning and memory The method focus is rooted in structure and form as well as language choices in order to hit higher band criteria. Only a few choices for each as AQA stresses depth as opposed to breadth to achieve top grades. There are suggested links to ‘Follower’ and evaluative questions to consider in a potential essay conclusion. The sheet is not definitive, and students should have a much deep knowledge of the poem from class studies; however, it will help as an aid for themes and methods regarding the second, unprinted poem in the examination in which they will need to draw on their memory. Please note the preview shows only a small section of the revision sheet. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Walking Away’ in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 6-9 The resource contains the following: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper Warm-up activity A brief biography of Cecil Day-Lewis A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint) A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes -two slides containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Day-Lewis’ use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. time, enjambment, verbs, unusual collective nouns and collocations etc.) NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Kind regards, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Climbing My Grandfather’ in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 6-9 The resource contains the following: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper Warm-up activity A brief biography of Andrew Waterhouse A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint) A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes -three slides containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Waterhouse’s use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. Use of extended metaphor, mountaineering lexis, narrative verse etc.) NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Kind regards, Englbee x

This is high-level revision sheet (PDF) of Charles Causley’s ‘Eden Rock’ for students aiming for levels, 6-9 in the new GCSE Literature Paper 2 The revision sheet is laid out in sections with minimal graphics to allow effective revision of ideas and method. Ideas are written in a brief format rather than being too text/colour heavy to aid key learning and memory The method focus is rooted in structure and form as well as language choices in order to hit higher band criteria. Only a few choices for each as AQA stresses depth as opposed to breadth to achieve top grades. There are suggested links to ‘Before You Were Mine’ and evaluative questions to consider in a potential essay conclusion. The sheet is not definitive, and students should have a much deep knowledge of the poem from class studies; however, it will help as an aid for themes and methods regarding the second, unprinted poem in the examination in which they will need to draw on their memory. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Eden Rock’ in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 6-9 The resource contains the following: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper Warm-up activity A brief biography of Charles Causley A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint) A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes -three slides containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Causley’s use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. Use of juxtaposition; symbolism, half-rhyme etc…) NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Kind regards, Englbee x

This is high-level revision sheet of Owen Sheers’ ‘Winter Swans’ for students aiming for levels, 6-9 in the new GCSE Literature Paper 2 The revision sheet is laid out in sections with minimal graphics to allow effective revision of ideas and method. Ideas are written in a brief format rather than being too text/colour heavy to aid key learning and memory The method focus is rooted in structure and form as well as language choices in order to hit higher band criteria. Only a few choices for each as AQA stresses depth as opposed to breadth to achieve top grades. There are suggested links to ‘Neutral Tones’ and evaluative questions to consider in a potential essay conclusion. The sheet is not definitive, and students should have a much deep knowledge of the poem from class studies; however, it will help as an aid for themes and methods regarding the second, unprinted poem in the examination in which they will need to draw on their memory. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Winter Swans’ in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 6-9 The resource contains the following: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper Warm-up activity A brief biography of Owen Sheers A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint) A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes - two slides containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Sheers’ use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. Use of juxtaposition; symbolism, non-rhyming end-couplet etc…) NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable 15-slide PowerPoint on The Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and Simon Armitage’s appointment. The PowerPoint contains: A history of the role of Poet Laureate The role itself Payment How the role has changed over time Famous past Poets Laureate Differing opinions of the role A biography of Simon Armitage Simon Armitage’s reactions to becoming PL and his ambitions for the role. Many slides contain thought-bubbles which could be used with a class if needed to further discussion. The PowerPoint could be used: As an introduction to Armitage’s Poetry at GCSE For KS3 classes in the summer term as an introduction to poetry In PSHE exploring the role of poetry in wider society In an assembly exploring poetry/society Where copyright infringement is not an issue, I have included pictures of poets. Where copyright would be violated, I have given links to pictures and news stories. You can of course adapt the PowerPoint for yourself and include the images on slides. Best wishes, Englbee x

This is high-level revision sheet (PDF) of Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Before You Were Mine’ for students aiming for grades 6- 9 in the new GCSE Literature Paper 2 The revision sheet is laid out in sections with minimal graphics to allow effective revision of ideas and method. Ideas are written in a easy format rather than being too colour-heavy to aid key learning and memory The method focus is rooted in structure and form as well as language choices in order to hit higher band criteria. Only a few choices for each as AQA stresses depth as opposed to breadth to achieve top grades. There are suggested links to ‘Eden Rock’ and evaluative questions to consider in a potential essay conclusion. The sheet is not definitive, and students should have a much deep knowledge of the poem from class studies; however, it will help as an aid for themes and methods regarding the second, unprinted poem in the examination in which they will need to draw on their memory. Please note the preview shows only a small section of the revision sheet. Kind regards, Englbee x

A high-level GCSE essay for those studying Much Ado about Nothing for AQA English Literature Paper 1 The resource offers an extract from Act 4 scene 1 with an AQA-style examination question on the characterisation of Benedick (small amount shown in synopsis). There follows an essay which focuses on the question. The essay is written to a high-level for those aiming for grades 7-9 (although might help aspiring grade 6 also). The essay is around a side-and-a-half typed, meaning handwritten it would be about four sides (in keeping with high-level candidate expectations). After the essay, there is discussion as to: how the essay’s approach fits AQA’s ‘extract to whole’ further insight booklet on GCSE English Literature how the essay hits AO1, AO2 and AO3. how the essay covers higher band criteria The resource is fully-adapatable for you to change as needed for your OWN classroom use. Best wishes, Englbee x

Al revision sheet of Thomas Hardy’s ‘Neutral Tones’ for students aiming for levels, 6-9 in the new GCSE Literature Paper 2 The revision sheet is laid out in sections with minimal graphics to allow effective revision of ideas and method. Ideas are written in a brief format rather than being too text/colour heavy to aid key learning and memory The method focus is rooted in structure and form as well as language choices in order to hit higher band criteria. Only a few choices for each as AQA stresses depth as opposed to breadth to achieve top grades. There are suggested links to ‘Winter Swans’ and evaluative questions to consider in a potential essay conclusion. The sheet is not definitive, and students should have a much deep knowledge of the poem from class studies; however, it will help as an aid for themes and methods regarding the second, unprinted poem in the examination in which they will need to draw on their memory. Please note the preview shows only a small section of the revision sheet. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Neutral Tones’ in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 6- 9 The resource contains the following: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper A warm-up acitvity A brief biography of Thomas Hardy A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A copy of the poem A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes - two slides containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Hardy’s use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. cyclical structure, time shift, enclosed rhyme, symbolism, unusual language collocations etc…) NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Why? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Best wishes, Englbee x

It’s hard work finding quality GCSE model writing answers for AQA English Language Paper 2, and even harder work writing them yourself, especially at a high level. Here, you will find a high-level model answer: a letter to persuade. The topic is homework. Pupils are asked to reflect on the significance of style and genre at the end as a self-reflection exercise. Please note the preview shows only a section of the sheet. Best wishes, Englbee x