Worksheet and Powerpoint that practises and explains these two confusing words. The Powerpoint includes a fun activity where students guess the correct word from a series of posters and film posters. In total thirty chances for students to practise getting the confusing words right.

In May 2021 an investigation found that two out of three sea bass from fish farms in the Atlantic ocean contained micro plastics. In the first part of this lesson, students answer four questions on a newspaper article explaining the investigation. They then have a choice of exam-style writing tasks - letter, article or speech. A Word copy of the article is included and a twenty-slide Powerpoint introduces the subject and walks the students through the tasks with opportunities for discussion of the key ideas.

In February 2021 the government announced that it was going to open a coal mine in Cumbria. This horrified the climate expert Professor James E Hansen who wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to persuade him not to go ahead with the policy and to reconsider his climate policies. This letter uses a simplified extract of this letter to introduce the fossil fuel climate crisis that is currently emerging and focuses on the persuasive language techniques that the writer uses to persuade the Prime Minister to his point of view. A clean copy and an annotated copy of the abridged letter are included. A twenty-slide Powerpoint accompanies the lesson with introductory activities, context and a choice of post-analysis activities: exam-style question on writing to persuade article for school magazine leaflet for younger students further research on the ‘fee and dividend’ economy described in the letter.

Harriet Tubman not only liberated herself from slavery, but helped at least a further seventy people to escape from enslavement in nineteenth century Maryland, using the Underground Railroad. Later she worked as a nurse, spy and scout for the Union during the Civil War. All this despite suffering from debilitating injuries suffered from her brutal childhood in slavery. Find out more about the life of this truly remarkable woman with this sixty-slide Powerpoint full of interesting information and images. Activities include writing a ballad to celebrate her life with an example of a four verse ballad included as Word document; writing a promotional webpage for the museum dedicated to her life and ideas for further investigation.

This sixty-slide Powerpoint tells the tale of the amazing life of Frederick Douglass who was born into slavery in the USA in 1818. After escaping to the free state of New York, Douglass worked on various newspapers and travelled Europe campaigning for abolition. After learning about the life of this remarkable man with interesting photographs and graphics, students are invited to write the text for a web page to promote his former home, Cedar Hill, as a site of national, historic importance. The house can actually be visited today.

In May 2021 the Minderoo Foundation published a ground-breaking report into the problem of single-use plastics. They discovered that a mere twenty global companies were responsible for over fifty percent of the non-recyclable plastic in our world. The report created the first ‘Plastic Waste Makers Index’. This lesson is based on this report, simplifying complex terminology so that students can understand the shocking detail and the contribution of single-use plastic to the climate crisis, which is predicted to grow even further in the coming years. Activities to engage students are interspersed throughout the 39 slide Powerpoint and the final activity is a letter to government to persuade policy-makers to legislate to curb the prolific production of this noxious product. There is a suggested letter structure and a reminder about persuasive language techniques.

Volunteers all over the world are collecting tonnes of litter that have been left in beauty spots and beaches. This twenty-two slide Powerpoint introduces the problem with reference to Royal Parks, London which in the month of June 2020 collected rubbish that weighed as much as 15 double decker buses. The folder includes an article on the Royal Parks which explains the problem and students analyse the language techniques used. (Answer sheet included). Ideas and prompts are given for creating a fresh campaign to raise awareness of the problem and to persuade people to change their behaviour. Students can work in groups in apprentice-style teams, or the lesson can be adapted for students to work as individuals.

More than four lessons worth of material on this 80 slide Powerpoint on William Blake’s deceptively simple, yet brilliant poem ‘London’. A full lesson on historical context, plus two further lessons on language and sound effects. A final lesson on how to write a contemporary pastiche of the poem with a template included. Five worksheets are included on this poet’s masterpiece.

This twenty-slide Powerpoint guides you through the poem beginning with historical context and then annotated notes on each of the verses. Follow-up activities concentrate on Owen’s use of contrast and narrative writing from the point of view of the disabled man. A timeline of information about Owen is included in the folder also.

This folder contains everything that you need to understand Maya Angelou’s brilliantly uplifting poem. A 48 slide Powerpoint introduces the poem and then goes through the significant features verse by verse. A separate Word timeline of facts from the advent of slavery in America to the Civil Rights Movement contextualises the poem. Follow-up activities include visualising the positive images used in the poem. A copy of the poem is also included.

In this poem Julie Ann, the farmer’s wife, is a ferocious were-wolf, but we only really find out at the end. Teach your students to look for the clues that are sprinkled throughout this anonymous poem that Julie Ann is not quite what she seems. A thirty-slide Powerpoint guides students through the text after they have had chance to look for the clues in a Word copy of the poem. Three choices of follow-up writing activity are included. By the end of the lesson, students will learn how writers often prefer to drop hints and suggestions, rather than use explicit information.

Everything that you need to teach about the life of the great bard. A Powerpoint gives the important known details of his life and an additional Powerpoint includes a quiz with multiple choice answers to the key questions about his life. The folder contains a worksheet with three pages of written information on his life and a timeline to fill in that could be used as follow-up or homework.

Tired of your students using the incorrect level of formality in their writing? With this fun twenty-four slide Powerpoint, students are shown how inappropriate informal language can be in some fun texts. They are also taught that informal language can be appropriate for the right target audience. Students then practice the correct level of formality by writing an application for their dream job. Finally, a quick quiz at the rounds off the lesson.

With this thirty-two slide Powerpoint, your students are introduced to the language techniques used to advertise and sell ice lollies. They then create their own ice lolly and design an advertising poster to sell it. Lots of examples to stimulate students’ imaginations and the work can be extended into creating a script for a TV advert.

A four-page Word document booklet to inspire students to write creatively about a dramatic crash that took place in the Bronx in New York in January 2021. The booklet includes a newspaper report on the crash. (Amazingly, no-one was killed!) A planning sheet to gather ideas about structure and another to brainstorm ideas about writing style. Step-by-step help to create a dramatic piece of writing.

In 2016 over three hundred scientists wrote an open letter to argue that the United States should not leave the Paris climate change agreement, which was under threat by Donald Trump. This folder contains a Word copy of the letter; a Word copy of the letter annotated with the language techniques used and a Powerpoint (30 slides)that introduces the letter; includes the letter; reviews the techniques and then suggests ideas for students to write their own open letters on a topic of interest to them. Step-by-step help to learn how to write to persuade and to argue a case.

A set of twelve comprehension questions on the opening to Ray Bradbury’s novel helps students to subsequently tackle the English Literature exam-style question ‘How does the writer present Montag in the opening of the novel’. The folder includes a Powerpoint with starter activity and an exemplary introduction to the exam question, as well as a Word copy of the opening and a Word set of comprehension questions.

This thirty-eight slide powerpoint contains information about the life and career of the renowned author Philip Pullman. Learn about his early work before becoming famous for ‘His Dark Materials’. There are five ideas for creative writing inspired by Pullman’s work, such as writing a story in which the character goes through a portal to making a pact with a supernatural force. Students will be intrigued by Pullman’s imaginative world.

Everybody loves an exciting water park and now is your chance to design your very own ground-breaking new aqua park. This eight-page Word booklet takes you through the steps to create a name and logo for your park. You will then analyse the language techniques to describe real rides. Next you will create five rides of your own and describe them. You will need relaxation areas for your guests and you will be given help to create three areas. Finally, you can decide whether to create a leaflet or a website or both to promote your water park. Let your imagination race down the rapids of creativity with this fun project.

Have oodles of fun designing your own theme park. This step-by-step Word guide explains how to create a marketing campaign for your very own theme park. The steps include: Create a name and a logo for your theme park. Design four new rides for your park and write a sentence to sell each of them. Create two areas to appeal small children. Create a new on-site hotel with themed rooms. Put it all together in a leaflet to publicise the theme park. This sixteen-page booklet contains example texts which have been marked-up to highlight key features.