Tried and tested essay planning sheet for AQA GCSE ‘Macbeth’ essays. This resource reminds students they need to explore both the printed extract and show their knowledge and understanding of other scenes in the play. It is perfect for planning those early essays and for revision planning. My students found it especially useful for reminding them of areas of context they could include. I enlarge it to A3 for classroom planning (leaving space to add more ideas after whole class feedback), but leave it as A4 if homework planning. It has also proved to be an invaluable resource for private tutoring and can be simply tweaked for other set GCSE plays or novels.

Details of the first 7 lessons on my SOW on Wuthering Heights as the main text for the coursework essay for the new Edexcel A Level English Literature spec. It could, however, easily be adapted for the new AQA A Level spec. There are PowerPoints for the first 4 lessons, including introducing students to the main literary theories as well as introducing students to the early chapters in the novel and some historical context. The SOW details activities and the main AOs for each lesson. There is homework set for each lesson and extension activities are in purple on the PowerPoints. The last 3 lessons have students watching a film/TV adaptation of the novel to explore a different interpretation of the text (possible affected by contextual factors) before studying critical reviews later in the SOW. I have also included a number of example coursework essay titles to encourage students to consider their essay focus and choice of second text. These lessons proved to be successful in re-focusing my Year 12 students after their AS study leave. They then read the rest of the novel over the summer before their return in Year 13. Please note that the cloze exercise on Chapter 3 is not included as it is a Teachit resource. This can be downloaded as a PDF from Teachit for free. Teachit also has a useful literary critical theories handout you could give students during lesson 1.

Eleven tried and tested resources which can be used as extension/challenge, homework or starter activities to help pupils improve their creative writing. They include a range of guided tasks (one offers differentiation by choice) including persuasive writing, writing from the point of view of a specific character and descriptive writing based round a picture ready for the GCSE English Language writing tasks. I have these resources (along with my poetry challenge reading tasks and prose challenge reading tasks) laminated on coloured paper (green for reading and yellow for writing) in a folder my pupils can access if they have completed all my main lesson tasks. I have also used these writing tasks for cover lessons, as adapted learning group tasks and with my KS3 creative writing club. Now my school is moving towards pupils using laptops in lessons, I have uploaded these into my KS3 class Teams rooms to encourage pupils to access stretch and challenge activities as part of their independent learning. I have uploaded my reading extension/challenge poetry tasks and reading extension/challenge prose tasks in separate TES resources. Alternatively, you can purchase all the resources in a bundle.

Nine highly engaging lessons on Part Two of ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ for the Edexcel English Literature (Women and Society) A Level spec. Resources include: a 56 slide PowerPoint, 2 model comparative essays, essay mark sheet, starter task on chapter 26, detailed handouts on chapters 23 and 26, reading log sheet. Included on the PowerPoint are a wide variety of teaching and learning tasks (all of which have been successfully tried and tested with Year 12 students), key information to aid understanding and progress, and clear signposts to relevant AOs. All chapters of Part Two of the novel are covered - starting with a summary for each chapter. Tasks vary across the chapters but usually include links to theme(s) or context, details of narrative/character presentation, exploration of key methods and textual evidence. I have not split the PowerPoint into specific lessons but I completed this unit in 9 lessons. If you are pushed for lesson time, some tasks could easily be set for homework. The two A* exemplar essays compare ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ with Hardy’s ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’. This unit follows my Part One SoW available separately on TES Resources. My Part Three and Part Four SoW will be uploaded once I have remove all references to my current school from the resources.

33 resources for 15 engaging and meaningful lessons teaching ‘War Horse’. This scheme of work was adapted for my mixed ability Year 7 class during lockdown for delivery via remote learning. Therefore, it is also ideal for teaching in classrooms with new Covid protocols in place. If you have any pupils self-isolating, resources for each lesson can quickly be emailed or uploaded to your school’s virtual learning environment. Lessons would also be suitable for if you need to set cover. A wide range of extension tasks and differentiation by choice are included, as well as vocabulary support for most chapters, hyperlinks to clips from the film and audio versions of each chapter, and SPaG practice. Many tasks can be self-assessed. Pupils study the whole text of ‘War Horse’ and their understanding is built up through a series of structured lessons focusing on the development of reading skills such as retrieving information, extending vocabulary, comprehension, deducing, inferring and interpreting ideas and then commenting on the writer’s use of language and/or structure. A detailed mark scheme is included for the end of unit teacher marked reading assessment (in the style of GCSE paper 1) including example answers for varying marks. This scheme of work proved hugely successful with my pupils who had an array of specific learning needs, many requiring additional support or challenge. Pupils especially liked the range of learning tasks, engaging starters, the clarity of the instructions and activities encouraging empathy with the narrator and other characters.

6 resources covering 3 lessons exploring the end of Frankenstein, key quotes, the Prometheus myth, themes and to encourage students to start thinking more carefully about links between Frankenstein and The Handmaid's Tale for their AS and A Level prose comparison exam paper. Resources include: 3 PowerPoints, starter quotes, student handout to help with group tasks and lesson plans. These lessons come after the free resources I have uploaded for teaching Frankenstein, my SOW on The Handmaid's Tale and before the lessons comparing the two texts. They were created for the new English Literature Edexcel AS, but can be used for the full A Level too.

An excellent range of tried and tested resources for three engaging revision lessons on the key skills for AQA GCSE English Language Paper 1 (Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing) Section A: Reading. These lessons require no additional prep - just download, print out the word docs and you’re good to go. Resources: a detailed PowerPoint for each lesson ( 16, 11 and 13 slides each), an extract from Game of Thrones, a question/answer booklet plus exemplar answers. These lessons include a range of interesting pair and whole class activities as well as individual tasks, self and peer assessment and reflections. Mark schemes for levels 2-4 are on the PowerPoints to aid assessment of student work and exemplars. Several activities have differentiation. Most slides have extra information in the notes sections to aid the busy teacher and task timings on relevant slides. Lesson 1 focus is an overview of Paper 1 plus close attention to questions 1 and 2. Lesson 2 focuses on question 3. Lesson 3 on question 4. Each lesson fits into one hour with a starter task to help settle the class and encourage thinking about or using relevant skills. Each lesson also involves timed individual work on the relevant question. Self and peer assessment (guided by peer assessment of the exemplar answers) of all tasks cuts down teacher marking. DIRT is factored into lesson 2 (question 3) and homework tasks for lessons 1 and 3. These lessons have proved highly successful with my Year 11 English classes in the final weeks before their GCSE exams.

Introductory lesson to A Streetcar Named Desire. This lesson forms lesson 1 of my SOW for the new Edexcel English Literature AS/A Level spec. However, it would also work for the new AQA spec. Three resources: 21 slide PowerPoint, homework sheet and comprehensive lesson plan. There are differentiation by task opportunities for the homework task - setting students more challenging topics to research and then present to the class. The background information sheet is not included as this was taken from a free Teachit resource. Details on how to find this on the Teachit website are included in the lesson plan. This introductory lesson has proved hugely successful both times I have taught it. Students were really engaged and gained much more from watching the 1951 film in the following lessons than previous students had.

Resources (12 slide PowerPoint and comprehensive lesson plan) for a lesson analysing Scene 11 of A Streetcar Named Desire. This is lesson 16 of my SOW for Other Drama for the new Edexcel English Literature AS/A Level. However, it would be just an effective for the new AQA spec. Extension tasks are included and there is a differentiation by task/group activity detailed. Assessment objectives 2 and 3 are the focus of the lesson.

An outstanding lesson exploring the use of generic conventions (AO2) in Wuthering Heights. This lesson, containing 5 resources including a comprehensive lesson plan and 13 slide PowerPoint, is part of my SOW for the new Edexcel English Literature A Level spec - teaching Wuthering Heights as one of the two coursework texts. However, the lesson can easily be used for the new AQA spec. Extension tasks and independent study task included as well as opportunities for differentiation by group/task. In a mixed ability class, students all made progress during the lesson (clearly demonstrated to the students and lesson observers in the mini plenary and plenary). Plus the subsequent essay also revealed much improved understanding and analysis skills for AO2. Lessons 1-12 of my Wuthering Heights SOW have also been uploaded to TES Resources as two separate bundles.

6 resources covering 3-4 lessons (lesson 7 could be split into two separate lessons) preparing students for the new AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 1 exam (Section B - the 19th century novel). These are lessons 6-8 of the successful SOW I created for my current Year 10 class and focus on key aspects of Chapters 3-8 of Great Expectations Volume One. Moreover, they really helped students develop understanding of the novel, Dickens' techniques and key analysis skills needed for AO1 and AO2. Resources include: 3 detailed PowerPoints (lesson 6 = 9 slides; lesson 7 = 15 slides; lesson 8 = 9 slides); a starter worksheet for lesson 7; extracts from Chapter 8 and lesson plans giving extra information and assessment objective/skills focuses. All lessons include extension tasks for the more able. There is also some scaffolding to help students plus a homework task offering differentiation by choice. Please note that the themes handout for lesson 7 is not included as this is a Teachit resource. It can be obtained as a free PDF from Teachit once you register with them.

8 resources for 3 lessons helping pupils prepare for the AQA KS3 assessments (reading). Tasks are based on the Paper 1 format, although the source is non-fiction rather than fiction (local news article) as I had just completed a non-fiction SOW with the class. Lessons 1 and 2 take pupils through the main tasks, with whole class modelling of the longer answers to support all pupils. Pupils then individually complete a task at a time in timed conditions. This also helped focus pupils on how long to spend on tasks with different marks. Peer assessment is used for the shorter tasks to cut down teacher marking time. There is a mark scheme (again based on the AQA KS3 assessments) which can be matched to APP levels or school flightpath skills. For lesson 3, I gave pupils copies of example answers to focus on key skills in the mark scheme and to support their DIRT. This lesson has differentiation by task to enable more able pupils the challenge of answering a language and structure task without teacher guidance - so building resilience in addition to analysis skills. During lessons 1 and 2 there are also extension tasks (and skills reminders) for the more able, plus modelling examples to support all pupils. Most activities are self-explanatory, but I have included some additional details and ideas for teachers below some slides. I have also included a sheet of all the questions that could be issued to pupils - although I only used the PowerPoints with my class. These resources were produced for a mixed ability Year 7 class (APP level range from 3 to 6) and it proved highly successful in focusing pupils on comprehension and PEE analysis of language and structure. Moreover, confidence has been increased in their ability to succeed in the forthcoming end of year exams. The lessons could easily be adapted for set ability groups.

2 lessons showing all pupils making progress and developing resilience skills. Pupils demonstrate improved inference and deduction skills using relevant quotes to support their comments in PEE responses to parts of Act 2, Scene 1. The lessons also incorporate self-assessment, peer assessment and pupils completing DIRT on peer/teacher formative feedback. A homework task, with an extension task for the more able, is included. The lessons offer a range of differentiation strategies: extension tasks for the more able; starter sentences to support the less able; differentiation by choice in use of quotes for PEE task on Helena; pupils working at different levels based on self/peer assessment and modelling examples of different levels to support pupils in their progression and increased resilience. I kept pupils in mixed ability pairs/groups to support the less able, but you could also use ability groupings if you have TA support. The lessons were produced for a mixed ability Year 7 class and proved very successful. My centre still uses APP, so these lessons have a RAF3 focus. However, they could easily be adapted for KS3 flightpaths.

An eight slide resource covering key aspects/quotes of Macbeth Act 3, Scenes 2-4. The lesson includes a variety of tasks including whole class reading, pair/small group reading, watching and discussing a clip of Act 3, Scene 4 and answering written questions to check understanding. The learning focus is RAF3 (interpretations supported by relevant, brief evidence and to encourage students to link ideas/quotes from different scenes). Extension tasks are included to challenge more able pupils. This is a lesson from the SOW I created for a Year 9 set 2 class.

Two resources (15 slide PowerPoint and essay task) preparing pupils for a timed essay on Dickens' A Christmas Carol for the new AQA GCSE English Literature spec. A range of tasks included with extension tasks to challenge the more able and help them access the higher tiers of the AOs. This lesson was created for a set 2 Year 10 class, but could easily be adapted for different ability groupings.

Eight resources covering three lessons: two preparing students for a timed GCSE Lit exam style essay and one where students write the essay. Resources: three PowerPoints (one for each lesson: 16 slides, 7 slides and 1 slide); two example extracts with essay question (based on format from the new AQA GCSE English Literature specimen Paper 1 exam paper); example essay response to one of the example questions; the same example essay response to one of the example questions with key aspects of AOs high-lighted; sheet with the relevant AOs and level descriptors. The lessons go over key success criteria from the AOs including some useful details on what could gain marks for AO3 (context). Also included is a checklist of success criteria, for example: WLA (word level analysis); subject terminology; effect on the reader. I displayed this on the board whilst my pupils wrote their timed essay. Extension tasks included in purple for differentiation. Link to new AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 1 specimen mark scheme also included. Lessons and resources specifically created as a pre-mock activity for my Year 10 class once we had finished studying the novel.

Seven resources for an outstanding rated observed lesson on Frankenstein for the new AQA GCSE 1-9 spec. Lesson created for a top set Year 10 class exploring the methods Shelley uses to create tension and drama in Chapter 23 (AO2 focus). Details on lesson plan re objectives, timings, differentiation, creative and independent learning. Plus some extra info on the notes sections under some slides. I laminated the starter picture and AO2 criteria so I could use them again. I hope some or all of the ideas are useful and save my fellow English teachers some valuable time for prep, marking, family time or much needed sleep!

A lesson for the new AQA English Language AS/A Level using an Argos Barbie advert to bring together genderlect theories students have learned and apply them to an example for analysis. Lesson leads to students writing a practice AS / A Level English Language Paper 2 essay on language and gender. Example essay question included on the final slide. Annotated modelling example to get students started, addressing different linguistic methods, is also included on the PowerPoint.

Three lessons and a copy of the poem. Created for part of a Year 8 ballads scheme of work. Extension tasks are included. Although the lessons show progress through my school's adapted APP levels, each could easily be adapted. The first lesson focuses on reading the poem and understanding the poet's choice of viewpoint and possible effect on the reader. The two following lessons focus on writing skills -specifically correct use of the semi-colon.