This resource looks at the skills needed for AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2, based on Boris Johnson’s speech on Monday 27th April in regards to continuing lockdown, and Winston Churchill’s famous 1940 speech, ‘We shall fight them on the beaches’, encouraging students to think about purpose, rhetorical devices and their effects on the audience. Features both analytical and creative writing practice. Designed to be shared on Google Classroom as a Google Slide, so students can receive quick feedback!

A Powerpoint for students to use independently at home during school closure. Based on Boris Johnson’s television address on Monday 23rd March 2020 in regards to the UK going into lockdown, this resource looks at the rhetorical devices used in his speech; alongside focussing on AO2 development, this will hopefully help children to understand why the speech might have felt quite anxiety-inducing, and offers them some tips to help with their coronavirus anxiety. Suitable for Years 9 and 10.

In this worksheet, students read a glossed article from Guardian columnist Hadley Freeman about her relationship as a Jewish woman with Hanukah and Christmas. Five questions follow: one Question 1 style true/false activity, three Question 3 style language analysis questions, and one Question 5 persuasive writing style question.

In this lesson, students listen to and read the Carol Ann Duffy poem ‘The Christmas Truce’, using a glossed and illustrated image of the poem to help them. They look at the use of juxtaposition in the poem and analyse some of the imagery, before writing their own creative writing piece about celebrations away from home. A perfect lesson for the run up to Christmas, or to round off a WW1 poetry unit.

A resource for students to use at home (save on Google Classroom as a ‘Slides’ document if you want them to write directly onto the resource), looking at two non-fiction texts, to practise AO1, AO2 and AO5 skills, preparing them for AQA GCSE Paper 2. Suitable for Years 9, 10 and 11.

A pair of sources to practise Q4 for AQA Language Paper 2, looking at attitudes to slavery in a recent article for the Guardian on the relevant topic of the Colston Four’s trial in comparison with an abolitionist speech by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper in 19th century America. Diversify your curriculum to include writers of colour, as well as interesting your students in current affairs! Includes a PPT to go with the sources, which also looks at planning for a Q5 answer on a similar topic (planning sheet for Q5 also included).

A LP2 Q4 and 5 practice for Y10/11 - chance to look at differing perspectives on the same event, but also to talk about violence and racial double standards.

A resource to work through with students in class or to give as a revision material. The themes section gets them to probe their AO3 understanding of the big ideas and contexts of the theme, the AO1 references as to when the theme appears in the text; the quotes section asks them to recall AO1 knowledge of when the quote appears, modernise it to demonstrate their understanding of what is being said, analyse for their AO2 and link across the text and to AO3 context.*

A fully illustrated resource to work through with students in class or to give as a revision material. The themes section gets them to probe their AO3 understanding of the big ideas and contexts of the theme, the AO1 references as to when the theme appears in the text; the quotes section asks them to recall AO1 knowledge of when the quote appears, modernise it to demonstrate their understanding of what is being said, analyse for their AO2 and link across the text and to AO3 context.

A comprehensive, illustrated handout to work through with students or to give them as a revision resource to work through on their own. Features a knowledge quiz to begin with, a context comprehension, several extracts with side-by-side Shakespearean original and modern translation to aid their understanding and analysis, and a final sample exam question for them to practice.

A booklet ready to print off for your Year 10s and 11s as an ongoing homework/revision task! For each text, there is a list of important quotes. For each quote, students can write down who is saying the line (and about what/whom, if relevant). Students can then highlight the key word(s) in each quote and annotate around them with their AO2 language analysis and any relevant AO3 context. Then, they can test themselves on the quotes with the gap fills.

AQA LP1 Q3 is the bugbear of teachers and students alike! In this double lesson, students watch clips from Jaws, Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones in order to aid their understanding of structure. The lesson scaffolds the students’ understanding with gap fills of key language, sentence starters to help them think about the ‘why’, and model answers before they practise their own writing with extracts that the films are based on.

A bundle of 10 worksheets designed for students to work through at home to: read a variety of short texts learn new vocabulary practise their comprehension practise their analysis skills write creatively prepare them for the kind of skills and questions they will encounter at GCSE. These could also be used to complement in-school literacy lessons. This bundle’s theme is Gothic Literature. Designed for lower Key Stage 3 and literacy group students.

Students follow a series of prompts to create their own dystopian word. They are given the bare bones of the story and framed tasks, but they use their own imaginations to guide the story in whatever direction they choose. Designed as a creative writing scheme of work, but students at home could easily respond in art, music, drama, and so on! Designed for KS3 but could be adapted for any age.

A comprehensive and fully illustrated set of resources that help students to revise the ghosts of A Christmas Carol in turn, with a variety of different recall and analytical activities. Includes an interim assessment for students to practise their skills. Could be used as in-class revision, worked though with students, or given to them as revision homework to work through on their own. Covers all AOs.

A resource for in-depth plot revision of GCSE Macbeth for Years 10 and 11s who may have studied the text a while ago and forgotten the details of the plot! Quicker than re-reading the whole text with a class - each scene includes a summary video, a key plot question and key analysis question; each act ends with a plot summary gap fill and key character questions and quotes. Context ‘check-ins’ are built in to relevant parts of the plot to ensure students are applying key contexts to exact moments in the text. Attached is a ‘student copy’ ready to be printed out for students (2 slides per page will save on printing) and a ‘teacher copy’ with answers to the Do Now and gap fills. I have designed this for use over the course of a week and a half to prepare students for more in-depth analytical revision ahead of their final exam!

A five-week course on Romeo and Juliet, designed for Year 9, but also suitable for GCSE students who need the text breaking down at home. Contains a GCSE-style assessment. Designed to be used as a Google Slides on Google Classroom - students enter answers directly onto their own copy of the Slides and you can give them speedy feedback!

We might be stuck at home again, but that doesn’t mean we can’t ‘travel’! Take inspiration from Phileas Fogg and let’s travel around the world in 7 weeks: each week, we’ll go to a new continent, and explore some of the marvellous locations it has to offer, through the eyes of our most interesting writers. A home-schooling resource for students to practise AQA GCSE English Language skills in a scaffolded manner - focussing on Paper 2 (non-fiction analysis, comparison and writing) and Paper 1 Section B (descriptive writing). With audio clips of texts to help struggling readers, and dictionary definition links to new vocabulary, this unit is designed to help Year 9s and Year 10s working from home. Compatible with Google Classroom. Includes two end of unit assessments. In order to promote greater diversity of writers in our curriculum, this unit prioritises the writing of women of colour.