A fully resourced scheme, covering 34 lessons (which can be reduced if needed, as covered below) on a range of engaging short stories. This allows KS3 students to enjoy reading without getting bogged down in a single text, while covering key skills for both GCSE Language and Literature further down the line. It is most suited to Year 8 or 9, but could also be tailored for use with Year 7 or even as an introductory unit to GCSE skills in Year 10. Included: A ‘five a day’ style ‘Do Now’ activity, to recap key knowledge and settle students on entry, for each lesson. Learning intention/objective (as a ‘big question’, with differentiated success criteria - bronze, silver, gold) for each lesson. Regular opportunities for reflection, peer/self assessment and improvements. All stories, worksheets, assessments and PowerPoints. Mark schemes and conversions to estimated GCSE grades. Coverage of key assessment objectives for Language and Literature, based on AQA spec but transferable across boards. Work on building tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary. Extensions for students who finish tasks before others. Embedded challenge tasks for higher ability students. Opportunities to scaffold and support. Model answers. Quiz at the end of each story to check learning, which can be peer assessed. Embedded AfL opportunities to check knowledge. Guidance for teachers within ‘Notes’ of relevant slides. Potential to use creative tasks as homework pieces. Five short stories have six lessons each, following the same pattern and developing skills further each time: 1: Reading, understanding and enaging with the story. (Lang & Lit AO1) 2: Checking understanding and covering literary concepts, such as theme and genre. (Lang AO1; Lit AO1 & AO2) 3: Structure skills. (Lang & Lit AO2) 4: Evaluation skills (including language analysis) - with support. (Lang AO2, AO4; Lit AO2) 5: Independently applying evaluation skills. (Lang AO4) 6: Reflecting on evaluation and creative writing. (Lang AO5, AO6; Lit AO4) This scheme can be taught ‘straight out the box’. The only parts you might wish to edit are the references to red and purple pen for reflection and extending work, if your school has a different policy. Lessons can also be easily edited to suit your students; the scheme can be shortened if necessary by removing one or two of the stories - it could cover a few weeks, a half-term or even a full term. Sections could even be taken to set as cover for a few lessons’ absence. My students, particularly boys, have responded really well to this unit and enjoyed the stories, which were selected in consultation with both students and English teachers.

This covers all of the text including events, characters, themes, context. I used to use this for my GCSE groups and they loved it. All you will need is some dice.

This covers all of the text including events, characters, themes, context. I used to use this for my GCSE groups and they loved it. All you will need is some dice.

Covers plot, characters, theme and context. All extremely detailed and includes 'did you know?' interesting facts. Please note that not all powerpoints have learning objectives on as I am going to add these on at a later date and have not had time as of yet as I have spent hours making these. All decorated and covers exam practice. Please leave feedback. Thank you.

These lessons have been designed to be used in form to reinforce essential literacy skills. They include engaging videos, and challenge and extension activities. The tasks are self-explanatory and hopefully will work well for the whole of KS3 and KS4. These could also be used in English lessons.

A resource that students to look through to help them check their SPAG.

Fully decorated. Covers plot, theme, characters, setting and context of the play. Linked to the new AQA spec and covers all the assessment objectives. Range of extension and challenge opportunities throughout. Booklet includes the activities from the powerpoint. No paper scheme of work as the powerpoints are self-explanatory.

Covers the book and context with creative activities.

Three pages to be used to support students with literacy and structuring answers for English Literature and Language Exams as well as general SPAG. A couple of images have moved during the preview but hopefully won’t be an issue when downloaded.

A series of 17 lessons to develop students' descriptive writing skills in preparation for the new GCSE English Language descriptive writing task (targeted specifically at the new AQA GCSE - 8700 - Paper 1, Section B). It uses some of the poems from the Power and Conflict section of the AQA anthology as a stimulus, along with a little analytical exploration of them. This is the first unit we teach our Y10s but could be easily adapted to simply focus on descriptive writing, add to the poetry, etc. If you do cover this section of the anthology, it is ready to teach 'straight out the box', with all relevant resources. Plenty of examples of published writers to use as models.

A comprehensive collection of 23 sample exam tasks on 'A Christmas Carol' by Dickens, in the style of the new specification (8702) AQA English Lit Paper 1 GCSE exam. As with the official sample materials, each task includes brief details about where the extract is from, the extract itself with line numbers, and a question, followed by prompts to refer to the presentation of character/theme/idea/setting in the extract and the novel as a whole. The tasks are ordered in the same sequence as the extracts appear in the novel, so this would also be useful for recapping the story through key extracts.

A variety of reading and writing tasks all focused around the Titanic. Clips can be shown from the film to aid learning.

This covers analysing holiday and hotel adverts, brochures, reviews, travel writing and persuasive writing. It covers some of the new AQA Language exam skills so that year 8 can get used to some of the skills they will need to know in the years to come.

A template to test the students’ knowledge of each of the poems from the ‘Power and Conflict’ poems in AQA. Meant as a revision resource so both the student and teacher can see what they remember and need to revise. Also included are answers to the poems in the powerpoint.

Mats that students can use to remind them of the mark criteria and what they should be looking for in the English Language Paper 1. Can be used for self or peer assessment or as revision.

This is a booklet which covers the 1999 film version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Michael Hoffman. It has rough timings as to when students should be able to answer the question from. Covers a range of Bloom’s skills. Can be used either as an activity during teaching or post-reading recap.

This is a booklet which covers the 2009 film version of Coraline by Henry Selick. It has rough timings as to when students should be able to answer the question from. Covers a range of Bloom’s skills. Can be used either as an activity during teaching or post-reading recap.

This is a booklet which covers the 1997 TV version of Stone Cold by the BBC. It has rough timings as to when students should be able to answer the question from. Covers a range of Bloom’s skills. Can be used either as an activity during teaching or post-reading recap. There is a link to the episodes on Youtube provided for access.

This is a booklet which covers the 2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone film. It has rough timings as to when students should be able to answer the question by and bares in mind methods used by the director and Columbus whilst allowing them to compare the two media types. Covers a range of Bloom’s skills. Can be used either as a pre-reading activity or post-reading recap.