Used in June 2016 with Year 8's. Three media extracts. Students identify six key facts from each, then write a 50+ word summary of the article. Worked well in line with discussion relating to sentence-structure and connectives and by media article number three the students ability had vastly improved.

Having a command of the English language can be such an enriching experience. Travelling from place to place, or from country to country around the world, the extent of your vocabulary and how you chose to make it work for you, can make a real impact on how your life develops. An innovative resource which prints as a seven page booklet with each page containing the image of a quiver. The student labels the quiver, e.g. 'Metaphor', then lists words or a sentence linked to this. After compiling several pages of words associated with each central title, the student uses these to create a speech, with space for Notes, First Draft and Final Draft. The overall idea is that the student recognises the power of words, when used toward a particular 'target' audience.

A read and respond resource. Whole Book Summary in a single-page. Student chooses eight items to banish from the current system/reality then narrow down to two and describe in a table the full reasons to support their choices. Then: Fourteen items to take to new planet. Then: A4 page response relating to the student thoughts on ‘whole’ book summary.

A 13-page resource. Provides - Background notes on Charles Dickens The origins of A Christmas Carol including: “Dickens dwelt on the terrible sights he had seen among the juvenile population in London's jails and doss-houses and stressed the desperate need for educating the poor. This occasion seems to have put into his mind the idea for a [Christmas Eve tale] which should help to open the hearts of the prosperous and powerful towards the poor and powerless but which should also bring centrally into play the theme of memory that, as we have seen, was always so strongly associated with Christmas for him.” Includes reading and writing exercises and full book analysis with lined tables for student notes throughout.

Examples of language features from A Christmas Carol, within a two-page resource containing a table for students to develop their own features and then incorporate one or more of these in a paragraph. Useful for students who can identify language features but who need to respond more fluidly with writing their own.

Used in class (June 2016) with Year 9's and 10's, linking their responses the trial exam questions to words they can add to improve vocabulary. Particular relevance to MacBeth, though the words themselves, plus pronunciations, could apply to any text where these features are apparent. CHIASMUS, HYPERBOLE, SYNECDOCHE, EUPHEMISM FOR USE WITHIN TRIAL EXAMINATION RESPONSES AND GENERAL DISCUSSION A TWO-PAGE RESOURCE.

Used this resource in class this week - works with fantastic results when students asked to complete second draft using 'Effective Connectives' - found a full table of these online and projected it. The difference between the Year 7 first-draft response compared to the second draft, incorporating 'and' highlighting the connectives was amazing in terms of the fluidity of their writing. Currently using with Year 7's so they can achieve a snapshot of the entire storyline. First-page summary used for shared classroom reading. Then in pairs the students describe their own understanding of the story. They then feed this information back to the whole class. Then tackle a first draft - summary writing in their own words. Finally, they complete a final draft of the summary, introducing connectives. A four-page resource, printing double-sided 2 pages. Very effective to achieve an general understanding of the novel through writing and discussion, not solely through reading.

Worksheet used with Year 7-8's in conjunction with 'Gothic Novel Create Your Own' resource, as a feed-in to them exploring The Castle of Otranto and Frankenstein. SUGGESTION: Circle three from the options and then add three 'unique' adjectives of your own. Then create a piece of horror-writing with your new words incorporated using the resource associated with this (available by the same author) or develop your own.

Three extracts from Frankenstein.

A nine-page resource, prints as five-page double-sided. Initially discusses Sir Robert Walpole's 'The Castle of Otranto', then mentions modern-day books influenced by this genre, such as the Twilight series. Provides a template of an 'ancient book' so the students (suited more to KS3) can create a cover/title and a synopsis. The pages then contain 'gargoyles' to suggest the student plans their own Gothic Story and complete this within the lined-pages provided.

Discussion and Debate sheet prompting student critical-thinking and wider subject interest. Used with Year 9's and 10's in 2016, prompting a discussion that spanned three lessons, with students choosing the 'hot seat' to constructively debate their point of view.

Student responses to War Poetry. Single page A4.

A two-page resource analysing three student responses to Heart of Darkness (1902) by Joseph Conrad – later developed as ‘Apocalypse Now’, a film (1979) and a documentary ‘Hearts of Darkness’ (1991) by the Director Francis Ford Coppola. The student is asked to read the extract and respond in their own way to identifying language features, incorporating connectives within their own draft(s).

Trialled resource this week (June 2016) in class. Students initially read through the introduction and the extract and then identified words they were not familiar with, using a dictionary. From here they are re-reading what was to many of them an unfamiliar text and supplementing with the new word definitions. Thus, a completely non-familiar extract becomes more familiar and they write their understanding of this on the 'draft' page, prior to tackling the main question. They then 'compare' their responses to the exemplar answers provided. I have used this with Year 7's and 8's now and really drilled down into the language - around 3-4 lessons for fantastic results. An eight-page (prints as four page double-sided booklet) resource containing: - Summary of the novella, including previous/original title(s) - An overview of the whole story in eight steps - Single page extract - Space for a student 'draft' attempt - Space for the final draft - Two examples of 'exemplar responses' as a student guide to the level they are aiming for - i.e. a strong response and a top level response Responding to: Explore how Charles Dickens presents Scrooge’s character in this extract.

A ten-page resource printing as 5-page booklet. Two pages of text to read and respond to. From: When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold To: Fine bread like this is for special occasions Brief description of what figurative language is, then asks the reader to list two similes from the opening paragraphs, then two of their own. Analysing the extract and meaning of 'foraging' and 'black-market'. Describing how the central character wakes up when she thinks about her Father. The reader is then asked to: - Describe their own experience of having been placed in District 12 - Plan and respond to the suggestion that the reader is breaking free of District 12 and starting a revolution

This is a 20-page resource, printing as a 10-page double-sided booklet, used in class as a combined resource to examine AQA Paper 1, using MacBeth and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The resource contains the 'full' list (table format) of AQA options for literature and then takes the student through each exam question with the extracts and content broken down. Includes the indicative content notes and AO details. Has proven useful for current Year 9's compiling a complete 'Study Pack', i.e. so they have specified resources to refer to, in different formats. Highly useful for the purpose of memory recall, where the student can 'see' the journey they have made through each text 'in order'. MACBETH How does Shakespeare present Macbeth as a hero in this speech? How does Shakespeare present Macbeth as a hero in the play as a whole? THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE How does Robert Louis Stevenson use the setting to create mystery and fear in this extract? How does Robert Louis Stevenson use settings to create mystery and fear in the novel as a whole?

Used in April-May 2016, alongside Year 9 students study of Macbeth and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. This resource has worked very well as a complete booklet to get to grips with exam-style responding. For example, students who have been reading MacBeth, then used this booklet to attempt first-draft responses to the trial exam questions. Because the booklet contains all sections of the exam, it becomes a complete 'trial-exam' in itself. The intention is to use this across three terms with the Year 9's, as they approach Year 10 with a more solid view of what to expect from Year 10 moving forward. I am currently developing the same for AQA.

A generic Quotation Booklet developed to capture: NAME OF BOOK/PLAY/POEM: CHAPTER, ACT, STANZA QUOTE OR PASSAGE OR LINE OF TEXT WHO SAID IT? IN WHAT CONTEXT? Example: Chapter 12 or Act III or Stanza 1 Example: “Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue.” Hamlet (Act III/Scene II) He was talking to his players and telling them not to exaggerate the delivery of their lines/To perform as he had taught them.

A generic Quotation Booklet developed to capture: NAME OF BOOK/PLAY/POEM: CHAPTER, ACT, STANZA QUOTE OR PASSAGE OR LINE OF TEXT WHO SAID IT? IN WHAT CONTEXT? Example: Chapter 12 or Act III or Stanza 1 Example: “Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue.” Hamlet (Act III/Scene II) He was talking to his players and telling them not to exaggerate the delivery of their lines/To perform as he had taught them.

A generic Quotation Booklet developed to capture: NAME OF BOOK/PLAY/POEM: CHAPTER, ACT, STANZA QUOTE OR PASSAGE OR LINE OF TEXT WHO SAID IT? IN WHAT CONTEXT? Example: Chapter 12 or Act III or Stanza 1 Example: “Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue.” Hamlet (Act III/Scene II) He was talking to his players and telling them not to exaggerate the delivery of their lines/To perform as he had taught them.