Marking can be such a time-consuming process without gaining the dialogue you want to have with your students. I’ve put together this approach to marking and DIRT that should hopefully save you some time. Rather than writing out the same comments again and again, this activity uses an alphabet code to do the work for you.

What better way to make punctuation engaging than through a Christmas theme? Includes resources on dashes, semicolons and colons to engage students with high level punctuation - all tied together with a lovely festive theme. Differentiated throughout.

Help your students develop their descriptive writing skills with this Christmas themed lesson that looks at a winter scene and supports students as they analyse a descriptive writing example. Students then use the model to help them create their own pieces of descriptive writing. Fully differentiated throughout. Check out our English Shop for loads more free and inexpensive KS3, KS4, KS5, Literacy and whole school resources. AQA English Language Paper 1 and Paper 2 Knowledge Organisers AQA English Language Paper 1 Section A package AQA English Language Paper 1 Sections A and B package AQA English Language Paper 1 package AQA English Language Paper 2 Question 5 package AQA English Language Paper 1 Question 5 package AQA English Language Paper 2 Section A package AQA English Language and English Literature revision package An Inspector Calls whole scheme package An Inspector Calls revision package Macbeth whole scheme package Macbeth revision package A Christmas Carol whole scheme package A Christmas Carol revision package Jekyll and Hyde whole scheme package Jekyll and Hyde revision package Romeo and Juliet whole scheme package Power and Conflict poetry comparing poems package Power and Conflict poetry whole scheme package Love and Relationships poetry whole scheme package Unseen Poetry whole scheme package Or check out some Citizenship GCSE, RE, PSHE + RSE resources at EC Resources

As we continue to study Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan, we use Chapter Seventeen as a stimulus for improving our use of punctuation. Includes differentiated worksheets on a number of areas including commas, full stops, capital letters, semicolons, dashes, paragraphs and more! A fantastically detailed and differentiated lesson that can be adapted for other texts and age groups.

As we continue to study Tom Becker’s Darkside, we look at Chapter 13 and how the narrator builds up a sense of fear and trepidation through setting. Fully differentiated throughout and useful activities for both KS3 and KS4 students.

As we look at Chapter 12 from Tom Becker’s Darkside, we analyze Grimshaw’s Beastilia Exotica, develop some contextual understanding with regards to freak shows and Victorian attitudes towards ‘freaks’, as well as answering differentiated questions on the chapter. Fully differentiated throughout.

A very detailed Of Mice and Men themed lesson that supports students to develop their use of punctuation and grammar by providing them with differentiated worksheets on capital letters, full stops, commas, paragraphing, apostrophes, semi-colons and dashes. By the end of the lesson students are given reward badges depending on which challenges that have completed within the lesson. A really useful lesson for KS3 students and some very nifty strategies for KS4 students to use as well.

As we continue to study Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan, we look at Chapters 15 and 16 and the characters of Steve and Mr Crepsley, as well as thinking about what vampires are and how Mr Crepsley is presented to us in these chapters. We also explore the friendship between Steve and Darren. A very useful lesson for KS3 students and differentiated throughout.

A very detailed Science Fiction themed lesson that supports students to develop their use of punctuation and grammar by providing them with differentiated worksheets on capital letters, full stops, commas, paragraphing, apostrophes, semi-colons and dashes. By the end of the lesson students are given reward badges depending on which challenges that have completed within the lesson. A really useful lesson for KS3 students and some very nifty strategies for KS4 students to use as well.

As we study Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, we look at how the characters and themes develop in Chapter Three and then use the extract between Lennie and Curley as a stimulus for creative or narrative writing. Includes differentiated planning sheets and support sheets to help students with their creative and/or narrative writing. Really useful for KS4 as well as KS3 students. Differentiated throughout.

We look at Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan and in particular Chapters Fourteen and Fifteen. We look at how the writer structures these chapters and how the focus changes throughout them.

As we continue our study of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, we look at what life was like for women in the 1930s and the United States in order to develop a contextual understanding of Curley’s Wife. Includes differentiated activities throughout and helps students to develop their understanding of politics, the patriarchal society, life as a householder, finding work and more. A very useful lesson for the study of American literature for KS3 students and adaptable for older students.

As we continue to study Darkside by Tom Becker, we use our notes on tension within Chapter Seven to created detailed analytical paragraphs before peer assessing them around class success criteria. A really useful for KS3 students but with activities and resources easily adaptable for KS4. Differentiated througout.

Macbeth returns home - A focus on Act 1 Scene 7 from Shakespeare’s Macbeth allows students to explore the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and how there is a power struggle between them early on in the play. Includes differentiated activities and resources. Check out our English Shop for loads more free and inexpensive KS3, KS4, KS5, Literacy and whole school resources. AQA English Language Paper 1 and Paper 2 Knowledge Organisers AQA English Language Paper 1 Section A package AQA English Language Paper 1 Sections A and B package AQA English Language Paper 1 package AQA English Language Paper 2 Question 5 package AQA English Language Paper 1 Question 5 package AQA English Language Paper 2 Section A package AQA English Language and English Literature revision package An Inspector Calls whole scheme package An Inspector Calls revision package Macbeth whole scheme package Macbeth revision package A Christmas Carol whole scheme package A Christmas Carol revision package Jekyll and Hyde whole scheme package Jekyll and Hyde revision package Romeo and Juliet whole scheme package Power and Conflict poetry comparing poems package Power and Conflict poetry whole scheme package Love and Relationships poetry whole scheme package Unseen Poetry whole scheme package

As we continue to study Tom Becker’s Darkside, we look at how the writer builds up tension in Chapter Seven and plot out a tension graph based on the changing tension within the chapter. A really useful lesson for KS3 students and some interesting activities that could be adapted for KS4. Fully differentiated throughout.

Of Mice and Men assessment prep lesson. In preparation for an English Literature-style assessment on Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, KS3 students analyse a key extract about Curley’s Wife and look at the use of language in preparation for an assessment. Includes differentiated worksheets to support students as they look carefully at the features used by Curley’s Wife and other characters within the extract. UPDATE: Now includes a detailed essay plan and writing frame for students to use!

As we study Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak, we look at Chapter Nine and think about how Shan is able to create tension for his readers using a variety of language techniques. We use our analyses to create evaluative paragraphs based on agreed success criteria and then peer assess our final paragraphs to ensure they are effective. A fantastic lesson for KS3 students and some very useful ideas and resources that could be incorporated into KS4 lessons as well. Fully differentiated and resourced throughout.

We look at Chapter Eight of Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan and how the boys feel as they meet Mr Tall and visit the Cirque du Freak for the first time. As part of this lesson, students create their own ‘freaks’ and write descriptive paragraphs on their creations. Fully differentiated throughout.

As we continue to study Tom Becker’s Darkside, we delve into Chapter Five and look at how the writer describes the London Underground and introduces the mysterious character of Marianne. A brilliant lesson for KS3 students and fully differentiated throughout.