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Humble English Teacher hoping to cut down on teachers' workload by providing high quality resources (from primary to secondary - mostly English but some other subjects too). Please share and review if you like what you see here.

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Humble English Teacher hoping to cut down on teachers' workload by providing high quality resources (from primary to secondary - mostly English but some other subjects too). Please share and review if you like what you see here.
Macbeth: The Fate of Scotland
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Macbeth: The Fate of Scotland

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How does Scotland fare under the tyrannical reign of Macbeth? Students rarely consider the country of Scotland itself when analysing Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, but to ignore Scotland is to forget the national scale of this bloody tragedy. This PowerPoint considers the role of Scotland in the play, including 10 key quotes about Scotland from various characters. Teachers can use these quotes however they please - it may create a great group activity or independent task. At the end of the PowerPoint is an exam-style question for students to consider. This is an ideal resource for encouraging students to aim for high marks in their GCSE analysis.
Apostrophes
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Apostrophes

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Help students to finally master apostrophes with this engaging lesson that covers all the rules. We all know that many students struggle with apostrophes. This lesson aims to explain the theories alongside practical examples. It explains how to use apostrophes for omission/contraction and possession, including plurals and names ending in ‘S’. Also included is a worksheet with apostrophe-related questions/tasks for students to complete either in class, as a homework task, or a starter activity to test knowledge retention in the next lesson. This lesson is ideal for KS3, but could definitely be used for GCSE students struggling with apostrophes too. PowerPoint and worksheet saved as PDF.
Posters: 1984, Robinson Crusoe, Sense & Sensibility
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Posters: 1984, Robinson Crusoe, Sense & Sensibility

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Three stylish graphic design posters on classic works of literature. George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’. Daniel Defoe’s ‘Robinson Crusoe’. Jane Austen’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’. Perfect for your classroom or corridor display!
Sonnets: An Introduction
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Sonnets: An Introduction

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This lesson provides an introduction to the sonnet form. The lesson explains the key features of the sonnet form, its stereotypes and conventions, and outlines the differences between Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets. Questions and discussion points are included throughout, and students are shown an example of a sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, which they are then invited to discuss. At the end of the lesson is a research task which could be set either in class or as a homework activity. This is an ideal introduction for any KS3 unit on poetry or specifically the sonnet form. PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Twelfth Night: Essay Questions
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Twelfth Night: Essay Questions

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Here are 22 mock essay questions on Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ for students to practise their exam technique and sharpen their analysis of the text. These questions are particularly aimed at those studying the play within the comedic genre with AQA at A level, but they are easily applicable to any course offering detailed analysis of the play.
Commas
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Commas

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Help students to finally master commas with this engaging 18-slide lesson that covers all the main rules. We all know that many students struggle with commas. This lesson aims to explain the key rules alongside practical examples. It explains how to use commas in lists (including the Oxford comma), for fronted adverbials, and subordinate clauses. Humorous comma errors are included for students to identify and amend. This lesson is ideal for KS3, but could definitely be used for GCSE students struggling with apostrophes too. PowerPoint saved as PDF.
One For The Road (Protest Extract: AQA KS5)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

One For The Road (Protest Extract: AQA KS5)

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This extract from Harold Pinter’s powerful play ‘One For The Road’ is perfect practice for analysing elements of political and social protest for those studying the AQA A level syllabus. Please note: this extract (and play) contains very mature themes and language.
Top Girls (Protest Extract: AQA KS5)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Top Girls (Protest Extract: AQA KS5)

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This extract from Caryl Churchill’s ‘Top Girls’ is perfect for analysing elements of political and social protest as per the AQA A level paper. This extract is particularly effective for considering Feminist theory and gender politics.
Mrs Warren's Profession (Protest Extract: AQA)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Mrs Warren's Profession (Protest Extract: AQA)

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An extract from George Bernard Shaw’s classic play ‘Mrs Warren’s Profession’, perfect for analysis as an example of political and social protest writing for Section A of the AQA A level exam. It can be challenging to find great resources for this part of the exam, but this extract (with the accompanying exam question) always work fantastically.
Disgrace (Protest Extract: AQA KS5)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Disgrace (Protest Extract: AQA KS5)

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This extract from J.M. Coetzee’s powerful novel ‘Disgrace’ is perfect for practising analysing ‘unseen’ passages of Protest Literature. Designed for those studying ‘Political and Social Protest Literature’ with AQA for A level. Please note: this extract contains mature themes.
Invisible Man (Protest Extract: AQA KS5)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Invisible Man (Protest Extract: AQA KS5)

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Explore elements of political and social protest in this extract from Ralph Ellison’s ‘Invisible Man’. Excellent practice for those studying AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing A level syllabus. This extract is particularly effective for studying how writers protest against racism.
Word Classes Posters: Nouns, Adjectives, Verbs & Adverbs
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Word Classes Posters: Nouns, Adjectives, Verbs & Adverbs

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A series of posters designed to help students to understand word classes. Included: Nouns, Adjectives, Verbs and Adverbs (with examples). Designed by Mr_Gradgrind to help support SEN students but equally useful for promoting whole-school literacy. Four posters included.
Don't Ask Jack: Neil Gaiman
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Don't Ask Jack: Neil Gaiman

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This 15-slide lesson on Neil Gaiman’s horror story, ‘Don’t Ask Jack’, is ideal for KS3 classes studying short stories or genre writing. Students are encouraged to consider common elements of the horror genre and key vocabulary associated with ‘horror’ and its atmosphere. Conducting close analysis of Gaiman’s language and structure, students are then tasked with creating their own piece of creative horror writing, inspired by ‘Don’t Ask Jack’. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included in the lesson. A copy of the story is included in this resource. PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Daffodils: William Wordsworth
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Daffodils: William Wordsworth

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This 27-slide PowerPoint is a great lesson on the beloved poem that we now know as ‘Daffodils’ by William Wordsworth. The lesson guides students through the poem, thinking about its language, structure, rhyme, and central ideas. A basic biography of Wordsworth is also provided, and a glossary of challenging vocabulary. Questions are included in the lesson (including short comprehension-based tasks), as well as a larger final task in which students write their own poem, inspired by Wordsworth’s. It is an ideal lesson for KS3 students, particularly Year 7 students who are still learning about poetic craft. The lesson functions either as a stand-alone study or could easily fit into a larger scheme of work on nature poetry or Romanticism, for example. A copy of the poem is also included in this resource. PowerPoint saved as PDF.
4 Persuasive Speeches: Language & Rhetoric
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

4 Persuasive Speeches: Language & Rhetoric

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This resource contains four well-known recent speeches by famous women (Angelina Jolie, Emma Watson, Michelle Obama and Theresa May) which are excellent for linguistic and rhetorical analysis. This is a useful exercise for pupils studying persuasive writing and effective rhetoric. Not only do these speeches allow students to analyse how famous orators have used language, but they also inspire and teach how pupils can use language in their own persuasive writing too. Each speech is transcribed here and some contain designated space for analysis and answers to questions based on common GCSE exam tasks. This resource bundle is ideal for those studying English Language at GCSE, but is equally useful for KS3 language analysis or any other unit on rhetorical or persuasive writing.