This stimulating and informative lesson develops students’ skills in creating formal letters that precisely meet the content, language and structural features of the form. In particular, they gain an in-depth understanding of how formal letters should be set out on the page, what information should be included within them, and what style they should be written in, in order to meet form, audience and purpose. Students follow a clear and logical learning journey, in which they: -Understand when and where formal letters are an appropriate form of communication; -Unjumble a model example of a formal letter in order to establish its structure; -Work collaboratively to identify and analyse the content and language features in further model examples of formal letters; -Create a success criteria for effective formal letters (although a ready-made success criteria is included); -Write their own formal letters, using a structure strip and helpsheet (if needed) and the techniques that they have learnt; -Peer/self-assess their writing attempts. There are enough resources here really for two lessons, including: -Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint; -Formal letters x 3 (a complaint, information about a school trip, and a covering letter for a job application) -Formal letters structure strip; -Formal letters helpsheet; -Step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to understand the character of the Warden from Louis Sachar’s ‘Holes’, making insightful comments about her character based upon her actions, and backing these ideas up with reference to evidence from the text. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Reading and understanding the selected extracts to determine the key traits of The Warden’s character at different points in the text; - Noticing trends in Warden’s character throughout the text, observing how she develops from her introduction in the text to later on in the story; - Analysing Sachar’s use of language and description in describing the Warden; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts; - Creating their own villainous Warden, using an engaging template. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Selected extract- Chapter 14; - Development of The Warden worksheet (Word and PDF) - Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Create your own villain template - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 7 and 8 classes, however colleagues have used them for between years 4 and 9 with minimal adaptations. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

These interesting and engaging resources enable students to build their understanding of the context of J.B. Priestley’s play ‘An Inspector Calls.’ In particular, students learn how to make clear and appropriate links between the social and historical context and the play itself. This gives students a really stable knowledge-base from which to make inferences and interpretations about other parts of the play. The lesson follows a clear, logical, bite-size learning journey, which guides students towards differentiated learning objectives. Over the course of this journey, they become able to: - Recall the main events that occurred between 1912 and 1945, through an interactive group activity; - Remember some key information about J.B Priestley and his beliefs; - Read and understand the opening of the play; - Make links between the opening of the play and the historical context - both in term of when the play was set, and when it was written; - Analyse how Priestley links historical context to his characters, in order to get his messages across to the audience; -Peer/self-assess learning attempts. This resource pack includes: - A visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - A clear and interesting worksheet for the development task; - The opening of the text for students to read and interpret; - Context information cards for the card-sorting game; - A detailed lesson plan, complete with what the teacher and students should aim to achieve at each stage of the lesson. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the PowerPoint.

Template for you to create your own Pointless games - whatever subject or topic you are teaching! Based on the popular game show 'Pointless', this resource is perfect for use as a starter activity, plenary, or revision tool. Editable, so that you can change to any other topic or change the questions/answers. Containing almost 30 slides of sound clips, engaging visuals, and suitably challenging questions, this resource is effective at both promoting engagement and enhancing learning. There are several built-in rounds of questions to build students' understanding in your topics, including: - Identifying terms from definitions - Anagrams of key terms round - Recalling the highest level knowledge. The nature of the game ensures that this resource can challenge students of all levels. NOTE: You can buy this resource alone, or in a bundle of 8 Pointless games, for only £1 more!

This interesting and engaging enables students to know what newspaper articles are and why people read them, understand the features that make effective newspaper articles, and write their own interesting and appropriate newspaper articles. In particular, students learn to use a range of appropriate features in writing their own newspaper articles, including facts and opinions, jargon, testimonies, and puns. There are easily enough resources here for 2 lessons on this topic. Over the course of their learning journey, students: - Define and exemplify what newspapers are; - Understand why people read newspapers; - Understand and categorise the different techniques used by newspapers; - Identify the features of newspapers in model examples; - Analyse the effect of techniques in newspapers upon the reader; - Use a wide-range of techniques in writing their own newspaper articles; - Peer and self assess each other's newspaper article attempts. The resources include: -Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint; -A colourful and helpful 'Writing Newspaper Articles' Help-Sheet; -Techniques cards for defining the key key features of newspaper articles; -Analysing newspaper articles worksheet; -Blank newspaper article template; -A model example of a newspaper article; -Helpful and comprehensive step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Mark Haddon’s ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS3 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children have found these resources extremely engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - ‘Context: Asperger’s Syndrome’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know the purpose, audience and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to support comprehension.’ - ‘Haddon’s Description - The Police Station’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, present meaning.’ - ‘Ed Boone’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Study setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these.’ - ‘Vocabulary Inspector’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Learn new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is 21 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

These colourful, comprehensive, and well-structured revision cards have been creatively designed for students securing their understanding of William Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Macbeth.’ Each card is visually-appealing and highly-detailed, covering aspects of each feature including a full summary, cited quotations from the play, definitions/ examples, and a consideration of audience reactions. They are tried and tested, with teachers incorporating them in revision games, using them as essay writing aids, or utilising them as home revision aids. They are provided as both PDFs (to prevent formatting issues between computers) and as Word documents (for easy editing). The revision cards included in this pack are: Characters - Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, The Witches, Banquo, King Duncan, Macduff; Context - William Shakespeare, James I and Divine Right, Witches and the Supernatural; Devices - Dramatic Irony, Soliloquies and Asides, Dramatic Tension; Scenes - Act 1 Scene 3 (Witches’ prophecies), Act 3 Scene 4 (Banquet/ Banquo’s ghost), Act 5 Scene 1 (Lady Macbeth sleepwalking); Themes - Unchecked Ambition, Madness, Fate and the Supernatural. For any questions or comments, please contact TandLGuru@yahoo.co.uk - Many thanks!

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Michael Morpugo’s ‘War Horse.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS3 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children have found these resources extremely engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: ‘Context: World War I’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know the purpose, audience and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to support comprehension.’ ‘Morpugo’s Description’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, present meaning.’ ‘Captain Nicholls Character Profile’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Study setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these.’ ‘Vocabulary Inspector’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Learn new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is 23 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Scene by Scene Summary (with quotes); Main Characters; Themes; Dramatic Devices; Features of Comedy. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to understand how the lead protagonist of Suzanne Collins’ ‘The Hunger Games’ – Katniss Everdeen - develops as a character throughout the novel. In doing so, students learn how she develops and acquires the key skills, characteristics, beliefs, and values to become the complete dystopian heroine. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Comprehending how Katniss is initially introduced to the reader; Reading extracts from Chapters 3, 7 and 14 of The Hunger Games, identifying how Katniss’ character develops; Analysing how her character fits the role of the ‘Dystopian Hero/Heroine’, and matching her traits to the different features of this character form; Applying their understanding by creating their own Dystopian Hero/Heroine; Self assessing their learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive;’ Extracts from The Hunger Games (from Chapters 3, 7, and 14); Character Profile for Katniss Everdeen; Blank Template for Creating a Dystopian Hero/Heroine; A comprehensive lesson plan; All resources are provided in Word (for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure formatting remains fixed between different computers). There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 8 classes, however colleagues have used them for between years 5 and 10 with some adaptations. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to make insightful and developed interpretations regarding the character of Ebenezer Scrooge in ‘A Christmas Carol.’ In particular, they explore how his character is originally introduced, and then developed throughout the appearances of the three ghosts. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Reading and understanding the selected extracts to determine the key traits of Scrooge's character at different points in the text; - Noticing trends in Scrooge's character throughout the text, observing how he has developed from the opening of the text through completion of a 'Character Arc.' - Analysing Dickens' intentions in developing the character of Scrooge throughout the text; - Peer assessing each other's learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Selected extracts demonstrating Scrooge's development; - Character Arc template; - Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to mixed ability year 10 groups, but can easily be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of David Walliams’ 'Demon Dentist.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS2 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: ‘An Interview with Alfie’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’ ‘Walliams’ Description’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;’ ‘Miss Root’s and Raj’s Character Profiles!’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’ 'Figurative Language in ‘Demon Dentist’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, to create an impact on the reader.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is 21 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).