High-quality, value for money teaching resources covering English language and literature; literacy; history; media and Spanish. With twenty-seven years' teaching experience I know what works in the classroom. Engaging, thorough and fun, your students will love these lessons.
High-quality, value for money teaching resources covering English language and literature; literacy; history; media and Spanish. With twenty-seven years' teaching experience I know what works in the classroom. Engaging, thorough and fun, your students will love these lessons.
Diglington is a fictional seaside resort on the east coast of England, which is jam-packed with fun activities for the family. After studying the eleven page brochure with seven different sections full of language techniques and inspiration, students follow the eleven slide powerpoint to create a holiday brochure for a holiday destination of their choice. This is an ideal opportunity to research a real destination, or simply turn your home town into a holiday destination, using the language techniques that you have learnt. The folder contains two brochure, both word documents, one of which is marked up with comments. This activity will provide hours of fun as students become absorbed in their destination.
This lesson begins with a quiz to see if the students can guess which animal is being described by the poet. They are given a second chance to guess the animal with a series of images to represent each line of the poem. After a short analysis of the writer’s message, students are then given help to write their own six-line poem on an animal of their choice. Students are then guided through the re-drafting and presentation process. A fun couple of lessons that can link into work on animal rights. Alternatively, it could be used to set up a school poetry competition.
This 76 slide Powerpoint contains everything that you need to explore the key themes within the animal rights debate. Students will learn to:
Identify and use persuasive language and images.
Write an article about an endagered species.
Discuss whether zoos are right or wrong.
Write a speech for a debate on an animal rights issue of their choice.
Write a leaflet to rehabilitate the image of a maligned animal.
Present their work to the class.
Reflect on their attitudes to animal rights after the topic.
This scheme of work is designed to support students to be creative for a practical audience and encourages them to carry out their own research. As a Powerpoint it is fully adaptable to suit you and your class’s needs.
Calling all Harry Potter fans, this fifty question quiz with answers will test your knowledge of JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter novel - “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”. A fun way to encourage reading.
This folder includes a powerpoint which guides students through the poem. The first activity helps them to work out what the Latin sentence “Dulce et Decorum est…” means. This is followed by looking at the poem in terms of Owen’s use of similes, metaphors and imagery. Two example paragraphs of analysis of the first lines of the poem serve as a model to encourage students to write some analysis of their own. A storyboard worksheet is also included which students could complete for homework.This lesson could be used in conjunction with the background lesson on Wilfred Owen, also found here.
This Powerpoint introduces the historical context of witches in Macbeth with a true or false game where students have to identify the correct or incorrect statements about witches. Students are then given some information about James V1th’s role in witchcraft persecution. Before studying Act One Scene One they are presented with a modern translation so that they understand what is going on. They then read Shakespeare’s Act One Scene One and consider what was lost in the translation and why Shakespeare’s scene is much more powerful. Students enjoy reading and acting out the scene in groups. They are then asked to design three costumes for a modern version of the play, focusing on representing the witches as powerful, evil and frightening. At the end of the lesson, you can show them Roman Polanski’s opening scene and compare and contrast their costumes with Polanski’s choices. Could be used as a precursor to my lesson on the witches’ spell; as part of an introduction to Shakespeare or as part of a scheme on Macbeth.
This introductory lesson to the greatest World War One poet includes sixteen slides about his life. The folder also contains a very moving letter that he wrote to his mother about a disastrous sentry duty that he had to undertake. The powerpoint concludes with a choice of activities inspired by this letter, such as highlighting all the powerful language and writing your own poem; responding to the letter as Owen’s mother; interviewing Owen and then writing up the interview as a newspaper report (planning sheets included). A great resource to celebrate the centenary of the end of World War One and can be used in both English lessons and history lessons. This can also be used as an introduction to the two other lessons on Dulce et Decorum Est and Exposure, both available here.
Students explore John Agard’s use of irony in this clever poem. They are then supported to write a parody of the poem, rejecting any stereotypes of themselves. A multiple choice quiz worksheet is used as a starter to get students interested in the themes and ideas.
There are eighteen lessons covering the twelve chapters of Neil Gaiman’s horror story for children, “Coraline”. Lessons explore Gaiman’s original use of language as you progress through the book, in particular his description of colours, smell and his use of similes. The scheme of work culminates in students writing their own horror story about “The Other School” that they attend and the “other teachers” who they have to battle to defend their school from. Some lesson folders contain more than one choice of activity. The key theme of bravery is also explored also.
Students find the spelling rule i before e tricky because there are several exceptions. This sixty slide powerpoint introduces the i before e rule and then students are given time to learn the spellings using a look/cover/spell/check sheet. The powerpoint then gives fifteen sentences with key words missing, which students have to spell correctly. There are a further ten clues to words with ie/ei in them. Finally an additional sheet contains 40 words with letters missing for students to consolidate the learning, either at home or in class. By the end of the lesson, they will be masters of the ie spelling rule!
Encourage your students to use a wider variety of sentences by teaching them how to begin sentences with the present participle, “ing” form of the verb.
This powerpoint contains a clear explanation, ten sentences to re-write with answers and five fictional products to for students to sell using this type of sentence. In the final activity students choose their own product or company to promote using this sentence type. It can be used as two separate lessons of thirty minutes or a lesson of an hour, factoring in feedback from students.
Have fun learning to speak like an American with this quiz on the difference between British and American English.
In teams students guess the American equivalent of thirty British English nouns.
Cartoon graphics make this accessible to second language speakers.
All answers are provided and the activity culminates by challenging students to talk like Americans, making up a script that uses as many of the thirty words that they have guessed as they can.
Give extra points for those who can add the accent!
A worksheet embeds the learning and could be completed in class or for homework.
A comprehensive explanation of the regular and irregular formations of the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives. All exercises are provided with answers for peer or self-assessment. The seventeen slide powerpoint ends by challenging students to write a piece of advertising copy, using as many superlative adjectives as they can. A useful follow-up lesson to Adjectives, this lesson should take 30 to 45 minutes.
Teach your students to become master writers with this powerpoint on creating multi-clause complex sentences. Students are given the elements of a sentence, which they have to incorporate into a grammatical complex sentence. Ten sentences in total build to create an action-packed adventure story that you write together as a class. In the second activity, students analyse how Robert Louis Stevenson uses this type of sentence to describe Long John Silver. Students are then tasked with writing a description of Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes using the same construction. This should cover two separate lessons.
With an activity to create compound sentences, this powerpoint also helps students to identify the effects of using both simple and compound sentences. First of all students add a conjunction to a sentence to create compound sentences. Then students change a passage of description just using compound sentences in to a combination of simple and compound, considering the effect. Finally students write a set of instructions using both simple and compound sentences.
Did you know that sixty percent of English words derive from Latin and Greek?
This thirty-five slide Powerpoint gives a range of clues for words containing ten different Latin roots. With an explanation of how Latin roots have come to be in the English language, all the answers are provided. A final table for students to fill in in class or at home consolidates the learning. Designed to allow students to work independently or in groups, this interactive Powerpoint will inspire your students to think more deeply about the English language.
Two lessons using an extract from Bill Bryson’s travelogue “Notes from a Small Island” in which he describes his disappointment at visiting Blackpool. The lesson sequence is as follows:
In the first lesson the students attempt the question “How does the writer use language to show disappointment?” in preparation for AQA English Paper One Question 2 on language.
A WAGOLL answer is provided demonstrating how the answer should be marked.
A mark scheme is provided and students peer assess each other’s work following the model, giving each other a mark and written feedback.
The second lesson uses the theme of disappointment as a springboard. Students write a story about disappointment in preparation for Section B: Writing on English Paper One.
An example of planning a story with a 3 part story structure is included, as well as a further extract from Bryson on Weston-Super-Mare in which he shows disappointment.
23 slides and two extracts included.
Students are given a look/cover/spell/check sheet with 20 words with silent letters to spell.
The powerpoint then gives each of the words with the letter missing and students write the correct spelling of the word.
The answers are provided on the powerpoint and cartoon graphics are included to help second language speakers.
A further worksheet supports a spot the silent letter activity in a passage about a ghastly day.
Students then use the words which they have learnt to write a story using as many silent letters as possible.
Adding the suffixes -ful and -fully to the ends of words can be tricky because if the word ends in y, then you change the y to an i.
This rule is explained and then there are twenty sentences that students have to complete with key words, either ending in -ful or -fully.
Cartoon graphics are included to help second language speakers.
All answers provided, so students mark their own work.
A workheet is provided to consolidated the learning either at home or in class.
A free suffix worksheet is thrown in for good measure too.
This folder contains a twenty-two page Student Activity Booklet corresponding to twelve lessons on the novel; a scheme of work; plus exam questions; a quote quest activity; a plot sorting activity with answers; as well as various resources to support discussion regarding what makes a true hero.