Get SET to teach secondary English with Sian's English Toolkit.
These resources are based on my experience teaching secondary English for thirteen years. During this time I gained experience teaching language and literature to all ability levels within the age range 11-18. I also have extensive experience of writing schemes of learning as I was a department lead for ten of those years.
Get SET to teach secondary English with Sian's English Toolkit.
These resources are based on my experience teaching secondary English for thirteen years. During this time I gained experience teaching language and literature to all ability levels within the age range 11-18. I also have extensive experience of writing schemes of learning as I was a department lead for ten of those years.
Inference Worksheets 3 - A Christmas Carol & The Wizard of Oz
These worksheets support learners in developing the skills of reading for meaning and making inferences. The teacher guide at the start helps you navigate through a series of activities that support learners in understanding a text. Each text will take approximately an hour to complete. These work particularly well with groups of 3-6 learners but can also be used 1-1 and with larger groups.
These activities help learners to practise:
making connections with current knowledge
visualising
questioning
word meaning
explaining subtext
empathy
prioritising
summarising
The two texts in this pack are extracts from The Wizard of Oz and A Christmas Carol.
Also available in my shop are:
Inference Worksheets 1: Peter Pan & The Wind in the Willows
Inference Worksheets 2: Treasure Island & The Secret Garden
A bundle offer including all six extracts
English Anagrams 1-3, includes three different anagrams worksheets and the answer sheets. These worksheets are designed to help KS3 pupils develop their language skills (such as the alphabet) and extend their vocabulary. The anagrams on each worksheet have a common theme and are listed in alphabetical order. Each sheet will take 10-20 minutes to complete, depending on the age/ability of the class.
In these tasks, pupils will unscramble the letters to identify the words. Once they have unscrambled a few, they will be able to identify the common theme. They will also be required to apply their knowledge of the alphabet and elements of language to help them unscramble less familiar words. An answer key for staff is included for all three worksheets.
There is also a bundle available containing English Anagrams 1-6:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12934233
A Christmas Carol Quotes Revision supports students with recollecting important quotes for key characters and includes an answer key. This is ideal for students who have finished reading the book and will take between 15-25 minutes to complete, depending on levels of confidence.
Students have seven groups of quotes and they need to identify the character represented by each group. However, there is also an odd one out within each group to be identified.
This resource includes an answer key for teachers, including some key points about key quotations.
If this resource is useful to you, you may also be interested in other A Christmas Carol resources available from my shop:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-revision-board-game-12989845 - a board game is a brilliant way of engaging learners in revision without it feeling like work!
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-extract-analysis-12935968
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-annotated-extracts-12933695
The Merchant’s Tale (Chaucer) annotated extracts. These worksheets are designed to help GCE English Literature students practise extract analysis/annotation in preparation for analysing a specific extract in the exam. There are differentiated resources per extract depending on pupils’ ability and the learning intention of the lesson. Each extract has a specific question attached to it. The duration of the worksheet will depend on the learning intention of the lesson, but would take approximately 15-25 minutes to annotate and go through as a class as a revision activity.
There are three versions of each sheet:
blank extract and the question for use as an individual assessment
differentiated highlighted version to guide less confident students towards important quotations
highlighted and annotated version as a teacher guide, a good example of annotation to display to pupils/for self-assessment, or a revision handout to give to pupils
There are five annotated extracts:
33-54: presentation of January
318-341: presentation of marriage
611-638: presentation of January
948-972: presentation of January
1108-1133: presentation of January and May
If you haven’t seen it already, there’s also a free annotated extract available - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13030820
World Oceans Day Literacy Activities
This editable PowerPoint contains 20 literacy-based activities for World Oceans Day. These make perfect starter activities or form time tasks. Slides have a simple colour scheme so that they can be printed at a lower cost if hard copies are needed.
As well as being enjoyable and competitive, these activities will encourage learners to apply their knowledge of the alphabet, vowels, consonants and languages.
Activities include:
placing words into alphabetical order
matching terms to different languages
anagrams
identifying missing vowels/consonants
word grids
creating their own words
Halloween Word Games | Literacy | KS3 Learners/Age 11-14
This literacy task pack is perfect to use with KS3 learners/ages 11-14 during the build-up to Halloween.
There are ten activities included with an answer sheet for each one. The activities are:
wordsearch x3
anagrams x3
wordgrids x3
colour by number x1
Where there are multiple examples of an activity, there are different levels of complexity to enable differentiation within the classroom.
Tasks can be used in English lessons or as part of a whole-school literacy incentive during form/tutor time.
The task pack encourages learners to consider spelling, the alphabet, consonants/vowels and language features.
Designed so that sheets can be printed in colour or grayscale without compromising on clarity, depending on resources available to you.
If you have found these resources useful, you may also be interested in:
General anagrams for use throughout the year with KS3 learners/ages 11-14 - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/english-anagrams-12934233
Cross-curricular anagrams, containing subject-specific terms for six different subjects, for high school learners - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/cross-curricular-literacy-anagrams-12972642
King Lear A-Level Quote Revision Game
This resource is targeted towards A-Level students in need of key quotes revision. It is a great way to get students revising whilst making it feel like a game.
There are 32 cards included, each containing a quote, act and character. A student will read the quote on their card, and students must identify whether the character on their card said this quote. They must also identify whether the character said it in the act specified on their card.
Full instructions are included in the resource, as are all of the answers on a separate teacher sheet.
There are also suggestions for differentiation, including making the game more or less challenging, as needed.
If you found this resource helpful, you may also like:
King Lear Exemplar Annotated Extracts - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/king-lear-a-level-extract-analysis-13018351
King Lear Revision Bundle - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/king-lear-a-level-revision-bundle-13019013
A Christmas Carol | Quotes Revision | I Have Who Has | GCSE
This resource is targeted towards high school students in need of key quotes revision. It is a great way to get students revising whilst making it feel like a game.
There are 36 cards included, and these are divided into two games of 18 cards each. There are also two blank cards with each set in case you would like to write in a couple of your own to each game.
Each card contains a quote and stave. The blue version of the game includes quotes that describe characters. The green version of the game includes quotes said by different characters.
A student will read the quote on their card, and students must identify whether the character on their card said this quote, or whether the description is about their character (depending on which version of the game they’re playing). They must also identify whether the quote is from the stave specified on their card.
Full instructions are included in the resource, as are all of the answers on a separate teacher sheet.
There are also suggestions for differentiation, including making the game more or less challenging, as needed.
If you found this resource helpful, you may also like:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-annotated-extracts-12933695
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-revision-bundle-12972692
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-revision-board-game-12989845
Halloween Wordsearch | Aimed at KS3/11-14 Year Olds
This Halloween wordsearch contains 36 seasonal words to find. Once they have been found, there are instructions for how to colour-code the remaining spaces to reveal a Halloween-related image.
This resource includes:
the list of words and instructions for the whole activity
the word grid
a completed example of the wordsearch, including the colouring of the image
This worksheet could be used in the following ways:
as a quiet, individual activity during a lesson or form time
as a paired/group activity to include a competitive element
as a ‘reward’ task before the holidays or for completing all other work
You may also be interested in this Halloween literacy activity pack, which contains 10 seasonal tasks: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/halloween-word-games-and-activities-pack-13107470
Of Mice and Men | Quotes Revision | I Have Who Has | GCSE
This resource is targeted towards high school students in need of key quotes revision. It is a great way to get students revising whilst making it feel like a game.
There are 60 cards included, and these are divided into two games of 30 cards each.
Each card contains a quote and act. The two games have been colour-coded - blue and green - for ease of use.
A student will read the quote on their card, and students must identify which character said it, or which character/setting the quote relates to, depending on which version is being played. They must also identify whether the quote is from the chapter specified on their card.
Full instructions are included in the resource, as are all of the answers on a separate teacher sheet.
There are also suggestions for differentiation, including making the game more or less challenging, as needed.
If you found this resource helpful, you may also like:
my essay planning tool: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/of-mice-and-men-essay-planning-tool-wjec-12972679
an essay structuring pack: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/of-mice-and-men-essay-structures-12970873
An Inspector Calls | Quotes Revision | I Have Who Has | GCSE
This resource is targeted towards high school students in need of key quotes revision. It is a great way to get students revising whilst making it feel like a game.
There are 40 cards included, and these are divided into two games of 20 cards each.
Each card contains a quote and act. The two games have been colour-coded - blue and green - for ease of use.
A student will read the quote on their card, and students must identify which character said it, or which character the quote relates to, depending on the version of the game being played. They must also identify whether the quote is from the act specified on their card. Three cards per game include stage directions rather than speech.
Full instructions are included in the resource, as are all of the answers on a separate teacher sheet.
There are also suggestions for differentiation, including making the game more or less challenging, as needed.
If you found this resource helpful, you may also like:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/an-inspector-calls-essay-structures-12973418
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/an-inspector-calls-essay-planning-tool-12973414
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/an-inspector-calls-revision-bundle-12973433
Language Features Colour by Number worksheet, including answer key. This worksheet is designed to help KS3 pupils learn/revise definitions for key terms relating to figurative language. This resource is suitable for KS3 pupils. It will take about 30 minutes to complete.
In this task, pupils will select the correct term to match the definition. Correct answers will provide a key to use to colour in the image. The image is of crackers, a present and a Christmas bauble so is suitable as a festive activity. An answer key for staff is included for both elements of the worksheet.
Reading Records for Different Abilities contains seven different types of reading record, categorised using the colours of the rainbow. They encourage pupils to read, in school and/or at home, and include a space for a parental/teacher signature. There are seven spaces for pupils to enter what they have read - one space per weekday, potentially.
There is also a reading task on each type of record, differentiated according to ability, to encourage pupils to engage with the material they’ve read. Tasks range from recollection (Indigo level) to inference (Red level). This enables a teacher to differentiate across the class, whilst the colour system enables this to be more discrete than a numbered system.
Heroes by Robert Cormier Unit & Revision
This bundle contains four resources that have been used successfully to teach and revise the novel Heroes by Roberts Cormier.
It includes:
a teaching overview for working through key aspects of the text
an accompanying PowerPoint, instructing pupils on how to complete tasks and some suggestions for discussion points in some key tasks
a narrative overview of the text to introduce the story/provide as a revision resource after the novel has been studied
essay structures for character and theme to support learners in preparing for whole text question responses in the exam
a range of revision activities to complete in the final sessions before the external exam, or to grasp learner understanding/confidence after the text has been taught
There are also numerous ‘An Inspector Calls’ resources in my shop, including a revision bundle, for those who are covering these two texts for the Unit 2 Literature exam:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12973433
A Christmas Carol Revision Board Game
This is a great way to engage learners in revising quotations and elements of plot, character and theme. This is a particularly effective resource for learners who may struggle with engagement/motivation at times when it comes to revision.
This resource includes:
32 questions and answers about plot, character and theme
32 questions and answers about key quotations
A game board
‘How to Play’ guide
The cards can be used as a simple Q&A activity where quick revision is required. For a more sustained activity, the full board game version can be played. Full instructions are included on the second page of the resource.
The cards can be printed double-sided so that the question is on the front and the corresponding answer on the back. The page should be printed double-sided along the long edge.
Additional equipment you will need:
dice
counters
Christmas Literacy Activities Secondary School
This PowerPoint includes 20 literacy-based activities all centred around the theme of Christmas.
Tasks engage students with key aspects of literacy, including:
the alphabet
vowels
consonants
spelling
The types of task include:
anagrams
identifying missing vowels/consonants
putting words into alphabetical order
creating their own words
finding hidden words in grids
Ideal as lesson starters in the weeks building up to Christmas to keep engagement levels high whilst still completing meaningful tasks.
They could also be used to create a sense of community within a class or community of students by having these as set form time activities.
All answers are included and the PowerPoint is editable so that you can add other activities or change colours/fonts to suit the needs of your learners.
If you like this resource, have a look at some other festive activities I have available:
Christmas Anagrams: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/christmas-anagrams-12942667
Annotated extracts from A Christmas Carol: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-annotated-extracts-12933695
Christmas Colour-by-Number (spellings): https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/christmas-colour-by-number-spellings-12942709
Christmas Wordsearch | Aimed at KS3/11-14 Year Olds
This Christmas wordsearch contains 45 seasonal words to find. Once they have been found, there are instructions for how to colour-code the remaining spaces to reveal a Christmas-related image.
This resource includes:
the list of words and instructions for the whole activity
the word grid
a completed example of the wordsearch, including the colouring of the image
This worksheet could be used in the following ways:
as a quiet, individual activity during a lesson or form time
as a paired/group activity to include a competitive element
as a ‘reward’ task before the holidays or for completing all other work
You may also be interested in this Christmas literacy activity pack, which contains 20 seasonal tasks: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13128246
I also have some festive anagrams available: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12942667
Advent Calendar 2024 | Literacy | Secondary School
This advent calendar provides a literacy activity for every school day in December. It works as a regular advent calendar does: you open the day’s window and it takes you to the activity. Windows are opened by clicking on the dated hyperlink.
These are short activities of 5-15 minutes and would be ideal for form time or as lesson starters. They can be used with any high school age group, but would be ideal for learners aged 11-14.
Activities include:
discussion topics around a festive theme
word games such as anagrams, wordsearches and word grids
festive phrases in other languages
visualising
The PowerPoint is also editable so that you can change/add activities to suit your learners, if you would prefer.
If you like this, you may also like:
Christmas Literacy Activities: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/christmas-literacy-activities-high-school-13128246
Christmas Mega-Wordsearch: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/christmas-wordsearch-high-school-13133045
Festive Anagrams: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/christmas-anagrams-12942667
NB. Activities in the advent calendar are the same as 2023 but dates, colours and hyperlinks have been updated for 2024.
A Christmas Carol Cut & Paste Quote Revision Activity | High School
This cut & paste activity will support learners with their quote revision. It will also show how well they know each of the characters and the key points about them.
There are two ways to complete this activity:
Print and give it straight to students. They cut out the character names and glue them into the appropriate boxes.
Print and laminate. You could cut up the character names, and students have to place them on the correct section. Alternatively, give your students wipeable markers and they write in the names. It will save you time laminating and cutting, but still means you can use them over and over again!
There are three different worksheets in this activity:
character speech
character descriptions
a ‘best-fit’ combination of speech and description
You may also be interested in the other ‘A Christmas Carol’ products in my shop:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-annotated-extracts-12933695
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-quotes-revision-game-13120979
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-revision-board-game-12989845
Christmas 2024 Literacy Activities Bundle | High School | Answers Included
Keep students engaged in the build-up to Christmas with these Christmas-themed literacy activities. Including five different products, this bundle has something for all learners, whatever their ability.
Included in this bundle:
Christmas 2024 Advent Calendar: a literacy activity for each school day in December, including some great discussion topics! This editable PowerPoint is a brilliant way to start the day and the hyperlinks to each day’s activity make navigation really easy
Christmas Literacy Activities: 20 short activities, ideal for lesson starters or reward tasks for early finishers. Whilst being fun, they also encourage students to apply their knowledge of the alphabet, vowels and consonants.
Christmas Mega-Wordsearch: this 45 word wordsearch will keep students engaged and there is a bonus colour-by-number activity once all words have been found.
Festive Anagrams: two pages of 20 Christmas-themed anagrams, with the answer key included on a separate page.
Colour-by-Number (Spellings): this activity puts a festive spin on eight common spelling errors.
All of these products are also available to purchase individually from my shop. Or how about checking out some of these ‘A Christmas Carol’ activities:
Extract analysis: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-annotated-extracts-12933695
‘I Have Who Has’ Quotes Revision Game: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-quotes-revision-game-13120979
Revision Board Game: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-revision-board-game-12989845
