Good handwriting is important. If teachers cannot read what a student has written in their books or on test papers, they will not be able to mark the pupils’ work accurately. That could mean losing some marks in exams and low self-esteem. Tests are already challenging enough! Plus, if a student’s handwriting is difficult to read, it is tough for teachers to tell if a student is meeting basic literacy criteria. **Who is this resource for? ** Students with poor handwriting **What’s included and why is it useful? ** There are two self assessment (student-focussed) activities that are designed to get students thinking about the impact of their handwriting and there is a practice section that follows on from a ‘tips’ section too. Links to curricula, standards or specifications? Learning English, English lessons, Literacy Support lessons

Purpose: To gauge student progress and to generate enthusiasm for a topic by using personal reflection to demonstrate overtly to students how they have benefited from a learning task Why would I want to use this resource? This is great tool for introducing a topic. The slides are constructed to reveal explicitly to students how their learning is developing through the practice of different skills. If pupils are taught to perceive the connection between their progression and their unique learning style, they are likely to engage more deeply with the learning context and curriculum. Thus, using a purposeful teaching tool like “Strategic Thinking Plenaries and Starters” exposes students to the benefits of each topic/lesson. My suggestion is that the teacher use one slide at the end of each lesson (or at the end of every second lesson if they see a class more than 3 times a week) for the first two weeks of a new topic to demonstrate explicitly to students the thinking skills they will be developing as the content is taught. Also, a slide could be used as a mini plenary in the middle of a lesson (or as a consolidating task at the end of the starter) when the teacher needs to show clearly that the students have benefited from the activities the teacher has facilitated. In this sense, a teacher could use more than one slide in any lesson What is the Purpose of this Resource? This set of slides is based on strategic thinking skills using the acronym RESPECT, which itself is a new perspective that improves the quality of academic dialogue between teachers and pupils. It also empowers students to participate in the topic/lesson by strengthening communication across the curriculum. It is inspired by the paradigm of “Learning to Learn”. Thus, the focus is placed not on students simply doing something because a teacher tells them to; it’s built on creating lifelong, enthusiastic learners who want to commit to scholarship in the classroom. The emphasis is on refining the classroom ethos and linking life at school to the world of work ( i.e. the connection between soft skills and curriculum content) Overall, RESPECT (see below) is a tool that enriches the learning experience. The RESPECT acronym means: R - resilience E - expectations S – scanning P - pace E – entrepreneurial C – collaboration T – three mistakes a day or you’re not trying

What is this resource? It is to be used to assess the gaps and fill in the student’s literacy skills in relation to basic grammar acquisition, vocabulary use and written and verbal communication. Ideally, it is to be used in one to one or small group settings such as Literacy Sessions. Who is it for? Literacy Support teachers EAL lessons Teaching Assistants English Teachers What’s included? 3 grids containing specific targets linked to grammar, vocabulary and verbal and written communication skills Curriculum links? Whole School Literacy Programmes and Literacy Support Sessions Practical Tips? The grid provides the list of topics that need to be covered. It would be the job of the Literacy Support teacher to provide the activities for those topics.

Aim: to turn reluctant readers into independent readers in any curriculum area using these 6 different strategies Who is it for? All teachers in all curriculum areas KS2-KS4 Classrooms that don’t have a Teaching Assistant, but needs one ** What’s included?** A break down of the 6 strategies, including resources for use ‘during’ the reading of a key classroom text and ‘after’ the reading process **Why is it useful? ** It enables all pupils - including those with low literacy skills- to engage with the curriculum of any subject area **Differentiation opportunities? ** The document is in essence about ‘differentiation’ and contains numerous ideas on how to engage reluctant readers Links to curricula? All curriculum areas Whole School Literacy ** Practical tips ?** The document is in essence about the ‘practical’ nature of reading and therefore is based on practical advice

These colour sheets can be glued into the front of students’ exercise books at the start of the year and revisited each new term when new, updated versions, can be glued into the exercise books. This is a method for tracking a student’s progress. They’re linked to the new 2 year linear GCSE English Language and Literature courses. It has suggested topics (i.e. programmes of study) on each IEP too if you’re a new HOD and need some guidance.

This is suitable for all KS3 and KS4 reading assessments for Language and Literature programmes or study. It is designed to enable students to work independently when they’re marking a peer’s work without the teacher’s assistance. It includes a SPaG grid of common SPaG errors.

This handy resource will enable you to set this Writing to Inform task for HW or as a timed writing task in class. It does require some preparation from the student and should be used as a Formative Assessment task after the genre has been taught. Suitable for KS4 or for an advanced KS3 group

This year long Programme of Study is based on a study of the new linear GCSE English Course. This long term plan reflects the new GCSE Linear Exam Assessment Objectives. Students will be assessed on: Responding to GCSE fiction and non-fiction text extracts exploring creative writing based upon GCSE literary non-fiction text extracts Exploring Shakespearean tragedy: the study ofeither Macbeth or Merchant of Venice Exploring contemporary poetry: contemporary poetry (AQA Anthology) The study of the 19th century novel - the teacher’s choice Exploring and developing a viewpoint A mock GCSE summer exams It also includes: activity suggestions lesson content suggestions exam structures a map of the assessment objectives for the whole year links to AQA’s GCSE exam frame and criteria It is ideal for new HoD, departments without a HoD, or HoDs who are seeking a fresh perspective or Programme of Study. Enjoy!

This year long Programme of Study is based on a study of the new linear GCSE English Course. This long term plan reflects the new GCSE Assessment Objectives. Students will be assessed on: Responding to GCSE fiction and non-fiction text extracts exploring creative writing based upon GCSE literary non-fiction text extracts Exploring Shakespearean tragedy: the study of the rise and fall of Othello Exploring contemporary poetry: contemporary poetry The study of the 19th century novel: Alice in Wonderland Exploring and developing a viewpoint A mock GCSE summer exams It also includes: activity suggestions lesson content suggestions Exam structures a map of the assessment objectives for the whole year links to AQA’s GCSE exam frame and criteria It is ideal for new HoD, departments without a HoD, or HoDs who are seeking a fresh perspective or Programme of Study. Enjoy!

This is a SPaG grid that’s a simple tick sheet that students can glue into their exercise books each term (or half term) to show their progress across the literacy skills. It is designed to be a student self-assessment resource.

The Worksheet contains 2 banks of persuasive skills. Set 1: Basic Techniques for persuading your audience for hitting Grade 4-6 (new GCSE) and Set 2 includes more advanced Techniques for persuading your audience for hitting Grade 4-9 (new GCSE). Useful for independent work/HW tasks for KS3 and KS4.

Suitable for KS3 and KS4. This resource is suitable as a criteria sheet that students can use to achieve their persuasive writing targets. They can keep re-visiting the sheet for HW tasks too throughout the year (if it’s glued into their exercise books). The key strategy governing the activity is that students are taking charge of their own progress and learning to be independent learners as the criteria sheet is an important tool in their learning toolbox. The activity also deploys FAR marking techniques.

This resource can be used in many ways: plenary, starter, or as a competitive group game. You could also hide the clues around the room. It’s a fun way to learn a lot a techniques in one lesson.

These are 8 topics (a mixture of argue, persuade and advise tasks) with slightly differentiated planning proformas for each question so students can work independently. Suitable for KS4 classes or accelerated KS3 classes.

These criteria sheets can be given to students before a task so they know what they’re working towards and then glued in under their HW for the teacher to fill in and comment on. It’s a strategic yet quick and simple way of marking HW The bank includes criteris sheets for: Creative Writing Non Fiction Writing Poetry Analysis Novel Analysis Vocabulary definitions followed by sentence creation

These assessment sheets are ideal for in-class assessements in Year 10 (in preparation for the GCSE exam in Year 11) and for Year 11 examination preparation. The criteria sheets include: Poetry (unseen and seen) Writing to Inform Shakespeare Study 19th Century Novel Study Modern Drama: Blood Brothers

This is a simple, visual method of exploring the differences between the different grade boundaries of the new assessment schedule in English. Benefits KS3 and KS4 progression.

This is a very basic model demonstrating what to include in a basic programme of study/plan. It still needs assessment objectives and a rationale, but it might be useful as a starting point for a new HOD if he/she is stuck for ideas.

This resource enables pupils to self assess their PEE writing skills

What is this resource A four week plan for teaching Skellig to Year 7 Who is it for? KS2 and KS3 What’s included? A 4 week study plan Practical Tips? The plan contains ideas and a teaching structure. However, the teacher who dowloads it would need to create the resources.