This engaging and informative lesson helps students to understand the key events of the sub-plot in Louis Sachar’s ‘Holes’ - the story of Kissin’ Kate Barlow and Sam. Students demonstrate their comprehension of the key events in Kate and Sam’s life, before forming their own opinion on Kissin’ Kate’s justification for becoming an outlaw. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Reading and understanding the selected extracts to comprehend the key events of the sub-plot; - Storyboarding the key events (using the template provided) to demonstrate their understanding of key quotes and ideas; - Using textual evidence to show a deeper understanding of the sub-plot, considering the writer’s ideas and the historical context; - Forming their own viewpoint about Kissin’ Kate’s actions through a writing to argue piece; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts; Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Storyboard Template; - Selected extracts - Chapters 23, 25, and 26; - Analysis of the Sub-Plot worksheet (and student answer sheet); - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, 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.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies.' It contains comprehensive sections on: - Context; - Chapter by Chapter Summary (with quotes); - Main Characters; - Themes; - Golding's Language Devices; - Features of Form. 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 interesting and highly-stimulating lesson enables students to gain a clear and understanding of the key meanings in the Greek Myth ‘Daedalus and Icarus.’ Through close study of the myth, they learn to interpret and infer the key meanings in a myth, understand the moral viewpoint of a myth, and react to the moral message of a myth with their own thoughts and ideas. 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: - Define the key term ‘hubris’ and apply the notion to other examples; - Read the story ‘Daedarus and Icarus’ and interpret and infer the key meanings; - Identify, explain, and analyse the moral of the story in ‘Daedarus and Icarus;’ - Engage deeply with the myth by challenging and building upon the ideas raised in the myth; - Test their understanding of the story by answering an exam-style comprehension question. -Peer assess each other’s learning attempts. This resource pack includes: - A visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - Paper copies and online links to the text; - Interpretation worksheet; - A logically scaffolded essay template; - 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.

This resource pack of 2 sequenced whole class reading sessions aims to develop children’s comprehension sessions through reading the opening extract from Michael Morpurgo’s version of ‘Beowulf.’ The lessons are provided as easy-to-follow, step-by-step PowerPoint presentations and the reading is included as a PDF. Each reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s comprehension skills using VIPERS: vocabulary, inference, predicting, explaining, retrieval, summarising and sequencing. Each lesson contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. Further tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The sessions are best suited for children in years 5-6, although with minor adaptations they could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

These colourful, comprehensive, and well-structured revision cards have been creatively designed for students securing their understanding of George Orwell’s allegorical novella ‘Animal Farm.’ 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 - Napoleon, Snowball, Squealer, Mollie, Moses, Benjamin, Boxer, The Dogs and Old Major; Context - George Orwell, The Russian Revolution, Joseph Stalin; Events - Old Major’s Speech, The Battle of the Cowshed, The Ending; Themes - The Corruption of Socialist Ideals, Naivety, Fate and Religion. For any questions or comments, please contact TandLGuru@yahoo.co.uk - Many thanks!

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to make clear, detailed and well-informed interpretations regarding the purpose of Boo Radley’s character in To Kill a Mockingbird. In particular, students develop their understanding of how the character is introduced, before understanding how perceptions of him change across the novel. Students then consider Lee’s purposes for Boo’s inclusion, considering social and historical context. -The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: -Reading selected extracts from the text and answering comprehension questions about boo’s introduction at the start of the novel; -Tracking how Scout’s perception of Boo changes over the course of the novel; -Understanding how the character of Boo aids Lee in getting across her key messages about society, considering social and historical context; -Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Boo Radley development graph sheet; Selected extract (from chapter 1); Character Profile template; Essay template; Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 10 and 11 classes, however colleagues have used them for between year 8 and year 13 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 precise interpretations of the descriptive language used by Suzanne Collins in her descriptions of District 12 in ‘The Hunger Games.’ They also learn how the depiction of settings can have a profound impact upon the tone and atmosphere of a novel, and apply this understanding (along with their knowledge of the key language devices) to form their own vivid and imaginative descriptions of places. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Understanding the power of places and settings, especially the impact that they have on atmosphere and tone; Defining each of the different types of descriptive devices, through completing an interactive group activity; Reading extracts from the text in which Collins describes District 12, and identifying the language techniques used to paint an image of place in the minds of the readers; Analysing the effectiveness of each of Collins’ descriptive devices; Creating their own description of a desolate, run-down place, utilising appropriate and effective descriptive devices throughout; Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Cards for the Card Sorting Activity;’ Extracts from The Hunger Games; Individual analysis worksheet; Writing to Describe Helpsheet; 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 clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for lower KS2 children when writing adventure stories. The organiser is also perfect for teachers, parents and English subject leaders - aiding their planning and supporting of children’s knowledge development for this writing text type. The organiser has a particular focus on the content, language and structural features required to write effective adventure stories at lower KS2. It contains distinct sections covering: -Overview: Adventure Narratives; -Content: Settings, Characters, and Quests; -Language: Descriptive Devices, Dialogue, Conjunctions, Punctuation Checklist, Sentence Openers and Word Mat; -Structure - Titles, Structure Mountains and other tips; -Key Vocabulary The content is fully aligned with the age-related expectations for lower KS2 children in writing. 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, comprehensive lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of Thomas Hardy’s poem ‘The Man He Killed’ with particular focus upon the language, structure, and subject matter employed within the poem. By the end of the lesson, students demonstrate their knowledge of the text analytically, through assured, appropriate, and sustained interpretations. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Considering the emotional impact of war on the individuas involvedl; Securing contextual understanding of The Boer Wars and Thomas Hardy’s life and beliefs; Reading and interpreting the poem, using a provided line-by-line analysis, and interactive group activities; Developing their understanding through inferring and analysing key language and structural choices; Analysing how the futility of war is conveyed through Hardy’s language and structure choices; Self/ Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; (including hyperlinks to informative and videos) Copy of poem (freely available online); Deeper thinking worksheet; Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; Research worksheet; Comprehensive lesson plan. All resources are provided as word documents (for easy editing) and PDF documents (to ensure consistency of formatting between computers). There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to middle-ability year 10 and 11 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 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Seamus Heaney’s power and conflict poem 'Storm on the Island.’ Teachers have found the activities particularly useful throughout teaching, or for exam revision or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the key English Literature assessment objectives - suitable for all examining bodies. Students have found these resources extremely engaging, and it is clearly highlighted within each task regarding which assessment strands the task is designed to demonstrate. It is provided in both Word (to allow for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure for consistency of formatting between computers). Activities within the booklet include (amongst many others): ‘Analysing Context’ - helping students to ‘Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.’ ‘Analysing Subject Matter, Language and Structure’ - to help students to ‘Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.’ ‘Diary Entry’ - to help students to ‘Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ ‘The Speaker’ - to help students to ‘Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.’

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Wilfred Owen’s World War I poem 'Dulce et Decorum est.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Line-by-line analysis (with quotes); Poetic Devices/ Language Devices; Themes; Form/Structure; Poems for Comparison; Thoughts of the Poet. 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 highly-purposeful lesson has been designed to enable children to uplevel their basic sentences, creating more precise, elaborate passages. The lesson takes the children through the process of contemplating vocabulary choices within each of the main word classes, before considering sentence variety in terms of length, form and order. Children learn through: -Defining what uplevelling is, and understanding how some sentences can be too vague and basic; -Considering how a model example can be improved through the use of more precise nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs; -Investigating how conjunctions and fronted adverbials can be utilised in order to change sentence types, lengths and orders for clarity and effect; -Employing the strategies that they have learnt to create and uplevel their own series of sentences based on a visual stimulus; -Evaluating their partner’s writing attempts, endeavouring to find further appropriate opportunities for uplevelling. The resource pack is comprised of a colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation, which offers a step-by-step guide through the entirety of the lesson. There is nothing to print, simply download and go! The lesson was originally created for children in upper KS2, however with minor adaptations could easily be suitable for those in lower KS2 or lower KS3.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through a reading of the opening chapter of Michael Morpurgo’s ‘The Butterfly Lion.’ The resource pack includes the extract and all of the activities for the session, which the class are guided through via a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The session is best suited for children in Years 3 to 5, but it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups. The session is also suitable for home/ remote learning.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of R.J. Palacio’s 'Wonder.’ 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 Auggie’ - 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;’ ‘Palacio’s 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;’ ‘Julian Alban’s and Summer’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 ‘Wonder’ - 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).

This interesting and engaging lesson enables students to know what reviews are and why people read them, understand the features that make effective reviews, and write their own interesting and appropriate reviews. In particular, students learn to use a range of appropriate features in writing their own reviews, including facts and opinions, jargon, connectives, and statistics. There are easily enough resources here for 2-3 lessons on this topic. Over the course of their learning journey, students: - Define and exemplify what reviews are; - Understand why people read reviews; - Understand and categorise the different techniques used by reviewers; - Identify the features of reviews in model examples; - Analyse the effect of techniques in reviews upon the reader; - Use a wide-range of techniques in writing their own reviews; - Peer and self assess each other's review attempts. The resources include: -Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint; -A colourful and helpful 'Writing Reviews' Help-Sheet; -Pointless Jargon Game; -Techniques cards for defining the key key features of reviews; -Connectives worksheet; -Blank book review template and film review template; -A model example (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone); -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 whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills when reading non-fiction texts. This particular session focuses on their reading of an original information sheet (included) about Mary Seacole. This was initially used with a year 5-6 class as a part of their whole class reading provision throughout Black History Month. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The session is best suited for children in years 5-6, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Arthur Miller’s ‘A View from the Bridge.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in exam revision, comprehension tasks, or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the KS4 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework - this makes the tasks suitable for all examining bodies. Students 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 students gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - ‘Context: 1950s America’ - to aid students with ‘Drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation;’ - ‘Miller’s Description’ - to aid students with ‘Analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact;’ - ‘Eddie’ - to aid students with ‘Seeking evidence in the text to support a point of view, including justifying inferences with evidence;’ - ‘Editing the Play’ - to aid students with ‘Making an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 30 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 engaging and informative lesson enables students to make clear and precise interpretations regarding the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. In particular, students read and understand Act one scene one of the play, interpreting how Antonio and Bassanio’s relationship is introduced, before tracking how their friendship develops over the course of the play. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Considering the key components of strong friendships; Reading Act One Scene One and comprehending how Antonio and Bassanio’s friendship is introduced; Tracking how their friendship develops over the play, using apt textual evidence; Considering multiple interpretations of Antonio and Bassanio’s relationship; Applying their understanding of Antonio and Bassanio’s relationship to create an original composition; Self assessing their learning attempts; Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Antonio and Bassanio development worksheet; Extract - Act One Scene One Character profile template Comprehensive lesson plan. Resources are provided in PDF (to maintain formatting), Word (so that they are easily editable) and also in zipfiles. The lesson contains opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 10 and 11 classes, however colleagues have used them for between year 9 and year 13 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 helps students to understand the social and historical context of ‘freak shows’ in order to aid their reading of Darren Shan’s ‘Cirque Du Freak.’ Students gather knowledge about when, where, and how freak shows operated, and apply this understanding to the text. They then form and write their own arguments regarding whether they believe freak shows should be allowed. There are easily enough resources for 2-3 lessons here. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Reading and understanding information about the history of freak shows; - Answering comprehension questions and creating a timeline to demonstrate their understanding; - Reading selected extracts from the text, in order to link ideas regarding context and text together; - Forming and writing a fair and balanced argument, using a model example and a helpsheet, about whether they think freak shows should be legal; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts; Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Information Text - Freak Shows - Extract from ‘Cirque Du Freak’ - Chapters 2 and 8; - Timeline Template; - Balanced Argument Worksheet; - Writing to Argue Help-sheet - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, 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.