This engaging and thought-provoking double-lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the chapters 18 to 21 of Roald Dahl’s ‘Boy: Tales of Childhood.’ This section of the text details Dahl’s initial experiences at Repton School, including his treatment at the hands of the ‘Boazers’ and the welcome supply of Cadbury’s chocolate! The comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings; -Understanding key vocabulary; -Linking texts. The session begins with a brief knowledge recall activity based on the prior chapters. Students then read and understand the new chapters, utilising retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning activities. There is easily enough material for two lessons here (25 slides in total). The lessons are suitable for students in either KS3 or upper KS2 (for advanced classes), depending upon the individual context of the school and students.

This engaging and thought-provoking double-lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the chapters 22 to 25 of Roald Dahl’s ‘Boy: Tales of Childhood.’ This section of the text details Dahl’s final years at Repton, before taking up his first job with the Shell Oil Company. The comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings; -Understanding key vocabulary; -Summarising key information. The session begins with a brief knowledge recall activity based on the prior chapters. Students then read and understand the new chapters, utilising retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning activities. There is easily enough material for two lessons here (25 slides in total). The lessons are suitable for students in either KS3 or upper KS2 (for advanced classes), depending upon the individual context of the school and students.

This engaging and thought-provoking double-lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the chapters 3 to 6 of Roald Dahl’s ‘Boy: Tales of Childhood.’ This section of the text describes Dahl’s experiences at Llandaff Cathedral School, including ‘The Great Mouse Plot.’ The comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings; -Summarising the key events. The session begins with a knowledge recall session on the opening chapters, before guiding students through reading and understanding the chapters - utilising retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. There is easily enough material for two lessons here (20 slides in total). The lessons are suitable for students in either KS3 or upper KS2, depending upon the individual context of the school and students.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice.’ 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 play ensuring that students gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: ‘Context: Shakespearean Times’ - 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;’ ‘Shakespeare’s Description’ - to aid students with ‘Analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact;’ ‘Shylock’ and ‘Bassanio’ character profiles- 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 thought-provoking double-lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the opening chapter (‘March’) of Stephen Kelman’s 'Pigeon English.’ In this section of the text, Harri sees the blood of the dead boy outside Chicken Joe’s, has interactions with the ‘Dell Farm Crew’ and begins investigating the murder with his friends. The comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation enables students to understand the text through: -Making predictions; -Retrieving and inferring information; -Analysing characters; -Linking the text to its context. The sessions include a range of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. There’s a lot of content in the resource (22 slides in total) and in the past I have utilised this material over two or even three lessons. The lessons are best suited to students in KS4, and develop students’ knowledge and skills in relation to a number of GCSE assessment objectives.

This engaging and interesting lesson enables students to make clear and developed interpretations of the characters of Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons in Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers. In particular, students infer and interpret key information about the characters from their introductions into the play, before tracking how their characters develop through close analysis of key quotations. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be both independent and collaborative learners. It follows this learning journey: Considering the meaning of the key term ‘stereotype’ and how Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons represent stereotypes of social groups; Engaging with the opening to the text and interpreting how Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons are presented; Tracking how the characters are developed throughout the play, through engagement with key quotations; Answering an essay-style question about the introduction and development of the characters; Self-evaluating their learning in the lesson. Included in this resource pack are: A well-presented, thorough, and informative, whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; Appropriate extracts from the play; A worksheet with key quotations to enable students to track the development of characters; A template to help scaffold the main task, complete with quotes from the text; A comprehensive teacher guidance form/lesson plan to assist delivery. Resources are provided in both Word (for easy editing)and PDF (to prevent formatting issues between computers). All images in this resource are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson presentation.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Charles Causley’s love and relationships poem 'Eden Rock.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Line-by-Line Analysis; Poetic Devices/ Language Devices; Themes; Form/Structure; Poems for Comparison; The Poet’s Influences. 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 is an exciting and engaging lesson/set of tasks aiming to build students' skills at using varied verbs and adverbs in their writing . It was taught during an observation lesson where the teacher received an Outstanding judgement. Students learn to: - Define and give examples of what verbs and adverbs are; - Identify verbs and adverbs on funny posters and captions; - Analyse what makes verbs and adverbs effective; - Create their own verb and adverb filled writing piece; It comes complete with: - Engaging and visual PowerPoint to guide students (and teacher!) through the lesson; - Colourful and thought-provoking worksheet for the main analysis task; - Lesson plan/ teacher guidance sheet, which goes through the lesson step-by-step; - Resources to enable the teacher to make 'flags' for the development task. All pictures are licensed for commercial use, and image authors cited on the final slide. This lesson can also be bought as part of the Descriptive Devices bundle for just £5. The bundle leads students through each language device needed in order to write to describe confidently. Alternatively, you can buy the Descriptive Writing Big Bundle (All descriptive devices lessons, structuring and organising writing lesson, capturing the readers attention lesson, and the literacy writing mat) for £6.

These stimulating and varied resources, strategies, and ideas have been designed to aid educators in equipping young people with vital critical thinking skills through the learning of English. In a rapidly changing and ever-more competitive world, it is of the utmost importance that children leave school with the learning skills and mindsets needed to take on wide-ranging challenges and obstacles. Learning to think critically can enable them to become rational, reflective, and resourceful learners, who are able to comprehend information beyond the 'surface' or 'initial' level. These skills of tackling misconceptions and given truths, and critically analysing and evaluating what they are presented with, can also be of vital importance in developing a deep understanding of English concepts. Grounded in education research, the initial section of this pack contains a number of resources that will be of use to CPD leaders, including links to clear explanatory videos and theory. The second section of the resource pack contains strategies, ideas, and resources for teachers looking to build English skills in critical thinking through the key areas of comprehension, SPAG, and vocabulary. All images and videos are licensed for commercial use, and where necessary are cited on the final slide of the PowerPoint presentation.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about William Shakespeare, particularly those completing a history study of ‘Significant Individuals.’ It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in His Life; Important Vocabulary; William Shakespeare Timeline; Answers to the Important Questions; Top Ten Facts. 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.

This engaging and thought-provoking double-lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the chapters 10 to 13 of Roald Dahl’s ‘Boy: Tales of Childhood.’ This section of the text details his initial experiences at St. Peter’s School, including his run-ins with the Matron and his feelings of homesickness. The comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings; -Summarising the key events. The session begins with a brief knowledge recall quiz based on the prior chapters. Students then read and understand the chapters, utilising retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning activities. There is easily enough material for two lessons here (21 slides in total). The lessons are suitable for students in either KS3 or upper KS2 (for advanced classes), depending upon the individual context of the school and students.

This engaging and thought-provoking double-lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the first two chapters of Roald Dahl’s ‘Boy: Tales of Childhood.’ The comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation enables students to understand the first two chapters through: -Retrieving key information; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings; -Linking texts to context. The session begins with an introduction to Roald Dahl and his writing of the book, before guiding students through reading and understanding the opening chapters utilising retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. There is easily enough material for two lessons here (20 slides in total). The lessons are suitable for students in either KS3 or (for advanced classes) upper KS2, depending upon the individual context of the school and students.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising knowledge of The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. It contains comprehensive sections on: Overview and map; Timeline of major events Key people Involved; Causes of the uprising; Summary of major events - dates, images, descriptions, and key facts; 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 develop a detailed understanding of the characters of Ariel and Caliban in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. In particular, students compare and contrast how the two characters are introduced to the audience in Act 1 Scene 2, and then developed throughout the play. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which students learn through: Understanding the roles that servants and slaves played in society in Shakespearean times; Reading and comprehending how the two characters are introduced in Act 1 Scene 2; Using textual exploration to discover how the characters are then developed over the course of the play; Considering Shakespeare’s intentions in his portrayal of the two characters; Demonstrating their understanding through an interesting synthesis activity; Self-assessing their learning through the lesson; Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Character Profile Template; Ariel and Caliban Development Template; Copy of Act I Scene 2 (freely available online); Comprehensive lesson plan. Resources are provided in PDF (to maintain formatting) and Word (so that they are easily editable - they can be found in the zipfile) 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 detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Cecil Day-Lewis’s love and relationships poem 'Walking Away.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Line-by-Line Analysis; Poetic Devices/ Language Devices; Themes; Form/Structure; Poems for Comparison; The Poet’s Influences. 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 engaging double lesson enables students to define what homophones are, use a range of homophones correctly, and to be able to explain why homophones have been used correctly or incorrectly. This knowledge is of particular importance when working through the new National Curriculum. Throughout this lesson, students learn through a range of stimulating and interactive challenges and games, which logically guide them towards the learning objectives. Examples of these are homophones pictionary, crosswords, and the creation of homophones advice posters. Over the course of this lesson, they learn by: - Defining and identifying homophones; - Finding spelling patterns in a variety of homophones; - Advising others on how to remember to spell tricky homophones correctly; - Collaborating on a range of group activities; - Self-evaluating through frequent AfL tasks, in order to observe their progress through the lesson. This resource pack includes: - A visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - Word cards for the Pictionary game; - Worksheet with homophones questions; - Challenging homophones crossword; - Two varied AfL question sheets, for gauging progress through the lesson; - 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 engaging and informative lesson enables students to understand the role that the theme of ‘appearances’ plays in R.J. Palacio’s Wonder. In particular, students consider how appearances impact upon our lives on a daily basis, learn more about TCS (the condition affecting the protagonist - Auggie), and link what they find out to information in the novel. They then communicate their own ideas on the subject of judging people based on appearances. There is easily enough content for 2-3 lessons here, following a step-by-step learning journey. Children learn through: -Comprehending how appearances influence our lives - touching on the ideas of representations and stereotyping; -Learning about Treacher Collins Syndrome, through a short engaging video, and distilling key information; -Hot-seating, demonstrating empathy for characters whose appearance is ‘different’; -Linking what they have learnt to what is read in the opening pages of Wonder; -Communicating their ideas about judging people based on their appearances, as a part of a well-structured debate; -Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Research template; Writing to Argue helpsheet; Comprehensive lesson plan. All resources are provided in Word (for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure formatting remains fixed between different computers). Word documents are in the zip file. There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with a year 6 class, however colleagues have used them for between years 5 and 8 with only minor 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 Keith Douglas’ war poem 'Vergissmeinnicht.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Line-by-Line Analysis; Poetic Devices/ Language Devices; Themes; Form/Structure; Poems for Comparison; Links to Wider Reading. 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 is an exciting and engaging lesson/set of tasks aiming to build students’ skills at using personification and oxymorons in their writing . It was taught during an observation lesson where the teacher received an Outstanding judgement. Students learn to: - Define and give examples of what personification and oxymorons are; - Identify personification and oxymorons in fun and interesting examples; - Analyse what makes them effective; - Create their own personification and oxymorons using step-by-step advice; - Peer assess using a clear and succinct success criteria. It comes complete with: - Engaging and visual PowerPoint to guide students (and teacher!) through the lesson; - Colourful and thought-provoking two-part worksheet for the two main create tasks; - Lesson plan/ teacher guidance sheet, which goes through the lesson step-by-step; All pictures are licensed for commercial use, and image authors cited on the final slide. This lesson can also be bought as part of the Descriptive Devices bundle for just £5. The bundle leads students through each language device needed in order to write to describe confidently. Alternatively, you can buy the Descriptive Writing Big Bundle (All descriptive devices lessons, structuring and organising writing lesson, capturing the readers attention lesson, and the literacy writing mat) for £6.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Arthur Miller's 'A View from the Bridge.' It contains comprehensive sections on: - Context; - Scene by Scene Summary (with quotes); - Main Characters; - Themes; - Miller's Dramatic Devices; - The Features of Tragedy. 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).