This writing resource is perfect for use in literacy/writing lessons across the curriculum. Bright, colourful, and realistic, this resource enriches students' writing experiences whilst enabling them to showcase the skills and knowledge that they have picked up throughout their learning. This lesson is also available as a part of a larger multi-media writing template bundle from TandLGuru that includes: Facebook page template, email template, messenger template, tabloid template, broadsheet template, and a postcard template. Most are easily editable and visually stimulating for students.

This engaging and detailed lesson enables students to gain a deep understanding of the Greek Myth ‘Theseus and The Minotaur.’ In doing so, students learn to interpret and infer the key meanings in a myth, analyse the descriptive language in a myth, and use descriptive language to describe their own ancient Greek monster. 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 terms ‘adjective’ and ‘synonym’ and use these appropriately and imaginatively to describe an image of the Minotaur; - Read the story ‘Theseus and The Minotaur’ and interpret the key meanings; - Identify, understand, and analyse the descriptive language in ‘Theseus and The Minotaur;’ - Apply their understanding of descriptive techniques by creating and describing their own mythical beast, using a model example, a success criteria, and a scaffold; - Peer assess each other’s descriptive attempts. This resource pack includes: - A visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - Paper copies and online links to the extract needed for the lesson; - Understanding Descriptive Language worksheet; - Creating a Beast Template, and model example; - 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 detailed lesson enables students to gain a deep understanding of the Greek Myth ‘Perseus and Medusa.’ In doing so, students learn to interpret and infer the key elements of plot in texts, comment upon the key themes and plot ideas running through a text, and empathise with the first-person perspective of a character. 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 ‘bravery’ and understand its position as a theme within the plot; - Read the story ‘Perseus and Medusa’ and interpret the key meanings; - Identify, explain, and analyse the key plot elements and themes in ‘Perseus and Medusa;’ - Storyboard the main plot features in the text; - Engage deeply with the text by inferring the thoughts and feelings of the main character; - 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 extract needed for the lesson; - Plot and Themes worksheet; - Storyboard 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 detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising George Orwell's 'Animal Farm.' It contains comprehensive sections on: - Context; - Chapter by Chapter Summary (with quotes); - Main Characters; - Themes; - Features of Allegory; - 'The Power of Persuasion (in the speeches of Old Major and Squealer). 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 detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Martin Carter’s poem 'Looking at Your Hands.’ 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 or A4, 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.

Now with PDF version included! This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use in guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the Year 3 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 are also generic enough to ensure that they are appropriate for use with all texts. Activities and games within the booklet include: - Mind Reader - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Work out how a character is feeling in a story from their actions, and explain how you know with evidence from the text.' - Text Inspector - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Use non-fiction texts to find out information on a subject.' - Rap Battle - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Read aloud poems, and perform playscripts.' - Organised Ernie - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Say how a text is organised in order to help you understand it, for example using paragraphs, headings, sub-headings, and inverted commas to show speech.' Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 20 pages in length!) All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included.)

Perfect for English lessons, or as part of a literacy across the curriculum scheme, the VCOP lessons aim to build students' fundamental writing skills. Engaging, differentiated, and easily adaptable, this lesson aims to improve students' skills at using varied and appropriate vocabulary, following a logical learning journey to ensure that students learn in bite-size steps: - Defining word types; - Identifying varied vocabulary in humorous writing examples; - Analysing varied vocabulary in an interesting descriptive passage; - Creating their descriptive piece, using varied vocabulary; - Peer or self evaluating their varied vocabulary attempts. Resources, worksheets, and a lesson plan are provided. This resource can either be bought alone, or as part of a VCOP bundle (see resource VCOP - All lessons & scheme - vocabulary, connectives, openers, punctuation) for just £1 more.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising knowledge of World War I. It contains comprehensive sections on: Major Events - dates, images, descriptions, and key facts; Key People - Archduke Franz Ferdinand, David Lloyd George, Tsar Nicholas II, Woodrow Wilson, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Wilfred Owen; Main Participating Countries - Flags, Year joined and death toll; Timeline of Major Events. 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 clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for year 5-6 children when writing recounts. 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 mystery stories at upper KS2. It contains distinct sections covering: -Recounts Overview; -Content: Settings, Characters, and Plot; -Language: Descriptive Devices, Dialogue, Conjunctions, Punctuation Checklist and Word Mat; -Structure - Titles, Planning Techniques and other tips; -Key Vocabulary The content is fully aligned with the age-related expectations for upper 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).

These engaging, comprehensive lesson resources aim to improve students’ understanding of Beatrice Garland’s conflict poem ‘Kamikaze’ with a particular focus upon the language, structure, and subject matter used 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: Knowledge harvesting what they know about Japan, World War II and kamikaze pilots, developing their contextual understanding to aid their reading of the poem; 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 predominant themes are conveyed through Garland’s language and structure choices; Self/ Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: 1.Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; (including a hyperlink to a reading of the video) 2.Research template; 3.Copy of poem; 4.Deeper thinking worksheet; 5.Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; 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 clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about Geoffrey Chaucer. It is particularly useful for those completing a history study of ‘Significant Individuals.’ It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in his Life; Important Vocabulary; Geoffrey Chaucer 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 interesting and engaging enables students to know what newspaper articles are and why people read them, understand the features that make effective newspaper articles, and write their own interesting and appropriate newspaper articles. In particular, students learn to use a range of appropriate features in writing their own newspaper articles, including facts and opinions, jargon, testimonies, and puns. There are easily enough resources here for 2 lessons on this topic. Over the course of their learning journey, students: - Define and exemplify what newspapers are; - Understand why people read newspapers; - Understand and categorise the different techniques used by newspapers; - Identify the features of newspapers in model examples; - Analyse the effect of techniques in newspapers upon the reader; - Use a wide-range of techniques in writing their own newspaper articles; - Peer and self assess each other's newspaper article attempts. The resources include: -Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint; -A colourful and helpful 'Writing Newspaper Articles' Help-Sheet; -Techniques cards for defining the key key features of newspaper articles; -Analysing newspaper articles worksheet; -Blank newspaper article template; -A model example of a newspaper article; -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 through the reading of an original factfile about the life of Ernest Shackleton. 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 2-4, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading the opening to Michael Morpurgo’s ‘Conker.’ 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 extract needed is provided as a PDF. The session is best suited for children in years 2-4, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to understand the key features of the historical context of World War I, in order to gain a clearer of understanding of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse. In particular, students learn about the key features of World War I (including the role of horses) before linking their understanding of historical context to different extracts from the text. Finally, they analyse Morpurgo’s key intentions/messages in including such ideas within his novel. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Researching and understanding key information about World War I, including how it was initiated, the role of horses, life in the trenches, and going ‘over the top;’ Linking the key features of context to sections of the text; Reading selected extracts from the text, in order to link ideas regarding context and text together; Analysing Morpurgo’s key messages and ideas in through his depiction of the historical context; Creating their own anti-war propaganda posters, detailing what war was really like for young soldiers; Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts; Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Research Template; Selected extracts (from chapters 2, 4, 7 and 8); 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 7 and 8 classes, however colleagues have used them for between year 4 (advanced) and year 9 with minimal adaptations. Please note that students will need internet access for the research introduction task. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This engaging and thought-provoking lesson aids students in developing a secure understanding of Chapter 1 of Clive King’s 'Stig of the Dump.’ The opening chapter is entitled ‘The Ground Gives Way.’ The resources guide the children along a learning journey in which they understand the text through: -Making predictions; -Retrieving information; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings; -Summarising the key events of the chapter. Children are guided through the lesson via a colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint explanation, which includes a range of thought-provoking activities and model examples/ answers. The tasks are comprised of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, summarising, explaining and deeper thinking activities. Children also get the opportunity to partake in a creative activity at the end of the lesson. There’s a lot in the session (16 slides in total) so you may wish to either select the content that is pertinent to you/ your class or spread the lesson resource over two sessions. The resource is ideally pitched for children in lower KS2, but could feasibly be used with slightly older or younger children, 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 Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda.’ 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 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 Miss Honey’ - 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;’ ‘Dahl’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;’ ‘Description of the Miss Trunchbull’ - 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’ - 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 around 20 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. The resource is suitable for home/ remote learning. All images are licensed for commercial use.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Philip Pullman’s ‘Northern Lights.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS3 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children 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 children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: ‘Context: Religion’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know the purpose, audience and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to support comprehension.’ ‘Pullman’s Description’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, present meaning.’ ‘Lyra’s Character Profile’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Study setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these.’ ‘Vocabulary Inspector’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Learn new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is 23 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 precise interpretations of the descriptive language used by Philip Pullman in his descriptions of settings in ‘Northern Lights.’ 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 Pullman describes ‘The North’ and ‘The Bear Palace,’ and identifying the language techniques used to paint an image of place in the minds of the readers; Analysing the effectiveness of each of Pullman’s descriptive devices; Creating their own description of an awe-inspiring 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 Northern Lights; ‘Bear Palace’ analysis worksheet; Writing to Describe Helpsheet 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 7/8 classes, however colleagues have used them for between years 5 and 10 with some adaptations. The PowerPoint is in the zip file. All images are liensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This engaging and thought-provoking double-lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the opening chapters (prime numbers 2 to 19 inclusive) of Mark Haddon’s 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.’ In this section of the text, Christopher finds the dead dog, is arrested by police and explains his love of space and prime numbers to the reader. The comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation enables students to understand the text through: -Making predictions; -Retrieving information; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings; -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 (21 slides in total) so I would definitely recommend breaking into two lessons. The lessons are best suited to students in KS3 or KS4, depending upon the individual context of the school and students.