This engaging, comprehensive lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of Carol Ann Duffy’s contemporary war poem ‘War Photographer’ with particular focus upon the language and structure used within the poem to depict the photographer’s experiences. 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: - Defining the role of the war photographer, and understanding difficulties in their job; - Securing contextual understanding of Carol Ann Duffy - the poet; - 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; - Understanding how the war photographer's life varies between war-torn locations and 'Rural England;' - Analysing how language and structure are used to portray the photographer' experiences; - Peer assessing each other's learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; (including hyperlinks to informative and engaging videos) - Copy of poem; - Deeper thinking worksheet (including a scaffolded version, and a teacher answer sheet); - Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to middle-ability year 9/10 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 interesting and highly-stimulating enables students to make clear and sustained inferences regarding the main characters and their relationships in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. In particular, students read between the lines in decoding the subtle cues suggestive of Eddie’s feelings towards Catherine in the opening stages of Act I. 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: - Understand the key learning skill of inference; -Infer key meanings from short extracts of texts; - Read and understand the opening section of Act I, in which we are introduced to the Carbone family, and infer and interpret the key information provided regarding their relationships; - Demonstrate an understanding of Eddie’s hidden feelings for Catherine, and Beatrice’s knowledge of this; - Write an emotive diary entry from Beatrice’s viewpoint, using evidence from the text to demonstrate an understanding the key meanings from the act; -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 (Beginning of Act I); - Inferences worksheet (including answer sheet for teachers); - 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 key features of effective anti-heroes, as characterised by Lord Asriel in Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights. In particular, students interpret key character traits of Lord Asriel evident in the 7th chapter of the text, before utilising this understanding to make predictions about the later events involving Lord Asriel, and then creating and describing their own anti-heroes. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Comprehending how Lord Asriel is introduced in the novel opening, through a fun, interactive team activity; Collectively defining the features of effective anti-heroes; Reading an extract from Chapter 7 of Northern Lights, identifying and explaining Lord Asriel’s characterisation as a anti-hero; Making predictions about Asriel’s future role in the novel, based on their interpretations of his character, and understanding of the generic conventions of anti-heroes; Creating and describing their own imaginative villains, utilising the features of villains effectively and imaginatively throughout; Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Paper extract of Chapter 7 of Northern Lights (freely available online); Lord Asriel Prediction Worksheet; Create Your Own Anti-Hero template; -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 7/8 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 students learning and revising French in year 5. It contains comprehensive sections on: Food; Drink; Tell the Time; Musical Genres; Musical Instruments; Sports; Numbers - 5 times table. 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 Thomas Hardy’s poem 'A Broken Appointment.’ 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 detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Carol Ann Duffy’s poem 'Warming Her Pearls.’ 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 detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Derek Walcott’s poem 'Love After Love.’ 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 detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Emily Brontë’s poem 'Love and Friendship.’ 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 detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Jackie Kay’s poem 'Dusting the Phone.’ 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 resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of E.B White's 'Charlotte's Web.' Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the upper 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 John Arable' - 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;' - 'White'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;' - 'Charlotte and 'Wilbur' - 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 'Charlotte's Web' - 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 detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising James Fenton’s poem 'In Paris with You.’ 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 interesting and highly stimulating lesson enables students to demonstrate a developed and sustained understanding of the effect of figurative language in popular music texts. In particular, students learn to explore the meanings behind similes and metaphors across songs from a range of genres, considering the effect upon the whole text and the intended audience. As one would expect, Students love learning about similes and metaphors through popular music, and this lesson can really help to open students’ eyes to how language can be crafted for effect. This has numerous benefits in later poetry and descriptive writing lessons. 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 and identify similes and metaphors; - Explain the similarities and differences between songs and poetry; - Observe and listen to several examples of similes and metaphors in popular music examples; - Understand and analyse the effect of similes and metaphors upon meanings and the reader; - Apply their knowledge of why similes and metaphors are used to a range of contexts and musical genres; - Collaborate and present their key findings about similes and metaphors in songs to their classmates; - Self-assess their learning attempts. This resource pack includes: - A visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - Link to an online compilation video of similes and metaphors in popular music; - 3 x lyrics analysis worksheets of varying difficulties (Katy Perry, Train, and Florence and the Machine - all clean) - 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 booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Sue Townsend’s ‘The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4.’ 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: 1980s Britain - 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.’ ‘Townsend’s Language Devices’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, present meaning.’ ‘Bert Baxter 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 detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Edward Thomas’ poem 'The Sorrow of True Love.’ 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 interesting and engaging lesson enables students to define and identify collective and plural nouns, to be able to use collective and plural nouns accurately, and to demonstrate knowledge of spelling and grammar rules and patterns related to collective and plural nouns. This knowledge is of particular importance when working through the new National Curriculum. 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 what collective and plural nouns are; - Research and identify different collective and plural nouns; - Understand patterns and rules in the use of collective and plural nouns; - Understand how verb form can alter dependent upon whether a noun is collective or plural; - Write accurately using collective and plural nouns, including the use of the correct noun-verb agreement. - Peer assess each other's learning attempts. This resource pack includes: - A visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - Clear and interesting worksheets to record student responses; - Answer sheets to check student understanding; - 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/ the bottom of worksheets.

This detailed and engaging lesson enables students to define and exemplify parenthesis, to understand how parenthesis is used grammatically correctly, and to use parenthesis for clarity and effect in their own writing. Students learn through a number of fun and interactive tasks, which enable them to: - Define and exemplify parenthesis; - Understand which punctuation marks are used to signal parenthesis; - Identify the parenthesis in a range of different sentences; - Understand and analyse how parenthesis can be used accurately, and for clarity and effect; - Create a written piece using parenthesis to add detail and clarity to their own writing. The resources include: -Visually engaging and comprehensive whole-lesson presentation; -A model example and analysis worksheet; -A challenging worksheet (and answer sheet) -Step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.

This interesting and highly-stimulating lesson enables students to demonstrate a developed, sustained understanding of the dramatic devices utilised in the ‘lifting of the chair’ scene in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. In particular, students engage analytically with Miller’s use of atmosphere, dramatic tension, dramatic irony, and stage directions throughout the scene. 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: - Understand the key term ‘masculinity’ and how it affects the behaviour of different characters; - Read and understand the chair-lifting scene at the end of Act One, making key interpretations and inferences; - Define and understand the dramatic devices: dramatic devices, dramatic irony, atmosphere, and stage directions. - Critically engage with Miller’s use of dramatic devices at the end of the Act One, including the events leading up to the chair lifting section. -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 (end section of Act One); - Dramatic Devices Cards; - Dramatic Devices worksheet (including answer sheet for teachers); - 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 lesson enables students to make precise interpretations of the final chapter of Philip Pullman’s ‘Northern Lights.’ They also learn how the different features of the endings (for example plot twists, dark moments, and unpredictable elements) combine to create endings that are engaging and effective. At the end of the lesson, they use this understanding to create their own alternate endings to the text. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: -Recapping the key events from earlier in the text, (in order to lay the foundations for understanding the ending); -Reading and comprehending the ending of the text, through reading chapter 23 and answering thoughtful comprehension questions; -Analysing the effectiveness of the ending, considering a range of techniques used by Pullman to structure his ending; -Creating their own alternate ending, using the agreed features of effective endings; Self assessing their learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Extract from Chapter 23 of Northern Lights; Analysis template; 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 7/8 classes, however colleagues have used them for between years 5 and 10 with some adaptations. The PowerPoint is in the zipfile. 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 Robert Swindell's 'Stone Cold.' It contains comprehensive sections on: - Context; - Chapter by Chapter Summary (with quotes); - Main Characters; - Themes; - Swindell's Language Devices; - Features of Thriller Novels. 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 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 magazine 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.