This 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Thomas Hardy’s poem ‘The Oxen.’ 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 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Thomas Hardy’s poem ‘The Voice.’ 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.’

In this engaging lesson, children are provided with an introductory understanding of the life Florence Nightingale, through learning about: -who she was and what she did; -when she lived and what life was like at the time; -her lasting achievements. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge harvesting - gauging what children already know about Florence Nightingale, inferring additional information from a picture clue, and gathering what else they would like to know; -Understanding when she lived through a timeline activity; -Gathering information about her life and her achievements through watching an age-appropriate, interesting video (hyperlinked) and answering questions about what they have learnt; -Completing plenary activities to demonstrate their understanding of each of the concepts learnt in the lesson; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. Included is the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (around 23 slides) and the links to the video. In the past, I have used this lesson with children in KS1 (years 1 and 2) - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for history. All images are licensed for commercial use.

This engaging, comprehensive lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of the ‘boat-stealing’ extract from William Wordsworth’s poem 'The Prelude’ (the section of the poem covered by most GCSE exam boards). The lesson has a particular focus upon the poet’s use of language, structure, and subject matter 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 key contextual features, and developing a contextual understanding of Wordsworth’s life; 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 themes of youth, age and loss of life are conveyed through Wordsworth’s language and structure choices; Self/ Peer assessing each others’ learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; (including a hyperlink to a reading of the video) Research template; Copy of poem; Deeper thinking worksheet; Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; I have not included a lesson plan, as the PowerPoint offers a self-explanatory journey through the activities. 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 Joan of Arc. It is particularly useful for those completing a history study of middle ages or significant individuals in historical societies. It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in Her Life; Important Vocabulary; Joan of Arc 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 clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about the anti-bullying activist Jaylen Arnold. It is particularly useful for those learning about activism in PSHE, significant people in History, or as part of a ‘Heroes’ topic. It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in His Life; Important Vocabulary; Jaylen Arnold 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 clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about Malala Yousafzai. It is particularly useful for those learning about activism in PSHE, significant people in History, or as part of a ‘Heroes’ topic. It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in Her Life; Important Vocabulary; Malala Yousafzai 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 clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about Marie Curie as a part of their history study of ‘Significant Individuals.’ It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in Her Life; Important Vocabulary; Marie Curie 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.

In this engaging lesson, students develop their understanding of special places in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It was originally taught as a part of an RE unit on ‘Special Places’ and so assumes some prior knowledge of churches and mosques (I have uploaded the prior lessons on this). The lesson introduces synagogues. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge recall - gauging what children already know about special places in Christianity and Islam; -Being introduced to synagogues and their key features; -Using a provided worksheet/ template to find similarities and differences between churches, mosques and synagogues; -Creating their own special places; -Completing a plenary activity to assess their understanding; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. This resource pack includes the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (23 slides) and the worksheet (provided in both Word and PDF). There is everything that you need here to teach the lesson, but you may wish to have some cardboard, shoeboxes etc. available for the creative task. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 1 - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use.

In this engaging lesson, students develop their understanding of special places in Judaism. It was originally taught as a part of an RE unit on ‘Special Places.’ The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge recall - gauging what children already know about special places in other religions; -Being introduced to Herod’s Temple and the Western Wall, learning basic facts about where they are/ what they mean to Jews; -Watching an age-appropriate, engaging video about Hannukah, and how it is related to events from the past at Herod’s Temple; -Using these ideas to understand why the Western Wall is so sacred for Jews; -Learning about Sukkah, including their main features and why they are built; -Creating their own special places; -Completing a plenary activity to assess their understanding; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. This resource pack includes the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (23 slides) and the hyperlink for the video. There is everything that you need here to teach the lesson. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 1 - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use.

In this engaging lesson, students develop their understanding of churches and what happens in them. It was originally taught as a part of an RE unit on ‘Special Places.’ The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge harvesting what children already know about churches, and what they would like to find out; -Studying a number of images of different features in churches (provided) and using a template to record their findings; -Discussing and identifying what events take place in churches, and how these are commemorated; -Understanding that churches are special places to Christians, and that we should behave respectfully when we are in/ around them; -Completing a plenary activity to assess their understanding; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. This resource pack includes the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (23 slides) and the template & pictures for the main activity (provided in Word and PDF). There is everything that you need here to teach the lesson. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 1 - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use.

In this engaging lesson, students consider the places that are important to them. The lesson serves as a foundation for children’s later learning about places that are special to people of different faiths. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Discussing the differences between a house and a home; -Considering what features make a home a special place to many people; -Identifying the things that make their own homes a special place; -Brainstorming other places that people may consider as special, e.g. their town or their school; -Understanding that different people are individuals, and have their own opinions of places that are special; -Completing a plenary activity to assess their understanding; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. This resource pack includes the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (17 slides) and the template for the main special places activity (provided in Word and PDF). There is everything that you need here to teach the lesson. In the past, I have used this lesson with children from across Key Stage 1 - the key learning is aligned with curriculum expectations for RE, and also the content prescribed by most diocese regions. All images are licensed for commercial use.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension of the opening chapter of Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile. It contains a link to the online text (on the first slide) and this is also provided as a PDF. This 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 2-3, 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 comprehension of the opening chapter of Roald Dahl’s ‘Danny, the Champion of the World.’ It contains a link to the online text (on the first slide) and this is also provided as a PDF. This 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 3-5, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.