I'm an English teacher with 18 years teaching experience in the state and independent sectors. I've held TLRs for KS3 and KS5, am a GCSE examiner and have worked in education research and development. All my resources have been successfully tried and tested in the classroom.
I'm an English teacher with 18 years teaching experience in the state and independent sectors. I've held TLRs for KS3 and KS5, am a GCSE examiner and have worked in education research and development. All my resources have been successfully tried and tested in the classroom.
Set of resources for a Year 7 lesson at the start of term revising correct use of capital letters, full stops and commas. This was specifically adapted for pupils to complete individually and self assess in our new post lockdown classrooms. Main task answers and some extension tasks are included on the PowerPoint.
Alternatively, you could set these SPaG tasks as remote learning or homework.
Hopefully this will help fellow English teachers at the busy start of the academic year. All you need to do in advance is print off the worksheets (or upload to your virtual learning environment).
Details of 13 lessons on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for the new Edexcel AS English Literature spec (prose comparison).
Due to workload, these resources are not up to the standard of my premium resources and do sometimes borrow from others' ideas and free TES resources. Moreover, a few resources are detailed on the lesson plans, but not uploaded due to copyright - these are from Teachit and emagazines. I have put details of these resources on my lesson plans so you will be able to locate the Teachit resources (available free as PDFs) and the emag articles if your centre has a subscription.
I hope they are of use.
Two sheets to be enlarged to A3 to help students revise key quotes from ‘An Inspector Calls’ for the new AQA English Literature GCSE Paper 2. This revision resource was created specifically with my visual learners in mind.
I photocopied the sheets single sided to encourage students to display them at home.
Three lessons and a copy of the poem. Created for part of a Year 8 ballads scheme of work. Extension tasks are included.
Although the lessons show progress through my school's adapted APP levels, each could easily be adapted.
The first lesson focuses on reading the poem and understanding the poet's choice of viewpoint and possible effect on the reader. The two following lessons focus on writing skills -specifically correct use of the semi-colon.
A lesson for the new AQA English Language AS/A Level using an Argos Barbie advert to bring together genderlect theories students have learned and apply them to an example for analysis. Lesson leads to students writing a practice AS / A Level English Language Paper 2 essay on language and gender. Example essay question included on the final slide. Annotated modelling example to get students started, addressing different linguistic methods, is also included on the PowerPoint.
Seven resources for an outstanding rated observed lesson on Frankenstein for the new AQA GCSE 1-9 spec. Lesson created for a top set Year 10 class exploring the methods Shelley uses to create tension and drama in Chapter 23 (AO2 focus). Details on lesson plan re objectives, timings, differentiation, creative and independent learning. Plus some extra info on the notes sections under some slides. I laminated the starter picture and AO2 criteria so I could use them again.
I hope some or all of the ideas are useful and save my fellow English teachers some valuable time for prep, marking, family time or much needed sleep!
A sheet I created to use for CLD essay feedback (AQA English Language A Level Paper 1 Section B) highlighting where students have met the assessment criteria for AO1 and AO2 and highlighting (or adding) key targets. I then staple it to the front of the essay.
I have used this successfully since the new spec came in. It helps focus students on key areas for improvement and what the A Level examiners are specifically looking for.
Please visit my TES shop for further A Level English Language resources.
Cloze activities on Chapters 1-10 and Chapter 15 of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. I first created these to help a low ability class and used them as starters or mini plenaries. Learning support also used these cloze exercises to help absent pupils catch up or remind pupils what they had read in class.
Chapters 8 and 9 are combined in one cloze exercise. The rest are on individual chapters.
A full lesson including an A* exemplar accents (language diversity) essay produced for my Year 12 AQA English Language students as a modelling example in the Autumn term and 22 slide PowerPoint.
This lesson guides Year 12 students through potential content for an AQA Paper 1 Section A evaluative essay (after I had taught the accents part of my accent and dialect SoW). This is followed by use of the exemplar essay to guide students through the AQA mark scheme and exemplify level 4 and some level 5 AO1 and AO2 success criteria.
Initially, I cut up the essay and asked students to organise it into an argument (AO1 level 4), then we discussed whether it guided the reader (AO1 level 5). We then explored the use of precise AO1 terminology and academic register before exploring evidence of detailed knowledge and comments on different views and approaches (AO2 level 4) and how some of these views were challenged and evaluated (AO2 level 5). The PowerPoint also helps students understand what the mark scheme wording means.
I then gave my students two new accents essay titles to choose from for their first A Level essay - details on PowerPoint.
All lesson details are on the PowerPoint with some additional tips/ideas/links in the notes sections.
This lesson proved a great success with high quality A Level essays produced by my students.
The AQA Paper 2 Section A mark scheme can be found on the AQA website.
A 21 slide resource covering Macbeth Act 5, Scenes 2, 3 and 4.
After reading Scene 2, pupils discuss questions (extension task included). After reading Scenes 3 and 4, test pupil knowledge and understanding through a quiz based on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' When I used this with my Year 9 set 2 class, I paused the quiz at the end of the Scene 3 questions to read Scene 4. You could, however, read both scenes before starting the quiz. I also used named lolly sticks to ensure random pupils were chosen to answer questions. For the final question I had the answers stuck round the classroom and asked pupils to stand next to the one they agreed with. I then chose more able pupils to explain their choices. It is an active learning lesson which worked very well with my class.
Two resources - both PowerPoints have nine slides - covering two lessons on the opening scenes of Act 2. A range of activities included, including a homework task, extension activities and differentiation by choice.
The modern version of Macbeth's soliloquy is not included as it is a Teachit sheet you can download for free.
Both lessons were created for my set 2 Year 9 class, but could easily be adapted for different abilities.
Two PowerPoints to help pupils understand Act 1, Scenes 3 and 4. The worksheet for Act 1, Scene 3 is not included due to copyright. It is available to download for free from Teachit (1364) - details on PowerPoint.
Extension tasks included to challenge the more able. Homework task included with extension activity.
I used a DVD of the Judi Dench/Ian McKellan Macbeth as a recap for pupils after the first three scenes. This worked really well to consolidate their knowledge and understanding before moving onto Scene 4.
These lessons were created for a set 2 Year 9 class, but could easily be adapted for different abilities or for a KS4 class.
An eight slide resource covering key aspects/quotes of Macbeth Act 3, Scenes 2-4. The lesson includes a variety of tasks including whole class reading, pair/small group reading, watching and discussing a clip of Act 3, Scene 4 and answering written questions to check understanding. The learning focus is RAF3 (interpretations supported by relevant, brief evidence and to encourage students to link ideas/quotes from different scenes).
Extension tasks are included to challenge more able pupils.
This is a lesson from the SOW I created for a Year 9 set 2 class.
An eleven slide resource for two lessons. In the first lesson pupils read Act 5, Scene 1 and explore how Lady Macbeth is presented using a variety of tasks. In the second lesson, pupils choose key quotes they can use from Act 1, Scenes 5-7 and Act 5, Scene 1 and then write a comparative mini essay answering the question: How has Lady Macbeth changed from the first to final Acts of the play? All the activities in these lessons build up to this essay, with extension tasks helping more able pupils access higher levels and a writing frame to help pupils structure their response. This writing frame also has starter sentences for pupils who need a bit of additional support. Pupils peer assess their essays before teacher feedback using success criteria viewed early in the first lesson.
I have also included some different ideas re how you could get pupils to tackle different tasks depending on your class size and ability.
These lessons were created as part of a SOW for my Year 9 set 2 class. I used this as their end of unit reading assessment with the following lesson being DIRT with pupils using my formative written feedback to guide them.
Five resources:
1. A sheet of key quotes from the novel for the new AQA GCSE English Lit closed book exam. Page numbers are included so pupils can see the quotes in context in their copy of the novel. This resource could also be used to help pupils revise the novel's themes by getting them to decide what key theme(s) each quote reveals or to test a pupil's knowledge of the novel by trying to allocate each quote to a chapter or who some of the quotes are spoken by. You could also use this resource for a differentiation by choice homework to help pupils practise their PEA skills.
2. Homework questions on Chapter Six.
3. Homework questions on Chapter Seven.
4. Homework questions on Chapter Nine.
5. Homework questions on Chapter Ten.
All the homework sheets have extension tasks to challenge the more able and help them access the higher levels on the new AQA GCSE English Lit spec. These are ready made homework tasks you can set after reading these chapters or for revision.
Six resources detailing activities on Chapters 4, 6, 10, 11, 16 and a final choice of written task options after completing class reading of the novel.
Sheets on Chapters 4, 6, 10 and 11 include extracts from the novel I typed up to help focus pupils on specific significant sections of those chapters.
Most resources include extension tasks and the final chapters task sheet has differentiation by choice.
Three resources, including a 15 slide PowerPoint, for a lesson exploring Lady Macbeth's language in Act 1, Scene 5 and the use of dramatic irony in Act 1, Scene 6.
The lesson was created for a Year 9 set 2 class, but could easily be adapted for different abilities or a KS4 class. Extension tasks are included and pupils peer assess their PEA work for RAF5 (explain and comment on a writer's use of language). A research homework - with extension task - is also included.
The lesson proved to be hugely successful with my current and previous Year 9 classes.
An 81 slide fun quiz made up of 53 questions and answers which can be used for KS3, KS4 or even KS5 classes with three main rounds for engaging variety in those end of term lessons.
There is a 25 question general literature knowledge quiz first - with the extra benefit that the last letter of each answer is the beginning letter of the following answer. This is followed by a ten question round on literary terms. You may or may not want to add correct spelling into the mix for that round! Answers are at the end of that round. The third round is a name that book round with fifteen book covers with the titles blanked out. Answers are at the end of that round. The books are from a range of target ages and genres. There is also a final round of three bonus questions if you need some tie-breakers.
This was initially created last year and proved hugely popular with all my English classes from Year 7 to Year 13. It is an hour of end of term fun related to English, literature and independent reading.
8 resources for 3 lessons helping pupils prepare for the AQA KS3 assessments (reading). Tasks are based on the Paper 1 format, although the source is non-fiction rather than fiction (local news article) as I had just completed a non-fiction SOW with the class.
Lessons 1 and 2 take pupils through the main tasks, with whole class modelling of the longer answers to support all pupils. Pupils then individually complete a task at a time in timed conditions. This also helped focus pupils on how long to spend on tasks with different marks. Peer assessment is used for the shorter tasks to cut down teacher marking time. There is a mark scheme (again based on the AQA KS3 assessments) which can be matched to APP levels or school flightpath skills.
For lesson 3, I gave pupils copies of example answers to focus on key skills in the mark scheme and to support their DIRT. This lesson has differentiation by task to enable more able pupils the challenge of answering a language and structure task without teacher guidance - so building resilience in addition to analysis skills.
During lessons 1 and 2 there are also extension tasks (and skills reminders) for the more able, plus modelling examples to support all pupils.
Most activities are self-explanatory, but I have included some additional details and ideas for teachers below some slides. I have also included a sheet of all the questions that could be issued to pupils - although I only used the PowerPoints with my class.
These resources were produced for a mixed ability Year 7 class (APP level range from 3 to 6) and it proved highly successful in focusing pupils on comprehension and PEE analysis of language and structure. Moreover, confidence has been increased in their ability to succeed in the forthcoming end of year exams. The lessons could easily be adapted for set ability groups.