I'm currently the head of English and raising standards leader at a secondary school in Birmingham. I'm passionate about my subject and passionate about ensuring that the young people we serve leave education with a high competency in English.
Prior to teaching I worked in the radio industry as a presenter for 7 years and so when I became a teacher I enjoyed the opportunity to teach Media studies.
You'll find hundreds of English and Media studies resources.
I'm currently the head of English and raising standards leader at a secondary school in Birmingham. I'm passionate about my subject and passionate about ensuring that the young people we serve leave education with a high competency in English.
Prior to teaching I worked in the radio industry as a presenter for 7 years and so when I became a teacher I enjoyed the opportunity to teach Media studies.
You'll find hundreds of English and Media studies resources.
Lessons that guide students through the process of writing a comparison between Exposure and Extract from the Prelude as well as Exposure and Storm on the Island.
Students are encouraged to think about a thesis - a central argument that will run throughout their essay. What do we learn about the power in Exposure? What is the big idea?
Once students have this they are encouraged to unpick a quotation and explore how the words/devices used corroborate their thesis before writing their first paragraph.
Once complete, students apply the same process to the second poem by considering how the power has been presented and using evidence effectively.
40 revision cards with questions on one side and answers on the other to make revision fast and simple. This resource is best used in a small index card folder/organiser.** (As seen in the image) **
Based on the Leitner method, the idea is simple: the further the card goes back in the folder: the more secure the information is in long term memory.
A card can only move back a position if you correctly answer the questions on the card. If at any point you do not answer a card correctly enough, the card must return to section 1 regardless of how far back it went. This is because it needs to be re-studied.
Quotation cards
There are 3 questions on each card: a ‘who’ question, a ‘what’ question and a ‘why’ question.
Knowledge cards.
These cards test knowledge of either subject terminology or the text itself. Subject terminology cards include questions on the definitions of language devices, sentence types and word classes as well as specific terminology.
Knowledge cards include questions about context, plot, character and theme.
Getting started
Create 6 sections in your ‘Lightning Revision’ folder.
Place all/some cards in section 1 at the front of the folder.
Follow the timetable card **(photo attached) **which tells you which of the sections you should revise each day. You’ll revise section 1 every day because cards in this section are the ones that you are least secure with.
If you answer correctly enough: move the card to the next section.
If you aren’t happy that you answered correctly enough then move the card back to section 1. (Regardless of how far back in the folder it was.)
**The Science bit: the better the mastery: the less frequent the practice. **
‘Lightning Revision’ works using the principle of ‘spaced learning.’
Research shows that after studying something: within one hour, you will have forgotten an average of 50% percent of the information. Within 24 hours, you have forgotten around 70% and within a month, this increases to 90%.
By spacing out the studying and by returning frequently to the material we want to remember, we increase our chances of committing it to long term memory.
Instead of ‘cramming,’ the simple act of spacing out revision in instalments, and allowing time to elapse between them makes the learning and memory stronger.
This resource has been created to help information that you have revised stay within your long term memory. In this system, we revise information that we are insecure with more frequently.
2 versions included:
Print - fold horizontally - cut them up and you’re ready to go!
Print back to back and you;re ready to go.
A lesson that encourages students to think deeply when exploring Churchill’s speech.
Students work towards answering the question: How does Churchill attempt to motivate the British people?
This is a complete 6 week unit on Non Fiction Writing using topical issues.
Students work through a booklet which contains all extracts and activities. There is also an accompanying power point presentation.
Students will explore the following speeches, letters and articles:
Boris Johnson - Lockdown
Marcus Rashford - free school meals
Greta Thunberg - climate change
David Attenborough - climate change
Lilly Allen - Refugee crisis
Bukayo Saka - Racism in football
Martin Luther King - Racism
Emma Watson - gender equality
Malala - 16th birthday speech
Hands not hate article in response to homophobic attacks
As students progress through the unit they will explore rhetoric and how effective non fiction writing is structured and work on building their own piece of writing.
The unit culminates with speaking and listening.
The booklet also contains scaffolds for students who may need support in accessing the unit.
3 lessons designed to revise with students how to write an academic essay including introduction.
The first lesson models to students
The second lesson is a ‘we do’ lesson where, with teacher support, students structure an answer to a new A Christmas Carol question.
The third lesson is designed to be an assessment where students answer a third question independently.
Three sample assessments included
These resources (four lessons) guide students how to tackle each of the questions on language paper 1.
The extract is taken from ‘The Mist in the mirror.’
Included is a ppt to guide students through the expectations of each question including model answers that would achieve at least a grade 5 and planning strategies for each question.
Worksheets are also included which can be uploaded to an online learning platform for students to complete. Worksheets are very user friendly to minimise student difficulty.
A series of lessons attached that explore ‘Simon Lee: The Old Hunstman.’
Lessons include:
inference skills
comparing perspectives with model answers
do now activities
exploration of moral and links to the corona virus pandemic and random acts of kindness
article writing
These resources (four lessons) guide students how to tackle each of the questions on language paper 2.
The paper used is the Summer 2019 paper.
Included is a ppt to guide students through the expectations of each question including model answers that would achieve at least a grade 5 and planning strategies for each question.
Worksheets are also included which can be uploaded to an online learning platform for students to complete. Worksheets are very user friendly to minimise student difficulty.
A variety of resources to support the teaching of anti bullying as part of English context or as part of PSHE.
Resources include:
- national anti bullying week ideas
- Who wants to be a millionaire anti bullying game
- pledge cards
- analysis of anti bullying posters
- create own anti bullying speeches/posters etc.
- forms of bullying
-research lesson ideas
Resources to support the teaching of the following poems:
- Harmonium
- Sonnet 43
- Quickdraw
- Sister Maude
- To his coy mistress
- In Paris with you
- The farmer's bride
- Brothers
- Ghazal
- Born yesterday
Resources to support the teaching of speech writing.
Resources provide opportunities to:
- structure speeches using the 6 part structure
- develop persuasive skills
- write speeches on the theme of the increase in legal driving age
- write speeches on the theme of TV talent shows
Students will study speeches by the following people as a stimulus:
- Winston Churchill
- Elizabeth I
- Earl spencer tribute to Diana
- Barack Obama
- George Bush
- Martin Luther King
- Nelson Mandella
Resources that provide students with a fun exploration of English as an introduction to KS3 or KS2.
Students develop a variety of English skills through the theme of going on a quest. Along the quest students must negotiate a number of labours which will each help them to develop necessary skills such as:
- descriptive writing
- formal letter structure
- planning skills
- narrative writing
- solving riddles
- creating characters
With very few sample assessment materials provided by the exam boards I have created my own.
They have been made to look exactly like the assessments that students will sit in the real 9-1 examinations and are phrased in the same ways too.
The student responses can then be marked using the relevant mark scheme for literature.
The extract in this assessment is taken from chapter 6.
Students explore extracts taken from Anne Frank’s dairy and explore the language she uses to express her feelings. Focus is applied to forming deeper interpretations.
Reading is also provided around the Holocaust which leads into an imaginative writing speech task based on this.
Do now quizzes also included.
This knowledge book has been created so that students work through it in lessons rather than using an exercise book for all activities. Exercise books are then just used for extended writing.
All key knowledge for Macbeth has been pre-determined and this booklet provides that knowledge alongside purposeful activities and tasks for each scene of the play. When complete - students then have a perfect revision guide to use as part of their exam preparation.
Included in this knowledge book:
32+ lessons covering every scene
a ‘do now’ knowledge retention activity in every lesson
a powerpoint with all knowledge quiz answers
a big and small question to guide learning and discussion
key knowledge including key terminology
embedded contextual links as part of ‘extended reading’
an appendix containing scaffolded activities
activities that also help students to work on the skills required for the language papers
opportunity for students to develop narrative and transactional writing
opportunity to develop language paper 1 and 2 skills
Also useful for students to use as a revision booklet ahead of GCSE examinations.
Two lessons, used for remote learning but can be used in class, that serve as an introduction to ballads.
Students read ‘Homeless Jack’ and explore the conventions of ballads.
In lesson 2 students write their own ballad about ‘Too tall Paul’ after reading an extract from an article about Britian’s tallest man.
Fully differentiated lessons to support the teaching of the new specification AQA English language paper 1 - reading and writing. Lessons are numbered for ease of use.
Differentiation by colour:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
All texts for study are included as are:
- sample exam questions
- sample responses
- medium term plans
Lessons allow students to develop skills in:
- Listing information from texts
- Language analysis
- Structure analysis
- Evaluation - agree/disagree
- Narrative writing
- Descriptive writing
With very few sample assessment materials provided by the exam boards I have created my own.
They have been made to look exactly like the assessments that students will sit n the real 9-1 examinations and are phrased in the same ways too.
This paper uses War photographer as the printed poem.
The student responses can then be marked using the relevant mark scheme for Power and conflict poetry.
With very few sample assessment materials provided by the exam boards I have created my own.
They have been made to look exactly like the assessments that students will sit in the real 9-1 examinations and are phrased in the same ways too.
The student responses can then be marked using the relevant mark scheme for literature.
The extract in this assessment is taken from chapter 9.
With very few sample assessment materials provided by the exam boards I have created my own.
They have been made to look exactly like the assessments that students will sit n the real 9-1 examinations and are phrased in the same ways too.
This paper uses an extract from act 1 scene 5
The student responses can then be marked using the relevant mark scheme for Shakespeare.
Assessment requires extract analysis and then question b is based on the play as a whole.