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.
Fully differentiated lessons to support the teaching of 'Remains' by Simon Armitage
3 lessons that include pupil talk tasks, assessment, outcomes and cover:
- context of the poem
- language analysis
- form and structure exploration
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow - higher ability
Fully differentiated lessons to support the teaching of 'Kamikaze' by Beatrice Garland.
4 lessons that include pupil talk tasks, assessment, outcomes and cover:
- context of the poem
- language analysis
- form and structure exploration
- interleaved content to link theme of honour to other lit texts
- structure strip to elicit better analysis
- comparison of Poppies and Kamikaze
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow - higher ability
Fully differentiated resources (by colour) to support the teaching of Music videos for GCSE.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Resources provide opportunities to:
- explore the history of music videos
- analyse music videos
- explore the audience of music videos
- explore and create audience profiles
- present ideas for a new music video
- explore the mark scheme for assignment 3
- explore music video genre
- explore camera angles
Four fully differentiated (by colour) lessons to support the teaching of Romeo and Juliet Act 1 scene 2 and scene 3.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Resources provide opportunities to:
- explore language, form and structure
- assess against the 9-1 specification success criteria
- explore the presentation of Elizabethan parents
- explore the theme of power
- compare the parenting of Lord and Lady Capulet
- structure analytical paragraphs using WHAT, HOW, WHY instead of PEE which can restricting
A structure strip is included which can be stuck into student books to guide them through an analytical comparison
With only a very limited number of sample assessment materials published for the new specification I have made 4 exam questions for Romeo and Juliet that are perfect for mock exams.
Each question has been created in the format of the real exam questions and includes an extract which students start by analysing before moving from extract to whole. Number of marks available are stated, as are the bullet points that guide student responses.
The questions:
1. Presentation of the Friar
2. Theme of conflict
3. Presentation of Romeo
4. Presentation of Juliet
Resources to support the teaching of letter writing.
The lessons take stimulus from the following:
- Children in need
- Comic relief
- Pimp my ride
- Holidays from hell
Resources provide opportunities to:
- structure formal letters
- use the 6 part structure to form letter content
- write persuasively
- write emotively
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
Over 13 fully differentiated and meticulously planned lessons to support the teaching of Beowulf as part of the study of the history of the English language. Lessons are numbered for ease of use.
These lessons re ready to go. Download and teach. The lessons help students to make progress against the skills needed for the new 9-1 English specifications.
Assessments included and homework tasks.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue - middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Resources provide opportunities to:
- analyse language
- explore context
- write creatively
- explore myths and legends
- create villainous characters
- explore heroic characteristics
- compare characters
- work on extract to whole exam skills
20 full differentiated (by colour) and meticulously planned lessons to support the teaching of reading and writing skills. These lessons are ready to go.
Ideal for transition from KS2 to KS3, for year 6, year 7 or year 8 classes.
Within these lessons students are exposed to a wide range of fiction, non fiction and literary non fiction texts and will use these as a stimulus for creating their own texts.
These lessons allow students to develop skills for accessing the new English language and English literature 9-1 specifications.
Students will explore the following texts/extracts:
- Article on bats
- Extract from the Twits & BFG - Roald Dahl
- Extract from Frankenstein
- Extract from A Christmas Carol
- Extracts from autobiographies
- Extract from Bill Bryson - travel writing (non-fiction literary)
- Extract from Bleak house
- The Lion the witch and the wardrobe
- blogs
- poetry - Sister Maude, Mother any distance
- articles about Friendship
Students will develop the following skills in preparation for accessing new 9-1 GCSE
- Synthesis
- Comparison
- Language. structure, form analysis
- Theme exploration
- Analytical writing
- Imaginative writing - narrative and descriptive
- Transactional writing
Assessment opportunities and homework tasks also included
These resources allow aspiring middle and senior leaders to track their progress in gaining evidence and experience in the following areas:
- Leading in the community
- Leading people
- Leading strategically
- Leading teaching and learning
- Leading the organisation
Each document lists the skill areas necessary to be a successful leader in each area listed above.
Ideal for teachers who are working towards progressing to leadership and for interview preparation.
Resources to support the teaching of Edgar Allan Poe short stories. (Gothic literature) Lessons are numbered for ease of use.
Short stories resourced:
- Masque of the red death
- The pit and the pendulum
- The tell tale heart
Resources provide opportunities for students to:
- write imaginatively
- analyse language
- develop speaking and listening skills
- explore context - black death
- explore structure
Over 16 lessons that are ideal for KS3/KS2 students to develop grammar skills through creating an autobiography
Topics covered:
- Sentence structure
- Paragraphing
- Tenses
- Word classes
- punctuation
A wide range of ideas and resources for speaking and listening assessments at KS2/KS3.
Speaking and listening lessons included based around:
- Man V food
- Arguing that cats are better than dogs
- Deserted house - selling houses
- Murder mystery
- Banning Christmas
- 50 things to do before you die
- persuasive speeches
Teacher and peer/self assessment proformas also included
Revision guide to support student revision and understanding of the novel.
This resource could be ideal as an ongoing homework project as students read the novel in class.
Resources to support the understanding of the context of being homeless.
Ideal for supporting students with their exploration of texts such as 'Stone Cold' and 'The Outsiders.'
Resources included:
- Homelessness case studies
- missing person posters/adverts
- extract from Stone Cold - homelessness and the law
- true or false activities
- what is a home?
- 'The Streets of London' Ralph McTell exploration
- 'London' by William Blake poem exploration
- consideration of bullying
- leaflet examples
- investigation into homeless charities
Resources provide opportunities to:
- explore homelessness through case studies and exploring the law
- write persuasively
- structure formal letters
- explore and create missing person posters
- explore poetry
- analyse texts
- investigate and create leaflets#
- debate whether more housing is needed
8 fully differentiated lesson (by colour) that support the teaching of writing speeches. (Spoken language) Lessons are meticulously planned and culminate with students writing a speech on a topic that interests them.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Speeches that are used as a stimulus:
- Emma Watson
- Winston Churchill
- Queen Elizabeth I
- George W Bush
- Napoleon (Animal Farm)
Students will practice writing speeches using the following topics:
- increase in legal driving age
- importance of mobile phones
- social media
Students will develop the following skills:
- speech writing using the 6 part structure
- persuasive writing
- speaking and listening
- developing effective openings
Resource to support the revision of context of Jekyll and Hyde and how to form exam responses to an extract from the novel and make links to the novel as a whole.
Meticulously planned and differentiated.
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
These resources provide opportunities for carousel activities whereby students read 4 extracts from the novel and make notes to form an exam response. Students will consider other parts of the text as part of their answer.
Extracts taken from:
-chapter 3 - 'Dre Jekyll was quite at ease'
-chapter 4 - 'Carew murder case'
-chapter 9 - 'Dr Lanyon's narrative'
-chapter 10 -'Henry Jekyll's full statement'
A booklet is also included to support higher ability exploration of context.
A range of documents for subject leaders including:
- question prompts for preparing for an Ofsted interview
- Department self evaluation in line with Ofsted's good criteria
- Department vision
- report writing comment banks
Fully differentiated (by colour) resources to support the teaching of Q3 and Q4 of the AQA new specification 9-1 GCSE examination - paper2.
Resources support the texts provided in the AQA GCSE English Language: Developing the skills for learning and assessment (turtle on the cover) All texts are included in this bundle.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Resources prepare students for answering Q3 (language) and Q4 (comparison) and cover the following:
- analysis of vocabulary
- analysis of sentence forms
- analysis of language techniques
- explore audience and purpose
- study of model answers
- exploring the effect of language
- improving exam responses using mark schemes
- explore perspective
- understand the difference between synthesis and comparison
- form comparisons between texts
- practice timed responses
Regular assessments are included to assess students ability in true or false and synthesis tasks.
Texts covered:
- Inside the supermarket's dark stores
- 19th century report on night market for the poor
- Extract from 'The Girl of the period' about young people
- Extract from Sui Sin Far's autobiography about growing up with dual identify
- The Watercress girl
- Why we shouldn't wrap our children in cotton wool
All texts are included
