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.
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.
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
Over 20 fully differentiated (by colour) lessons to support the teaching of An Inspector calls. (The whole play)
Also included:
- medium term plan
- revision activities
- practice exam questions
- context revision
Differentiation:
purple = lower
blue = middle
yellow = higher
Resources are matched to the new specification literature course and enable students to:
- analyse language and structure
- explore context and make links within answers
- explore character presentation
- explore themes
- explore effect on the audience
- using evidence
Resources also provide some opportunities to develop skills needed for the new specification language exams including:
- speech writing
- imaginative writing
- true or false practice
- selecting and retrieving information
- ‘How far do you agree’ evaluation practice
- language analysis
2 differentiated (by colour) lessons to support the teaching of 'No problem' by Benjamin Zephaniah.
Differentiation:
purple = lower
blue = middle
yellow = higher
Resources provide opportunities for students to develop the following areas in line with the new specification:
- explore context
- analyse language
- consider the effect on the reader of writer's methods
Fully differentiated resources to support the teaching of the following poems from the new specification Edexcel conflict poetry collection:
1. Poppies
2. War photographer
3. Charge of the light brigade
4. Exposure
5. Extract from the prelude
Outstanding lessons (2-3 power points per poem) that are meticulously planned and numbered for ease of use with activities and homework tasks included. Ready to go lessons.
Lessons cover: language, form, structure and context to meet the requirements of the new specification.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Fully differentiated resources to support the teaching of the following poems from the new specification Edexcel conflict poetry collection:
1. Cousin Kate
2. Catrin
3. Half Caste
4. The Class Game
5. Belfast Confetti
Outstanding lessons that are meticulously planned and numbered for ease of use. Ready to go lessons.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow - higher ability
Lessons cover language, form, structure and context in order to prepare students to the requirements of the new 9-1 literature examinations.
The other 10 poems are also available in separate bundles.
Resources to support the teaching and revision of 'Of Mice and Men.'
Fully differentiated by colour:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Resources are very well planned and are numbered for ease of use.
Resources cover language, context, character, theme .
A revision guide is also included which might also be useful as an ongoing homework porject
Fully differentiated (by colour) resources to support the teaching of poetry on the theme of power to KS3 or GCSE.
The poems make up 8 of the poems that need covering for the AQA 9-1 poetry component. These resources could equally be used for KS3 to prepare students for GCSE poetry if a different exam board is being used for GCSE.
Resources cover context, language, form and structure.
Poems covered:
- Tissue
- Emigree
- Checkin out me history
- London
- Ozymandias
- Extract from the Prelude
- My last Duchess
- Storm on the island
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Five fully differentiated (by colour) lessons to support the teaching of Romeo and Juliet Act 2 scene 1 and scene 2.
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 imagery
- explore presentation of character and theme
- use structure strips to form better analytical responses
- use 'what, how, why' instead of PEE which can be too restrictive
Three differentiated (by colour) lessons to support the teaching of Romeo and Juliet Act 3 scene 1.
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 character and theme
- use structure strips to encourage better analytical responses
- use what, how, why instead of PEE which is too restrictive
2 differentiated (by colour) resources to support the teaching of What were they Like? by Denise Levertov.
Differentiation:
purple - lower
blue- middle
yellow - higher
Resources provide opportunities for students to:
- explore context
- explore language and structure
Two lessons using an extract from Jurassic Park that are ideal for remote teaching as there is a power point for each lesson and a document that students can complete. Easy to copy and paste into Teams or google classrooms.
The first lesson explores inference and the second focuses on analysis.
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.
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 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
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.
A booklet of lessons to support the teaching of act 1 of Macbeth.
Each lesson has a big and small question, provides key terms to support scene exploration and contains a knowledge retention quiz that also tests student knowledge of Power and conflict poetry and A Christmas Carol.
A range of activities are included to support students with modelled responses.
A knowledge booklet designed for students to use as they study Romeo and Juliet in class. Suitable for KS3 and KS4 GCSE students.
Lessons for all scenes and scaffolded activities for students who may need it.
All lessons include a ‘do now’ activity that encourages knowledge retention and provide key term definitions to assist reading of scenes. Context is embedded and advanced reading around literary heritage is also provided.
Lessons provide opportunity for students to develop and practice:
language/structure analysis
Narrative writing
Writing about view points and perspectives
evaluation skills
SPaG
GCSE literature skills
academic writing including creating introductions
A power point and student work booklet that helps students to understand the requirements of the writing tasks on both AQA language papers as well as develop skills.
Included:
example stronger and weaker answers
exploration of the mark scheme
exam hacks and tips
opportunity to develop effective descriptions
opportunity to structure effective narratives
opportunity to structure effective non fiction writing
exploration of rhetoric and rhetorical devices
effective strategies for planning responses
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.