2/3 lesson bundle that builds student understanding of how authorial tone works in texts, and how colour and senses can be devised as a narrative tool for generating different tones. Several creative writing activities get the ball rolling, with analytical writing for the 2nd/3rd lesson. An extract from "The Great Gatsby" (Scott Fitzgerald) is the example extract here: how does the author play with colour and senses to suggest the beautiful but tragic and empty love of Gatsby and Daisy? A clip from the film accompanies this (right click the picture to open hyperlink). Enjoy :)

Two lessons aligning with Memorial Day. Suitable for either year 9 or 10, these lessons cover an overview of historical fiction, creative writing and language analysis.

Suitable for teaching as a one off, or as part of the GCSE "Power and Conflict" poetry cluster. Skills covered: themes and ideas (with a look at literary criticism examining tribal conflict and the psychological landscape in Heaney's poetry); language forms, structure and features; and context.

For the GCSE paper Language Paper 2 (Non-fiction), this lesson facilitates students' development of summary writing skills (Q2 of the exam). Ideal for a weaker class- visual clips of Wonderwoman and Guardians of the Galaxy make the material more accessible, with other written non-fiction texts the focus for the latter part of the lesson.

1-2 lessons for the "Conflict and Power" poetry cluster for the GCSE. These lessons focus on comparison skills for the two above poems, with a focus on revising A01-A03 in London.

For the GCSE Language Paper 2 (non-fiction), this lesson facilitates students' development of critical writing for non-fiction texts. Tailored for question 3 of the exam. In this lesson, students revise persuasive language devices and analyse "Hiroshima" by John Hersey.

After marking my year 11 exams, I was disappointed by how many students continue to panic and write huge generalisations instead of proper analysis. E.g. "the imagery really helps the reader picture the scene in their mind" or "this technique creates tension and makes the reader want to read on." This resource can be used with high-ability year 9/10 or low-middle ability year 11s. A couple of different activities walk students through ways of approaching analysis.

This is a single lesson that I designed for my year 13 class. Looking at an extract from "A Study in Scarlet" by Arthur Conan Doyle, students consider the dimensions of Sherlock's character and why he is enduring. A puzzle activity merges analytical skills with group work. Can be taught with able groups of younger years, and as a general one- off for students already studying crime fiction/detective fiction.

A one off lesson that you can teach either as a part of creative writing or just a filler lesson. Looks at how to structure a creative response based on different stimulus; plenty of model examples included.

You can adapt this for other years if need be- an easy and fun termly HW project, geared at years 7/8 studying an introduction to Shakespeare.

As described- enjoy!

A really straightforward and clear introduction to poetic meter. This lesson can be taught as a one off, or extended based on ability of your class. The lesson clearly demonstrates what meter is, and how to identify iambs through sound and rhythm. Students learn how to mark for iambs on lines of poetry/Shakespeare, building to the main activity of marking iambic pentameter in Orsino’s “Food of Love” monologue from Twelfth Night. A stretch and challenge activity at the end prompts thinking about other metrical forms (useful for if you’re teaching Macbeth, and looking at the witches’ patterns of speech). Enjoy!

Regardless of how many times I’ve taught Macbeth at GCSE, students still seem to struggle to make meaningful connections between text and context, and thus hit their A03 target. Here are four lessons I designed to tackle this problem, going in depth to explore: Lesson 1: Who was King James? How did his paranoia, marriage to Anne of Denmark, taking of the English throne, and self-appointment as witch-hunter influence the shaping of Macbeth? Lesson 2: Protestantism & Catholicism. What are the key differences between the two? How did Luther’s teachings divert from Catholic tradition and lay the groundwork for Henry VIII? Lesson 3: The Chain of Being. How did this reinforce the feudal system? Lesson 4: The Supernatural. How does the setting of Scotland lend itself to supernatural elements? How does the supernatural in Macbeth reinforce the colonial narrative? My set 1 year 10s really engaged with these four lessons. Have also included “required readings” with key terms and questions for discussion that you might choose to set as homework before the lessons (flipped-model style).

We’re rolling out a new topic this year for year 9 which I’m super excited about: Crime & Punishment. The purpose of the topic is to introduce students to the crime genre, explore both fiction and non-fiction texts, and begin to respond to GCSE style questions for Language Papers 1 and 2. Find included in this pack: Lesson 1-2: Introduction and expectations (you’re welcome to change this if you like). Conventions of the crime genre, examination of these in two crime extracts. Lesson 3: Archetypes in literature overview and introduction to crime archetypes from “Rue Morgue” extract Lesson 4: Types of detectives Lesson 5: Practising language skills; applying Q1 and Q2 style analysis to “Rue Morgue.” A great starting point for beginning the unit, and I’ll be editing and updating this resource as the term unfolds, so watch this space! Have also included a termly homework grid and all worksheets. For all other worksheets, print the single page of the PP as they appear in the resource.

10 essay questions for EACH of the English Literature topics: Power & Conflict, Jekyll & Hyde, An Inspector Calls and Macbeth. Presented in a flier format for students to tear off a question. Great resource for classroom displays, extension tasks, or students’ private study.

When students submit essays, it can become a laborious task to write extensive annotations on their responses. I developed this annotations key for my year 9 and 10 classes, based on common errors that I’ve identified in their writing. Rather than writing full comments on their essays, I’ll instead place a number. When the students receive their work back, simply print a copy of the annotations sheet and have them read through their responses and the key to understand what skills they need to improve. This is a great tool for maximising teachers’ marking time (work smarter, not harder!) and also encouraging students to really engage with their feedback, rather than just looking for their grade! Adapt the key as needed :)

This unit of work and accompanying series of lessons was designed for a class of Gifted and Talented students in year 8. They were studying fantasy fiction in their general English classes, and withdrawn for 2 separate sessions a week to focus on these extension activities. This unit can be integrated into a fantasy unit or taught separately. Details are as follows: PBL, student-centred model Culminating product is a fantasy narrative fiction Lots of scaffolds, differentiation and stretch and challenge Designed as an introduction to understanding literary theory Built around fostering higher order thinking skills, critical and creative writing, and 21st century skills (collaboration, questioning etc). Research and digital literacy- some lessons require independent research and inquiry. Lessons included focus on the following: Why have people dissed fantasy? Critical readings of Le Guinn and Tolkien Introduction of project and need to knows Process of creation: who was Tolkien and what were his methods? Introduction of complex terminology relating to fantasy world-building Breakdown of critical reading of “On Fairy Stories” and linking to ‘what is the purpose of fantasy?’ How to build a convincing fantasy world How to create unique magic systems What are the ethical considerations of fantasy? Originally, this powerpoint was made using Google Slides, and students all had their own digital copy. This is why some of the interactive “portals” (pictures where students can right-click and will be taken to a separate resource) link elsewhere. I have included the resources in a different form so that you can give these to students in hard copy form instead.

Updated and improved from last year, my new Crime & Punishment unit! The unit looks and fiction and non-fiction texts, and teaches all the skills required for student success with the AQA English Language Papers 1 and 2. This is a whole scope and sequence, covering well over a term’s worth of lessons. Included also is a social justice mini-unit, for getting students involved in Amnesty International’s Write for Rights annual campaign. Resources span all manner of activities: mixed ability, plenty of differentiation, stretch and challenge, project-based activities, collaborative learning etc. Some of the new additions are: focalisation of narrative, importance of place in crime fiction, Victorian language, crafting compelling villains, and the role of justice in crime. Formative assessments included, as are student friendly marking criteria and feedback sheets. I’ve loved sculpting and teaching this unit. Please enjoy!

These three lessons introduce students to the poem “All One Race” by Ooderoo Noonuccal. Sequence of activities is as follows: Brief authorial context Word sort Guided annotation of the poem Scaffold for how to write a TEEL paragraph How to create a meaningful topic sentence Peer feedback activity Included also is: How to analyse techniques effectively placemat Model paragraph

This brief workshop introduces students to the basic forms of narrative perspective (first, second, third-limited and third-omniscient). Included are a few identification activities and tricks and tips for writing in perspective well.