Unit plan designed for a 10-week term of 12 Essential English. It includes a subject description, a description of the unit, a list of unit objectives (from the syllabus), my planned teaching and learning cycle, the unit learning intentions and success criteria, assessment task details and a list of recommended resources. Also included are 3 word documents which I used on my word wall. Film specific language features – shot sizes, camera angles, lighting, colour, non-verbal communication, dialogue, audio, setting, props, costumes, characterisation, camera movement and symbolism. Film specific text structures – plot, character development, flashback, simultaneous time, montage, slow motion, accelerated video, time lapse, superimposition, transition, themes Colours and what they mean – blue, red, white, black, green, yellow, maroon and brown. The learning resources (PPTs, worksheets etc.) for the unit are also available in My Store.

A lesson PowerPoint. It begins with a proofreading activity (an excerpt from Chapter 5). Followed by a mini lesson on using an apostrophe to make contractions. This includes examples and non examples and a series of activities which progress through the I do, we do, you do phase of the gradual release of responsibility pedagogy. In upcoming lessons, students will write a persuasive essay to convince their readers of their perspective about Ned Kelly’s guilt or innocence. Students will read chapter six of Black Snake and complete activities so that they can use evidence from the novel to develop their argument about whether Ned Kelly was a victim, a villain or a hero. They learn about mood and tone and apply their new knowledge to the fictional passage at the beginning of the chapter. The PowerPoint ends with a summary of the chapter and some questions to be completed for homework. A handout with the activities for Chapter 6 which students will complete throughout the lesson. Part of a set of resources created for a year 7 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons (with extra activities as a back up if the class is advanced). The focus text is ‘Black Snake: The Daring of Ned Kelly’ by Carole Wilkinson.

A PowerPoint explaining the assessment task to students and what they are being marked on. This is interlaced with tips and activities for the various criteria. There are tips for writing dialogue (reviewing punctuation rules), past vs present tense, homophones etc. It also includes a list of common errors made by students in the previous year for this task. A planning booklet for students to use to brainstorm their ideas prior to writing their short story (aka imaginative recount). It includes prompts and graphic organisers which students can work through in class and for homework. A series of PowerPoints designed for the drafting phase of the unit. Each begins with a mini lesson with a specific focus (e.g. characterisation, juxtaposition etc.) they then focus on students writing a particular part of the narrative in the lesson (e.g. orientation) with hints, examples and reminders. A graphic organiser for students to write their short story (imaginative recount) into. A draft feedback form which lists common errors that students make. The teacher merely needs to highlight the feedback which applies to the student. This speeds up the drafting workload for the teacher and ensures all students are receiving consistent feedback based on the cognitive verbs prioritised in the unit. Part of a set of resources created for a year 7 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons (with extra activities as a back up if the class is advanced). The focus text is ‘Black Snake: The Daring of Ned Kelly’ by Carole Wilkinson.

A comprehensive scaffolding booklet which students are to use to conduct their inquiry prior to writing their essay. Teachers may opt to provide some or all sections of this to students based on their ability. It can also be broken up into handouts and used within specific lessons (chunking) with incremental deadlines to ensure students are on track to have found useful sources and analysed/evaluated these making notes about key features to mention within their essay. The booklet includes: • A brainstorming mind map for students to reflect on what they have learned throughout the term (used to aid them to select a topic to focus on in their essay) • A list of key individuals, groups and events prior to and during the Vietnam War (they must investigate an individual / group) to learn about their social, political or ideological views & their impact on the independence movement • Tips for developing a key inquiry question (including an example for another topic) • Tips for developing apt sub questions which are open and incorporate any of the 7 historical concepts which are prioritised in the Queensland syllabus • A graphic organiser for the student to reflect on their key and sub questions • A retrieval chart for students to keep their research organised. Students were advised that they needed to “Locate at least 10 historical sources (minimum two books and five primary sources – the rest can be from journal articles / websites / online sources) that present the perspectives of different people in response to your questions.” • Graphic organisers (using T.A.D.P.O.L.E acronym for students to note key details from sources that are worthy of analysis in their essay. I also added a section where they are prompted to reflect on the usefulness and reliability of the source (as students should be evaluating some of the sources within their essay). • Tips for developing a hypothesis (students should do this prior to writing their essay). • Tips for writing the essay including a suggested word count breakdown for each paragraph. There is information about the TEEASC body paragraph structure recommended on the History Skills website (as an alternative to TEEL). NB: Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The content would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in the Vietnamese Independence Movement (1945-1975). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. The end of term assessment for this unit was an essay.

1) PowerPoint - This lesson focuses on teaching students about the context of World War One so that they have some frame of reference for approaching the poems written in this period. Afterwards, it explores how the perceptions of war in poetry changed during this period from patriotic beliefs in its valour to disillusionment as World War One saw a complete change in the way wars were fought and the attitudes towards them. This lesson opens with checking students prior knowledge of WW1. It then explains what the world was like during the 19th Century and the imperialist ideology. The beliefs of Europe’s’ Great Powers, the major causes of WW1, The assassination of Franz Ferdinand: A Shot that Changed the World, societal beliefs about war at the time, exploring propaganda posters from World War One, new technologies used in this war and the outcomes of the war. Things we will learn by the study of poetry from the First World War.

This booklet has been designed as part of a year 8 English unit of work on Parvana (a novel set in Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban). It includes activities about characters, the setting and language features which students are to complete as they read the novel. There are also questions about the events/themes/character's perspectives et cetera for each chapter. This is all in preparation for a creative writing assessment where students take what they have learned to create a written literary transformation (a short story from a marginalised character's perspective). Their short story has to focus on a moral issue within the novel. I have referenced the other study guides I drew on when creating this resource.

Two PowerPoints for a 9 English Unit. The first PowerPoint includes a synopsis of the film and the film trailer is embedded. This is followed by a range of clips and viewing questions. It also includes information about how Indigenous Australians are portrayed in the film. Additionally, there is a section on exploring key quotes. Students have to pick out the slang and the beliefs of the protagonist which are indicated in the quote. The second PowerPoint is a paragraph writing lesson. It takes students through the various stereotypes in the film and includes some pre-writing (planning) steps. It reviews the PEEEL paragraph structure. It includes some scaffolding (suggested sentence starters) along with an example paragraph (which is colour coded to indicate which section it addresses). After this activity, there is information about modality and some examples of high and low modality words. There is also some information about linking words.

4 resources designed for a year 8 poetry unit. The first is a PowerPoint which takes students through the STEP UP acronym which they will use to analyse poems in their upcoming assessment: subject matter, theme, emotions, poetic devices, your interpretation, purpose… It includes prompting questions that students should ask themselves to help guide their response for each category. It then includes a poem about a refugee and slides which work through the STEP UP process. The second is a worksheet for modified students which has most of the notes written so that they only have to write a few. The third is a handout which explains STEP UP which could be used as a poster. The fourth is a typed version of the analysis of the refugee poem (in a Word Doc)

Item 1: Key points from each chapter plus quotes related to moral dilemmas. This is a useful resource for teachers to save you from re reading the novel each year. Item 2: A booklet to give students as they work through the novel. It includes key questions, some artistic activities (e.g. drawing a map from what they have read, creating a comic strip summary of a key chapter etc). Activities can be assigned for homework or completed in class. Item 3: A word document containing quotes showcasing moral dilemmas from the novel. Can be used as a poster in the classroom.

A lesson designed for use in a 12 Essential English classroom in Queensland, Australia as part of Unit 3: “Language that influences.” During this unit students learned how to create and shape perspectives on community, local and global issues in texts. Their assessment at the end of this unit was to write a 4-6 minute persuasive multimodal (speech) to be delivered live or pre-recorded about an issue of their choice. The lesson begins with a settling activity where students copy terms into their glossary (inform, describe, explain and persuade). This is followed by a Viewing Activity: How shopping Apps dominate fast fashion and appeal to young people. Students are given some tips for how to reduce their expenditure on new clothes (ideas came from a podcast I listened to.) There was a brainstorming activity (to see what students retained from previous lesson about fast fashion). Students had to draw a table in their books to complete as they watched a report made by the ABC program ‘Foreign Correspondent.’ They had to make a list of environmental impacts and social impacts (impacts on the people). Following this, students learned about 3 types of appeal that they can use in a persuasive speech. We then discussed why teenagers should care about the environment (linking this to values, attitudes and beliefs). Finally, we reviewed the P.E.R.S.U.A.D.E Acronym (which lists 8 different persuasive techniques which students can use in their assessment and in the writing activities in class this term). Then students had to write a TEEEL paragraph about ‘Fast Fashion’ which was both informative and persuasive (to consolidate their knowledge).

A resource designed for use with Year 12 Essential English students (Australian curriculum). Students are preparing to sit a response to stimulus exam with one seen source and one unseen source (1 x written and 1 x visual). The document includes a list of language features and text structures commonly found in visual stimulus texts (along with definitions and examples). How I used this in my teaching: I printed a class set of the LF on one colour and the TS on another colour and had them laminated. I hand them out in each lesson when students are analysing texts. I also printed one set in A3 and put them up as posters in the classroom.

A PowerPoint designed for a 50 minute lesson which includes summaries of key scenes and important things to note in this act. It also features questions to check for understanding. An updated version of the Act One (Scenes 1-4) PowerPoint for a school with 70 minute lessons. It includes a warm up activity (definitions to copy), extra quotes and questions to check for understand. A lesson plan has also been included. A PowerPoint focusing on the Party Scene (Act One, Scene 5). It begins with a mini lesson on characterisation (with definitions and examples). Subsequently students act out the scene and discuss the perspectives of various characters. Afterwards, we watch the 1997 film version and prepare to explore the balcony scene in a future lesson. A 5 page script for the party scene which has been translated into modern language (more accessible for students). A homework sheet with questions about the party scene (Act 1, Scene 5). A handout - revision activity - a list of jumbled up events from this act which students have to reorganise into chronological order. Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons (with extra activities as a back up if the class is advanced).

A series of resources: a handout which includes the questions on the slide (to be given to students to answer / shared electronically.) The PowerPoint. Some information pertaining to the historical context of the play. A summary of each scene with key quotes and questions. Viewing Act Five, Scene Three (the final act) both Baz Luhrmann film and the 2013 version (for comparative purposes). Important things to note from Act 5. Revision questions. Optional extras for if time: questions about themes. Role play activity. A handout - revision activity - a list of jumbled up events from this act which students have to reorganise into chronological order. An updated PowerPoint which features all of Act 5 (Scenes 1-3). It includes a warm up activity (explaining what a friar is - with notes to copy). Additionally, it features quotes from the play, checking for understanding questions (some to answer in books and some to discuss as a class) & some brain breaks (viewing activities - two excerpts of the play being staged in The Globe Theatre). This lesson is designed to fit into a unit where students must complete an exam where they respond to an essay which argues that Friar Laurence is solely to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Through studying each scene in depth, students should begin to see that a range of other characters could be referenced in their counter argument. Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons (with extra activities as a back up if the class is advanced).

A PowerPoint designed to last a few lessons. It explores two key themes in Macbeth: Power and Ambition. After defining these terms it looks at specific examples from the play. It includes prompting questions to get the students thinking. It also introduces a continuum of power and how this is illustrated within the play: The seduction of power - The lust for power - The obsession with power - The seizure of power - The abuse of power - The corruption by power - The insatiability of power - The destruction resulting from the obsession and abuse of power. It also includes key quotes from the play which demonstrate this. Finally, this PowerPoint includes exam advice including how to plan for the test and structure the essay.

How to create realistic characters in short stories / narratives.

A writing booklet which I made to scaffolding the writing portion of the assessment. Tip: I keep these in the classroom so that I have evidence of student work for if they are absent on the due date. I also share this booklet to students electronically on the class One Note for if they would prefer to type into it. A PowerPoint to take students through the first writing session – developing their thesis statement and writing body paragraph 1.

A set of questions for studying Deadly Unna by Phillip Gwynne – arranged by chapter. These are a mixture of comprehension questions, questions focusing on the setting, questions about specific language features / word choices, questions about specific characters, questions about themes (e.g. racism) etc. NB: Answers to these questions are provided in the PPT slides also available in my store: Aussie_Resources. Resources designed for 10 English in Queensland, Australia. It is part of a novel study unit which culminates in a 90-minute examination (500 to 800-word essay). Students had 1 week notice of the question and could bring 100 words of notes in with them. Within this unit students explored how an author’s use of language features, images and vocabulary contributed to the representation of themes in the novel. They also gained a deeper understanding of key literary techniques, including (but not limited to) characterisation, plot, and setting.

This lesson is an introduction to a moral/ethical dilemma - designer babies and saviour siblings. It defines each of these terms, includes quotes from doctors, a discussion of what genetic testing can currently do and a speculation what it could be used for in the future, some questions about the ethics of genetic testing, three case studies for students to consider, and a film trailer from My Sister's Keeper in preparation for watching this film.

A ppt which explores how the literary devices are used in texts that represent teenagers. Teen specific examples of parody including clips from 'Not Another Teen Movie.' Examples of sarcasm with clips from 'The Inbetweeners' tv show (no swearing). The impact of tone of voice. Introducing other techniques: exaggeration, burlesque, irony (with a clip from the Little Rascals and Shrek). Then it looks at clips of J'amie from Summer Heights High and an example monologue about this scene written by a past student.

A fun trivia PPT designed for an end of the year activity but which would also be useful if you broke it up and used particular rounds as warm ups or brain breaks throughout a year. There are 20 questions per round (12 rounds in total) - each slide features 10 questions which auto appear upon clicking. Each round has a different focus or theme. There are a couple of picture rounds (famous people, famous landmarks, celebrity singers etc.) Additional round categories include: popular culture, true or false, food and drink, science and the human body, English, Geography, History, General Knowledge, Maths and lastly Animals and Birds. After each round is a slide providing the answers for that round. Questions could also be used in a jeopardy style game.