I'm an experienced English teacher, senior leader and examiner with a wealth of experience teaching English across all key stages. Having examined for AQA and WJEC, I have a precise knowledge of how to support students so they can make maximum progress in their learning.
I'm an experienced English teacher, senior leader and examiner with a wealth of experience teaching English across all key stages. Having examined for AQA and WJEC, I have a precise knowledge of how to support students so they can make maximum progress in their learning.
Three lessons complete with exam questions and extracts. They include:
- bell tasks,
- starters
- Main 1
- mini review using pictures so it is more fun
- Main 2
- Plenary
They are differentiated using bronze, silver, gold and are structured so that students build up their knowledge ready to answer the GCSE exam question. The three lessons are on: violence, Lady Macbeth and the theme of ambition.
A model answer for Macbeth which has a differentiated task. The students need to annotate the margin using the marking codes and then consider how the response could be improved.
This can be used to focus year 11 students on revision and on what their responses should include in their exam.
This handy A3 resource is ideal for revising key themes and characters from Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’.
The sheet has 12 questions linked to the AQA spec (but could be adapted for other specs easily) and has 12 extracts, which provide key moments from across the whole of the play.
I am using this myself to prepare my year 11s for their Literature examination.
A differentiated lesson for narrative writing that includes spelling tasks, LOs on every slide, differentiated tasks and also peer assessment. There are three possible narrative titles for students to complete to ensure they can develop their narratives with more than one opportunity to do so.
Three revision tasks that are differentiated that focus on themes, characters with the final task allowing students to pick a part an exemplar to understand how they should structure their responses for their GCSE exam.
You could cut these out and get students to rank order them to justify, which is better and why.
This can be used for a homework, revision task before an exam.
This could also be used as part of a task within a lesson.
There are five responses to an exam question on Eric that gradually become more perceptive and detailed. Alongside the responses is a bronze, silver and gold differentiated task to challenge all learners. There is an extension task (push your thinking) to add additional challenge.
This is something I have used with year 11 to help develop their understanding of the character, context, writer’s intentions and to teach the skills of writing a detailed reading response.
This is a great resource that has both the image for the writing task for paper 1, AQA and the creative writing task. There are 25 tasks in an 11 page booklet so this would be great for year 11s to use for their revision for the new exam 2017 onwards.
If you want to push your students’ responses for the English language papers then it helps if they are using sophisticated, higher level terminology when they explore the effect of the writer’s use of language.
This worksheet includes 11 key terms that students need to revise and use to access the higher levels, alongside a differentiated bronze, silver, gold activity so they can apply what they have learnt.
There is a question: how does the writer use language to describe the horror of prisons? where the students can then answer to show they can incorporate the terms into their analysis. This is a useful resource for top sets, but also any students who are at a Grade 5+ and are pushing for a higher grade.
There are three revision lessons for An Inspspector Calls that are fully differentiated with bronze, silver, gold tasks, including ‘challenge’ tasks to stretch the most able. The lessons include model answers, bell tasks, learning objectives, key quotes, opportunities for self/peer assessment and plenaries to conclude the lessons. I have used these in the run up to the exam as each lesson leads carefully to a GCSE exam style question, which the students will be able to answer having completed the starter activities and other learning activities which provide them with the information to plan and write their own responses.
I only ever sell things that I know work well with my own year 11 classes and mine found these lessons very useful in developing their knowledge of the play.
A five week countdown that has activities and tasks for An Inspector Calls, Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, Unseen Poetry and the Love poems. The paper one tasks ask students to revise from all parts of the play to help deepen their knowledge.
Each day, the students also must then revisit revision from the previous days to ensure they develop their retention skills and add this knowledge to their long term memory.
This handy resource breaks down what you need to do for each question. Laminate this so students can grab them when they answer questions as this will boost their independence and focus them on the specific points they need to remember.
A revision lesson for year 11 who already have an understanding of the poems. This reminds them of the skills of comparative responses, and recaps on the poem ‘Mother Any Distance’ from the AQA anthology - love and relationships. Each activity has timings to guide the lesson so it has an appropriate pace.
The lesson has:
Bell task on entry
LOs beginning, middle and end to review progress
Links to exam details
Collaboration built in
Oracy Task
Teacher Model slide to conduct live modeling (which is differentiated with B,S,G)
Extended writing task using bronze, silver, gold to chunk challenge
Plenary that uses peer assessment against a checklist of success criteria
A model answer for year 11 students that will help them prepare for their A Christmas Carol exam. There is a differentiated task whilst reading the response with an opportunity to then develop this.
A set of posters for Macbeth including key quotes for: Macbeth, The Witches, King Duncan, Donalbain, Macduff, Lady Macbeth, Malcolm and Banquo.
I have these as posters in my room and encourage students to use the quotes independently when writing exam responses. I have also shrunk them down to A5 and made them into a revision booklet.
A full paper one for English Language GCSE and insert for students to practise and develop exam skills. Used with my own year 11s as homework and as a walk through for exam prep.
Question: In what ways does Scrooge change throughout the novella?
If you are teaching GCSE Lit A Christmas Carol and need more extracts and questions, here is an extract on the novella with an exam question for year 11 students to practice their skills. Spend ten minutes of the lesson annotating the extract and then consider the wider novella. Then get the students to answer the question in exam conditions, or collaboratively to support each other.
If you are teaching GCSE Macbeth and need more extracts and questions, here is an extract on the play with an extract question 1a) and then a question relating to the wider play 1b).
Spend five minutes of the lesson annotating the extract and then spend 20 minutes to answer 1a). Then get the students to consider the essay question, which they have to spend 40 minutes answering.
Question: How does Dickens present Fred in the novella?
If you are teaching GCSE Lit A Christmas Carol and need more extracts and questions, here is an extract on the novella with an exam question for year 11 students to practice their skills. Spend ten minutes of the lesson annotating the extract and then consider the wider novella. Then get the students to answer the question in exam conditions, or collaboratively to support each other.