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Humble English Teacher hoping to cut down on teachers' workload by providing high quality resources (from primary to secondary - mostly English but some other subjects too). Please share and review if you like what you see here.

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Humble English Teacher hoping to cut down on teachers' workload by providing high quality resources (from primary to secondary - mostly English but some other subjects too). Please share and review if you like what you see here.
Homophones (Lesson & Worksheet)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Homophones (Lesson & Worksheet)

(0)
A great literacy lesson for KS3 on homophones. This is an introductory exploration of homophones in an easily adaptable and interactive PowerPoint for your lesson. A worksheet (addressed at the end of the PowerPoint) is also included.
An Inspector Calls: Mrs Birling in Act II Summary
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

An Inspector Calls: Mrs Birling in Act II Summary

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An analytical summary of Mrs Birling in Act II of ‘An Inspector Calls’. This 900-word essay explores how Priestley presents Mrs Birling’s unyielding prejudice in the pivotal second act of the play. Perfect for high-grade students, this is a sophisticated reading of a key character.
Language Paper 2B: An Introduction (AQA)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Language Paper 2B: An Introduction (AQA)

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An introduction (or revision) for how to answer Section B of Paper 2 of AQA’s English Language GCSE. This part of the exam - worth a whopping 40 marks - is all about persuasive writing. This PowerPoint is designed to teach the most important strategies for tackling this question. Top tips are given for how to write effective articles, speeches, blogs and letters. Some example questions (with exemplar introductions) are included.
Mrs Warren's Profession (Protest Extract: AQA)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Mrs Warren's Profession (Protest Extract: AQA)

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An extract from George Bernard Shaw’s classic play ‘Mrs Warren’s Profession’, perfect for analysis as an example of political and social protest writing for Section A of the AQA A level exam. It can be challenging to find great resources for this part of the exam, but this extract (with the accompanying exam question) always work fantastically.
A Christmas Carol: Themes Worksheet
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

A Christmas Carol: Themes Worksheet

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A worksheet which presents students with visual stimuli to prompt critical thinking about the key themes and imagery in Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’. Students annotate the worksheet with their knowledge of the theme; they may wish to write down key quotes, important ideas, or significant plotpoints/staves of the novella which apply to each image. It’s up to you how you use this versatile resource. This is an ideal starter or revision activity for studying the text.
After Miss Julie (Protest Extract: AQA KS5)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

After Miss Julie (Protest Extract: AQA KS5)

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A superb extract from Patrick Marber’s ‘After Miss Julie’, perfect for analysis as an ‘unseen’ text for Section A of AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing A level paper. Extract is attached with PowerPoint featuring questions for students to consider/discuss/answer and an exemplar INTRODUCTION to an essay response. PowerPoint saved as PDF.
The Hunger Games: Extract & Structure (AQA GCSE)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

The Hunger Games: Extract & Structure (AQA GCSE)

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This lesson is focused on helping students to analyse literary ‘structure’ using an extract from Suzanne Collins’ ‘The Hunger Games’. The lesson is focused on Question 3 (‘How has the writer structured the text to interest you as a reader?’) from AQA’s GCSE English Language Paper 1. Students are presented with methods of tackling this notoriously challenging question. Exemplar paragraphs on ‘The Hunger Games’ are also included. The resource includes a lesson PowerPoint and the extract from the novel. This lesson is aimed at GCSE pupils but could be used for KS3. PowerPoint saved as PDF.
The Great Gatsby: Extract & Questions (AQA GCSE)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

The Great Gatsby: Extract & Questions (AQA GCSE)

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This resource includes an extract from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel ‘The Great Gatsby’, along with 4 exam-style questions based on AQA’s GCSE English Language Paper 1. An ideal mock or practice paper to study in class for high-attaining GCSE groups.
Apostrophes Worksheet
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Apostrophes Worksheet

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A great double-sided lesson worksheet or homework task designed to consolidate students’ understanding of apostrophes (denoting both contraction and possession). Ideal for UKS2 as well as KS3.
Homophones Worksheet
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Homophones Worksheet

(0)
A great lesson activity or homework task designed to test and consolidate students’ understanding of homophones. This is a fun visual activity with an element of critical thinking/problem solving involved. Ideal for KS2 or KS3.
Macbeth: What Others Say About Him
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Macbeth: What Others Say About Him

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An invaluable resource designed to build a picture of how Shakespeare presents Macbeth via other characters in the play. Taking key quotes from a variety of characters, we can see how Shakespeare’s characters speak about and to Macbeth throughout the play. This not only unveils how loyalties change and develop throughout the play, but also how Macbeth himself changes and how characters may behave differently in private versus public settings. This is ideal for supporting study of the play at GCSE.
The Metamorphosis: Extract & Questions (AQA GCSE)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

The Metamorphosis: Extract & Questions (AQA GCSE)

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This resource - for teachers/students of AQA GCSE English Language - is a series of questions based upon an extract from Franz Kafka’s iconic story ‘The Metamorphosis’, in which Gregor Samsa wakes up to discover himself transformed into a giant insect. Questions are based on Paper 1 of the AQA GCSE Language exam. The questions are included on the PowerPoint, along with tips for how to answer each question. This is an ideal mock or structured support resource for GCSE students.
Dr. No: Extract & Questions (AQA GCSE)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Dr. No: Extract & Questions (AQA GCSE)

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This resource includes an extract from Ian Fleming’s ‘Dr. No’ with an accompanying PowerPoint featuring language analysis questions. This resource is based on AQA’s GCSE English Language Paper 1. Two 8-mark language questions are featured to help students practise close linguistic analysis. This resource is ideal for KS3 students preparing early for GCSEs, or for GCSE students in need of accessible and scaffolded learning.
Macbeth as King
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Macbeth as King

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What kind of king is Macbeth? The perfect holistic study of how power corrupts Macbeth in Shakespeare’s tragedy, this detailed lesson traces what happens to Macbeth after he chooses the heretical path of regicide. This is an ideal lesson for GCSE students. PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Macbeth: James I & Kingship (Speech to Parliament)
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Macbeth: James I & Kingship (Speech to Parliament)

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An excellent companion resource for studying the context of ‘Macbeth’, James I’s speech to Parliament in 1610 elucidates his views of the monarchy and the Divine Right of Kings. Studying this speech will provide a solid understanding of attitudes to Kingship in Shakespeare’s time.
Macbeth: Context
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

Macbeth: Context

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This 30-slide lesson offers the perfect introduction to the context of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. In the lesson, students explore Jacobean ideas of Kingship, looking closely at the reign of James I, the Divine Right and Great Chain of Being, and the atmosphere created by the Gunpowder Plot. We then look at Renaissance and Medieval ideas of gender (especially on the stage) and Aristotle’s rules for tragedy. The play’s key themes and ideas are explored, and students are encouraged to reflect on power and its relationship to corruption and even tyranny. Important vocabulary is explained, and students are tasked with researching other key words and ideas. Questions, discussion points and tasks are included for students. Also included in this resource is a copy of James I’s speech to Parliament in 1610 for the purpose of analysing the King’s attitudes to his Divine Right. Ideal for students reading the play at GCSE or upper-KS3. PowerPoint saved as PDF.
The Tyger: William Blake
MrGradgrindMrGradgrind

The Tyger: William Blake

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This 30-slide lesson analyses William Blake’s ‘The Tyger’ from the ‘Songs of Experience’. Blake’s ambiguous poem is deconstructed via its various interpretations - as an exploration of faith, revolution, and industrialisation. Key themes, language, and imagery are unpicked, and Blake’s political context and radical views are explained. Discussion points, questions, and tasks are included throughout, and the lesson ends with an extended essay question in which students compare ‘The Tyger’ to other poems in Blake’s ‘Songs’. This lesson is perfect for A level students studying the collection as part of AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing course. PowerPoint saved as PDF.