This informative, engaging CPD session is intended to offer a valuable introduction to phonics for teachers and support staff. It aims to enable participants to: -To understand what phonics are and understand why they are widely used; -To grasp key phonics terminology and apply it in different contexts; -To break down the key phonics stages, comprehending how skills develop. The session is aimed at those who are new to phonics. I myself moved from secondary to primary, and can understand how daunting phonics schemes can appear! These resources, whilst detailed, present ideas in a simple way, helping to make key ideas understandable. Included is: A 27-slide colourful, clear PowerPoint presentation, including post-CPD quiz; Resources for an optional card-sorting activity, to learn appropriate phonics terminology; A comprehensive phonics helpsheet, detailing most of the main points from the session. I hope that you find these resources helpful. Many thanks!

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising George Orwell's 'Animal Farm.' It contains comprehensive sections on: - Context; - Chapter by Chapter Summary (with quotes); - Main Characters; - Themes; - Features of Allegory; - 'The Power of Persuasion (in the speeches of Old Major and Squealer). Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).

This engaging, comprehensive lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of Carol Ann Duffy’s contemporary war poem ‘War Photographer’ with particular focus upon the language and structure used within the poem to depict the photographer’s experiences. By the end of the lesson, students demonstrate their knowledge of the text analytically, through assured, appropriate, and sustained interpretations. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Defining the role of the war photographer, and understanding difficulties in their job; - Securing contextual understanding of Carol Ann Duffy - the poet; - Reading and interpreting the poem, using a provided line-by-line analysis, and interactive group activities; - Developing their understanding through inferring and analysing key language and structural choices; - Understanding how the war photographer's life varies between war-torn locations and 'Rural England;' - Analysing how language and structure are used to portray the photographer' experiences; - Peer assessing each other's learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; (including hyperlinks to informative and engaging videos) - Copy of poem; - Deeper thinking worksheet (including a scaffolded version, and a teacher answer sheet); - Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to middle-ability year 9/10 groups, but can easily be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising William Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet.' It contains comprehensive sections on: - Context; - Scene by Scene Summary (with quotes); - Main Characters; - Themes; - Dramatic Devices; - Features of Tragedy. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).

This engaging and interesting lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of one of the key characters in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth: Lady Macbeth. In particular, they learn to make insightful interpretations about the character, and are enabled to draw links between Lady Macbeth and their knowledge of women in Shakespearean times. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be visual and interactive learners. It follows this learning journey: - Inferring key information about the character of Lady Macbeth from picture clues; - Identifying and ordering the key events in the text in which Lady Macbeth is involved; - Understanding her role in the rise and downfall of Macbeth; - Comparing and contrasting between her character and the expected role of women at the time the play was written; - Analysing Shakespeare’s development of Lady Macbeth as a key character throughout the text; - Evaluating the learning in the lesson. Included in this resource pack are: - A well-presented, thorough, and informative, whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - Resources for the sequencing activity, detailing Lady Macbeth’s numerous actions throughout the play; - A template to help scaffold the main task, complete with P.E.E instructions; - A comprehensive teacher guidance form/lesson plan to assist delivery. All images in this resource are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson presentation.

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to make clear, detailed and well-informed interpretations of Scout Finch’s development as a character throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. In particular, students develop their background understanding of how her character is introduced, before plotting her development against the different stages of protagonists in Bildungsroman novels. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Taking part in a fun quiz in order to gain/recap knowledge about Scout Finch’s background information (e.g. family history, family members, etc.); Reading selected extracts from the text and answering comprehension questions about Scout’s introduction at the start of the novel; Understanding the different stages of development in the Bildungsroman genre, and plotting Scout’s development against this; Understanding Lee’s intentions/messages in presenting Scout in the way that she did; Using knowledge of protagonist development and structure in order to create their own Bildungsroman storyboard templates; Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Interesting Scout Finch development worksheet; Selected extract (from chapter 2); Storyboard template Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 10 and 11 classes, however colleagues have used them for between year 8 and year 13 with some adaptations. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to make clear and precise interpretations regarding the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. In particular, students read and understand Act one scene one of the play, interpreting how Antonio and Bassanio’s relationship is introduced, before tracking how their friendship develops over the course of the play. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Considering the key components of strong friendships; Reading Act One Scene One and comprehending how Antonio and Bassanio’s friendship is introduced; Tracking how their friendship develops over the play, using apt textual evidence; Considering multiple interpretations of Antonio and Bassanio’s relationship; Applying their understanding of Antonio and Bassanio’s relationship to create an original composition; Self assessing their learning attempts; Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Antonio and Bassanio development worksheet; Extract - Act One Scene One Character profile template Comprehensive lesson plan. Resources are provided in PDF (to maintain formatting), Word (so that they are easily editable) and also in zipfiles. The lesson contains opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 10 and 11 classes, however colleagues have used them for between year 9 and year 13 with some adaptations. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to understand how the lead protagonist of Suzanne Collins’ ‘The Hunger Games’ – Katniss Everdeen - develops as a character throughout the novel. In doing so, students learn how she develops and acquires the key skills, characteristics, beliefs, and values to become the complete dystopian heroine. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Comprehending how Katniss is initially introduced to the reader; Reading extracts from Chapters 3, 7 and 14 of The Hunger Games, identifying how Katniss’ character develops; Analysing how her character fits the role of the ‘Dystopian Hero/Heroine’, and matching her traits to the different features of this character form; Applying their understanding by creating their own Dystopian Hero/Heroine; Self assessing their learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive;’ Extracts from The Hunger Games (from Chapters 3, 7, and 14); Character Profile for Katniss Everdeen; Blank Template for Creating a Dystopian Hero/Heroine; A comprehensive lesson plan; All resources are provided in Word (for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure formatting remains fixed between different computers). There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 8 classes, however colleagues have used them for between years 5 and 10 with some adaptations. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students preparing for the ‘Unseen Poetry’ elements of English Literature examinations. It is ideal for GCSE and A Level students, as it contains detailed and comprehensive sections (including explanations, examples and key questions) on: Content -Subject Matter, Context, Tone, Atmosphere, The Poet; Language - Similes, Metaphors, Interesting Adjectives, Interesting Verbs, Imagery, Onomatopoeia, Alliteration, Assonance, Personification, Hyperbole, Oxymoron, Repetition; Form and Strcuture - Common Forms, Rhyme/ Rhyme Schemes, Metre, Rhythm, Stanzas, Line Type, Line Length. Plus lists of Adding Connectives and Contrasting Connectives for use when comparing. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).

This lesson enables students to plan and create their own interesting, detailed, and imaginative feature articles. Through analysing existing feature articles, and noting their features of subject matter, language, and structure, students create articles that are highly appropriate to the genre and audiences of different magazines. Over the course of their learning journey, students: - Define and exemplify what feature articles are; - Identify and understand the different language and subject matter elements are within feature articles; - Analyse the language techniques and structures used within a model example of a feature article; - Write their own imaginative and appropriate front covers; - Peer and self assess each other's front cover attempts. The resources include: -Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint; -A colourful and clear helpsheet for writing to explain; -Template for planning feature articles; -Andy Murray feature article for analysis; -Helpful and comprehensive step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide. NOTE - Internet access is preferable for the planning task.

These resources enable students to understand and analyse the Old Major’s dream and the events of the animal revolution, in the opening two chapters of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. More precisely, students learn to make clear and accurate interpretations about events and characters, with appropriate links to the Orwell’s allegory and relationship to context. Students learn through the following tasks: - Gauging and collaborating previous knowledge through a discussion-based starter task; - Reading the first two chapters and demonstrating their understanding through a related activity sheet; - Developing their understanding of characters and context through a a making links activity; - Analysing the allegorical nature of the opening chapters by further exploring the connections between characters and contexts; - Peer assessing their partners’ learning attempts. The following resources are provided: - Engaging and colourful step-by-step PowerPoint (includes links for video) - Teacher lesson guidance/plan; - Chapters 1 and 2 worksheet; - Making Links Activity Sheet (1x more difficult, 1 x easier); - Copies of Chapters 1 and 2. All images and videos are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the PowerPoint. Note - internet connection is needed if you plan to use the video.

This interesting and engaging lesson enables students to know what reviews are and why people read them, understand the features that make effective reviews, and write their own interesting and appropriate reviews. In particular, students learn to use a range of appropriate features in writing their own reviews, including facts and opinions, jargon, connectives, and statistics. There are easily enough resources here for 2-3 lessons on this topic. Over the course of their learning journey, students: - Define and exemplify what reviews are; - Understand why people read reviews; - Understand and categorise the different techniques used by reviewers; - Identify the features of reviews in model examples; - Analyse the effect of techniques in reviews upon the reader; - Use a wide-range of techniques in writing their own reviews; - Peer and self assess each other's review attempts. The resources include: -Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint; -A colourful and helpful 'Writing Reviews' Help-Sheet; -Pointless Jargon Game; -Techniques cards for defining the key key features of reviews; -Connectives worksheet; -Blank book review template and film review template; -A model example (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone); -Helpful and comprehensive step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.

This engaging and thought-provoking double-lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the chapters 9 to 10 of Roald Dahl’s 'Matilda.’ The chapters covered in these lessons are ‘The Parents’ and ‘Throwing the Hammer.’ The lessons are guided by a comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation, and enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings; -Summarising the key events of the story so far. The sessions include a range of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. There is also a success criteria helpsheet (provided as Word and PDF) included to assist with the end-of-session creative task. There’s a lot in the session (19 slides in total) so I would recommend breaking into two lessons. The lessons are most suitable for children in key stage 2, (they were originally used for those in years 4 and 5).

This interesting and highly stimulating lesson enables students to demonstrate a developed and sustained understanding of the effect of figurative language in popular music texts. In particular, students learn to explore the meanings behind similes and metaphors across songs from a range of genres, considering the effect upon the whole text and the intended audience. As one would expect, Students love learning about similes and metaphors through popular music, and this lesson can really help to open students’ eyes to how language can be crafted for effect. This has numerous benefits in later poetry and descriptive writing lessons. The lesson follows a clear, logical, bite-size learning journey, which guides students towards differentiated learning objectives. Over the course of this journey, they become able to: - Define and identify similes and metaphors; - Explain the similarities and differences between songs and poetry; - Observe and listen to several examples of similes and metaphors in popular music examples; - Understand and analyse the effect of similes and metaphors upon meanings and the reader; - Apply their knowledge of why similes and metaphors are used to a range of contexts and musical genres; - Collaborate and present their key findings about similes and metaphors in songs to their classmates; - Self-assess their learning attempts. This resource pack includes: - A visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - Link to an online compilation video of similes and metaphors in popular music; - 3 x lyrics analysis worksheets of varying difficulties (Katy Perry, Train, and Florence and the Machine - all clean) - A detailed lesson plan, complete with what the teacher and students should aim to achieve at each stage of the lesson. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the PowerPoint.