This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in exam revision, comprehension tasks, or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the KS4 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework - this makes the tasks suitable for all examining bodies. Students have found these resources extremely engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that students gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - ‘Context: The Russian Revolution’ - to aid students with ‘Drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation;’ - ‘Orwell’s Description’ - to aid students with ‘Analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact;’ - ‘Napoleon’ - to aid students with ‘Seeking evidence in the text to support a point of view, including justifying inferences with evidence;’ - ‘Editing the Text’ - to aid students with ‘Making an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 30 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

This detailed and engaging lesson enables students to gain an understanding of simple, compound and complex sentences, and to use a variation of sentence types in their own writing for clarity and effect. Students learn through a number of fun and interactive tasks, which enable them to: - Define and exemplify simple, compound, and complex sentences; - Identify them in writing; - Understand and analyse how different types of sentences can be used for clarity and effect; - Create a written piece using a variety of sentence structures for clarity and effect; - Evaluate their use of different sentence structures. The resources include: -Visually engaging and comprehensive whole-lesson presentation; -Resources for the card-sorting activity; -A model example and analysis worksheet; -A success criteria; -Step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.

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 resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Robert Swindells' 'Stone Cold.' Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS3 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children have found these resources engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - 'Context: Homelessness in London' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Know the purpose, audience and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to support comprehension.' - 'Swindell's Description' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Know how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, present meaning.' - 'Ginger' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Study setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these.' - 'Vocabulary Inspector' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Learn new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries.' Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is 21 pages in length!) I've also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

This engaging and informative lesson students to make sustained and developed links between Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and its social and historical context. In particular, students learn about the harsh treatment of the poor in Victorian society, the selfishness and cruelty of those in power, and attitudes towards sin, religion, and the supernatural. The lesson explores how Dickens explores these ideas through the allegorical nature of the text. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Understanding key information about Charles Dickens, his life, and influences; - Researching and sharing key contextual understanding about the rich, poor, healthcare, and religion in the 19th Century; - Reading Stave 1 of ‘A Christmas Carol’ and identifying evidence of contextual influences; - Analysing how Dickens presents his views about the cruelty of 19th Century life through the opening of the text; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Extract - Chapter 1 of A Christmas Carol; - Template for researching 19th Century life (and completed answer sheet for teachers); - 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 mixed ability year 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.

These resources enable students to understand and analyse the rise of the pigs towards power in chapters 3 and 4 of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. More precisely, students learn to make clear and accurate interpretations about the emergence of the various characters as leaders on the farm, with appropriate links to individual characters and their allegorical relationship to context. Students learn through the following tasks: - Gauging and collaborating prior knowledge through a discussion-based starter task; - Reading chapters 3 and 4 and demonstrating their understanding through a related group quiz activity; - Developing their understanding of the changing nature of characters, and their allegorical ties, through a quotation retrieval mind mapping task; - Analysing the allegorical nature of the pigs, by further exploring their characteristics in relation to those of the communist Russian leaders of the early 20th century; - Peer assessing their partners’ learning attempts. The following resources are provided: - Engaging and colourful step-by-step PowerPoint - Teacher lesson guidance/plan; - Analytical paragraphs worksheet; - Mind-mapping activity template; - Copies of Chapters 3 and 4. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the PowerPoint.

These colourful, comprehensive, and well-structured revision cards have been creatively designed for students securing their understanding of William Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Macbeth.’ Each card is visually-appealing and highly-detailed, covering aspects of each feature including a full summary, cited quotations from the play, definitions/ examples, and a consideration of audience reactions. They are tried and tested, with teachers incorporating them in revision games, using them as essay writing aids, or utilising them as home revision aids. They are provided as both PDFs (to prevent formatting issues between computers) and as Word documents (for easy editing). The revision cards included in this pack are: Characters - Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, The Witches, Banquo, King Duncan, Macduff; Context - William Shakespeare, James I and Divine Right, Witches and the Supernatural; Devices - Dramatic Irony, Soliloquies and Asides, Dramatic Tension; Scenes - Act 1 Scene 3 (Witches’ prophecies), Act 3 Scene 4 (Banquet/ Banquo’s ghost), Act 5 Scene 1 (Lady Macbeth sleepwalking); Themes - Unchecked Ambition, Madness, Fate and the Supernatural. For any questions or comments, please contact TandLGuru@yahoo.co.uk - Many thanks!

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men.' It contains comprehensive sections on: - Context; - Chapter by Chapter Summary (with quotes); - Main Characters; - Themes; - Literary Features; - The Origins of the Book Title. 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 interesting and engaging lesson enables students to gain a detailed understanding of the fight scene in William Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Students learn to demonstrate a developed understanding of the plot and meanings throughout the scene, with the support of precisely-selected textual evidence. In particular, students consider Romeo’s struggle between love and honour throughout the duration of the scene, and how social demands lead him towards his demise. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be attentive and interactive learners. It follows this learning journey: - Establishing the events leading up to the fight, including a discussion regarding the characters and events that make a physical confrontation inevitable; - Reading and interpreting Act III Scene I, interpreting and inferring the key meanings; - Understanding the key themes throughout the scene, including Romeo’s struggle between love and honour; - More closely analysing the key meanings and developments within the scene; - Peer/self 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 reading and interpreting activity - full scene transcript with space for notes; - A closer analysis worksheet based upon Romeo’s struggle; - A template to help scaffold the main task, complete with P.E.E instructions; - A challenging and thought-provoking worksheet, and an answer sheet for the teacher. 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 precise and sustained interpretations regarding Susan Hill’s portrayal of the title character in The Woman in Black. In particular, they consider how the language techniques used (e.g. similes, adverbs and alliteration) are used to introduce and develop the mysterious woman each time that she appears. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Defining the key conventions of ghostly characters; - Understanding and exemplifying key descriptive devices; - Reading extracts introducing and developing the woman, comprehending key meanings; - Analysing how the features of Hill’s language help to create a chilling portrayal of the woman; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Extracts from ‘The Woman in Black’ in which the woman appears; - ‘Hill’s Language’ worksheet (and answer sheet for teachers); - Cards for descriptive devices sorting activity - 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 mixed ability year 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 stimulating and informative lesson develops students’ skill in creating non-chronological reports that precisely meet the content, language and structural features of the form. In particular, they gain an in-depth understanding of how non-chronological reports are ordinarily set out on the page, what information should be included within them, and what style they should be written in, in order to meet form and purpose. These resources contain 3 example non-chronological reports, differentiated by the accessibility of their language. Students follow a clear and logical learning journey, in which they: -Define what non-chronological letters are and clarify their purpose; Establish the structural features of non-chronological letters; -Work collaboratively to identify and analyse the content and language features in further model examples of non-chronological reports; -Create a success criteria for effective non-chronological reports; -Write their own non-chronological reports, using a planning sheet (if needed) and the techniques that they have learnt; -Peer/self-assess their writing attempts. There are enough resources here really for two lessons, including: -Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint; -Non-chronological reports x 3 (based on tennis, great white sharks, and Dubai) -Non-chronological reports structure worksheet; -Non chronological reports planning sheet; -Step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.

This lesson enables students to gain a detailed understanding of the balcony scene in William Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Students learn to demonstrate a developed understanding of language, supported by precisely-selected textual evidence. Students develop clear interpretations of the key meanings within the scene, as the lesson provides a close analysis of the figurative language, rhyme, and repetition strategies utilised by Shakespeare throughout. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be attentive and interactive learners. It follows this learning journey: - Establishing the events leading up to the scene, and the predicament that Romeo and Juliet are in; - Reading and interpreting Act II Scene II, interpreting and inferring the key meanings; - Understanding the key themes throughout the scene, including Juliet’s comparison with sunlight; - More closely analysing Shakespeare’s use of language in Juliet’s ‘What’s in a name?’ speech; - Peer/self 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 reading and interpreting activity - full scene transcript with space for notes; - A template to help scaffold the main task, complete with P.E.E instructions; - A challenging and thought-provoking worksheet, and an answer sheet for the teacher. All images in this resource are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson presentation.

This lesson aims to improve students’ skills in comparing and contrasting poems. Students learn how to understand the different ways that poetry can be compared, plan a well-structured comparative essay, and complete a detailed, organised, and sustained comparison. This lesson is most suitable for children preparing to sit GCSEs/ A Levels. Please note, the lesson should be used subsequent to students being taught poems, as I have left the poems to be compared up to the teacher, as opposed to specifying particular poems. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Understanding what features of poems can be compared (a comprehensive list is provided and utilised in the lesson); - Comprehending how to structure comparative essays as a whole (using a specific formula, which has always formed a successful model for my previous students); - Reading and analysing a model example of a comparative paragraph, in order to understand the key features within each paragraph of a comparative essay; - Writing their own poetry comparison, using planning and success criteria that are formed over the lesson; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; - Worksheets and resources for all activities; - A model example; - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to mixed-ability year 10 groups, but can 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 Willy Russell’s ‘Blood Brothers.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Scene by Scene Summary (with quotes); Main Characters; Themes; Russell’s Dramatic Devices; The 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 informative lesson enables students to show a detailed and sustained understanding of the conventions of effective ghost stories, through analysis of extracts from Susan Hill’s ‘The Woman in Black.’ They study how individual features of subject matter (such as the setting and the hero) and language (e.g descriptive features) are used to create suspense and tension in the mind of the reader. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Defining the key elements of ghost stories; - Planning a ghost story using the key features; - Identifying the elements of ghost stories within key extracts of The Woman in Black; - Analysing the effectiveness of Hill’s features of ghost stories in The Woman in Black; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Extracts from the blurb and Chapter 1 of The Woman in Black; - Template for creating their own ghost stories; - 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 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 engaging and interesting lesson enables students to make clear and developed interpretations of the characters of Mickey and Edward in Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers. In particular, students infer and interpret key information about the characters from their introductions into the play, before tracking how their characters develop through close analysis of their key actions and quotations. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be both independent and collaborative learners. It follows this learning journey: Considering the idea of money ‘buying happiness’ and applying this concept to characters in the play; Engaging with the opening to the play and interpreting how Mickey and Edward are presented; Tracking how the characters are developed throughout the play, through engagement with their key actions and quotations; Creating character profiles which demonstrate their understanding of Mickey and Edward’s introduction and development throughout the play; Self-evaluating their learning in the lesson. Included in this resource pack are: A well-presented, thorough, and informative, whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; Appropriate extracts from the play; A template morale graph to enable students to track the development of characters; Character profile templates to help scaffold the main task, complete with quotes from the text; A comprehensive teacher guidance form/lesson plan to assist delivery. Resources are provided in both Word (for easy editing)and PDF (to prevent formatting issues between computers). All images in this resource are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson presentation.

This lesson enables students to gain a detailed understanding of the characters of Friar Laurence and The Nurse in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Students learn to demonstrate a developed understanding of their character traits, relationships with the title characters, and impact upon plot developments. Students also learn to empathise with the two characters, inferring and interpreting the motives behind their actions. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be attentive and interactive learners. It follows this learning journey: - Remembering and understanding the impact of Friar Laurence and The Nurse up to Act IV; - Reading and interpreting Act IV, particularly interpreting and inferring the key involvement of Friar Laurence and The Nurse; - Identifying and analysing the key features of their characters; - Empathising with the two characters through a fun and interactive drama activity, in order to understand their motives a little better; - Anlaysing their impact upon the plot in Act IV, including their influence upon the two title characters; - Peer/self-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 reading and interpreting activity - including a teacher answer guide; - Full Act IV transcript with space for notes; - ‘In Your Shoes’ cut-out soles for the development task; - A template to help scaffold the main task, complete with P.E.E instructions; 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 students to make insightful and developed interpretations of The Ghost of Christmas Past in Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol.’ In particular, they explore the ghost’s physical appearance, actions, and mannerisms, and analyse the extent to which the ghost symbolises the power of memories. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Reading and understanding the key plot elements of stave 2 - in which The Ghost of Christmas Past appears; - Identifying and exemplifying the key features of the ghost, including its appearance, actions, and mannerisms; - Analysing the extent to which the ghost represents the power of memories; - Peer assessing each other's learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Extract - Chapter 2 of A Christmas Carol; - Features of The Ghost of Christmas Past Worksheet (and completed answer sheet for teachers); - 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 mixed ability year 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 Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Sign of Four.' It contains comprehensive sections on: - Context; - Chapter by Chapter Summary (with quotes); - Main Characters; - Themes; - Doyle's Language Devices; - Features of Detective Novels. 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 gain a detailed understanding of the dramatic devices used by William Shakespeare in his romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Students learn to demonstrate a developed understanding of features such as dramatic irony, stage directions, and puns, through analysis of precisely-selected textual evidence. The main scene analysed throughout the lesson is Act III Scene V, in which Juliet defies the orders of her parents to marry Count Paris. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be attentive and interactive learners. It follows this learning journey: - Defining the key dramatic devices; - Contextualising Juliet’s behaviour in the patriarchal society of the time; - Reading and interpreting Act III Scene V, interpreting and inferring the key meanings; - Understanding the key themes throughout the scene, including Juliet’s struggle between obeying orders and following love; - Identifying and analysing the key dramatic devices used throughout the scene; - Peer/self 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 reading and interpreting activity - full scene transcript with space for notes; - A closer analysis worksheet based upon Shakespeare’s dramatic devices; - Dramatic devices definition cards; - A template to help scaffold the main task, complete with P.E.E instructions; - A challenging and thought-provoking worksheet, and an answer sheet for the teacher. All images in this resource are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson presentation.