Questions on the climax in Act 2. Suitable for homework and SEN.

Help students to see how quotes can suit a variety of questions: this enables them to choose apt quotes to memorise, saving time in the exams, or just to find quickly. This works with the 'Section B style questions - a strategy' PP. The poets focused on here are Tennyson and Coleridge, but the idea can be adapted for any texts.

Comparing Sade’s experiences of England with Nigeria after reading The Other Side of Truth by Beverly Naidoo. Students reflecting on the novel once they have read it list good and bad things in Sade’s experience of both countries, exploring whether the author presents a balanced view of both countries.

This fun, illustrated novel by David Almond is ideal for KS2 & weaker KS3 readers, especially those who don't like reading much. This first task is a word recognition exercise that helps improve spelling by getting students to notice words within words. This also makes a good homework task. To facilitate peer or self-assessment, the answers on p2 can be projected. You can extend the task by setting a spelling test on the words. The PP takes the challenge further: students are shown how to memorise the spelling of words and then asked to find 3-5 of their own errors to learn to spell correctly using the technique. Tip: let them use colours to show the words within words.

This cluster of resources is rooted in two approaches to teaching: A] Flipped Learning – the students first go and find out about their topic. Your task is to bring all the threads together for them in a plenary lesson AND B] ‘Jigsaw’ – where students find out a piece of the whole then share information to get the complete picture. Allow several lessons and a homework session for this task as it involves research and feedback. The PP presents a useful way of introducing the poems, still keeping to the independent approach and providing a lead in to the tasks. On the Word docs are AO cards with links to guide students' search for information. To finish off, give students an idea of your exam board’s requirements for the poetry question, give them a mark scheme and ask them to write a model answer to a typical question using all the information they’ve gathered in their own research and from their classmates. Print out the planning sheet [assessment] on A3 so that students can plan to cover all the AOs in a trial question for each poem.

This 'recreative' lesson prepares students in KS3 and KS4 for writing based on another creative text. Particularly useful for section B of the new [2015 for 2017]AQA English paper 1, where students have to write 'their own creative text, inspired by the topic that they have responded to in section A to demonstrate their narrative and descriptive skills in response to a written prompt, scenario or visual image'. In this case it is a poem, 'Down the Laundrette' , and they are given a range of writing options, culminating in peer assessment. 'Down at the Launderette' is from Hiding Out by Irene Rawnsley (Smith|Doorstop Books, 1996) and is used with the publisher's permission. Top Tip: when checking peer assessed work, give rewards not only for good work, but perceptive peer comments; that way you keep students taking peer assessment seriously and raise the standard of response- the last slide suggests the type of comment looked for.

Prepare your A-level students for AQA’s Section B unseen poetry question with this trial assessment, including an instruction PP with a link to an outstanding reading of the Keats; student friendly band descriptors; possible content with AOs and, of course, the question, based on both the 2017 and 2018 formulations. Ideal for use in a mock exam or test along with the feedback discussion of how to improve afterwards.

The best way to revise unseen poetry is by doing trial exam papers, so here is one in which students compare a sonnet by Sir Philip Sidney with a sonnet by Christina Rossetti. A pp enables you to display instructions while handing out the papers and while doing the peer assessment. Indicative content is given to this end as is a student friendly summary of the bands. Two lessons worth of work here, or a homework and a lesson, plus lots of discussion and revision opportunities.

A wordsearch with a difference - find the synonyms in the text, write them down and find both clue and answer in the wordsearch. 'The Undoor' is a short story in Chris Priestley's 'Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror. This task promotes literacy and could be a homework activity. The answers are on p2 and can be projected or handed out. A useful starter activity could be a quick re-cap of synonyms and antonyms, using some of the words from the wordsearch [don't tell them thhe words are coming up, but do link them to the story; that way the alert students feel rewarded when they notice some work has already been done for them] Apart from the activity given on slide 2, students could make a note of the definitions on slide 1 for future reference.

The focus of this exercise is the contrast in feeling between Ernie and Stan. Some of the words appear in the chapter, some are inferred. This task could be done as a plenary after reading the chapter or as a simple homework. Page 2 gives the answers and sets an extra challenge as extension work. This novel by David Almond is published by Walker Books and is suitable for KS2 & KS3 reluctant readers. The starter, which could be be done as a way of introducing the homework or as a starter when the homework/ plenary is being marked. Suitable for using individual white-boards as well as for exercise books.

One of the unusual things about this novel is that author David Almond not only speaks to the reader in various places, but also invites them to mention how the strands of the story end. Here students are invited to imagine - and then write in 3 -5 paragraphs - what happens to Clarence P. Clapp. Before they do, they create success criteria for themselves [pitch to class ability - 'Begin every sentence with a capital letter' to 'Use a wide range of punctuation for effect': you know what your class needs to work on] and collect useful words and imagery from the text - the foundations of 'close reading'! As an additional challenge or homework, students can find more information on websites given and a PP slide allows the teacher to project the information. This also makes it easier to go to the sites as a class if preferred.

Descriptive writing is soon to be a major part of the English exam [from 2015 for 2017 exam], so it is a good idea to start 'drip feeding' techniques for top grades to more able KS3s as well as KS4s still doing course-work or just aiming to write more effectively. Each of these lessons uses short reading extracts too, to help students recognise techniques they could use, thus providing some preparation for the fiction reading portion of Paper 1 [new AQA English spec]. The PP outlines the lesson plan and the handout gives students a copy of the text extracts looked at. Notes on the relevant slides prompt less experienced teachers to notice relevant techniques. Peer marking ends the session. Photographs are once again used by kind permission of Graham Hobbs.

The thing for teachers to emphasise in preparing students for this task is that alliteration works by sound, not letter - so 'cough' and 'kill' have the same sound. The advert draws on specific descriptions in David Almond's novel and chapter and page numbers are given for the 2012 Walker Books edition. Some students like to get on and read the book in one go after the initial chapters, so let them do the more creative tasks when they've completed the story. Best pieces can be displayed - encourage students to be creative as well as to use slogans, alliteration, rule of three etc.

It is best to print this on A3. The point is for students to be able to choose which stories to write about quickly as soon as they see the question, so they map out which stories cover which aspects of gothic writing and list a key quote from each story that supports several points. The PP begins by explaining how the grid works. Then students fill in the grid - set the time in the space provided. The next two activities are covered over - the text is revealed on the click- if you want to edit this, just pull the blackened text box to one side and replace after. Using the grid as a help, students then decide which texts would be suitable for each past/ possible question. This should lead to discussion of several possibilities and reasons given...revision by stealth!

With no past papers, it is useful to have a 'trial' exam paper {based on the AQA specimen paper for the 2015 Spec to be examined in 2017} to use as revision. The tasks are different, but the style is similar, so KS3s could familiarise themselves with the type of task, or it can be used as revision with KS4 in the future. The PP runs a strategy for thinking about the tasks, with some questions and examples to stimulate ideas. The last slide offers a quick correction task; with an extra click, the answers will be revealed.

This worksheet makes a quick plenary or homework for KS2 or KS3 reluctant readers or less able spellers. Although it can be used without reading the novel, the context does give it more appeal. The story is written by David Almond and published by Warner books, 2012. Using the PP, students check their work or peer assess if that is easier than projecting the answer page, then move on to a short homophone task. If the spelling was done as homework, this makes an ideal starter for the 'hwk due' lesson.

These tasks lend themselves to the revision of any topic or content subject and all you have to do by way of preparation is apply the tasks to the specifics of your subject and provide the postit notes. Slide one has 6 images – choose any icon to click on in a way that engages the class [throw a di, ask a question, choose a quiet student to make the choice]. A hyperlink will take you straight to the relevant slide, where the tasks will come up in steps on your click [adapt the wording of these to suit your specifics if you wish]. At the end of the lesson ‘end show’ to get back to slide 1 for the next lesson. Each task is explained in your ‘recipe for success’ word document and alternatives or ways to differentiate suggested. The central idea is to get students helping each other while you facilitate only when required.

Help more able students develop their powers of description with this exercise; although it uses colour to create mood and atmosphere, the technique can be transferred to sustaining metaphors or similes, skills top marks are made of. The PP begins with a hyperlink[click on ‘colours’] to a song, Donovan’s ‘Colours’ [you may want to move to slide 2 on the musical interlude, as by then the link between colours and mood has been made] and takes students through the steps of choosing a colour while also making useful notes on the technique by looking at quotes and extracts. In the end, their task is to describe something, weaving colour imagery and mood words through the description. This could be set as a homework – or a next lesson. Linking this task to the opening lines descriptive writing task as a follow up lesson works well.

If you're sick of suggesting alternatives to 'weird', this is the starter you need! Everyday 'bland' words are given synonyms in a sort activity. To differentiate - or speed things up - there's a handout version to highlight. This series of starters focuses on building up the student's word-hoard [as the Anglo-Saxons called it]. Little and often is the best way to extend vocabulary and if it’s a game, so much the better.

All these starters are designed to build students' vocabulary, familiarising them with words, getting them to build words and helping them to choose apt vocabulary: the right word in the right place. All are self-check, with clear answers that enable self- and peer assessment, minimising your workload. All have an element of differentiation in a worksheet option. Each is available separately as part of the 'Word-hoard series 1' starters, but as a bonus, all 6 are available here, so you get one free!