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J. D. Gardner's Shop

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(based on 22 reviews)

I teach English at an academically successful school in Berkshire. I only publish resources that I have personally used in the classroom and always aim for maximum visual and interactive impact.

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I teach English at an academically successful school in Berkshire. I only publish resources that I have personally used in the classroom and always aim for maximum visual and interactive impact.
The Handmaid's Tale: The Commander
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The Handmaid's Tale: The Commander

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The lesson begins by building character profiles of Commander Fred Waterford and Fred Judd, and asks students to consider the significance of each character. Next is a close focus on the presentation of his character with discussion questions and, finally, a motion that forms the basis of a debate over his character.
Dystopian Writing - the genre and writing openings
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Dystopian Writing - the genre and writing openings

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Lesson 3 in the scheme of work on writing in the dystopian genre. The lesson could be used as a one-off resource but is designed to build on students’ prior knowledge of noun phrases, non-finite clauses and adverbials. The resource asks students to think about the conventions of the genre and then asks them to write their own story openings. An original exemplar story opening is included to discuss / annotate with the class, which showcases the techniques practised in the previous two lessons. The lesson has been designed for use with high-ability year 7s, but would equally be suitable for students in years 5, 6 or 8, dependent upon ability.
Dystopian Writing - Persuasive Language
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Dystopian Writing - Persuasive Language

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Intended as the fifth in a creative writing scheme of work on dystopian writing. However, this lesson will work independently. The resource is centred around an extract from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick as an example of how students could write a persuasive advert for their own automaton - either humanoid or animal. I have included an additional starter activity as the material may take more than one lesson to cover. The resource was designed for high ability year 7 students, but could work for students in years 5, 6 or 8, dependent upon ability.
Edexcel A Level Poetry: John Keats  (Volume 1)
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Edexcel A Level Poetry: John Keats (Volume 1)

7 Resources
A bundle of lessons that follows Edexcel’s A level specification for the poetry of John Keats. There is one lesson for each poem of Keats’s. Included in this bundle are the first 7 lessons in the sequence, in the order that they are listed in the exam board specification. ‘O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell’ On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer On The Sea ‘In drear-nighted December’ On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again ‘When I have fears that I may cease to be’ The Eve of St Agnes
Edexcel A Level Poetry: John Keats (Volume 2)
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Edexcel A Level Poetry: John Keats (Volume 2)

7 Resources
A bundle of lessons that follows Edexcel’s A level specification for the poetry of John Keats. There is one lesson for each poem. Included in this bundle are the second 7 lessons in the sequence, in the order that they are listed in the exam board specification. To Sleep Ode to Psyche Ode on a Grecian Urn Ode to a Nightingale Ode on Melancholy Bright Star To Autumn
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
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Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

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A simple lesson focusing on the use of rhyme in Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. I would recommend it being taught to younger students getting to grips with how we annotate rhyme schemes and compose rhymed poems; I taught this lesson to a mixed ability year 7 class. The presentation includes a starter asking students to use metaphors. Then, there is a slide exemplifying the difference between true and near rhyme. I’ve included an embedded video of a good reading of the poem. Following this is an annotation exercise and, finally, students are asked to write their own rubai using the same rhyme scheme as Frost.
Romeo & Juliet: The prologue
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Romeo & Juliet: The prologue

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The presentation contains a number of activities which will appeal to a range of abilities. For the lower ability there is a storyboard of the prologue and, for stronger students, there are activities on the sonnet form, iambic pentameter and an article on the role of fate in Shakespeare's plays. There are challenge and extension activities. Enough work for 1 - 2 one-hour lessons.
Comparing Poetry (Eduqas)
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Comparing Poetry (Eduqas)

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A presentation which takes students through the very basics of understanding what it means to 'compare' one thing to another, to analysing a model answer and then planning their own response. The model answer compares Death of a Naturalist and Excerpt from the Prelude from the Eduqas exam board. Parts of the resource would suit low ability learners but, for the most part, the presentation suits middle ability learners.
Keats for Key Stage 3
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Keats for Key Stage 3

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A three-lesson scheme of work on John Keats, designed to teach students about the sonnet and ode forms, context and Romantic ideals including the Sublime. The poems covered are: On The Sea, To Autumn and Bright Star.
Poetry Through Time
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Poetry Through Time

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The first part of a scheme of work on poetry from Beowulf, through Chaucer to the Romantic era. It gives students an understanding of how language has changed and the importance of the oral tradition. Lessons on the Romantic era help students engage with the sonnet and ode forms, provide context and teach them about Romantic ideals such as the sublime. The lessons on Keats are also available as a separate, smaller bundle.
Of Mice and Men: Chapters 1-3
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Of Mice and Men: Chapters 1-3

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A KS3 scheme of work which covers the first three chapters of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. There are a range of activities which cover both reading and writing aspects of the novel. Note that we use ipads at my school so, where they are infrequently mentioned, you could set the task as a homework or else book a computer room. Keep your eyes peeled for lessons on chapters 4 and 5 in the coming weeks.
Frankenstein: The early chapters
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Frankenstein: The early chapters

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A KS5 scheme of work (or a KS4 scheme for the more able). It covers the introductions, the Romantic genre, Walton's narrative, the first part of Victor's narrative, Byron and the Oedipus complex. The scheme is resourced with links to external websites such as the British Library and comes supplied with articles for which I claim no intellectual credit. Students can access the QR codes and hyperlinks which are given from time to time with an ipad or mobile phone.
'When I have fears that I may cease to be'
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'When I have fears that I may cease to be'

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A step-by step look at John Keats’s ‘When I have fears that I may cease to be’. The lesson begins with a look at the context, the unusual form of the poem and then the language. It also asks students to begin to make comparisons to similar ideas in some of Keats’s other poems e.g. the ocean in On The Sea and the harvest in *To Autumn. *
Ode on Indolence by John Keats
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Ode on Indolence by John Keats

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A lesson which focuses on the language Keats uses to present the three figures (Love, Ambition and Poesy), as well as drawing connections and distinctions between this poem and the other great odes. There is little discussion of context here, save for the initial clarification of the epigraph as my students’ knowledge of Keats’s life is already strong.
On First Looking into Chapman's Homer by John Keats
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On First Looking into Chapman's Homer by John Keats

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This lesson takes students through the Petrarchan sonnet form and Keats’s use of it, key context surrounding the poem and discussion / language analysis questions which focus students on its main interpretations. The language analysis task can be enacted in groups or as individual / paired comprehension. I have also included some information on Apollo and his relevance to Keats, as well as information on ‘The Camelion Poet’.
Hyperion: A Fragment by John Keats
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Hyperion: A Fragment by John Keats

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This resource can be used across 2-3 lessons and leads students through the plot, context, settings, characters and key themes of the poem. I have tried to throw in a few strategies to make the lesson more student-led and less discussion or teacher focused, such as asking students to come up with their own questions about a section of text. The slides also contain my thoughts and ideas where they may be helpful.
The Handmaid's Tale: Moira
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The Handmaid's Tale: Moira

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The presentation looks at Moira across the text. It begins with a quotation hunt , contains a task where students evaluate who would be the better protagonist (Moira or Offred) , considers the issue of race and provides a starting point for an essay question.
Dystopian Writing - Adverbs and Adverbial Phrases
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Dystopian Writing - Adverbs and Adverbial Phrases

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The second in a sequence of lessons on dystopian fiction which builds upon grammatical skills for writing. The resource works as a stand-alone lesson too. The lesson introduces students to adverbs and adverbial phrases through the blurb of Gone by Michael Grant, getting them to identify the different types of adverbial in the text before asking them to write their own blurb or story opening in the dystopian genre. This lesson was designed for Year 7 but could work for students in years 5, 6 or 8 dependent upon ability.