This lesson uses the excerpt in which Mrs Joe is introduced. Students are asked to work through 3 of Dickens’s methods for characterisation: contrast, symbolism (specifically, the symbol of Mrs Joe’s apron) and the use of a semantic field. Through a mixture of questioning and discussion, pupils are guided through some ideas about the effect of these methods. Thereafter, they are asked to write a response to this question: Explain how Dickens uses contrast, the symbol of the apron and a semantic field to create the character of Mrs Joe. The final slide of the powerpoint is a self-assessment grid.

This is a straightforward worksheet. It uses the narrative poem, “The Farmer’s Wife” and there are questions alongside each verse. These questions could be given to pupils for independent work or alternatively could be used to structure a guided reading session. Planned for a year 7 class as part of their distance learning - but might be of use for year 6.

A basic comprehension activity on “Snow” by Walter de la Mare. There are ten questions focusing on the writer’s methods and their effect. Originally created as a homework. Could also be used as a cover activity, for exclusion work or for distance learning.

This is an activity that I created for a year 7 class as part of their home learning. It uses an excerpt from Alice in Wonderland in which Alice meets the Caterpillar and a worried pigeon. There are five tasks, four for reading and one for writing. The reading tasks increase in difficulty and focus on (in turn) information retrieval, inference, analysis and evaluation. The writing task asks the children (hopefully inspired by the extract) to write a short descriptive piece, describing the landscape of a dream. Could be used for cover or set as homework.

This is a straightforward multiple-choice quiz (answers provided) on Sara Teasdale's "There Will Come Soft Rains". There are 14 straightforward questions. Could be set for homework either after having studied the poem or as a pre-reading activity to identify any gaps that need particular focus in the lesson. Could also be used to structure a guided reading activity, in which case you will find that several of the questions invite follow-up questioning.

This multiple choice quiz has answers provided and there are 21 questions on Robert Graves’ poem, “The Leveller”. This could be used for flipped learning or pre-reading so that gaps in knowledge and understanding can be identified and then made the focus of subsequent teaching. Alternatively, the questions could be used to structure a guided reading session. Useful for homework or home learning.

This could be used as a walking/talking mock exam. It’s a very straightforward powerpoint with example questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 from paper 1 of the AQA English Language exam. The powerpoint presents the questions and little more - there is some guidance to remind students how to approach question 2 and the Word document containing the extract has space on the right for students to make notes to help them answer question 3. The text used is pre-1914 so no worries about copyright infringement.

This is a straightforward comprehension activity that could be used for homework or cover. Alternatively, it could be used as a pre-reading activity to identify any gaps in knowledge or understanding before the characters of Oliver or Mrs Sowerberry are explored in greater detail. There’s a vocabulary task and then seven comprehension questions. The Word document is editable so if you wish to add challenge you can remove the glossary at the end of the passage.

Here, you will find 18 exam-style questions using the format and wording of the AQA English Literature GCSE exam, paper 1. The extracts used are shorter than the students will meet in the exam - slightly shorter in some cases and much shorter in others. Created for revision sessions but useful for homework, classwork or remote learning.

This is a straightforward comprehension activity using an abridged text from Dickens’ story “The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain”. There are 8 questions. This could be set for homework or used as cover. Alternatively, the questions could be used to structure a guided reading session.

This powerpoint was made for a year 11 class to help them to improve their responses to AQA English Language Paper 1, question 2 and to Paper 2, question 3, both of which ask students to explain the effect of a writer’s language choices. The extract is from a short story by G.K.Chesterton which is in the public domain. Slide 1 is for recall/diagnosis of gaps. Slide 2 is an opportunity for a class model. Slide 3 offers a teacher-prepared model and slide 4 asks the students to work independently to write a second paragraph of the response. Could be useful for home learning, revision or as a cover activity.

This is a multiple-choice quiz with 26 questions on “The Farmer’s Bride” by Charlotte Mew. Could be used for homework or revision. Alternatively, this could be used to check students’ understanding of the poem prior to teaching so that the subsequent lesson can be more precisely focused on gaps. Answers are provided.

This is a grid of activities for students who are studying Shelagh Delaney’s “A Taste of Honey”. Originally planned as a cover activity, it could also be used as half a term’s homework or for revision if the students are studying the play for GCSE.

This is a language-rich excerpt from “All Quiet on the Western Front” with a model paragraph using a quotation from the text. Useful for revision or for homework. Students use the model as the basis for their own paragraph of analysis.

This powerpoint uses 7 poems, all in the public domain. The intention is that students can work independently to develop the habit of becoming questioning readers, interrogating the text to deepen their understanding. Questions are provided to encourage this. Alternatively, the powerpoint could be used to structure a guided reading session on unseen poetry. It could also be used in class to support the teaching of analysis of unseen poetry. The questions will help to identify gaps in students’ understanding so that subsequent discussion can be more sharply focused.

This is a simple and straightforward comprehension activity using a brief excerpt from “Carmilla” by Sheridan le Fanu. Questions test basic comprehension and developing analysis. Suggested answers are provided. This would sit well within a unit on gothic horror. It could be used as a homework activity or set for cover. Alternatively, the questions could be used to structure a session of guided reading.

This is an excerpt from a speech given by Dickens on 5th November 1857. There are ten questions with suggested answers provided. This could be used in class, for cover or as homework. Alternatively, the questions could be used to structure a guided reading session. Competing this activity will give students a sound understanding of Dickens’ viewpoint and so this activity could usefully be used alongside the Ghost of Christmas Past and the description of Scrooge’s schooldays.

This quiz was created as a revision resource for less confident readers in year 11. However, it could also be used at KS3 or with a GCSE resit class. The quiz could be used for homework or independent revision. Alternatively, the questions could form the basis for a guided reading session or the quiz could be used in a flipped learning context to identify gaps in knowledge and understanding so that subsequent teaching can be more precisely focused. Answers are provided.

A simple and straightforward powerpoint, animated as it was used in a revision session. The powerpoint has a recap slide with suggested answers. (These may not match your students, in which case they’ll need editing). There are 4 suggested tasks. 3 are very straightforward; the final one is more challenging and closer to the task that students will encounter in the exam. The weather task asks students what is wrong with the sample paragraph. The answer is that it doesn’t express a clear viewpoint.

This powerpoint was planned for a mixed-ability year 7 class as part of a unit of work on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The focus is on the meaning of Puck’s final speech and the ideas that Shakespeare is expressing through that speech. A suggested (short) response to the writing prompt is provided on the final slide. The homework is a multiple-choice quiz on the extract, to be used after the lesson, intended to embed the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the speech. Answers to the quiz are provided.