4 resources designed for a year 8 poetry unit. The first is a PowerPoint which takes students through the STEP UP acronym which they will use to analyse poems in their upcoming assessment: subject matter, theme, emotions, poetic devices, your interpretation, purpose… It includes prompting questions that students should ask themselves to help guide their response for each category. It then includes a poem about a refugee and slides which work through the STEP UP process. The second is a worksheet for modified students which has most of the notes written so that they only have to write a few. The third is a handout which explains STEP UP which could be used as a poster. The fourth is a typed version of the analysis of the refugee poem (in a Word Doc)

A fun trivia PPT designed for an end of the year activity but which would also be useful if you broke it up and used particular rounds as warm ups or brain breaks throughout a year. There are 20 questions per round (12 rounds in total) - each slide features 10 questions which auto appear upon clicking. Each round has a different focus or theme. There are a couple of picture rounds (famous people, famous landmarks, celebrity singers etc.) Additional round categories include: popular culture, true or false, food and drink, science and the human body, English, Geography, History, General Knowledge, Maths and lastly Animals and Birds. After each round is a slide providing the answers for that round. Questions could also be used in a jeopardy style game.

Unit plan designed for a 10 week term of 11 &12 Modern History. It includes a subject description, a description of the unit, a list of unit objectives (from the syllabus), inquiry questions to guide the unit, the recommended teaching and learning cycle from QCAA, a topic specific learning intentions and success criteria, assessment task details and a list of recommended resources. Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).

A PowerPoint which provides an image and summary for the following characters from Deadly Unna? (pictures taken from the film Aussie Rules). Bob Black aka The Old Man Gwen Black (Blacky’s mum) Gary Black Dumby Red Pickles Coach Robertson aka Arks Tim Black aka Best Team-Man Darcy I printed these up and used them as posters in the classroom.

A PPT summing up the key events in the second half of the 1970s. It includes information about the 1976 Internal Security Act, the renewed use of death sentences, the emergence of the Black Consciousness Movement, the trade embargo established by the UN (1977), Botha’s ascension to PM (1978). There is also some information about the beginning of the 1980s including the formation of the United Democratic Front. Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).

Two resources: A unit plan which includes: a unit description, key questions for the unit, a breakdown of the learning intentions & success criteria, some planning resources, key details about the assessment, scaffolding notes for the assessment {cognitive verbs, a structure, evaluative language, other expected language features}. A list of the themes in the novel. Questions for a self/peer review (student reflection). Reflection questions to be used at the end of the unit (teacher reflection prompts). A Scope and Sequence which outlines how I taught the unit. (My school has 4 x 70 minute lessons a week). Resources designed for 10 English in Queensland, Australia. It is part of a novel study unit which culminates in a 90-minute examination (500 to 800-word essay). Students had 1 week notice of the question and could bring 100 words of notes in with them. Within this unit students explored how an author’s use of language features, images and vocabulary contributed to the representation of themes in the novel. They also gained a deeper understanding of key literary techniques, including (but not limited to) characterisation, plot, and setting.

A document with over 300 trivia questions (and answers) useful for class competitions, homeroom, school fundraisers etc. Questions include those about Australia, other nations, celebrities, popular culture texts, inventors and scientific discoveries, historical events, true or false etc

During this module students investigate their personality type and explore how people manage conflict. They apply conflict management strategies to real life contexts and make decisions about what strategies are most effective. This is a work booklet pack which was designed for use during the 2020 COVID 19 pandemic. It would also be useful for students who are absent for medical / personal reasons. The content within this resource could be adapted into PowerPoints or worksheets for use in the classroom. This work pack contains three lessons worth of content. Lesson 1 - This lesson has a pre-test for students to fill in - it is supposed to show what students know prior to completing the research task for their assessment. Lesson 2 - This lesson contains tips which students can use to research key terms they need for their report. The tips include ‘skimming and scanning,’ the Big 6 steps for researching & how to do a BOOLEAN search. It also includes information about aggressive, passive and assertive communicators. Reasons why people may opt for each communication style are outlined as well as the pro’s and con’s of each style. Tips for how to be more assertive are shared along with an example assertive conversation (transcript). Following this are tips for how to respond to criticism (using ‘clouding’ or ‘probing). Lesson 3 - students have time to research their key terms for their report. They complete section 1A of their booklet (including a bibliography). Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons.

Social & Community Studies focuses on personal development and social skills that lead to self-reliance, self-management and concern for others. In studying Social & Community Studies, students will learn about: personal skills, interpersonal skills and citizenship skills. This resource is a powerpoint for teaching students about conflict and various conflict resolution strategies. It should take 2 lessons. It begins with a warm up activity which encourages students to reflect on what matters to them. This is followed by an activity where students must describe 3 characters (which helps build their vocabulary for describing character traits). Arguments are defined and common causes of conflict are listed. Three discussion questions are posed. Three levels of arguments are outlined. There is a graphic organiser which students will use to fill in their observations of arguments from the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond. There are post-viewing questions for students to discuss. To consolidate their learning students complete a Y chart about what conflict looks like, feels like and sounds like. Afterwards the lesson zooms to focus on conflict in the workplace. 5 common strategies for dealing with conflict are explored (some are better than others). Students should consider the pros and cons of each strategy and which personality types might gravitate to which strategy. The lesson concludes with a research activity.

This worksheet can be used as a one on one tutoring resource. Alternatively, you can take activities from here to use as fast finishers or homework activities. This document introduces students to key terms like fact, opinion and embellishment. It includes sentences and paragraphs and challenges students to identify whether they are subjective/objective. It also provides some information about zoos and asks students to write a subjective and objective paragraph about the topic. The second section explores how verbs, adverbs and well-constructed, extended noun groups can position the reader to form an opinion or judge a person. It gives an example of a famous Australian and shows how by changing a few words you can change the connotation of the text. It includes comprehension questions to check the students understanding. In the third section, a subjective newspaper article about the Vietnam war is included for students to analyse. There are comprehension questions which follow this. The final section introduces students to the concept of tone and gives them a list of different words to describe the tone of a text. Students then look at an advertisement and have to suggest the tone. Subsequently, they read a bias newspaper article and answer questions about this. Finally, there is a writing activity for students which encourages them to write persuasively.

A Unit plan designed for a 10 week term. It includes syllabus objectives, a description of the unit, a marking breakdown which explains what the teacher would expect to see for each assessment criteria, assessment task details and a list of recommended resources. It also includes explanations of some recommended pedagogical strategies (for group work etc.) A Scope and Sequence suggesting topics to be covered throughout the term is provided. Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons.

During this module students investigate their personality type and explore how people manage conflict. They apply conflict management strategies to real life contexts and make decisions about what strategies are most effective. This is a work booklet pack which was designed for use during the 2020 COVID 19 pandemic. It would also be useful for students who are absent for medical / personal reasons. The content within this resource could be adapted into PowerPoints or worksheets for use in the classroom. This work pack contains three lessons worth of content. Lesson 1 - Arguments are defined and common causes of conflict are listed. Three discussion questions are posed. Three levels of arguments are outlined. Assertive communication is explained (including examples). There is a ‘how assertive are you?’ quiz for students to complete. A list of assertion techniques are explained and examples are provided. This is followed by a classification activity - where students read examples and label them. Conflict resolution is defined along with a series of conflict resolution strategies. Lesson 2 - focusing on conflicts in our personal lives. In particular looking at conflicts with our friends as these are a natural part of growing up. Students read tips for keeping their friendships strong. Interpersonal skills such as active listening are explained. Advice for what to do if you don’t know how to reply to something a friend discloses to you. Some ‘blocks’ to really listening are described. Looking at when it is a good idea to give people space and if it is ever ok to lie to friends. How to let people in without feeling humiliated. After engaging with these materials, a range of scenarios are presented to students. Students then complete activities in a graphic organiser which help them to a) analyse the conflict / problem & b) recommend a solution. Lesson 3- focuses on conflict in the workplace. It includes advice about what to do if you experience conflict with your boss / manager. It includes information about why people (like customers) become challenging. There is information about what upset people want and a three prong strategy for dealing with difficult people. Tips for handling customer complaints are outlined. A series of comprehension questions follow this material. Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - lrigb4. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons.

For many decades women were marginalised from texts about life in the bush. If they were mentioned at all they were the wives waiting back at the homestead and played no real role in the text. One exception is the short story ‘The Drovers Wife’ (1894) written by Henry Lawson. This PPT and Work Sheet guide students to read and analyse the story and the effect of its language features and descriptions on readers.

This is a great resource for high school teachers which can be used as a fun activity for the ends of lessons, in homerooms for National Science Week or for transition / induction days. It includes a combination of multiple-choice questions, true/false questions and fact-based questions. This quiz contains questions about the branches of science, famous scientists & their inventions, modern technology, the periodic table, animals, biology, phobias, representations of science in popular culture and much much more. In the past I have run this like around-the-world or pac man https://reliefteachingideas.com/2013/07/28/pac-man/

About the PPT: the lesson began with a checking for understanding brainstorm – students had to think of types of characters who commonly appear in stories. After sharing their responses, I have a list for students to copy. There is information about the types of things authors need to plan and consider before they begin writing. I have a slide defining characterisation which gives examples of direct and indirect characterisation. Following this the text for today’s lesson ‘Soil’ is introduced. I provide some information about the author Ellen Van Neerven who was awarded the 2015 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Indigenous Writers Prize for the collection ‘Heat and Light’. Some of the terms that students may be unfamiliar with have been defined on the slide. After reading the story, there are some discussion questions which I use with the students. Students then share their responses for the retrieval chart. This is followed by some information provided by one of the Bundjalung teachers from our school about some of the sensitive issues raised in this story. Students then consider what gaps or silences they could draw on in a short story. I located images from children’s picture books and the internet which students could draw on to develop their setting. Following this, students were given a writing prompt which they had to plan for (which they would write about in the literacy lesson). The slides from the literacy lesson are also included. Other resources: A copy of the Short Story and the retrieval chart Context: A lesson designed for use in a 12 Essential English classroom in Queensland, Australia as part of Unit 4: “Representations and popular culture texts - Topic 2: Creating representations of Australian identities, places, events and concepts.” During this unit students learned about Australian social groups. They engaged with a range of short stories representing Australia. Their assessment was to write a short story which explored a gap/silence from one of the texts they studied in class.

A PPT explaining the Soweto uprising and its aftermath. The last slide contains a homework activity which requires students to research differing interpretations of the Soweto uprising and write a response to questions. Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).

A worksheet to be used while viewing the Bio pic ‘Long Walk to Freedom.’ It includes during viewing questions and post viewing questions about key people, key events, ideologies/beliefs/motives and some empathy-based questions. There is also a homework activity which requires students to do some further research about Mandela. Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).

This PPT was used to introduce an alternative sequence class (11 and 12 students in the same class) to the external assessment. It includes information from QCAA’s subject reports which explains the assessment conditions. This is followed by a series of slides explaining each criterion and looking at example questions. For some of the question types there are recommended response structures and sample answers. Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).

This is a quiz I devised to use with pupils on the last lesson of term. The answers for each round are included after the round. There are 10 questions per round. The music clips for the music round are provided via hyperlink. For the music round, two points should be awarded for each clip; 1 point for a correct artist, 1 point for a correct song title. I used the template from a free resource on here which had the same rounds but for 2012.

A PDF of plants which grow well in the North QLD region around Mount Isa. An article about when to prune which plants.