Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
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 - Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a 90 minute short response examination.
A lesson which focuses on developing student ability to define, describe and explain (cognitive verbs which they will need for their upcoming assessment).It also builds student knowledge of how the media perpetuates gender stereotypes. It begins with a revision activity (a match the definitions task).This is followed by looking at what it means to define, describe and explain.Looking at some example questions which use the cognitive verb ‘explain.’ Some sentence starters which can be used for explaining are provided (from Pat Hipwell’s Logon Literacy explain poster). Then, using the Gradual Release of Responsibility method there is a ‘we do’ practice explain question to be done as a whole class and one to be done with their elbow partners (the person sitting beside them). This is followed by a self reflection tool for the student to see how confident they feel at this point. After this, the lesson moves onto practicing some question types similar to those on the exam that we have encountered thus far.There is a set of ‘you do’ questions about a person and what can be inferred from their interests and appearance and whether it is fair to ‘judge a book by its cover.’ This is followed by a look at another question which will require students to unpack an advertisement and “explain the effect the advertisement could have on female and male audiences.” As this is intended for a year 12 class, the advertisements are quite mature. They are derogatory advertisements produced for the men’s fashion brand Suitsupply which was founded in 2000 by Fokke de Jong in Amsterdam. This is meant to generate discussion about the fact that ‘sex sells’ and without rules to curtail advertising companies, some really messed up advertisements can be created. They are to make connections between the sexualisation of women in ads and how this can inadvertently reinforce negative perceptions of women and their value in society. This ties in nicely with our second part of the unit which is about discrimination. After doing the suit supply paragraph together, there is a Madison Avenue advertisement about cooking equipment for the students to analyse on their own and complete a practice response about.
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 - Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a 90 minute short response examination.
A PowerPoint designed to introduce the second focus of the unit - discrimination. The warm up is to copy 3 terms into their glossary (discrimination, gender discrimination and sexist). Then there is a discussion of an interesting moment in the 2021 Australian season of ‘I’m a celebrity get me out of here.’ There is an opinion piece which summarises what happened in the episode and the various reactions to it (from the celebrities and the author herself). There is a retrieval chart for students to use as they read the article to identify the various perspectives (they must identify 3 perspectives). During this activity it is easy to get students to begin using language of comparison. This is followed by a brainstorming activity to see what students know about discrimination and groups which have faced discrimination in the past. This is followed by an explanation about the differences between discrimination and prejudic. Additional discrimination subcategories/types are introduced - individual, institutional, direct and indirect. There is a checking for understanding activity where students are provided with 6 scenarios and must circle which of them are examples of gender discrimination. This is followed by statistics about gender discrimination and issues which have been experienced by women including the earning gap. Following this, students copy notes about Australia’s ‘Sex Discrimination Act’ (1984). This is one of the federal laws students should be able to refer to in their exam. As the exam is a response to stimulus, students are then introduced to ‘infographics’ as there is an infographic in the exam. We spend time talking about how to draw information from visual sources and offer our own interpretation of them. This is followed by brief information about when discrimination can occur in a workplace and a checking for understanding activity where students fill in a graphic organiser about the differences between prejudice and discrimination.
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 - Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a 90 minute short response examination.
A PowerPoint which continues to explore gender discrimination and laws about discrimination (in Australia. It begins with a discussion about 3 more cognitive verbs students must demonstrate in their exam (decide, recommend and justify). There is a visual of the process for justifying from the QCAA which I use to explain this cognition further (it includes sentence starters). This is followed by an explanation of criteria 2.3 and what students must demonstrate to get an A in this criterion. There are some example questions for students to see what they look like in the exam. This is followed by some new content - Australian workplace rights. We unpack what a right is and look at rights that employees should have at work. We look at the Equal employment opportunity commission, what they do and how they are safeguarded by a number of state and federal anti-discrimination laws. We briefly touch on Federal laws (e.g. Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 & Fair Work Act 2009) and Queensland laws re discrimination (e.g. The Sex Discrimination Act & Queensland: Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (QLD)). We also looked at which of Australia’s National Employment Standards link to these laws. We also look at what the Fair Work Act does to protect parents or those seeking to become parents from adverse action. This includes questions which cannot be asked when interviewing potential employees to prevent biases around hiring (e.g. women around age of having babies).This is followed by advice about what to do if you believe you are being treated unfairly at work. To conclude the lesson, we go through the type of question to expect on exam (a small scenario which they must read and identify at least 2 perspectives from).
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 - Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a 90 minute short response examination.
A second lesson on Australia’s anti-discrimination laws.
The PPT begins with a viewing activity (studentsare to watch a clip and summarise what they have learned about the types of discrimination).
Within the lesson students will be:
Exploring employer and employee responsibilities (re inclusivity and combatting discrimination)
Looking at how workplace dress codes can be sexist (and what employers should do about it)
Learning what protections Australian law has in place for parents and would-be parents (and what they should do if they are denied these rights by their workplace)
There are additional videos at the back of the PowerPoint for using if the students get through all the content planned for the lesson early.
Resource 1: A Unit plan designed for a 10 week term (with the assessment taking place in week 8 to allow time for beginning the next unit). The unit plant includes syllabus objectives, a description of the unit, assessment task details and a list of recommended resources (including visual media)
Resource 2: A Scope and Sequence suggesting topics to be covered throughout the term is provided. It shows the balance between teaching content and practicing exam cognitions and building students communication skills.
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 - Aussie_Resources.
A PowerPoint designed to teach the students how to write a critical summary of evidence for their assessment. It begins by explaining what it is and what the term justify means. There is an overview of the required elements and three potential structures from the History Skills website that students can choose from. There is a video (online tutorial) from YouTube about how to write a critical summary. I have some tips that students should keep in mind when writing their critical summary. Finally, the QCAA example is included along with the marking notes showing which criterion are being addressed. Afterwards, students have time to write their own.
A copy of the task sheet for the unit. This task is an extended response to stimulus task. This technique assesses the interpretation, analysis/examination and/or evaluation of ideas and information in provided stimulus materials. While students may undertake some research in the writing of the extended response, it is not the focus of this technique. According to the syllabus, “In Social and Community Studies, an extended response requires reasoned responses to specific questions. It allows students to demonstrate their ability to use investigative and thinking skills and to formulate ideas, make judgments and reach conclusions, which are part of the process of social investigation.” The task sheet includes suggested content for the speech students are required to write
A stimulus (source) booklet with a fictional legal case which students are to use as their case study for their speech.
A PowerPoint used in the assessment handout lesson. It includes the context statement, task description and information about the specific role students are playing in their speech (a police prosecutor). Regular checkpoints (mini deadlines) are established. This is followed by some more information about drink driving (the type of crime in the stimulus case).
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 – Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a multimodal presentation.
I pride myself on the quality of the materials I produce, I don’t charge high prices because I don’t agree with paying £10 for a word search. If you need to check before you buy, have a look at some of the free resources in my shop for a sample of the quality and depth.’
A PowerPoint to introduce the students to the unit. It begins by defining law. Following this students brainstorm Australian laws / QLD laws that they are aware of (there are some prompts on the slide to assist them to do this). This is followed by an explanation of the difference between customs, rules and laws. The two main sources of law in Australia (case law and common law) are explained. This is followed by a video about how laws are made in Australia. There are some notes to take about the three levels of government and the laws they are responsible for. This is followed by a checking for understanding activity (students must put a list of laws into the appropriate column). Next is information about who enforces the law, a definition for crime, several interesting news segments from YouTube showcasing some crimes that have occurred since 2019 which leads to a discussion of why laws exist. This is followed by a list which categorises some types of crime and a review to sum up the lesson.
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 – Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a multimodal presentation.
I pride myself on the quality of the materials I produce, I don’t charge high prices because I don’t agree with paying £10 for a word search. If you need to check before you buy, have a look at some of the free resources in my shop for a sample of the quality and depth.
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 (with additional activities for fast finishers).
A PowerPoint focusing on bullying in the workplace and the toll it can take on an organisation. It includes a definition of bullying and an explanation of what counts as ‘unreasonable’ behaviour. Students will view a video from ReachOut.com about workplace bullying with various examples. It includes a think pair, share to get students to reflect on their own experiences as well as notes to copy about examples of bullying. It also includes information about what doesn’t count as workplace bullying and who gets targeted the most. The four types of bullies described by Drs. Gary and Ruth Namie are explained and then students complete a short response writing task. Subsequently, students watch a viewing activity about how to stand up to a bully. This is followed by an explanation of employer responsibilities for addressing bullying and tips for what individuals should do when they are being bullied by coworkers and how the Fair Work Commission can help.
A lesson plan
Two resources:
A worksheet for students to complete while watching the 2020 film ‘Misbehaviour’ which is about events which took place in the UK during the second wave of feminism (protests against the 1970 Miss World competition).Claiming that beauty competitions demeaned women, the newly-formed Women’s Liberation Movement achieved overnight fame by invading the stage and disrupting the live broadcast of the competition. There are 9 questions and 2 post viewing questions. Teaching tip: I utilise the broadcast strategy approach (Barry & King, 1998) previewing the questions prior to playing the film so that students know what to listen out for.
A PowerPoint to use after viewing the film to unpack the key ideas. It includes a synopsis of the film and goes through the answers to the worksheet (also providing information from press around the movie and about the women who inspired it).
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). Designed as part of a unit entitled Women’s movements since 1893 which has the scope to span from when Women’s suffrage in New Zealand became law to the present. Our school decided to focus on the Second Wave of Feminism for our assessment (while briefly touching on the other waves of feminism).The other resources are also available in my store - Aussie_Resources. The end of term assessment for this unit was an essay under exam conditions.
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.
Two resources from a grade 9 English unit
A list of unit specific spelling words - 24 words for each week.
PowerPoint - Looking at a few different film clips (and lyrics) in order to see how identity is portrayed in music. After each clip is responding questions. Songs include My Island Home, Land Down Under, I Am Australian and Born To Survive.
This resource will last multiple lessons. It begins with an introduction to the setting of Macbeth, the globe playhouse, the characters. It then goes through Act one of the play (summaries plus key quotes). It includes a fun video from Thug Notes which summarises the play. It also has a modernised script for Act 1 Scene 3.
An example IA1 task for the ‘Women’s movements since 1893’ which is studied as part of Unit 2 of 11 Modern History in Queensland, Australia.
The examination is an 800-1000 word essay in response to historical sources (2 hrs + 15 minutes planning time). Included in this resource are:
12 relevant sources which showcase a range of perspectives on second wave feminism, have a mix of primary and secondary sources and include some visual sources, a song, extracts from textbooks, newspapers etc.
The reference details and appropriate context statements for these sources.
A booklet of lined paper for students to write their response on
An exemplar response which received top marks (the student redacted some words using a black highlighter during the exam as they knew they were over the word count). This essay has been annotated by the marker which colours representing the various criteria (analysing, evaluating) or important features (e.g. putting forward historical argument, linking back to that argument etc.)
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). Designed as part of a unit entitled Women’s movements since 1893 which has the scope to span from when Women’s suffrage in New Zealand became law to the present. Our school decided to focus on the Second Wave of Feminism for our assessment (while briefly touching on the other waves of feminism).The other resources are also available in my store - Aussie_Resources. The end of term assessment for this unit was an essay under exam conditions.
As part of a year 9 English unit investigating means to be Australian, this PowerPoint looks at one of the earliest stereotypes about Australians: that of the rugged bushman. It focuses on the bushman stereotype and poems written by Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson.
This PowerPoint was designed to teach students how to:
Evaluate the use of stereotypes in the texts
explain how the poet’s use of language helps to create meaning in the poem and positions readers in a certain way.
Explain what is accurate and what may be inaccurate about the Aussie bushman stereotype
This lesson explains the origins of this bush myth and why it was adopted by Australians. It introduces students to poetic ballads including the Man from Snowy River (which they watch a youtube clip of and must then respond to a series of questions). It also includes a summary of challenges often depicted in these poems. Subsequently, students read a Henry Lawson Poem (Ballad of the Drover) to compare the writing styles of Lawson and Patterson. Poems are included in this resource (as a handout).
This PPT also explains the link between bushmen and diggers, lists recent films which continue this stereotype etc.
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/
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 - Aussie_Resources.
This resource includes:
A copy of the task sheet for the unit which includes a suggested structure for the report students are required to write
A QCIA cover sheet recommending adjustments to be made and individual learning goals to be assessed
‘I can’ statements which which break down the criteria into simple terms for students to understand (also assists teachers to mark the assessment with ease)
A template for students to type their report into (with instructions)
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.
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.” During this unit students learned about Hero and Villain films and how filmmakers use cinematic techniques to portray them and create an intended message. Their assessment at the end of this unit was to write a 4-6 minute multimodal (speech) to be delivered live or pre-recorded reviewing one of the three films shown within the unit.
About the PPT: A lesson designed to help prepare students to analyse and evaluate the films they view in class. The lesson begins with an explanation of visual features. There are mini activities where students have to describe things they see in still images or clips e.g. the costumes in the Incredibles film and Spider-Man (2002). Students then learn about non verbal communication including body language and facial expression – they are then shown 4 pictures to describe. They then view a clip from Spider-Man which they will discuss after viewing. This is followed by an introduction to soundtrack (music and sound effects). They watch the trailer for Aquaman and list the sound effects they heard and the types of musical instruments which were featured. They then view a scene from Spider-Man (2002) and do the same. Then students learn about 6 main shot sizes. They then have the opportunity to identify these using stills from Wonder Woman 1 and 2. The next technique is camera angles (eye level, high angle and low angle). This is followed by a checking for understanding activity. Students are then taught about camera movement (panning, tilting, tracking and zooming). They then view clips which exemplify some of these techniques. Next up are editing techniques (montage, transition, simultaneous time, slow motion). These are exemplified via short clips (hyperlinks included in case embedded video does not work). If time, there is also information about traditional language features including characterisation, figurative language and emotive language.
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.” During this unit students learned about Hero and Villain films and how filmmakers use cinematic techniques to portray them and create an intended message. Their assessment at the end of this unit was to write a 4-6 minute multimodal (speech) to be delivered live or pre-recorded reviewing one of the three films shown within the unit.
About the PPT: the PPT begins with an explanation of the unit and the upcoming assessment. There are some terms for students to add to their glossary and a brainstorming activity to see what films students have seen in recent years which feature heroes / villains. Some sample answers grouped under Marvel, DC and Warner Brothers are provided. Students are introduced to definitions of terms including hero, superhero, anti-hero, antagonist and villain. Students are introduced to the Gallery of Modern Arts which is part of the context for their assessment. They see images of the building and photographs I took in 2017 when I went to a Marvel specific exhibition. This is followed by information about the origins of super heroes (comic books). Specific references are made to Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. There are some clips of early TV and film versions of these characters.