Objective: To identify the features of a broadsheet comment article. Outcome: To apply our understanding to write a short comment piece, using the required features. Literacy objective: Effect/Affect This lesson starts with a discussion to whether the opinions of the journalist should ever influence their writing - issues of bias. Then this leads onto comment articles (opinion writing). It then discusses the features of opinion writing and what it must include e.g. the news peg and a leading statement which shocks the audience. Main body of the text - writers opinion, quotes and main issues. Conclusion - summary and driving-home the most powerful point. Main task is to read though a comment piece to identify the features. Then pupils are given four briefs with provocative statements on with issues, quotes, statistics etc. Task: Your job as a journalist is to write a comment (opinion) article about one statement. There are news facts, quotes and statistics included in your brief to help you, and the structure to follow. Plenary to calculate the headline count for different headlines, then create their own.

PSCHE lesson to promote fundamental British Values - tolerance. Literacy objective: Affect/effect Firstly, the pupils will sign a pledge which can be printed off and stuck into books. This is to listen to others opinion, respect each other etc. The pledge will start in this classroom and will be continued throughout their school education, fits within school ethos etc. This can also be used with a speaking stickball//pen/pencil etc. So, whomever has the stick has the floor. Discussions regarding what it means to be tolerant. Think, pair, share, square group tasks. Card sort activity for 'tolerant or intolerant' behaviour scenarios - card sort to cut up from PowerPoint slide 7 for slide 8's card sort mat. What should you do vs. What shouldn't you do? For when pupils come across intolerant behaviour in their lives. Plenary - what have we learnt today?

Objective: To identify the features of a tabloid news article. Outcomes: To apply our understanding to write a lively and engaging tabloid article. Homework: Read your tabloid article and analyse the features, purpose and tone, using the table on the right. Literacy starter: Effect/Affect Starter activity is a card sort between the features of a broadsheet newspaper and a tabloid newspaper. Then a spot the features article to find the AFORREST features and how the writer has engaged the audience. Slides then move on to the main task, but first they go through example headlines to guess what the tabloid news article might be which we're writing about for an independent 10 task. Pupils then plan their tabloid article with a list of success criteria e.g. a shocking headline. Independent 10 task: Write an engaging article for a tabloid newspaper.

Full lesson on Narrative Structure for KS3. Includes PowerPoint going through the four stages of narrative structure (exposition, complication, climax and resolution - uses a short story about Homer Simpson to illustrate this). Crip sheet is attached to stick in children's books for a clear guide, without the need to make too many notes in class (differentiated resource - not needed for top sets etc). The pupils are then asked to plan a story, or re-plan their end of term assessment story, and start to write it out in full. List of success criteria added on the story page. There is also a 'hot seat question' section included in the PowerPoint, and a challenge task. A range of stories for task 1 sourced, for children to identify the different narrative structures within the stories, and to complete the work sheet. Learning Objective: To identify the structure of a story, and use this to improve the stories we have written this term. Learning Outcome: To use the story we have been given to identify its narrative structure. To work in pairs to arrange a story into the correct order. To start to write a story using the techniques we have learnt so far.

GCSE AO2 lesson for the Eduqas WJEC exam board. Scaffolded lesson which builds up to an exam-style question 'How does the writer create tension in the extract?' A3 sheet has a support scaffolding task for finding devices e.g. metaphor, for pupils to write and example and the effect is has on the reader. Full PowerPoint, A3 extract sheet with a support scaffolding task and literary device bingo. A3 sheet comes with Microsoft Publisher file and PDF version. Lesson starts with literary device bingo, all bingo cards are different. Then YouTube video is embedded for ease of use, horror film clip which builds tension. Pupils create a mind map describing how the director builds tension, then read the extract and add to the mind map the techniques the writer has used to build tension e.g. powerful verbs, ambitious punctuation, cliffhanger etc. Then pupils go through the extract on the A3 sheet with the scaffolded literary device activity - find an example, write the effect on the reader. Pupils are to answer an exam question. Success criteria, connective bank and emotion word bank also included. Peer assessment with success criteria for WWW/EBI. Plenary to finish. This lesson worked well with lower ability year 10 group, but was challenging and would work well with any set.

GCSE Unseen Poetry comparison A3 scaffolded sheet, both original publisher file and PDF file for ease of printing. Poems: The Tiger in the Zoo and The Jaguar. I don't own these poems. Sheets scaffold the pupils to bullet pointing the meaning, mood of the poem. Then discussing the language/spotting devices, identifying structure and seeing if there is a deeper meaning, and the effect the poems have on the reader. Lovely resource and well scaffolded for the ability of my classes. Easily differentiated up or down, this worked with low set year 9 as well as GCSE.

Romeo and Juliet KS3/GCSE carousel activity for pupils. This resource doesn't include the full lesson. Available altogether in my shop in another resource. Includes all 8 posters describing the roles in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, and A3 sheet for pupils to write reasons and give a rating out of 10. Both PDF and original publisher files included for ease of use.

A mixed bag of lessons exploring The Ghost of Christmas Past, Scrooge's childhood, his relationship with Fezziwig, the relationship between Scrooge and Marley and language used within Stave 1/2. This was for a top set GSCE class. The range of activities worked extremely well. There is also a graded outstanding lesson included. A range of challenge and support is also included. I adapted these lessons for my lower sets, so differentiated worksheets are also included.

Learning Objective: To learn how to develop characters and character voice in your writing. Learning Outcome: To plan and write an imaginative character description, including a specific tone in their character voice. Year 7 lesson on character profiles and character voice, exploring character voice using Harry Potter characters, and moving on to create their own character using Facebook profiles (to explore character profiles) and a Facebook status (for character voice). Worksheets included: blank Facebook status work sheet (two per page) and Facebook profile worksheet. Whole lesson and two work sheets included.

Two lessons for literary device revision. Includes two differentiated lessons with different activities. For low ability, a literary device bingo with 9 bingo tiles and a card sort. Higher ability, 12 bingo tiles and no card sort game. Extract is differentiated, high ability will find the devices themselves, and low ability will annotate the devices which are already underlined in different colours (they can work out the key).

Half lesson starter: Teacher Standards: S1 Engage the pupils in the starter activity and use multimedia (YouTube) to consolidate knowledge learnt. S2 Construct and scaffold learning, consolidate knowledge regarding genre and develop this into a clearer understanding of Gothic Horror. S3 Breaking down ideas logically to support development of learner’s knowledge. Learning objective: To identify conventions of Gothic Horror genre. Learning outcome: To be able to pick out these conventions from a YouTube clip (Sleepy Hollow). Strategies: Ensure pupils understand the conventions of gothic horror literature e.g. setting – remote locations, haunted houses, gothic architecture, dungeons, hidden rooms, dark towers, crypts. Key concepts: Gothic horror conventions (characters, setting and themes). Questions: What other characters can we think of which may fit into these typical categories? – Perhaps think about books you have read or films you have watched. What can you spot in this setting? What is typical of the image on the board, what is the weather like? What time of year is this?

Focus on introduction to poetry, with a poetry device hunt around the classroom or a carousel activity for pupils to revise poetic terminology. Poetic device sheets could also be used as a classroom display once printed. Support sheets included for differentiation. Objective: To identify different poetic devices and explore their effects. Outcomes: To present these devices in table. Literacy objective: An apostrophe must be used to show who or what owns the object or idea (possession). Lesson is an introduction to poetry, unit focus on unseen poetry. I have used this with year 9 in preparation for their GCSE poetry exams. Lesson runs through literacy objective with tasks and a challenge task on apostrophes. It then goes through the exam board specification and what the examiner is looking for, and the different assessment objectives (AO1/AO2) for unseen poetry. Starter: As many poetic devices as the pupils can think of. Challenge task to include a definition and an example. 5 minute timer included. Introduction: What is poetry? Spot the devices within poetry. Using examples from modern songs - Pocahontas/Justin Bieber. Main task: Poetry device hunt. Pupils to fill in A3 sheet (included publisher file and PDF) two minutes for each device. I used my phone as a timer. This kept pace high. Pupils to write definition and effect in their own words. This can take longer depending on the ability of the class/time for each lesson. Assessment: Whiteboard questioning to gauge progress with plenary for pupils to write on a post-it or in their book. These resources took me over 8 hours to prepare! Can be used again and again for GCSE/KS3 classes.

Group work sheets in original publisher and PDF files. Used to analyse and explode quotes within Romeo's Soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5.

Poetic device posters for around the classroom or to use within poetry classes for KS3/KS4.

A-Level revision of William Blake's 'London', the PowerPoint gives some detail to Blake's background, and then dives into detail regarding form and structure, lexis, syntax and context. It also gives the themes and imagery in the poem for the students to use in their revision. The slides are stanza by stanza, and some stanzas are split in two as there's a lot of information included. (Full notes on the PowerPoint slides, you can edit this, use bullet points instead and talk the pupils through the poem, or leave it as it is. Clear explanations of terminology added.)

This lesson explores the different reactions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after the murder of Duncan (Act 2, Scene 2). It gives a quick re-cap of the implications of regicide in Shakespearean England, then re-caps the attitude of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (key words for stimulus - differentiation). Then you'll read through Act 2, Scene 2 with your class (can't upload the copies I used for copyright reasons, my school uses Macbeth: GCP English for GCSE), [Act 2, Scene 2 is on pages 23-25]. The pupils then used the copies of Act 2, Scene 2 and highlighted the reactions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth with different colours. The pupils then split these into similar reactions and different reactions (added points on PowerPoint for stimulus - differentiation), with an extension question at the bottom. Pupils can then pick one of their points and compare or contrast these (model paragraph included on PowerPoint).

Legal issues (defamation, slander and copyright) revision for Y12 Media CTEC. Ethical issues to support these notes, with reference to the specification, discussing Nestle company distributing free formula milk to third-world countries for eventual profit and the following boycott. I don't own any of the images within the revision notes.

Starter activity to use with KS3/KS4 to practise the AFORREST technique. Publisher and pdf files for ease of use.

Objective: To analyse the language and structure of A Wife in London. Outcomes: To engage with the poem and write a letter to a friend describing the events from the perspective of the wife from A Wife in London. Full lesson after studying 'A Wife in London', to practise using literary techniques and to write a letter either after the wife has received the message her husband has died in the Boer War, or after she has received his posthumous letter.

Two medium term plans for three aspects of transactional writing - newspapers, reports and reviews. Resources are all in my shop for the accompanying lessons.