An news article about the SpaceX Launch in May 2020, accompanied by a set of comprehension questions and a non-fiction writing task. Suitable for most ages and abilities, and easily adaptable where needed. A set of possible answers is included for reference.

A comprehension activity designed to help students' in KS3 and 4 develop their ability to interpret, find and identify information in a text. Easily adaptable for different abilities and age groups. ***The text is the copyright of the author***

A PowerPoint exploring the requirements of a magazine article. I used this to introduce the latest piece of controlled assessment to my GCSE group. It reminds them of what's required when writing for a magazine audience and asked them to think about the different requirements of different articles.

This resource is based on the novel Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman, and should be used before starting reading the book. It allows students to pre-empt the story and understand the importance of a cover and blurb.

An activity designed to help students understand difficult words. The students are asked to try and work out what the word means just by seeing it in a sentence/in context. Can be easily adapted, or students who are struggling can use a dictionary for additional support.

A newspaper article and questions based on the event of the Escape from Alcatraz. Designed for GCSE students, studying 9-1 GCSE, the non-fiction element. Answers are included also.

A PowerPoint exploring: what travel writing is, what it involves, how to plan to write a travel guide, and a travel guide task. Can be easily adapted for all ages and abilities.

Included in this are two PowerPoints (one for HA, one for LA), both on the topic of writing a News Article. They both take students' through the information they might need for an article and give a possible structure for how to set it out. These are suitable for students in KS3 or 4, and can be easily adapted to suit your needs.

A task designed to develop students' ability to answer Section A of Paper 1 of GCSE English Language (for most UK exam boards). It focuses on delivering an extract and questions that highlight the author and how they have used language, structure and form in the text.

A PowerPoint detailing numerous activities involved with planning a holiday. This task is originally designed for Functional Skills groups, or groups of intervention students who need support with basic tasks and following instructions. However, this is great for KS3 students, or groups who need a settling in or holiday task.

A set of two PowerPoints, Prompt and Revision Sheet used to help students plan, prepare and perform in a formal debate. These can be easily used or adapted for different questions and issues. The revision sheet is loosely based on an internet-found source.

A PowerPoint to introduce the topic of The Tempest to students. After giving a brief background, it asks the students to participate in a retelling of the story and then make notes on each of the characters (making a revision aid for future assessments). You will need a copy of the story (a summarised version) and a sheet with character images on it to do the PP as it is, though it can be easily adapted for your groups.

A planning grid for students to use exploring a question from the AQA GCSE English Literature Unit 1 paper, focussing on An Inspector Calls. This question is taken from the specimen AQA Foundation Tier paper.

A punctuation practice activity using an article from The Telegraph* newspaper. This activity asks students to identify all of the missing punctuation marks (capital letters, full stops, commas, etc) in a piece about the top ten Christmas traditions. Easily adaptable for different age groups and abilities. Source detailed on page.

Two sets of Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar Practice activities - one based on the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, the other based on Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. These activities are designed to allow students to practise their punctuation correction, as well as identify and correct spelling and grammatical errors. For both texts, there is an answer sheet, and two differentiated sheets. This resource can be easily adapted and simplified if needed. ***The extracts are the intellectual property of the author***

This resource can be used with either Higher Level KS3 students, or students in KS4. All the capital letters, full stops and paragraphs have been removed from a review of Homeland Season 1. The students just have to figure out where they should be put! Could be made easier for Lower Ability students. Article is the intellectual property of the writer (name and newspaper on the sheet)

A revision exercise for students studying GCSE English Literature, allowing them to practice their understanding of a unseen poem, and also writing an answer to the question in their exam. ***The poem is the copyright of the author***

An activity template to help students retell a story in just fifty words. Helps them to practice summarising and identifying the most important points of a story.

A PowerPoint to explain and demonstrate how writing triplets can be used to identify the purpose of any type of writing. Used with students to introduce the idea and give them an understanding of how they can use them in their writing. Easily adaptable and, in my experience, a great way of getting the purposes to ‘stick’ in students’ memories.

A PowerPoint on the skill of predicting what might happen in a book, leaflet, etc. Students are asked to predict the contents of writing using various sources, and are able to identify primary and secondary elements in texts. The Activity 'What does the Cover say?' asks students to say what they think a book may be about from the cover&'s primary and secondary elements. * Image links are included and can be easily found on the internet.