Once they’ve done the first draft, it’s the (dreaded?) editing to second draft stage. Take the pain away with this resource. Stop your learners from reducing the skill of editing to mere proof-reading by using this writing editing prompt sheet. It works as a learning mat in its entirity or you can cut and paste sections to focus on one editing detail e.g The Cut or The Add. Wide range of prompts given in each section so plenty of choice for low threshold, high ceiling differentiation. Suitable for the older primary literacy classroom or for use at KS3 or KS4 in English.

A full lesson on PPT for use in KS2 Years 5 or 6 and KS3. Helps students focus on how writers use sounds to entertain the reader. Enhances knowledge of sound techniques in writing. Some numeracy activities for cross curricular links included. Great for inclusion in a unit on poetry or as part of whole school literacy during tutor time or as a discrete literacy lesson. Includes focus on alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, rhyme, sound patterning and plosive sounds.

Developed in creative writing workshops from my professional creative writing life and transferred to outstanding classroom practice, this learning sequence helps students deal with the tricky middle parts of descriptive writing when things can get a bit flat and students run out of steam. The learning sequence broadens descriptive writing skills beyond the use of ‘regular’ linguistic and structural devices to lift their achievement through the GCSE grades. Plenty of quick delivery and small practice to build a piece of descriptive writing of exam length. All techniques are easily memorable and fully transferable across any piece of descriptive writing. Learning mat embedded into the powerpoint. Hugely methodical in delivery. Students will have a developed piece of writing with opportunities to consolidate learning through a practice task that can be done in class or at home for independent consolidation. Really suits the AQA English Language paper but also sufficiently generic for improving all descriptive writing. Available as a bundle alongside writing great descriptive openings and endings. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/descriptive-writing-move-to-higher-grades-creative-writing-11848472

A no-frills ppt that can be used with students just before the transactional writing examination or as a straight forward revision tool for them, especially those you suspect might do very little wlthout you! Covers quick ideas on how to plan, how to introduce the forms, developed and detailed paragraphs, conclusions.

Get them to write the stories you will need them to create for GCSE right now! This PPT sequence of learning has everything you need for a 4 week unit (it would dovetail beautifully to reading short stories alongside or a class novel). Lay the foundations of creative prose for the remainder of the secondary years. Designed following extensive visits to KS2 classrooms to absorb the rigour and with the aim of avoiding the wasteland years of Years 7 and 8. Unit has had a full run through by my department and has differentiation for lower ability and challenge built in to the tasks for higher ability. Covers: Plotting Character Setting Dialogue Action-Description-Emotion triangle Narrative order and Story Order Builds to a 300-500 creative prose assessment. Includes the Improving Creative Writing Grid for writing and a Learning Mat for self-editing which can be used throughout all years and are really classroom tools that are essential beyond this unit.

Neatly avoiding the ubiquitous ‘autobiography unit’ - believe me, they have already been there and done that at KS2, this PPT sequence of learning has everything you need for the first 3-4 weeks of Year 7, helping them aim for a Grade 3+ story and lay the foundations of creative prose for the remainder of the secondary years. Designed following extensive visits to KS2 classrooms to absorb the rigour and with the aim of avoiding the ‘national dip’ in Year 7. Unit has had a full run through by my department and is pitched at Grade 3 but with support for lower ability and challenge built in to the tasks for higher ability. Covers: Plotting, Character and Setting, Dialogue, Action, Description, Emotion writing, Narrative order and Story Order. Builds to a 300-500 creative prose assessment. Includes the Improving Creative Writing Grid for writing and a Learning Mat for self-editing.

Suited to KS2 Years 5 and 6 or early Year 7 as transition work, this unit of work takes students through the heritage of children’s books and leads up to leaflet/webpage writing. Skills included: evaluation, numeracy, plan, edit, draft, publish skills. Dips into Aesop, The Bible, Shakespeare, Gulliver’s Travels and more modern children’s fiction characters to show the timeline of literature read by children. Great for post SATs pre-transition for light-hearted fun linked to NC.

Ease the pain of comparing poetry. Developed using my skills as a professional poet and Lead Teacher in English with an emphasis on calming the nerves of students in Component 2 Section B AQA Literature exam. An A3 sheet that includes a framework built around a mnemonic comprehensively covering reading poetry skills. Differentiated so that the first parts of the mnemonic support lower grades to comment or allow higher grades to give a rapid overview. Moves through to the skills that help Grade 5 achieve - by exploring language closely - and ends by helping extend the achievement of grade 5+ by exploring poetry as a form that is highly structured, employs aural sensibility and enables exploration of how ideas develop over the course of the poem. Rich in terminology to help focus on AO2 in poetry. Methodical to use in class for practice and easy to remember in the examination as a framework.

An ‘everything you need to know’ 14 page A4 booklet very suited to all exam boards on writing informal letters that includes: • A good modelled example • An outstanding modelled example • Guidance on how to plan • Guidance on how to structure detailed, developed paragraphs • Guidance for content suitable to form • Sophisticated ‘tricks and flicks’ • Five practice tasks

A part response for improvement by students following three clear suggestions of ways to improve essay style. Suits middle grades 3-6 in particular. Questions asks about the way characters communicate and there is a response that goes some way to tackling Steve’s communication style and self-expression. Students work into the essay to improve it following instructions. Chance to complete the essay and revise given content.

A lesson aimed at getting borderline students up to Grade 5 from the get go of the novella by exploring how the Preface to the novella primes the reader for writer’s purpose and gives the modern reader an opportunity to explore Victorian class contexts.

A full fiction reading exam practice paper with Eduqas style English Language Paper 1 Section A questions. Extract from ‘The Great Gatsby’. Fully line referenced. Follows question pattern: list five impressions how does the writer (craft language) …? how does the writer (mood and atmosphere) …? build argument/evaluate Indicative content included to support marking.

Full teaching sequence aimed at Grades 5-9 for Charles Causley's Eden Rock from the AQA Love and Relationships anthology. Supported for Grade 5 and differentiated for stretch and challenge up to Grade 9. Wide range of activities to suit learner modalities. Easy to follow PPTs for teachers and their learners. Bargain bundle of over 3 hours teaching.

Predict, Experience, Question, Vocabulary, Visualisation, Chunk. Six reading strategies that students can use independently when they are asked to read that are out of their reading age comfort zone. Designed for use at KS2 (Years 5 and 6), KS3 and KS4. Gives students suggestions on how they can use each strategy to work out meanings of texts independently or get the most out of texts to broaden and deepen understanding. Designed for student use but also useful for teachers who are less familiar with the ins and outs of reading strategies or just a brush up of your own excellence. Great for persuading and supporting the more reluctant reader to pay more attention to the clues in a text or the ways they can push themselves forward. Use as a mat on desks for students or create a resource that is bound by a key ring. Senior Leadership will be glad you are tackling this! They might even insist you roll it out school wide. In which case, you’ll need a school license. Contact me on Twitter @alisonshuttlew1

A five page workbook for students that helps students targeted Grade 5+ take an initial exploration of the poem. Differentiated with vocabulary work, research and additional hints and questions to aid the less confident learner, students can complete this independently in class or as an extended homework. Helps to initiate discussion on the poem and to raise awareness of its literary and biographical contexts as well as the theme of long-distance ambiguous relationships. Makes links with the other romantic love poems.

Suitable for KS2, KS3 and lower ability KS4 VERSATILE—SUITS ANY FICTION Encourages evaluative thinking Encourages knowledge of character development Encourages evidence finding skills Encourages comparison of character across or within texts Encourages knowledge of character beliefs, qualities, world views and values Includes: Worksheet template Partial worked example of a KS3 novel to exemplify how the activity can be used Certificate for students to award once they’ve evaluated the character developments Follow up activity to encourage AO1 informed personal response and evidence and AO4 quality of expression. The ‘BEFAFTAS’ Awards Activities for Charting Character Development A light-hearted but fully effective set of activities that take some of the ‘grind’ out of tracing character development. This activity is like an award for an aspect of a character that changed the most dramatically from the before (the start of the story) to the after (the end of the story) the ‘BEFAFTA’ Award. Or, you could compare which character out of all the characters in a novel or fiction changed the most over the course of a story to ascertain who wins the ‘BEFAFTA’ Story-Lifetime Achievement Award!

An A4 sheet to stick into exercise books (front or back covers are ideal for this) that becomes a homework and independent reading log for a half term. Parents find it easy to track independent reading - they have to sign to say they've heard it, seen it or discussed it - and any further homework that is set for the week. Template is great for KS3 when a one reading homework, one other homework model is used. Minimal input from teachers - you can just record that the homework was great and you gave a reward or you can note late, partially or not completed homework. Clear communication with parents and helps to organise students and get a sense of satisfaction as all the boxes are filled. I use a final reward in the half term if everything is complete for the half term. Save your sanity with this aspect of work that can easily get out of control otherwise.

A starter activity of a mid-grade task response introduction on 'Follower' that uses the 'journey' of the poem to briefly address structure and ideas delivered in the poem. Students are asked to then suggest five ideas for the introduction that they will later cover in the response.

One third of the Gothic Homework Take Away Menu is provided here. Injects a wider range of modalities into the understanding of Gothic Literature. Could be used within lessons in its sample form as a way of opening discussions of student understanding of what they've read. Full resource here: THANK YOU FOR SAMPLING THE KS3 GOTHIC HOMEWORK MENU FULL SET OF 21 MAIN TASKS, BUILDING TO AROUND 50 TASKS WITH CHALLENGE TASKS AVAILABLE AT https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/generic-take-away-homework-for-gothic-units-of-work-at-ks3-11828714