I'm currently the head of English and raising standards leader at a secondary school in Birmingham. I'm passionate about my subject and passionate about ensuring that the young people we serve leave education with a high competency in English.
Prior to teaching I worked in the radio industry as a presenter for 7 years and so when I became a teacher I enjoyed the opportunity to teach Media studies.
You'll find hundreds of English and Media studies resources.
I'm currently the head of English and raising standards leader at a secondary school in Birmingham. I'm passionate about my subject and passionate about ensuring that the young people we serve leave education with a high competency in English.
Prior to teaching I worked in the radio industry as a presenter for 7 years and so when I became a teacher I enjoyed the opportunity to teach Media studies.
You'll find hundreds of English and Media studies resources.
Fully differentiated resources to teach Act 4 scene 1 of A Midsummer Night's dream. Focus on the creation of imagery within the scene.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
Blue - middle ability
yellow = higher ability
A speaking and listening (role play and drama) resource is also included.
With only a limited number of practice assessment materials for the new specification language paper 2, I have created a paper that is structured in the exact same way as the real thing.
The question uses a text about Cheryl Cole's marriage and a 19th century diary extract about marriage. (Both sources are included)
Writing task also included.
Perfect for mock exam.
2 fully differentiated (by colour) lessons to support the teaching of Invasion by Choman Hardi.
Differentiation:
purple = lower
blue = middle
yellow = higher
A quick quiz for each of the 15 poems in the conflict collection. (Differentiated by colour)
The first 3 purple questions are straight forward idea and information recall questions
The next 3 blue questions provide students with the first letter in the answer and require them to think
The final 3 yellow questions relate to techniques
Use at the start of a lesson and then come back to it at the end - student ability at recalling the poems studies becomes excellent. Then keep popping the quiz up on the board and student knowledge improves dramatically.
Could also be perfect for homework but works best as a team quiz in lessons as a starter and plenary.
2 differentiated (by colour) resources to support the teaching of What were they Like? by Denise Levertov.
Differentiation:
purple - lower
blue- middle
yellow - higher
Resources provide opportunities for students to:
- explore context
- explore language and structure
3 lessons to support the revision of the reading section of the new specification English language paper 2 for AQA.
Perfect for use as a walking talking mock in class whereby you guide students through how to tackle each question and then allow them the suggested time to complete a response.
Using a sample paper provided by AQA the resources:
- guide students through how to tackle each question
- provide suggested timings
- provide sample answers
- provide tips and strategies for planning a response
- show the questions annotated to ensure students stick to the focus of the task
- provide opportunities to self/peer assess against the mark scheme criteria
Extracts taken from: The village that lost its children and an extract from an essay written in 1967, one year after a devastating landslide in the Welsh village of Aberfan.
Fully differentiated (by colour) resources to support the teaching of Q1 and Q2 of the AQA new specification 9-1 GCSE examination - paper2.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Resources prepare students for answering Q1 and Q2 and cover the following:
- introduction to paper 2 - expectations and timings
- identifying key information in 19th century and modern texts
- identifying the point of view of a writer
- inferring
- exploring how language creates tone
- complete true or false tasks (as per the exam) for the texts read
- explore the term synthesis
- synthesise information from 2 texts
- work in pairs and groups
- explore model answers
- investigate these of connectives to synthesise
- self and peer assess
- develop vocabulary and analyse vocabulary in texts using inference
- explore audience and purpose
Regular assessments are included to assess students ability in true or false and synthesis tasks.
Texts covered:
- Queer stories for a queer age - tattoo article (19th century) text included
- Making my skin crawl - article about tattoos
- Extract from Girl of the period (19th century)
- A letter from Jenni
- Inside the supermarket's dark stores
Not all texts are included - but can easily be found in the text book below:
AQA GCSE English Language: Developing the skills for learning and assessment (turtle on the cover)
A higher and lower ability revision guide to allow students to revise Romeo and Juliet.
These would be ideal as ongoing homework projects as students read the play.
These resources cover act 2 and act 3 of An Inspector Calls and meet the requirements of the new GCSE 9-1 specification.
16 meticulously planned and fully differentiated lessons that are numbered for ease of use with activities included.
Homework tasks and assessment opportunities included.
Download and teach right away. These lessons are ready to go.
All lessons are fully differentiated by colour:
Purple = lower ability
Blue = middle ability
Yellow = higher ability
Red = most able
These resources cover the following areas of act 2 and 3
- Context - socialism and capitalism, men and women, trade unions, Priestley's moral message, welfare state
- Exploration of the theme of responsibility
- character analysis
- theme analysis
- Assessments in line with 9-1 success criteria
- homework tasks
- opportunities for debate and persuasive writing (prep for lang exam)
- opportunities for imaginative writing (prep for lang exam)
- development of tension
- Analysis of Priestley's structure
This bundle includes a medium term plan (scheme of work) written in line with new specification AQA literature 9-1.
The medium term plan also signposts homework tasks and opportunities to embed skills needed for the language papers.
I have also included GCSE exam questions that have been written for An Inspector Calls that can be used to assess the literature component but also the language writing assessment objectives.
GCSE assessment questions that are included:
1. Inspector Calls character question
2. Inspector Calls theme question
3. Inspector Calls imaginative writing question (language exam skills)
4. Inspector Calls Non fiction and literary non fiction question (lang)
5. Inspector Calls transactional writing question (lang)
Three revision power points also included.
Also available as separate bundles are:
- Fully differentiated resources to support this MTP
- Revision activities to embed character, theme and context understanding
Fully differentiated lessons to support the teaching of 'Extract from the Prelude' by William Wordsworth.
3 lessons that include pupil talk tasks, assessment, outcomes and cover:
- context of the poem
- language analysis
- form and structure exploration
- interleaved content: dual nature in the poem and in Romeo and Juliet & An Inspector Calls
- structure strip to elicit better responses
- comparison to Storm on the island
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow - higher ability
A differentiated (by colour) lesson to support the teaching of the skills for English language question 1 on the new specification (9-1) paper 1.
Students read an extract and then retrieve information and ideas from the text.
The resource uses an extract from 'I'm, the king of the castle.' Extract included.
Differentiation:
purple = lower
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Medium term plans that prepare students for 9-1 AQA English language paper 1 and paper 2 reading and writing.
The medium term plans attached are highly detailed and include:
- weekly homework tasks
- clear explanation on what should be covered and analysed
- weekly assessments
These updated medium term plans have been created to interleave the literature texts. Specific links are made to Jekyll and Hyde, An Inspector Calls and Jekyll & Hyde.
E.g. - students will read articles on arranged marriage for their paper 2 study which creates links to Juliet. They will also explore the gender pay gap to create links to AIC.
Most extracts are included. Some extracts are taken from the literature texts. Any missing texts and extracts are available in the Oxford University press AQA text books 1 and 2.
MTP for paper 2 also included the new speaking and listening component.
Resources also available.
Two fully differentiated (by colour) lessons that cover chapter 10 of Jekyll and Hyde and meet the requirements of the new GCSE 9-1 specification.
All lessons are fully differentiated by colour
Purple = lower ability
Blue = middle ability
Yellow = higher ability
Red = most able
5 differentiated (by colour) lessons to support the teaching of the skills for English language question 4 on the new specification (9-1) paper 1.
Students read extracts taken from fiction and develop skills in evaluating effectiveness.
The resource uses an extract from 'Transmission.' Extract included.
Resources provide opportunities to:
- explore how writer's structure texts
- analyse the use of structure in engaging reader interest
- use sample answers
- use mark schemes
Differentiation:
purple = lower
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Three differentiated (by colour) lessons to support the teaching of the skills for English language question 2 on the new specification (9-1) paper 1.
Students read extracts taken from fiction and develop skills in analysis the author's language.
The resource uses an extract from 'I'm, the king of the castle' and 'Lullaby' Extracts included.
Resources provide opportunities to:
- develop inference of language
- identify word classes and language techniques
- use sample answers
- use mark schemes
Differentiation:
purple = lower
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Fully differentiated resources to support the teaching of the new specification AQA langauge paper 2 skills at KS3.
Opportunitites to:
- draw explicit and implicit information
- syntheise differences
- analyse langauge
- compare the perspectives of writers
- peer and self assess
All extracts included with some sample responses and writing frames.
Extracts taken from:
- articles about the musicians Stormzy and Paul McCartney
- Martin Luther King
and many more including extracts provided by AQA for KS3
Perfect for year 7 and year 8 and also for low ability KS4 students
Revision resources in preparation for the new specification 9-1 examination.
- context revision
- character revision
- theme revision
- practice answers
- formulas for answering the question
- Quotation revision
- opportunities for carousel tasks
- MTP included with assessment Question opportunities for the literature paper and also the language papers.
CPD resources including power point presentations, evaluation forms and tasks to support the development of teachers in whole school literacy.
The first CPD power point covers:
- Pedagogy and research
- Ofsted - removing the barriers to literacy
- What literacy is
- How it is different to English
- Blooms taxonomy and 3 level questions
- Inference and deduction
- Ways of reading
- Reading exam questions
- Active reading strategies including cloze and restructuring
The second CPD power point covers:
- Note making skills
- Reading critically
- TAP analysis
- critical literacy
- interrogating and deconstructing texts
- research skills
Following the CPD session the idea is that staff go away and trial using one of the strategies to improve literacy in their subject areas and bring feedback to the next session.
21 lessons to support the teaching of the whole play.
Resources include opportunities to:
-explore context - gender, Elizabethan England,
-analyse theme and character presentation
-get to grips with Shakespeare’s language
-analyse imagery
-explore Shakespearian insults
-write non fiction texts
-write persuasively
-write news reports
-role play