Hero image

Tangled Up In Poetry

Average Rating4.81
(based on 56 reviews)

I teach English Lit and Lang at IGCSE and IB Level. Resources here are mainly for these courses but I often upload KS3 resources too. Currently I am working on the new Songs of Ourselves for 2026. Drop me a line on: underthevolcanoagain@gmail.com for one-to-one tuition.

49Uploads

46k+Views

59k+Downloads

I teach English Lit and Lang at IGCSE and IB Level. Resources here are mainly for these courses but I often upload KS3 resources too. Currently I am working on the new Songs of Ourselves for 2026. Drop me a line on: underthevolcanoagain@gmail.com for one-to-one tuition.
From Long Distance by Tony Harrison - Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2023-25
shauneeliusshauneelius

From Long Distance by Tony Harrison - Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2023-25

(4)
In this PowerPoint presentation, you will find: line by line questions, analysis of rhyme scheme and tense shifts, a comparison task where students interpret the opening page of The Stranger by Albert Camus to discuss the poem’s theme of “the irrationality of grief”, and a media based activity where students have to create a YouTube video of the poem using still images. It should be quite an interesting and fun series of tasks for students to develop a good understanding of the poem.
The City Planners by Margaret Atwood - Lesson and 1000 Word Model Essay - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2023-25
shauneeliusshauneelius

The City Planners by Margaret Atwood - Lesson and 1000 Word Model Essay - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2023-25

(4)
A detailed PowerPoint that provides: prereading activities, about the author, annotations, comprehension questions, line by line technical/language analysis, and three essay questions to challenge students. I have also written an example essay, which is also included. Students like the fun activity which involves them comparing the poem to the opening scene of David Lynch’s movie, Blue Velvet. I hope you like it. Here is a link to my supplementary YouTube video too: https://youtu.be/vTm92Pokmc0
IB Paper 1 - Model Example Essay Intro and Thesis - Language and Literature - Texts - Past Papers
shauneeliusshauneelius

IB Paper 1 - Model Example Essay Intro and Thesis - Language and Literature - Texts - Past Papers

(0)
This is an analysis of an extract of the Kamala Harris VP Nomination Speech (follow the link to the full video below). It provides students with an annotated copy of the original text transcript, and an intro and thesis, something they often have trouble formulating. Also included are some past papers, model paragraphing, and essay plans. I hope these resources are useful in preparing for this year’s IB Paper 1 - they could be used either in class, online, or for revision.
10 War of the Worlds - HG Wells - Book 2 - Chapters 01, 02, 03 - IGCSE First Exams 2024
shauneeliusshauneelius

10 War of the Worlds - HG Wells - Book 2 - Chapters 01, 02, 03 - IGCSE First Exams 2024

(0)
In this 18-slide PowerPoint, you will find an initial vocabulary activity based on some of the tricky words in Book 2, Chapter 1, then some straightforward discussion questions to facilitate active reading, followed by a fun activity where students design their own technological alien and write a 200-word profile for it. Included is a gap fill activity to check understanding of Book 2, Chapter 2, followed by a “discussion” with HG Wells regarding the themes of reason/belief. This final activity should really get to the heart of the book and with the right teacher guidance there will hopefully be a rich discussion. All three chapters are also concisely summarised.
Midsummer Night's Dream Plot Quiz With Answers
shauneeliusshauneelius

Midsummer Night's Dream Plot Quiz With Answers

(0)
18 questions for students to show their understanding of the plot. This could also be used as an intro to the text and students could work on computers to find the answers. I have also included an answer sheet for quick marking.
01 War of the Worlds - Introduction Lesson - H G Wells - Context - IGCSE First Exams 2024
shauneeliusshauneelius

01 War of the Worlds - Introduction Lesson - H G Wells - Context - IGCSE First Exams 2024

(0)
UPDATED VERSION - PLEASE REDOWNLOAD Jeff Wayne intro! In this 15 slide PowerPoint, you will find a fun starter with images connected to the novel, a gap-fill about the life of HG Wells (with answers), a matching activity about Victorian England, Industrial Revolution, Imperialism, Science, and Political Change (also with answers), and some documentary viewing questions that could either be done during class or for homework (answers also provided). This is all you need to help your students get started with the background to the novel; it works well as a set of pre-reading activities. The full SoW can be bought as part of a bundle. I have made the SoW with the IGCSE first exams 2024 in mind, but it can be used generically too. I hope it is useful for your students. Please check out my other resources!
Where I Come From by Elizabeth Brewster - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
shauneeliusshauneelius

Where I Come From by Elizabeth Brewster - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

(0)
In this 26-slide PowerPoint you will find a thought-provoking starter, matching poetry technique task, in-depth discussion task, creative writing exercise (using the key vocabulary from the poem), an artwork imagery task, homework questions, line by line questions, deep line by line annotations/analysis, essay question and plan, and a model paragraph (colour-coded). This could take anything between one and three hours of teaching, depending on the cohort.
Before the Sun by Charles Mungoshi - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
shauneeliusshauneelius

Before the Sun by Charles Mungoshi - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

(0)
In this 20-slide PowerPoint, you will find: sorting starter, re-organising the poem activity, line-by-line questions, line-by-line analysis, deep mind-map analysis of one stanza, essay question, essay plan, and a full 750-word model essay. The homework PDF is also included. It is a thorough series of two or three lessons that will take several hours to do everything.
The Bay by James K Baxter - Lesson and 1000 Word Model Essay
shauneeliusshauneelius

The Bay by James K Baxter - Lesson and 1000 Word Model Essay

(2)
A full and detailed lesson with plenty that will challenge students. PowerPoint presentation includes: vocabulary explained, questions about every line of the poem, line by line technical analysis, about the author, and a 1000 word example essay has also been added. I have made a supplementary YouTube video, that can also be found here, which should help students when at home or revising. I really hope it is useful. This poem is no longer in the iGCSE anthology.
IB - Paper 1 - Mock Exam with Model Response for Level 7 - Language and Literature
shauneeliusshauneelius

IB - Paper 1 - Mock Exam with Model Response for Level 7 - Language and Literature

(0)
This is an exam I made based on an analysis of a website promoting a VR headset made by Facebook in February 2021. I have included an example intro, thesis and opening analytical paragraph to show students how to use clusters of quotes and connect style, language and meaning. I am sure it will be useful for the upcoming exam as many students find it difficult to construct in depth paragraphs.
Storyteller by Liz Lockhead - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
shauneeliusshauneelius

Storyteller by Liz Lockhead - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

(0)
In this 27-slide PowerPoint, you will find: thought-provoking starter, quick thematic overview, each stanza accompanied by relevant picture, line-by-line questions (with answers), PDF to complete the questions at home as flipped learning if required, clear essay plan with activities, a fun storytelling activity that has students research a folktale (optional extra if you have time), line-by-line technique annotations. Plenty of activities to really explore the poem in detail.
03 War of the Worlds - HG Wells - Chapters 1 and 2 - IGCSE First Exams 2024
shauneeliusshauneelius

03 War of the Worlds - HG Wells - Chapters 1 and 2 - IGCSE First Exams 2024

(0)
In this 10-slide PowerPoint, you will find a summary of chapters 1 and 2, a matching task related to the themes of Science, Political Change, Industrial Revolution, and Imperialism. Included next are 10 questions about an extract from Chapter 1, focused on vocabulary. There is also a ‘descriptive writing checklist’ and 2 descriptive writing activities. Finally, there are another 10 questions about an extract from Chapter 2, encouraging students to comment on language. This PowerPoint can be used generically, or for the IGCSE course, first exams in 2024.
06 War of the Worlds - HG Wells - Chapters 8, 9 and 10 - IGCSE First Exams 2024
shauneeliusshauneelius

06 War of the Worlds - HG Wells - Chapters 8, 9 and 10 - IGCSE First Exams 2024

(0)
20-slide PowerPoint. Guided reading and analysis tasks based on key extracts. The starter is a selection of vocabulary games and activities, based on tricky vocabulary found in chapter 8. This is followed by some personal response questions and a summary of the chapter. For chapter 9 we have some reciprocal reading tasks and a question about connotations, pathetic fallacy, imagery, personification etc. The extract here is provided and colour-coded. This should work as build up for the chapter 10 lesson where students have to compare and contrast two extracts which show a technologically driven power imbalance between the Martians and Humans. Students watch a short video of technology around 1898 (the time the book was published), and make some connections to the real world. Then they must complete a close analysis of the two extracts. Guided annotations and note-taking methods are included, as well as links to the marking criteria for the iGCSE syllabus. I have also written a 200-word model response for students to understand what is required of them, and how they should be embedding quotes, commenting on language and providing a personal opinion. I have uploaded most of these PowerPoints as one lesson but in reality each one will probably take around 2 hours to complete. All chapters are also summarised, just in case students miss a class, or need a reminder of key events. I would advise sharing all PowerPoints with students before the course starts so that they have a reference point to go back to should they require it.
A Married State - Katherine Philips - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
shauneeliusshauneelius

A Married State - Katherine Philips - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

(0)
In this 20-slide PowerPoint, you will find: intriguing starter for students to share opinions on the theme of marriage, a biography of the author with a quiz at the end (with answers), first impressions task, vocabulary challenge, homework task, line-by-line questions, line-by-line analysis, essay question, essay plan, model introduction, model analytical paragraph (colour-coded for clarity, prompts for further analysis paragraphs with quotes identified for each one. This resource will take about 2 hours to complete plus homework and students will gain confidence in understanding and unpacking the poem.
IB LAL English A: Body of Work - Army Recruitment Posters - IA - Individual Oral Practice Task
shauneeliusshauneelius

IB LAL English A: Body of Work - Army Recruitment Posters - IA - Individual Oral Practice Task

(0)
This resource has students at IB level for the English A: Lang and Lit course, analyse a series of print adverts and film. The campaign is a recent British Army Recruitment campaign. The main task students should complete after analysing the sources is to create a 5 minute spoken presentation about the purpose, audience and techniques used. There is a glossary of vocabulary which should come in useful. It is not meant as a mock for the IO, but a similar task that will let students have a go at preparing a short 5 minute speech , analysing the campaign. It should last about 2 weeks.
02 War of the Worlds - Radio Broadcast - Fake News - Entertainment - IGCSE First Exams 2024
shauneeliusshauneelius

02 War of the Worlds - Radio Broadcast - Fake News - Entertainment - IGCSE First Exams 2024

(0)
In this PowerPoint presentation you will find an overview of the radio broadcast that was presented by Orson Welles in 1938, with a range of activities included about fake news and entertainment. This is the second introductory lesson to the SoW for the IGCSE first exams 2024, but can be used for other curricula too. It could also be used as a standalone lesson on fake news to help students navigate the web more safely. The starter is an inference task based on the headlines that shocked the US after the first airing of War of the Worlds. The next task is a listening activity where students listen to a 10-minute extract of the radio broadcast (script handout and link included), highlighting lines/features that make it so believable. This is followed by a true or false quiz about fake news in today’s era. The main task is a creative one. Students, in groups/pairs have to create their own piece of “fake news” and then swap it with another group/pair. Finally, using the provided guide to spotting fake news, students have to break down one another’s piece of “fake news”. It should be a fun and informative lesson that is simple to teach and easy to follow for the students. Please check out the full SoW and my other resources. All feedback is enormously appreciated.
08 War of the Worlds - HG Wells - Chapters 13, 14 and 15 - IGCSE First Exams 2024
shauneeliusshauneelius

08 War of the Worlds - HG Wells - Chapters 13, 14 and 15 - IGCSE First Exams 2024

(0)
23-slide PowerPoint. Lots of activities which lead up to the first assessment of the SoW. These lessons include a gap-fill activity about the purpose of the curate, a brief drama activity, reading comprehension, four model paragraphs analysing a range of techniques, lots of ‘think, pair, share’ questions, handouts of the chapter for assessment prep, the assessment insert handout, links to the four AOs, a simple essay plan for students to organise their ideas, summaries of every chapter, and lots of lovely visuals. I hope it is useful for your classes. It should take about 3 or 4 hours to complete this PowerPoint.