A fantastic and fun introduction to Shakespeare for KS3 - I've used it with both Years 7 and 8. The 19 lessons include a five lesson lead in looking at fairy tales, with an emphasis on thinking critically, followed by a fun exploration of Shakespeare's classic comedy using an abridged script (uploaded separately as a free resource as I don't own it). The unit includes both reading and writing assessments, spoken tasks, fully resourced lessons and differentiated activities.

26 lessons, covering ALL poems in the Edexcel iGCSE Literature Poetry Anthology. As well as individual lessons for each poem, this unit includes: lessons on specific poetic techniques (metre; alliteration, assonance and sibilance); an introductory lesson to the whole anthology; a student-friendly printable version of the anthology, complete with glossaries, explanations and relevant context; six lessons on how to compare poems; marking slip template; peer feedback template; homework and extension tasks. Lessons tend to follow the entrance task - starter - development - consolidation - plenary format. A couple are carousel lessons: others are quite teacher-led. There is lots of peer marking involved - students really get to grips with the assessment objectives by the end. Happy teaching! Note: I have made some - but not all - individual resources available for free.

An 11 (double) lesson scheme of work for Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. This is for Edexcel’s International A Level, paired texts, paired with The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, though many if not all of the lessons would work for teaching Ishiguro’s novel in isolation. If you are teaching this paired with Atwood, this scheme of work is based on the premise that students have read The Handmaid’s Tale independently (or at the very least watched the 1990 film) in advance. This allows them to make superficial comparisons of plot and character as you teach Never Let Me Go. I 've had very mixed ability groups, so there is a lot of differentiation, with scaffolding for weaker students and stretching questions for the more able. If you want to buy schemes of work for both texts, at a discount, you can. Just search my shop.

An 11 (double) lesson scheme of work for The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. This was taught as part of the Edexcel International A Level in English Literature, paired with Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. This has always been taught as the second text, so that students are already able to make quite detailed connections between texts. Flip learning and peer marking are used regularly. There is a presentation for each lesson. I’ve had very mixed ability groups, so there is a lot of scaffolding for weaker students and stretching questions for the higher ability ones. If you would like to buy both schemes of work at a discount you can; please check my shop.

A 16 lesson complete scheme of work for Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. Powerpoint presentations and other resources for all lessons are included, as well as an overview document giving ideas for differentiation and homework. The lessons include two debates, opportunities for performance, group work, and lots of peer marking - students will be very familiar with the Assessment Objectives by the end. Originally, this was planned for a Year 11 class taking the CIE iGCSE English Literature exam (100% pass rate with 75% at A*/A… just saying!), while simultaneously being used with a Year 10 class writing coursework for the Edexcel iGCSE English Literature (again, 100% pass rate with 75% 7 to 9). That Year group’s coursework essay was “How crucial is Alfieri’s role in A View from the Bridge?”; my current Year 11s’ coursework title - which they did in Year 10 - was “How does Miller present conflict?” (a slightly weaker group). Happy teaching!

A ten (or more) lesson scheme of work on writing to advise, argue and persuade. Originally designed for Year 9, it would also work with high ability Year 8s and low ability Year 10s. An overview document gives a lesson by lesson guide, as well as ideas for further AFL and differentiation (lots of both are already built in to the lessons). All lessons come with powerpoints and resources. It's a very mobile and energetic unit, with speeches and debates, as well as an essay and grammar lessons on passives and phrasal verbs. Texts examined include those by Malala Yousafzai and Wilfred Owen. Happy teaching!

A complete scheme of work for A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (Edexcel A Level English Literature). 12 fully resourced lessons covering the full play, which you will want to intersperse with essay-writing lessons, plus example essays, and useful materials on context and criticism. Happy teaching!

A version of the classic KS3 unit, looking at poems by Linton Kwesi Johnson, Les Murray, Imitiaz Dharker, Yoruba hunters and Nissim Ezekiel (among others). There is also an emphasis on thinking critically about what culture means, plus a drama lesson exploring deaf poetry. In addition to the main 9 lessons, there are 4 additional lessons looking at specific language techniques. A reading assessment and a scheme of work overview, giving a lesson by lesson guide, is included along with resources - power points and printables - for all lessons. Happy teaching!

A complete scheme of work (16 fully resourced lessons) for Simon Stephens’ adaptation of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime”. I currently use this to prepare students for the Edexcel iGCSE in English Literature, but many of the resources date from when I taught the same text for AQA’s English Literature GCSE, and they could easily be tweaked to suit that purpose. This is a very active unit, which involves getting students to do lots of acting, but at the same time seeks to develop them into reflective learners through continuous self, peer and teacher assessment. It is a lot of fun to teach and the students always enjoy it. There is an overview document giving a lesson-by-lesson breakdown, and all lessons come fully resourced with power points and handouts (though you may occasionally need to produce literacy starters that meet the needs of your students). There is also an all-action launch lesson that will require you to source some assistants and props, but it really enthuses the students about the text if you can pull it off. Happy teaching!

A 12 lesson scheme of work to help students develop their Creative Writing skills. I currently use it to guide students through Assignment 2 of the CIE iGCSE in English Language: however, many of the resources date from when I was preparing students for the AQA English Language GCSE Creative Writing task, so could easily be adapted back for this purpose. There is an overview document giving detailed instructions for the lessons. Each lesson then comes with a powerpoint and various printable resources. There’s lots of differentiation plus scope for group/pair work. Some lessons make take a double period and I strongly recommend doing the pre-teaching lessons on sentence types as well. There are also marking short-cuts and extra grammar resources included (particularly useful if you have lots of EAL students). Outcomes are always excellent and the students tend to get a kick out of the classes, especially if you are up for doing a Freddie Mercury impression in lesson 2! Happy teaching!

A 24 lesson (plus two recap lessons) scheme of work to prepare KS4 students for the AQA Literature exam. Comes with a Scheme of Work over view document giving a lesson by lesson guide: all lessons fully resourced (including model answers). Includes spoken and creative tasks. The focus is very much on studying the text as a text, rather than teaching the exam technique - though there is some of that.

This unit is designed for Year 9, to prepare them for study of the AQA Poetry of Conflict cluster at GCSE - though it is a good preparation for the study of poetry at GCSE for any exam board. The unit includes poems by Wilfred Owen (2), Jessie Pope, Alison Fell, Pablo Neruda, Ciaran Carson and John Agard. In addition, there is an extended creative writing task, two discussion lessons using de Bono's hats and an ICT lesson. An overview document contains a lesson by lesson guide, giving suggestions for AFL, differentiation and homework (though lots of all three are already built into the unit). All lessons come with powerpoints and accessible resources. Happy teaching!

A complete scheme of work for Twelfth Night. 23 fully resourced lessons (presentations plus handouts, including critical perspectives). There are also quizzes, an overview document, opportunities for flip-learning and a revision workbook that students can collaborate on. There are also resources for teaching students how to write essays, as well as the content. This is intended for the Edexcel International A Level syllabus (Year 12). The goal is very much to engage students in the learning as active participants, with presentations, peer marking and student-led learning. Both classes I have taught with this have really enjoyed it.

A complete scheme of work for William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (27 lessons), which I have taught and refined over the past 6 years. Originally meant for Year 9, it works well with low-ability KS4 classes too - I've used it to prepare students for the AQA Literature GCSE. It's a very active scheme of work, with students acting out most of the play, and there are several written pieces alongside two essays. You will also need Jenga and, preferably, the Zeffirelli version on DVD. All lessons come with powerpoints and resources. An end of unit assessment (plus revision guide for students) is included, as is a scheme of work overview document, with a lesson by lesson guide and ideas for differentiation and AFL. Happy teaching!

Two schemes of work (11 double lessons in total) for the Edexcel IAL in English Literature. These are for Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. Students should read The Handmaid’s Tale independently first (or at least watch the 1990 film) before studying Never Let Me Go, and then studying The Handmaid’s Tale. Both schemes of work are available separately from my shop.