This is the first lesson in a scheme of work using Dean Atta’s modern novel ‘The Black Flamingo’, to explore AQA’s GCSE paper 2 unseen poetry component. The lesson can be broken down as follows: Focus Five: What is poetry? TASK: Introduction to the unseen poetry GCSE unit and the text being studied in conjunction. TASK: Analyse of title and book cover. TASK: Introduction of core concepts and then a focus on context via past texts studied across KS3. TASK: Focus on components of context (historical, political, social, etc.) in preparation for the week ahead. PLENARY: Review of learning on roadmap.

This is the twelfth lesson in a scheme of work using Dean Atta’s modern novel ‘The Black Flamingo’, to explore AQA’s GCSE paper 2 unseen poetry component. The lesson can be broken down as follows: Focus Five: Recap of key information surrounding context, genre and plot. TASK: Introduce students to the core concept of setting and discuss why Atta set the story in London, England. TASK: Introduce students to the different Physical Places: Michael’s childhood home, School, Michael’s grandparents’, University in Brighton, Drag Society/Glitterball across the text and students should make notes as we go along. TASK: Exploration of the Prologue focusing on the Michael’s childhood home setting. TASK: Focus on the love letter scene and the impact this may have had on Michael growing up and his experiences of school life. TASK: Focus on the different names used by Michael throughout the text and the final change of nickname whilst attending university. Activity then linked to researching name etymology and creating an acrostic poem on student names/identity. TASK: Students should update their setting worksheet with key information about the text as a whole – teachers can guide through this. TASK: Opportunity to spend more time working on creative project for poster competition. PLENARY: Review of learning on roadmap.

This is the third lesson in a scheme of work using Dean Atta’s modern novel ‘The Black Flamingo’, to explore AQA’s GCSE paper 2 unseen poetry component. The lesson can be broken down as follows: Focus Five: Recap of historical contextual knowledge. TASK: Information hunt focusing on Section 28 and UK Black Pride. TASK: Video on UK Black Pride & Lady Phyll. TASK: Group discussion, sharing notes made and how these political and social events influences Atta. Additional optional influences - Ten years ago, Dan Savage and his husband, Terry Miller, launched a project called It Gets Better on YouTube, where prominent LGBTQ+ people make videos to tell younger people that ‘it gets better’. It had a really positive impact on me back then to see happy and proud LGBTQ+ role models TASK: Creative competition introduced to use knowledge to create PRIDE poster. PLENARY: Review of learning on roadmap.

This is the fifteenth lesson in a scheme of work using Dean Atta’s modern novel ‘The Black Flamingo’, to explore AQA’s GCSE paper 2 unseen poetry component. The lesson can be broken down as follows: Focus Five: Recap of key information surrounding plot, key words and characterisation. TASK: Introduction of theme and conventions of the core concept through past text studied and with a focus on identity for ‘The Black Flamingo’. TASK: Recap key word ‘identity’ and group discussion of how the theme is presented across the novel. TASK: Recap unseen poetry and specifically 27.1. Then key word for on ‘exploration’ and a recap of key plot points linking to Michael’s character. TASK: Introduce poem ‘Maybe I’m A Merman’ and have group discussion about the main ideas. Then split students into group for a poetry carousel focusing on the individual stanzas and analysis of the poem. TASK: WHAT/HOW/WHY paragraph on the theme of identity, provide students with sentence starters to support and then follow with self-assessment of paragraph response using success criteria. TASK: Students to make notes on the conventions of a theme, filling in relevant sections on identity within ‘The Black Flamingo’. Consolidation of ideas learnt so far and answers to key questions from the start of the lesson. PLENARY: Review of learning on roadmap.

This is the fourteenth lesson in a scheme of work using Dean Atta’s modern novel ‘The Black Flamingo’, to explore AQA’s GCSE paper 2 unseen poetry component. The lesson can be broken down as follows: Focus Five: Recap of key information surrounding plot, key words and characterisation. TASK: Read through and discussion of big ideas for poem ‘I want to be a pink flamingo’, additionally watching video from Dean Atta reading/discussing the poem. TASK: Introduce WHAT/HOW/WHY approach to 27.1 question on the poem ‘I want to be a pink flamingo’. Whole class discussion on techniques and annotations for the poem, followed by class live model of a WHAT/HOW/WHY paragraph response. TASK: Introduce students to GCSE mark scheme for unseen poetry and teacher to explain the mark scheme in further detail and support student understanding of what specific skills are assessed for this question. Student should then attempt their own paragraph independently. TASK: Peer-assessment opportunity for students upon completion of their paragraph analysis, using the band 4 clear mark scheme as success criteria. TASK: Consolidation of ideas learnt so far and answers to key questions from the start of the lesson. PLENARY: Review of learning on roadmap.

This is the fifth to tenth lesson in a scheme of work using Dean Atta’s modern novel ‘The Black Flamingo’, to explore AQA’s GCSE paper 2 unseen poetry component. The lesson can be broken down as follows: Focus Five: Activities provided to recap prior learning of context, genre and narrative structure and then key plot points covered so far. TASK: Plot breaks down into the following sections: Childhood School (private & public) – Coming out? Sweet 16 & Holiday Drama University & Drag society Relationships & Clubbing The performance (Glitterball) Students should complete their reading log with summary activities and key discussion questions for each section of the text as they read. There are also key words (Word Power) to introduce and consider at points throughout the cold read. Reading booklet with comprehension questions included.

This is the eleventh lesson in a scheme of work using Dean Atta’s modern novel ‘The Black Flamingo’, to explore AQA’s GCSE paper 2 unseen poetry component. The lesson can be broken down as follows: Focus Five: Activities provided to recap prior learning. Suggested activities: Complete the reading booklet, Cloze/GAP fill, etc. TASK: Go back through and complete the genre and narrative structure worksheets after reading the plot. TASK: Opportunity to continue with creative competition using contextual knowledge to create PRIDE poster. PLENARY: Review of learning on roadmap.

This is the fourth lesson in a scheme of work using Dean Atta’s modern novel ‘The Black Flamingo’, to explore AQA’s GCSE paper 2 unseen poetry component. The lesson can be broken down as follows: Focus Five: Recap political and social contextual knowledge. TASK: Introduce focus on genre from the core concepts and what genre is. TASK: Discussion on past genres of texts studied at KS3 and then a focus on the genre of ‘The Black Flamingo’ with direct interview responses from Dean Atta. TASK: Opportunity to return to this and fill in information on the book’s genre components after reading the text. TASK: Introduce narrative structure definition and recap Freytag’s pyramid from earlier in KS3. TASK: Students to flick through the text and discuss the structure of the book and how it appears. TASK: Opportunity to return to this and fill in information on the book’s narrative structural components after reading the text. TASK: Class discussion on importance of considering genre and narrative structure of a literary text. TASK: Opportunity to continue with creative competition using contextual knowledge to create PRIDE poster. PLENARY: Review of learning on roadmap.

This is the thirteenth lesson in a scheme of work using Dean Atta’s modern novel ‘The Black Flamingo’, to explore AQA’s GCSE paper 2 unseen poetry component. The lesson can be broken down as follows: Focus Five: Recap of key information surrounding plot, key words and setting. TASK: Introduction of characterisation and conventions of the core concept via Michael’s character. TASK: Key word focus on ‘identity’ and a recap of key plot points linking to Michael’s character. TASK: Analysis of the prologue, through class discussion of big ideas. TASK: Re-introduction of unseen poetry GCSE questions, with a focus on 27.1 and then a recap of key poetic techniques via match up activity. TASK: Key word for on ‘intersectionality’ and a recap of key plot points linking to Michael’s character. TASK: Read through and discussion of big ideas for poem ‘House of Mirrors’. TASK: Consolidation of ideas learnt so far and answers to key questions from the start of the lesson. PLENARY: Review of learning on roadmap.

This is the second lesson in a scheme of work using Dean Atta’s modern novel ‘The Black Flamingo’, to explore AQA’s GCSE paper 2 unseen poetry component. The lesson can be broken down as follows: Focus Five: Recap context. TASK: Information mind map on Dean Atta. TASK: Stephen Lawrence knowledge input & key questions. TASK: AIDs crisis knowledge input, video and key questions. TASK: Other contextual influences and video from Dean Atta. TASK: Class discussion on the historical influences for Dean Atta growing up. PLENARY: Review of learning on roadmap.

A series of PowerPoint lessons (can be stretched out across a week) focusing on how ‘Shakespeare’ transforms Macduff into a ‘revenger’ across the play ‘Macbeth’. This resource contains a range of activities focusing on key sections throughout the play ‘Macbeth’ to build on student confidence and knowledge of the play/scaffold their extended writing and ‘analytical skills’. Analysis of the text is included to use for modelling with students and support their own notes/making for easier teaching of the topic. All ‘extracts’ from the play can be found on the final slides to be printed out for students.

A series of PowerPoint lessons (can be stretched out across 1-2 weeks) focusing on Macbeth’s rising dilemma throughout Act 1 of ‘Macbeth’ and the decision and influences to commit regicide. This resource contains a range of activities focusing on key sections of Act 1 of the play ‘Macbeth’ to build on student confidence and knowledge of the play/scaffold their extended writing and ‘analytical skills’. Analysis of the text is included to use for modelling with students and support their own notes/making for easier teaching of the topic. All ‘extracts’ from the play can be found on the final slides to be printed out for students. There is also a ‘comic strip’ template included for an activity that could be used with students.

A series of PowerPoint lessons (can be stretched out across a week) focusing on the importance of ‘Lady Macbeth’s’ influence’ throughout the play ‘Macbeth’ and her role in the regicide. This resource contains a range of activities focusing on key sections throughout the play ‘Macbeth’ to build on student confidence and knowledge of the play/scaffold their extended writing and ‘analytical skills’. Analysis of the text is included to use for modelling with students and support their own notes/making for easier teaching of the topic. All ‘extracts’ from the play can be found on the final slides to be printed out for students.