Two lessons exploring the characterisation of Mr Lyons across the play, leading to an assessment task. Lessons are suitable for KS3 or lower ability KS4. Easily adapted for higher ability KS4.

A homework sheet for pupils to completed, locating quotations / lines that reflect themes. Used in a LA set.

This KS3 lesson looks at they key differences between plays and other text types, including exploring format and layout differences, in addition to the terminology needed when analysing a play i.e. audience, dialogue, stage directions etc.

Structured tasks on showing not telling method of creative writing. Variety of tasks, leading towards final task of writing from a visual prompt.

Powerpoint resource on the assessment: ‘How does the writer use language in the text to present the character of Hyde?’ from an extract taken from CH. 1 of the novel. (Can easily be adapted to ask pupils to compare to the rest of the text too.) Included in the resource is: the assessment question with scaffold to remind pupils how to respond to the Q. a DIRT lesson that includes a model answer, a model annotation of a single quotation, and then a selected quotation for pupils to then annotate themselves (with the focus on, ‘a lot from a little’ ). Pupils can then rewrite new, improved PEA paragraphs based on the quotations selected for them, and the annotations made. A peer assessment task.

A task to get pupils to explore the time period that the play was written and set, to clearly understand where the play ‘fits’ in relation to key historial, social and technological moments. Pupils should be given the ‘blank’ timeline, with only the years on, and have to work in pairs to write where they think each ‘event’ occurred. The answers have also been provided for self/peer assessment and to aid further discussion.

I have created DIRT tasks on the AQA Lang P1 2019 paper Q2 & 3, which my class used as a mock/inidicative assessment. The slides include typed up copies of the indicative content, which pupils then used to ‘magpie’ ideas, to improve their own responses. This also enables pupils to be engaged with the markscheme and develop their understanding of have their responses are graded against 4 levels: simple, some, clear, perceptive - and what that may actually look like on paper.

Worksheets for each stanza of Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘War Photographer’. Suitable for Mid- low ability classes, or a higher ability class, as a first response type activity. Activity mostly aimed for understanding meaning and imagery, as opposed to analysing language, form or structure.

A powerpoint and two worksheets exploring the role of women in Shakespeare, with a specific focus on Lady Macbeth.

A series of 7 lessons that revise expectations and how to approach the AQA Lang P2 Q5 / Section B writing Q. Lesson cover: Purpose, Audience and Form Letters Articles Speeches Practice exam Qs Scaffolded tasks and planning sheets Great for a block of lessons for year 11 prior to exams.

1 x creative writing lesson on ACC made for a cover lesson. Pupils to write a description based on the opening scene of ACC 2009 film, with an (implicit) emphasis on SHOW, don’t tell.

A series of lessons looking at a practice Language Paper 2 on the topic of hunting. I cannot take credit for the paper itself, but the accompanying lessons, ppts and model answers are my own.

A lesson introducing the context for Seamus Heaney’s ‘Storm on the Island’, one of the poems in the AQA Power and Conflict poetry anthology. This has been planned for use in a Yr 9 bottom set, but could be easily adapted. It includes a link to a 5 min video that explains ‘The Troubles’ as well as clear presentation slides that explains a (brief!) history of Ireland. The lesson was planned to be taught after the class had had an initial lesson or two, unpicking the key themes, ideas and imagery within the poem, with this lesson highlighting the importance and significance of context in shaping our understanding. In a nutshell, the lesson follows the lines of: what is context; here’s some context; apply the context to the poem; what’s our understanding now.

Introduction lesson for AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2: Writer’s Viewpoints and Perspectives. A whole lesson & resources which focus on pupils exploring how to distinguish between ‘viewpoint’ and ‘perspective’.

A 5 lesson walkthrough of AQA Language Paper 2, section A on the topic of ‘Hunting’ (the Q paper itself is not my resource, and can be found for free, but the lessons are my own). Can be used for first time teaching of the paper as the lessons indicate how pupils should approach the paper, highlighting how each question builds onto the next, and ‘photos’ of teacher’s copy to model how to annotate their own extracts and prepare to answer. All questions come with model answers for pupils to mark against skill descriptors, with lessons culminating in pupils given the opportunity to ‘magpie’ ideas and improve their own responses. If you like these resources, please do leave a review, so other teachers can find my resources too - much appreciated :)

8 week’s worth of homework on Macbeth to support the study and revision of the play. Tasks focus on supporting vocabulary of pupils, linking vocabulary to our study of the play, as well as tasks on context, SPaG and a ‘Elizabethan pronoun’ challenge. All tasks have been designed so they can easily be marked in class either as self/peer assessment (to reduce teacher marking!) but also designed to be purposeful to student’s learning. Pupils will need to know the plot / summary of the play in order to complete these tasks (i.e. I always begin teaching Macbeth with context and summary / main plot, before studying in more detail).

A powerpoint introducing the Christmas Truce of WW1, exploring how the soldiers would have been feeling. This culminates in pupils writing a letter home, as a soldier, explaining what has happened and how they feel about it. Used in conjunction with studying WW1 poetry.

DIRT tasks for AQA Lang P2, Q2 & 3 - ‘Discoveries’ with model answers. Best used for after the class have attempted these questions for themselves. I set the questions as a mini in-class assessment and then used the following for DIRT. Included are example answers for Q2 &3 where pupils are to mark and annotate the examples, from a ‘expert’ checklist, and then use ideas from the examples to improve their own: ‘magpie’. PLEASE NOTE: cannot be credited as creating Q paper, but the model answers and the PP is my own)

AQA 2019 Language Paper 2 DIRT tasks, section A: Writer’s Viewpoints and Perspectives A series of lessons that reflect upon questions 2-4 of 2019 Paper 2, advising pupils where they may have missed marks and how to improve. AQA 2019 Lang Paper 2: ‘The Crossing’, an extract from James Cracknell and Ben Fogle’s autobiographical account of crossing the Atlantic and ‘Idle Days in Patagonia’, an extract from W H Hudson’s travel writing.

Worksheets created to analyse the poem ‘Remains’ by Simon Armitage. Focus is on meaning and understanding, as well as analysis of techniques. I have found that my classes would identify techniques in a poem but not say much about them! In these worksheets, the techniques have been given to them (which will help with their understanding of a range of techniques - not the same ones time and time again that they seem to go for!), with questions aimed at analysis why the writer has used said technique, as well as further questions exploring specific language choice. i.e. why ‘life’, why not ‘body’? etc. Also includes storyboard type images, to help with dual coding. If you like this resource, please check out my storyboard activities for this poem too: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/remains-storyboard-language-analysis-and-revision-tasks-12207507