This worksheet was designed for use by MA-HA (I)GCSE students learning about Hopkins’ poem “The Caged Skylark”. The grid on the sheet encourages them to identify techniques and imagery used to compare the man and skylark, and to cite examples using line numbers. There is also room for students to expand upon their observations, which could be used as extension. This activity could be completed in groups or alone in class, used as homework, or completed for revision.

This worksheet covers techniques used in parts 1 and 2 of Stephen Crane’s short story “The Open Boat”. It was designed for MA-HA (I)GCSE students. Students are encouraged to match literary and linguistic techniques with their definitions before filling out a table that shows they can identify these techniques being used within the text, as well as finding quotations to support them. A third column is included in the table by way of extension, with students being asked to explain the effect this has if they can.

These comprehension tasks in relation to Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story “The Third and Final Continent” were designed for MA-HA (I)GCSE students. They could be completed in class or alone as short-answer tasks, or used as revision or homework. Alternatively, different questions could be assigned to small groups and developed into a presentation; or, if you would prefer a longer/more detailed answer, individual questions can be set as essays. The questions require students to find evidence from the text to support their answers and focus mainly on cultural contexts and differences, and character development. Multiple copies of the questions fill the page for ease of printing, photocopying and distribution.

This resource is designed to be printed and laminated so that students can match techniques and quotations from TS Eliot’s poem “Rhapsody on a Windy Night”. It was designed for IB Diploma Programme English Language & Literature students (so KS5) but could be used with able KS4 students too. After completing the activity students can be given a non-laminated version of the file to keep (all techniques are aligned with the correct answers). Techniques covered include anaphora, personification, themes, and iambic rhythm. Great as a starter or main activity.

This would make a good revision activity for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or is useful if you need to teach the play within a short space of time or need to set cover work. It is aimed at high-ability KS3 but could also be used with KS4. The extracts used focus on the moments that show Oberon realising Puck’s mistake, and fixing the problem. The extracts do not deal with other extracts/themes from the play. After reading the extracts (which I would recommend doing aloud, whether as a class or in small groups), there are questions for the students to complete (which could also be done in a carousel or other format if you prefer, or students can sit down and write). A short glossary is provided.

This is a useful worksheet to be used as part of a wider selection of class activities or if you need cover work. It defines concrete, abstract and proper nouns, and then gives students a selection to sort into a chart (provided). Five should then be chosen and used in students’ own sentences. Depending on where you are, you could either remove the example of ‘God’ or use it as a stimulus for debate (proper or abstract, or both?). This latter activity could also segue nicely into a lesson on discursive or argumentative writing. This activity is aimed at KS3 but has a broad range of appeal depending on your students’ needs: it could for example be used with able KS2s or with KS4s who lack grammatical knowledge.

This activity has 3 separate parts. After eliciting a class definition of idioms from students, the worksheet requires them to match idioms with their true meanings. Interesting discussion could follow, not just to correct the answers, but to explain how they knew/guessed if they were unsure. Students can then write sentences using the idioms before developing their ideas into a story (more than one idiom could be used in the story - e.g. through dialogue - or one idiom could be developed more thoroughly into a narrative). This was originally made to use with KS3 but could also be used with able KS2s.

This worksheet/activity is designed to follow on from a lesson covering the poem’s content. Once students have understood its content, the sheet can be used. The first task encourages students to match techniques found in the poem with definitions. (Students can also find examples from the poem once they are done.) Suggested follow-up activities, mentioned on the sheet, include inviting students to guess information about the poem’s time period and author, and asking students to explain why the literary/linguistic techniques are used (with sentence stems included to start them off). Aimed at MA-HA KS3 but could also be used with KS4.

Students can work in teams or alone to find quotes that show how Lloyd feels about Dinah (or the other way around), and write these into the evidence column on the chart. In the explanation column they should explain what this tells us. An extension question is also provided to stretch and challenge your more able students. Aimed at KS3.

This chart helps students to identify techniques used by Gillian Cross in chapters 2 and 3 of The Demon Headmaster. Alliteration and assonance are the most obvious ones to focus on but this can be adapted according to your students’ existing skills (other possibilities include repetition, emphasis, metaphors and imperatives). Students also have space to give examples/quotes to support their ideas. Higher ability students are encouraged to fill in the third column to explain the effects of the techniques used. Aimed at MA-HA KS3 students.

This file consists of 9 questions in relation to poems 4-6 from Simon Armitage’s Black Roses collection. (The questions are repeated twice on one page in the file for easy printing/cutting out/distribution). Students could complete these in small groups or on their own. These were devised for a sixth-form group of EAL students. However, they could be used in KS4 as well (not sure I would recommend for KS3 as the content of the Black Roses collection could be disturbing for children who are too young).

This worksheet was designed for use with KS4 but could also be used with KS3. It is designed to help students differentiate between key factors that may change when delivering a speech for 2 different audiences on the same topic, such as duration and tone. The two audiences in question in this case are Grade 9/Year 10 students and senior staff/headteacher, but could of course be changed.

This resource consists of an article written in the Independent in 2011, plus accompanying comprehension questions which I created. It was originally used with EAL 6th-formers but could be used throughout KS4 and KS5, not just in English but also in politics lessons. The questions range from asking students to define extremism and terrorism, encouraging student understanding of policy-making, and inviting student opinion on aspects of policy.

This is a fact sheet about the IRA designed to be distributed to students, or for teachers to use to give them some background knowledge. It has been adapted/created based on Wikipedia so naturally is basic/has limitations, but is suitable for student use and for teachers who are not history specialists. It can be useful for English teachers who are teaching plays or novels where this history is relevant, such as Brian Friel’s “Translations” or Joan Lingard’s “Across The Barricades”.

PLEASE NOTE: These lesson plans pertain to the ‘old’, outgoing Lang/Lit course (final exams in 2020). While a lot of the material will still be usable in the new course (first exams 2021), please bear this in mind when purchasing and, subsequently, using the plans yourself (whether as written or to make your own). Thanks for your understanding! This file contains at least 50 hours of lessons pertaining to Part 1 (Language and Cultural Context) of the English A: Language and Literature IB program. This would normally last you at least one academic year when taught alongside a minimum of 2 IB set texts (based on a schedule of 4 hours a week at standard level, with a supplementary hour per week at higher level). Topics include spoken language, censorship, translation, metalanguage, and historical and geographical contexts. Texts used include Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue, Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, and Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal. Tasks are differentiated and activities are suggested to support students in TOK and with their extended essay, as well as to support you in the event of your absence from school. Extra resources can be supplied upon request at no extra charge to support you as far as possible. Created by an experienced IB teacher and examiner.

This resource collates multiple WW1 letters from an American soldier, deployed in France, to his father back home in the US. The ensuing activities check on students’ comprehension of vocabulary and ask them to analyse the context, audience, purpose, and stylistic elements of the text. Best for students with some confidence at doing this already but could be adapted for weaker students or students who are only just starting to develop these skills. If using the final analysis-writing activity this could easily stretch to 2-3 lessons depending on the amount of groundwork you need to lay with your students beforehand. An alternative approach could be, for instance, to carousel the reading and analysis of letters so that e.g. a small group just works with one letter.

These Persepolis resources focus on Criterion A of the IB English A: Language and Literature courses, deepening students’ ability to understand and interpret texts through the use of Persepolis 1: p146-147. The Powerpoint is based on a template from SlidesGo, so there are some extra/superfluous generic slide templates included that haven’t been used, but the presentation makes the aims of the lesson clear for students and includes cutt.ly links to Quizlets and a digital version of the attached worksheet of comprehension tasks (which students can view, download and make copies of). The Powerpoint includes differentiated ways in which students can share their responses (Twitter, write on the whiteboard, or tell you in person). The comprehension tasks worksheet is also differentiated, offering 4 levels of tasks that encourage students to explore both explicit and implicit meanings inherent within the text. This allows students choices as to which tasks to complete. Finally, the answer grid enables them to type their responses rapidly alongside each question.