Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
A resource designed for use with Year 12 Essential English students (Australian curriculum). Students are preparing to sit a response to stimulus exam with one seen source and one unseen source (1 x written and 1 x visual).
The document includes a list of language features and text structures commonly found in visual stimulus texts (along with definitions and examples).
How I used this in my teaching: I printed a class set of the LF on one colour and the TS on another colour and had them laminated. I hand them out in each lesson when students are analysing texts. I also printed one set in A3 and put them up as posters in the classroom.
A resource designed for use with Year 12 Essential English students (Australian curriculum). Students are preparing to sit a response to stimulus exam with one seen source and one unseen source (1 x written and 1 x visual).
The document includes a list of language features and text structures commonly found in written stimulus texts (along with definitions and examples).
How I used this in my teaching: I printed a class set of the LF on one colour and the TS on another colour and had them laminated. I hand them out in each lesson when students are analysing texts. I also printed one set in A3 and put them up as posters in the classroom.
A lesson designed for use over 2 x 70 minute lessons of Essential English (Australian curriculum). Students are preparing to sit a response to stimulus exam with one seen source and one unseen source (1 x written and 1 x visual).
The focus for the year was Science, Space and Technology – so this source may also be of use to teachers from other countries teaching about these topics.
This lesson focused on texts about space exploration – a transcript of John F Kennedy’s “Why go to the moon?” speech & a contemporary article about billionaires exploring space
Included in this resource is
1 x Worksheet for students (containing the 2 sources and some scaffolding)
1 x annotated worksheet (teacher answers)
1 x PPT used to sequence the lesson
The content of the lesson was around teaching students how to analyse stimulus text and locate:
Language Features
Text Structures
Values, Attitudes, Beliefs or Cultural Assumptions
Representations
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019).
This lesson includes:
1 x PowerPoint
1 x Booklet containing sources and activities which help students to practice synthesising and forming historical arguments based on information from sources
Context:
My school runs this program in Alternative Sequence (yr 11 and 12s in together) due to the small size of the school.
The sequence of this lesson:
This lesson followed on from a lesson about evaluating sources. It begins with a match the definitions activity to see what students remember.
This is followed by a warm up where students are shown 6 example exam questions and they have to explain what they believe the question is asking them to do.
Following this, the learning intentions and success criteria are unpacked before turning our attention to the core skill for the lesson: synthesis. It begins by defining this term and looking at some words which may appear in a question which would hint that you are being asked to synthesise. This is followed by a 6 step process that students can use when synthesising. This is followed by an example student response to IA1 (essay under exam conditions) taken from the QCAA’s 2021 Modern History Subject Report. After reading this exemplar the class discusses the merits of this work.
Following this, the year 12s begin working through the synthesising work booklet (about The Boer War) while I take the year 11’s through some more explicit teaching. It begins with what questions to ask yourself when interrogating sources. This is followed by tips of how to introduce the authors of sources (as this helps the reader know how credible the points are). There are tips for how to talk about two sources simultaneously. We then unpack how synthesising is assessed in the QLD Modern History criteria (guide to making judgements).
The importance of creating a sophisticated historical argument is emphasised. This is followed by an example historical argument for a different topic. This is followed by instruction on how to create a purposeful topic sentence for each body paragraph. Next information about what should be featured in supporting sentences and the final linking sentence is provided. Then year 11’s begin working on the independent work booklet while I go through the answers with the year 12s. Students complete any unfinished portions of the booklet for homework.
This lesson includes:
1 x list of source types for warm up evaluation activity (can be laminated with a magnet on the back for sorting activity)
1 x PowerPoint
1 x Source Booklet
1 x Independent Work Booklet with various activities designed to help students practice the evaluation skill
Context: My school runs this program in Alternative Sequence (yr 11 and 12s in together) due to the small size of the school. The lesson begins with some teaching that both grades can do together before the year 12s are assigned some independent work and the year 11s are given some more focused teaching. Then the year 11’s do independent work while the year 12s share their answers and receive feedback.
The lesson begins with a warm up activity where students have to place types of sources on a grid in terms of how reliable and useful they typically are. Next students have to brainstorm some synonyms and antonyms for ‘reliable’ and ‘useful.’ Following this, year 12s are given a booklet which has evaluation activities (starting at simple activities and building up to those styled like the short response questions in the Term 4 exam). They begin completing these while the year 11’s get a more teacher centred lesson. In this portion of the lesson we begin with defining ‘evaluate’ before zooming in on the evaluation criteria we use in modern history – reliability and usefulness. There is information about what reliability is and that there are levels of reliability. There are tips for how to write a judgement of reliability and some things to look for when determining reliability. There is a list of reasons why a source may be deemed unreliable. There is an example reliability statement which has been colour coded to show how the writer has included various features of evidence in their evaluation.
Following this, the gradual release method is used to engage with the first few sources in the booklet. (I explain the first activity, we engage with Source 1 and then complete the question together – with me modelling my thinking process via think alouds. Students then do Source 2 as a pair and Source 3 on their own). This is followed by explicit teaching on how to determine the usefulness of a source. There is also information about the importance of corroboration (including a video from the History Skills website). This is followed by some sentence starters which can be used when corroborating. This is followed by completing activities from the booklet (first as a we do, then students do one in a pair, then they do one on their own). Following this, the year 11’s continue doing the booklet independently while I go through the answers with the year 12s.
Types of sources: a novel, a Wikipedia article, an Encyclopedia Britannica article, a pamphlet written by Mark Twain (from the perspective of King Leopold), a book written by Arthur Conan Doyle about the Congo, a textbook, a range of political cartoons (4), and a book entitled The Fortunes of Africa.
A PowerPoint used to teach a combined class of 11 and 12 Modern History students. It begins with information about significance (one of the historical concepts). The N.A.M.E acronym for determining whether something is significant is explained. Then the Learning Intention and Success Criteria for the lesson are unpacked. The core part of the lesson begins with information about why we reference and what this might look like in an exam vs an assignment. There is a slide explaining how to in text reference (with examples). This is followed by slides about paragraph writing. Students are presented with two acronyms which they can use – extended TEEL and the TEEASC structure from the History Skills website. There is an example paragraph from an essay about the Cold War written by a student. This is followed by information about how to unpack an exam question and what is required of a ‘to what extent’ response. There is also information about how to do a quick plan before writing an essay / paragraph. For the remainder of the lesson students have 3 questions to respond to in paragraph form (about Leopold II and imperialism in the Congo).
Resources designed for the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in The Scramble for Africa.
Context: My school runs this program in Alternative Sequence (yr 11 and 12s in together) due to the small size of the school. The lesson begins with some teaching that both grades can do together before the year 12s are assigned some independent work and the year 11s are given some more focused teaching. Then the year 11’s do independent work while the year 12s share their answers and receive feedback.
This lesson includes:
1 x PowerPoint
1 x Source Booklet – containing 8 sources (a mixture of types) for analysis
1 x Handout containing a graphic organiser for analysing sources
1 x Handout explaining CAMPORUM acronym with tips for what to look for when analysing sources
The lesson begins with a discussion where students need to recall the 7 features of evidence we look for when analysing sources. This is followed by a definition of ‘analyse’ and a 9 step process for analysing. The C.A.M.P.O.R.U.M acronym is included which hits both the analysing and evaluating criteria. Students are shown the A standard criteria for analysing and they are unpacked. The year 12 students then begin independently analysing sources in the source booklet and filling in the handout (CAMPORUM tables).
The year 11’s then receive focused teaching about the difference between primary and secondary sources, things to keep in mind when discussing the source origins in a written analysis, how the origins of the source may impact its reliability and tips for evaluating the reliability of different source types. There is some information about historical context and why it is crucial to understand the creator’s motive when engaging with a source.
This is followed by an explanation of what the sources will look like in the exam (i.e. a context statement, an excerpt from a source and an APA reference). Following this, the gradual release method is used to engage with the first few sources in the booklet. (I have done the first one on the slides to show how to complete the table, we do the second one together, they do the third one in pairs and they do the fourth one independently). The sources in the booklet were chosen to deliver content at the same time as teaching the analysis skill.
The types of sources in the booklet: Information about Leopold II – King of Belgium, Information about the Belgian Congo, A photograph capturing the atrocities committed in the Congo Free State, An alternative viewpoint (Edward Morel), An online news article from 2020, a political cartoon depicting Leopold II at the Berlin Conference of 1884, an opinion piece published in 2021 & an extract from a history textbook.
Resources designed for the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in The Scramble for Africa.
Resources designed for the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in The Scramble for Africa.
Context: My school runs this program in Alternative Sequence (yr 11 and 12s in together) due to the small size of the school. This lesson was delivered as a 2 hour block during the term 4 exam block to introduce the unit for the following year and to allow year 10s and 11s who would be studying the subject together to meet each other.
This resource includes:
1 x PowerPoint
1 x worksheet
A collection of political cartoons from 2022 for students to analyse in a group work task
The PPT structures the lesson which is more skills based than the previous lesson. it begins by defining ‘sources’ and explaining the difference between primary and secondary sources. This is followed by some things students should keep in mind when evaluating sources.
2 rounds of trivia 20 Q’s per round (as a bonding activity). Round 1 2022 Events. Round 2 – Modern History.
There are some revision questions about terms like ideologies, paternalism, hegemonic.
Then the lesson turns to the major skill for the day: how to analyse and evaluate visual sources. A list of common visual sources is provided along with why each of those types can be useful to historians. There is a viewing activity so that students can Learn about how photographers can influence their viewers by how they frame the subjects in their photographs. There are some photos from the Scramble for Africa that students can discuss.
From here, we turned our attention to political cartoons. Students learned about common techniques used in political cartoons. They were taught the PICTURE acronym to help them unpack visual sources. I included images of common symbols used in the sources we will encounter e.g. Uncle Sam, Marianne, Britannia, the Statue of Liberty, Bear (Russia), Bald Eagle (USA), Lion (England), chains (oppression) etc. information was also provided about other techniques which they use including analogy, caricature, exaggeration, irony, juxtaposition, idioms.
Students then view a 3 minute video about the power of political cartoons (and answer 4 questions). They have a go at unpacking some political cartoons from the Age of Imperialism.
To conclude the lesson each group is given 2 contemporary political cartoons. They create posters where they annotate the features – techniques, people, events – before sharing their results with the group.
Resources designed for the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in The Scramble for Africa.
Context: My school runs this program in Alternative Sequence (yr 11 and 12s in together) due to the small size of the school. This lesson was delivered as a 2 hour block during the term 4 exam block to introduce the unit for the following year and to allow year 10s and 11s who would be studying the subject together to meet each other.
This resource includes:
1 x PowerPoint
1 x Worksheet (designed to step students through the lesson. It includes copies of the sources on the PPT slide and questions for them to answer.)
1 x Match the definitions activity (10 terms) + a glossary of other useful terms for the unit
The lesson includes:
• An assessment overview for the two-year program
• An overview of the 6 cognitions assessed in this subject (analyse, evaluate, synthesise, devise etc.)
• A couple of rounds of trivia (to see what students know)
• An overview of the Term 1 assessment (IA1)
• A brief history of colonialism
• Introduction to important terms – ideology, nationalism, expansionism, imperialism
• A viewing activity (with viewing questions for students to listen out for)
• A map showing European colonial claims in 1900
• Justifications for imperialism – survival of the fittest, social Darwinism, pseudoscientific theories like phrenology, the white man’s burden, political motives, economic motives, religious motives, personal motives,
• Introducing an acronym for analysing and evaluating sources: CAMPORUM
• Students are given two primary sources (soap advertisements) which they are to unpack. They must then write a TEEL paragraph discussing the ideologies evident in the sources. (This is used as a diagnostic activity. I collect them and mark them.).
A PowerPoint presentation designed for use in a Grade 12 English class. it was designed to prepare the students for their external exam (where they have to produce an analytical essay in response to an unseen question / statement about the text).
The lesson includes:
• A warm up where students brainstorm some themes in the novel (20 options pop up as you click)
• An explanation of the following themes: Theme 1: The Dangers of Totalitarianism; Theme 2: Psychological Manipulation; Theme 3: Physical Control; Theme 4: Control of information and history; Theme 5: Technology; Theme 6: Language as mind control; Theme 7: Philosophical Viewpoints;
• Questions to prompt discussions
Resources designed for the new senior General English syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in this text.
A PowerPoint presentation designed for use in a Grade 12 English class. it was designed to prepare the students for their external exam (where they have to produce an analytical essay in response to an unseen question / statement about the text).
The lesson includes:
• A warm up activity where students must find the language features in a song
• An explanation of the term ‘stylistic devices’ from the syllabus
• An explanation of ‘characterisation’ and a series of slides about this
• Information about types of characters – sympathetic / unsympathetic, stereotypical etc.
• Viewing activities to apply this new knowledge.
• An explanation of ‘setting’ and ‘atmosphere’ + how some settings can be symbolic
• An explanation of ‘tone’ and ‘mood’
• An explanation of ‘themes’ and ‘symbols’
• An explanation of literary voice and narrative viewpoint (e.g. external omniscient, internal, external limited, naïve)
• An explanation of narrative structure and how this can effect meaning
• A couple of examples from Nineteen Eighty Four
Resources designed for the new senior General English syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in this text.
3 practice exam booklets for use in classes so that students can develop their assessment literacy. These could be used as a mock exam and then students could give each other feedback (in a peer review).
Each paper has a front cover for students to fill in, instructions (including planning time + time allowed to write a response), a list of the assessment objectives, 2 questions for students to respond to (they select one), planning space & lined paper on which to write their response.
Resources designed for the new senior General English syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in this text.
A PowerPoint presentation designed for use in a Grade 12 English class. it was designed to prepare the students for their external exam (where they have to write an essay in response to a question / statement about the text).
The lesson includes:
• A quick quiz (11 questions) to establish prior knowledge (answers pop up when clicked)
• An explanation of language features (with examples provided). Terms included: paradox, oxymoron, allusion, binary oppositions, portmanteau, motif, metaphor, extended metaphors (aka conceit), personification, simile, symbolism,
• Information about the following techniques in Nineteen Eighty Four: allusion, binary oppositions, portmanteaus, symbolism,
• A language features quiz to check for understanding (6 questions)
Bonus resource: A word document table for assigning students a specific chapter to analyse (to contribute to the Class One Note)
Resources designed for the new senior General English syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in this text.
A PowerPoint presentation designed for use in a Grade 12 English class.
It includes:
• Instructions for reading activities including what important information to record about the characters,
• Historical context for Nineteen Eighty Four (when it was written, what the world was like post WW2 (during the Cold War), Orwell’s inspirations)
• Key political terms – communism, fascism, totalitarianism, dictatorship etc.,
• Historical figures – Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky
• Examples of propaganda and rewriting history used by Stalin
• Examples of propaganda and censorship in Nineteen Eighty Four
• Orwell’s reasons for writing the text – i.e. showcasing his concerns for the future
Resources designed for the new senior General English syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in this text.
A PowerPoint presentation designed for use in a Grade 12 English class.
It includes:
• A summary of Chapter 1 and screen shots from the movie to illustrate key characters and locations
• Important things to note about chapter 1
• Notes about how Orwell developed the setting (including quotes)
• Information about surveillance and the ministries
• Details about the protagonist Winston Smith and his diary
• Important people that we meet in this chapter – Julia and O’Brien
• The small distractions available to citizens – Victory Gin & Victory Cigarettes
• The answers to the Ch 1 questions in the student work booklet (also available in my store)
• A summary of Chapter 2 (including info about the junior spies)
• Information about Hitler Youth (who were likely the inspiration for the junior spies in the novel)
• Answers to the Ch 2 questions
• A summary of Chapter 3
• Information about the Panopticon (18th Century) which may have influenced Orwell
• Answers to the Ch 3 questions
• A summary of Chapter 4
• Answers to Ch 4 questions
• A summary of Chapter 5
• Answers to Ch 5 questions
• A map showing Oceania, Eastasia and Eurasia
• Some character profiles (to check what information students have located thus far)
Resources designed for the new senior General English syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in this text.
A 30-page booklet designed for Grade 12 students studying George Orwell’s Nineteen-Eighty-Four.
It includes:
• a character map,
• a list of themes, motifs, symbols, moral issues
• a series of graphic organisers for students to organise their notes about 6 themes, 6 specified symbols,
• a table to record noticeable values, attitudes, beliefs and cultural assumptions
• a place to record important terms (glossary) including: newspeak terms; context terms; unfamiliar terms
• a table to record key details about each character and several important settings (names pre filled)
• a diagram showing the societal structure of Oceania
• a table to record the purpose of each of the four ministries
• places to record significant aesthetic features and stylistic devices (language features & text structures)
• a set of chapter questions for all 3 ‘books’ and post reading questions and activities
Teaching tip: to save on printing, the chapter questions can be removed and added to a Class One Note / other online location.
Resources designed for the new senior General English syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in this text.
Two resources:
A unit plan which includes: a unit description, key questions for the unit, a breakdown of the learning intentions & success criteria, some planning resources, key details about the assessment, scaffolding notes for the assessment {cognitive verbs, a structure, evaluative language, other expected language features}. A list of the themes in the novel. Questions for a self/peer review (student reflection). Reflection questions to be used at the end of the unit (teacher reflection prompts).
A Scope and Sequence which outlines how I taught the unit. (My school has 4 x 70 minute lessons a week).
Resources designed for 10 English in Queensland, Australia. It is part of a novel study unit which culminates in a 90-minute examination (500 to 800-word essay). Students had 1 week notice of the question and could bring 100 words of notes in with them.
Within this unit students explored how an author’s use of language features, images and vocabulary contributed to the representation of themes in the novel. They also gained a deeper understanding of key literary techniques, including (but not limited to) characterisation, plot, and setting.
2 practice exams (with scaffolding prompts).
Resources designed for 10 English in Queensland, Australia. It is part of a novel study unit which culminates in a 90-minute examination (500 to 800-word essay). Students had 1 week notice of the question and could bring 100 words of notes in with them.
Within this unit students explored how an author’s use of language features, images and vocabulary contributed to the representation of themes in the novel. They also gained a deeper understanding of key literary techniques, including (but not limited to) characterisation, plot, and setting.
This lesson was taught in the phase of the unit where students were prepping for their upcoming essay exam.
It begins with a worm up where students had to look at a list of 5 characteristics and consider which characters from the novel Deadly Unna? had them.
This was followed by an explanation of citing conventions (how to in text reference). Examples were provided to show how to punctuate direct quotes properly. Then students were shown a table which contained quotes from the novel – they had to turn this into a sentence with appropriate referencing. This was followed by information about how to embed quotes into essay paragraphs – with examples for another text. 2 x poor examples and 2 x good examples are provided for ‘Rabbit Proof Fence.’ This is followed by time for students to plan their response to the practice exam question - Are the male characters in the novel realistic, outdated or stereotypical representations of Australian men?
Resources designed for 10 English in Queensland, Australia. It is part of a novel study unit which culminates in a 90-minute examination (500 to 800-word essay). Students had 1 week notice of the question and could bring 100 words of notes in with them.
Within this unit students explored how an author’s use of language features, images and vocabulary contributed to the representation of themes in the novel. They also gained a deeper understanding of key literary techniques, including (but not limited to) characterisation, plot, and setting.
A PowerPoint which provides an image and summary for the following characters from Deadly Unna? (pictures taken from the film Aussie Rules).
Bob Black aka The Old Man
Gwen Black (Blacky’s mum)
Gary Black
Dumby Red
Pickles
Coach Robertson aka Arks
Tim Black aka Best Team-Man
Darcy
I printed these up and used them as posters in the classroom.