5 resources which are useful for teachers who want to prepare their students for NAPLAN. 1) Is a unit outline for a four-week skills focus 2) Minimum standards for NAPLAN year 9 (copied and pasted from the internet) 3) NAPLAN tests teaching ideas (copied and pasted from the internet) 4) A list of things to teach prior to NAPLAN that I compiled 5) A spelling list (24 words per week) of words that have appeared in past NAPLAN tests

Defining each theme and posing questions for students to consider e.g. Why do human beings have a basic need and desire to be in a group? What are the consequences of being an outcast from main groups? (both physically and mentally). Can groups affect your behavior and encourage you to engage in behaviors you might not otherwise? A list of texts which feature this theme. Clips from various teen films (mostly trailers) with questions for students to respond to post-viewing. It also explains how popular teens and unpopular teens are commonly shown.

This powerpoint introduces students to the key features of magazine covers. It defines key terms including Mast Head, Main Cover Line, Cover Lines, Strap Line, The issue number, The date, Cost of a magazine, Main image, Background colour, Promotional material and Barcode. It includes pictures of magazine covers with annotations which recognise the effect these features have on the reader

This lesson was designed for a year 11 class who are required to present an election speech to be on a youth advisory committee for the federal government. This lesson goes through the main aspects required for the introduction, body, and conclusion. It defines thesis statement and gives an example. It includes examples of each part of the speech (given about legalising marijuana for medicinal purposes). It reviews the PEEEL paragraphing acronym and the importance of paraphrasing, summarising and quoting. It ends with some tips for political speeches and some suggested vocabulary.

PowerPoint 1: Defines monologue, goes through the requirements if students choose to record their monologue rather than presenting in class, prompts for what students should look for when watching Glee, post episode summary and activity, PowerPoint 2: Explaining the monologue assessment task and requirements. Going through the structure of a monologue. Viewing a clip from Ferris Bueller's day off for inspiration. Going through expected language features.

3 resources for a year 12 English unit. 1) A PPT for a mini lesson on nouns, verbs and adjectives + another mini lesson on adverbs. 2) A PowerPoint engaging with 2 WW1 poems: ‘I have a rendezvous with death’ and ‘In Flanders Fields. After reading the first poem there are discussion questions. I have also included some of my observations about each of the poem (modelling analysis), some info about the author, activities encouraging the students to consider how langauge features have been used in the text. Following this, students read the second poem on their own and complete the comparison activity (3rd resource). 3) A handout with the table for the comparison activity (for students to complete electronically)

These are the homework resources for a year 12 Authority English unit delivered in Queensland, Australia. The focus for this unit is the comprehensive study of a text that explores a different culture (the autobiography Slave by Mende Nazer). Through examining the autobiographies underlying ideologies and themes, students will be exposed to social and cultural experiences that are far removed from their own. In particular, students will explore the controversial and confrontational issues privileged in the selected text. Engaging with a culturally rich text will allow students to develop empathy and connect other cultural experiences with their own lived experience. Resource 1: List of vocabulary (spelling words) for the term - students are to learn 24 words per week. Resource 2: List of terms that students should know by the end of year 12 which can be used as extension for gifted students. Resource 3: A list of comprehension questions written to assess students knowledge of each chapter of the autobiography. This is a good tool for consolidating knowledge and will be useful revision when they need to develop an idea for their assessment tasks.

Defining bullying and the various types. Info about the emergence of cyber bullying, a novel example - Destroying Avalon (2006) with a summary and key quotes. A list of texts which feature bullying. A few clips from Mean Girls followed by reflection questions, a clip from Glee, The OC and The Breakfast Club followed by reflection questions.

1) A fun an engaging PPT designed to build up students' reading comprehension abilities. It includes a definition of war, a series of questions for classroom discussion (drawing on prior knowledge), a small clip from Forrest Gump for students to watch and discuss (questions included), info about who writes war poetry and the various reasons they have for doing so, an answer to the question 'why read poetry?' Following this the PPT encourages students to engage with three poetic texts and learn to read for meaning and to appreciate the emotions created by the author and how they achieve this. Each poem comes with questions to check for student comprehension and to begin scaffoldin their ability to analyse. 2) A handout with the words to each poem: Grandpa what did you do in the war?, Gaps in the ranks & And the band played Waltzing Matilda 3) A Poetry retrieval chart (homework) for students to complete to revise after the lesson -- I would send these out via email to be completed electronically.

Do you fear teaching students about poetry because of how you learned about poets in school? Are you new to teaching poetry and want some ideas of where to start? If so this could be the resource for you. This lesson is the first of many created to teach learners to appreciate poems, analyse poems and write poems of their own. Each of these worksheets has been made after consulting numerous texts about best practice pedagogy and each includes links to other resources you may find helpful (see reference list). This worksheet can be used as a one on one tutoring resource. Alternatively, you can take activities from here to use in a PowerPoint lesson, as fast finishers or homework activities. It includes a definition of poetry, some of the reasons people write poems and the effects poetry can have on the reader. It goes back to the basics of grammar looking at how poets use adjectives, nouns, verbs and prepositions to convey meaning. Example poems are provided for students to identify these devices in. Other poems are provided along with comprehension questions to help students see the importance of reading to glean meaning. There is also a section on tone which provides students with a list of words to describe the tones of various texts and activities to check for student understanding. Finally, it includes a vocabulary building and spelling activity for fast finishers.

Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a 90 minute short response examination. A PowerPoint for an assessment literacy lesson where students learn more about their upcoming exam including word limits and the communication skills needed for the exam. Students are given a copy of the ‘I can’ statements which shows what an A, B & C looks like for each of the criteria. This is followed by focused teaching around Criteria 1.1 (how to write thorough definitions). This begins with explaining what a definition is and what makes a good definition. It also unpacks what makes a definition bad. Then a sample definition for ‘Gender Identity’ is provided using the four quadrant method (modelled response). Students are informed they will complete their own definition for ‘domestic’ at the end of the lesson after viewing a range of informative videos about this issue. ‘I can’ statements handout which breaks down the criteria into simple terms for students to understand (also assists teachers to mark the assessment with ease)

This worksheet can be used as a one on one tutoring resource. Alternatively, you can take activities from here to use as fast finishers or homework activities. This document introduces students to key terms like fact, opinion and embellishment. It includes sentences and paragraphs and challenges students to identify whether they are subjective/objective. It also provides some information about zoos and asks students to write a subjective and objective paragraph about the topic. The second section explores how verbs, adverbs and well-constructed, extended noun groups can position the reader to form an opinion or judge a person. It gives an example of a famous Australian and shows how by changing a few words you can change the connotation of the text. It includes comprehension questions to check the students understanding. In the third section, a subjective newspaper article about the Vietnam war is included for students to analyse. There are comprehension questions which follow this. The final section introduces students to the concept of tone and gives them a list of different words to describe the tone of a text. Students then look at an advertisement and have to suggest the tone. Subsequently, they read a bias newspaper article and answer questions about this. Finally, there is a writing activity for students which encourages them to write persuasively.

A student workbook for watching the film including; a synopsis, a list of characters, viewing questions, themes in the film, key quotes & what others have said about the film. The second is annotated notes taken from Cateforis, T. (2009). Rebel girls and singing boys: Performing music and gender in the teen movie. Current Musicology, (87), 161-190,247. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/224870683?accountid=16285

A ppt which explores how the literary devices are used in texts that represent teenagers. Teen specific examples of parody including clips from 'Not Another Teen Movie.' Examples of sarcasm with clips from 'The Inbetweeners' tv show (no swearing). The impact of tone of voice. Introducing other techniques: exaggeration, burlesque, irony (with a clip from the Little Rascals and Shrek). Then it looks at clips of J'amie from Summer Heights High and an example monologue about this scene written by a past student.

A concept which can be used to understand Macbeth. It is connected to the idea of the ‘divine right of kings’ and the class structures of the time (feudalism). The PowerPoint includes a definition of this concept and visual representations. Students then apply this to the play and have to draw their own chain of being. It looks at characters who maintain / disrupt this chain and how they do so. It also looks at the imagery and techniques used to show a disruption to the chain of being.

These resources are for the beginning of a crime fiction unit taught to senior English students. This unit provides many opportunities for students to develop an enjoyment and appreciation of language and literature. Students will be exposed to canonical and popular culture texts that explore crime fiction. Great value for money, see the explanation of the six resources included below. Resource 1: A Brief Introduction PowerPoint (defining crime and genre, introducing students to the crime fiction genre, the three basic elements of crime fiction and listing some subgenres of crime fiction. Resource 2: One lesson from a unit entitled ‘Revolutionary texts of the past meet popular culture texts of today.’ A PowerPoint introducing students to gothic romantic literature (genre conventions). It explains the social context of the time this genre originated, it outlines its key features and looks at two prominent examples: an extract from Frankenstein and Edgar Allen Poe’s Short Story ‘Tell-Tale Heart.’ Resource 3: Homework handout with questions about ‘Tell-Tale Heart’ Resource 4: A copy of the ‘Tell-Tale Heart’ to email to students. Resource 5 & 6: Spelling words for the term and a template for students to write their definitions and sentences in. The unit focuses on the study and analysis of texts including a film, novel extracts and a range of short stories to allow students to judge and value literary works in terms of the insights and truths they offer. Students should come to realise that both popular culture and canonical texts have meaning and value in contemporary society. If you are interested in the other resources from this unit, please visit my shop.

Three resources made for a year 10 English class in Australia. Resource 1: Spelling list (24 words per week, 6 weeks worth of words). Resource 2: blank glossary table for students to add their definitions and example sentences into. Resource 3: A PowerPoint introducing students to the text they will be studying (the first novel in the trilogy). The presentation includes a brief synopsis of the novel and what inspired the author to write the novel. Reviewing expectations for reading the novel and the homework students will be completing. It outlines what students need to know to successfully complete their two assessment items for this unit.

Anyone who thinks that slavery went the way of the nineteenth century will be disabused of that belief when reading “Slave: My True Story”  written by Mende Nazer, a Sudanese Nuba, along with Damien Lewis, a British journalist. This book gives a chilling overview of the modern slave trade from the perspective of one who was victimized by it. Human trafficking, unfortunately, is alive and well as a weapon of war in the late twentieth and twenty-first century. This resource is a PowerPoint presentation designed for use in a 12 English Authority class in Queensland Australia. It introduces students to the concepts of cultural context and social situations and how both can influence the author. This lesson prepares students to answer the following question: What is the social impact of the text? i.e. is it recycling or reinforcing cultural assumptions? Within this lesson students will learn about the Nuba people – cultural practices e.g. scarification, beads, wrestling, religious beliefs, dwellings, diet, languages & female genital mutilation. In addition to information, images and videos of some of these are provided. It also includes some information about save trading in Sudan. At the end of the PowerPoint are some sample answers to the chapter questions for chapters 1-8.

1) PowerPoint: The construction of characterization, plot and setting in Slave. This PowerPoint was designed to help prepare students for a short story assessment where they were to write from a marginalized character's perspective in the autobiography Slave. Within the lesson students will explore how Mende and her journalist co-write established characters and setting within the novel through the use of various writing techniques. 2) Document for students to take their notes into with extracts from the text for students to analyse.

6 resources used to scaffold a short story assessment task for a year 12 authority English class in Queensland Australia. the task sheet explaining task requirements and the marking rubric. A PowerPoint further explaining the task. It also reviews the major elements of a narrative including:  plot (aka the structure), setting, characterisation, language devices and the types of narrator. a worksheet of planning steps the students should use prior to writing to ensure they have addressed all elements of the task. 4 & 5) two example assessments to go through with students to further exemplify the genre conventions they should be using. A peer review activity for students to complete prior to submitting their draft.