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.
Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. A PowerPoint designed for use in a 70 minute lesson.
A warm up game of real news vs fake news. This is followed by several slides which explain what students need to do to get good marks for their spoken presentation. This is followed by a variety of prompts for ‘30 second speeches’ every student has the opportunity to practice using the verbal and non-verbal speech techniques they learned earlier in the lesson.
Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. A PowerPoint designed for use in a 70 minute lesson.
This unit teaches students to be media literate and prepares them to do a speech where they analyse 1 x print news item and 1 x audio visual news item.
This lesson is about the features of television news. It begins with information about common sections in televised news including finance, the weather and sports. The importance of currency and getting the most interesting/important stories is emphasised. The structure of a news program is explained (info about the length of a news break and the likely the order of stories, before zooming in on the structure of a particular story (e.g. a 25-word lead + events in chronological order). There is a YouTube clip about Prince Harry to exemplify this. Students must pick out the 5W’s and 1H + determine who is shown positively / negatively. Important visuals are explained e.g. footage of dramatic events, use of computer-generated graphics, generic footage e.g. of scientists working in the lab, pictures/maps/icons etc. This is followed by some terms for students to write down: intertitles, interviews, voice overs, tight writing, camera angles, establishing shots, music, sound effects, logos and editing. Students need to know about these as any number of them could be in the news segment that they end up choosing to analyse for their assessment.
Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources.
Assessment scaffolding resources
A list of key terms, language features and text structures that students can use to assist them with their planning
A writing booklet which includes a suggested structure for the speech along with sentence starters to prompt student responses
A PowerPoint template which has been pre-filled with appropriate headings for the assessment
A handout outlining how to reference the following text types in APA formatting: websites, newspaper articles, magazine articles, televised news segments
Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources.
3 resources:
The task sheet and criteria for a year 10 multimodal task requiring students to analyse and evaluate 2 news media texts.
A second task sheet with criteria for a student who is being assessed at a grade 6 level (due to being on an Individualised Education Program).
A cover sheet to be placed on the front of the work of the student being assessed at below grade level with possible modifications listed on it. This makes it easy to highlight the appropriate ones and then include this as evidence of differentiation for parents / the school.
Students will learn to create a multimodal presentation to articulate complex ideas (i.e. an evaluation of news media). They will learn to use persuasive vocabulary and language features, as well as evidence, to justify their opinions. They will also learn to use visual features to persuade in their presentation (i.e. effective PowerPoint images, titles, etc.). Lastly, they will learn how to effectively use non-verbal persuasive techniques to present their speech/presentation.
Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. A PowerPoint designed for use in a 70 minute lesson.
This lesson begins by defining what a representation is and why they are so powerful. The variance in portrayals of Meghan Markle and Princess Kate are used to prompt discussion.
This is followed by a series of slides about the language features that students can look for when analysing news stories. The slides include definitions and examples.
Language features include: similes, metaphors, appeal to authority, appeal to emotion, connotations, emotive language, hyperbole, repetition, inclusive language, omission, groups of three, rhetorical questions, alliteration, idioms and hashtags.
The lesson concludes with reading an example article about Novak Djokovic and considering whether it paints him in a positive / negative light. There are a series of questions to help students to analyse this text.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History 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 German Nationalism between 1914–1945 (World War I begins –World War II ends).
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 Handout + an answer sheet
The lesson includes:
• A brief history of Germany (political structures)
• Information about conflict which existed pre WW1 (including changing statehoods in Europe.)
• Definitions of important ideologies – nationalism, expansionism, imperialism & militarism
• Introducing the concept of alliances and the war climate in the build up to World War One
• The assassination of Frans Ferdinand and its significance
• Germany’s experiences in WW1 (initial success followed by stalemate and defeat)
• The Treaty of Versailles and its ramifications for Germany
The lesson ends with a group work activity where students are assigned key sections of the Treaty of Versailles which they have to locate online. Once found they must fill in a graphic organiser with a summary + a speculation about the motivation (intended result) for each article.
There is a handout of the graphic organiser for this activity. There is also a teacher answer sheet.
Resource 1: A worksheet for a documentary viewing lesson. I utilise the broadcast strategy approach (Barry & King, 1998) previewing the questions prior to playing the documentary so that students know what to listen out for. The documentary In the Turmoil of the Russian Revolution (2017) is available on ClickView.
There are 24 questions for students to record information about as they watch. Additionally, there are 5 extended response post-viewing questions for students to complete for homework.
Resource 2: A scanned copy of my handwritten answers which I completed during the lesson and then used to check students’ understanding.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History 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 German Nationalism between 1914–1945 (World War I begins –World War II ends).
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 Handout
This lesson includes information about:
• Revising what we learned about the Treaty of Versailles – what the Big 3 wanted + the key terms of the treaty
• Fallout of the Treaty of Versailles (issues with the reparations payments and the war guilt clause)
How to analyse and evaluate visual sources
A visual source analysis activity
• Germany becoming a Republic
Goals of the Weimar Republic
Political opposition in the early stages of the Weimar Republic
• The Stock Market Crash + Great Depression and how this impacted Germany
• The Golden 20s
Problems which still impacted Germany in this period
The emergence of the Nazi party
The 25 points program (1920) + a groupwork task to engage with this source
The Beer Hall Putsch (1923)
Mein Kampf
• Hitler’s ideologies, VABs and motives
Anti Semitism
Nationalism
Anti-democracy
• Hitler’s Rise to Power
The worksheet is designed to be used at key points in the lesson
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History 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 German Nationalism between 1914–1945 (World War I begins –World War II ends).
Context: My school runs this program in Alternative Sequence (yr 11 and 12s in together) due to the small size of the school. This revision activity was used as an engaging end to the second session in exam block to check for understanding and recall of the content covered over the 2 sessions. (These resources are sold separately in my store).
Resource can also be used as a template to create your own jeopardy quiz.
Two resources: A PowerPoint and Worksheet. The worksheet is designed to step students through the lesson. It includes copies of the sources on the PPT slide and questions for them to answer. It also includes space for them to copy the notes that have been underlined in the PPT presentation.
The PPT begins with answers to the homework analysis activity – analysing a visual source about the revolution. This is followed by information about two key revolutionaries: Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. There is a YouTube viewing activity about how these two men rose to power. Students have a graphic organiser to fill in as they watch. ‘Leninism’ is explained followed by information about the return of the Bolshevik revolutionaries from exile. Information about why this is a turning point is provided. After this ‘The July Days’ is explained as well as lessons that Trotsky took away from this. Information about the rising political support for the Bolshevik party is provided. Subsequently, information about how the provisional government was overthrown is included. A timeline of the October revolution is provided followed by some checking for understanding activities. The homework task is then explained. (I usually tell students to take a photo of the homework instructions). Additional videos are linked for if you need to kill time.
Designed to meet the requirements of the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019), this unit falls under the category of ‘Ideas in the Modern World.’
A PowerPoint designed to introduce students to their new topic: Russia. It begins with a popular culture text that some students may be familiar with (Fox’s animated Anastasia movie). This is used as a launching pad to introduce the last Tsar of Russia and his family. This is followed by a short clip about Anastasia and her fate (with questions for students to answer). This is followed by information about our IA2 assessment. Then the focus of the lesson begins with an introduction to the historical context of Russia (prior to the revolution). Students have to add key terms to their glossary (autocratic & tsars). Information about autocratic rule is included and the idea of ‘Divine Right’ is explained. There is a diagram of the feudal system to help students understand how society was structured. Students are introduced to terms including bourgeoise, proletariat and intelligentsia. This is followed by a brief bio of Nicholas II, his wife and the Tsaravivh Alexei. This is followed by a viewing activity about another key figure: Rasputin (and some viewing questions). The lesson ends with a look at Boney M’s song about Rasputin’s death. A reference list is also provided.
Designed to meet the requirements of the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019), this unit falls under the category of ‘Ideas in the Modern World.’
A mini lesson (10 slides) designed to introduce students to some political systems. It begins with some terms to add to their glossary: capitalism and communism. This is followed by an image which explains the following system in terms of cows - socialism, communism, fascism, Nazism, bureaucratism and capitalism. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ class struggle theories are summarised. There is a video to help students grasp this entitled “Communism vs. Socialism: What’s the difference?” There is information for students to copy about the Communist Manifesto of 1848 (notes to be copied are underlined). There are also some checking for understanding activities.
Two resources: A PowerPoint and Worksheet
The worksheet is designed to step students through the lesson. It includes copies of the sources on the PPT slide and questions for them to answer. It is 6 pages.
The PowerPoint is designed for use in a 70 minute history lesson. It begins with a summary of Bloody Sunday before giving a more in depth explanation of the event on the subsequent slides. There are underlined notes for students to copy. There is a photograph of the march and some information about the social and political problems which led the workers to write a petition to Tsar Nicholas II. A translated version of the petition is included along with some checking for understanding questions. The next source for exploration is Father Gapon’s description of what happened as the workers approached the winter palace. Then a visual source (a painting entitled ‘Death in the Snow’ is presented (along with 4 questions). Another political cartoon from a French weekly satirical magazine is also shown. Following this information about other events which impacted Nicholas’s popularity are shown including the war with Japan. Information about political opposition to the Tsar is included. There is an explanation of the various political parties and their aims. The October Manifesto (1905) is also explained. There is additional information about the actions taken to avoid a revolution. For homework students have to create a timeline covering 1905-1916. There are instructions on the slide for this task.
Designed to meet the requirements of the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019), this unit falls under the category of ‘Ideas in the Modern World.’
Two resources: A PowerPoint and Worksheet. The worksheet is designed to step students through the lesson. It includes copies of the sources on the PPT slide and questions for them to answer. It also includes space for them to copy their notes. 4 pages.
The PPT begins with an explanation of ‘The Lena Goldfields Massacre’ (4th April 1912) and its impacts. There is information about how WW1 gave the Tsar a temporary reprieve from discontent (due to initial rates of public support for the war). Information about Lenin’s view of the war and his wish for a social revolution is provided. Information about why the Russian army suffered so many defeats (ammunition supplies, internal organisation etc) are provided and used to explain how this war was so damaging for Nicholas II’s reputation. There is also information about Rasputin’s political and social impacts. This lesson ends with an informative YouTube video about The Russian October Revolution 1917.
Designed to meet the requirements of the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019), this unit falls under the category of ‘Ideas in the Modern World.’
A PowerPoint designed to introduce students to what Russia was like under the rule of Tsar Alexander II, Tsar Alexander the III and Tsar Nicholas II. It begins by explaining the terms ‘Tsar’ and ‘Tsarism.’ This is followed by an image of the pyramid explaining the feudal system. Students are asked what they can recall about this system. This is followed by some slides explaining Russia’s social structure where students take notes about the ruling class, upper class, middle class, industrial working class, free peasants and unfree peasants. There are some checking for understanding questions to discuss and a couple of visual sources to unpack. This is followed by a visual image of the line of succession with key details about the dates of their reign and the circumstances of their death. The following slides go into each of the Tsars in more detail. When it reaches Nicholas there is a photograph of his coronation and 2 artists depictions. There is information about he Khodynka field disaster and a couple of images. After this, students are prompted to draw a graphic organiser in their books and have to take notes about the political, geographic, social and economic factors which led to the Russian Revolution. The remaining slides go through these factors. This is followed by some checking for understanding questions.
Designed to meet the requirements of the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019), this unit falls under the category of ‘Ideas in the Modern World.’
Part of a set of resources created for a senior Modern History class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The assessment to be completed in this unit is a ‘Independent Source Investigation’ where students must develop their own key research question, write a rationale, locate sources, analyse and evaluate those sources and write a critical summary of evidence.
This is a scaffolding booklet which takes students through the planning and writing phases of their assessment.
It begins with prompts to select an individual / group to focus on. It provides tips for writing a key inquiry question and an example for a different topic from the QCAA exemplar for IA2.
Then, to assist the students to write 3-5 sub questions, there is information about each historical concept (which they could choose to use as a frame for their questions). There is a template for reflecting on the worth of their key and sub questions.
After this students can create a tentative thesis statement / hypothesis. There is information to help students to do this. (Eventually this will be incorporated into their rationale section of their assessment).
There are a series of tables where students can store the information / sources they found. There is a column for analysis and a column for evaluation where students can make dot points to gather their ideas ready to be turned into a succinct response in their assessment.
This is followed by writing tips for the rationale and critical summary of evidence, referencing tips and a self-review checklist for students to use to check their work prior to submitting a draft.
There is also a peer review form for students to use to receive feedback from a ‘critical friend.’
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.).
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.
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.