This resource includes a 48 slide powerpoint containing 35 fun, literacy-based word game activities, originally designed for years 7 and 8 form time as a competition, but suitable any easily adapted for any secondary year group or as in-lesson tasks. These activities have been based on research into literacy across the curriculum, utilising ideas such as disciplinary literacy to help develop the vocabulary of all pupils involved. There is roughly one challenge per academic week for the entire year (35 tasks). The tasks are divided into different types as follows: synonym finder - a word is given and pupils must submit as many synonyms as possible word ladders - pupils must change one letter at a time to reach the top of the ladder from the bottom caption this - pupils are given an image that they must provide a headline or caption for define it - pupils must define the subject-specific language and identify the subject area missing words - pupils must choose appropriate adjectives or adverbs for the sentence gaps root words - pupils are given a Latin or Greek root word and must submit as many words to include the root as possible seasonal challenges - pupils must identify as many nouns as possible on a seasonal topic Please see the tasks file preview for an example of the sort of thing you receive. Answers are included where appropriate, and all further instructions required to set up the competition element (if desired) are contained within the powerpoint. It can be linked to a Google Form for easy tracking and to encourage competitiveness if using whole school.

This resource has been designed as a take home booklet for students studying/ who will be studying GCSE English literature, focused on learning a variety of key vocabulary to assist them with the course. It consists of 10 lists of carefully selected vocabulary, the learning of which will enhance essay writing skills specifically tailored toward literature (although of use to a large portion of the language course also). Each list provides the key word with an example or definition. Most lists have between 10 and 15 words to learn. The lists could be learnt weekly and tested in lessons, or the booklet could just be supplied as a supplementary course resource for those hoping to improve their grades. The lists are titled as follows (with an example word from each list): evaluative verbs (e.g. suggests) key language/ structure terms (e.g. alliteration) Shakespeare (e.g. Jacobean) evaluative verbs - disagreeing with a writer (e.g. conversely) connectives (e.g. consequently) poetry (e.g. enjambement) effect (e.g. empathy) modern/ Victorian texts (e.g. denouement) words of frequency (e.g. recurring) sharpen your vocabulary (e.g. callous) There is also a useful diagram to suggest a way to learn the vocab and a sheet on the back giving 128 alternatives to using the word ‘very’.

This resource is a training session on the use of data as both a class teacher and head of department, specifically targeted at secondary school teachers. It includes a comprehensive 16 slide PPT, full of interactive questions and short tasks, designed to be used for staff training (small groups works well), and also includes an Excel resource with fabricated data to use in discussion / for some of the activities. It has been written from the perspective of a Head of English at a secondary school and was originally presented to trainee teachers. The session can last between 1-2 hours dependent on how thoroughly the slides are discussed. The PPT goes through the following: pivotal question - why are schools ‘obsessed’ with data? what exactly we mean by data in a school context brief literature review - what does pedagogical research say? data exercise - looking at and discussing the use of different data sets (provided in an excel doc - n.b. utilises sisra style reports, excel sheets, sims data tracking and school headline figures, all fabricated and including no sensitive pupil data) round up of discussion - suggestions for how each set of data in the packs might be used by a classroom teacher further examples of data a short brief on CATs, APS and Scaled scores 4 steps on using data as a classroom practitioner key questions - why do we need to organise data and how might a class teacher organise theirs? What do you ‘do’ with data? When does it all end? the problems with using data Also includes a bonus PPT for a similar session completed across a MAT, with extra slides on: using data as a primary phase lead using data as a secondary HOD key data uses across school

This resource is a 38 slide PPT end of term quiz designed ‘on theme’ for English lessons - fun and educational! There are 8 rounds to play - you can choose to play them all or pick and choose which ones to use with your classes - there is more than enough material for a full lesson. The quiz rules are displayed at the start for ease of teaching and setting it up and it is recommended to play in teams, but could be done individually if required. The rounds vary in difficulty to bring a bit of challenge where required, and each round is marked after it is completed. There are 10 questions per round, with a variety of characters, authors, celebs etc used to try and make it as appealing as possible to teenagers! Rounds as follows: literary faces - name the characters / authors from their photo quotable - name the character/ book that the quote is from where in the world? - name the country based on a list of random and literary facts about it (includes a world map with pins to make things easier) Shakespeare or Fakespeare? - identify whether each quote is from Shakespeare or elsewhere (elsewhere includes Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Batman, amongst others!) celeb readathon - name the celebrity (their faces are disguised by their favourite book) literary techniques / devices - name the technique used in the sentence lyrical genius - name the band or song for each song lyric that was inspired by a book (these are mostly rock songs) anagrams - unscramble the names of famous literary characters

This resource is a complete scheme of work to teach the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, including a 118 slide PPT plus all resources. The scheme is suited for year 8 through to 11, dependent on ability. Teacher discretion is advised with the teaching of the novel and most tasks can be easily adapted for varied abilities. The PPT includes tasks / lessons on the following aspects: the detective story genre inference and deduction character development narrative voice context (autism, the Cottingley Fairies, Hound of the Baskervilles) language and structure themes (family, science v supernatural, restriction and more) spoken language opportunity (speaking in role as a character) features of descriptive writing vs non fiction writing and analysis of Chris’ style Writing from a POV sentence structures and punctuation analysis cross referencing within a text analysis of various written styles and comparison to the novel peer assessment opportunities All lessons are tried and tested and all paper resources are included as Word, PDF/ publisher files. Updated May 2022

This resource is a set of zombie punctuation cards created to assist pupils with punctuation rules. Created as cards to be displayed, cut up or used over by students, each one has themed sentenced which require pupils to work out the punctuation rule from what they can see. There is then a space for them to record their observation. Includes commas, full stops and capitals, semi-colons, colons, brackets, dashes and speech marks.

This resource includes 40 literacy based retrieval practice tasks to be used as you see fit, either once per lesson, per week or for homework exercises. Tasks are based loosely around key topic areas and skills focused as follows: Intro to literacy and reading strategy Autumn 1 - dystopian fiction. Reading for meaning, vocab building and comprehension Autumn 2- zombies. Deconstructing sentences, reading skills, annotation skills and sentences types/ effects Spring 1 - poetry. Reading for meaning, inference, vocab building and analysis Spring 2 - writing. Sentence types, punctuation, word class, planning, proof reading Summer 1 - non-fiction. Structuring texts, connectives, bias Summer 2 - Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet examples used). Vocab boost and comprehension Topics are easily adjusted to fit your school curriculum, and activities can easily be moved out of their constructed order - they are not dependent on one other, nor do they build from one unit to the next. All tasks are presented on a powerpoint for each half term with clear instructions for teaching staff in the notes boxes beneath the slides. Every worksheet referenced is also included as a PDF and publisher or Word file. These tasks have been built based upon extensive research into the best literacy learning approaches in recent years, and include: a succinct and clear approach to reading any text, reduced into 3 steps for ease with pupils a clear approach to vocab learning, including key graphics to jog memory and worksheet proformas to use with students detailed and accurate rules and conventions for grammar and punctuation, with usable and accessible worksheets for students challenge and stretch tasks/ opportunities and scaffolded activities to cater for most abilities Suitable for KS3 predominantly but could also be used with KS4 for revision purposes or simple skill boosting workshops Please note, there is some crossover and duplication with this resource from the literacy scheme of work resource, also available from our TES shop.

A booklet collating key scenes from Romeo and Juliet, edited to focus on the most important scenes and aspects. This booklet is suited for study at KS3, or low ability KS4. The text is confined to the left side of the page to allow for student annotation. There is cutting of dialogue to reduce the scenes down to a more manageable amount, without hampering flow. Key edited scenes included are: Prologue Act 1 scene 1 (Sampson and Gregory) Act 1 scene 5 (party) Act 3 scene 1 (Tyblat and Romeo brawl) Act 3 scene 5 (Romeo and Juliet wedding night and Lord Capulet fight) Act 5 scene 1 (the plan) Act 5 scene 3 (tomb)

This resource contains a full lesson on Paper 1 question 4 for AQA English Language, which asks students to use evaluative skills looking at fiction. This is typically something they find challenging and so this lesson seeks to engage with this key idea and explore how students might evaluate their own ideas, through TV media to begin with, but then through the eyes of a fiction author. This lesson was planned for KS4 students and includes any necessary resources within the PPT. The lesson uses The Great British Bake Off to frame the idea of evaluation, before looking at a short extract from Delirium, by Lauren Oliver.

A collection of non-fiction texts around the theme of workhouses. Suitable for KS3 or KS4. Available as Word doc and PDF files. Can be reduced or used in their entirety for all year groups in comparative non-fiction study, as a stimulus for writing or to supplement Victorian fiction for cultural capital. Includes: An extract from the Order of the Poor Law Board (NB this is an image with small font so may require enlarging if it is to be used in its entirety) A small list of punishments given at a workhouse A Walk in A Workhouse, by Charles Dickens An advert for a porter at a workhouse A report on child labour

This creative writing scheme is aimed at low to middle ability Yr9 - GCSE learners and provides strategies for planning, generating ideas and improving their writing for examinations. Updated Jan 2022 and designed specifically for AQA English Language paper1 Q5, but suitable for any exam board. The unit of work includes a 48 slide PPT PLUS resources. The PPT looks at the following elements: using images to inspire writing strategies to break an image down using fiction extracts to inspire (magpie vocab etc) using weather for description using video/ film clips to generate ideas technical writing skills - sentence structures and orders several different exam style questions to enable practice paragraphing or structuring a whole text for impact literary techniques a genuine examination response for a question (taken from AQA materials) All extracts referred to within the PPT are included alongside the resource. Ideal for recapping, introducing or consolidating creative writing skills for GCSE learners. Updated Jan 2022

This resource contains a mini unit (approx 4 lessons) on how to respond to AQA’s English Language Paper 1 question 4. This is regarded as one of the most challenging questions in the qualification. The resource was originally designed for a middle ability year 10 group, but would be suitable for high ability year 9 or mid- low ability year 11s. It includes an 21 slide PPT working through an extract from Bram Stoker’s Dracula (where Jonathan Harker meets the count - also included), which is in line with the rigour of the paper 1 fiction texts previously included in the examination. The PPT works through the following aspects: Why a writer makes specific vocab choices / decoding vocab Close quote analysis An exam style question for Q4, paired with the extract, focused on foreshadowing discussion of how to form evaluative opinions Planning a response to the question Modelled discussion of effect Peer assessment - light touch reference to the mark scheme Updated March 2022

This resource includes a mini unit on AQA’s English Language paper 1, question 4 - notoriously the most challenging question on the paper. It was originally written for and used with a high ability year 9 group, but is equally suitable for years 10 or 11 classes. There are approximately 3 lessons worth of learning included, with a PPT and all required resources. This includes: A 16 slide PPT a focus on a simple, short extract to begin with (from Harry Potter) to build skills, before moving on to something more challenging (The Book Thief) A possible planning approach to the question through characterisation, setting, perspective and atmosphere Guided questions for reading to enable pupils to think more carefully about and develop their opinions An exam style question for ‘The Book Thief’ extract, worked through with pupils in the PPT Sample ‘points’ that pupils could use to formulate a successful response to the question and used in a group writing activity selected quotes to analyse to help hone pupils’ language analysis skills guidance on extending their ideas to a full response 2 extracts from ‘The Book Thief’ to enable a further extension activity, if desired Updated March 2022

Explanatory writing lesson on the topic of celebrities being useless. First, teaching the concept of establishing your point of view on a topic, before looking at what is meant by ‘writing to explain’. Updated March 2022 The lesson moves on to look at how to plan an effective piece of writing in this style, before providing a high grade exemplar for pupils to analyse and reference to the mark scheme. Suitable for high ability year 9s, or years 10-11. Originally written for AQA, but suited to other exam boards (with a few tweaks).

This resource contains a PPT of 21 slides/ approx 4 lessons working through AQA’s English Language paper 2 question 4. This question is widely regarded as one of the most challenging in all of the GCSE papers. The scheme was designed for a high ability year 9 group, but would also be suitable for years 10 or 11 in preparation for their exams. All required resources are attached, including 2 pairings of suitable texts that the PPT lessons refer to. There are comparisons drawn between non-fiction texts from Dickens/ Bryson (travel) and a modern news article focused on child labour in McDonalds / a Victorian transcript from a chimney sweep, similar to material pupils might encounter in their actual examination. The lessons guide students through the comparative question and how to approach it, simplifying it down to 3 key questions. The PPT also contains some high mark exemplar paragraphs to guide learning. Updated March 2022

This resource includes a complete lesson looking at analysing the structure of an extract from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for AQA English language paper 1, Q3. It is suitable for low to mid ability learners, as an introduction to the structure question or as a revision activity. The PPT included guides pupils through the process as follows: break down of the question and how marks are awarded key terminology guided reading of the extract an approach to answering an exam style question (PEEZL) a help sheet for lower ability learners (gap fill) Peer assessment using marking criteria Also includes text extract for analysis.

This resource includes an extract from Du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’, formatted to mimic an AQA exam paper text extract. Alongside this, there are 5 examination style questions (based on the AQA paper, Qs1-5, reading and writing) for students to either use in class or as a homework task. The question sheet contains each question condensed down to half a side of A4 to save on printing costs. Also includes a bonus PPT used with low ability year 11 learners when walking through the paper. Suitable for GCSE learners.

This resource includes a complete lesson looking at analysing the language of an extract from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for AQA English language paper 1, Q2. It is suitable for low to mid ability GCSE learners, as an introduction to the language analysis question or as a revision activity. The PPT included guides pupils through the process as follows: break down of the question and how marks are awarded guided reading of the extract an approach to answering an exam style question (PEEZL) a help sheet for lower ability learners (gap fill) a modelled example paragraph Peer assessment using marking criteria

4 extracts from literary fiction books, formatted in the style of the AQA paper 1 examination extracts (with a context box at the top and line numbers). Extracts are as follows: Great Expectations (Miss Havisham) The Shawshank Redemption (opening - only 23 lines long) Dracula (the count scales the castle wall) 1984 (opening) Of Mice and Men (Curley and Lennie fight) Woman In Black (Arthur sees the woman at Eel Marsh) Especially useful for teaching AQA Language paper 1, or doing some cross over work on literature

This resource includes an extract from George Orwell’s ‘1984’, formatted to mimic an AQA exam paper text extract. Alongside this, there are 5 examination style questions (based on the AQA paper, Qs1-5, reading and writing) for students to either use in class or as a homework task. The question sheet contains each question but condensed down to 2 sides of A4, to save on printing costs. Suitable for GCSE learners.