About the author:
I am currently a teacher of English in a wonderful West Midlands secondary school, having prior experience as a Literacy Lead, Specialist Leader of Education, SLT Lead, AQA examiner and Head of English. I am in my fourteenth year of teaching and as such am keen to share resources I have used successfully, both in my own lessons and across my school / MAT.
About the author:
I am currently a teacher of English in a wonderful West Midlands secondary school, having prior experience as a Literacy Lead, Specialist Leader of Education, SLT Lead, AQA examiner and Head of English. I am in my fourteenth year of teaching and as such am keen to share resources I have used successfully, both in my own lessons and across my school / MAT.
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
A 28 page revision booklet for Lord of the Flies, jam-packed full of interactive activities for pupils to use, either in lesson, or as a homework activity. Equally suited to other exam boards in terms of content, but specifically geared toward AQA for exam questions.
Covers the following aspects in great depth:
Plot, character, symbols and themes, key quotes, form and structure, setting, context, exam preparation and sample questions, key terminology.
Contains plenty of ideas and activities for extending more able pupils, and can work to either support in-lesson study, as homework tasks, or as an independent revision resource.
**Please note, all images contained within this booklet have been reproduced in good faith to enhance study, and are for intended use in an educational setting, for teachers and pupils only.
This resource is an English Language condensed paper 1 created to replicate the style of AQA examination questions.
The text extract is from Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca. The text also has a context blurb at the top and is formatted with line numbers to replicate exam text extracts.
All questions are included (Q1-5) worded to replicate AQA style.
The paper is condensed which means there are no lines for writing - it spans 2 sides in total for cost effective printing.
A few words are glossarised as per AQA’s policy - uncommon words that have fallen out of common use / specialist terminology or vocab
Perfect for tutoring, exam revision, mock exams, walking-talking mocks or in class study.
This bundle includes a mammoth 191 slide PPT for teaching the novel to higher ability pupils, alongside a key extract booklet, various non-fiction sources related to Victorian London / Victorian life and several useful checklists for literature.
Please see individual resource descriptions for more detail on what is covered. Cover image details more on the main PPT scheme of work.
The full price of purchasing each item individually is £11.40
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.
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).
Included in this package is a brand new literacy based scheme of work written for 2021 and based upon recent pedagogy and research into raising literacy skills.
There are 83 task packed, fully differentiated slides complete with teaching notes, several introductory lessons followed by a zombie apocalypse themed range of tasks, aimed at developing crucial literacy skills in pupils of all abilities, including:
SPaG
Reading comprehension
active reading strategies
Vocabulary development
Cross-curricular skills
Inference and analysis
Annotation
Understanding of text type, purpose and audience
Recognition of bias
Writing for various audiences and purposes
Originally written for year 7 literacy lessons held fortnightly, this scheme would also be suitable for years 8 and 9 and integrates well with English curriculum, or can sit outside of this. Teaching notes make it easier for a non-specialist to deliver the scheme and the skills and strategies are very much designed to help pupils see the links between reading and writing across subjects.
Lessons include a range of media-based tasks and a creative approach to vocabulary building with testing and practice built into lessons. Vocabulary has been carefully selected utilising knowledge of examination language and tier 2 tier 3 words selected from research into beneficial vocab building. There are also opportunities for homework around the vocab learning tasks, if appropriate for your school and cohort.
All necessary resources are also included.
This resource aims to provide everything you need to establish a literacy-boosting guided reading programme in your school, for any or all year groups.
This programme aims to improve literacy skills across the secondary school age range, with a recommended library of novels, short stories and skill-boosting tasks/ discussion questions to accompany them; but also to inspire in pupils a love of reading a variety of fictional texts. Everything has been designed to deliver with ease by specialists or non-specialists alike, perhaps in a form time or specified timetable slot.
Chosen novels/ stories have been carefully selected to be both engaging and challenging for all teen readers (the ones chosen were originally selected for year 8 but would be appropriate for any year group).
You can cherry pick whether to use all 3 programmes or just 1 of them - versatility is possible with this resource bundle.
Included:
3 comprehensive staff handbooks written for non-specialists, detailing the 3 different strands of the programme (specific year 7 reader with specific tasks; 8 novels with more generic tasks and 21 short stories with specific tasks)
a full schedule of 21 short stories, 1 per week for the full academic year (sources suggested for newer stories/ those out of copyright are included as PDFs)
a suggested collection of novels (with reading ages between 11 and 15) to broaden, challenge and stretch with generic tasks and discussion questions
more specific tasks around the yr 7 novel ‘Can You See Me?’
thorough vocab activity, suggested discussion questions and tasks to accompany each short story (contained within a series of powerpoints to display to pupils)
a suggested schedule for reading each novel / story over a period of time
suggested guidance for establishing a positive reading culture in a ‘non-English’ lesson
suggested guidance for ‘reading for meaning’ or comprehension strategies that can be used across all years by any member of staff
*This resource has been written by an experienced English teacher, previously in post as HOD for 5 years and now a school Literacy Lead. Each task and strategy has been based in research around ‘what works’ for building both a love of reading and literacy levels in secondary schools *
Full list of novels and short stories :
Can You See Me? - Libby Scott / Rebecca Westcott (yr 7 reader)
Poisioned - Jennifer Donnelly
Coram Boy - Jamilla Gavin
The Lie Tree - Frances Hardinge
They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera
Woman in Black - Susan Hill
The Hound of the Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle
The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris
We Were Liars - E Lockhart
This resource contains 4 full English Language Paper 1s (fiction) with pre 1929 texts.
Excellent for use for tutoring, pupil revision, teacher-led walking -talking mocks; in-class study, mock exams etc!
Text extracts included are from:
Dracula - Stoker
Great Expectations - Dickens
Rebecca - Du Maurier
Animal Farm - Orwell
Papers and questions are in a condensed format, meaning they total 2 sides of paper (there are no blank lines for writing as there are in genuine AQA exam papers).
The texts themselves contain a context blurb at the top and are line numbered to replicate the genuine exam paper format
Questions 1-5 are all included to accompany each text
Questions are worded to replicate AQA question styles (Q1 find 4 examples, Q2 language analysis [extract is NOT reprinted but line numbers are referred to]; Q3 structure of whole text, Q4 student quote and how far you agree; Q5 creative writing with an image and another option
Some words are glossarised following AQA policy (words out of common usage or specialist vocab)
NB: Questions do not include the typical bullet points for guidance as can be seen in genuine exam papers
Includes a full 155 slide scheme for the majority of the whole play, aimed at high ability pupils (suitable for years 10 and 11); and a light touch introductory unit (4 lessons) suitable for years 9-11 using RSC techniques to introduce the play.
Updated Feb 2022 to include extra handouts and an updated scheme!
Also includes 4 further handouts for student use. Please see individual files for more information on what is include in each.
Please see the original listing of the Macbeth scheme for a full break down of acts and scenes covered.
Priced separately at £11.50
This resource includes 2 full lessons in a 15 slide PPT on Duffy’s poem ‘Salome’ , comparing to ‘Clown Punk’ (NB there is another package available where a lesson on ‘Clown Punk’ is also included). It originally formed part of a scheme for year 9 looking at a wide variety of poetry in preparation for their AQA GCSE study, but would be suitable for any GCSE group as practice.
The lesson approaches the poem as an unseen text, helping pupils develop poetic analysis skills before progressing on to drawing comparisons under an exam style question. This lesson should not be taught to lower years due to the suggestive content of the poem.
The PPT includes:
oracy task retelling the story of Salome in pairs
guided reading of the poem with key questions
discussion of key questions and themes
Group analysis task with a worksheet provided, breaking down the poem into 4 sections with guiding questions
A brief intro to comparing poems
A Venn diagram comparison with exam style question to be completed by pupils
Possible answers to the Venn diagram question and sentence stems to direct pupils
A strategy for responding to the unseen comparison question (PEEZL) with further guidance to assist pupils in writing their own comparison
An extract from an example response (focused on Salome) with opportunities to either extend or use as a model
This resource includes a full lesson on Amitage’s poem ‘Clown Punk’. It originally formed part of a scheme for year 9 looking at a wide variety of poetry in preparation for their GCSE study, but would be suitable for any GCSE group as practice. The lesson approaches the poem as an unseen text, helping pupils develop poetic analysis skills (for AQA, but would work for any exam board).
The PPT includes:
Introduction to the punk movement through images
A task comparing clowns and punks
A gap fill exercise encouraging pupils to consider the poet’s vocabulary choices
guided light touch annotation (including focus questions to help pupils)
Debate/ oracy cross over (where pupils plan and complete a Harkness style discussion)
This resource is a 6 page document of key quotations for An Inspector Calls, divided into characters. Characters included are:
Sheila
Gerald
Eric
Mr Birling
Mrs Birling
Inspector
The quotes have been taken from the entire play and are mostly quite short to aid with revision and memory retention. There are around 15-20 quotes selected for each character.
This resource contains enough for 2 full lessons on the poem Bayonet Charge for the AQA power and conflict cluster.
Lesson tasks are as follows:
opening using a video link and recording plot/ emotions
WW1 context mini quiz
Ted Hughes context
opportunity for unseen skills annotation
guided annotation questions
full annotation notes
imagery analysis task
drawing task to consolidate
Created March 2022
This resource includes 1-2 lessons on Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade, for AQA English lit from the power and conflict poetry cluster.
Lesson covers:
Crimean war imagination task
Crimean war context
Key vocab matching task
Links to William Howard Russell’s article on the Charge (extract provided and non-fiction cross-over task)
Guided annotation
Focus questions on rhyme and rhythm
Key themes task and discussion question
Created March 2022
This resource is an article taken from the internet on the Victorian poor at Christmas, providing context for Christmas Carol but also suitable for the teaching of other Victorian novels.
Pasted into Word for ease of printing and editing
This is an article taken from a newspaper in 1846 publishing Dickens’ views on Ragged Schools. Useful for teaching context on Christmas Carol or other relevant Victorian texts
This resource includes 3 contextual articles for the teaching of Christmas CArol (or other Victorian texts relevant).
Article 1 - the relevance of ghost stories to the Victorians
Article 2 - what Christmas means to us as we grow older (written by Dickens for Household Words)
Article 3 - before welfare - info on workhouses (Daily Express), including excerpts from workhouse diaries
All articles have been formatted into Microsoft Word and are available freely on the internet