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.
This resource is for GCSE Business Studies, written by a subject specialist with advice sought from an English teacher on how to best structure this evaluate question to achieve higher marks.
17 slide PPT (around 2-3 lessons worth), focused on the following:
exam key words (evaluate)
A business case study (Shirtz Limited)
exam style evaluate question
peer and self assessment opportunities using mark scheme
varied range of exemplar responses with marks awarded
advice on planning through a table
advice on linking ideas for a stronger, more cohesive response
key connectives to help with linking ideas
a structured response handout
extension activity linked to the lesson topic (online quiz)
This resource contains 15 venn diagrams designed for practise of comparing poetry for AQA English Literature, power and conflict cluster. Each page has a question at the top (as pictured), covering every poem in the cluster.
An excellent way to promote independent work and revision of poetry, this way of comparing has been tried and tested by both myself and my department. Venn diagrams can be blown up to A3 to encourage group work, or used in circulation around the room so pupils can build on each others’ ideas.
This resource is a Macbeth booklet including key scenes necessary for GCSE study. The booklet can be used flexibly, highlighting further scenes that can be omitted, should you wish to work with less of the text with a lower ability set.
The full play has been carefully edited, removing parts of dialogue not entirely necessary for GCSE pupil understanding, whilst maintaining the integrity and flow of the narrative. There is a cover page and the booklet totals 27 A4 pages, helpfully formatted into columns with a contents page for easy navigation.
The original text sits at 18121 words, whereas this edited version brings it down to 11754 - far more manageable with the time constraints of GCSE.
The scenes included are as follows:
Act 1 scene I: witches
Act 1 scene II: camp after battle **
Act 1 scene III: Macbeth and Duncan meet witches
Act 1 scene V: Lady Macbeth – the Raven
Act 1 scene VII: Lady Macbeth and Macbeth argue
Act 2 scene I: Macbeth and Duncan
Act 2 scene II: Lady Macbeth covers up
Act 2 scene III: Porter and discovery of Duncan **
Act 2 scene IV: Old man and Lennox **
Act 3 scene I: Banquo betrayed
Act 3 scene II: shielding Lady Macbeth
Act 3 scene IV: banquet and ghost
Act 4 scene I: Witches and Macbeth – prophecies
Act 4 scene II: Macduff’s castle
Act 4 scene III: Macduff meets Malcolm **
Act 5 scene I: Doctor tends to Lady Macbeth
Act 5 scene II: soldiers **
Act 5 scene III: Scotland is sick **
Act 5 scene IV: Birnam wood moves
Act 5 scene V: Young Siward **
Act 5 scene VI: The ending
** these scenes can also be omitted entirely for lower ability pupils.
This 120 slide SoW uses a variety of fiction and non-fiction stories from around the globe as a springboard for reading and writing activities, whilst also developing cultural capital through understanding of context, themes and writers’ messages. Themes touched upon include:
race
immigration
feminism/ equality
mental health
abuse/ corruption and power
religion
war
slavery
The scheme was originally written for a year 9 group, but would also be suitable for years 8 and 10, with some slight adaptations. Links are provided to all of the stories used, which are either completely free or are free published extracts. These can be further edited as seen fit, if required.
There are also supplementary non-fiction texts, all of which are included as resources. These texts develop contextual understanding of each theme further.
The stories used are:
My Family’s Slave - Tizon
Heart of Darkness - Conrad
The Yellow Wallpaper - Gilmore
The Sisters - Joyce
The Beekeeper of Aleppo - Lefteri
The Paper Menagerie - Liu
Activities include:
understanding literary context
recognition of other cultures and traditions
understanding of Syria / war
refugees
Leaflet writing
the context of historic slavery
modern slavery
perspectives and viewpoints
comprehension/ reflection questions
language analysis
using PEEZL to respond to reading questions (point, evidence, explain, zoom, link)
features of news articles and writing news articles
AQA style non-fiction language paper 2 questions
persuasive language
religion’s impact
Ireland, Catholicism and James Joyce
Abuse of power
Articles on the church’s abuse of power (in the context of Catholic children’s homes, mid 20th century)
understanding of AQA paper 2 writing genre, purpose and audience
Speech writing
Model speech
Peer and self assessment/ improvement opportunities
Developing excellent points and links for PEEZL
Imperialism and empires / colonisation
Victorian viewpoints
Responsibility
Letter writing
Gender expectations
Autobiographical stories
Diary writing
Essay writing
Structuring paragraphs
Mixed race experiences
Argumentative writing
Scaffolding and differentiation
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.
This resource is a full lesson PPT on the poem ‘Tissue’ by Imtiaz Dharker for the AQA power and conflict poetry cluster. It includes the following lesson tasks:
connotations of tissue mind map task
link to video of poem and reflections
imagery task, linking quotes to pictures
fully annotated poem
further analysis video link
creative cross-over task (writing a ‘life receipt’ and using inference skills - modelled example)
Imtiaz Dharker biog info
exam question and planning task (NB not a comparison question)
Created April 2022
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
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 is a full scheme of work on Lord of the Flies for GCSE AQA Literature, but could be used for other examination boards with a few tweaks. It includes a mammoth 142 slide PPT, all of which has been tried and tested with students. The unit was originally written for higher ability GCSE pupils, aiming for grade 5 and above; thus includes a lot of challenge and stretch for obtaining top grades. Updated Feb 2022
The PPT covers a vast range of elements needed for teaching the novel, including the following:
the setting and background to the novel
work on key characters (including use of video links)
philosophical quotes on society for discussion
background on William Golding
links to ‘The Coral Island’
Symbolism (the conch)
Biblical allegory, including relevant bible extracts
Chapter by chapter investigations - chapter 1: utopia/ dystopia, Piggy v Ralph
chapter 2: the island, names, foreshadowing, further symbolism
order and leadership - Jack v Ralph
Simon and his role
The theme of power and Roger’s significance
Discussion around power and quotes/ images to stimulate ideas
Group/ paired analysis of extracts about Roger
Chapter 4: independent summary and key questions; the first slaughter and discussion of blood in literature; analysing Jack’s savagery
Comparison between Ralph at different points
Chapter 5: independent summary (with video link), annotation of the opening, tracking changes in Ralph’s character (+ possible HW task)
Chapter 6: reflection on the parachutist, extract analysis, link to puppets and Icarus; discussion of an idyllic island and comparing to the LOTF island
Chapter 7: savagery, Golding’s reasons for writing, island symbolism, discussion of civilisation, Berengaria and wounds
Exam prep lesson - extract and question with guidance on a response and a practice paragraph
exploration of the themes of duality and paradox
Exploration of the relevance of psychoanalysis
mini HW project
extract analysis of jack and the choir
Chapter 8: Jack and Simon, comparing Ralph and Jack as chiefs, discussion of the theme of evil and what makes a person evil; symbolism of the sow
The pig head - group work and inference on an extract
Further exam practice with an exemplar response and direction for including AO3; reference to mark scheme and peer assessment
Chapter 9: religious symbolism, allegory, Simon’s death and the mountain
Chapter 10: the structural split, the leadership values of Jack and Ralph
Chapter 11: structural parallels
Chapter names
Chapter 12: the ending, deus ex machina, Golding’s goals, links to the Stanford prison experiment
Please note, this was originally written with the students having undergone a blind reading of the novel over the holidays. It can however be taught with no previous understanding or reading, with a little tweaking.
This resource includes a mammoth 83 slide PPT scheme of work on the novel Martyn Pig, updated March 2022 and containing everything you need for the teaching of the text. Originally written for a middle ability year 8 group, it is also suitable for year 9. The scheme combines reading study with creative writing cross-over tasks.
The scheme of work includes the following topics and tasks:
the novel’s title
connotation
Character profiling
characterisation
monologue writing task
inference
quote analysis
plot development
language analysis
themes
extract based exam style questions and practice
PEEZL method (point, evidence, explain effect, zoom into language, link)
structure
writing intros and conclusions
vocabulary choices
creative writing suggestions and practice
drama around character intent
foreshadowing
pathetic fallacy
moral dilemmas
socratic talk
impressions v reality (duality)
cyclical structures
endings
letter writing
All resources have been tried and tested with pupils.
Updated March 2022
This resource is a mammoth 100 slide PPT scheme (+ resources) for the novel Of Mice and Men, designed to be studied with mid to high ability year 9 students. It is an excellent novel for wider reading in order to build pupils’ knowledge and skills in preparation for GCSE English Literature. Approx 15-18 lessons worth
The PPT explores the following aspects of the novel:
Initial setting and atmosphere
Language analysis/ effect
Quote finding examining
Themes
Characterisation - George and Lennie
Character relationships
Context - The Great Depression and itinerant workers
Character mini quiz
The bunkhouse
Crooks and Candy analysis and quote discussion
Tracking changes in character
Conflict
Cyclical structures
The brush
Examples of literature style analytical writing
Curley’s wife
Focus on imagery, language and key extracts
Further examples of literature style writing on CW
Crooks’ room and the importance of all settings
The ending - prediction and reflections
Microcosm
Updated Feb 2022 and designed for high ability pupils (targets of grade 6-9), this resource is for the full play of Macbeth (AQA GCSE English Literature). It includes a monster PPT of 155 slides, which can be divided into MANY lessons - an absolute bargain!
This unit is designed to be studied with the whole text - the edition we used was the Cambridge school’s version. It works from zero prior knowledge of the play, but could also be used with any pupils who might have previously studied the play, in order to supplement, challenge and stretch their learning further.
This resource includes:
A range of tasks and activities on the vast majority of the play (including 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7; 2.1, 2.2, 2.4; 3.1, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6; 4.1, 4.2, 4.2; 5.1, 5.1, 5.3, 5.5, 5.8)
Any scenes not included as explicit tasks can be read with and discussed with pupils at the appropriate time as all lessons are clearly labelled for which act and scene they refer to
Any resources referenced in the PPT, including handouts and sample work from pupils
Full lesson PPT covering the majority of the play (key ideas and analysis for in lesson use)… including:
-Activities include work on character, theme, context, plot, lang/structure analysis
Practice exam questions
the opening of the play and Shakespeare’s intent
Built in homework tasks
Links to various videos to enhance learning
Snippets on tackling exam questions, with reference to mark schemes and key skills
Context links (religion, witches, James I, regicide, primogeniture, Great Chain, other plays)
Symbolism and key critical philosophy that links to the play
dramatic irony
power balances
structure
the play’s ending
Sample exam responses
Exam technique and reference to mark schemes
Updated Feb 2022 to include acts 4 and 5 plus further bonus resources and tweaks to previous lesson tasks.
Includes various sources/ texts around the theme of Victorian London. Available in Word and PDF files. Suitable for KS3 or KS4 on the theme of non-fiction, or for contextual knowledge of Victorian times alongside teaching of Victorian texts, such as Christmas Carol or Jekyll and Hyde.
Includes:
A news report from a Victorian newspaper on Jack the Ripper
A description of Whitechapel from the Palace Journal
An extract from Dickens’ ‘Walk in a Workhouse’
An extract from Flors Tristan’s diary about her London travels
A complete lesson looking at the character of Havisham - the poem written about her by Carol Ann Duffy, supported by an extract from Great Expectations featuring the character. Great as a cross over for pupils studying Dickens, Victorian literature and for refining unseen poetry / annotation and analysis skills. Updated March 2022.
The files include a PPT, on which there is a copy of the poem, the extract and an image of Havisham from a film version of the story. There are also some analysis questions to guide study of the poem itself and some notes for class feedback on the annotations (an annotated poem).
Excellent to broaden students’ understanding of literature, poetry and Dickens.
This resource includes a full lesson on creating a poem featuring a character, using their own voice. 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 light-hearted practice.
The lesson utilises Medusa (Duffy) as a starting point, before getting pupils to create their own poem in the voice of a character of their choice.
The PPT includes:
Introduction to Medusa, by Duffy and discussion of her character
Intro to the creative task, providing suggested characters
Guided planning for the poem
A framework of sentence stems if required, and an exemplar poem in the voice of Homer Simpson
This bundle includes a range of poetic study with a lot of cross over to creative tasks, designed originally as a scheme for year 9 as an introduction to poetic study. Roughly 12-16 full lessons included.
The scheme aims to develop approaches to understanding and interpreting poetry in a pupil-centred way, without the teacher dictating notes. It builds analysis skills and aims to help pupils understand why people write poetry. It would form a great introduction to poetic analysis, or for developing unseen skills required for the AQA literature exams.
This bundle contains a whopping £18 worth of resources (when sold separately) and every lesson has been tried and tested. It also touches on creative writing and oracy, with built in tasks that springboard from the poems studied.
Poems included:
Medusa
Hitcher
Salome
Last Duchess
Clown Punk
About His Person
Sonnet 18
The Raven
Resistance (Armitage’s new Ukraine-Russia poem)
PLUS an introductory lesson looking at 4 other poems!
This resource is a fully comprehensive scheme of work on Christmas Carol, designed for higher ability pupils with plenty of challenge and stretch (grades 5-9).
It was originally designed for AQA but can easily be tweaked for other boards. All resources are included along the 191 slide PPT, with everything you need to teach the novel. It also utilises language paper cross-over tasks and non-fiction resources to build contextual knowledge/ cultural capital and provides a focus on core vocabulary to aid understanding. Updated Jan 2022.
The PPT covers the following:
core vocabulary categories and booklet
atmosphere through language
imagery based tasks (Gothic conventions)
Scrooge’s nomenclature
context - Victorian times
A range of task styles including group, independent, paired work and videos
Summary skills
Quote finding and analysis
Links to Literature (London poem)
creative writing opportunities
character study for all key characters
connotation and layers of meaning
Using PEEZL to construct exam responses
peer assessment opportunities
allusion and allegory
symbolism and metaphor
Utilitarian philosophy, Malthus and Bentham
Authorial intent
inference
exemplar responses
key plot developments
irony
drawing comparisons
structure - framed narrative, foreshadowing
Writing intros and conclusions
tracking change
guided exam planning
thesis statements
reference to mark schemes
This resource is a news article taken from The Guardian and written in 1912 about the sinking of the Titanic. It is a useful non-fiction cross over text for language paper 2, whilst remaining on topic for the context of Inspector Calls.
This resource compiles 3 Christmas themed drama games into a word document, clearly explained. Can take up to around 40 minutes of lesson time to complete