Tabloid Article (Transactional writing GCSE for KS3 Y9) assessment lesson. Pupils are to write a lively and engaging tabloid article (full of puns, alliteration etc) for their assessed piece of work. Objective: To identify the features of a tabloid news article. Outcomes: To apply our understanding to plan a lively and engaging tabloid article, and write this for our assessment. Literacy objective: An apostrophe must be used to show you have missed out letters in contracted words. Lesson uses whiteboards to help pupils plan their tabloid written assessed piece (30 minutes), going over varied sentence starters, ambitious punctuation and vocabulary etc. Pupils can also use the planning sheet with quotes on to help with their assessed piece of writing (Attached). Pupils have a list of success criteria to allow them to write freely for 30 minutes. Plenary to assess what features we have practiced today in our assessment.

GCSE AO2 lesson for the Eduqas WJEC exam board. Scaffolded lesson which builds up to an exam-style question 'How does the writer create tension in the extract?' A3 sheet has a support scaffolding task for finding devices e.g. metaphor, for pupils to write and example and the effect is has on the reader. Full PowerPoint, A3 extract sheet with a support scaffolding task and literary device bingo. A3 sheet comes with Microsoft Publisher file and PDF version. Lesson starts with literary device bingo, all bingo cards are different. Then YouTube video is embedded for ease of use, horror film clip which builds tension. Pupils create a mind map describing how the director builds tension, then read the extract and add to the mind map the techniques the writer has used to build tension e.g. powerful verbs, ambitious punctuation, cliffhanger etc. Then pupils go through the extract on the A3 sheet with the scaffolded literary device activity - find an example, write the effect on the reader. Pupils are to answer an exam question. Success criteria, connective bank and emotion word bank also included. Peer assessment with success criteria for WWW/EBI. Plenary to finish. This lesson worked well with lower ability year 10 group, but was challenging and would work well with any set.

Objective: To revise AO4 evaluation questions. Outcomes: To respond to AO4-style examination question using knowledge from today’s lesson. Literacy objective: Doubling the consonant shortens the vowel sound. Bate - Batting, Hope - hopping, Ripe – ripping. Starter: Images with questions. What attracts you, what puts you off, adjectives to describe. Secondary starter: Watch the advert, how does it persuade you to visit the city, has it changed your opinion? How to answer AO4 questions - impression and terminology/quotes. Breaking down the question 'what should I write' with model sentence starters. Small quote from the extract on the PPT, how does the class feel the writer feels about the city of Bradford? Seeing our AO4 question. Task 1: As I read through the ‘Bradford’ by Bill Bryson, annotate around the text what impression is created of the city. Challenge: Can you find some key vocabulary which helps create this impression? Task 2: Take a few minutes to write an adjective (describing word) to sum up what each paragraph says. Challenge: Key vocab again. Task 3: In pairs, complete the table by finding evidence (quotes) which give a view on Bradford, write your reaction and then explain the effect. (Model task 3 response included on the table to aid the students' responses. Then they respond to the question, keeping in mind the assessment criteria. Then self assess for a plenary, giving themselves a mark and WWW/EBI.

This is a full lesson planned for Sci-Fi conventions and use of dialogue. The start of the lesson the PowerPoint shows a few film posters typical of the Sci-Fi genre and the children are asked to raise their hands if they know what we're talking about. The PowerPoint then goes over the Golden Rules of dialogue and the Uses of Dialogue. Then the pupils can be paired and they work in pairs to create a mind map. I used colourful card and differentiated the planning task. Lower ability had two image stimulus of a human and an alien. Clear human and alien set for them, and their mind-map was already sectioned off to give some structure. Higher attainers were only given the question. Colourful pens can be handed out to the class too in order to ensure who has wrote what on the plan, to gauge progress. The main task for the lesson is to write dialogue between a human and an alien. One of these characters is pleading for their lives. The class will then present this in a dramatic reading, using their dialogue tags as directions e.g. whimpered, shouted, bellowed. If you wanted, the pupils could freeze, and then teacher could point to pupils and say "which convention of Sci-Fi have partner A and B used?" The class I delivered this lesson to loved it, very creative and it sparked imaginations.

Starter activity for pupils to learn how to calculate the headline count of different articles. Handouts for the headline counts can be created, but this is also on the PowerPoint. Pupils are then given scenarios and they should create the best headline they can within their count e.g. full of alliteration, puns, shocking vocabulary etc.

Romeo and Juliet KS3/GCSE carousel activity for pupils. This resource doesn't include the full lesson. Available altogether in my shop in another resource. Includes all 8 posters describing the roles in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, and A3 sheet for pupils to write reasons and give a rating out of 10. Both PDF and original publisher files included for ease of use.

Two medium term plans for a short transactional writing section of the KS3/4 curriculum.

Objective: To identify the features of a broadsheet opinion (comment) article. Outcomes: To apply our understand to plan a short comment piece, using the required features. Lesson is a differentiated version of one in my shop. Low set year 9 KS3. Lesson allows pupils to plan with heavy modelling throughout. The pupils can use the one on the board, or use the differentiated gold/silver/bronze provocative responses to write their own comment piece.

Learning Objective: To learn how to develop characters and character voice in your writing. Learning Outcome: To plan and write an imaginative character description, including a specific tone in their character voice. Year 7 lesson on character profiles and character voice, exploring character voice using Harry Potter characters, and moving on to create their own character using Facebook profiles (to explore character profiles) and a Facebook status (for character voice). Worksheets included: blank Facebook status work sheet (two per page) and Facebook profile worksheet. Whole lesson and two work sheets included.

Group work sheets in original publisher and PDF files. Used to analyse and explode quotes within Romeo's Soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5.

KS3 lesson writing short fiction. Taking inspiration from a local news story about Merseyside boxer, Tony Bellew, being cast for a Hollywood film, 'Creed', and changing this into a short fiction story. The worksheet gives pupils free reign to create a fictional story, either from the perspective of the boxer, or from the character inside the film, 'Creed', with YouTube clip for inspiration. Tasks to encourage literary device usage and narrative structure.

This lesson explores the different reactions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after the murder of Duncan (Act 2, Scene 2). It gives a quick re-cap of the implications of regicide in Shakespearean England, then re-caps the attitude of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (key words for stimulus - differentiation). Then you'll read through Act 2, Scene 2 with your class (can't upload the copies I used for copyright reasons, my school uses Macbeth: GCP English for GCSE), [Act 2, Scene 2 is on pages 23-25]. The pupils then used the copies of Act 2, Scene 2 and highlighted the reactions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth with different colours. The pupils then split these into similar reactions and different reactions (added points on PowerPoint for stimulus - differentiation), with an extension question at the bottom. Pupils can then pick one of their points and compare or contrast these (model paragraph included on PowerPoint).

Carousel activity with A3 sheets, posters for around the room and PPT all included with PDF and publisher files for ease of use and so you can adapt these. Speaking and listening activity for Y8, can be differentiated up or down. Objective: To explain who is to blame for the tragic events of Romeo and Juliet. Outcomes: To present my reasons to the class for a speaking and listening activity. Literacy objective: Doubling the consonant shortens the vowel sound. E.g. Bate – batting, Ripe - ripping Starter: Pupils write down phrases to do with Romeo and Juliet in a Venn diagram, this will help them with their speaking and listening paragraph later on in the lesson. At least 5 phrases for both Romeo and Juliet. Then pupils use their A3 sheets to go in pairs around the room and take notes and give a rating out of 10 to how much they feel the character is to blame for the death of Romeo and Juliet. 1) Romeo, 2) Juliet, 3) The Montagues, 4) The Capulets, 5) Friar Lawrence, 6) The Nurse, 7) Mercutio, 8) Tybalt. A3 sheet is included in PDF and publisher file. 4 minutes on each station. Pupils then write a paragraph (sentence starters included and challenge activity - ambitious vocabulary) explaining their reasons why they feel one character is the most to blame. Using A3 sheet to help. Carousel posters around the room give reasons and questions afterward to encourage pupils to think for themselves. Then pupils, in register order, must read out their paragraphs one by on for the speaking and listening activity. (Challenge - adopt a serious tone, like you are trying to convince a jury). Then class together says who they think is to blame, and two pupils help to create a tally chart on the board to present our final verdict on who is the most to blame. Plenary to put a post it describing their view of the play on the board, 1-10, 1 being 'tragic', 10 being 'exciting'. Then they can explain their verdict. This can be stretched over two lessons or one, depending on length of time pupils have in class and ability.

GCSE Unseen Poetry comparison A3 scaffolded sheet, both original publisher file and PDF file for ease of printing. Poem: Autumn by Alan Bold (I don't own this poem). Very useful for the section A analysis of unseen poetry for Eduqas WJEC. Sheets scaffold the pupils to bullet pointing the meaning, mood of the poem. Then discussing the language/spotting devices, identifying structure and seeing if there is a deeper meaning, and the effect the poem has on the reader. Lovely resource and well scaffolded for the ability of my classes. Easily differentiated up or down, this worked with low set year 9 as well as GCSE.

Full lesson on Narrative Structure for KS3. Includes PowerPoint going through the four stages of narrative structure (exposition, complication, climax and resolution - uses a short story about Homer Simpson to illustrate this). Crip sheet is attached to stick in children's books for a clear guide, without the need to make too many notes in class (differentiated resource - not needed for top sets etc). The pupils are then asked to plan a story, or re-plan their end of term assessment story, and start to write it out in full. List of success criteria added on the story page. There is also a 'hot seat question' section included in the PowerPoint, and a challenge task. A range of stories for task 1 sourced, for children to identify the different narrative structures within the stories, and to complete the work sheet. Learning Objective: To identify the structure of a story, and use this to improve the stories we have written this term. Learning Outcome: To use the story we have been given to identify its narrative structure. To work in pairs to arrange a story into the correct order. To start to write a story using the techniques we have learnt so far.

Objective: To investigate how Shakespeare builds tension using dramatic techniques. Outcomes: To evaluate the effect of the dramatic techniques in Act 3, Scene 1. Literacy objective: Doubling the consonant shortens the vowel sound. E.g. Bate – batting, Ripe - ripping This lesson included some PRT (pupil response time) at the start aka purple pen, so they could make some corrections - took 5/10 minutes off the lesson. Starter - pathetic fallacy key terminology - what kind of a mood do these images create. 6 images on the board. Challenge - what kind of a mood was Act 2, Scene 6 (marriage). Recap of the scene before watching the clip from the Baz Luhrmann DVD. After watching the clip (DVD - not included) then discussion to talk about the tension created within the scene and linking to pathetic fallacy. How, when Mercutio falls, the storm comes. Then pupils in groups or pairs, use a card sort activity (included) going through the quotes and plotting when the dialogue was said, and whether or not it increased or decreased tension. Time/Tension graph - linking to numeracy within the curriculum. Discussion when finished, plotting the time over tension graph on the board with key quotes. Then pupils for their independent 10 time choose a quote from the graph that is of high or low tension and they then explode this quote in their books. AO3 context challenge. Model explode-a-quote is included. Plenary for pupils to create a series of text messages between Benvolio, Mercutio, Tybalt and Romeo about the happenings of Act 3, Scene 1. For A3 tension over time graph, there is one illustrated on the PPT and I just drew this out onto A3 paper.

GCSE Unseen Poetry comparison A3 scaffolded sheet, both original publisher file and PDF file for ease of printing. Poems: Geriatric Ward and Warning. I don't own these poems. Sheets scaffold the pupils to bullet pointing the meaning, mood of the poem. Then discussing the language/spotting devices, identifying structure and seeing if there is a deeper meaning, and the effect the poems have on the reader. Lovely resource and well scaffolded for the ability of my classes. Easily differentiated up or down, this worked with low set year 9 as well as GCSE.

A-Level revision of William Blake's 'London', the PowerPoint gives some detail to Blake's background, and then dives into detail regarding form and structure, lexis, syntax and context. It also gives the themes and imagery in the poem for the students to use in their revision. The slides are stanza by stanza, and some stanzas are split in two as there's a lot of information included. (Full notes on the PowerPoint slides, you can edit this, use bullet points instead and talk the pupils through the poem, or leave it as it is. Clear explanations of terminology added.)

GCSE Unseen Poetry comparison A3 scaffolded sheet, both original publisher file and PDF file for ease of printing. Poems: The Tiger in the Zoo and The Jaguar. I don't own these poems. Sheets scaffold the pupils to bullet pointing the meaning, mood of the poem. Then discussing the language/spotting devices, identifying structure and seeing if there is a deeper meaning, and the effect the poems have on the reader. Lovely resource and well scaffolded for the ability of my classes. Easily differentiated up or down, this worked with low set year 9 as well as GCSE.

Poetic device posters for around the classroom or to use within poetry classes for KS3/KS4.