Objective: To identify the features of a broadsheet comment article. Outcome: To apply our understanding to write a short comment piece, using the required features. Literacy objective: Effect/Affect This lesson starts with a discussion to whether the opinions of the journalist should ever influence their writing - issues of bias. Then this leads onto comment articles (opinion writing). It then discusses the features of opinion writing and what it must include e.g. the news peg and a leading statement which shocks the audience. Main body of the text - writers opinion, quotes and main issues. Conclusion - summary and driving-home the most powerful point. Main task is to read though a comment piece to identify the features. Then pupils are given four briefs with provocative statements on with issues, quotes, statistics etc. Task: Your job as a journalist is to write a comment (opinion) article about one statement. There are news facts, quotes and statistics included in your brief to help you, and the structure to follow. Plenary to calculate the headline count for different headlines, then create their own.

Objective: To identify the different features of broadsheet and tabloid newspapers. Outcomes: To compare these features in a table. This lesson goes through the differences between broadsheet and tabloid newspapers. Starter looks at two different front pages, one tabloid, one broadsheet. It then goes through the differences with the pupils. Sensational news and the public interest is also covered. Main task is to read through a 'Broadsheet vs Tabloid' article. Then pupils will annotate these two articles e.g. language differences, differences in headline. They then fill out a table with Newspaper 1/Newspaper 2. Plenary goes over headline count (how journalists count letters/numbers/symbols) and pupils can create a headline to match the count of 25. Lesson could be differentiated up or down, with more or less complex stories.

Small sheet resource to support pupils in writing a letter of complaint to a theme park. Supports highest grades with use of a clear voice and taking on the persona of another.

Two full lessons on review writing for Y9 taken from GCSE specification. Homophone starter 'Your/You're' Lesson 1 Objective: To identify the different features of film reviews. Outcome: To plan a film review using the required features. Lesson 2 Objective: To investigate the different features of film reviews. Outcome: To apply our knowledge and write a film review, using the required features. First whole lesson, complete with a small section of film reviews to analyse takes pupils through different features of reviews, and the purposes of them (inform, describe, persuade and advise). A starter activity is to go through different kinds of reviews (book/film/restaurant) and who is the possible audience. Then the pupils (in pairs) go through a short review and try and spot the features. Then they can mind-map these features in their books or together on the board at the front of the classroom. Then the pupils watch an embedded clip (trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean) and then can plan to create a review. Extension tasks are added for the most able pupils. In the second lesson, pupils (on their whiteboards/in books) go through a recap (what is a review, purpose, audience), rewrite a paragraph of a film review using ambitious punctuation, read a WAGOLL (what a good one looks like) to look for AFORREST persuasive features, then read a bad example of a film review. Class then write an WWW/EBI for the reviews. Go over the structure of a review, then write their film review for an independent 15 task. I have also included success criteria checklists to print off for your classes.

This lesson goes over the features of informal letters (KS3) in preparation for the transactional writing part of the GCSE language exam. Stick-in sheet for pupils to make some notes on in their books included. The lesson also focuses on ambitious vocabulary and has a literacy homophone starter (where/were/we're). It goes over tone and style of informal letters, then 'spot the errors' in a small informal letter which is far too formal. Easily differentiated by editing the example. Main task is to write an informal letter to a friend: this includes a brief for the pupils to follow. Success and challenge criteria included. Peer assessment for AfL and plenary included at the end.

Half lesson starter: Teacher Standards: S1 Engage the pupils in the starter activity and use multimedia (YouTube) to consolidate knowledge learnt. S2 Construct and scaffold learning, consolidate knowledge regarding genre and develop this into a clearer understanding of Gothic Horror. S3 Breaking down ideas logically to support development of learner’s knowledge. Learning objective: To identify conventions of Gothic Horror genre. Learning outcome: To be able to pick out these conventions from a YouTube clip (Sleepy Hollow). Strategies: Ensure pupils understand the conventions of gothic horror literature e.g. setting – remote locations, haunted houses, gothic architecture, dungeons, hidden rooms, dark towers, crypts. Key concepts: Gothic horror conventions (characters, setting and themes). Questions: What other characters can we think of which may fit into these typical categories? – Perhaps think about books you have read or films you have watched. What can you spot in this setting? What is typical of the image on the board, what is the weather like? What time of year is this?

KS3 lesson developing noun and verb use, including an extract to complete. Precise noun: A noun (naming word) which is more descriptive and aids in telling the reader more about the story. E.g. ‘Mercedes Benz’ instead of car. Ambitious verb: A verb (doing word) which gives more description so the reader can picture images in their mind. E.g. ‘Slithered’ instead of walked (to describe someone who was sneaking around). Learning Objective: To learn how to develop nouns and verbs to create descriptive sentences. Learning Outcome: All will rewrite sentences using ambitious vocabulary and tasks in the PowerPoint Most will complete the Skellig work sheet Some will complete the extension work and create their own sentences using knowledge they have learnt so far (reward – Vivo points/IRIS rewards etc) To differentiate the work, I have included a variety of resources including a match-up task on the board. Fill-in the blanks work sheet and a challenge task for the HA in the class to complete, with added rewards (Vivo points) to encourage the children to take on this challenge task.

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.

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.

Two lessons for literary device revision. Includes two differentiated lessons with different activities. For low ability, a literary device bingo with 9 bingo tiles and a card sort. Higher ability, 12 bingo tiles and no card sort game. Extract is differentiated, high ability will find the devices themselves, and low ability will annotate the devices which are already underlined in different colours (they can work out the key).

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).

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.

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.

Full lesson PowerPoint which goes through the reasons for using dialogue in your writing, the Golden Rules of dialogue. This leads on to the children reading the three extracts from Harry Potter (written out for you in the attached Word document) and a task sheet (again attached). The pupils must: Identify characteristics of dialogue in the three extracts (why the dialogue is used e.g. does it reveal character relationships, move the story forward or build tension), explain how Rowling has showed this characteristic, find a quote and explain why Rowling may have chose this use of dialogue in the extract, e.g. at what point of the story is this dialogue occurring? WAGOLL (what a good one looks like) is also included in the PowerPoint.

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.)

Lesson PowerPoint on a character comparison of the two main families in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for year seven.