A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which offers an introduction to the study of dramatic tragedy as a genre. As well as some didactic commentary, the lesson offers visual and practical tasks for pupils to work through in order to explore and begin to understand the concept of tragedy as a genre. The activities should take one lesson, but may take two. There is also an opportunity for pupils to apply their learning to an extract from Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ at the end. This PowerPoint will be most useful with higher-level GCSE students aiming for grades 7, 8 and 9 in their study of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ or 'Julius Caesar’ (‘Romeo and Juliet’ differs somewhat from traditional dramatic tragedy conventions, but some aspects may be useful), enabling them to explore method and genre as they read, which will help in their reaching higher levels in the examination. Could be adapted for aspiring grade 6 students. The PowerPoint might also be used as a starting point for AQA A Level English Literature students studying ‘King Lear’, ‘Othello’, or ‘Richard II’, or any of the other dramatic tragedies, although further reading and research will be necessary. It will certainly aid less-able A Level students who need a starting point and benefit from visual and practical tasks, and discussion. Link to a similar PowerPoint on Dramatic Comedy here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/dramatic-comedy-genre-an-introduction-11922680

A comprehensive scheme of work on Much Ado about Nothing for high-ability GCSE groups aiming for grades 6-9. There are 17 PowerPoints, one for each scene. Each PowerPoint has discussion, analysis and exploration of at least three themes with very detailed notes under each slide for teachers. There are further slides on each PowerPoint on Dramatic Comedy Genre; Shakespeare’s Method; and Context. Again, there are comprehensive notes relating to these areas so that you can teach with confidence. You will find the following… Themes: Love and War Gender and Identity Appearance and Reality (Constructive, Destructive & Self-Deception) Private Desire and Social Approval Legitimate and Illegitimate Behaviours Theatre of War and Domestic Sphere Miscommunication Transformation Dramatic Comedy Genre: Metadrama Metalanguage Significance of Structure Pairs and Parallels Antithesis Low Comedy Comedy Endings Shakespeare’s Method: Characterisation and conceptualisation Significance of Structure Significance of language inc. imagery, symbolism, classical references, self- reflexive language, malapropism, poetry, and prose Shakespeare’s use of stagecraft Shakespeare’s drawing attention to theatre as artifice Context: Women, identity, sexual behaviour within the 16th Century The importance of reputation Ontological death Patriarchal Hegemony Elizabethan Fashion/Significance of Clothing The social significance of marriage in the 16th Century Chivalric Love Renaissance Humanism The role of the Church within the play and the 16th Century The importance of legitimacy and the ‘problem’ of illegitimacy 16th Century ‘Police Force’ (The Watch) Hierarchical structure of society

It’s hard work finding quality GCSE model writing answers for AQA English Language Paper 2, and even harder work writing them yourself, especially at a high level. Here, you will find a high-level model answer: a leaflet to advise with a clear point-of-view. The topic is homework. Pupils are asked to reflect on the significance of style and genre at the end as a self-reflection exercise. Please note the preview shows only a section of the sheet. Best wishes, Englbee x

It’s hard work finding quality GCSE model writing answers for AQA English Language Paper 2, and even harder work writing them yourself, especially at a high level. Here, you will find a high-level model answer: an essay to explain. The topic is homework. Pupils are asked to reflect on the significance of style and genre at the end as a self-reflection exercise. Please note the preview shows only a section of the sheet. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint for the opening of An Inspector Calls before the Inspector arrives aimed at higher-level groups. Prior reading up until the stage-direction ‘We hear the sharp ring of a front door bell’ will need to have occurred before the PowerPoint is used. The PowerPoint contains: LOs followed by a slide outlining the four key themes in this section: Privilege, Class Struggle, Snobbery and Self-Serving Idealism. Foreshadowing and Dramatic Irony are also introduced and will need to be explored by the teacher. A table in which students are asked to consider key character language and place the language under either Privilege, Class Struggle, Snobbery or Self-Serving Idealism. This can be done either as a cut-and-paste activity or on the computer as a drag and drop. The slide could be printing out and students could write answers in also if the two above options are not available A completed slide of the above task for the teacher to talk through/take feedback etc. Further discussion of Foreshadowing and Dramatic Irony A table in which students explore key language from the opening act and decide whether it is an example of foreshadowing or dramatic irony. They then need to give an insightful comment as to what the device is demonstrating/why it is an example of such a device. There are two differentiated slides here. The harder one asks the students to identify who said the line before analysing it, and there are no hint questions. The other identifies the speaker and asks ‘Withholding of further information or contextual events the audience would have knowledge about?’ as a guide for students to explore which of the two devices the language is an example of The next slide gives example ‘insightful comments’ which students can check against their own or add to during a class discussion / feedback. The final slide is a reminder of their LOs and some questions to explore the skills they used in the lesson to analyse the play today. Best wishes, Englbee x

A high-level analysis of the Inspector’s Final Speech in the play, An Inspector Calls. The analysis is 600 words long approximately. Offered as both an adaptable Word doc. and PDF. The short essay offers a high degree of close analysis of language and method as well as conceptualised interpretations in order to hit those top levels (7-9). Useful for any high-ability class studying A Inspector Calls. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘When We Two Parted’ by Lord Byron in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 7-9 The resource contains the following: PowerPoint: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper Warm-up activity A brief biography of Lord Byron A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A copy of the poem A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes -two slides containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Byron’s use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. cyclical structure, negative lexical fields etc.) NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Kind regards, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Love’s Philosophy’ in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 7, 8 & 9 The resource contains the following: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper A warm-up activity A brief biography of Percy Bysshe Shelley A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A copy of the poem A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes - a detailed slide containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Shelley’s use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. Use of structure/argument, use of irregular couplets, plosive and sibilant sounds etc…) NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Best wishes, Englbee x

This is high-level revision sheet of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s 'Sonnet 29: I think of thee…’ for students aiming for grades 6-9 in the new GCSE Literature Paper 2 The revision sheet is laid out in sections with minimal graphics to allow effective revision of ideas and method. Ideas are written in a brief format rather than being too text/colour heavy to aid key learning and memory The method focus is rooted in structure and form as well as language choices in order to hit higher band criteria. Only a few choices for each as AQA stresses depth as opposed to breadth to achieve top grades. There are suggested links to ‘Love’s Philosophy’ and evaluative questions to consider in a potential essay conclusion. The sheet is not definitive, and students should have a much deep knowledge of the poem from class studies; however, it will help as an aid for themes and methods regarding the second, unprinted poem in the examination in which they will need to draw on their memory. Please note the preview shows only a small section of the revision sheet. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Sonnet 29 'I think of thee…’ in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 7, 8 & 9 The resource contains the following: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper Warm-up activity A brief biography of Elizabeth Barrett Browning A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A copy of the poem A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes - three slides containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Barrett Browning’s use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. use of the ‘abstract thought/empirical being’ structure; breaking of the Petrarchan sonnet form; use of extended metaphor/symbolism. NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Best wishes, Englbee x

This is high-level revision sheet of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s ‘Love’s Philosophy’ for students aiming for grades 6-9 in the new GCSE Literature Paper 2 The revision sheet is laid out in sections with minimal graphics to allow effective revision of ideas and method. Ideas are written in a brief format rather than being too text/colour heavy to aid key learning and memory The method focus is rooted in structure and form as well as language choices in order to hit higher band criteria. Only a few choices for each as AQA stresses depth as opposed to breadth to achieve top grades. There are suggested links to Sonnet 29 and evaluative questions to consider in a potential essay conclusion. The sheet is not definitive, and students should have a much deep knowledge of the poem from class studies; however, it will help as an aid for themes and methods regarding the second, unprinted poem in the examination in which they will need to draw on their memory. Please note the preview shows only a small section of the revision sheet. Kind regards, Englbee x

This is high-level revision sheet (PDF) of Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Before You Were Mine’ for students aiming for grades 6- 9 in the new GCSE Literature Paper 2 The revision sheet is laid out in sections with minimal graphics to allow effective revision of ideas and method. Ideas are written in a easy format rather than being too colour-heavy to aid key learning and memory The method focus is rooted in structure and form as well as language choices in order to hit higher band criteria. Only a few choices for each as AQA stresses depth as opposed to breadth to achieve top grades. There are suggested links to ‘Eden Rock’ and evaluative questions to consider in a potential essay conclusion. The sheet is not definitive, and students should have a much deep knowledge of the poem from class studies; however, it will help as an aid for themes and methods regarding the second, unprinted poem in the examination in which they will need to draw on their memory. Please note the preview shows only a small section of the revision sheet. Kind regards, Englbee x

A high-level GCSE essay for those studying Much Ado about Nothing for AQA English Literature Paper 1 The resource offers an extract from Act 4 scene 1 with an AQA-style examination question on the characterisation of Benedick (small amount shown in synopsis). There follows an essay which focuses on the question. The essay is written to a high-level for those aiming for grades 7-9 (although might help aspiring grade 6 also). The essay is around a side-and-a-half typed, meaning handwritten it would be about four sides (in keeping with high-level candidate expectations). After the essay, there is discussion as to: how the essay’s approach fits AQA’s ‘extract to whole’ further insight booklet on GCSE English Literature how the essay hits AO1, AO2 and AO3. how the essay covers higher band criteria The resource is fully-adapatable for you to change as needed for your OWN classroom use. Best wishes, Englbee x

Al revision sheet of Thomas Hardy’s ‘Neutral Tones’ for students aiming for levels, 6-9 in the new GCSE Literature Paper 2 The revision sheet is laid out in sections with minimal graphics to allow effective revision of ideas and method. Ideas are written in a brief format rather than being too text/colour heavy to aid key learning and memory The method focus is rooted in structure and form as well as language choices in order to hit higher band criteria. Only a few choices for each as AQA stresses depth as opposed to breadth to achieve top grades. There are suggested links to ‘Winter Swans’ and evaluative questions to consider in a potential essay conclusion. The sheet is not definitive, and students should have a much deep knowledge of the poem from class studies; however, it will help as an aid for themes and methods regarding the second, unprinted poem in the examination in which they will need to draw on their memory. Please note the preview shows only a small section of the revision sheet. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Neutral Tones’ in preparation for the AQA Literature Examination The PowerPoint and accompanying teacher notes are aimed at high-level GCSE candidates aiming for grades 6- 9 The resource contains the following: AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper A warm-up acitvity A brief biography of Thomas Hardy A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A list of high-level terminology for this particular poem as required for higher grades A pyramid of questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching students’ thinking A copy of the poem A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board to record ideas whilst working through questions A short plenary Followed by: Teacher notes - two slides containing ideas for understanding the poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching. How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or how much you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding Hardy’s use of method in the poem, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades (e.g. cyclical structure, time shift, enclosed rhyme, symbolism, unusual language collocations etc…) NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES The lesson presumes that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured? Why? Is there a clear structure? etc.) Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint on Birling’s involvement with Eva Smith in Act One of An Inspector Calls. The resource is suitable for a mid-high level group studying the text for GCSE Literature. The resource contains: LOs and learning skills outline Reading and note-making on Birling’s involvement with Eva An exploration of the skill of distilling evidence from a text which will be practised today A table to complete on language used to demonstrate Birling’s views on Eva as a contrast to that of Eric, Sheila and the Inspector A slide with a completed table for pupils to fill in any gaps or offer other suggestions of evidence they might have An exploration of what Eric and Sheila’s views are and who they most closely align with An exploration of the significance of Eric and Sheila siding with the Inspector’s views rather than their father’s A plenary in which students can reflect on wider themes and issues explored in Birling’s involvement with Eva, and the two side of the argument (capitalist vs socialist) A reflection on the skill of distilling information today and what students did to achieve this. Under most slides also are detailed indicative comments or answers for the teacher which can be shared as appropriate with students or simply used to aid the teacher during discussion. These could be collated and printed off separately if the teacher needs extra support and notes during the lesson. Kind regards, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint on the Initial Characterisation of the Inspector in Act 1 of an Inspector Calls for mid-to-higher level groups. Prior to the lesson, students will need to have read from the Inspector’s entrance and the subsequent interrogation of Birling’s involvement with Eva before using the resource. The resource makes use of skills such as questioning the text and making links between the characterisation of Birling and the Inspector as foils. The focus is on the language of the characters and significantly, the contrasting stage directions. Includes: LOs and skills The significance of the bell ring and what Birling is saying at that point Priestley’s characterisation of the Inspector in the stage directions as a contrast to Birling and the family Significance of the Inspector’s name Significance of the Inspector’s news (about a young woman) Significance of the Inspector’s methodology Significance of the contrasting stage directions in how Birling and the Inspector should deliver their lines. A reflection on Birling and the Inspector as foils in terms of beliefs and values A plenary slide in which to reflect on learning and skills from the lesson Under most slides there are indicative answers in the notes section for teachers to help them. Students will likely come up with other valid answers so these are only a guide. Best wishes, Englbee x