Nine GCSE revision posters for Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado about Nothing’. These posters would be useful to display in classrooms, but may find an even better purpose as revision tools. Pupils can struggle to distil and make notes on Shakespeare; these posters offer key themes and ideas on each character with up to three relevent quotations (and references) for each. Something to give to less-able pupils to take away and revise from. For more able, a starting point towards further revision. Could be displayed as A3 or made into an A4 booklet. Your free Benedick poster can be found here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/much-ado-about-nothing-benedick-poster-free- Best wishes, Englbee x

This is a high-ability 16-page GCSE Literature booklet on Macbeth. Offered both in Publisher as a fully-adaptable resource, and also as a PDF. Are you new to teaching English? Is this the first time you have taught Macbeth at GCSE? Or have you only ever taught the play to lower- and middle-ability groups, and are worried about pitching it to the new top-set class you’ve been allocated? Concerned as to how to stretch to those 7s, 8s and 9s? Then this guide might be for you. The guide contains detailed analysis of: the theme of masculinity, focusing upon Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, the Witches and Macduff the theme of womanhood, focusing upon Lady Macbeth, the Witches and Lady Macduff the significance of children, heirs, legacy and posterity There are also concise explanations of: Types of Kings and Kingship found in the play The Great Chain of Being and the Divine Right of Kings Aspects of the ‘Human Condition’ found in the play Macbeth as part of the tragedy genre: characterisation, tragic flaw and structure inc. anagnorisis, peripeteia and catharsis The guide is not exhaustive, but offers good grounding in higher-level ideas especially surrounding characters as constructs and vehicles for concepts, and also devices within the tragedy genre. In the summer before exams, the guide can be adapted and given to pupils to take away as part of their revision. Original posters on characters can be found at my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/macbeth-revision-posters-12070022 Best wishes, Englbee x

A high-level revision sheet (PDF) of Andrew Waterhouse’s ‘Climbing my Grandfather’ 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 ‘Before You Were Mine’ 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. Best wishes, Englbee x

This is high-level revision sheet (PDF) of Charles Causley’s ‘Eden Rock’ 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 ‘Before You Were Mine’ 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. Best wishes, Englbee x

A high-level revision sheet (PDF) of Daljit Nagra’s ‘Singh Song!’ 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 ‘The Farmer’s Bride’ 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. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Follower’ 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 Warm-up activity A brief biography of Seamus Heaney A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint) 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 Heaney’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. symbolism, juxtaposition, enjambment, 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

This is high-level revision sheet (PDF) of Maura Dooley’s ‘Letters from Yorkshire’ 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 ‘Netural Tones’ 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. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Singh Song!’ by Daljit Nagra 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 Warm-up activity A brief biography of Daljit Nagra A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint) 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 Nagra’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. Phonetic spellings/Punglish, structure/refrain 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 high-level revision sheet (PDF) of Simon Armitage’s 'Mother, any distance…’ 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 ‘Walking Away’ 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. Best wishes, Englbee x

This is high-level revision sheet of Owen Sheers’ ‘Winter Swans’ 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 ‘Neutral Tones’ 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. Best wishes, Englbee x

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Winter Swans’ 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 Warm-up activity A brief biography of Owen Sheers 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 link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint) 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 Sheers’ 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 juxtaposition; symbolism, non-rhyming end-couplet 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

A fully-adaptable PowerPoint which explores ‘Mother, any distance…’ by Simon Armitage 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 brief biography of Simon Armitage A link to an audio of a reading of the poem A link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint) 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 Armitage’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. subversion of form, use of rhyme, fricative 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.) Kind regards, Englbee x

This is high-level revision sheet (PDF) of Seamus Heaney’s 'Follower’ 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 ‘Walking Away’ 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. Best wishes, Englbee x

A graphic organiser (PDF) for high-ability GCSE English Literature pupils studying Macbeth. AQA, OCR, Edexcel etc. Are you tired of PowerPoint lessons? Looking for a way for pupils to work more independently whilst keeping organised notes? Then a graphic organiser might work for you and your class. The graphic organiser is 60 pages long. It has been designed to be printed off back-to-back. Every scene in the play has two dedicated pages which will work best if the booklet is stapled, treasury-tagged or bound so that both pages for the scene can be viewed at the same time as an open booklet. There is a white edge alongside each page to allow for securing. (Please see preview for more details) Each scene contains the following: A synopsis Page one - Three themes (from a selection of six) with high-level exploratory questions with room for note-making Page two -A question on each of the following as related to the scene: dramatic tragedy genre, Shakespeare’s method, and context, with room for note-making. At the start of the booklet there is a glossary of characterisations and structural devices related to the dramatic tragedy genre At the back of the booklet, there is an extra page for note-making. Other ways to use this booklet: Print off a teacher copy and photocopy the scenes you wish to focus on in detail only Page one for classroom teaching with page two for homework, or vice versa Group work with pupils completing different parts of the booklet followed by whole class feedback Individual, silent work For when you’re absent and you need to set structured cover for a lesson For that long-term absent, but bright pupil who needs a structured approach to catching up For those able students who are great at discussion, but cannot organise their notes in their exercise books Focused, active revision Best wishes, Englbee x