Melissa Victoria is a former English teacher with over 15 years' experience in a variety of secondary school settings, including comprehensive and grammar schools. She provides English resources mainly for high-ability students studying for GCSE and A level (AQA).
Melissa Victoria has an MA in English from the University of Birmingham, UK.
Melissa Victoria is a former English teacher with over 15 years' experience in a variety of secondary school settings, including comprehensive and grammar schools. She provides English resources mainly for high-ability students studying for GCSE and A level (AQA).
Melissa Victoria has an MA in English from the University of Birmingham, UK.
A free AQA English Language Q5 Practice Question to save you time. If you like what you see, there are 10 more at the link below for a small cost.
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/writing-to-describe-tasks-11915510
Best wishes,
Englbee x
A free poster for your classroom wall with key character descriptions and quotations for Benedick from Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado about Nothing’. Could also be printed A4 for students to glue into books. Might also be useful to upload onto school intranet for revision purposes. Especially useful with lower ability students, and also those who find revising and note-making difficult for GCSE English Literature.
Other ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ Posters can be found as a here for a small sum.
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/much-ado-about-nothing-posters-12020347
Best wishes,
Englbee x
A free pre-teaching lesson on An Inspector Calls for AQA English Literature Paper 2 Part A. For high-ability students aiming for Band 6 (grades 7-9).
The lesson contains the following:
*Learning Objectives which also incorporate some learning skills (can link to Learning to Learn or Building Learning Power, or any other such learning skills)
*A link to the AQA mark scheme with exploration of what skills are needed for Band 6 linked to AOs 1 2 &3
*Keyword word-clouds in order to introduce differences in society’s mores and attitudes between 1912 and 1945/6
*A brief description of changes in society and JB Priestley’s roles and beliefs
*A paired activity in which students explore the differences between 1912 and 1945/6 further. This can be done as a paper and glue exercise, a written task or as a whole class using IT drag and drop if preferred
*Further exploration of context between 1918 and 1945. Further explanation of writer’s intent
*A task exploring form as a mode of context, which can be worked through in pairs or individually . Exploration of what a morality play and a detective drama might contain with whole-class feedback.
*A link to an YouTube video (no affiliation) which students might listen to for homework and make notes upon to further understand context
*A plenary in which learning skills used to explore ideas are reflected upon
Please leave a review if you find this resource useful.
Best wishes,
Englbee x
The lesson is part of an outgoing AQA English Literature B Specification. It offers relevant background discussion on method and philosophical ideas explored in the novel, Enduring Love.
If you like what you see in this lesson, at a the link below you can find further resources for this text:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-enduring-love-by-ian-mcewan-chapter-by-chapter-11916197
Best wishes,
Englbee x
A fully-adaptable 15-slide PowerPoint on The Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and Simon Armitage’s appointment.
The PowerPoint contains:
A history of the role of Poet Laureate
The role itself
Payment
How the role has changed over time
Famous past Poets Laureate
Differing opinions of the role
A biography of Simon Armitage
Simon Armitage’s reactions to becoming PL and his ambitions for the role.
Many slides contain thought-bubbles which could be used with a class if needed to further discussion.
The PowerPoint could be used:
As an introduction to Armitage’s Poetry at GCSE
For KS3 classes in the summer term as an introduction to poetry
In PSHE exploring the role of poetry in wider society
In an assembly exploring poetry/society
Where copyright infringement is not an issue, I have included pictures of poets. Where copyright would be violated, I have given links to pictures and news stories. You can of course adapt the PowerPoint for yourself and include the images on slides.
Best wishes,
Englbee x
A character revision poster of Lady Macbeth with key quotations on the following themes: Masculinity/Femininity; Appearance and Reality; Children; Guilt; Kingship; Fate, Free Will and Ambition.
Quotations are not definitive, but offer a simple way for students to link quotations and theme for revision purposes. Act, scene and line are also given. Would be useful printed onto A3 for classroom revision or A4 for home revision.
Bundle of all eight Macbeth character posters found here https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/macbeth-revision-posters-12070022
Original illustrations by mancsunshine (copyright)
Best wishes,
Englbee x
A character revision poster of Lady Macduff with key quotations on the following themes: Masculinity/Femininity; Appearance and Reality; Children; Guilt; Kingship; Fate, Free Will and Ambition.
Quotations are not definitive, but offer a simple way for students to link quotations and theme for revision purposes. Act, scene and line are also given. Would be useful printed onto A3 for classroom revision or A4 for home revision.
Bundle of all eight Macbeth character posters found
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/macbeth-revision-posters-12070022
Original illustrations by mancsunshine (copyright)
Best wishes,
Englbee x
A character revision poster of Macbeth with key quotations on the following themes: Masculinity/Femininity; Appearance and Reality; Children; Guilt; Kingship; Fate, Free Will and Ambition.
Quotations are not definitive, but offer a simple way for students to link quotations and theme for revision purposes. Act, scene and line are also given. Would be useful printed onto A3 for classroom revision or A4 for home revision.
Bundle of all eight Macbeth character posters found here https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/macbeth-revision-posters-12070022
Original illustrations by mancsunshine (copyright)
Best wishes,
Englbee x
A character revision poster of the Witches with key quotations on the following themes: Masculinity/Femininity; Appearance and Reality; Children; Guilt; Kingship; Fate, Free Will and Ambition.
Quotations are not definitive, but offer a simple way for students to link quotations and theme for revision purposes. Act, scene and line are also given. Would be useful printed onto A3 for classroom revision or A4 for home revision.
Bundle of all eight Macbeth character posters found here for only £5 https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/macbeth-revision-posters-12070022
Original illustrations by mancsunshine (copyright)
Best wishes,
Englbee x
A character revision poster of Macduff with key quotations on the following themes: Masculinity/Femininity; Appearance and Reality; Children; Guilt; Kingship; Fate, Free Will and Ambition.
Quotations are not definitive, but offer a simple way for students to link quotations and theme for revision purposes. Act, scene and line are also given. Would be useful printed onto A3 for classroom revision or A4 for home revision.
Bundle of all eight Macbeth character posters found here https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/macbeth-revision-posters-12070022
Original illustrations by mancsunshine (copyright)
Best wishes,
Englbee x
A character revision poster of Malcolm with key quotations on the following themes: Masculinity/Femininity; Appearance and Reality; Children; Guilt; Kingship; Fate, Free Will and Ambition.
Quotations are not definitive, but offer a simple way for students to link quotations and theme for revision purposes. Act, scene and line are also given. Would be useful printed onto A3 for classroom revision or A4 for home revision.
Bundle of all eight Macbeth character posters found here
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/macbeth-revision-posters-12070022
Original illustrations by mancsunshine (copyright)
Best wishes,
Englbee x
A character revision poster of Banquo with key quotations on the following themes: Masculinity/Femininity; Appearance and Reality; Children; Guilt; Kingship; Fate, Free Will and Ambition.
Quotations are not definitive, but offer a simple way for students to link quotations and theme for revision purposes. Act, scene and line are also given. Would be useful printed onto A3 for classroom revision or A4 for home revision.
Bundle of all eight Macbeth character posters found here
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/macbeth-revision-posters-12070022
Original illustrations by mancsunshine (copyright)
Best wishes,
Englbee x
A character revision poster of Duncan with key quotations on the following themes: Masculinity/Femininity; Appearance and Reality; Children; Guilt; Kingship; Fate, Free Will and Ambition.
Quotations are not definitive, but offer a simple way for students to link quotations and theme for revision purposes. Act, scene and line are also given. Would be useful printed onto A3 for classroom revision or A4 for home revision.
Bundle of all eight Macbeth character posters found here https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/macbeth-revision-posters-12070022
Original illustrations by mancsunshine (copyright)
Best wishes,
Englbee x
A high-ability knowledge organiser for Much Ado about Nothing for AQA GCSE English Literature
Offered as a PDF
This is a high-ability revision tool (aspiring grades 7-9) which presumes students are competent already with the basic structure of the plot and basic character roles.
The knowledge organiser has two sides which can be copied back-to-to-back on A3 or simply put on your school’s intranet .
Side one offers analysis on the following four sections:
Characters as concepts (11 characters) with significant key quotations and act/scene
Significant Elizabethan contextual factors including: legitimacy, marriage, religion, humanism and patriarchal hegemony
Significant themes including: constructive/destructive/self deception, love and marriage, transformation and gender (with act/scenes as relevant)
High-level key vocabulary to help discuss the play conceptually
Side two offers analysis of method specifically dramatic comedy devices:
Metadrama, deception and artifice
Self-reflexive language / metalanguage
Pairs and Parallels (structure)
‘Happy’ endings
Green World
If you are new to teaching Much Ado about Nothing at a high-level, this would be a great tool for you as a teacher also to use as a planning aid and way into the text before giving to students for revision.
I hope you find it useful.
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: 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
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
A fully-adaptable PowerPoint on the significance of the ending An Inspector Calls for mid-to-higher level groups.
Prior to the lesson, students will need to have read to the end of the play
Includes:
LOs and skills
Gerald’s debunking of the Inspector and is signifiance
The differences in attitude between the older and younger generation after the first inspector leaves
The significance of Eva Smith as a symbolic character
The significance of the ringing of a second bell, the second Inspector and Birling’s continued lack of character development
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
This is high-level revision sheet of Lord Byron’s ‘When We Two Parted’ 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 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.
Kind regards,
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 high-level GCSE essay for those studying Much Ado about Nothing for AQA English Literature Paper 1
The resource offers an extract from Act 2 scene 2 with an AQA-style examination question on attitudes towards Deception
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