Get SET to teach secondary English with Sian's English Toolkit.
These resources are based on my experience teaching secondary English for thirteen years. During this time I gained experience teaching language and literature to all ability levels within the age range 11-18. I also have extensive experience of writing schemes of learning as I was a department lead for ten of those years.
Get SET to teach secondary English with Sian's English Toolkit.
These resources are based on my experience teaching secondary English for thirteen years. During this time I gained experience teaching language and literature to all ability levels within the age range 11-18. I also have extensive experience of writing schemes of learning as I was a department lead for ten of those years.
Capitals, Punctuation & Spelling Worksheets for 11-14 Year Olds
Quickly monitor the progress of your pupils in relation to capitals, punctuation and spelling with these worksheets. This pack contains 17 no-prep worksheets with answer keys for quick completion and self-marking. With only printing required, you can have students on-task within seconds of walking through the door.
Four different elements are included: capitals, apostrophes, dialogue & spelling. With minimal writing required, teachers can secure meaningful & useful outcomes for even the most reluctant writers. There are also two challenge sheets that cover all four elements, for when a full progress-check is required. All they have to do is identify and correct the errors, which gives a clear demonstration of their confidence level with that element of punctuation/spelling.
There are different levels of challenge across the different worksheets so there’s something for every middle-school learner here, whatever their ability.
Differentiation can be applied in numerous ways:
the literary text given to a student
the total number of errors a student’s required to identify
the element a student is being assessed on
You will get:
six capital letters worksheets
three apostrophes worksheets
three dialogue worksheets
three spellings worksheets
two ‘all-elements’ worksheets
answer sheets for all of the above
two pupil result trackers (one blank & one pre-populated)
Prep is quick and easy. Just print and go! And there’s no need to frantically answer them before the lesson…all answer sheets are included.
Bonus! These worksheets will introduce your students to multiple classic literary texts. Reading & punctuation in one…win-win!
War Poetry Annotated Rupert Brooke & Wilfred Owen
An ideal resource for English lessons in the approach to Remembrance Day.
This resource includes two iconic war poems - The Soldier and Dulce et Decorum Est.
For each poem, there is:
a blank copy where students can make their own annotations
a highlighted copy, which guides students towards sections they may want to focus on when annotating
a highlighted and annotated version -> this is an ideal teacher guide, or can be used by students to self-check what they identified
These variations make this a valuable resource that can be used with different ages/abilities. It is also helpful for non-specialists as key talking points are identified for each poem.
Also included is a comparison grid, which encourages students to think about key aspects of the poems. There is a blank version for students to complete and a teacher version, which includes some pointers for each aspect.
A Christmas Carol Cut & Paste Quote Revision Activity | High School
This cut & paste activity will support learners with their quote revision. It will also show how well they know each of the characters and the key points about them.
There are two ways to complete this activity:
Print and give it straight to students. They cut out the character names and glue them into the appropriate boxes.
Print and laminate. You could cut up the character names, and students have to place them on the correct section. Alternatively, give your students wipeable markers and they write in the names. It will save you time laminating and cutting, but still means you can use them over and over again!
There are three different worksheets in this activity:
character speech
character descriptions
a ‘best-fit’ combination of speech and description
You may also be interested in the other ‘A Christmas Carol’ products in my shop:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-annotated-extracts-12933695
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-quotes-revision-game-13120979
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-revision-board-game-12989845
Christmas 2024 Literacy Activities Bundle | High School | Answers Included
Keep students engaged in the build-up to Christmas with these Christmas-themed literacy activities. Including five different products, this bundle has something for all learners, whatever their ability.
Included in this bundle:
Christmas 2024 Advent Calendar: a literacy activity for each school day in December, including some great discussion topics! This editable PowerPoint is a brilliant way to start the day and the hyperlinks to each day’s activity make navigation really easy
Christmas Literacy Activities: 20 short activities, ideal for lesson starters or reward tasks for early finishers. Whilst being fun, they also encourage students to apply their knowledge of the alphabet, vowels and consonants.
Christmas Mega-Wordsearch: this 45 word wordsearch will keep students engaged and there is a bonus colour-by-number activity once all words have been found.
Festive Anagrams: two pages of 20 Christmas-themed anagrams, with the answer key included on a separate page.
Colour-by-Number (Spellings): this activity puts a festive spin on eight common spelling errors.
All of these products are also available to purchase individually from my shop. Or how about checking out some of these ‘A Christmas Carol’ activities:
Extract analysis: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-annotated-extracts-12933695
‘I Have Who Has’ Quotes Revision Game: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-quotes-revision-game-13120979
Revision Board Game: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-revision-board-game-12989845
Advent Calendar 2024 | Literacy | Secondary School
This advent calendar provides a literacy activity for every school day in December. It works as a regular advent calendar does: you open the day’s window and it takes you to the activity. Windows are opened by clicking on the dated hyperlink.
These are short activities of 5-15 minutes and would be ideal for form time or as lesson starters. They can be used with any high school age group, but would be ideal for learners aged 11-14.
Activities include:
discussion topics around a festive theme
word games such as anagrams, wordsearches and word grids
festive phrases in other languages
visualising
The PowerPoint is also editable so that you can change/add activities to suit your learners, if you would prefer.
If you like this, you may also like:
Christmas Literacy Activities: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/christmas-literacy-activities-high-school-13128246
Christmas Mega-Wordsearch: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/christmas-wordsearch-high-school-13133045
Festive Anagrams: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/christmas-anagrams-12942667
NB. Activities in the advent calendar are the same as 2023 but dates, colours and hyperlinks have been updated for 2024.
Christmas Wordsearch | Aimed at KS3/11-14 Year Olds
This Christmas wordsearch contains 45 seasonal words to find. Once they have been found, there are instructions for how to colour-code the remaining spaces to reveal a Christmas-related image.
This resource includes:
the list of words and instructions for the whole activity
the word grid
a completed example of the wordsearch, including the colouring of the image
This worksheet could be used in the following ways:
as a quiet, individual activity during a lesson or form time
as a paired/group activity to include a competitive element
as a ‘reward’ task before the holidays or for completing all other work
You may also be interested in this Christmas literacy activity pack, which contains 20 seasonal tasks: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13128246
I also have some festive anagrams available: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12942667
Heroes by Robert Cormier Unit & Revision
This bundle contains four resources that have been used successfully to teach and revise the novel Heroes by Roberts Cormier.
It includes:
a teaching overview for working through key aspects of the text
an accompanying PowerPoint, instructing pupils on how to complete tasks and some suggestions for discussion points in some key tasks
a narrative overview of the text to introduce the story/provide as a revision resource after the novel has been studied
essay structures for character and theme to support learners in preparing for whole text question responses in the exam
a range of revision activities to complete in the final sessions before the external exam, or to grasp learner understanding/confidence after the text has been taught
There are also numerous ‘An Inspector Calls’ resources in my shop, including a revision bundle, for those who are covering these two texts for the Unit 2 Literature exam:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12973433
Christmas Literacy Activities Secondary School
This PowerPoint includes 20 literacy-based activities all centred around the theme of Christmas.
Tasks engage students with key aspects of literacy, including:
the alphabet
vowels
consonants
spelling
The types of task include:
anagrams
identifying missing vowels/consonants
putting words into alphabetical order
creating their own words
finding hidden words in grids
Ideal as lesson starters in the weeks building up to Christmas to keep engagement levels high whilst still completing meaningful tasks.
They could also be used to create a sense of community within a class or community of students by having these as set form time activities.
All answers are included and the PowerPoint is editable so that you can add other activities or change colours/fonts to suit the needs of your learners.
If you like this resource, have a look at some other festive activities I have available:
Christmas Anagrams: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/christmas-anagrams-12942667
Annotated extracts from A Christmas Carol: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-annotated-extracts-12933695
Christmas Colour-by-Number (spellings): https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/christmas-colour-by-number-spellings-12942709
GCSE English Language Revision Checklists (WJEC)
These checklists are to support learners in the build-up to mock exams and external exams.
They can be used by individuals to identify gaps in their own knowledge, or they can be used on a whole class level to identify areas of concern across the class to guide targeted teaching/learning/revision in the build-up to exams.
If a student cannot tick all columns for a skill, they should focus on that skill until they can. Once all columns have been ticked, they can move on to the next row.
The first checklist focuses on reading skills required across Units 2 & 3, including the editing section of Unit 2. The second checklist focuses on the writing skills required across Units 2 & 3, including the proofreading task on Unit 2.
Once gaps have been identified, some of these resources may be useful in addressing them:
Revision Pack: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/gcse-english-language-exam-revision-pack-wjec-12969501
Reading Skills Success Criteria Card Sort: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/gcse-english-language-reading-skills-wjec-12979433
How to plan writing task responses effectively: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/gcse-english-language-writing-planning-wjec-12984776
A GCSE English Language Resource Bundle, containing the above: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/gcse-english-language-bundle-wjec-12986501
Creative Writing Prompt Cards | Upper Primary School-Lower High School
These creative writing prompt cards would be useful for upper-primary or lower-high school aged students.
There are five categories of cards: main character, setting, season/weather/time, emotion and object.
The intention is for students to pick one card from each category and use these to create their own original story. This task can be differentiated up or down, depending on the needs of the students in the class, as outlined on the first page of the resource.
If this product is helpful to you, you may also like to have a look at these products in my shop:
Punctuation of Speech Activity: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/punctuation-of-speech-peter-pan-worksheet-12979465
Capital Letter Challenge Sheet: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/capital-letters-worksheet-the-secret-garden-12979226
Group Reading Task Sheet Bundle: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/inference-worksheets-12974999
Halloween Wordsearch | Aimed at KS3/11-14 Year Olds
This Halloween wordsearch contains 36 seasonal words to find. Once they have been found, there are instructions for how to colour-code the remaining spaces to reveal a Halloween-related image.
This resource includes:
the list of words and instructions for the whole activity
the word grid
a completed example of the wordsearch, including the colouring of the image
This worksheet could be used in the following ways:
as a quiet, individual activity during a lesson or form time
as a paired/group activity to include a competitive element
as a ‘reward’ task before the holidays or for completing all other work
You may also be interested in this Halloween literacy activity pack, which contains 10 seasonal tasks: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/halloween-word-games-and-activities-pack-13107470
Of Mice and Men | Quotes Revision | I Have Who Has | GCSE
This resource is targeted towards high school students in need of key quotes revision. It is a great way to get students revising whilst making it feel like a game.
There are 60 cards included, and these are divided into two games of 30 cards each.
Each card contains a quote and act. The two games have been colour-coded - blue and green - for ease of use.
A student will read the quote on their card, and students must identify which character said it, or which character/setting the quote relates to, depending on which version is being played. They must also identify whether the quote is from the chapter specified on their card.
Full instructions are included in the resource, as are all of the answers on a separate teacher sheet.
There are also suggestions for differentiation, including making the game more or less challenging, as needed.
If you found this resource helpful, you may also like:
my essay planning tool: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/of-mice-and-men-essay-planning-tool-wjec-12972679
an essay structuring pack: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/of-mice-and-men-essay-structures-12970873
An Inspector Calls | Quotes Revision | I Have Who Has | GCSE
This resource is targeted towards high school students in need of key quotes revision. It is a great way to get students revising whilst making it feel like a game.
There are 40 cards included, and these are divided into two games of 20 cards each.
Each card contains a quote and act. The two games have been colour-coded - blue and green - for ease of use.
A student will read the quote on their card, and students must identify which character said it, or which character the quote relates to, depending on the version of the game being played. They must also identify whether the quote is from the act specified on their card. Three cards per game include stage directions rather than speech.
Full instructions are included in the resource, as are all of the answers on a separate teacher sheet.
There are also suggestions for differentiation, including making the game more or less challenging, as needed.
If you found this resource helpful, you may also like:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/an-inspector-calls-essay-structures-12973418
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/an-inspector-calls-essay-planning-tool-12973414
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/an-inspector-calls-revision-bundle-12973433
A Christmas Carol | Quotes Revision | I Have Who Has | GCSE
This resource is targeted towards high school students in need of key quotes revision. It is a great way to get students revising whilst making it feel like a game.
There are 36 cards included, and these are divided into two games of 18 cards each. There are also two blank cards with each set in case you would like to write in a couple of your own to each game.
Each card contains a quote and stave. The blue version of the game includes quotes that describe characters. The green version of the game includes quotes said by different characters.
A student will read the quote on their card, and students must identify whether the character on their card said this quote, or whether the description is about their character (depending on which version of the game they’re playing). They must also identify whether the quote is from the stave specified on their card.
Full instructions are included in the resource, as are all of the answers on a separate teacher sheet.
There are also suggestions for differentiation, including making the game more or less challenging, as needed.
If you found this resource helpful, you may also like:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-annotated-extracts-12933695
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-revision-bundle-12972692
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-revision-board-game-12989845
King Lear A-Level Quote Revision Game
This resource is targeted towards A-Level students in need of key quotes revision. It is a great way to get students revising whilst making it feel like a game.
There are 32 cards included, each containing a quote, act and character. A student will read the quote on their card, and students must identify whether the character on their card said this quote. They must also identify whether the character said it in the act specified on their card.
Full instructions are included in the resource, as are all of the answers on a separate teacher sheet.
There are also suggestions for differentiation, including making the game more or less challenging, as needed.
If you found this resource helpful, you may also like:
King Lear Exemplar Annotated Extracts - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/king-lear-a-level-extract-analysis-13018351
King Lear Revision Bundle - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/king-lear-a-level-revision-bundle-13019013
Halloween Word Games & Activities Pack for High School
Keep your students engaged this Halloween with these short, seasonal literacy activities. This pack includes 10 no-prep English word activities with a seasonal twist to keep students focused. With only printing required, you can have students on-task within seconds of walking through the door.
Four different seasonal activity types are included. Wordsearches, word grids, anagrams and a colour-by-number. Students will enjoy these activities that will feel like a Halloween reward but in reality gently encourage them to think about consonants, vowels, spelling and language features: trick or treat!
They make great individual activities but can also be used as group/challenge task. Students love competition: why not set an activity a day and build up points towards the end of the week? Or why not have them as reward tasks for early finishers?
There are different levels of challenge across the different types of activity so there’s something for every learner here, whatever their ability.
You will get:
three wordsearches
three sheets of anagrams
three word grid activities
one colour-by-number activity
This resource is perfect for your regular English class and is one I use as starter activities in the build-up to Halloween. This then leaves the colour-by-number as a reward once we get closer to the holidays. You could also use it with a form to give them a daily literacy boost in the build up to Halloween: cross-curricular skills…check!
Prep is quick and easy. Just print and go! The resource has been designed so that the colours are seasonal but the worksheets are still clear if you have to print in grayscale. And there’s no need to frantically look through wordsearch grids…all answers are included for all activities.
You may also like:
Halloween Mega-Wordesearch, which turns into a colour-by-number once all words have been found: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13125178
The Merchant’s Tale (Chaucer) annotated extracts. These worksheets are designed to help GCE English Literature students practise extract analysis/annotation in preparation for analysing a specific extract in the exam. There are differentiated resources per extract depending on pupils’ ability and the learning intention of the lesson. Each extract has a specific question attached to it. The duration of the worksheet will depend on the learning intention of the lesson, but would take approximately 15-25 minutes to annotate and go through as a class as a revision activity.
There are three versions of each sheet:
blank extract and the question for use as an individual assessment
differentiated highlighted version to guide less confident students towards important quotations
highlighted and annotated version as a teacher guide, a good example of annotation to display to pupils/for self-assessment, or a revision handout to give to pupils
There are five annotated extracts:
33-54: presentation of January
318-341: presentation of marriage
611-638: presentation of January
948-972: presentation of January
1108-1133: presentation of January and May
If you haven’t seen it already, there’s also a free annotated extract available - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13030820
Sport Events Literacy Activities Bundle contains a series of literacy activities for Euro 2024, the Olympics 2024 and the Paralympics 2024.
These editable PowerPoints each contain 20 literacy-based activities. These make perfect starter activities or form time tasks. Slides have a simple colour scheme so that they can be printed at a lower cost if hard copies are needed.
As well as being enjoyable and competitive, these activities will encourage learners to apply their knowledge of the alphabet, vowels, consonants and languages.
Activities include:
placing words into alphabetical order
matching terms to different languages
anagrams
identifying missing vowels/consonants
word grids
creating their own words
World Oceans Day Literacy Activities
This editable PowerPoint contains 20 literacy-based activities for World Oceans Day. These make perfect starter activities or form time tasks. Slides have a simple colour scheme so that they can be printed at a lower cost if hard copies are needed.
As well as being enjoyable and competitive, these activities will encourage learners to apply their knowledge of the alphabet, vowels, consonants and languages.
Activities include:
placing words into alphabetical order
matching terms to different languages
anagrams
identifying missing vowels/consonants
word grids
creating their own words
The Paralympics 2024 Literacy Activities
This editable PowerPoint contains 20 literacy-based activities based on the Paralympics 2024. These make perfect starter activities or form time tasks. Slides have a simple colour scheme so that they can be printed at a lower cost if hard copies are needed.
As well as being enjoyable and competitive, these activities will encourage learners to apply their knowledge of the alphabet, vowels, consonants and languages.
Activities include:
placing words into alphabetical order
matching terms to different languages
anagrams
identifying missing vowels/consonants
word grids
creating their own words
There is also an Olympics 2024 Literacy Activities resource available - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-13036737