I am an experienced English teacher and Literacy Coordinator. All of my resources are organised, engaging, ready to teach and designed to save you - the teacher - your valuable time!
Please have a look at all of my resources - at least 20% of which are free.
I am an experienced English teacher and Literacy Coordinator. All of my resources are organised, engaging, ready to teach and designed to save you - the teacher - your valuable time!
Please have a look at all of my resources - at least 20% of which are free.
This bundle contains three of my most popular English resources, which can be used multiple times and are easily adaptable to different classes.
The bundle contains:
A 40 question quiz on Shakespeare with questions on his plays, his life and the Globe Theatre.
A 40 question quiz on poetry - covering poetic forms, poetic techniques, famous poets and iconic lines of poetry.
A general knowledge reading quiz - great for World Book Day or for any literacy activities throughout the school year.
A 100 question quiz on Of Mice and Men
A 35 question quiz on The Merchant of Venice
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An engaging and detailed quiz style Powerpoint containing 40 questions and answers that covers poetic forms and techniques as well as famous poets and lines of poetry. The questions are split into four rounds - each containing 10 questions. This resource would be ideal for use at the beginning or end of a poetry unit for key stage 3 or 4.
This could be used as one whole lesson, or as a detailed starter across multiple lessons.
29 slides in total.
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A full paper 1 for CIE 0500 IGCSE English Language. This resource includes a full practice paper for Language paper 1 with three texts, answers/marking guide and references.
All the questions and answer scheme have been based on the Cambridge IGCSE First Language English 0500 syllabus and the questions have been worded so that they are similar/identical to the specification paper.
The resource is included as a pdf for easy printing or as a word doc in case you wish to edit it.
This has been updated according to the 2024 change of specification.
Freebies:
A free lesson giving an overview of CIE 0500 Language Paper One here.
A free lesson giving an overview of CIE 0500 Language Paper Two here.
Free marking templates for CIE 0500 here.
If you find this lesson helpful, have a look at my CIE 0500 Language Paper 1 bundle here or the Language Paper 2 bundle here. If you’re interested in both, there is a combined bundle here which is cheaper than buying them separately.
Please leave a review as I value all the feedback I receive, and have a look at other resources available in my shop. **
A mini bundle containing my four most downloaded reading resources for secondary students!
This bundle contains:
A resuable lesson that embeds close reading skills. Just choose a text (fiction or non-fiction) and students work through the steps to improve their comprehension and analysis of it (although sample texts are also provided to get you started).
TES recommended book club discussion questions, which also work very well in English lessons.
A quiz made for World Book Day which quizzes students on a range of secondary age books.
A support mat/knowledge organiser for developing students’ independent textual analysis.
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This bundle contains 20 resources that can be used and adapted for key stage 3 English lessons. It contains resources that cover reading, writing and speaking skills.
All lessons are ready to download and teach immediately. This bundle contains the following:
Writing Skills
Lesson on colons vs semi colons
Lesson on commas, dashes and brackets
Lesson on complex sentences
Lesson on compound sentences
Writing skills (SPAG) knowledge organiser
Writing skills for key stage 3 assessment with answer rubric included.
Figurative language - writing similes and metaphors
Lesson on punctuating dialogue
Lesson on assonance
Lesson on sibilance
Lesson on personification
Reading Skills/Poetry
12) Booklet to help students create their own poetry anthology
13) Lesson on the features of poetry and prose
14) 2 lessons on successful annotation and analysis of poetry.
15) Lesson on how to write a slam poem
16) Reusable lesson to embed close reading skills
17) Introduction to poetry knowledge organiser
18) World Book Day reading quiz
19) Poetry analysis lesson on ‘The Lesson’ by Roger McGough
Speaking and listening skills
20) Introduction to group discussion lesson
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Two fully resourced and ready-to-teach one-hour lessons which introduce students to the skills of annotating a poem and then writing an analytical PEE paragraph about it. These lessons are designed so that they can be downloaded and taught immediately and all printing instructions are included. The poem used is ‘I am Offering this Poem’ by Jimmy Santiago Baca.
This lesson is aimed at KS3 and would be suitable for an introduction to poetry unit - but it could easily be adapted to younger or older students. Students will need to know what personification, similes, alliteration and repetition are already.
These lessons include:
A 22-slide Powerpoint
Differentiated learning outcomes
Copies of the poem with a glossary (in both word and pdf formats - for editing or printing).
Explanation of annotation
A model PEE paragraph
Structured peer assessment
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Fully resourced and ready-to-teach 1 hour lesson which introduces students to assonance and encourages them to question why writers use it and what its effect is. Students then write a poem using assonance.
This lesson is aimed at KS3 and would be suitable for an introduction to poetry unit - but it could easily be adapted to younger or older students.
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Fully resourced and ready-to-teach 1 hour lesson which introduces students to sibilance and encourages them to question why writers use it and what its effect is. Students then write a poem using sibilance.
This lesson is aimed at KS3 and would be suitable for an introduction to poetry unit - but it could easily be adapted to younger or older students.
This lesson includes:
Differentiated learning outcomes
An extract from Harry Potter for students to discuss the use of sibilance
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A detailed booklet to prompt students to create their own mini anthology of poetry. This would be suitable for key stage 3 but could easily be adapted for older or younger students.
It is included as a word document (for editing) and as a pdf (for easy printing and safe formatting).
It includes grading criteria.
Please see the accompanying scheme of learning which teaches all the techniques mentioned (similes, metaphors, personification, sibilance and assonance etc).
For other English, PSHE and Media activities, see my Like An Expert shop.
Fully resourced and ready-to-teach 1 hour lesson which introduces students to poetry analysis of the poem ‘The Lesson’ by Roger McGough.
This lesson is aimed at KS3 and would be suitable for an introduction to poetry unit - but it could easily be adapted to younger or older students. Students will need to know what personification, similes, alliteration and repetition are already.
This lesson includes:
Differentiated learning outcomes
Copies of the poem with a glossary (in both word and pdf formats - for editing or printing).
A scaffold to prompt students to consider the effect of poetic techniques (in word and pdf).
An answer key for teachers to facilitate class discussion.
Structured peer assessment.
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Fully resourced and ready-to-teach 1 hour lesson which leads students towards writing a poem about an everyday object using personification.
This lesson is aimed at KS3 and would be suitable for an introduction to poetry unit - but it could easily be adapted to younger or older students. It is best suited to students who already know what personification is but need to practise using it effectively.
This lesson includes:
Explanation of personification
Differentiated learning outcomes
An extract from ‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman with questions for students to consider the effect of the personification.
Structured peer assessment.
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This unit is designed as an introduction to poetry for key stage 3 to build upon the knowledge they will have from key stage 2. It aims to challenge students to apply poetic techniques in a creative and sophisticated way and also to support them in their own poetry analysis.
This bundle contains:
A detailed knowledge organiser for homework and class quizzing.
A 40 question quiz that covers the key knowledge on the knowledge organiser.
A poetic terms match-up exercise for revision.
An adaptable booklet to help students to create their own anthology of poetry.
A unit overview document and end of unit assessment.
An easy start-of-year activity to write an acrostic poem about yourself. This could be set as homework.
Lesson 1: Poetry vs prose
Lesson 2: Figurative language - write powerful similes and metaphors.
Lesson 3: Personification
Lesson 4: Poetry analysis for beginners - The Lesson by Roger McGough
Lesson 5: Sibilance
Lesson 6: Assonance
Lesson 7: Annotating poetry - ‘I am Offering this Poem’
Lesson 8: Write a PEE analytical paragraph about poetry
Bonus lesson: how to write a slam poem.
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Fully resourced and ready-to-teach 1 hour lesson which pushes students to be more creative with writing similes and metaphors.
This lesson is aimed at KS3 and would be suitable for an introduction to poetry unit - but it could easily be adapted to younger or older students. It is best suited to students who already know what similes and metaphors are but need to learn to experiment creatively with them for effect.
This lesson includes:
Full explanantion of similes and metaphors
Differentiated learning outcomes
Practice activities to write exciting similes and metaphors (with modelled examples)
A chance for students to apply their knowledge by analysing the figurative language in ‘Dreams’ by Langston Hughes
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Fully resourced and differentiated 1 hour lesson in which students compare and contrast the features of poetry and prose. They then move on to considering the effect of poetry by looking at three examples.
This lesson is aimed at KS3 and would be suitable for the beginning of an introduction to poetry unit - but it could easily be adapted to younger or older students.
This lesson includes:
Full explanantion of poetry and prose
Differentiated learning outcomes
Worksheet available as word (for easy editing) and as a pdf (for easy printing)
All teaching and printing instructions.
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A simple start of year activity that requires students to write an acrostic poem to describe themselves. This worksheet is very versatile and could be used as a lesson or homework activity in an English or PSHE lesson. It could be used for key stages 2 or 3.
It is included as a pdf for easy printing and as a word document in case you would like to edit it.
For other English, PSHE and Media activities, see my Like An Expert shop.
A fully-resourced engaging English or Drama lesson which explores the narrative of act 1 scene 2 of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Portia’s choice of suitors. It also prompts students to consider the importance of exposition and spacing on stage when performing a play.
This lesson is ready to teach and easily adaptable. It develops both English and Drama skills.
Learning Objective: Explore the Scenario of Portia’s Choice in Act 1 Scene 2.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will consider how spacing and staging can be used to show character and setting.
-Students will understand Portia’s dilemma in act 1 scene 2.
Students will understand the features of a script and will put these into practice by writing their own.
Lesson Outline:
Do it now: Mind-map features of a script
Starter: Thinking about exposition, the students create freeze frames of different scenarios in large groups.
Activity 1: Summary of act 1 scene 2. Drama task where students act as Portia and her suitors.
Activity 2: Modelling of script layout and script-writing task in pairs.
Performances and peer assessment
More Resources for The Merchant of Venice
Click here for a bundle of all the lessons to take you through the play plus a quiz, knowledge organiser and character revision posters.
Freebies:
For character revision posters for your classroom, click here.
For an English/Drama lesson based on Portia’s choice in Act 1 Scene 2, click here.
For a Scheme of Work overview for the unit, click here.
I am grateful for all reviews and feedback. If you found this helpful, have a look at the other resources in my LikeAnExpert shop.
A detailed knowledge organiser and homework menu to support students studying ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ by John Boyne
The knowledge organiser includes:
21 literary terms and their definitions of techniques analysed in the novel such as juxtaposition, foreboding, mondegreen etc…
10 contextual terms and their definitions such as Holocaust, Antisemitism, Aryan Race etc…
10 reading terms and their definitions such as scanning, skimming, synthesis etc…
The homework menu includes:
Four weeks worth of homework: for each week students are able to select the specifics of their task from a menu.
The options include research, informational writing, artistic and creative writing tasks.
This is suitable for any age group studying The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
If you find these resources useful, consider purchasing this ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ Bundle or have a look at other resources available in my shop.
Leave a review and choose any other resource of up to the same value for free from my shop.
A comprehensive and engaging one hour lesson to help students to improve their group discussion skills. This lesson looks at two short examples of discussions and asks students to explicitly label what techniques are being used and how the chairperson is moving the discussion forward. The lesson ends with students completing a short discussion on the topic of ‘which subject should be removed from the timetable?’ They then self-reflect upon this using the success criteria that they created earlier.
This could be used with key stages 3 or 4 to introduce group discussion skills or to revise them.
11 slides in total plus a worksheet.
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An engaging and detailed quiz Powerpoint containing 30 questions and answers to question students on their general knowledge about books - both classic and modern! There are four rounds in total over 41 PowerPoint slides: three question rounds and one round in which students make up their own riddles. This is ideal for World Book Day.
This is aimed at secondary age students both in key stage 3 and key stage 4. There is a range of difficulty of questions covering books from Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Harry Potter to Sophie’s World and Animal Farm. The Powerpoint and is editable so that you can remove and alter questions to suit your students.
The Rounds
Round One: Book titles (these questions have various levels of scaffolding so that there is a range of difficulty).
Round Two: Characters and Settings
Round Three: Book Covers
This lesson works well for Book Day or for an end of term English or form time lesson.
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This fully-resourced, one-hour lesson guides students through independent analysis of Macbeth’s soliloquy (“Is this a dagger…”) in Act 2 Scene 1 of Macbeth. Perfect for fostering critical thinking, this lesson allows students to paraphrase Macbeth’s speech and collaborate in groups to examine Shakespeare’s use of lexical fields, rhetorical questions, and repetition.
This resource includes:
A ready-to-teach PowerPoint with full teacher instructions.
A printable extract of the soliloquy with a detailed glossary for student reference.
Printable group task instructions, also embedded in the PowerPoint.
Learning Objective: Analyse Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 2 Scene 1.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will read and understand act 2 scene 1 and independently paraphrase it and answer questions on it.
Students will work in groups to closely analyse the language in Macbeth’s soliloquy.
Students will compare two different portrayals of this soliloquy.
Lesson Breakdown:
Do it now: ’There’s husbandry in heaven, their candles are all out’ – students explore this quote.
Starter: Read act 2 scene 1 and discuss questions.
Activity 1: Paraphrase the soliloquy in groups whilst watching a performance.
Activity 2: Scaffolded independent analysis task
Plenary: Students watch another performance of the soliloquy. How does this other portrayal of Macbeth compare to the earlier one?
Why Choose This Resource?
Designed for Confidence-Building: Helps students feel secure in their analysis of complex texts.
Ready to Use: Download and start teaching immediately with no prep required.
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