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.
A detailed and engaging homework menu to be used alongside a horror writing unit. This menu structures homework tasks, but also gives students creative freedom to pursue their own interests.
I tend to set one homework per fortnight to ensure that students have sufficient time to produce something of high quality. The deadlines can be set by the teacher to allow more or less time for certain tasks. This has worked exceptionally well with my classes who produced some outstanding homework.
All the tasks require student to synthesise the information they’ve researched to present it in a new way. Students of all abilities are able to access this homework and are still challenged by it.
It is provided as a pdf for easy printing.
Please have a look at some of the other resources in my LikeAnExpert shop.
A detailed and comprehensive knowledge organiser/revision mat for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (play by Simon Stephens) for Edexcel English Literature IGCSE 4ET1. This comprises two A3 pages of information.
This knowledge organiser contains the following sections:
Literary terms
Contextual terms
Themes
Structural terms
Theatrical terms
I have included it in colour and black and white as a Powerpoint (for easy editing) and a PDF (for easy printing).
If you find this resource helpful, please leave a review and have a look at other resources available in my shop.
A detailed 100 question quiz for GCSE/IGCSE Of Mice and Men revision with all answers included. The quiz includes the following rounds (round one is available for free):
1. Context (free)
2. Setting, Structure and Symbols
3. Literary Devices
4. Descriptions - Name the Character
5. Animals
6. Character Names and First Lines
7. George and Lennie
8. Chapter One
9. Chapter Two
10. Chapter Three
11. Chapter Four
12. Chapters Five and Six
I have an Of Mice and Men resources bundle available here. . I have a whole range of Of Mice and Men revision resources available in the shop and a range of revision videos on my YouTube channel (this is linked to in my shop).
Leave a review and choose any other resource, of up to the same value, for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.
Two engaging and ready to teach lessons to introduce students to context to prepare them to study the main themes in ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ by John Boyne.
Lesson overviews, printing instructions and worksheets are all included.
This resource includes a Powerpoint presentation for 2 one-hour lessons (although in the past I have spread this over more lessons if required). For research, students can either use devices to access the Internet, but if this is not available I have included a pdf document which includes 16 sources that students can use for their research in class.
The topics included in this lesson are:
Auschwitz
The Jewish ghettos
The Final Solution
Hitler and anti-Semitism
The night of broken glass
LESSON ONE Learning Objective: Identify strong sources of information to complete research about the Holocaust.
Learning Outcomes:
Bronze: Identify a reliable source of information about my topic.
Silver: Write down my research in my own words.
Gold: Find multiple reliable sources of information.
Teaching activities:
Do it now: Students complete first column of KWL grid about the Holocaust
Starter: Think, pair, share: discussion of what makes a reliable source.
Activity 1: How do we take effective notes?
Activity 2: Research and completing scaffolding notes sheet.
Peer assessment
Plenary: Students complete the L section of their KWL grid.
LESSON TWO Learning Objective: Identify the most important points in your research and present these to your classmates.
Learning Outcomes:
Bronze: Identify the key vocabulary in the research I have completed.
Silver: Take brief and clear notes on other topics of information.
Gold: Make links between different knowledge and ideas.
Teaching activities:
Do it now: Recall – what are reliable and unreliable sources of information?
Starter: Review and summarise your research from last lesson.
Activity 1: Use your research to create an informative poster with only 10 words on it.
Activity 2: Carousel activity for students to share their information with each other.
Plenary: Highlight the three most important facts that you learned this lesson.
More Freebies:
A lesson on chapter 1 of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is available for free here.
A scheme of work for teaching the entire novel is available for free here.
If you find this lesson useful, please consider purchasing this ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ Bundle or have a look at other resources available in my shop.
A detailed homework/online learning resource for students to learn about the context of Of Mice and Men. Students work through four sources (videos and articles) and then answer questions on them. The answers are provided as a separate PDF.
The four contextual topics covered are:
John Steinbeck
The Great Depression
Racism
The American Dream
I have an Of Mice and Men resources bundle available here. . I have a whole range of Of Mice and Men revision resources available in the shop and a range of revision videos on my YouTube channel (this is linked to in my shop).
Leave a review and choose any other resource, of up to the same value, for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.
One academic year’s worth of Word Root of the Week slides (36 weeks) for displaying in during assembly and/or form times. These are very effective for normalising the breaking down of words into their component parts and digging deeper into how they affect the word’s meaning.
Each slide displays the definition of the word root followed by three examples of words containing it which are broken down into their component parts.
These words correspond with this free Excel file which provides a yearly plan with 36 word roots and example words.
For more Word Root of the Week resources, have a look at this bundle.
Leave a review and choose any other resource for free, of up to the same value, from the LikeAnExpert shop.
A detailed and engaging one hour lesson to support students in their analysis of the theme of truth and lies in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (play by Simon Stephens) for Edexcel English Literature IGCSE 4ET1. This lesson is best used towards the start of the teaching unit and then referred back to as you work through the play.
This resource contains a ready-to-teach Powerpoint with all teacher and printing instructions included.
If you find this resource helpful, please leave a review and have a look at other resources available in my shop.
This bundle contains everything you need to introduce students to CIE 0500 IGCSE English Language for papers 1 and 2. These resources work well both to introduce students to the syllabus and also as revision material before the exams. It includes 12 lessons, 2 practice exams, marking templates, a scheme of work overview and a knowledge organiser.
This bundle contains:
A detailed knowledge organiser to support students in approaching language paper 1.
An original practice paper 1 and 2.
Marking templates for marking practice papers for language paper 1.
An overview lesson on what students can expect from language paper 1.
A detailed and engaging lesson teaching students how to approach the comprehension questions in language paper 1: Q1(a)-(e).
A detailed and engaging lesson teaching students how to approach the 15 mark summary question for paper 1.
Two detailed lessons teaching students how to approach Language paper 1 Q2 (analysis questions).
A lesson to support students with Language Paper 1 Q3.
A lesson giving a detailed overview of language paper 2.
A lesson on how to approach the directed writing question.
Two lessons on how to approach the descriptive writing task.
Two lessons on how to approach the narrative writing task.
A scheme of work overview for this unit with suggested teaching order.
Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.
Engaging and ready to teach one hour lesson to cover chapter two of ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ by John Boyne. This lesson introduces the key words juxtaposition and foreboding. Students then look at three quotes and consider the techniques and effects used in them before writing a scaffolded PETER paragraph about the chapter.
This resource includes a ready-to-teach lesson and a printable scaffolding worksheet.
Learning Objective: Write a PETER paragraph about the impression of Bruno’s new house.
Learning Outcomes:
Bronze: Write a paragraph using the PETER structure.
Silver: Explain the effect of the quote in detail.
Gold: Make links between different parts of the text.
Lesson Outline:
Do It Now: Students try to work out the meaning of the two key words of today’s lesson.
Starter: Students read the chapter and write down any quotes that give a foreboding impression
Activity one: Think – pair- share discussion of the literary techniques used and the effects.
Activity two: Students use PETER paragraph outline to write an analytical paragraph.
Peer assessment
Plenary: What do you think made Bruno feel “cold and unsafe” in the new house?
Freebies:
Two pre-reading lessons to introduce students to the context of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is available for free here.
A lesson on chapter 1 of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is available for free here.
A scheme of work for teaching the entire novel is available for free here.
If you find this lesson useful, please 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 detailed 10 page revision guide focusing on how loneliness is presented in Of Mice and Men: this includes a step-by-step guide to writing a grade 9 essay on loneliness for students studying IGCSE English Literature.
This contents of this revision guide are:
What does the mark scheme say?
Context: loneliness in 1930s America
George and Lennie
Candy
Crooks
Curly’s Wife
Other symbols of loneliness
Revision tips and tricks
I have an Of Mice and Men resources bundle available here. . I have a whole range of Of Mice and Men revision resources available in the shop and a range of revision videos on my YouTube channel (this is linked to in my shop).
Leave a review and choose any other resource, of up to the same value, for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.
A detailed and engaging one hour lesson to support students in their analysis of Judy in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (play by Simon Stephens) for Edexcel English Literature IGCSE 4ET1… This lesson supports students to annotate and analyse the flashback scene to understand who Judy is.
This resource contains a ready-to-teach Powerpoint with all teacher and printing instructions included.
If you find this resource helpful, please leave a review and have a look at other resources available in my shop.
A clear and ready-to-teach lesson on CIE 0500 Language Paper 1 Questions 1(a)-(e) which assess explicit and implicit meanings and comprehension skills. In this resource is an original exam script with Text A for questions 1(a)-(e) as well as answers with explanations adapted from the mark scheme.
Text A and the questions are included as a pdf for easy printing or as a word doc in case you wish to amend the layout (although the layout is based on the exam).
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.
Learning Objective: Understand how to approach Q1(a)-(e) of language paper 1.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will practise answering question 1.
Through marking and discussing their answers, students will leave with a personalised goal of how to gain more marks for this section.
Lesson Outline:
Do it now: One minute challenge – how many reading skills can you name?
Starter: Explanation of what Q1(a)-(e) is assessing.
Main task: Students complete a practice assessment by reading Text A and completing questions 1(a)-(e)
Consolidation: Teacher goes through answers and troubleshoots any issues that arise. Hints and tips for gaining marks are given throughout.
Plenary: Class discussion – what have you learned about how to approach question 1(a)-(e). Students create a personalised target.
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. **
This bundle contains whole-school resources to promote literacy within your school. In includes:
A whole-school CPD presentation on explicit vocabulary instruction.
A whole-school CPD presentation on reading strategies.
An Excel yearly plan outlining which word root should be taught each week of the school year.
Assembly/homeroom slides or bulletin board posters for each of the 36 word roots. These are a great resource for displaying in assemblies or at the start of lessons to embed vocabulary.
36 lesson starters to explicitly teach and embed the understanding of each word root.
If you have any questions about how to use these, please don’t hesitate to email likeanexpertresources@gmail.com.
Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.
Engaging and ready to teach one hour lesson to cover chapter four of ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ by John Boyne. This lesson begins with a reminder of key words and techniques in the book so far. It moves onto a silent debate about statements about the Holocaust - I have used this activity a number of times and it creates a very powerful atmosphere in the classroom.
Students are then guided towards independently analysing an extract with guiding questions provided.
Learning Objective: Independently analyse an extract from the text.
Learning Outcomes:
Bronze: Independently identify literary techniques in the novel.
Silver: Explain in detail the effect on the reader.
Gold: Consider how there might be different interpretations of the novel.
Lesson Outline:
Do It Now: Key words reminder - match the word to the definition
Starter: Silent debate and gallery
Activity 1: Class reading
Activity 2: Independent analysis
Discuss students’ answers as a class
Plenary: What do you predict will happen next?
Freebies:
Two pre-reading lessons to introduce students to the context of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is available for free here.
A lesson on chapter 1 of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is available for free here.
A scheme of work for teaching the entire novel is available for free here.
If you find this lesson useful, please 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.
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.
Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.
Engaging and ready to teach one hour lesson to cover chapter nine of ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ by John Boyne. This lesson helps students to consider how the Nazis used propaganda in education to influence the population - and apply this to the character of Herr Liszt. Students then consider which subject they would add to the curriculum and propose their reasons in detail.
Learning Objective: Analyse how school curriculums were used as propaganda during the Holocaust.
Learning Outcomes:
Bronze: Add a new subject to the curriculum and explain why in detail.
Silver: Use persuasive techniques to convince your classmates.
Gold: Predict the long-term effect of adding your subject to the curriculum.
Lesson Outline:
Do It Now: Look at anti-Semitic propaganda. How would people have reacted to it?
Starter: Introduction to education in Nazi Germany
Activity 1: Read chapter 9 and pay attention to how Herr Liszt is introduced.
Activity 2: Design a new curriculum – students make a poster to propose that a new subject be added to the curriculum and give supporting reasons.
Student carousel and feedback
Plenary: What would the long term effect be of adding your subject to the school curriculum? In 5 years, 20 years, 100 years?
Freebies:
Two pre-reading lessons to introduce students to the context of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is available for free here.
A lesson on chapter 1 of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is available for free here.
A scheme of work for teaching the entire novel is available for free here.
If you find this lesson useful, please 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.
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.
Leave a review and get any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.
Engaging and ready to teach one hour lesson to cover chapter seven of ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ by John Boyne. This lesson helps students to consider the changing identity of Pavel. Students are prompted to think about how Pavel is directly and indirectly characterised and then write a diary entry from Pavel’s perspective. Students will need to synthesise information for this task - adapting what they know from the text to their diary format. This lesson also promotes empathy by supporting students to think from Pavel’s perspective.
Learning Objective: Write a personal response in character as Pavel.
Learning Outcomes:
Bronze: Write a diary entry as Pavel reflecting upon your life before and your life now.
Silver: Explain clearly how your identity has changed.
Gold: Creatively describe details from your life before ‘Out-With’
Lesson Overview:
Do It Now: Students infer what they can work out about the man in the picture? Introduce the idea of appearances being deceptive.
Starter: Read chapter 7 and create a mind-map about Pavel
Activity 1: Think-pair-share discussion about a quote which shows Pavel’s changing identity.
Activity 2: Students write diary entry (example sentence starters given).
Peer assessment
Plenary: Read and discuss diary entries
Freebies:
Two pre-reading lessons to introduce students to the context of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is available for free here.
A lesson on chapter 1 of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is available for free here.
A scheme of work for teaching the entire novel is available for free here.
If you find this lesson useful, please 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.
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.
Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.
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.
Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.