These resources span my career; from my period of teaching unqualified, through to an AST of English & Director of Teaching & Learning. Although my specialism is English, I have taught GCSE Citzienship, Language and Lit, Media Studies, Maths & History. I have also taught all of those at Key Stage 3, so there is an eclectic mix here. As the main trainer in my previous school, I have uploaded many insets and training session powerpoints too.
These resources span my career; from my period of teaching unqualified, through to an AST of English & Director of Teaching & Learning. Although my specialism is English, I have taught GCSE Citzienship, Language and Lit, Media Studies, Maths & History. I have also taught all of those at Key Stage 3, so there is an eclectic mix here. As the main trainer in my previous school, I have uploaded many insets and training session powerpoints too.
By using the AQA and Edexcel criteria, I’ve created reading and writing grids for assessment in KS3 based on 1-9. These grids are what’s being used to help drive progress in this unit of work. The grids for the Literature style question are included with these lessons.
This unit is designed for KS3 pupils to get them used to how to tackle the exam style questions, so the outcome is an AQA Literature style question.
These lessons are not about the teaching of the text. They are specifically about how to analyse language and structure; how to critically evaluate; how to write about social historical context and how to put all of these elements in an essay style answer under timed conditions.
Each lesson is full of models that address all components of the mark scheme. There are a variety of activities within lessons, lots of cooperative learning etc.
Each lesson is designed to last 1 hour - but many took longer to deliver so you can easily make these span 15 lessons… at least 3 weeks of planning covered for you!
For these lessons, I have created a mock up of a Paper 2 for Edexcel with its own mark scheme. The question stems and marking criteria follow those provided by the board in their SAMs. Therefore, this is a potential set of Sample Style Assessment Materials that have not been seen anywhere else. The lessons are then based on these SAMs - showing pupils, lesson by lesson how to tackle each style of question.
The lessons all include activities that allow pupils to revise the techniques and then to tackle a question. Lots of cooperative learning is included with clear reference to the exam criteria at all times.
These lessons target Level 3 and above (old bands) - you may need to differentiate according to the needs of your class but there are plenty of extension activities for pupils.
The Lesson Objectives are:
Lesson 1: To know how to begin to tackle the Edexcel Language paper.
Lesson 2: To learn how to tackle Question 3 on Paper 2
Lesson 3: To use prior learning to tackle 3 exam questions!
Lesson 4: To know how to evaluate a text and attempt an evaluation style question.
Lesson 5: To be able to effectively critically evaluate a text.
Lesson 6: To learn how to compare texts effectively.
These are 3 complete lessons that deconstruct the ingredients, tone and structure of book reviews and show pupils how to write one. This little unit of work cumulates in pupils writing their own review. There is a strong emphasis on redrafting and proofing work, too.
Lesson 1: To analyse the style and format of a successful review, so that I am able to use this information to prepare my own.
Lesson 2: To be able to decipher information that will inform, interest and explain to a reader.
Lesson 3: To build on prior work by redrafting and improving it, so that it meets the conventions of a genre.
This training PowerPoint covers the research, and highlights the issues, with boys studying English. It looks at some of the issues and there are practical suggestions as to how to combat some of the barriers that boys may have when succeeding in English.
There are 72 slides in total.
The training aims are:
To dispel some of the myths about why Boys underachieve in English.
To consider the evidence from various Education “experts” about what does work.
To be introduced to some strategies that have been proven to improve boy’s literacy, engagement and achievement in English.
This is a completely original, never seen before resource, as it has been created by myself. I have used the GCSE criteria from both AQA and Edexcel to create a 1-9 style APP grid to help pupils to see what they need to do at each grade band in order to meet the criteria for each assessment objective for the new style GCSE paper 1, pre 1914 task.
The bandings are based on where the skills would fall on old A*-C but ramped up for vigour, using the new terminology. You'll see when you look at the sheet.
The question is styled on an AQA style question and is original - not the current AQA SAMs that are out there - so this gives you something new to work with.
Not only that, the lesson then teaches students HOW to write an answer to a question that focusses on language and structure, naming the techniques.
If you're struggling to teach the new GCSEs, the format of this lesson and the resources with it, will really help you!
The whole resource is the assessment, marking sheet, full lesson and all of the lesson resources.
The next lesson will be to give pupils their books back and get them to attempt to continue marking - after you have marked their work!
Watch them make progress!
This is a full unit of reading lessons that are based on the KS2/3 Glossary for the new national curriculum. The premise of each lesson is that a child's independent reading time is structured around revision of key grammar terminology from the glossary.
The unit starts with a taught lesson about engaging with reading and why reading is like a journey.
Lesson 2 then introduces the idea of engaging with reading and reading for pleasure.
Lesson 3 introduces the term 'connotations', explaining what it means and, as children read independently through the lesson, with a book of their choice, they record three key words that have strong connotations and explain the effect of these in their reading journal.
Lesson 4 introduces / revises nouns and follows the same pattern.
Lesson 5 does the same with adjectives
Lesson 6 with word families.
Lesson 7 is a lesson that allows pupils to take one of the topics and teach the other members of the class all about that topic.
Each lesson has literacy, numeracy, cooperative learning and a large focus on independent reading time in it.
There is a teacher record sheet for every pupil for each teacher to record what pupils are reading in every lesson and for teachers to make notes of reading conversations that they have been holding with pupils.
There is also a full scheme of work overview that ties into the new national curriculum.
Every lesson has specific steps and could be delivered as a cover lesson very easily!
This is a full unit of work, designed to use after students have sat the PPE / Mock exam that Cambridge provide free of charge on their website (although I have uploaded it with the lessons for ease). This exemplar exam is produced for the new 2015 / 2016 specification and uses the new format for the core paper. Cambridge have produced it to support schools using their exam this year. These lessons are completely new resources; produced entirely by me and not available anywhere else to purchase.
The idea of the scheme is that you give the exam to the students, let the pupils sit it and then don't mark it but actually go through it with the students and teach them how it would be marked and how they should have approached it - a little bit like a 'walking talking mock style' but after the fact. "This is what you should have done".
By teaching these 5 lessons you help them to understand why they receive the marks that they will and what they could have done to improve. The lessons are designed to boost pupils up to band 1, regardless of where the starting point may have been and should demonstrate ample progress and reflection time for students.
Each lesson is a self contained powerpoint with the resources attached at the end of it, so that they can be printed out easily.
lesson 1 starts with questions 1a to 1c and recaps vocabulary with cooperative learning techniques and a competition; helping to boost pupils understanding in preparation for lesson 2 and 3.
Lesson 2 covers the techniques and ways to tackle 1c to 1f. There are pictures of student answers for students to mark and explain why the students did or did not get full marks.
lesson 3 is dedicated to the tricky 1g and explains how pupils should tackle it, using the mark scheme explicitly and example answers.
Lesson 4 tackles question 2, explaining how students should avoid the pitfalls that they sometimes fall into.
Lesson 5 goes over the simplest way that pupils should have tackled question 3 and asks them to reflect on all that they have learnt in the week then to write to the teacher with how they could improve now and what they still need to learn.
Each lesson allows pupils the opportunity of a 'redo'; with the scaffolding of the mark scheme and their original answer in front of them - hence the demonstration of progress.
These are completely original resources that are based on the Cambridge iGCSE (Language Certificate) specification and use the format of the new style exam (Summer 2015) and question stems of the exam with the mark scheme for the Core paper. The text that is used is taken from the Edexcel anthology, so they will not be something that you have been using before or that you have ever taught pupils before.
All resources are included with each lesson and hyperlinks are embedded within the images in the lesson.
Each lesson is a full self contained lesson designed to be taught over a one hour period.
The lessons teach pupils how to tackle the exam using various different methodical practice that includes:
using highlighters, planning and linking ideas for structure, as well as how to read a text when the language may not be known to the pupils.
Lesson 1 covers Question 1a and b, as well as a team activity that helps the pupils, with cooperative learning, to tackle the meaning of the challenging words in the text. It is interactive and team based - a new approach to revising for exams?
Lesson 2 covers 1c to 1f and allows the pupils time to answer the questions after a short tutorial from the teacher on how to tackle them.
Lesson 3 actually uses a past paper from Cambridge to demonstrate how to tackle the stumbling block of 1g that pupils always struggle with
Lesson 4 Moves onto question 2 and returns to the original text from the edexcel anthology, showing pupils how to break down what the question requires and then how to plan their answer.
Lesson 5 Revises writing techniques with an online clip and a class activity and then allows writing time for pupils so that they can practise question 2 and it can be marked and improved in the next lesson.
Lesson 6 - uses the WIN sheet from the assessment and the Literacy marking code (also uploaded) to enable pupils to improve their own work and enhance their own performance after your input. Their progress in question 2 should really improve after this lesson.
Lesson 7 - Breaks down for pupils how they should tackle question 3a and allows them to have a go at it.
Lesson 8 - Then allows pupils to tackle 3b and demonstrates a way to tackle it based on their work in 3a.
After this unit of work, the next step would be to allow pupils to carry out a Mock / PPE and see what progress they have made / do make on their own.
These Lesson PowerPoints have been adapted from resources that have already been shared by the TES community.
These two lessons form part of the Transition Unit that the teachers across Tameside LA are sharing with each other for the benefit of the pupils moving from year 6 to 7.
These lessons are a sample of those being used on the "transition taster" lessons when pupils go to the secondary schools for their experience days.
This is the primary part of the Tameside Local Authority Transition Unit that has been designed by an outstanding Literacy Lead, Year 6 teacher. She has kindly shared this with all of the primary schools in Tameside and, as an authority, we are now creating a KS3 unit that all of our secondaries will be using to baseline pupils in reading and writing. The theme is Treasure Island and both units will use this as the stimulus. By the end of this unit, pupils will create two pieces of writing and one piece of reading comprehension that will be sent to their secondary school to their English teacher.
The Key Stage 3 unit has now been uploaded and can be found here: https://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/primary-to-secondary-transition-unit-treasure-island-part-2-11071733
This is a full day session that I have put together aimed at D/C borderline students to help them to get top of Band 3 answers in the AQA Language exam. I was teaching a class of Pupil Premium boys, so the sessions are chunked, repetitive and feature really clear structures and methods to help the boys to see the clarity of how to tackle the paper with competitions and cooperative learning to boot!
This is a full lesson to help pupils studying for the AQA foundation Language paper to improve their technique on the shorter writing task:
L.O. To learn steps to success for the writing tasks, in the exam.
To be able to use vocabulary effectively.
LO: To deliberately use writing techniques to improve the effect of my writing.
Success Criteria:
By the end of the lesson, I will be able to provide examples of different types of words or techniques and use them in accurate sentences to write about an image.
This is a full lesson PP on the presentational devices and language choices of newspapers - with a grammar starter to being. LOs:To investigate the presentational and language features of newspaper articles.
To explore how language choices create a particular impression.
This is another one of the schemes of work created for year 9 that introduces the art of speaking and listening and breaks it down against the AQA criteria - so preparing pupils for when they start to be assessed in year 10.
