Double-sided worksheet containing a simplified version of the first chapter of Candide - suitable for reading comprehension/literary text question practice with GCSE. Vocab and tasks included on the sheet, so that students have a variety of ways in which to interpret the text. The PPT serves just to give a little context as to the life of Voltaire, and some comprehension tips to leave on screen while students work. (While much of the first part of the chapter has been simplified and abridged, the latter end of the chapter contains more examples of the passé simple as an additional challenge.)

Somewhere between utterly whimsical and a low-rent version of the BBC Radio 4 In Our Time programme, “Cultural canapés” are my attempt at introducing some topics of interest to my tutor group during morning registration. My tutor group are sixth form, so the topics may admittedly be a little challenging for younger students; there is however nothing salacious! Each QR code is a link to an article or video for further study, which could be useful if you want to make this a bigger feature for your tutor group in the mornings. NB: My school is in Somerset, so some minor adjustments to local topics (e.g. discussion of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex) may be needed for your setting. I aim to produce around 300 canapés in total (I don’t see my tutor group every day but they are vertical so I need a two-year cycle), so this is the first batch of 50. Please feel free to review, shout out and suggest new topics on Twitter: @MonsieurDisney