This 23-slide lesson explores Philip Larkin’s poem, ‘The Mower’. The lesson considers how the hedgehog in the poem - as well as the speaker’s reaction to what he has done to it - functions symbolically and metaphorically. Close attention is paid to Larkin’s language, structure, form, and rhythm, while the poem’s message is deconstructed in light of the elegy’s suspiciously neat conclusion. Larkin’s poetic and literary influences are also explored with regard to the poem’s genre and imagery. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included. An essay question is also featured for students. This resource includes a copy of the poem. The lesson is ideal for analysing this poem as an ‘unseen’ text at GCSE, but could also work with KS3 or A level groups. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 20-slide lesson offers a comprehensive introduction to print journalism. In this lesson, students reflect on the trustworthiness of the news and their engagement with it. They learn what ‘journalism’ means and explore its different written forms, thinking about how it has adapted and evolved in the modern world. Students learn how to write journalistically, thinking about style, layout, and form. We consider the role of the ‘front page’ and analyse some examples, learning about the specialised vocabulary for describing different aspects of front pages. Students learn about the main printed newspapers of the UK - noting differences between broadsheet and tabloid - and we reflect on the angles, agendas, and demographics to which each newspaper is adhering. Students are also encouraged to reflect on their engagement with international news, and we ask important questions about what makes us ‘interested’ in a journalistic story. We also ask whether there is a place for printed journalism in the modern world, and if we are experiencing the ‘death of print’. The lesson ends with a research task for students to look up and define key journalistic terms. This is an ideal lesson for introducing students aged 10+ to print journalism. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

A superb extract from Patrick Marber’s ‘After Miss Julie’, perfect for analysis as an ‘unseen’ text for Section A of AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing A level paper. Extract is attached with PowerPoint featuring questions for students to consider/discuss/answer and an exemplar INTRODUCTION to an essay response. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 23-slide lesson explores W.H. Auden’s ‘Funeral Blues’. The lesson begins with questions for students about the poem’s title and information about the poem’s history (including how it’s now so famous from ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’). Students then read the poem (a glossary of key terms is provided) and discuss their first impressions. The poem is summarised and explained generally before the lesson moves into detailed questions about the poem: its speaker, its tone, its language, its imagery, its ending, and its message. Notes are given about the poem’s key tensions, as well as form, structure and rhyme. Key themes are listed, and there is a list of sophisticated vocabulary to allow students to conduct precise and high-level analysis. There is an image-based task for students to match pictures to the poem. There are questions provided throughout, including comprehension and though-provoking questions at the end. An example of an essay question (particularly relevant to the Cambridge IGCSE) is also included. PowerPoint is attached as a PDF and in its original format. The PDF is recommended if you wish to retain the fonts, layout, and design.

A PowerPoint all about the importance of names in Dickens’ ‘Hard Times’. Ideal for those studying the novel for AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing A level course.

A worksheet which presents students with visual stimuli to prompt critical thinking about the key themes and imagery in Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’. Students annotate the worksheet with their knowledge of the theme; they may wish to write down key quotes, important ideas, or significant plotpoints/staves of the novella which apply to each image. It’s up to you how you use this versatile resource. This is an ideal starter or revision activity for studying the text.

Poster explaining the concept of pathetic fallacy in a fun visual way. Perfect for your classroom or corridor display!

Three colourful posters designed by Mr_Gradgrind on ‘The Jungle Book’, ‘Holes’ and ‘Watership Down’. Great for your classroom or corridor displays.

The perfect lesson for teaching students how to punctuate speech/dialogue. Aimed at KS3 students, but could easily be used or adapted at KS4.

A worksheet for students to use for making notes on the key characters in ‘An Inspector Calls’.

A series of posters designed to help students to understand word classes. Included: Nouns, Adjectives, Verbs and Adverbs (with examples). Designed by Mr_Gradgrind to help support SEN students but equally useful for promoting whole-school literacy. Four posters included.

Portrait and landscape posters featuring a quote from J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ series: “Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic”. Perfect for classroom and corridor displays, and promoting literacy across the school.

A wordsearch designed to support the study of Stevenson’s ‘Jekyll and Hyde’.

A great lesson activity or homework task designed to test and consolidate students’ understanding of homophones. This is a fun visual activity with an element of critical thinking/problem solving involved. Ideal for KS2 or KS3.

A great lesson activity or homework task designed to test and consolidate students’ understanding of proper nouns and common nouns. 15 questions included. Ideal for KS2 or KS3.

A great double-sided lesson worksheet or homework task designed to consolidate students’ understanding of apostrophes (denoting both contraction and possession). Ideal for UKS2 as well as KS3.

An A4 landscape poster all about similes - perfect for your classroom or corridor display. Useful for helping students remember key linguistic vocabulary.

Six posters featuring key elements of different genres. Genres included are comedy, tragedy, crime, gothic, fantasy and science fiction. Perfect for classroom display and accompanying teaching of genre.

A lesson (or two) designed to introduce pupils to Section B of AQA English Language Paper 1, where they are required to produce a piece of creative writing worth 40 marks. This PowerPoint (and accompanying worksheet) aims to break down the demands of the question into manageable chunks for pupils who may find extended writing challenging. By the end of the lesson/s, pupils will write their own short piece of writing based on an image, as per the exam question. This may be particularly useful for SEN groups and support classes.