This highly engaging and enjoyable unit of work is designed to help students write creatively with a particular focus on narrative and descriptive writing. It supports students in actively exploring and enjoying both descriptive and narrative texts, looking at excellent and varied models from a range of literature and identifying successful features before moving to composing their own creative responses. It is aimed at a first year Junior Cycle class and may also be a suitable unit for a second year class depending on ability. A well presented 83 slide teaching PPT is included as well as a detailed set of teacher’s notes with suggested approaches and all thirteen classroom resources. Learning outcomes (from Junior Cycle Specification) addressed in this unit include: Writing Demonstrate their understanding that there is a clear purpose for all writing activities and be able to plan, draft, re-draft, and edit their own writing as appropriate. Write for a variety of purposes, for example to imagine, explore, engage, amuse, narrate. Engage with and learn from models of oral and written language use to enrich their own written work Reading Read their texts to understand and appreciate language enrichment by examining an author’s choice of words, the use and effect of simple figurative language, vocabulary and language patterns, and images, as appropriate to the text. I enjoyed teaching this unit and hope you do too.

AQA Step Up to English: Grammar and Punctuation Starters This resource was designed as a series of starters for my Step Up to English group though it is could be used more widely for those requiring support with improving sentences. It focuses on sentences structure and punctuation and provides opportunities for students to apply new skills. It takes a visual approach to teaching simple, compound and complex sentences and provides texts and writing activities which help provide a context rather than the more traditional method of writing out individual sentences. As well as sentence structure, it covers punctuation including use of commas and punctuating direct speech. It perfectly complements Step Up Component 2 units which require narrative or descriptive writing as many of the examples and tasks are fiction based. Included is a 68 slide teaching PPT plus all ten resources in both word and pdf formats as well as a detailed set of teacher’s notes. I hope you enjoy using these starters and that they help your students to improve their grammar and punctuation. More Step Up to English Resources Complete courses and individual teaching units on all component 1 and 2 topics are available. They include teaching PPTs, all student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes and can be found at: RoseandMay TES English Classroom Resources New individual units: AQA Step Up to English: Component 1 STYLE Unit AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 CRIME Unit New Complete Course AQA Step Up to English: Complete Course (Leisure, Crime and Style Units) You may also like: AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Creative Writing Unit

English Teaching Poetry Unit: Seamus Heaney’s 'Digging’ This short unit is designed to introduce and explore Seamus Heaney’s poem ‘Digging’ as well as develop students’ ability to write analytically using a specific, taught paragraph structure. This unit is collaborative in nature with lots of opportunities for paired, group and class discussion. It includes a very nicely presented 30 slide teaching PPT as well as all 12 student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes explaining how you can deliver the unit. Outcomes include an analytical PETAL paragraph which could be extended into a longer essay using the structure provided. I have also included a free self-study professional development unit on teaching poetry. Please note that all resources are provided in pdf format and units on other Heaney poems are available. These include ‘Follower’, ‘Storm on the Island’, ‘Mid-term Break’ and 'An Advancement of Learning. You might also like: William Blake’s ‘London’ Seamus Heaney’s ‘Storm on the Island’ Wilfred Owen’s ‘Exposure’ Ted Hughes’ ‘Hawk Roosting’ Seamus Heaney’s ‘Follower’

AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Exploring Practice Unit This half-termly practice unit is aimed mainly at Gold award candidates however it is also applicable to those doing the Silver award if, like me, you have candidates doing both awards in the same class. It includes a well-presented 48 slide teaching PPT with lots of engaging activities and texts to ensure students develop the skills necessary to complete the assessment tasks for reading and writing. All 14 student resources are included in word and pdf formats as well as a detailed set of teacher’s notes based on my experience of teaching the unit. Please note that the Exploring unit will not be assessed after 2023 therefore this is intended as a practice unit only. Please check current list of NEAs with AQA and note that information, guidance, support and resources are available from AQA. More Step Up to English Resources Complete courses and individual teaching units on all component 1 and 2 topics are available. They include teaching PPTs, all student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes and can be found at: RoseandMay’s TES English Classroom Resources New individual units: AQA Step Up to English: Component 1 STYLE Unit AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 CRIME Unit New Complete Course AQA Step Up to English: Complete Course (Leisure, Crime and Style Units) You may also like: AQA Step Up to English: Grammar and Punctuation Starters AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Creative Writing Unit

Welcome to the world of time travel, alien landings and space exploration! This half-termly unit is built around the Step Up topic of Science Fiction and is designed to prepare students for their AQA Step Up to English Component 2 Creative Reading and Writing assessment. It is aimed primarily at Gold award candidates however it is also applicable to those doing the Silver award if, like me, you have candidates doing both awards in the same class. It is designed to ensure students develop the skills necessary to complete the assessment tasks which include responses to reading and an extended piece of writing. It includes a nicely presented 64 slide teaching PPT with lots of engaging activities and extracts from a range of texts including fiction and non-fiction. All 14 texts and student resources are included as well as a detailed set of teacher’s notes explaining how I have used them. I have included all resources in PPT, Word and PDF formats. Please check current list of NEAs with AQA and note that information, guidance, support and resources are available from AQA.

This highly engaging and carefully designed unit of work is designed to teach some of the key skills required for tacking the AQA Functional Skills Level 2 English exam paper. It is built around the idea of preparing for the world of college or work. There are three sections: Speaking and Listening – preparation for the discussion and presentation task Reading section – exploration of three different non-fiction texts Writing section – covers writing a personal statement and a formal e-mail - culminates in a assessed piece of work This includes a 73 slide teaching PPT as well as a detailed set of detailed teacher’s notes and all 15 resources in both word and pdf formats. Tasks, activities and non-fiction texts are relevant and engaging and ideal preparation for the Level 2 exam. I hope you and your students enjoy the unit.

Have your students got what it takes to survive a plane crash in the mountains or to survive alone in the jungle? This half-termly unit is built around the new Step Up topic of Survival and is designed to prepare students for their AQA Step Up to English Component 2 Creative Reading and Writing assessment. It is aimed primarily at Gold award candidates however many of the tasks are also applicable to those doing the Silver award if, like me, you have candidates doing both awards in the same class. It is designed to ensure students develop the skills necessary to complete the assessment tasks which include responses to reading and an extended piece of writing. It includes a nicely presented 62 slide teaching PPT with lots of engaging activities and extracts from a range of texts including fiction and non-fiction. All 16 texts and student resources are included as well as a detailed set of teacher’s notes explaining how I intend to use them. I have included all resources in editable PPT, Word and PDF formats. Please check current list of NEAs with AQA and note that information, guidance, support and resources are available from AQA. [RoseandMay’s TES English Classroom Resources] (https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/RoseandMay101/) Individual units and sets of units are available here. New individual units: AQA Step Up to English:Component 1 Pets You may also like: AQA Step Up to English: Grammar and Punctuation Starters AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Creative Writing Unit

This half-termly unit of work is designed to help prepare students for the CCEA GCSE English Language Unit 4 Creative writing. The unit focuses specifically on developing narrative writing skills by looking at good and engaging models of texts and identifying successful features before moving to students composing their own creative pieces. I have included a 53 slide teaching PPT plus all eleven resources in both word and pdf formats. This unit is accompanied by a detailed set of teacher’s notes. I hope you and your students enjoy this unit.

** POETRY – Seamus Heaney’s ‘Mid-Term Break’** This unit will enable students to explore Seamus Heaney’s poem ‘Mid-Term Break’ in a creative and engaging way as well as develop their ability to write analytically using a specific, taught paragraph structure. This unit is collaborative in nature with lots of opportunities for paired, group and class discussion. Following work on how to write analytical paragraphs and embed quotes, outcomes include an analytical PETAL paragraph which can be extended into a longer essay using the structure provided. This unit includes a very nicely presented 39 slide teaching PPT as well as all 16 classroom resources for students and a set of detailed teacher’s notes explaining how you can deliver the unit. Please note that all resources are in PDF format. You may also like the following poetry units: William Blake’s ‘London’ Seamus Heaney’s ‘Storm on the Island’ Seamus Heaney’s ‘Digging’ Wilfred Owen’s ‘Exposure’ Ted Hughes’ ‘Hawk Roosting’

This unit of work is designed to help prepare students for Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Language with particular focus on Component 2 or 3 Imaginative writing. It explores descriptive and narrative writing within the context of gothic fiction, looking at good models of texts and exploring successful features before moving to students composing their own creative pieces. This unit is built around the topic of Gothic fiction and is designed to last 6-8 weeks depending on how many lessons you have per week. It is structured in a way that introduces students to excellent style models of gothic fiction and builds writing skills through short-burst writing activities before moving towards extended written responses. The superbly presented 104 slide teaching PPT is included in PPT and PDF format with all 19 resources in PDF. Please contact me on roseandmay2@virginmedia.com if you would like any resource in another format.

AQA Step Up to English: Component 1 STYLE Unit Welcome to the world of fast and fair fashion! This half-termly unit is built around the Step Up topic of Style and is designed to prepare students for their AQA Step Up to English Component 1 Literacy topics assessment. It is aimed mainly at Gold award candidates however it is also applicable to those doing the Silver award if, like me, you have candidates doing both awards in the same class. It is designed to ensure students develop the skills necessary to complete the assessment tasks which include two speaking and listening tasks as well as responses to reading and a longer piece of writing. It includes a nicely presented 50 slide teaching PPT (in editable PPT and PDF formats) with lots of engaging activities and extracts from a range of texts including a fashion blog, a feature article and an instructional piece. All 12 student resources are included in pdf and word formats as well as a detailed set of teacher’s notes explaining how I have used them with my own Step Up classes. Please check current list of NEAs with AQA and note that information, guidance, support and resources are available from AQA. More Step Up to English Resources Complete courses and individual teaching units on all component 1 and 2 topics are available. They include teaching PPTs, all student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes and can be found at: RoseandMay’s TES English Classroom Resources New individual units: AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 CRIME Unit You may also like: AQA Step Up to English: Grammar and Punctuation Starters AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Creative Writing Unit

This scheme of work is intended to be a creative and enjoyable way to explore the novel and is suitable for an able Year 7 or a Year 8 class. I taught it over the course of a term to my Year 7 but it could be condensed into a half-term. It includes preparation for Reading and Writing assessment pieces, (a piece of descriptive writing and a reading response) as well as lots of speaking and listening activities. There are also a number of engaging research/homework activities to which this novel lends itself and some activities which can be done as drama/role-play activities but which don’t require moving desks or classrooms! All resources to accompany the scheme are included. I hope your class enjoy the novel.

OCR English Language GCSE: Writing Imaginatively and Creatively Unit This unit of work is designed to help prepare students for the OCR GCSE English Language with particular focus on Component 2 Section B: Writing Imaginatively and Creatively. This exam requires an original piece of creative writing such as a short story or autobiographical piece – this unit focuses particularly on the skill of narrative writing. It was written for my own higher ability group and explores descriptive and narrative techniques, looking at good models of texts and identifying successful features before students are asked to compose their own creative pieces with a view to achieving deliberate effects. A well-presented 61 slide teaching PPT is included together with all 12 student resources in pdf and word format. These include planning frames, alternative tasks and self assessment resources. You may also like: OCR English Language GCSE: Spoken Language Unit

This unit prepares students for their National 5 Speaking and Listening assessment (presentation task) on a specific topic agreed with their teacher. It guides students through the process by looking at aspects of effective talks such as openings, rhetorical devices, endings, use of cue cards to structure a talk and responding to questions. Strategies include exploring good examples of talks as well opportunities to try out a variety of techniques to help make their own talks lively and engaging. A 41 slide PPT is included as well as all eight resources in both word and pdf formats. I hope you enjoy teaching this unit.

AQA Step Up to English: Creative Writing Tasks This resource consists of a series of titles linked to pictures in the style of AQA’s Step Up to English Paper 2 Section B Creative Writing questions. The images are my own and you are very welcome to use them as practice questions. More Step Up to English Resources Complete courses and individual teaching units on all component 1 and 2 topics are available. They include teaching PPTs, all student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes and can be found at: RoseandMay’s TES English Classroom Resources New individual units: AQA Step Up to English: Component 1 STYLE Unit AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 CRIME Unit New Complete Course AQA Step Up to English: Complete Course (Leisure, Crime and Style Units) You may also like: AQA Step Up to English: Grammar and Punctuation Starters AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Creative Writing Unit

OCR English Language GCSE: Paper 2 Creative Writing tasks This resource is a series of titles in the style of OCR’s English Language GCSE Paper 2 Writing Imaginatively and Creatively questions. The images are my own and you are very welcome to use them as practice questions. More OCR GCSE Resources available OCR English Language GCSE: Writing Imaginatively and Creatively Unit This unit of work is designed to help prepare students for the OCR GCSE English Language with particular focus on Component 2 Section B: Writing Imaginatively and Creatively. A 61 slide teaching PPT is included together with 12 resources in pdf and word format. These include planning frames, alternative tasks and self assessment resources. OCR English Language GCSE: Spoken Language Unit This unit prepares students for the OCR GCSE English Language spoken presentation. The unit guides students through the process by looking at aspects of effective presentations such as openings, rhetorical devices, endings, use of cue cards to structure a talk, delivery and responding to questions.

English Skills: Vivid Verbs, Amazing Adjectives and Adventurous Adverbs This is a highly engaging and enjoyable series of lessons which helps to develop key skills including vivid verbs, amazing adjectives and adventurous adverbs in an interactive way. It can be taught as a weekly or fortnightly skills lesson to a Year 6 or Year 7 group and culminates in a piece of descriptive writing. I have used it this term with my lower ability Year 7 group and had some lovely writing from them. A teaching PPT and accompanying resources are included. You may also like: ENGLISH SKILLS: Improving Grammar and Punctuation- Starter lessons English Key Stage 3: Creative Writing Unit for Years 7-8