This engaging and interesting lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of one of the key characters in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth: Macduff. In particular, they learn to make insightful interpretations about the character, and are enabled to to infer and deduce Macduff’s key characteristics from his involvement at particular moments in the play, in addition to considering how Shakespeare deploys Macduff as a fitting hero to face Macbeth’s tyranny. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be visual and interactive learners. It follows this learning journey: Inferring key information about the character of Macduff from events in the text; Identifying and ordering the key events in the text in which Macduff is involved; Understanding his role in the downfall of Macbeth; Understanding his character in relation to historical context, considering Shakespeare’s intentions through the character; Analysing Shakespeare’s development of Macduff as a key character throughout the text; Evaluating the learning in the lesson. Included in this resource pack are: A well-presented, thorough, and informative, whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; Resources for the card sorting sequencing activity, detailing Macduff’s numerous actions throughout the play; A Macbeth vs Macduff worksheet, to enable students to understand Macduff’s heroic characteristics; A template to help scaffold the main task, complete with P.E.E instructions; A comprehensive teacher guidance form/lesson plan to assist delivery. All images in this resource are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson presentation.

These colourful, comprehensive, and well-structured revision cards have been creatively designed for students securing their understanding of Arthur Miller’s play 'A View from the Bridge.’ Each card is visually-appealing and highly-detailed, covering aspects of each feature including a full summary, cited quotations from the play, definitions/ examples, and a consideration of audience reactions. They are tried and tested, with teachers incorporating them in revision games, using them as essay writing aids, or utilising them as home revision aids. They are provided as both PDFs (to prevent formatting issues between computers) and as Word documents (for easy editing). The revision cards included in this pack are: Characters - Eddie, Beatrice, Catherine, Rodolpho, Marco, and Alfieri. Context - Arthur Miller, Italian Immigration, Omerta; Devices - Dramatic Irony, Stage Directions, Dramatic Tension; Scenes - Alfieri’s Prologue, Chair-Lifting Scene, The Tragic Ending; Themes - Community Law, Irrationality, Masculinity. For any questions or comments, please contact TandLGuru@yahoo.co.uk - Many thanks!

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for children learning about William Shakespeare, particularly those completing a history study of ‘Significant Individuals.’ It contains comprehensive sections entitled: Overview; Times in His Life; Important Vocabulary; William Shakespeare Timeline; Answers to the Important Questions; Top Ten Facts. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through a reading of the opening chapter of Eva Ibbotson’s ‘The Abominables.’ The resource pack includes the extract and all of the activities for the session, which the class are guided through via a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The session is best suited for children in KS2. I originally used this with Year 4-5 children, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups. The session is also suitable for home/ remote learning.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills whilst developing their understanding of kennings poems. The pack includes 4 original kennings poems (about the Moon, rivers, rocks and the internet). Please note that these kennings employ the correct meaning of a ‘compound (often figurative) in place of a more concrete single-word noun’ - therefore not necessarily two words per line. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s VIPERS skills: vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval, sequencing and summarising. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The extract needed is provided in both PDF and Word format. The session is best suited for children across KS2, I have previously used the resources with years 3, 4, and 5.

This 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Benjamin Zephaniah’s poem 'The British.’ Teachers have found the activities particularly useful throughout teaching, or for revision or guided reading sessions. Students have found these resources extremely engaging, and it is clearly highlighted within each task regarding which assessment strands the task is designed to demonstrate. It is provided in both Word (to allow for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure for consistency of formatting between computers). Activities within the booklet include (amongst many others): ‘Analysing Context’ - helping students to ‘Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.’ ‘Analysing Subject Matter, Language and Structure’ - to help students to ‘Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.’ ‘Diary Entry’ - to help students to ‘Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation. Make an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ ‘The Speaker’ - to help students to ‘Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.’

This engaging, in-depth lesson enables students to understand how Shakespeare uses a range of dramatic devices for effect within ‘Much Ado about Nothing.’ In particular, the lesson focuses upon the dramatic irony and tension used to build the themes of confusion and deception. A close analysis of Act II Scene I: The Masquerade Ball, is included, to exemplify the impact of the dramatic devices upon Shakespearean audiences. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which students learn through: - Defining and exemplifying the key dramatic devices; - Relating key dramatic devices to the themes of confusion and deception; - Reading and comprehending the predominant plot events in Act II Scene I. - Completing an essay style response in which they consider how dramatic devices help to create Shakespeare's intended effects upon audiences. - Peer assessing each other's learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and detailed - just download and teach from it! - Cards for card-sorting activity; - Confusion and Deception worksheet (and teacher answer sheet); - Act II Scene I analysis sheet - Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Comprehensive lesson plan.

This stimulating and thought-provoking lesson enables students to create playscript texts containing appropriate and accurate structures, using rules and knowledge to accurately organise their ideas. In particular, students learn how key features such as character lists, stage directions, act/scene labelling, and character speech referencing enable playwrights to create clear and authentic playscripts. The lesson follows a clear, logical, bite-size learning journey, which guides students towards differentiated learning objectives. Over the course of this journey, they become able to: - Define and exemplify the key structural devices of playscripts; - Identify the key features within an extract of an existing playscript, commenting upon organisation; - Gaining an in-depth understanding of the application of some of the more complicated structural features; - Completing short, fun, application tasks to check their understanding; - Write their own playscripts, with accurate structures; - Self/Peer assess their playscript attempts. This resource pack includes: - A visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - An engaging and appropriate Frankenstein extract; - An logical, informative checklist, that enables students to understand how to apply structural features; - A clear and helpful template; - A detailed lesson plan, complete with what the teacher and students should aim to achieve at each stage of the lesson. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the PowerPoint.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Philip Pullman’s ‘Northern Lights.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the KS3 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children have found these resources extremely engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that children gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: ‘Context: Religion’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know the purpose, audience and context of the writing and drawing on this knowledge to support comprehension.’ ‘Pullman’s Description’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, present meaning.’ ‘Lyra’s Character Profile’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Study setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these.’ ‘Vocabulary Inspector’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Learn new vocabulary, relating it explicitly to known vocabulary and understanding it with the help of context and dictionaries.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is 23 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

Based on the popular game show ‘Pointless’, this resource is perfect for use as a whole lesson resource, enrichment option, or revision tool. Editable, so that you can change to any other topic or change questions. (I’ve also added a blank template so that you can make your own games from scratch). Containing almost 30 slides of sound clips and suitably challenging questions, this resource is effective at both promoting engagement and enhancing learning. There are several full rounds of questions to build or revisit knowledge of characters, plot, and themes in ‘The Merchant of Venice.’ Round 1. The characters in The Merchant of Venice Round 2. Quotations from the text Round 3. Settings and Objects Round 4. Themes in The Merchant of Venice The nature of this game ensures that the resource can challenge students of all levels. A blank template has also been added, so that you can create your own games!

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising U.A. Fanthorpe’s poem 'First Flight.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: -Context; -Line-by-Line Analysis; -Poetic Devices/ Language Devices; -Themes; -Form/Structure; -Poems for Comparison; -Wider Reading. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3 or A4, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading the opening to Michael Morpurgo’s ‘The Boy Who Would Be King.’ The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction, sequencing and summarising skills. It also contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. The tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The extract needed is provided as a PDF. The session is best suited for children in years 2-3, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older age groups.

This engaging and detailed lesson enables students to gain a deep understanding of the Greek Myth 'Theseus and The Minotaur.' In doing so, students learn to interpret and infer the key meanings in a myth, analyse the descriptive language in a myth, and use descriptive language to describe their own ancient Greek monster. The lesson follows a clear, logical, bite-size learning journey, which guides students towards differentiated learning objectives. Over the course of this journey, they become able to: - Define the key terms 'adjective' and 'synonym' and use these appropriately and imaginatively to describe an image of the Minotaur; - Read the story 'Theseus and The Minotaur' and interpret the key meanings; - Identify, understand, and analyse the descriptive language in 'Theseus and The Minotaur;' - Apply their understanding of descriptive techniques by creating and describing their own mythical beast, using a model example, a success criteria, and a scaffold; - Peer assess each other's descriptive attempts. This resource pack includes: - A visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - Paper copies and online links to the extract needed for the lesson; - Understanding Descriptive Language worksheet; - Creating a Beast Template, and model example; - A detailed lesson plan, complete with what the teacher and students should aim to achieve at each stage of the lesson. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the PowerPoint.

These checklists provides an academic overview of the writing curriculum content to be covered year-by-year from Year 1-6. I provided these to teachers in my own school, who marked the individual elements of the curriculum as they were covered (their aim was to ‘tick’ each element twice over an academic year). They have found it extremely useful, as it offers a useful breakdown of the curriculum statements into the individual components to be taught, which is not always as self-explanatory as one would assume! It is broken down into Composition, Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation, Spelling, and Handwriting sections. Please note that the spellings listed are indicative of the patterns to be learnt - it is not the exhaustive list. Furthermore, the composition section details our interpretation of what needs to be covered over a year, some schools vary from this. For this reason, the document is provided in Word, for easy editing. It is also provided as a PDF, to prevent formatting issues between computers. Hope that this proves helpful to you too!

This lesson enables students to gain a detailed understanding of the opening scene in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Students learn to make sustained and developed inferences and interpretations in relation to both characters and plot. Students also produce a family tree to demonstrate the relationships between the characters, using colourful and interesting images and resources. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be attentive and interactive learners. It follows this learning journey: - Defining the key term 'feud' and apply this understanding to a range of contexts; - Reading and interpreting the prologue and Act 1 Scene 1, and establishing how Shakespeare sets the scene in Verona; - Reflecting upon what effect this may have had on audiences at the time; - Making detailed inferences/ interpretations into clues about characterisation and social structure; - Analysing Shakespeare's intentions in including such an energetic scene at the outset of the play; - Peer/self evaluating the learning in the lesson. Included in this resource pack are: - A well-presented, thorough, and informative, whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - Resources for the reading and interpreting activity - full scene transcript with space for notes; - A template to help scaffold the main task, complete with P.E.E instructions; - A family tree template and character list; - A challenging and thought-provoking worksheet, and an answer sheet for the teacher. All images in this resource are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson presentation.

This engaging, comprehensive lesson provides an interesting and highly-informative study of Percy Bysshe Shelley's power and conflict poem: 'Ozymandias.' Throughout the lesson, students gain a detailed understanding of the poem, with a particular focus upon the content, language, and structural features employed by Shelley. By the end of the lesson, students demonstrate their knowledge of the text analytically, through assured, appropriate, and sustained interpretations. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Defining the key concept of power, and considering its role and implications in man's actions; - Securing contextual understanding of both Ozymandias the ruler, and Percy Bysshe Shelley the poet; - Reading and interpreting the poem, using a provided line-by-line analysis, and interactive group activities; - Developing their understanding through inferring and analysing key language and structural choices; - Analysing how the theme of power is explored through Shelley's content, language, and structure; - Peer assessing each other's learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; (including hyperlinks to informative and engaging videos) - Copy of poem; - Content, language and structure mind map; - Deeper thinking worksheet; - Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to middle-ability year 9/10 groups, but can easily be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This engaging, comprehensive lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of Wilfred Owen’s WWI power and conflict poem ‘Exposure’ with particular focus upon the language, structure, and subject matter used within the poem. By the end of the lesson, students demonstrate their knowledge of the text analytically, through assured, appropriate, and sustained interpretations. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Considering the meanings of the word ‘exposure’ and inferring what this may suggest about the meaning of the poem; Securing contextual understanding of the conditions and weather faced by WWI soldiers; Reading and interpreting the poem, using a provided line-by-line analysis, and interactive group activities; Developing their understanding through inferring and analysing key language and structural choices; Analysing how the themes of suffering and misery are conveyed through Owen’s language and structure choices; Self/ Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; (including hyperlinks to informative and videos) Copy of poem (freely available online); Deeper thinking worksheet; Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; Comprehensive lesson plan. All resources are provided as word documents (for easy editing) and PDF documents (to ensure consistency of formatting between computers). There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to middle-ability year 10 and 11 groups, but can easily be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Susan Hill’s ‘The Woman in Black.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Chapter by Chapter Summary (with quotes); Main Characters; Themes; Hill’s Language Devices; Features of Gothic Novels. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).