This engaging and informative lesson enables students to understand the role that the theme of ‘appearances’ plays in R.J. Palacio’s Wonder. In particular, students consider how appearances impact upon our lives on a daily basis, learn more about TCS (the condition affecting the protagonist - Auggie), and link what they find out to information in the novel. They then communicate their own ideas on the subject of judging people based on appearances. There is easily enough content for 2-3 lessons here, following a step-by-step learning journey. Children learn through: -Comprehending how appearances influence our lives - touching on the ideas of representations and stereotyping; -Learning about Treacher Collins Syndrome, through a short engaging video, and distilling key information; -Hot-seating, demonstrating empathy for characters whose appearance is ‘different’; -Linking what they have learnt to what is read in the opening pages of Wonder; -Communicating their ideas about judging people based on their appearances, as a part of a well-structured debate; -Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Research template; Writing to Argue helpsheet; Comprehensive lesson plan. All resources are provided in Word (for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure formatting remains fixed between different computers). Word documents are in the zip file. There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with a year 6 class, however colleagues have used them for between years 5 and 8 with only minor adaptations. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Siegfried Sassoon’s World War 1 poem ‘Suicide in the Trenches.’ Teachers have found the activities particularly useful throughout teaching, or for exam revision or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the key English Literature assessment objectives - suitable for all examining bodies. 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 is the perfect resource for teachers looking to build students writing skills across the curriculum. Aiding students in the four key areas of their writing (Openers, Vocabulary, Connectives, and Punctuation) and also addressing a few common writing mistakes, my students now ask for this whenever they are asked to complete writing tasks, in any of their subjects. It is extremely visually engaging, and can also be used as a poster. Nothing needs to be done to this resource. It is already in A3. Simply print off and laminate. Alternatively, you can buy the Descriptive Writing Big Bundle (All descriptive devices lessons, structuring and organising writing lesson, capturing the readers attention lesson, and the literacy writing mat) for £4.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through reading and interpreting the opening section of Katherine Rundell’s ‘Impossible Creatures.’ The resource pack includes the extract needed and a clear and well presented PowerPoint, guiding the teacher and learners through the various activities. The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, sequencing and summarising skills. A vocabulary check helps to secure children’s understanding of any new or unfamiliar 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 years 5-6, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This interesting and highly-stimulating lesson enables students to make clear and sustained inferences and interpretations about the context and themes in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. In particular, students engage analytically with Alfieri’s opening monologue, demonstrating an understanding of what it reveals about Italian American culture and community at the time. 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: - Understand the relevance of Brooklyn Bridge, both literally and figuratively; - Understand the relevance of Arthur Miller’s life and influences; - Read and understand Alfieri’s opening monologue, in which the geographical, social, and historical context is set, and infer and interpret the key information provided; - Understand the key term ‘Omerta’, and apply codes of honour to their own contexts; - Analyse Alfieri’s opening monologue in terms of the key information it provides the audience with about context and community; -Peer assess each other’s learning attempts. This resource pack includes: - A visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation;; - Paper copies and online links to the extract needed for the lesson (Alfieri’s opening monologue); - Cards for application activity; - Interpretations and inferences worksheet (including answer sheet for teachers); - A logically scaffolded essay 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 engaging and informative lesson enables students to understand how the lead protagonist of Philip Pullmans’s Northern Lights, Lyra, develops as a character and as a heroine throughout the narrative. In doing so, students learn the key features of heroes and heroines, and apply these to the different behaviours that Lyra exhibits over the course of the novel. They then go on to design their own hero/heroine development storyboards! The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: -Defining what heroes and heroines are, and identifying their key features; -Comprehending how Lyra is initially introduced to the reader, using an extract from the text; -Tracking Lyra’s development as a hero over the course of the novel, using a development graph and justification table; -Creating a storyboard for their own heroic journey, using the template provided; Self assessing their learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Extract from Chapter 1 of Northern Lights; Lyra’s development tracking template; Create your own Bildungsroman novel storyboard template; Comprehensive lesson plan. All resources are provided in Word (for easy editing) and PDF (to ensure formatting remains fixed between different computers). There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 7/8 classes, however colleagues have used them for between years 5 and 10 with some adaptations. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This writing resource is perfect for use in literacy/writing lessons across the curriculum. Bright, colourful, and realistic, this resource enriches students' writing experiences whilst enabling them to showcase the skills and knowledge that they have picked up throughout their learning. This lesson is also available as a part of a larger multi-media writing template bundle from TandLGuru that includes: Facebook page template, email template, messenger template, tabloid template, broadsheet template, and a postcard template. Most are easily editable and visually stimulating for students.

This resource pack of 2 sequenced whole class reading sessions aims to develop children’s comprehension sessions through reading the opening extract from Michael Morpurgo’s version of ‘Beowulf.’ The lessons are provided as easy-to-follow, step-by-step PowerPoint presentations and the reading is included as a PDF. Each reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s comprehension skills using VIPERS: vocabulary, inference, predicting, explaining, retrieval, summarising and sequencing. Each lesson contains a vocabulary check immediately after the extract is read to clarify any unfamiliar/ difficult language. Further tasks are comprised of quick-check questions, solo thinking, pair/ group discussions and deeper thinking activities. The sessions are best suited for children in years 5-6, although with minor adaptations they could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of the descriptive language used to depict the monster in Chapter 5 of Mary Shelley’s horror novel ‘Frankenstein.’ The lesson places a particular focus upon the descriptive language devices employed by Shelley, in order to create a clear image of the monster’s appearance in the reader’s mind, and also to describe Victor’s strong reaction to his creation. By the end of the lesson, students demonstrate an ability to make sustained and original interpretations of the language used by the author. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Considering how their preconceptions about the monster have been influenced by modern media and representations; - Read and understand a key extract from the beginning of chapter 5 - the point at which the monster comes to life; - Infer and interpret the key developments of the extract, including Frankenstein’s changing feelings and the monster’s ambiguous actions; - Identifying and analysing some of the key descriptive devices used by Shelley to create an image of the monster; - Analysing the effect of the descriptive devices upon the reader; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; (including an animated Frankenstein’s monster to guide them through the lesson); - Descriptive devices worksheet (and a teacher answer sheet); - Extract from the beginning of Chapter 5; - Inferring and Interpreting 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.

These colourful, comprehensive, and well-structured revision cards have been creatively designed for students securing their understanding of William Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ 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 - Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, Friar Laurence, The Nurse, Tybalt; Context - William Shakespeare, Patriarchal Society, Religion; Devices - Dramatic Irony, Soliloquies, Dramatic Tension; Scenes - Act 1 Scene 5 (The Masquerade Ball Scene), Act 2 Scene 2 (Juliet’s Window Scene), Act 3 Scene 1 (The Death of Mercutio/ Tybalt Fight Scene); Themes - Love, Hatred, Fate and Free Will. 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 year 3 and 4 children when writing non-chronological reports. The organiser is also perfect for teachers, parents and English subject leaders - aiding their planning and supporting of children’s knowledge development for this writing text type. The organiser has a particular focus on the content, language and structural features required to write effective non-chronological reports at lower KS2. It contains distinct sections covering: -An Overview of Non-Chronological Reports; -Content: Title and Introduction, Main Body, Key Features to Include; -Language:Vocabulary Choices, Tone, Tense, Conjunctions, Cause and Effect Techniques, Adverbs, Conjunctions, Punctuation Checklist and Word Mat; -Structure - Paragraphs, Whole Text Cohesion, Images and other tips; -Key Vocabulary The content is fully aligned with the age-related expectations for lower KS2 children in writing. 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).

This 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of John Agard’s conflict poem 'Flag.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful throughout teaching, or for exam revision or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the key English Literature assessment objectives - suitable for all examining bodies. 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.’

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, engaging visuals, 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 'An Inspector Calls.' Round 1. The characters in An Inspector Calls (takes approx 10 mins) Round 2. Quotations from the text (takes approx 15 mins) 3. Settings, themes, and objects (takes approx 15 mins) 4. Themes in An Inspector Calls (takes approx 10 mins) The nature of this game ensures that the resource can challenge students of all levels.

This engaging, in-depth lesson enables students to understand how the plot events in the wedding scene create a sense of climax throughout Act IV Scene I of Much Ado About Nothing. In particular, the lesson focuses upon the language used by Claudio and Leonato to denounce Hero (with links to the expectations within the social/historical context of the renaissance), the dramatic response to the allegations, and Benedick's altering priorities. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which students learn through: - Identifying the key events of the plot leading up to the wedding scene. - Reading and comprehending the predominant plot events in Act IV Scene I. - Understanding the idea of the patriarchal family society, and considering the accusations directed at Hero in light of this. - Completing an essay style response in which they consider how the key plot events contribute to a sense of climax within the scene. - 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; - Wedding Scene worksheet (and teacher answer sheet); - Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Comprehensive lesson plan.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s fluency and comprehension skills through reading ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ from Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes.’ 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 text is hyperlinked (first slide) for ease of access. The session is best suited for children in years 2-4, although with minor adaptations it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups.

This original, imaginative and purposeful range of WAGOLL (what a good one looks like) texts have been created to provide model examples of effective persuasive writing. There are eight original example texts in total, modelling good practice for a varied range of persuasive activities. They include: Buy My Pen Visit the Maldives Letter Against A New Heathrow Runway Dragon’s Den Pitch - Lemonade Stand Roald Dahl - The Best Author Ever Stay at the Old Swan, Monkton Make Sure You Recycle Let’s Stop Bullying Together Each example contains a range of apt persuasive devices, for example rhetorical questions, lists of three, personal pronouns, compounding connectives and many more. Each of the texts is provided as PDFs (to protect the original formatting) and as Word files (in the zip folders - so that you can edit if you want to).