This lesson enables students to make precise interpretations of the final chapter of Philip Pullman’s ‘Northern Lights.’ They also learn how the different features of the endings (for example plot twists, dark moments, and unpredictable elements) combine to create endings that are engaging and effective. At the end of the lesson, they use this understanding to create their own alternate endings to the text. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: -Recapping the key events from earlier in the text, (in order to lay the foundations for understanding the ending); -Reading and comprehending the ending of the text, through reading chapter 23 and answering thoughtful comprehension questions; -Analysing the effectiveness of the ending, considering a range of techniques used by Pullman to structure his ending; -Creating their own alternate ending, using the agreed features of effective endings; Self assessing their learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Extract from Chapter 23 of Northern Lights; Analysis 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. The PowerPoint is in the zipfile. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This engaging and interesting lesson aims to improve students’ understanding of the context of the of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Some of the primary topics that are addressed are William Shakespeare himself, James I and superstition, witches and witchcraft, religion, mortality rates, and the theatre. This knowledge should enable students to make convincing links between the play and the events of the time. It is a vital lesson in any Macbeth theme that can be taught before, during, or after reading. The lesson uses a range of tasks, that require students to be visual and interactive learners. It follows this learning journey: - Understanding who William Shakespeare was, and remembering key details about his life; - Identifying words and phrases that he coined that are still in use today; - Taking part in a quiz about the some of the more basic key events and ideas of the time; - Researching the key events of the time (e.g. witch-hunts and the ascension of James I as King) and understanding which ideas were prominent. (e.g. divine right and religion) - Utilising speaking and listening skills in order to communicate gathered knowledge, and obtain knowledge from others. - Evaluating the learning in the lesson. All images in this resource are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson presentation.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in exam revision, comprehension tasks, or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the KS4 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework - this makes the tasks suitable for all examining bodies. Students 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 students gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - ‘Context: The Russian Revolution’ - to aid students with ‘Drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation;’ - ‘Orwell’s Description’ - to aid students with ‘Analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact;’ - ‘Napoleon’ - to aid students with ‘Seeking evidence in the text to support a point of view, including justifying inferences with evidence;’ - ‘Editing the Text’ - to aid students with ‘Making an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 30 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).

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Sue Townsend’s ‘The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4.’ 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: 1980s Britain - 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.’ ‘Townsend’s Language Devices’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, present meaning.’ ‘Bert Baxter 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).

This highly engaging and informative double lesson (around 1.5 to 2 hours of teaching materials) helps students to build skills in demonstrating appropriate, sophisticated, and original structures in their writing, and provides them with theories and techniques to help them to organise their writing adequately. I wrote this lesson because I noticed that there are an extremely high volume of students that approach extended writing tasks (even in their GCSEs) with practically no sense of organisation. Even though they have clearly learnt a number of writing techniques from their teachers, their writing can be extremely short, repetitive, and in some cases the topic is confused. This lesson aims to address each of those issues. Students learn: - What structure and organisation mean; - Narrative structure theory and 'plot mountain;' - How time order can effect a creative text; - How to expand using the five key senses; - How and when to use paragraphing; - Plan for their own extended piece of writing; Included are all worksheets, and detailed and visual PowerPoint presentation, which explains each concept clearly, and a lesson plan for teacher guidance. 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 £5. All images are licensed for commercial use, and authors are cited on the final slide.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Tony Harrison’s poem 'Long Distance II.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Line-by-Line Analysis; Poetic Devices/ Language Devices; Themes; Form/Structure; Poems for Comparison; Links to Wider Reading. 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).

This interesting and engaging lesson enables students to understand the key structural, language and content features of Haiku poems, and to utilise these features accurately and imaginatively in their own Haikus. Students follow a clear and logical learning journey, in which they: -Define and identify the key structural and language features of Haikus; -Understand the origins and purposes of this form of poetry; -Read Haikus, answering questions about the content and use of language and structure; -Compare and contrast Haikus, evaluating their effectiveness; -Plan and create their own Haikus, using a guiding helpsheet and the knowledge/skills that they have accrued over the lesson; -Peer/self-assess their learning attempts. Resources are eye-catching and purposeful, including: -Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint; -An interesting, imaginative, and well-presented worksheet (in Word and PDF); - A useful Haiku helpsheet (also in Word and PDF); -Step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.

This fun and informative lesson helps students to understand two of the key themes throughout David Walliams ‘Billionaire Boy:’ money and happiness. Students explore Joe’s happiness, before then producing their own writing to argue piece on the topic of whether they believe money can buy happiness. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: -Considering what they would buy if they were a billionaire, and detailing this through a mind-map! - Reading and understanding extracts from the opening section of Billionaire Boy, in which Joe's wealth and unhappiness is detailed; - Identifying and analysing Walliams's use of devices to demonstrate Joe's unhappiness; - Writing their own arguments (using a help-sheet and model examples for influence) about whether they think money can buy happiness; - Self assessing their own learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - 'Joe's Unhappiness' Worksheet (and answer sheet); - Selected extracts - Billionaire Boy; - Writing to Argue Help-sheet; - Billionaire Mind-Map (and PDF version); - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with a mixed-ability year 7 class, however colleagues have used them for between years 3 and 9 with some adaptations. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to make precise and perceptive interpretations of the character of Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre. Through close analysis of specific extracts from the text, students develop an understanding of how Bertha fits the conventions of a quintessential ‘gothic monster’, and also explore her position as a prime example of the ‘Other’ in Victorian society. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which students learn through: Defining the key term ‘gothic novel’ and understanding the key conventions of gothic literature; Reading selected extracts from the text and answering comprehension questions considering Bertha Mason as fulfilling the role of the gothic monster; Considering ideas of the Victorian ‘Other’ and establishing how Bertha Mason recycles these ideas; Analysing how ideas of Bertha link to predominant 19th Century ideas about mental health and ethnicity; Using the knowledge they have gathered over the lesson to design and describe their own gothic monsters; Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Bertha Mason worksheet; Selected extracts (from chapters 11, 20, and 26); Character profile template; Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. These resources were originally taught to GCSE students, but with subtle adaptations they have also been used with both younger and older (up to A Level) students. Worksheets are provided as word docs (so that you can edit) and PDFs (to protect formatting). All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This engaging and informative lesson helps students to identify and analyse the descriptive devices used by Darren Shan throughout the description of the freak show in ‘Cirque Du Freak.’ In addition to interpreting and discussing the similes, metaphors, varied vocabulary, and alliteration used by the writer, students imaginatively use these devices themselves to create their own act for the Cirque Du Freak! The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Defining each of the different types of descriptive devices, through completing an interactive group activity; - Reading extracts from chapters 10-13, and identifying the language techniques used by Darren Shan to describe the freak show acts; - Analysing the effectiveness of each of Darren Shan’s descriptive devices; - Creating their own act for the Cirque Du Freak, utilising appropriate and effective descriptive devices throughout; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts; Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Cards for the Card Sorting Activity;’ - Extracts from ‘Cirque Du Freak’ - Chapters 10 to 13 - the freak show; - Analysing Language Devices worksheet; - Character Profiles Template (in Word and PDF); - Your Own Act Template (in Word and PDF). There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 7 and 8 classes, however colleagues have used them for between years 4 and 9 with minimal adaptations. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Robert Swindells' 'Stone Cold.' 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 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: Homelessness in London' - 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.' - 'Swindell'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.' - 'Ginger' - 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 21 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).

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to understand the character of the Warden from Louis Sachar’s ‘Holes’, making insightful comments about her character based upon her actions, and backing these ideas up with reference to evidence from the text. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Reading and understanding the selected extracts to determine the key traits of The Warden’s character at different points in the text; - Noticing trends in Warden’s character throughout the text, observing how she develops from her introduction in the text to later on in the story; - Analysing Sachar’s use of language and description in describing the Warden; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts; - Creating their own villainous Warden, using an engaging template. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Selected extract- Chapter 14; - Development of The Warden worksheet (Word and PDF) - Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Create your own villain template - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 7 and 8 classes, however colleagues have used them for between years 4 and 9 with minimal adaptations. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in exam revision, comprehension tasks, or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the KS4 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework - this makes the tasks suitable for all examining bodies. Students 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 play ensuring that students gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - ‘Context: Shakespearean Times’ - to aid students with ‘Drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation;’ - ‘Shakespeare’s Description’ - to aid students with ‘Analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact;’ - ‘Friar Laurence’ - to aid students with ‘Seeking evidence in the text to support a point of view, including justifying inferences with evidence;’ - ‘Editing the Play’ - to aid students with ‘Making an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 30 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).