This engaging and informative lesson aims to improve students’ knowledge and understanding of the character of Curley’s Wife in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men: Her dreams, her loneliness, and how her plight is a product of the Great Depression. The lesson also aims to improve students’ analytical skills, so that they can demonstrate sustained and sophisticated interpretations of the character. This pack includes the full lesson presentation, with animations and key information, a double-page worksheet with clear and concise instructions, True and False cards for the starter activity, a writing to analyse help-sheet, and full teacher guidance. The learning journey is clear and progressive, following a pathway of progressively more difficult tasks, including: - An engaging true or false game to help students understand what life was like for women in the Great Depression; - A worksheet that enables students to demonstrate understanding of key quotations about Curley’s Wife, and also to link Curley’s Wife to key themes and ideas. - Close reading of a modelled analysis paragraph; - Joint creation of an analysis success criteria; - An opportunity to answer an exam style question based upon the character of Curley’s Wife; - A chance to peer assess against the success criteria. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the presentation. You can choose to buy this resource alone, or as part of the ‘Of Mice and Men - All Lessons and Scheme’ bundle, which contains seven full lessons, resources, teachers notes, and PowerPoint presentations, plus a Pointless Of Mice and Men game, for just £5!

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to make precise interpretations of the descriptive language used by Michael Morpurgo in his description of Michael’s trip around the world in ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom.’ They learn to define, identify, and analyse the effectiveness of a range of descriptive devices, before applying these to form their own vivid and imaginative descriptions of places. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Understanding the scale of the journey that Michael’s family undertakes, through a fun cross-curricular task; Defining each of the different types of descriptive devices, through completing an interactive group activity; Reading extracts from the text in which Michael describes the different places along his trip, and identifying the language techniques used to paint an image of place in the minds of the readers; Analysing the effectiveness of each of Morpurgo’s descriptive devices; Creating their own description of an ‘around the world trip’, utilising appropriate and effective descriptive devices to describe at least two different stops; Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Cards for the Card Sorting Activity;’ World Map for the opening activity; Writing to Describe Helpsheet 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 4 and 5 classes, however colleagues have used them for between years 3 and 8 with some adaptations. The word documents are within the zip file. 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 Louis Sachar's 'Holes.' It contains comprehensive sections on: - Context; - Chapter by Chapter Summary (with quotes); - Main Characters; - Themes; - Sachar's Language Devices; - The Sub-Plot of Kissin' Kate Barlow. 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 engaging and informative lesson enables students to understand the key features of the historical context of World War I, in order to gain a clearer of understanding of Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful. In particular, students learn about the horrific ordeal faced by young soldiers in WWI, and then relate their understanding of historical context to different plot features throughout the text. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Researching and understanding key information about World War I, including enlistment, life in the trenches, and accusations of cowardice; - Linking the key features of context to sections of the text, including descriptions of Tommo’s trench and Charlie’s arrest; - Reading selected extracts from the text, in order to link ideas regarding context and text together; - Creating their own propaganda posters, detailing what war was really like for young soldiers; - Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts; Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Research Template - Links to WWI worksheet (and answer sheet for teachers); - Comprehensive lesson plan. PDFs are included, and Word versions 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 year 7 and 8 classes, however colleagues have used them for between years 3 and 9 with minimal adaptations. Please note that students will need internet or library access to complete the research introduction task. 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 Jill Murphy's 'The Worst Witch.' Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the upper KS2 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as 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: - 'An Interview with Mildred' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;' - 'Murphy's Description' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;' - 'Mrs Hardbroom!' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;' - 'Figurative Language in The Worst Witch' - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: 'Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, to create an impact on the reader.' Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is 22 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 lesson enables students to gain a detailed understanding of the balcony scene in William Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Students learn to demonstrate a developed understanding of language, supported by precisely-selected textual evidence. Students develop clear interpretations of the key meanings within the scene, as the lesson provides a close analysis of the figurative language, rhyme, and repetition strategies utilised by Shakespeare throughout. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be attentive and interactive learners. It follows this learning journey: - Establishing the events leading up to the scene, and the predicament that Romeo and Juliet are in; - Reading and interpreting Act II Scene II, interpreting and inferring the key meanings; - Understanding the key themes throughout the scene, including Juliet’s comparison with sunlight; - More closely analysing Shakespeare’s use of language in Juliet’s ‘What’s in a name?’ speech; - 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 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 and informative lesson enables students to make precise, detailed interpretations regarding the relationship between Ferdinand and Miranda in The Tempest. In particular, students consider their introduction to one another at the end of Act 1 Scene 2, before tracking the development of their relationship throughout the play. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which students learn through: Reading and comprehending how Ferdinand and Miranda are introduced to one another in Act 1 Scene 2; Using textual exploration to discover how the characters’ relationship is then developed over the course of the play; Considering Shakespeare’s intentions in his portrayal of the relationship; Answering an essay-style question about Ferdinand and Miranda’s relationship; Self-assessing their learning through the lesson; Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Essay template (includes structure strip); Tracking template; Copy of extract from Act I Scene 2 (freely available online); Comprehensive lesson plan. Resources are provided in PDF (to maintain formatting) and Word (so that they are easily editable - they can be found in the zipfile) The lesson contains opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 10 and 11 classes, however colleagues have used them for between year 9 and year 13 with some adaptations. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This lesson enables students to gain a detailed understanding of the characters of Friar Laurence and The Nurse in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Students learn to demonstrate a developed understanding of their character traits, relationships with the title characters, and impact upon plot developments. Students also learn to empathise with the two characters, inferring and interpreting the motives behind their actions. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be attentive and interactive learners. It follows this learning journey: - Remembering and understanding the impact of Friar Laurence and The Nurse up to Act IV; - Reading and interpreting Act IV, particularly interpreting and inferring the key involvement of Friar Laurence and The Nurse; - Identifying and analysing the key features of their characters; - Empathising with the two characters through a fun and interactive drama activity, in order to understand their motives a little better; - Anlaysing their impact upon the plot in Act IV, including their influence upon the two title characters; - 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 - including a teacher answer guide; - Full Act IV transcript with space for notes; - ‘In Your Shoes’ cut-out soles for the development task; - A template to help scaffold the main task, complete with P.E.E instructions; All images in this resource are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson presentation.

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to make clear, detailed and well-informed interpretations of Scout Finch’s development as a character throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. In particular, students develop their background understanding of how her character is introduced, before plotting her development against the different stages of protagonists in Bildungsroman novels. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Taking part in a fun quiz in order to gain/recap knowledge about Scout Finch’s background information (e.g. family history, family members, etc.); Reading selected extracts from the text and answering comprehension questions about Scout’s introduction at the start of the novel; Understanding the different stages of development in the Bildungsroman genre, and plotting Scout’s development against this; Understanding Lee’s intentions/messages in presenting Scout in the way that she did; Using knowledge of protagonist development and structure in order to create their own Bildungsroman storyboard templates; Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Interesting Scout Finch development worksheet; Selected extract (from chapter 2); Storyboard template 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 year 10 and 11 classes, however colleagues have used them for between year 8 and year 13 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 clear, detailed and well-informed interpretations regarding the purpose of Boo Radley’s character in To Kill a Mockingbird. In particular, students develop their understanding of how the character is introduced, before understanding how perceptions of him change across the novel. Students then consider Lee’s purposes for Boo’s inclusion, considering social and historical context. -The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: -Reading selected extracts from the text and answering comprehension questions about boo’s introduction at the start of the novel; -Tracking how Scout’s perception of Boo changes over the course of the novel; -Understanding how the character of Boo aids Lee in getting across her key messages about society, considering social and historical context; -Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Boo Radley development graph sheet; Selected extract (from chapter 1); Character Profile template; Essay template; 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 year 10 and 11 classes, however colleagues have used them for between year 8 and year 13 with some 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 William Shakespeare’s 'Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ The tasks draw on English Literature assessment objectives - suitable for all examining bodies - it is clearly highlighted within each task regarding which assessment strands the task is designed to demonstrate. The booklet 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 resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of David Walliams’ ‘Gangsta Granny.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in comprehension or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of children towards meeting the upper KS2 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework. Children love learning from these resources, whilst they are also of great use to teachers, as 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: ‘An Interview with Granny’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’ ‘Walliams’ Description’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Explain meanings of words that they know and ask the meaning of new words. Link the meaning of new words to words that they already know;’ ‘Mr Parker Character Profile!’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Understand what is read by drawing on information from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas, and using quotations for illustration;’ ‘Figurative Language in Gangsta Granny’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, to create an impact on the reader.’ 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 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 engaging and informative lesson enables students to make precise interpretations of the descriptive language used by J.K Rowling in her descriptions of Hogwarts in ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.’ They also learn how the depiction of settings can have a profound impact upon the tone and atmosphere of a novel, and apply this understanding (along with their knowledge of the key language devices) to form their own vivid and imaginative descriptions of magical places. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Understanding the power of places and settings, especially the impact that they have on atmosphere and tone; - Defining each of the different types of descriptive devices, through completing an interactive group activity; - Reading extracts from the text in which Rowling describes Hogwarts, and identifying the language techniques used to paint an image of place in the minds of the readers; - Analysing the effectiveness of each of Rowling's descriptive devices; - Creating their own description of a magical place, 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 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; - 'Inside Hogwarts' analysis worksheet; - Writing to Describe Helpsheet 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 3 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 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.