This 16-page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of William Blake’s poem ‘Jerusalem (and did those feet in ancient time).’ 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 resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Mildred D. Taylor’s ‘Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.’ 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: The Great Depression’ - 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.’ ‘Taylor’s Description - The Police Station’ - to enable students to demonstrate that they can: ‘Know how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice, grammar, text structure and organisational features, present meaning.’ ‘T.J. Avery’ - 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 interesting session aims to introduce children to some key images of the Buddha, providing them with an opportunity to decode some of the key meanings within pictures and sculptures. Children learn that there are many different representations of the Buddha, aiming to portray different aspects of Siddhartha Gautama’s life and character. Children learn through: -Acting as detectives, inferring and deducing the hidden meanings within pictures; -Considering the key concept of ‘balance’, and understanding how this is a key feature of the Buddhist religion; -Applying some of the key concepts to their own lives. Included is a PowerPoint presentation, differentiated group activity sheets, and a comprehensive lesson plan. Images are cited in the final slide of the presentation. Word documents (in the zip file) are also included in PDF to ensure no issues with formatting between computers.

This clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising knowledge relating to understanding time. It contains comprehensive sections on: Reading the Face of a Clock - including understanding the minute and hour hands; Key Time Facts - understanding the duration of days, weeks, months, years, etc; Roman Numerals - to aid children in telling the time on old-fashioned clocks; Digital and Analogue Times - looking at different ways to express the time using the 12 and 24 hour clocks, using both digital and analogue clocks; Average Time Spent in a Day Timeline 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). The resource could be adapted for a variety of ages and abilities, but I originally used this with Key Stage 2 children.

This engaging and purposeful lesson is the fifth in a series of lessons in which children develop an in-depth understanding of Ancient Greece. There is a particular focus on the achievements of the Ancient Greeks and how these have influenced the world. In this lesson, children learn all about Greek culture and religion. Specifically, they: -Learn and recall key facts about Ancient Greek craftsmanship, theatre, philosophy, discovery and architecture; -Explain what the Greeks believed about various Gods and Goddesses, and how they honoured them; -Describe the key responsibilities, powers and traits of a God or Goddess. The learning is guided by a clear and colourful PowerPoint presentation, which guides students through the following step-by-step journey: -Knowledge recall of history skills and prior facts about the Ancient Greeks; -Understanding of the concept of ‘culture’; -Exploring clues from a range of sources to find out more about the key areas of Ancient Greek culture: craftsmanship, theatre, philosophy, discovery and architecture; -Watching an engaging, age-appropriate video to learn about the main Gods, their roles and what the Greeks believed about them; -Using clear guidance to research a God of their choice and complete a character profile about them; -Understanding how the Greeks’ religious beliefs influenced their achievements; -Self-reflecting on the extent to which they feel they have met the learning objective. Included is the comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (26 slides), which contains all of the information needed to teach the lesson, the sources for the investigation activity, and the template for the character profile (provided in both Word and PDF). In the past, I have used this lesson with children in lower KS2 (years 3 and 4), however this was an advanced class and these resources could easily be used with upper KS2. The key learning is aligned with KS2 curriculum expectations for history. All images are licensed for commercial use.

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to develop a rich understanding of Act 1 Scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. In particular, students learn about some of the key features of historical context (including travel literature, class systems, and supernatural beliefs at the time) before linking this information with what they interpret in the play. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which students learn through: Engaging with the title and make predictions about events and characters; Developing an understanding of the key features of social and historical context; Reading and comprehending the main events and meanings in Act 1 Scene 1; Precisely linking what they read with their understanding of social/historical context; Visually depict their interpretations from the scene, based on Shakespeare’s stage directions, the dialogue, and their understanding of key meanings; Self assessing their learning through the lesson; Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Research Template; Worksheet - Linking the Play to Context; Copy of Act I Scene I (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 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 and informative lesson enhances students’ skills in understanding the significant meanings in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and in particular the influence of the deceitful and mysterious weird sisters. Students gain an understanding of some of the attitudes towards witches in Shakespeare’s times, and attempt to link this knowledge to the events of the text. They also engage with Shakespeare’s intentions in utilising dramatic elements to reveal the witches use of the supernatural and deceit. The lesson follows a clear and logical learning journey, involving progressively more challenging tasks in which students: - Portray their understanding of witches and witchcraft; - Learn more about witches in a historical context through a fun ‘true or false’ game; - Define, identify, and understand dramatic irony; - Read sections of Macbeth and complete tasks to demonstrate their understanding; - Answer key questions about the witches that test their knowledge in relation to each of the English assessment outcomes; - Evaluate a modelled example of an analytical paragraph in relation to the witches; - Analyse the witches’ characteristics in their own responses; - Evaluate each others’ analytical responses. All images are cited on the final slide of the presentation, and are licensed for commercial use.

This engaging and thought-provoking triple-lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the chapters 7 to 9 of Katherine Rundell’s 'Rooftoppers.’ The comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation enables students to understand the text through: -Making predictions; -Retrieving information; -Analysing the writer’s use of language. The sessions include a range of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. The lesson also includes an answer key for the retrieval questions, and model answer ideas for the more detailed responses. There’s a lot here (22 slides in total) so I would recommend breaking into two or even three separate lessons. The lessons are suitable for students in either upper KS2 or lower KS3, depending upon the individual context of the school and students. I originally used them with year 5 and 6 children.

This engaging and thought-provoking triple-lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the chapters 16 to 18 of Katherine Rundell’s 'Rooftoppers.’ The comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information; -Inferring hidden meanings; -Making predictions. The sessions include a range of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. The lesson also includes an answer key for the retrieval questions, and model answer ideas for the more detailed responses, in addition to a template for the ‘deeper thinking’ character analysis profile task (provided in both Word and PDF). There’s a lot here (23 slides in total) so I would recommend breaking into two or even three separate lessons. The lessons are suitable for students in either upper KS2 or lower KS3, depending upon the individual context of the school and students. I originally used them with year 5 and 6 children.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Katherine Rundell’s 'Rooftoppers.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Section by Section Summary (with quotes); Main Characters; Themes; Literary Devices; The Author’s Perspective. All key words and ideas are compartmentalised 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 engaging and informative lesson enables students to develop a detailed understanding of the characters of Ariel and Caliban in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. In particular, students compare and contrast how the two characters are introduced to the audience in Act 1 Scene 2, and then developed throughout the play. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which students learn through: Understanding the roles that servants and slaves played in society in Shakespearean times; Reading and comprehending how the two characters are introduced in Act 1 Scene 2; Using textual exploration to discover how the characters are then developed over the course of the play; Considering Shakespeare’s intentions in his portrayal of the two characters; Demonstrating their understanding through an interesting synthesis activity; Self-assessing their learning through the lesson; Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Character Profile Template; Ariel and Caliban Development Template; Copy of 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 engaging and interesting lesson enables students to make clear and developed interpretations regarding Willy Russell’s use of dramatic devices throughout Blood Brothers. In particular, students define eight advanced dramatic techniques used by writers, identify these in selected extracts from the play, and analyse their effectiveness. They then apply their new understanding to their own dramatic scene. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be both independent and collaborative learners. It follows this learning journey: Defining and exemplifying each of the dramatic devices; Reading and comprehending extracts from the play, identifying and analysing Russell’s use of dramatic devices throughout; Understanding the writer’s intentions and the anticipated audience reactions through some of the dramatic devices; Creating revision cards demonstrating full understanding of the dramatic devices: definitions, examples, effects; Applying their understanding of dramatic devices to their own imaginative and emotional playscript scenes; Self-evaluating their learning in the lesson. Included in this resource pack are: A well-presented, thorough, and informative, whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; Appropriate extracts from the play; Dramatic devices cards for the card-sorting activity; Templates for creating the revision cards; A comprehensive teacher guidance form/lesson plan to assist delivery. Resources are provided in both Word (for easy editing)and PDF (to prevent formatting issues between computers). All images in this resource are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson presentation.

These resources enable students to understand and analyse the rise of the pigs towards power in chapters 3 and 4 of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. More precisely, students learn to make clear and accurate interpretations about the emergence of the various characters as leaders on the farm, with appropriate links to individual characters and their allegorical relationship to context. Students learn through the following tasks: - Gauging and collaborating prior knowledge through a discussion-based starter task; - Reading chapters 3 and 4 and demonstrating their understanding through a related group quiz activity; - Developing their understanding of the changing nature of characters, and their allegorical ties, through a quotation retrieval mind mapping task; - Analysing the allegorical nature of the pigs, by further exploring their characteristics in relation to those of the communist Russian leaders of the early 20th century; - Peer assessing their partners’ learning attempts. The following resources are provided: - Engaging and colourful step-by-step PowerPoint - Teacher lesson guidance/plan; - Analytical paragraphs worksheet; - Mind-mapping activity template; - Copies of Chapters 3 and 4. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the PowerPoint.

This whole class reading session aims to develop children’s comprehension skills through a reading of the opening chapter of Emma Carroll’s ‘Secrets of a Sun King.’ 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 Year 3 and 4, but it could feasibly be used with slightly younger and older year groups. The session is also suitable for home/ remote learning.

This engaging and thought-provoking triple-lesson resource aids students in developing a secure understanding of the chapters 14 to 16 of Emma Carroll’s 'Secrets of a Sun King.’ In this section of the text, the children find Kyky’s heart within the canopic jar. They also reach Egypt, and attempt to return the jar to its burial place in the Valley of Kings. The comprehensive and colourful PowerPoint presentation enables students to understand the text through: -Retrieving information; -Inferring and deducing hidden meanings; -Analysing the writer’s use of language. The sessions include a range of retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and deeper thinking activities. A clear, colourful and comprehensive PowerPoint presentation guides students through the learning. In addition to this, a ‘Writing to Describe’ helpsheet is provided for the creative activity. There’s a lot in the session (21 slides in total) so I would recommend breaking into two or even three lessons. The lessons are most suitable for children in key stage 2, (they were originally used for those in years 4 and 5).

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to use a range of varied and precise noun choices in their writing, through considering the specific meanings of different nouns and their potential synonyms. Students analyse examples of both effective and ineffective writing, considering the use of nouns, and editing where appropriate. They then apply this understanding to their own creative attempts. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Understanding that most nouns have synonyms, and identifying these for high-frequency nouns; Developing an expanded vocabulary of varied nouns through a fun and interactive game; Choosing the best noun for different given situations, considering the connotations of words, and justifying their choices; Editing an example of an ineffective text, through implementing a range of interesting and varied nouns; Creating their own creative writing openings, utilising varied and specific nouns ; Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Understanding connotations worksheet; -Editing a bad example worksheet, and extension activity; -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 4 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 clear, detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for KS2 students learning or revising knowledge relating to skeletons and muscles. It contains comprehensive sections on: The skeletal and muscular systems - complete with annotated diagrams and explanations of key bones/ muscles; Overview of bones and muscles, including key facts; Functions of the skeleton - support, protection, and the production of red blood cells; How muscles work - voluntary and involuntary muscles; Annotated diagram of the regions of the spinal column. 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 stimulating and comprehensive enables students to count forwards and backwards through zero using negative numbers, and to solve number problems and practical problems involving negative numbers, including using negative numbers in context. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Defining, exemplifying, and understanding the basic rules of calculations involving negative numbers, through clear and simple explanations; Demonstrating their understanding through well-differentiated application and challenge activities; Applying their understanding to real-life problems, for example temperatures, budgets and balances; Gauging their own understanding through both AfL activities and self-reflection tasks. Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - clear and precise, colourful and comprehensive; Bronze, Silver, and Gold level award worksheets - carefully differentiated and provided in both Word and PDF; Teacher answer sheets; A detailed teacher lesson plan; A number line; I have previously taught this to children in years 5 and 6, although with suitable adaptations it could be used for children between years 3-9. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

These informative and engaging resources enable students to build the skills needed to interpret and analyse 19th Century fiction texts. This will aid students through the new Paper 1 Section A of GCSE English Language - for which they need to become confident readers of 19th, 20th, and 21st Century texts. These resources give students a strong foundation of knowledge of features of fiction texts in the 19th Century, using Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as the predominant example. There are easily enough resources for at least two lessons within this resource pack. Students learn through the following tasks: - Gauging and collaborating previous knowledge through an interactive starter task; - Identifying the descriptive devices in sentences written about 19th Century characters; - Building close reading skills through a study of a fiction extract from Frankenstein - Answering exam-style questions interpreting and inferring the key meanings in the text; - Using models and templates to write extended analysis responses about the descriptive language used in the fiction extract; - Peer assessing their partners' learning attempts. The following resources are provided: - Engaging and colourful step-by-step PowerPoint - Frankenstein extract - Teacher lesson guidance; - Interpretation worksheet; - Analysis worksheet; - Writing to analyse help-sheet All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the PowerPoint.