A series of notes and exercises, giving students practice in all of the basic punctuation / speech marks.

A different method for novel study. Each student (or pair of students) receives an A5 envelope with instructions pasted on the outside. Inside the envelope are 4 x A5 index cards, on which the students record all information, according to the instructions. At the end of the novel study, the students share their knowledge. This can be done in groups or as a presentation. This approach allows the students to focus on specific themes / characters etc as they work through the novel. There are instructions for 26 envelopes. I have included the A4 pages on which the procedure / explanation is typed for each student. This will lead to a summative assessment - a literary essay on the topic given on the envelope. Credit: the idea for this task came from Letitia Hughes of Kentucky, USA.

A page of advice for students to assist them in preparing for a prepared speech / oral assignment

A fun task in which Middle School students are guided to create their own 'blackout poems' - by deleting words on a page of a discarded novel. Two links to videos are given: one for creating a paper poem; the other for creating one on a tablet / iPad.

A literature assignment, in which each student selects one contemporary novel for individual study. Assessments provided for reading aloud, book review, character analysis etc. A list of 30 novels is provided, along with brief summaries of their content. Suitable for Middle School.

A variety of activities based on the film ‘Gnomeo & Juliet’ - suitable for Middle School English classes.

A workbook for students, giving them notes and exercises on all of the basic parts of speech / word classes. Answer key provided.

A series of graded worksheets, giving students practice in writing various types of sentences.

A list of 30 contentious topics - suitable for Middle School students. Students select a number and are given one minute to prepare their speech in which they have to persuade the class that their point of view is the correct one. This could lead to other activities: debating, persuasive writing etc.

A list of video links for every English HL poem prescribed by the IEB (the South African Independent Examinations Board) for 2020.

Two worksheets that encourage close reading of the labels and packaging of everyday products (in this case, Milo chocolate drink & Pronutro breakfast cereal).

A pack of notes and guidelines for students to write a Dystopian narrative essay. It is particularly suited for South African students in the F.E.T. phase, who study the IEB curriculum. It was designed for use during the national Coronavirus lockdown, but will work as a ‘normal’ class assignment. Recommendation: Stacey Lloyd, a TPT seller, has a superb pack on various writing tasks. This essay topic was inspired by her amazing work.

Using the art work of Jeff Hong, students are challenged to write an essay in which the usual Disney fairy tale endings are subverted.

A slide presentation of numerous words to be used in a Middle School Spelling Bee. Each slide gives the word, its etymology, its meaning and a sentence in which it is used. Also included are fun slides for 'spot&' questions for the audience. The words should be screened behind the participants - to allow for audience insight & enjoyment.

A guided essay task, in which students select an event that happened on the day and month of their birth. They research the event and then turn an aspect of it into historical fiction.

A revision guide for students reading the novel ‘Zoo City’ by Lauren Beukes. 48 slides that simplify the content. Useful when preparing for assessments.

A fun way to introduce themes / topics from Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” by means of a “cross-the-floor” debate. Students decide whether they are ‘for’ or ‘against’ each statement. They then have to convince their peers on the other side of the room to “cross the floor” and agree with their argument. [Many thanks to colleague, Ruth Stewart, for developing this idea.]

A structured approach to writing a persuasive essay - on any topic that the student holds dear. The task is set for the South African IEB curriculum, but is suited to anyone teaching writing at a Grade 10, 11 or 12 level.

A collection of QR codes, linking students and teachers to videos and online lessons on all the poems in the South African IEB (Independent Examination Board) English Home Language poetry curriculum for 2021 and 2022. The poems (as titled in the anthology ‘Clusters’) are: Love’s Farewell (Sonnet 61) - Michael Drayton To Althea, from Prison - Richard Lovelace To the Night - Percy Bysshe Shelley Ulysses - Alfred, Lord Tennyson My Last Duchess - Robert Browning Refugee Blues - WH Auden The Cry of South Africa - Olive Schreiner Penguin on the Beach - Ruth Miller Touch - Hugh Lewin Portrait of a Loaf of Bread - Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali Lost or Found World - Mongane Wally Serote I Have My Father’s Voice - Chris van Wyk The Tenant - Na Ngulube Nightsong City - Dennis Brutus Assassination - Don L. Lee Dulce et Decorum Est - Wilfred Owen No longer mourn for me when I am dead - William Shakespeare The wind begun to rock the grass - Emily Dickinson nobody loses all the time - ee cummings

A revision task, in which groups / pairs of students link poems / poets by means of pre-printed hexagons. The students have to explain the links and connections that they have made.