This zip package includes 5 variations of the avatar Cathy. You can use these on your worksheets or other resources. The avatars are print quality and will hold their resolution for reasonable resizing. The avatars are suitable to be used for any year level.

This zip package includes 5 variations of the avatar Sonita. You can use these on your worksheets or other resources. The avatars are print quality and will hold their resolution for reasonable resizing. The avatars are suitable to be used for any year level.

This zip package includes 5 variations of the avatar Corinne. You can use these on your worksheets or other resources. The avatars are print quality and will hold their resolution for reasonable resizing. The avatars are suitable to be used for any year level.

This zip package includes 5 variations of the avatar Dylan. You can use these on your worksheets or other resources. The avatars are print quality and will hold their resolution for reasonable resizing. The avatars are suitable to be used for any year level.

This zip package includes 5 variations of the avatar Depeeka. You can use these on your worksheets or other resources. The avatars are print quality and will hold their resolution for reasonable resizing. The avatars are suitable to be used for any year level but there are a couple of grumpy faces in there. We suggest these are best used in fun.

This zip package includes 5 variations of the avatar Bea. You can use these on your worksheets or other resources. The avatars are print quality and will hold their resolution for reasonable resizing. The avatars are suitable to be used for any year level.

This zip package includes 5 variations of the avatar Ahmed. You can use these on your worksheets or other resources. The avatars are print quality and will hold their resolution for reasonable resizing.

This zip package includes 5 variations of the avatar Anna. You can use these on your worksheets or other resources. The avatars are print quality and will hold their resolution for reasonable resizing. The avatars are suitable to be used for any year level.

Even though we know that reading is a valuable pastime we sometimes forget just how much is going on in our brain when we pick up a book. For most English teachers, who are avid readers, it is easy to forget just how intense the activity can be. This infographic reminds us of the myriad ways that reading exercises the mind. What it also does is remind us of the pre-knowledge that needs to be in place before students can really get engaged with the material.

A 10 slide presentation which outlines the elements of film that are required for it to be designated a classic. Useful when teaching visual literacy and film in English or media. Helping students understand that being a ‘classic’ requires particular attributes. I don’t know about you but I get really peeved when people use the word ‘classic’ as a synonym for ‘old’ or ‘dull.’ People arguing against the inclusion of classic literature in English courses invariably infer that if a text is a classic then it is old and irrelevant. This is simply not true of course. It is not even logical. After all we can talk about ‘classic’ cars and ‘classic’ fashion, none of which is either old or boring. We also talk about classic films and film has not been around for a particularly long time. So what makes a film a classic? What are the elements that we look for when we are deciding whether a film, or any work really, can be added to the classic cannon?

As books were to us, films are to our students. Like any text, a film can be read if you know the language and the signifiers that are used to make meaning. It is not enough to use film as an entertaining addition to our other texts. We need to approach it as a medium in itself with its own language, signifiers and methods. This way our students can still learn the important critical skills that they need while getting a solid understanding of visual literacy. This presentation takes us back to basics in preparation for a deeper study of film.

Learning to manage speaking on a topic without much warning is a valuable skill that can only be achieved with practice. The suggestions for 1 minute orals come with accompanying mini mark sheets. These can be copied and cut up and I have always chosen 2 or 3 students in the class to mark each oral. The students learn a great deal when they compare the marks they awarded to the ones the teacher awarded. There is a slide of the mark sheet which can be used to talk the process through with the students. Even if they don't write much and they spend most of their time in a digital world, they are still going to need to speak and communicate and constant practice, without the pressure of summative assessment, is the best way to prepare them.

Every English teacher has taught persuasive techniques more than once. This presentation looks at the issues of timing, audience, tone and handling the opposition in persuasive speeches from a slightly different angle and with an eye on changing social perceptions. It is a short presentation ( 45 slides ) and would be best used with a class that was already familiar with the genre of persuasive speeches. I have included a 2 page handout in pdf format that covers more general aspect of persuasive speeches.

This zip package includes 7 variations of male avatars. You can use these on your worksheets or other resources. The avatars are print quality and will hold their resolution for reasonable resizing. The avatars are suitable to be used for any year level.

A 10 slide presentation. It is important that we use the correct terminology when we talk about film, also that students understand how terminology or theories can cross mediums. These terms are not unique to film, indeed we know them from written texts as well. However by remembering them and exploring how they relate to film we get a firmer understanding that film, like novels, plays, poetry etc, are texts which can be read and out of which we can make meaning.

A selection of student ready handouts and activities to accompany lessons on oracy. They cover non-verbal aspects, the elements of voice as they relate to performance, persuasive speech techniques and planning, dramatic monologues and impromptu/spontaneous speaking. These can be used as they are but they can also accompany the presentations which are listed separately. The handouts would suit secondary school students in most disciplines.

A 14 slide presentation. Mise-en-scene deals with the choices that the filmmaker has made in constructing what the viewer sees. It includes all the little things that make up a scene. By close reading of mise-en-scene the viewer begins to comprehend how small, unremarkable aspects of a film can affect our understanding. Aspects include lighting, acting, colour, make-up and costumes.

An 18 slide presentation. We need to approach film as a medium in itself with its own language, signifiers and methods. The most important signifiers are the types of shots the filmmaker chooses to employ. Shot types are to filmmakers what rhyming patterns are to poets. The building blocks which give the structure shape. Learning to recognise shot type and function will assist students in applying critical thinking to the study of film and make them more visually literate.

The ability to write analytically is critical for our students. It is an integral part of all English curricula. This package includes a slide presentation that explains what the purpose of the analytical essay is, how it is structured and how students can best master it. The presentation is also included in a 10 min. video format that can be useful for relief teachers. There is also a handy visual planning template for those of us who learn better that way.

This zip package includes 12 variations of the female avatars. You can use these on your worksheets or other resources. The avatars are print quality and will hold their resolution for reasonable resizing. The avatars are suitable to be used for any year level.