This introductory lesson to the greatest World War One poet includes sixteen slides about his life. The folder also contains a very moving letter that he wrote to his mother about a disastrous sentry duty that he had to undertake. The powerpoint concludes with a choice of activities inspired by this letter, such as highlighting all the powerful language and writing your own poem; responding to the letter as Owen’s mother; interviewing Owen and then writing up the interview as a newspaper report (planning sheets included). A great resource to celebrate the centenary of the end of World War One and can be used in both English lessons and history lessons. This can also be used as an introduction to the two other lessons on Dulce et Decorum Est and Exposure, both available here.

Support your students to write a formal letter of objection to the council regarding the building of three new houses on a residential road. Using the thirty-two slide powerpoint, students compare two letters of objection looking for similarities and differences, as well as evaluating which is the best. Then they write their letter to their council objecting to the proposal to build an office block in the middle of the local park. The powerpoint creates interest in the subject by giving information about the importance and history of parks. Students then generate ideas together for the content and the structure of the task. The folder contains Word copies of the example letters and a powerpoint. Perfect for preparing students for GCSE transactional writing.

Using the poem “Nettles” by Vernon Scannell, students analyse the effect of the extended metaphor of military imagery to describe the nettles before engaging with the theme of the poem. In the second lesson, students learn how to create extended metaphors themselves with an example comparing school to a prison. Students are given several choices and lots of support to then choose a vehicle for their own extended metaphor. Folder includes: A worksheet to identify meanings of military imagery words before reading. Copy of poem. 25 slide powerpoint.

Teach students how great writers like Roald Dahl create their characters. This powerpoint introduces four lessons on Dahl’s iconic teacher, Captain Hardcastle, from his memoir “Boy”. The folder includes: Lesson 1 - analysis grid on how Dahl “shows, not tells” and exercise for students to do the same. Lesson 2 - analysis grid on how Dahl uses similes and metaphors and exercise for students to create simile.s Lesson 3 - analysis grid on how Dahl uses colour in his description and exercises for students to come up with more interesting colour adjectives and to use them. Lesson 4 - write an essay on how Dahl creates this unpleasant character with 3 WAGOLL PEE paragraphs and further support. You’ll end up despising this character, just as Dahl intended!

Teach your students how to write a ballad poem using the life of ex-slave and slave rescuer, Harriet Tubman. Celebrating the heroic life of Harriet Tubman, this twenty slide powerpoint shows how her life story was made into a ballad by Eloise Crosby Culver. Students then study the key features of ballads and are invited to add an extra verse of their own to the ballad, with historical information about the great lady. Students are then tasked with writing their own ballads about either a fictional or real person. Links in well with writing a ballad about Kissin' Kate Barlow from "Holes".

Enable your students to focus on effective structure and language features by inspiring them to write a story with the title “The Rescue” by giving them a real life newspaper report on a dramatic mid-sea rescue of a cargo ship. The report contains all the details they need and all they have to do is to transform the structure of the report into the five-part story structure, enabling you to focus on what makes an effective narrative. The folder includes: A powerpoint with pointers and tips. A Word version of the report. A Word planning sheet. Designed for both AQA and Eduqas GCSE narrative writing.

Introduce your students to the fascinating story of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre with this thirty-four slide powerpoint, complete with visually stimulating images to illustrate the information. The follow-up activities include: A twenty-three sentence cloze exercise to help students embed and remember the information. Diagrams of the theatre to label. An interview with an imaginary theatre-goer to stimulate further understanding of the context. Support for a writing task where students imagine that they have been to see a Shakespeare play. True or false on Shakespeare’s Globe. Written information on Shakespeare’s Globe that could be used for homework. Transport your students back in time to the seventeenth century with this comprehensive folder of resources!

This Powerpoint introduces the historical context of witches in Macbeth with a true or false game where students have to identify the correct or incorrect statements about witches. Students are then given some information about James V1th’s role in witchcraft persecution. Before studying Act One Scene One they are presented with a modern translation so that they understand what is going on. They then read Shakespeare’s Act One Scene One and consider what was lost in the translation and why Shakespeare’s scene is much more powerful. Students enjoy reading and acting out the scene in groups. They are then asked to design three costumes for a modern version of the play, focusing on representing the witches as powerful, evil and frightening. At the end of the lesson, you can show them Roman Polanski’s opening scene and compare and contrast their costumes with Polanski’s choices. Could be used as a precursor to my lesson on the witches’ spell; as part of an introduction to Shakespeare or as part of a scheme on Macbeth.

Designed to last thirty minutes, this editable Powerpoint explains the rule of subject verb singular and plural agreement and contains three sets of exercises to clarify this rule. Firstly students are asked to choose the correct form of the verb “to be” in the present tense; next they have to choose the correct form of the verb “to have” in the present tense and finally the correct form between “was/were”. Students are also reminded about irregular foreign plurals. Help your students to become masters of standard English with this fun activity.

Students explore John Agard’s use of irony in this clever poem. They are then supported to write a parody of the poem, rejecting any stereotypes of themselves. A multiple choice quiz worksheet is used as a starter to get students interested in the themes and ideas.

Students write a speech to persuade people not to drop litter and to look after the environment. They are supported to do this with a forty slide powerpoint that gives historical background on the Dunkirk evacuation during World War Two. An extract from the famous Churchil “We shall fight them on the beaches” speech teaches them how to use persuasive language features, with excellent examples of how to use emotive language. Perfect preparation for GCSE transactional writing.

Two lessons using an extract from Bill Bryson’s travelogue “Notes from a Small Island” in which he describes his disappointment at visiting Blackpool. The lesson sequence is as follows: In the first lesson the students attempt the question “How does the writer use language to show disappointment?” in preparation for AQA English Paper One Question 2 on language. A WAGOLL answer is provided demonstrating how the answer should be marked. A mark scheme is provided and students peer assess each other’s work following the model, giving each other a mark and written feedback. The second lesson uses the theme of disappointment as a springboard. Students write a story about disappointment in preparation for Section B: Writing on English Paper One. An example of planning a story with a 3 part story structure is included, as well as a further extract from Bryson on Weston-Super-Mare in which he shows disappointment. 23 slides and two extracts included.

In 2016 over three hundred scientists wrote an open letter to argue that the United States should not leave the Paris climate change agreement, which was under threat by Donald Trump. This folder contains a Word copy of the letter; a Word copy of the letter annotated with the language techniques used and a Powerpoint (30 slides)that introduces the letter; includes the letter; reviews the techniques and then suggests ideas for students to write their own open letters on a topic of interest to them. Step-by-step help to learn how to write to persuade and to argue a case.

Ten lessons on poetry based on the theme of superheroes aimed a weak Key Stage 3 students or Key Stage 2 students. Folder includes nine lessons with powerpoints and a twenty-five page student activity book. The scheme culminates in students creating their own superhero and then writing a story about a typical day in the life of their superhero. The poems are hilarious. Have great fun with this scheme of work. All fully adaptable in Word and Powerpoint format.

In Act One Scene One of “Romeo and Juliet”, we meet Romeo for the first time and realise that he is in love with the idea of being in love with Rosaline due to his use of elaborate oxymorons to describe his feelings. This powerpoint explains the context of the play, the definition of oxymorons. The accompanying worksheet guides students to identify Romeo’s oxymorons and then gives them the beginning of oxymorons for them to create themselves. Could be used with the play or as a stand alone lesson on oxymorons.

Support students to write a persuasive speech on the subject of school uniform by analysing an extract from Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech”. Students then apply Mr King’s language techniques to a speech either for or against school uniform. Students never tire of this eternal subject. A twenty-two slide powerpoint guides them through planning and structuring the speech with some ideas for and against the issue. Perfect for teaching GCSE transactional writing.

This thirty-eight slide powerpoint contains information about the life and career of the renowned author Philip Pullman. Learn about his early work before becoming famous for ‘His Dark Materials’. There are five ideas for creative writing inspired by Pullman’s work, such as writing a story in which the character goes through a portal to making a pact with a supernatural force. Students will be intrigued by Pullman’s imaginative world.

This twenty-one page student workbook contains twelve poems on the theme of football, designed to engage reluctant readers. Each poem has an accompanying activity. The culminating activity is for students to write a letter to their local newspaper arguing either for or against the case that the job of a football manager has become too stressful today. Stimulus material to promote discussion on this includes newspaper reports on sacked managers. This is an absolute bargain, even if I do say so myself! Poems include: Boys’ Game Give us back our ball, missus Oi, Ref Goalpost Blues Several haikus - write your own haiku England v Germany A Manager’s Tale Letter to Newspaper There’s only one Michael Owen It Makes You Think Hard Man

This folder contains everything that you need to understand Maya Angelou’s brilliantly uplifting poem. A 48 slide Powerpoint introduces the poem and then goes through the significant features verse by verse. A separate Word timeline of facts from the advent of slavery in America to the Civil Rights Movement contextualises the poem. Follow-up activities include visualising the positive images used in the poem. A copy of the poem is also included.

This twenty-slide Powerpoint guides you through the poem beginning with historical context and then annotated notes on each of the verses. Follow-up activities concentrate on Owen’s use of contrast and narrative writing from the point of view of the disabled man. A timeline of information about Owen is included in the folder also.