A comprehension and creative writing task based around an amusing extract from Cider with Rosie describing Laurie Lee’s first day at school. There are a series of short answer comprehension questions which test a variety of reading skills followed by an extended Creative Writing task. This is available in both Question Booklet form and Question and Answer Booklet form. It is an excellent way to gain early data on student’s abilities and needs. No preparation is required.

15 A Midsummer Night’s Dream critical thinking essay question cards, indicative content and marking sheets. Best for A Level or extending GCSE students, or any curriculum ages 14+. All resources are printable and editable. Each has a challenging and engaging central essay question, with the remainder of the page given over to a number of thought provoking and sophisticated thesis statements or ideas which students can extend to form a complete essay. Questions focus on: love, power, characterization, the influence of setting, narrative methods, justice and morality, reality and illusion, the conventions of Shakespearen comedy, argument and conflict, plays and acting roles, rebellion and dissent, transformation and personal identity, the value a society places on free will, the consequences of argument and conflict, the interplay of states of order and chaos. Essay focuses are concerned with enabling comment on the human condition and the structures of the world around us. Samuel Pepys’ Review Essay Task: a highly engaging essay task asking students to respond to a 17th century negative review of the play. The task is presented in a 4 page hand out which provides step by step tuition in how to form sophisticated, convincing response ideas, source textual evidence and write engaging, analytical and perceptive paragraphs. An additional 2 page resource consists of exemplar paragraphs and a short essay are provided with a list of useful vocabulary and perceptive ideas for students to adapt and use. This is available in 2 alternative formats for teacher choice. A graphic organiser to assist students in forming specific, complex ideas is included as are two Marking Rubrics.

A five page resource to aid last minute ‘cramming’ and revision for AQA GCSE Literature Paper 1 and Paper 2 middle to lower ability students. The texts covered are Macbeth, A Christmas Carol and The Lord of the Flies. Each page consists of a number of key words, pertinent textual references, core events, tone, context and symbolism. There are also pages for the Power and Conflict poetry cluster and the Unseen Poetry section of Paper 2. These consist of key words, voice, symbolism, tone, context, pace and setting. Ideas and possible structures for essay responses are included as acronyms and bullet points, as are sentence stems and discourse markers to aid comparison. These cards work well alone or as a short booklet.

A ccss compliant, no prep required 14 page work book consisting of 100 reading questions, a detailed list of the gothic features of the novel and a creative writing task ‘The Danvers Letters’. There is also a two page essay which introduces the novel and argues its merit as a source of study. A document of four sample PEA paragraphs which explore the gothic features of the text and an analysis grid worksheet considering the female characters are also provided.

A short 600 word A Grade exemplar essay exploring the spontaneous overflow of emotion in Shelley’s Stanzas Written in Dejection Near Naples. The meaning and impact of literary devices are explored in connection with contextual issues relation to Shelley’s own life and the wider Romantic movement. Originally designed for the Edexcel A Level Literature course, this can be used as an exemplar analysis and to assist creating an essay response which explores two Romantic poems for the 9ETO/03 examination paper.

This package focuses on To My Nine Year Old Self by Helen Dunmore and prepares students for the Edexcel A Level Literature ‘Contemporary Poetry’ section of exam paper 9ETO/03. It contains a host of thought provoking learning activities designed to give students an in depth knowledge of the poem and the skills to write an evaluative comparative essay. There is a ppt with thinking routine activities and an analytical paragraph, an extended worksheet of questions and tasks which guides students towards forming and developing their own thesis statements, and an extended analysis which students are asked to adapt into a comparative essay. Links to the examination focus, question style and Assessment Objectives are referenced throughout.

A Jekyll and Hyde essay writing unit of work with a worksheet pack for AQA GCSE Literature Paper. This gets fantastic results in examination analytical writing focusing on the themes, issues and contextual influences on the novel Jekyll and Hyde and teachers students how to build an argument and write an essay which meets all assessment objectives. This extends skills to level 8 or 9 in analysis, evaluation, incorporating contextual influences and academic writing. The resource contains a list of the central themes of the novel, two extended thesis statements for students to expand upon with supporting evidence, and a number of shorter ideas which students are asked to use to form their own thesis statements and explorations. There are a number of specific references to the contextual influences on the narrative. Together this builds to a sample exam style question and a detailed essay plan. A ppt of 12 slides and 13 page workpack.

With new additions, a fantastic resource which uses Romeo and Juliet as a focus to practise and refine persuasive writing skills in a variety of forms including a letter to the editor, a newspaper article, a radio interview, a personal journal and a speech. Students develop empathy skills through writing as a series of characters to persuade an audience of Verona’s citizens of their perspective on the events of the play. Each task includes a description of the form students will be asked to write in, a list of its structural and language conventions, and detailed task instructions. This works well as early preparation for the AQA GCSE Paper 1 Shakespeare question, or the Paper 2 Section 2 Point of View task for a Year 9 class, or any other persuasive writing examination assessment, or as an extended independent learning homework project. New addition are fun Wanted Poster worksheets for Romeo, Mercutio and Tybalt which act primarily as a drawing activity, and a Hot Honeys Dating Profile worksheet that students can complete for characters of their choice.

Designed for A Level or advanced GCSE students, a 25 slide power-point presentation which provides a detailed introduction to literary criticism. The concept of critical ‘lenses’ is described and short explanations are given of a number of critical paradigms including Formalism, Deconstructionism, Historical, Intertextual, Psychological, Archetypal, Mimetic and Reader-Response. Feminist (8 slides) and Marxist (4 slides) critical perspectives are explored in some detail, encompassing their core aims, central concerns and interests with specific reference to aspects of The Great Gatsby and Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Bibliographies and guidelines for conducting further research are also included.

AQA Macbeth. A really useful ppt and printable word document that provides TEN AQA GCSE Literature Paper 1 critical evaluation exam style questions based around the ‘to what extent’ or ‘how far do you agree’ stems. Four of the question slides include a comprehensive or partial list of points to support an argument which encourage students to add their own ideas, forming a basis for a written response. Five exam style questions with extracts from the play make up the remainder of the ppt. If worked through in order, the slides build on reading and essay writing skills, though the resource works very well if used in any order.

A detailed table which breaks down many of the similarities and differences in the ways the characters, narrative events and issues in the play are extended, challenged and subverted in the modern film appropriation. It can be used as a support resource for an essay, presentation or to aid revision. It can also be adapted by deleting some parts of the text and asking students to add their own ideas and examples.

Created for the Edexcel A Level Literature Prose Study, here are twenty eight essay style analytical ideas connecting The Handmaid’s Tale and Frankenstein. These ideas can be used to aid students in composing detailed paragraphs or be developed into extended responses. There are three exemplar evaluative paragraphs with quotations, one of which contains a short task. There are also twelve thinking questions which can be used for discussion or as the basis for longer written responses, detailed instructions for an oral presentation task and a fun introductory lesson to The Handmaid’s Tale which asks students to create their own nation.

Twenty questions testing knowledge and understanding of the whole play. Most questions are multiple choice, some require short written answers and quotation interpretation. The test should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete and a full answer key is provided.

A Scheme of Work for the A Level Edexcel Coursework Component 9ET0/04 based around The Great Gatsby. Included are 20 tried and tested essay questions that have lead to successful coursework submissions, 22 possible comparison texts and 10 specific points of comparison with any second text. There is a list of over 30 textual themes and issues in The Great Gatsby, notes and tasks on its contextual influences, literary elements and narrative methods. There are also links to 3 useful documentaries.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Context, Genre Conventions and Narrative Worksheets. A detailed, informative essay on the play’s origin and context. A detailed and clear plot synopsis with a plot ordering task as a print out worksheet. An information and worksheet exploring the conventions of Shakespearean comedy. All documents are in worksheet format, fully editable and printable. No preparation is required.

This highly engaging scheme of learning which asks students to compare the film Bladerunner and Shelley’s novel Frankenstein focusing on the cultural paradigms and key contextual concerns of the creators of each text. Students explore what each text asserts about what it is to be human and our relationship with the natural world and spiritual realm. A number of essay tasks are included with a marking rubric and two exemplar essays.

Midsummer Night’s Dream Scene by Scene Quizzes of between 10 and 20 multiple choice questions. All are available as printouts and ppt presentations with one question per slide to aid feedback or so quizzes can easily be turned into a class competition. A full answer key is provided and everything is printable and editable. A quiz on the opening scene which asks for short written responses. This can be used with any age group though it is probably better suited to 14 years old and upwards, GCSE and A Level or similar age curriculums.

A detailed program for Australian Stage 4 Year 8 on Trash by Andy Mulligan which is estimated to last 7 or 8 weeks / 20 to 25 lessons. All activities are tied to Australian National Curriculum Outcomes and fully differentiated for G&T, LD and ESL students. Learning activities and assessment tasks are embedded throughout taking the form of group projects, debates, close analysis of visual, literary and digital texts, and creative writing in a range of text types including news reports, feature articles and diary text types. Students also compose graphic organisers, charts and Venn diagrams. Visible thinking routines, self and peer assessment are used throughout, and there is an emphasis on social justice, diversity, sustainability and critical thinking built into all tasks. Extensive ICT learning is embedded through the unit with the creation and development of a ‘Digital Portfolio’ where students will store and reflect on their work. All activities also comply with UK NC guidelines.

A close reading test on the traditional story Artemis and Actaeon. The short story is included and there are nine comprehension questions and an extended response task. This is intended for a higher ability Year 8 or 9 class. It is recommended that the class reads the story together then students approach the tasks alone. Presented this way, this should take two lessons.

Two practice AQA GCSE Language Paper 1 Section A examinations. The first uses an extract from the opening of George Orwell’s 1984 and the second uses an extract from JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Each practice examination fits on two sheets of A4 paper and line numbers are included within the sources.