In this lesson students are asked to explore how a writer can write in vivid detail and create tension. It would ideal to use as part of a KS3 unit on autobiography. The lesson starts by asking students to read the information on the first slide about who Dame Ellen is and what she achieved. They are to list feelings words associated with her feat. There is a slide with illustrates her route and there’s a link to an online video about her journey. After students read the extract from her autobiography (which is attached), they are to consider in pairs how she starts in an interesting way. This first paragraph is on a slide which you can annotate with the class. After this stage they can consider two chosen quotes on the next slide where Ellen uses imagery in order to create an effect. This task is linked to the GCSE reading skills AO1, 2, 3 where they have to think about language, structure and the readers’ reactions. The whole extract has been pasted onto these slides and there is some space around the text if you want to annotate it when going over it with the class. The plenary asks students to consider what questions they would ask Ellen after reading this. There is a suggestion of a written activity where they can exercise some of skills discussed today. This lesson, as my other lessons do, includes: Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson Handouts of extracts/text Differentiated tasks Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities (‘Talk for Writing’)

Ever run an English based film making competition at your school? This one asks students to plan and record a short film exploring a poem about the theme of remembrance. Students could use imovie on their iphones or by using the computers at your school. Attached is a handout which lists youtube videos which act as inspiration for keen film makers and and a list of poems which touch on the set theme. These poems include 'Ozymandias' by Shelley and 'Funeral Blues' by W.H Auden. There is also a poster which advertises the competition across the school - both of which can be uploaded to Homework websites. Perhaps a scheme of work can be build around this?

In this lesson students are asked to explore how Mr Hyde is portrayed as a villain. The lesson starts by presenting students with images of gothic villains and asking them to discuss what they know about each one. Students are then asked to read the extract where Mr Enfield tells Mr Utterson about how Hyde attacked a young girl in the street which is when the reader is first introduced to him. They can annotate and highlight it in pairs and the it can be annotated on the board where the class can feedback their ideas. There is another activity where students are provided with particular quotes and they are asked to link them with other moments in the novel (this is useful for classes who have finished the novel as a form of revision). The lesson ends with a chance for students to write essay paragraphs independently using provided sentence starters which come in 3 formats: a 'layers of meaning' approach, PEA or the 'reading ladder'. An opportunity to self assess essay writing follows this. The success criteria provided refers to the AQA English Literature course but can be adapted to suit your course. All lessons in this series include: - Links to online videos (see 'notes' under Powerpoint slides) - Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson - Differentiated tasks - Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities ('Talk for Writing') - Handouts of extracts from the novel - Alternating opportunities for self and peer assessment - Essay writing prompts to allow students to write about the scene - References to the AQA English Literature mark scheme, particularly to the demands for attaining a grade 5 - what is considered a 'good pass' for the qualification. It's suggested that you download the whole series to appreciate the full learning journey.

These resources could be stretched across at least 3 lessons if you chose. Alternatively, a class might be split into 3 groups to discuss the suggested themes and then present to the class within one session. Attached is a powerpoint and a quote bank for the following themes: Power, Fate and Destiny and Good versus Evil in the play Macbeth. The quotes are taken from across the play and some themes share some quotes. In some cases the speaker is named but not always, so that it challenges students to remember them. I would suggest that the quote banks are copied onto A3 paper or at least as A4 sheets pasted across 2 pages in an exercise book so that students have the space to annotate them and link them. Students could colour code their ideas and identify the act, scene and speaker of the quotes as a form of revision for the Literature exam. These are also a good basis for a classroom display. The lesson ends with a chance for students to write essay paragraphs independently using provided sentence starters which come in 3 formats: a 'layers of meaning' approach, PEA or the 'reading ladder'. An opportunity to self assess essay writing follows this. The success criteria provided relates to the AQA GCSE standards for a grade 5 (a good pass) but can be adapted to suit your course.

This is an interesting modern poem which features in both AQA and Edexcel's anthology of Literature exam poems. The poem, if you don't know it, explores the feelings of a mother whose son has gone to war as a soldier. It is a moving poem about loss which can be linked to other poems which share this theme. The lesson begins by asking students to define a list of key words which appear in the poem and then challenges them to link them together, thus predicting what the poem could be about. They are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding devices that the poet uses for effect (metaphor, simile, sensual imagery and caesura). The ideas they pull together for this can then be pulled together as a class and there are slides which reveal the devices for them to then write about. The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with AQA's exam success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills. Attached is; - A powerpoint with the lesson clearly outlined - A handout of the starter activity which can be cut up - Essay PEA styles sentence starters writing frames for weaker students Within this powerpoint are also links to online analyses of the poem as well as the BBC Bitesize video.