A’level Media students usually make blogs as a way to showcase their work and build up a portfolio of what they have planned and created (particularly concerning practical productions). This is a useful handout explaining how to make an account and lay out a blog, as well as how to attach links to documents. It is advised that teachers check that blogger.com is not blocked by their college network.

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?

Attached are some resources for students to use in groups in order to make a magazine. This would be perfect for year 7 and 8 since from this age students need to be encouraged to read a wide range of non fiction texts in preparation for GCSE and magazines are a good place to start. I would suggest that you provide piles of different types of magazines for them inspect and scrutinize such as ones based on music, fashion, teen girl, cars, football/sport and gaming. Within their groups, students can assign roles and each student can plan and design their own page. Since I can't share images of front covers or pages from real magazines, I have left boxes on some of these planning sheets blank so that students can stick their own in to demonstrate their decision making. I have made these resources into PDFs so that the text boxes don't shift. The resources attached include: - Magazine Planning Sheet (a sheet to record their group's initial decisions) - Front Cover Analysis Sheets (provides space to stick examples and thinking prompts) - A suggested questionnaire for students to distribute or an exemplar which students can build on - Design a Contents Page - a planning resource - Design a Front Cover - a planning resource - Design a Letters or Problem Page - a planning resource - Design a Product Review - a planning resource - Page Templates - boxed sections to place text and images - Planning an Advert - a planning resource - Spellings - suggested spelling lists which can be adapted - Write a Feature Article - a planning resource.