Stimulating, engaging and promoting thinking beyond the lesson of the day - that's the support material I seek to produce in the English, Maths and Humanities areas. As a resource manager and classroom teacher for over 30 years, I want to offer practical, get-to-the-point material to broaden, challenge and deepen understanding, provide for a range of skill levels, and make teaching and learning stimulating and enjoyable.
Stimulating, engaging and promoting thinking beyond the lesson of the day - that's the support material I seek to produce in the English, Maths and Humanities areas. As a resource manager and classroom teacher for over 30 years, I want to offer practical, get-to-the-point material to broaden, challenge and deepen understanding, provide for a range of skill levels, and make teaching and learning stimulating and enjoyable.
This fifteen page study guide is intended as a complete self-contained work unit for students in Years 10 to 12 studying the film “Dead Poets’ Society.” It offers a wide range of analytical and creative activities for students to fully engage with and respond to the film and its themes. The study guide has been created for maximum visual appeal, calculated to reflect the idealism and romanticism of the film, and to provide your students with opportunities for both rigorous analysis of plot, characters, themes and film techniques, as well as activities to give scope to their own self-expression in the form of poetry writing, personal argument and script writing.
The study guide is made up of
Introduction to the film with questions based on prior knowledge and preliminary reflections on the purpose
of education and the tension between conformity and individualism
Plot summary and close exercises on the storyline and conflicts
Character Analyses with questions on all major characters
Case study of Film Techniques, with analysis of scripting, camera and lighting, with comprehension questions
about scene direction
Drama writing exercise for students to create alternative endings and additional scenes to the film
Poetry analysis of verse from the film with comprehension questions
Stimulus for personal poetry writing on the themes and ideas in "Dead Poets’ Society’
Paragraph writing exercises and essay topics
Discussion and debate topics
As a unit of work, this study guide is envisaged as covering two to three weeks of work
A set of five highly visual powerpoints containing ongoing focus questions, task slides and vocabulary and concept building, created to widen understanding during the class viewing of SHREK. There is also a handout on vocabulary learned during the film study. This unit of work contains most of what you will need for a close film study.
The emphasis is on a visually engaging presentation of the essential details of genre, setting, character and theme, with the slide content created specifically for student note taking and regular set questions for class discussion. There are culminating tasks on each slide set to revise and summarize what has been learned.
Set One - INTRODUCTION TO SHREK
* Reason for mass age group appeal
* Outline of origins of story
* How book is adapted to film
* Reflection task on the appeal of modernized fairy tales
Set Two - SETTING AND GENRE
* Time / Place framing
* Foreshadowing & expectations through setting and genre
* Fairy tale conventions
* Conflicts in conventional fairy tales
* Historical context - medieval society
* Shrek as a conventional fairy story - writing and discussion
Set Three - VOCABULARY
* key words from the film - slides for each viewing day
* film vocabulary with part of speech, definition and example of usage
in the film
HANDOUT based on Vocaulary PP - Crossword test of all words
Set Four - CHARACTERS
* Framing Questions on Viewing and Evaluating characters
* The difference between character and characterization
* Elements of Characterization
* Exemplar of a sympathetic animated character
* The process of animated characterization
* Characterization of Shrek the Ogre
* Flat and Rounded CHaracters in SHREK
* Character concepts - protagonist, antagonist, confidante, stock
characters
* Test of Knowledge on SHREK characterization (with answers)
* Stereotypes in Fairy Tales
* SHREK and unconventional fairy tale characterization (with tests
for understanding)
* Summarizing writing / speaking task on characters
Set Five - THEMES
* Analysis of concept of theme versus main idea
* Concept of universal and imlied themes
* analysis of key themes in SHREK ~ beauty, love, friendship,
appearance versus reality
Complete unit for the drama, TWELVE ANGRY MEN, providing an engaging, varied range of student activities for rigorous analysis of plot, characters and themes. This is a unit of literary analysis, covering vocabulary of legal terms, analysis of conflicts, interpretation of cartoons related to key ideas in the text, and extension activities.
The unit can be used as
whole class, step-by-step lessons or
self-contained student-directed work program for individuals to complete at
their learning pace, complete with all questions to the varied comprehension
for student self-evaluation
**UNIT PACKAGE **
INTRODUCTION TO THE PLAY Power Point (1 - 2 lessons)
(2 copies - one TEACHER ONLY copy with all answers on vocabulary and
comprehension questions
one STUDENT copy with comprehension questions minus
answers)
Power Point contains
Understanding essential concepts - prior knowledge & vocabulary exercise
Legality, Morality and Unjust Laws - comprehension
Law making in democratic society / symbolism and law
Cartoon representations of problems with the justice system -
comprehension
**STUDENT STUDY & COMPREHENSION GUIDE (approximately 2 weeks)
(i) Fourteen comprehension activities covering all of the plot, comprehension
and interpretation of key lines, using diagrams to compare and contrast,
sequencing diagram, short answer tasks and crossword on the text.
(ii) Teacher Power Point with all answers to questions in the study guide for
class marking and assessing student understanding
3. EXEMPLAR ESSAY Handout
Annotated exemplar analytical essay
Sidebar annotation of textual construction and language features
This 20 page study guide for students is a complete unit, covering the plot, characters and themes of Ken Kesey’s “One Flew
Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in a visually rich and stimulating format. This is the product of my twenty five years of teaching the novel, and covers
Background to the writing of the book / analysis of Kesey’s purpose / socio-political context of sixties counter-culture
Comprehension on all significant parts of the novel, involving close exercises, short answers, paragraph writing and creative reflection responses
Character analysis and outline of conflicting representations (focus on point of view in literature)
Further reading and research stimulus
This is intended as a complete, step by step guide to understanding the novel in depth, using cartoons, stimulus poetry and extension activity, and can be useful in teaching to a range of ability levels, with students able to progress at their own rate to grasp the essential social commentary of the novel.
Suited to Years 10 to 12, this four page activities handout examines specific advertising that is sexist and features representations based on stereotyping and narrow gender roles.
It contains
1. exemplar analyses of print advertisements displaying gender bias
2. student responses to common gender stereotypes
3. guidance on paragraph writing
4. exercises in paragraph responses to sexist advertisements
Four items to use with the film JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS
1. Assessment task with exemplar film review
2.Comprehension handout
3. Crossword handout
4. Word search handout
This is a colorful, professionally produced study guide of ten numbered pages, used and found practical for a range of Year 11 and 12 students. With plenty of graphics, including cartoons and a range of activities to promote active participation in watching the film, this is aimed at promoting extended writing about positioning, bias and point-of view, with comprehension questions, crossword and discussion questions aimed at vocabulary building and identifying film techniques. It includes an annotated exemplar of effective reviewing, guidance questions for the viewing process, and builds on skills in a cumulative way, from literal understanding of the content to more sophisticated concepts such as selectivity, language choices in commentary and the power of documentary film making to promote change.
THE ENGLISH ROMANTIC POETS - A PRACTICAL STUDY GUIDE
This is a visually stimulating fifteen page study guide on the poetry of the great poets of the Romantic Period. It is intended as the basis of a two week unit. The emphasis is on direct, attention getting material that will engage learners of different levels, covering the life and poetry of
John Keats
William Wordsworth
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Percy Shelley
Lord Byron
William Blake
The numbered pages contain exercises on
(i)the concept of romanticism
(ii) the distinction between romance poetry and the philosophy of romanticism in the late 1700’s and
early 1800’s
(iii) backgrounding of each poet and an outline of his distinctive viewpoint
(iv) poems from each of the six poets, with vocabulary explained for each poem, and comprehension questions. the poems are ‘Daffodils’ (Worsworth),
(v) art activity for the visual learner
(vi) exercise in distinguishing love poetry and romantic poetry
The work involves straightforward explanation so that the student can proceed at his / her own pace, without need for constant guidance. Students will be able to identify the major elements of romanticism beyond mere rebelliousness and
be able to locate textual evidence about pantheism, philosophical interest in heroic mythology, romantic preoccupation with
the imagination over clinical intellect and the embrace of the non-rational and spiritual in the works of some of the poets.
The layout and design is meant to have a magazine style level of visual interest and at the same time provide rigorous and serious commentary in a way that doesn’t rely on jargon or confusing terminology (vocabulary is explained in each of the poems so that teacher direction is minimized)
Seventeen page Study Guide of engaging analysis and activities for use in your class teaching of the novel, “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.” This is a highly visual resource intended to comprehensively guide students in understanding plot, characters, theme, point of view and historical context, answering their questions along the way about fundamentals such as historical timelines, meaning of key terms and explaining belief systems.
The contents on the numbered pages are as follows
Plot exercises
Historical terms / vocabulary
Visualization timeline
Frequently asked questions about the Holocaust
Fact versus Fiction in the novel
Paragraph writing - exemplar and extended writing activities
Chapter Questions - comprehension questions fr each chapter with page
numbers to locate answers
Comparing and Contrasting - diagrammatic representation of character
similiarities and differences
Crossword on plot and characters
Irony analysis in the novel - student activities on use of irony in the plot and
dialogue of the novel
Fences and Boundaries in History - research
Point of view analysis and higher order thinking exercises on character
perspective
Themes - analysis and comprehension questions
Essay Questions
Further reading and viewing
This resource is a complete unit that would would be all that teachers would require in a class study of the novel over several weeks.
Twelve page study guide for the study of Ned Kelly based on the text “Black Snake.” The focus is on vocabulary and the representations of Ned Kelly in poetry, legal records, journalism and film. Students are provided with language activities for each chapter and with comparative studies of Ned Kelly as hero and outlaw.
This is a unit to prepare secondary students to produce their own short story, by a close study of five short stories each of which have enquiry and discussion questions about characterization and language use, together with explicit powerpoint instruction on genre, the creation of conflict, the construction of tension, using implicit description, and using figurative language devices for effect
The 5 stories are formatted with graphic art and sidebar explanation of the vocabulary and each are provided with a set of comprehension questions on plot, character,writer’s purpose and use of language. As a way of close analysis with the full class, each comes as both a document / pdf for digital transmission / printing, and also in powerpoint form so that focus on particular language in the text can be best managed in class. These powerpoints come in separate student and teacher versions - teacher copy contains answerson slides to all questions.
Here is a resource parcel for your senior students aimed at giving them extensive practical help in responding in essay form to the characters and themes of Arthur miller's THE CRUCIBLE. It consists of six items which can be used together as culmination of a unit on the play prior to students writing their own analytical response.
This is practical material aimed at enabling your students to practice their writing skills using stimulating exemplars and scaffolded handouts with construction guidelines and content prompts.
1. A closely annotated exemplar of a top standard formal essay on the themes of THE CRUCIBLE, with
explanatory pointers on structure, content and wording
2. A powerpoint containing do's and don'ts when students write their essay - it contains specific parts
of THE CRUCIBLE to make the points
3.Four scaffolded practice essay handouts - two on characters and two on themes. These are colour
coded to guide construction, and have prompt points to assist in the content
Nine page handout for use in the study of the classic film about friendship and change, with examination of plot characters and themes. Students undertake writing activities under the following - interpreting, justifying, comparing and contrasting.
A four page handout on the original film, containing close exercise on the plot, comparing and contrasting John Hammond and Victor Frankenstein, and an enquiry of central quotes, who said them and their significance.
This is a unit that would cover approximately four to five weeks, involving reading the S E Hinton novel, viewing the film, and completing the study guide questions on plot, characters, theme. There are a number of practice tests that would take a lesson each, in which students practice the core skills of justifying, comparing, contrasting and drawing their own conclusions. An oral assessment task is also included, with an exemplar (annotated) of a student script.
These weekly handouts are for middle school use. They comprise a weekly handout with alphabetically listed words based on themes such as cities, emotion and food. Each word has a meaning, a designated common usage part of speech and an accompanying chart shows the word again, with space for a syllable breakdown to aid pronunciation, and spaces for write outs to practice correct spelling.
STREETS OF LONDON
Multiple Choice Levels of Meaning Listening and Reading Stimulus and Test
Suitable for early middle school Years 7/8/9
Theme of Social Commentary and Social Protest.
Along with a dramatic cover sheet with the song lyrics of Ralf McTell's famous ballad urging us to look and see the hardships of the underclass around us, there are 20 questions, structured as follows
1. Five "Right There" specific / literal questions
2. Five "Gather the Information" questions requiring longer reading across the entire text.
3. 10 Inferential questions based on the implied meaning and the writer's intentions.
This is intended as a N A P L A N or general classroom activity to get students to respond to the multiple levels of a poem and to respond in a structured way to indicate their understanding.
On the theme of growing up, friendship and the influence of peers on our development, here is a beautiful ballad about a childhood friendship by Billy Joel brought to life to show the way we change and grow apart. The lyric in full is given along with a video of the performance of the lyric.
Harry Chapin's CATS IN THE CRADLE about wish fulfilment, father and son relationships and the irony of getting what you always hoped for is presented here in full lyric, with a fifteen part multiple choice set of questions and an exemplar essay analysis of the poem, presented as a punctuation exercise.
This is a lesson in itself, or an assessment item as preferred. Alfred Noyes' celebrated ballad THE HIGHWAYMAN in full. Visually realised with the text is fully annotated, with difficult words explained in side bars.
Reading comprehension about literary elements.
Then a letter writing exercise on point of view.
Do play the best recording of the poem by PHIL OCHS obtainable on You Tube as part of your presentation.