A booklet with a guided plan for choosing a topic and producing a persuasive essay. Detailed notes about persuasive writing techniques that pupils can use to enhance their writing in this genre. Model opening paragraphs.

A really fun exercise to assess listening based on a great wee story - 'Mary's Hair' by Eoin Colfer. Questions and answer key included Text published by Barrington Stoke.

A help sheet to support pupils respond to the opening of the novel. Pupils who struggle with writing can use this to respond to the text.

Detailed essay plan to support pupils writing a critical essay on this poem

To accompany my resource - My Left Foot studying a key scene - this is a completed booklet with model examples of analysis for each bullet point. I get pupils to complete their own notes first, collate their ideas on the projector, then issue this booklet with examples of how they could develop their observations into written analysis. It's been a great resource for helping pupils to write essays about a key scene in the film.

Questions on the whole play, a drama activity and a writing task

A great helpsheet to ensure a worthwhile group discussion with first year (secondary school) pupils

Questions on the whole poem, with a specific focus on writing techniques used to create atmosphere. Essay plan

This is a close reading activity that forms part of a larger unit of work based on the film ‘Lion’ starring Dev Patel. (See my other resources which have been developed to help pupils write ‘Lion’ film essays for the Scottish National 5 and Higher English exam) This extract allows discussion about the book which inspired the film.

After studying ‘The Highwayman’ poem by Alfred Noyes, this is a fully scaffolded helpsheet to enable pupils to write a detailed evaluation of the poem, focusing on poetic techniques used to create atmosphere.

A good introduction to ‘The Winter’s Tale’, offering historical context, characters, themes, plot synopsis and some youtube link to give pupils a taster of what’s to come.

A powerpoint for senior pupils to support a comparative study of ‘The Winter’s Tale’ and ‘The Tempest’. It focuses on the spectrum of power: the gulf between tyranny and impotence, with Leontes and Prospero initially characterising these polarised traits. Concludes with some reflection on the theme of redemption as explored in Shakespeare’s later plays. An excellent resource for studying the theme of power, kingship and authority. It also draws connections to King James 1 treaty: Basilikon Doron and his reflections on ideal kingship.

I know this is just a single page sheet, but it’s been really useful in supporting pupils with the development of effective opening paragraphs for critical essays on a film. To be used with my other resources on ‘Lion’

This is a powerpoint which contains all the information pupils need to help them write an essay about two Shakespeare plays that are thematically linked. My Advanced Higher pupils had a lot of success with this and found the topic really interesting.

A really interesting activity I made up for my Advanced Higher class who are studying both plays. Great for revision purposes and a bit of end of term fun. Sets of questions for three teams with an answer sheet. general questions; multiple choice; who said…?; anagrams etc. My class really enjoyed it.

A detailed set of notes for my seniors in preparation for writing a Shakespeare essay based on minor characters in two of his plays. Tracks Camillo’s appearances throughout the text and includes quotations printed in bold. (See also my notes on Paulina from ‘The Winter’s Tale’ and Caliban from ‘The Tempest’.

A detailed set of notes about Caliban, focusing on his pivotal role throughout the whole of the play. Important quotations recorded in bold with text references. Summary of his key contribution to the drama. My pupils collaborated on this, in preparation for writing an essay about significant characters in two plays (see my other notes on Camillo and Paulina from 'The Winter’s Tale).

Created for my S2 class (age 13/14) who are doing a thematic about identity which includes analysing song lyrics. After we’ve studied a few songs I get them to do a presentation on their own favourite song and what it means to them. Pupils always really engaged with this task, and I also show them the film ‘Walk the Line’.

A worksheet to help pupils build on their skills of writing for information and sequencing. My pupils really enjoyed doing this after reading the scene in which Billy describes the process of training Kes. They worked in pairs to complete the sheet in their own words.

A worksheet designed to accompany the stunning episode of ‘Tales by Light’ about child labour. Children in need, episode 1. I created it for use in our English dept as part of a thematic project on ‘Our Planet’