This activity uses the description from “Oliver Twist” in which Oliver accompanies Mr Sowerberry to a district of extreme poverty in order to collect a corpse. Accompanying the extract are 12 questions designed to practise and test comprehension. This could be used in class, as a cover activity, to structure a guided reading session or as homework. Useful as part of a unit of work on Charles Dickens. Could be used to add some contextual understanding to the study of “A Christmas Carol” at key stage four.

This is a short powerpoint created for an after-school revision session. It uses an excerpt from a short story by Saki (in the public domain). The last two slides are printables. The first couple of slides are animated to allow questioning. Slide 3 is an opportunity for some shared modelling. Slide 5 is an opportunity to discuss the selection of evidence. Slide 7 is a teacher-created model or demonstration, after which students can be asked to work independently on evidence that they have selected.

This task uses two short extracts, one from Barnardo and one from Dickens. Both describe homeless children living rough in markets. There are 14 questions, two requiring knowledge of “A Christmas Carol” (but this is an editable document so these questions can easily be removed if your students have not studied the text). This task is a good springboard for AQA GCSE English Language paper 2, question 4 - beginning to hone the reading skills which will be tested on that paper.

There are 7 questions here on Thomas Hood’s poetic grumble, “November”. It’s a lyric poem centering on the gloom of a November day in London. Written in 1844. Suggested answers are provided, although these are not definitive. This could be used to structure a guided reading activity. Children could work in pairs or groups and work through the questions, discussing answers. Alternatively, this could be used as a homework activity, for home learning, or for cover.

The text used is abridged from John Steinbeck’s war correspondent reports. This is an account of an attack on a cinema in London, 1943. It is a harrowing account of children’s deaths and injuries and you will be able to decide whether it’s suitable for use with your class. There are ten questions with suggested answers provided. The answers are merely indicative - some students will come up with different, though equally valid, responses. This could be used for cover, set as homework or allocated for home study. Alternatively, the questions could be used to structure a guided reading session.

This is a classroom display. There are three paragraphs of writing with certain features picked out in colour. The second document is the colour-coded annotations, naming the methods used and (very briefly) commenting on their effect. In my classroom, the writing is printed out on A3 paper and the annotations are cut out in strips and stapled around the writing. It’s a Word document so editable.

This is a short and straightforward activity giving students an opportunity to practise and develop the skills of writing an analytical essay about an unseen poem. The poem is “Autumn” by Walter De La Mare. The first slide of the ppt has a copy of the poem and the essay question. The second slide gives students a suggested pattern for tackling the task, the idea being that they should go through each of the steps in every paragraph of their response. The third slide can be used for self/peer assessment and developing the response further.

This is a short and straightforward activity giving students an opportunity to practise and develop the skills of writing an analytical essay about an unseen poem. The poem is “Parliament Hill in the Evening" by D.H.Lawrence. The first slide of the ppt has a copy of the poem and the essay question. The second slide gives students a suggested pattern for tackling the task, the idea being that they should go through each of the steps in every paragraph of their response. The third slide can be used for self/peer assessment and developing the response further.

This is a straightforward multiple choice quiz with 17 questions (answers provided) which can be used to structure a guided reading session or discussion about the poem. Alternatively, the questions can be set for homework prior to the completion of an unseen poetry response in class. A suggested question - How does the poet present the speaker’s thoughts and feelings about death? - is written just below the poem. Useful preparation for the GCSE Unseen poetry question. If you are studying “A Christmas Carol” the ideas in this poem segue neatly into the death of Tiny Tim.

This is a simple and straightforward multiple-choice quiz using Oscar Wilde’s “Les Silhouettes”. There are ten questions (answers provided) which could be used to structure a guided reading session prior to answering an unseen poetry response. There is a suggested question typed beneath the poem. Alternatively, the questions could be set as a homework prior to tackling the question, to secure some key knowledge.

This is a quiz intended to support students in practising their response to unseen poetry. There are 14 questions (answers provided) which are designed to prompt thinking in response to an exam style question - How does the poet present the speaker’s ideas about the garden.

This is a straightforward comprehension activity focusing on the reading skills of information retrieval, inference and analysis. The extract is from George Sims’ “How the Poor Live” and describes a large crowd of men who have assembled in the hope of being taken on as casual labourers. Useful as a cover activity, for homework, or to structure a guided reading session.

In this extract, G.W.M.Reynolds describes a crowd gathered to watch a hanging. Alongside the extract are ten questions focusing on a range of reading skills including vocabulary, analysis and evaluation. Useful for cover, for homework or as a pre-reading activity before exploring the extract in greater depth.

I made this as a cover activity for a year 10 class with targets of 3 and 4. Could be used as a recall/revision activity, set as homework or used for cover. There are 10 questions which could also be used as a starting point for a guided reading activity.

This is Betjeman’s simple but powerful “Harvest Hymn” with six questions focusing on the presentation of the speakers in the poem, summing up by asking the students to express the poet’s viewpoint in their own words. Created for a KS3 class but could be used for stretch and challenge at KS2 or for less confident students who need a gentle way into the unseen poetry task at GCSE English Lit.

This is a worksheet using Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Fame is a Bee” (in the public domain). There are ten questions and then a task for the pupils. This could be used to structure a guided reading or literacy lesson. Alternatively, it could be set for cover or used as a homework to support a unit on poetry or metaphor.

A straightforward powerpoint to enable students to practise their skills of analysing unseen poetry prior to their GCSE English Literature exam. The poem is in the public domain.

A straightfoward worksheet with a copy of Sassoon’s poem (which is in the public domain) and 12 questions which could be used to structure a guided reading session, or for assessment. Alternatively, this work could be set as cover or as a homework to support a unit of work on poetry, particularly the poetry of the first World War.

This is an extract from Stoker’s “Dracula” with 18 quiz questions (answers provided). This could be used for revision, as a starter activity, for homework, cover or to structure a guided reading activity.

This is a straightforward powerpoint with the aim - W.a.l.t: know and use the cinquain form. Planned for key stage three. Covers both reading and writing skills.