This is a straightforward quiz (answers provided) based on Siegfried Sassoon’s poem, “Autumn”. There are 15 questions which could be used as a starter activity leading into an analysis of the poem. Alternatively, the quiz could be used for homework or to structure a guided reading activity. Some questions test basic comprehension of the poem; others lead into an exploration of the poet’s methods. This is a Word document so editable to suit the needs of your class. If you want to use this as a starting point for an unseen poetry question, there is a suggested question on the sheet, alongside the poem. It uses the same kind of wording as is used in the AQA English Literature Paper 2.

This is a simple multiple-choice quiz using Walter de la Mare’s lovely, simple poem, “Someone”. It makes a great companion piece to “The Listeners”. There are 11 questions (answers provided) focusing on the writer’s methods with some basic comprehension. This could be used as a starter prior to looking at the poem in greater depth. It works as a homework task. Alternatively, it could be used to structure a guided reading activity.

This is a straightforward powerpoint taking students through activities to support and hone their reading skills. The focus is on the writer’s viewpoint - identifying it and beginning to look at how it’s suggested - and on the effect of language on the reader.

This is a straightforward powerpoint using questioning and discussion to explore Emily Dickinson’s poem (about a train), “I like to see it lap the miles”. Created for a KS4 class to prepare for their exam question on unseen poetry, I have used the questioning and discussion in class, left it for a few days and then set the exam-style question for homework. Created for KS4 but could also be useful at KS3, especially in schools beginning GCSE study in year 9.

This is a straightforward comprehension activity using an abridged text from Dickens’ story “The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain”. There are 8 questions. This could be set for homework or used as cover. Alternatively, the questions could be used to structure a guided reading session.

This 21 slide powerpoint is a walkthrough of paper 2, question 4. It uses two shortened texts, one pre-1914 and one contemporary and the lesson focuses on clear comparison and explaining how the writers’ words, phrases and patterns convey their feelings about zoos.

Planned for year 11 to embed the skills needed for English Language Paper 2, question 4, this powerpoint uses two short texts (shorter than would be used in the real thing), both about pigs. One is from “The Guardian”, the other from Dickens’s “American Notes”.

This is a 30 slide powerpoint (intended to go across more than an hour!) planned for a year 11 group who are lacking in confidence. The texts used are excerpts from “Frankenstein” and “Dracula” (older texts than would be used in the exam, but not infringing copyright!) and the focus on reading is interspersed with some recall questions focusing on writing as well as a short writing task based on an image. Modelling is used prior to asking students to tackle questions independently. There are two examples of question 1 (information retrieval). Easily editable so that you can remove/add slides to increase the level of challenge for your own class. My intention was to ask students to glue into their books the shorter extracts which is why they appear at the end of the ppt for ease of printing. The longer extract from “Frankenstein” is a separate Word document.

This is an editable powerpoint which I created for my KS4 classes to use as settlers/starters and to build the skills they will need for the writing task on paper 2. The slides can be used for the first 5-15 minutes of the lesson (depending on whether you want your students to work independently or generate ideas through discussion). Of course, you may then wish to extend the ideas into a longer piece of writing - there’s scope for flexibility depending on the needs of your class. The first four slides are simply about the generation of ideas to support a viewpoint. The next three are focused more on varying the expression of ideas and the final four are slightly more developed again, using examples from existing media.

This is an editable powerpoint which focuses on some of the skills needed for AQA English Language. It was planned to go alongside “A Christmas Carol” to help with contextual knowledge and understanding. I refer to it as a lesson here - it was planned to go across a double lesson but depending on how you want to run the writing, it could be extended longer. The lesson begins with a focus on Victorian Christmas cards and a reminder to the students to vary their sentence openers - with an opportunity to practise this. The focus then changes to some pre-twentieth century non fiction describing children and women at work. There is an opportunity to polish and embed the reading skills of analysis and comparison. The powerpoint ends with an analysis task - a model is provided.

This powerpoint is initended to be used alongside a first reading (cold reading) of “Beowulf A New Telling” by Robert Nye. There are 17 slides, one for each chapter (apart from chapter 7 which falls neatly into two sections). On each slide there is a choice of three activities. The intention is that the children work through these activities as they read through the novel. You may wish the children to work through each activity; you might give them the opportunity to select their own activity or you might wish to assign the activity based on ability or learning target. Some activities are suitable for homework even if the children don’t have a copy of the novel.

This is a 28 slide powerpoint planned for stretch and challenge in y7 exploring Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses”. There is lots of questioning to support the reading of the poem and there are two writing tasks (Ulysses’ imagined farewell letter and Penelope/Telemachus’s persuasive speech to encourage Ulysses not to leave). The two writing tasks require the pupils to use Tennysons’ methods in their own writing.

This is a powerpoint that I have used to take my class through the whole of “A Christmas Carol”. There are 99 slides in total.

This is a short scheme of work on “Romeo and Juliet” - used at my school as a revision scheme, recapping key events, themes and language. The intention is that it can be delivered across ten lessons although obviously the pace will need to be tailored to your students. One of the ten lessons has been set aside for the completion of an exam question.

These are the slides that I used to take my class through a first reading of “A Taste of Honey”, their set text for AQA GCSE English Literature. There are 67 slides in total. We read the play before beginning our close study.