This uses an excerpt from Elizabeth Gaskell’s “The Grey Woman” which uses many of the features of the gothic genre. There are 14 multiple choice questions which could be used for flipped learning or to structure a guided reading activity. Alternatively, the questions could be used as a starting point for class discussion of the extract, for homework or for cover. Answers are provided.

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 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 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 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.

Here, you will find 18 exam-style questions using the format and wording of the AQA English Literature GCSE exam, paper 1. The extracts used are shorter than the students will meet in the exam - slightly shorter in some cases and much shorter in others. Created for revision sessions but useful for homework, classwork or remote learning.

This is a 14-question multiple-choice quiz (answers provided) on John Clare’s lovely sonnet about the spring. Could be used as a starter activity prior to a deeper analysis of the poem. Could work as a homework activity. The questions could be used to stucture a guided reading activity.

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 multiple-choice quiz with 15 questions. Answers are provided. Useful for revision or embedding of technical vocabulary. Could be used as a starter prior to more detailed analysis of the poem.

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 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 task uses a short extract from Ann Radcliffe’s “The Mysteries of Udolpho”. There are 12 multiple-choice questions that could be used for homework, as an extended starter prior to a deeper focus on the text or to structure a guided reading activity. Answers are provided. Useful as part of a unit on gothic horror.

This is a simple and straightforward powerpoint planned to support students in their preparation for the unseen poetry task for English Literature GCSE. The poem used is “The Deserted House” by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge. Slide 3 of the powerpoint is for differentiation - to support less confident students in getting to grips with the idea of the poem as an extended metaphor. This slide can be deleted for those students who don’t need it. The final slide is for peer or self assessment - or could be modified and used as a scaffold for those in need of support.

Three straightforward writing starters planned to improve student approaches to the paper 2 writing task for AQA English Language. Each is intended to take 15 minutes although of course you could then allow more time for students to develop their initial ideas into a developed piece of writing. The first slide is merely about generating a range of ideas to support a clear viewpoint. The second and third slides extend this by reminding students to use a range of sentence types and varied punctuation.

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 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 “Spellbound" by Emily Brontei so no issues with copyright. 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 “A Birthday” by Christina Rossetti so no issues with copyright. 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 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 comprehension activity that could be used in class or at home. There are ten questions, some closed and some more open-ended and developed. This could be set as homework or a cover activity. Alternatively, it could be used to structure a guided reading session.