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I'm an English teacher in a Scottish high school. I teach all years and mark both National 5 and Higher papers for the SQA.

I'm an English teacher in a Scottish high school. I teach all years and mark both National 5 and Higher papers for the SQA.
Once Critical Essay on Character S1 S2
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Once Critical Essay on Character S1 S2

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This is a critical essay using the PEAR structure (easily adapted) to answer on how Felix changes as a character. It includes page suggestions for quotes and takes pupils through each step of writing an essay. I’ve also included a differentiated worksheet for anyone struggling.
Bookclub/ Literacy Group Ideas
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Bookclub/ Literacy Group Ideas

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This powerpoint includes lots of different ideas for your bookclub. I ran this for several years and although we had the usual bookclub tasks- discussion of favourite books, author visits, staff members visiting to discuss books etc, I also needed a couple of filler ideas for when we didn’t have something going on. We never had the money to purchase groups sets for the club, and if I’m honest, a lot of the children who came voluntarily to the lunchtime club tended to really just want a safe space, so tasks had to be inclusive and non threatening. These are ideas I have used throughout the year - some word games, some imaginative writing, some discussions. Hopefully it’ll help your bookclub get started too!
Voodoo short story,  short drama media lesson, S1-S3
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Voodoo short story, short drama media lesson, S1-S3

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This is a film creation task based on the short story Voodoo (included). It is a one off lesson (more than likely 2-3 periods of work) in which pupils read the story and create a filmed retelling of the story. I suggest several different ways of doing this: Tiktok, Instagram reels, photo montage, Google photos, or even simply just a series of photos on the phone/ ipads. Group tasks will include storyboarding the lesson and planning it out, then filming. Could be English work/ Drama/ Media.
S1 Travel Writing- Paris Research Unit
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S1 Travel Writing- Paris Research Unit

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This was produced for a 6-8 period rotation of English classes. This includes researching facts about Paris, reading an article and starting to pick out good descriptive phrases. The final outcome is a travel brochure. You would need some research time either at home or on computers in school. This also involves an episode of Travel Man on Prime but this is optional.
S1/2 Highwayman Poetry Online Learning Unit
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S1/2 Highwayman Poetry Online Learning Unit

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This is based on Alfred Noyes’ poem ‘The Highwayman’. This can be used for online lessons or in class. This is a 8 lesson unit which has some Close Reading, discussion of techniques used in the poem and some fun tasks of Wanted Posters and Leaflet creation.
S3 S4 Dulce et decorum est, Wilfred Owen Poetry unit, National 5 essay
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S3 S4 Dulce et decorum est, Wilfred Owen Poetry unit, National 5 essay

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This unit introduces the WW1 background and focuses on the poem “Dulce et decourum est”. Tasks include: Basic poetic technique revision Basic war background A propaganda poster tasks Analysis of symbolism used in Kasabian’s music video “Empire” Introduction to the poem (analysis not included) Critical essay on theme of war
'Jojo Rabbit' Media Unit, S2 S3 S4 National 5 Essay, Character
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'Jojo Rabbit' Media Unit, S2 S3 S4 National 5 Essay, Character

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This is a complete unit on ‘Jojo Rabbit’, using the Scottish curriculum. It looks at different media techniques such as camera angles and sound and has a variety of individual and group tasks on the film. The final outcome is a critical essay (in the style of a potential National 5 essay) on Interesting Character.
Zombie Apocalypse Creative Writing S1 S2 S3 BGE English, Imaginative story
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Zombie Apocalypse Creative Writing S1 S2 S3 BGE English, Imaginative story

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This is a unit on creating a zombie apocalypse story. It looks at some chapters from the book “The Enemy” (chapter printouts included) and considers tension, hook openings, character, plot and setting, as well as an essay plan (for those who need it) and extension tasks. Suitable for BGE- no video clips included are particularly bloody or gory.
'Jaws' National 5 English Media Essay, focus on beach scene
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'Jaws' National 5 English Media Essay, focus on beach scene

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This is a guideline for a National 5 essay on the beach shark attack in Jaws. This guides you through 4 main techniques- character, sound (diegetic and non-diegetic) and camera angles. This can be used to produce a very quick National 5 essay. You wouldn’t even need to watch the whole film with a class. I’ve included the analysis of each of these, an essay paragraph plan and activity board. This is very teacher-lead- my class were a repeat N5 and needed a lot of support.
Mary Moon and the Stars National 5 Critical Essay, Janice Galloway
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Mary Moon and the Stars National 5 Critical Essay, Janice Galloway

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This is a powerpoint with notes on the Janice Galloway short story ‘Mary Moon and the Stars’. It includes a how to guide on critical essays on an Interesting Character, and the Theme of Neglect. There is also a quote guide. I have also included a powerpoint about common mistakes my class were making- summarising the story, no techniques- so use this if your class are similar!
'Death of Marilyn Monroe'  poem Edwin Morgan, critical essay N5
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'Death of Marilyn Monroe' poem Edwin Morgan, critical essay N5

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This unit introduces the class to the poem ‘The Death of Marilyn Monroe’ by Edwin Morgan. It introduces Marilyn’s history and the corruption of Hollywood and comments on the structure of the poem. Then it takes the class through the writing of a critical essay on a Memorable Event. There are a couple of tasks and some video clips. **Important: **this does not include the annotation of the poem- there are other powerpoints by others for that available. This is focused on how to write a National 5 essay.
Ultimate RUAE formula guide, N5 Higher (Including wall display!) UPDATED in form of QTA
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Ultimate RUAE formula guide, N5 Higher (Including wall display!) UPDATED in form of QTA

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This is a simple guide to RUAE, breaking each question down using a formula. I’ve covered every question type that has appeared in the last few years of N5 and Higher. The powerpoint also includes questions and example answers. I have also included print outs of each formula for your wall and an example from my wall. September 24 Update- We have started using the method of QTA so I have included a second powerpoint and updated wall display- wall display now in Canva so a bit fancier!