I'm currently the head of English and raising standards leader at a secondary school in Birmingham. I'm passionate about my subject and passionate about ensuring that the young people we serve leave education with a high competency in English.
Prior to teaching I worked in the radio industry as a presenter for 7 years and so when I became a teacher I enjoyed the opportunity to teach Media studies.
You'll find hundreds of English and Media studies resources.
I'm currently the head of English and raising standards leader at a secondary school in Birmingham. I'm passionate about my subject and passionate about ensuring that the young people we serve leave education with a high competency in English.
Prior to teaching I worked in the radio industry as a presenter for 7 years and so when I became a teacher I enjoyed the opportunity to teach Media studies.
You'll find hundreds of English and Media studies resources.
Lessons that guide students through the process of writing a comparison between Exposure and Extract from the Prelude as well as Exposure and Storm on the Island.
Students are encouraged to think about a thesis - a central argument that will run throughout their essay. What do we learn about the power in Exposure? What is the big idea?
Once students have this they are encouraged to unpick a quotation and explore how the words/devices used corroborate their thesis before writing their first paragraph.
Once complete, students apply the same process to the second poem by considering how the power has been presented and using evidence effectively.
40 revision cards with questions on one side and answers on the other to make revision fast and simple. This resource is best used in a small index card folder/organiser.** (As seen in the image) **
Based on the Leitner method, the idea is simple: the further the card goes back in the folder: the more secure the information is in long term memory.
A card can only move back a position if you correctly answer the questions on the card. If at any point you do not answer a card correctly enough, the card must return to section 1 regardless of how far back it went. This is because it needs to be re-studied.
Quotation cards
There are 3 questions on each card: a ‘who’ question, a ‘what’ question and a ‘why’ question.
Knowledge cards.
These cards test knowledge of either subject terminology or the text itself. Subject terminology cards include questions on the definitions of language devices, sentence types and word classes as well as specific terminology.
Knowledge cards include questions about context, plot, character and theme.
Getting started
Create 6 sections in your ‘Lightning Revision’ folder.
Place all/some cards in section 1 at the front of the folder.
Follow the timetable card **(photo attached) **which tells you which of the sections you should revise each day. You’ll revise section 1 every day because cards in this section are the ones that you are least secure with.
If you answer correctly enough: move the card to the next section.
If you aren’t happy that you answered correctly enough then move the card back to section 1. (Regardless of how far back in the folder it was.)
**The Science bit: the better the mastery: the less frequent the practice. **
‘Lightning Revision’ works using the principle of ‘spaced learning.’
Research shows that after studying something: within one hour, you will have forgotten an average of 50% percent of the information. Within 24 hours, you have forgotten around 70% and within a month, this increases to 90%.
By spacing out the studying and by returning frequently to the material we want to remember, we increase our chances of committing it to long term memory.
Instead of ‘cramming,’ the simple act of spacing out revision in instalments, and allowing time to elapse between them makes the learning and memory stronger.
This resource has been created to help information that you have revised stay within your long term memory. In this system, we revise information that we are insecure with more frequently.
2 versions included:
Print - fold horizontally - cut them up and you’re ready to go!
Print back to back and you;re ready to go.
A Walking talking mock that uses the AQA examiner feedback from summer 2023 to guide students through a process of planning and then writing answers/essays to the ‘Macbeth’ question.
Power point (37 slides) and student work booklet included.
This resource focuses on helping students to:
• plan their response
• consider the text chronologically
• embed context rather than bolt it on at the end
• consider how themes can be context rather than just Historical events
• create thesis statements
• consider the texts as a construct
Exam questions used in this resource: Macbeth’s violence
Model answers included.
Additional exam question used: Macbeth and Banquo’s attitude towards the super natural.
A Walking talking mock that uses the AQA examiner feedback from the summer exams to guide students through a process of planning and then writing answers to English language paper 2.
Power point (86 slides) and student work booklet included.
This resource focuses on helping students to:
plan their responses to the questions
structure shorter but more effective responses
consider the order in which to answer the questions
explore methods and their effect concisely
improve responses through model answers
develop their transactional writing
plan and sgtructure effective persuasive writing
explore rhetoric and what makes it effective
Source material: extracts are on the topic of train travel as used in the summer 23 exams
Model answers included.
A Walking talking mock that uses the AQA examiner feedback from the summer exams to guide students through a process of planning and then writing answers to English language paper 1.
Power point (81 slides) and student work booklet included.
This resource focuses on helping students to:
plan their responses to the questions
consider the order in which to answer the questions
explore methods and their effect concisely
improve responses through model answers
consider ‘mood’ as a central concept in all of the tasks on the paper
develop their imaginative writing
Source material: Daphne De Maurier ‘Don’t look now’
Model answers included.
A Walking talking mock that uses the AQA examiner feedback from summer 2023 to guide students through a process of planning and then writing answers/essays to the Unseen poetry questions.
Power point and student work booklet included.
This resource focuses on helping students to:
understand the unseen poems quickly
plan their response
create thesis statements
Exam questions used in this resource: Autumn poem
Model answers included.
A Walking talking mock that uses the AQA examiner feedback from summer 2023 to guide students through a process of planning and then writing answers/essays to the ‘An Inspector Calls’ question.
Power point (40 slides) and student work booklet included.
This resource focuses on helping students to:
plan their response
consider the text chronologically
embed context rather than bolt it on at the end
consider how themes can be context rather than just Historical events
create thesis statements
consider the texts as a construct
Exam questions used in this resource: Selfishness & Sheila as a character who learns lessons
Model answers included.
A Walking talking mock that uses the AQA examiner feedback from summer 2023 to guide students through a process of planning and then writing answers/essays in response to the Jekyll and Hyde question.
Power point (40 slides) and student work booklet included.
This resource focuses on helping students to:
plan their response
consider the text chronologically
embed context rather than bolt it on at the end
consider how themes can be context rather than just Historical events
create thesis statements
consider the text as a construct
Exam questions used in this resource: sympathy for Jekyll#
Model answers included.
A Walking talking mock that uses the AQA examiner feedback from summer 2023 to guide students through a process of planning and then writing answers/essays in response to Romeo and Juliet.
Power point (42 slides) and student work booklet included.
This resource focuses on helping students to:
plan their response
consider the text chronologically
embed context rather than bolt it on at the end
consider how themes can be context rather than just Historical events
create thesis statements
consider the texts as constructs
Exam question used in this resource: relationships between older and younger characters
Model answers included.
A Walking talking mock that uses the AQA examiner feedback from summer 2023 to guide students through a process of planning and then writing answers/essays to the following literature texts:
Jekyll and Hyde
Romeo and Juliet
Unseen poetry
An INspector Calls
Power point (130 slides) and student work booklet included.
This resource focuses on helping students to:
plan their response
consider the texts chronologically
embed context rather than bolt it on at the end
consider how themes can be context rather than just Historical events
create thesis statements
consider the texts as constructs
Exam questions used in this resource:
Jekyll & Hyde - sympathy for Jekyll
Romeo and Juliet - relationships between older and younger characters
An Inspector Calls - Selfishness & Sheila as a character who learns lessons
Unseen poetry - Autumn poem
A walking talking mock that uses the 2023 paper and inserts about train journeys.
Power point presentation and student work booklet included that:
guides students through strategies for answering each of the questions in section A in order to secure at least a grade 5
provides students with level 2 responses and guides them through how to create level 3 and 4 answers
supports students in how to read the sources effectively
supports students in making inferences and considering the big ideas to help with structuring academic responses
advises students to read the questions first
A walking talk mock (power point presentation and student work booklet) to build skills for AQA English language paper 2 question 5.
The resource:
explores the mark scheme
explores examiner feedback
explores stronger and weaker answers
provides exemplar student answers with annotations
explores ethos, logos, pathos as a method for persuasion
provides an effective sample structure
provides a step by step approach to creating an impactful response
100+ slides that guide students through how to tackle language paper 1 question by question.
Includes:
tips and guidance for each question
model answers that achieve marks across the mark scheme
Do now activities
Activities to help students with descriptive and narrative writing
These resources use the 2017 paper where the extract is taken from Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.
9 pages of revision activities that would be useful for preparation for assessments, as homework activities or as in class intervention.
Revision activities included:
knowledge matching activity
word class practice using an extract
figurative language matching activity & practice using language
rhetorical language matching activity & practice using language
Ethos, logos, pathos revision (Aristotelian triad)
Understanding - practice using short extracts to elicit information
Three language analysis revision activities that begin scaffolded
Grammar revision with focus on 'there, their. they’re and apostrophes
A power point and student work booklet that helps students to understand the requirements of the writing tasks on both AQA language papers as well as develop skills.
Included:
example stronger and weaker answers
exploration of the mark scheme
exam hacks and tips
opportunity to develop effective descriptions
opportunity to structure effective narratives
opportunity to structure effective non fiction writing
exploration of rhetoric and rhetorical devices
effective strategies for planning responses
4 complete lessons that guide students through an exploration of ‘The Right Word’ by Imtiaz Dharker.
Included is a pupil booklet for students to use as they explore the poem including do now activities, contextual information, knowledge checks, space to analyse the poem as well as planning tables for closer analysis of language and structure.
Lesson 1 - context based and what the poem is about
Lesson 2 - Explores the repeated ideas, feelings and tone/mood
Lesson 3 - Language exploration
Lesson 4 - Structure exploration
Also included is a power point to guide students through the exploration of the poem.
Two walking talking mocks for AQA English language. One booklet and power point for paper 1 and one for paper 2
Includes a student booklets containing model answers which encourage students to achieve thoughtful responses, exam tips and opportunity for students to practice annotation and structuring answers to the questions.
These resources uses the November 18 AQA English language inserts.
A power point is included to guide students through the mocks including mark schemes.
A complete walking talking mock for AQA English language paper 2.
Includes a student booklet containing model answers which encourage students to achieve thoughtful responses, exam tips and opportunity for students to practice annotation and structuring answers to the questions.
This resource uses the November 18 AQA English language inserts.
A power point is included to guide students through the mock including mark schemes.
A complete walking talking mock for AQA English language paper 1.
Includes a student booklet containing model answers which encourage students to achieve thoughtful responses, exam tips and opportunity for students to practice annotation and structuring answers to the questions.
This resource uses the November 18 AQA English language inserts.
A power point is included to guide students through the mock including mark schemes.
A student booklet and teacher power point that takes students through how to answer and revise for the unseen poetry AQA literature question.
Model answers included and guidance on how to plan and then structure an academic introduction and essay.
Opportunities for students to write their own answers with and without scaffolds.
The resource uses two different exam questions.