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.
This is a complete 6 week unit on Non Fiction Writing using topical issues.
Students work through a booklet which contains all extracts and activities. There is also an accompanying power point presentation.
Students will explore the following speeches, letters and articles:
Boris Johnson - Lockdown
Marcus Rashford - free school meals
Greta Thunberg - climate change
David Attenborough - climate change
Lilly Allen - Refugee crisis
Bukayo Saka - Racism in football
Martin Luther King - Racism
Emma Watson - gender equality
Malala - 16th birthday speech
Hands not hate article in response to homophobic attacks
As students progress through the unit they will explore rhetoric and how effective non fiction writing is structured and work on building their own piece of writing.
The unit culminates with speaking and listening.
The booklet also contains scaffolds for students who may need support in accessing the unit.
6 exam questions written in the same format as the new specification GCSE.
Exam questions are also included that help students develop skills for the language papers using themes from the play.
1. An Inspector Calls character question - Birling
2. An Inspector Calls character question - Inspector
3. An Inspector calls theme question
4. Imaginative writing question (language paper 1 - using Inspector Calls as a stimulus)
5. Paper 2 reading questions based on David Cameron's big society (non fiction)
6. Transactional writing question
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.
4 differentiated (by colour) lessons to support the teaching of the skills for English language question 3 on the new specification (9-1) paper 1.
Students read extracts taken from fiction and develop skills in analysis the author's language.
The resource uses an extract from 'I'm, the king of the castle,' 'Lullaby' 'The constant princess' and 'Transmission.' Extracts included.
Resources provide opportunities to:
- explore how writer's structure texts
- analyse the use of structure in engaging reader interest
- use sample answers
- use mark schemes
Differentiation:
purple = lower
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Comment back for English teachers in an excel file.
The comments cover the following areas:
- Pupil effort
- Pupil attitude
- Pupil homework
- Pupil classwork
- Pupil targets for improvement
Also broken down to provide comments for:
- Poetry
- Prose
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
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.
Fully differentiated (by colour) resources to support the teaching of Q3 and Q4 of the AQA new specification 9-1 GCSE examination - paper2.
Resources support the texts provided in the AQA GCSE English Language: Developing the skills for learning and assessment (turtle on the cover) All texts are included in this bundle.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Resources prepare students for answering Q3 (language) and Q4 (comparison) and cover the following:
- analysis of vocabulary
- analysis of sentence forms
- analysis of language techniques
- explore audience and purpose
- study of model answers
- exploring the effect of language
- improving exam responses using mark schemes
- explore perspective
- understand the difference between synthesis and comparison
- form comparisons between texts
- practice timed responses
Regular assessments are included to assess students ability in true or false and synthesis tasks.
Texts covered:
- Inside the supermarket's dark stores
- 19th century report on night market for the poor
- Extract from 'The Girl of the period' about young people
- Extract from Sui Sin Far's autobiography about growing up with dual identify
- The Watercress girl
- Why we shouldn't wrap our children in cotton wool
All texts are included
5 differentiated (by colour) lessons to support the teaching of the skills for English language question 4 on the new specification (9-1) paper 1.
Students read extracts taken from fiction and develop skills in evaluating effectiveness.
The resource uses an extract from 'Transmission.' Extract included.
Resources provide opportunities to:
- explore how writer's structure texts
- analyse the use of structure in engaging reader interest
- use sample answers
- use mark schemes
Differentiation:
purple = lower
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
21 lessons to support the teaching of the whole play.
Resources include opportunities to:
-explore context - gender, Elizabethan England,
-analyse theme and character presentation
-get to grips with Shakespeare’s language
-analyse imagery
-explore Shakespearian insults
-write non fiction texts
-write persuasively
-write news reports
-role play
Over 15 fully differentiated lessons (by colour) that support the teaching of magazine covers. These lessons were planned in line with the AQA Media studies assignment 1 coursework but could also easily be used as a project with KS3. All lessons are ready to go and are numbered for ease of use.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Resources provide opportunities to:
- explore representation of mag covers
- explore colour theory
- explore Blumler and Katz theory
- explore magazine conventions and cover features (wide range of titles)
- explore audiences if magazines using the NRS website
- explore demographic, geodemographic & psychographic
- explore the language of magazines
- analyse the effectiveness of covers in appealing to audience
- create own magazine cover for a specific audience
- evaluate own production work
This resource guides students through the two AQA literature papers.
A student booklet is included that contains model answers, opportunities to practice annotation and exam responses as well as guidance on structuring an academic introduction.
A teacher power point is also included to assist the delivery and teaching of the mock.
Texts covered:
Romeo and Juliet
Jekyll and Hyde
An Inspector Calls
Unseen poetry
Fully differentiated resources to support the teaching of the following poems from the new specification Edexcel conflict poetry collection:
1. Cousin Kate
2. Catrin
3. Half Caste
4. The Class Game
5. Belfast Confetti
Outstanding lessons that are meticulously planned and numbered for ease of use. Ready to go lessons.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow - higher ability
Lessons cover language, form, structure and context in order to prepare students to the requirements of the new 9-1 literature examinations.
The other 10 poems are also available in separate bundles.
Fully differentiated (by colour) resources to support the teaching of Q1 and Q2 of the AQA new specification 9-1 GCSE examination - paper2.
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Resources prepare students for answering Q1 and Q2 and cover the following:
- introduction to paper 2 - expectations and timings
- identifying key information in 19th century and modern texts
- identifying the point of view of a writer
- inferring
- exploring how language creates tone
- complete true or false tasks (as per the exam) for the texts read
- explore the term synthesis
- synthesise information from 2 texts
- work in pairs and groups
- explore model answers
- investigate these of connectives to synthesise
- self and peer assess
- develop vocabulary and analyse vocabulary in texts using inference
- explore audience and purpose
Regular assessments are included to assess students ability in true or false and synthesis tasks.
Texts covered:
- Queer stories for a queer age - tattoo article (19th century) text included
- Making my skin crawl - article about tattoos
- Extract from Girl of the period (19th century)
- A letter from Jenni
- Inside the supermarket's dark stores
Not all texts are included - but can easily be found in the text book below:
AQA GCSE English Language: Developing the skills for learning and assessment (turtle on the cover)
Resources to support the teaching of Edgar Allan Poe short stories. (Gothic literature) Lessons are numbered for ease of use.
Short stories resourced:
- Masque of the red death
- The pit and the pendulum
- The tell tale heart
Resources provide opportunities for students to:
- write imaginatively
- analyse language
- develop speaking and listening skills
- explore context - black death
- explore structure
A complete walking talking mock for AQA English language paper 1 and paper 2.
Includes a student booklet containing model answers, exam tips and opportunity for students to practice annotation and structuring answers to the questions.
This resource uses the June 18 AQA English language inserts.
A power point is included to guide students through the mock.
7 fully differentiated (by colour) lessons to support the teaching of writing skills for paper 1 - descriptive and narrative
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow = higher ability
Resources provide example responses and activities to allow students to develop the following:
- Language - linguistic devices
- tone
- style
- register
- vocabulary
- structure
- perspective
- narrative writing
- descriptive writing
- show not tell
- importance of planning
- technical accuracy
Sample narratives and descriptions included
CPD resources including power point presentations, evaluation forms and tasks to support the development of teachers in whole school literacy.
The first CPD power point covers:
- Pedagogy and research
- Ofsted - removing the barriers to literacy
- What literacy is
- How it is different to English
- Blooms taxonomy and 3 level questions
- Inference and deduction
- Ways of reading
- Reading exam questions
- Active reading strategies including cloze and restructuring
The second CPD power point covers:
- Note making skills
- Reading critically
- TAP analysis
- critical literacy
- interrogating and deconstructing texts
- research skills
Following the CPD session the idea is that staff go away and trial using one of the strategies to improve literacy in their subject areas and bring feedback to the next session.
Fully differentiated lessons to support the teaching of 'Tissue' by Imtiaz Dharker.
2 lessons that include pupil talk tasks, assessment, outcomes and cover:
- context of the poem
- language analysis
- form and structure exploration
Differentiation:
purple = lower ability
blue = middle ability
yellow - higher ability
20 full differentiated (by colour) and meticulously planned lessons to support the teaching of reading and writing skills. These lessons are ready to go.
Ideal for transition from KS2 to KS3, for year 6, year 7 or year 8 classes.
Within these lessons students are exposed to a wide range of fiction, non fiction and literary non fiction texts and will use these as a stimulus for creating their own texts.
These lessons allow students to develop skills for accessing the new English language and English literature 9-1 specifications.
Students will explore the following texts/extracts:
- Article on bats
- Extract from the Twits & BFG - Roald Dahl
- Extract from Frankenstein
- Extract from A Christmas Carol
- Extracts from autobiographies
- Extract from Bill Bryson - travel writing (non-fiction literary)
- Extract from Bleak house
- The Lion the witch and the wardrobe
- blogs
- poetry - Sister Maude, Mother any distance
- articles about Friendship
Students will develop the following skills in preparation for accessing new 9-1 GCSE
- Synthesis
- Comparison
- Language. structure, form analysis
- Theme exploration
- Analytical writing
- Imaginative writing - narrative and descriptive
- Transactional writing
Assessment opportunities and homework tasks also included