This begins with a drawing activity, to emphasise the importance of conveying detail. Students are given two different versions of the same description to decide which is best, followed by a number of statements to improve upon themselves. IAMSOAP is introduced, as a method for remembering the techniques of descriptive writing. Finally, students are asked to describe three images to create atmosphere, using the techniques from IASOAP. Peer Assessment to finish.

Aimed at KS3 but could be used at KS4, these four lessons introduce the idea of researching and presenting a job / career that students would like to do in the future, after looking at some celebrity jobs. Includes an interactive whiteboard game to emphasise key speaking and listening skills. Peer and self assessment are part of the lessons.

Please note: this resource assumes you have a copy of the Anthony Horowitz retelling of this story. This is a fun and engaging couple of lessons on the story of Glaucus and Scylla (the one where gets Circe to change Scylla so that she loves him but actually changes her into a monster). Starter activities include a Greek Goddess memory game and a look at the symbols of some of the goddesses. Students then imagine what they would like to control, if they were a Greek god or goddess and design a symbol to represent their power. Following this, there are language activities looking at the writer’s use of words and phrases and sentence forms (as in Language Paper 1) when introducing the character of Circe. Then an examination of the language techniques used to describe Scylla’s transformation.

This resource is made up of 3 extracts which all describe three famous detectives - Sherlock Holmes, Mma Ramotswe from the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency and Poirot. These extracts are perfect for students to use their inference skills to work out the characters of these detectives. They could use this as a springboard for creating their own fictional detectives.

This lesson works through Q1 and Q3 of one of AQA's KS3 practice papers for GCSE English Language. Answers are provided for Q1 to enable self assessment. Pupils are then asked to identify a set of given structural features before considering 4 different levels of example responses and deciding which is the 'best' one. Cloze exercise as a creative writing extension task.

This resource comprises of an introductory personification task, followed by analysis of Daphne du Maurier's use of personification and pathetic fallacy in her novel Rebecca. Concludes with a creative task to continue the author's description using the same techniques.

Three articles, article-based questions and tasks on the topic of gun crime. Suitable for KS3 or 4. Might engage boys.

Two lessons developing students’ reading skills in a (hopefully!) creative way. Covers the characters of Gradgrind, Bill Sikes, and Scrooge. Includes extracts to analyse (included), clips to watch and ultimately to decide who the favourite villain is.

This is a set of revision tasks which takes students through all three acts of the play, looking at characters, the theme of responsibility, younger versus older generation and Priestley’s message. Activities include match up the quotations to the characters, multiple choice answer quiz on Act One, order the plot for ‘Gerald’s bit’ in Act 2, analyse Mrs Birling’s refusal to accept responsibility for her actions and write on her metaphorical wall, highlight an extract for evidence of the difference between the younger and older generation and match up the statements with the evidence to confirm Priestley’s message. Copy of An Inspector Calls needed for the Mrs Birling wall task.

This is the first four lessons aimed at Y7 or 8 for working in pairs or groups to create their own theme park. Lessons 1 and 2 include some engaging activities to consider the idea of themes and look at examples of existing theme parks. They watch clips, name rides and create 3 rides for a blank dinosaur theme park. Lessons 3 and 4 are geared towards them creating their own theme park map after looking at Chessington World of Adventures’ example and answering some questions to illustrate the importance of a clear and informative park map.

A short unit covering Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening. Could be used as a whole class unit of work, or small literacy group. Mixed ability but could be differentiated up or down. Extracts (all provided) from Robinson Crusoe, Life of Pi, Lord of the Flies. Real life survivor account analysed for descriptive writing techniques. Students invent their own survivor scenario and write diary entries and descriptions based on the example extracts and trailers shown in lessons. Opportunity to create class island map and use as stimulus for writing. Some lessons may take slightly longer than an hour so I estimate this unit is between 4 and 6 hours of lessons, depending on the pace.

Two female poems looking at the use of Nature in poetry of WW1 to contrast perspective. Falling Leaves looks at the futility of war and A Girl’s Song looks at how difficult it can be to accept a loved one has died. Both poets deliver these ideas by personifying nature. Starter is a fill in the blanks activity then looking at Cole’s actual language choices. Then, look at A Girl’s Song using a table to infer how natural imagery shows the poets ideas. Plenary is a paragraph comparing their use of nature to show attitudes towards death in war.

Complete lesson for students to consider the pros and cons of having the death penalty. Pros - examples of 2 killers from different countries, one of whom was given the death penalty and another who wasn’t. Cons - story of a man who was wrongfully convicted and spent over 20 years on death row with serious consequences to his life. Final task is to plan for an essay debating the pros and cons.

Aimed at KS3, this scheme takes you through the morning after a girl called Ellie disappears from her home in the night. There is a village meeting, a bag found at the station containing items that Ellie has lost (giving possible clues to her disappearance), a group effort to put up missing posters, mime to the Beatles’ track She’s Leaving home and much more. Students really enjoy this scheme. Hope you do too!

Some lesson tasks / ideas for the first 13 chapters of the novel, looking at characters and themes.

This lesson is a general introduction into the artists and poets of the Romantic movement. Starts with a look at paintings by Turner and Constable, then moving onto 6 key Romantic poets - Wordsworth, Shelley, Coleridge, Keats, Byron and Blake. Ends with task to illustrate final stanza of Frost at Midnight to focus on presentation of Nature by Coleridge.

This is one complete lesson, analysing Malala’s speech to a group of young people at the United Nations Youth Assembly. She is advocating the importance of the right to education. This lesson looks at her background, to put the speech into context, Aristotles 3 modes of persuasion and how Malala uses it, other rhetorical devices used, a BBC article written a year after and then asks students for their own opinion of Malala. Copy of speech included.

AIMED AT KS3, THIS LESSON USES CHOCOLATES TO HELP INSPIRE PUPILS TO CREATE MOUTHWATERING ADJECTIVES AND VERBS. FOCUS IS IMPROVING LANGUAGE CHOICE IN DESCRIPTIVE WRITING. STUDENTS WORK THROUGH ACTIVITIES TO CREATE THEIR OWN BESPOKE BOX OF CHOCOLATES AND THEN DESCRIBE TO ADVERTISE!

THIS RESOURCE AIMS TO BROADEN PUPILS' KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BELIEFS AND TREATMENT OF WITCHES BY FOCUSING ON THE STORY OF THE PENDLE WITCHES. USEFUL INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY FOR STUDYING MACBETH.

This lesson introduces the big Las Vegas hotels and the themes they are based around. After looking at some example, and watching some clips, students are tasked with creating their own and presenting their ideas to persuade the audience that their hotel should be the next one to be built on the strip.