I use this sheet as an introduction to poetry for those who are reluctant to engage with it. I ask students to think about songs that make them laugh, make them cry or make them think. Then ask them about songs which are themed around love, death and life. We make connections between the different purposes and themes and consider how the best songs combine the elements together. We then use this as a starting point for thinking about poetry, and how it uses the same purposes and themes to engage with readers. This can be enlarged and printed as a display, or used as a starting point worksheet for students to annotate with ideas.

Printable handout of hints and tips for writing formal and informal letters Learning Objective - understand the different conventions for informal and formal letter writing Suitable for: KS3 Revision KS4 Revision Adult Learners - Functional Skills L1 and L2

A fact sheet and matching powerpoint which explains the historical and contextual significance of King James I of England and how politics in England in the early 1600s are reflected in the play Macbeth. Great for pointing out cross curricular links between History and English Literature! This resource encourages students to consider the role of the WRITER when writing essays on Macbeth, highlighing pieces of information that Shakespeare likely chose to include deliberately, to reflect current affairs, appeal to his company's new patron (King James) and to reflect the interests and beliefs of King James particularly, and his audience in general.

This activity set was developed for a micro teach for a job interview (I got the job!) It covers aspects of Functional Skills English and Maths, but could also be adapted as an activity for KS3 lower ability learners, recapping comprehension skills and mathematics skills and knowledge including percentage calculation.

This resource breaks down the Criteria and requirements for the speaking and listening functional skills assessments PLEASE NOTE THE CRITERIA HAS BEEN MATCHED TO PEARSONS EDEXCEL This covers Level 1 and Level 2 Useful for adult learners who need to know what they are being assessed against in the FS examinations. Useful for tutors/trainers/assessors who are new to teaching Functional Skills

This resource breaks down the Criteria and requirements for the reading functional skills assessments PLEASE NOTE THE CRITERIA HAS BEEN MATCHED TO PEARSONS EDEXCEL This covers Level 1 and Level 2 Useful for adult learners who need to know what they are being assessed against in the FS examinations. Useful for tutors/trainers/assessors who are new to teaching Functional Skills

This resource breaks down the Criteria and requirements for the writing functional skills assessments PLEASE NOTE THE CRITERIA HAS BEEN MATCHED TO PEARSONS EDEXCEL This covers Level 1 and Level 2 Useful for adult learners who need to know what they are being assessed against in the FS examinations. Useful for tutors/trainers/assessors who are new to teaching Functional Skills

PowerPoint for tutors/assessors to use when delivering/assessing a Level 1 Writing Paper for Functional Skills Most of the PowerPoint can be used for any syllabus, but the mark scheme at the end is matched to Pearsons Edexcel Level 1 Writing mark scheme Breaks down the requirements and assessment points into simple everyday language and refers to genuine past paper questions to demonstrate how to extract information. Level 2 Feedback PowerPoint also available

PowerPoint for tutors/assessors to use when delivering/assessing a Level 2 Writing Paper for Functional Skills Most of the PowerPoint can be used for any syllabus, but the mark scheme at the end is matched to Pearsons Edexcel Level 2 Writing mark scheme Breaks down the requirements and assessment points into simple everyday language and refers to genuine past paper questions to demonstrate how to extract information. Level 1 Feedback PowerPoint available separately

This resource is designed to test pre-existing knowledge of poetic/literary techniques. Students are given the blank copy and asked to fill out EITHER a definition OR an example for each one. Then the answers are reviewed as a class, with an exemplar definition AND example on hand for the teacher to use, in case any turn out to be complete unknowns. Excellent for beginning poetry modules, picking up knowledge with new classes and revising for English Literature GCSE exams.

Simplified version of the Eduqas/WJEC assessment objectives for English Literature. I print these and tick which objectives have been achieved within written work, and highlight targets for improvement in the next piece of work. This simplifies marking while also keeping students focused on the GCSE mark scheme objectives. I only cover bands 5-3 as I teach mid-high ability students.

Top facts about The Tempest's cultural context, including: A summary of the Slave Trade's role in the British Empire - useful for considering the relationships between Prospero/Miranda and Ariel/Caliban Top facts about King James, Shakespeare's patron at the time when the Tempest was written. Shakespeare reflects several of King James' interests in the play, including magic/witchcraft, the Divine Right of Kings, plotting and betrayal (the Guy Fawkes plot) and efforts to make peace with the Spanish. Top facts about Shakespeare and where he was in his life when he wrote The Tempest, which was his final play. Useful for discussions about Prospero and whether or not he represents Shakespeare and his role within the court/society towards the end of his life. All of these themes and interests play key roles within the Tempest and provide interesting discussion points for higher level GCSE and AS/A-Level.

These sheets were designed to collect evidence for Functional Skills Speaking and Listening assessments. They act as prompts for the assessor to look for key events and phrases during the discussions and presentations, provide a format for making quick notes and act as a quick check for curriculum coverage at L1 and L2. Ideal for new assessors who are learning to conduct S&L assessments as part of Functional Skills, both as standalone qualifications and as part of apprenticeship frameworks. Useful to review with learners, especially those who are nervous and need to have the requirements of the assessment explained more clearly than the exam board guidance will allow for. Used with adult learners and lower ability teen learners. Designed for City and Guilds assessments, used subsequently with Pearsons EdExcel. The criteria were designed with government guidance in mind rather than a specific exam board specification. Praised by OFSTED inspectors and senior management, accepted by QAs as supplementary evidence for discussions and presentations, where a recording of a discussion cannot take place due to restrictions on technology (e.g. in prisons, power stations, etc) or confidentiality (sensitive areas of care homes/nurseries).

Fill in the blanks quiz on homophones. Sheet with blank spaces for students to fill out, plus an answer sheet for teachers to use. Ideal for KS2 and KS3. I have also used this with lower ability KS4 and with Functional Skills students.

During the EU referendum, the electoral commission and the Government sent out booklets to explain the positions of both campaigns. These powerpoints deconstruct both booklets, looking at: * Presentation techniques * Layout and format * Language choices * Use of persuasive techniques * Fact, Opinion and Bias Used with L1 and L2 learners for Functional Skills, and for private tuition students preparing for GCSEs.

Powerpoint resource detailing the different Layout and Presentation Features most commonly used in GCSE English reading texts and Functional Skills reading texts Learning Objective - to be able to identify layout and presentation features and understand their impact within different texts. Suitable for: KS3 Teaching KS4 Revision Adult Learners - Functional Skills L1 and L2 Can be displayed as a PowerPoint or turned into a printed handout for reference. This is a topic which my Functional Skills learners struggle with significantly, both the native English speakers and the ESOL learners. This PowerPoint has significantly improved their understanding of the topic and ability to answer exam questions on this subject.

Powerpoint examining how a strong essay structure can improve the quality of a student's written work. Follows the PEA (Point, Evidence, Analysis) structure and provides examples/elaborations on each aspect. Good for GCSE students, can be related to both English Language and English Literature. Please feel free to amend examples to relate to texts being studied by your own classes! Texts referenced in this powerpoint include: Romeo and Juliet Poetry of Wilfred Owen Of Mice and Men Lord Of The Flies

Word Document booklet - revision tool for basic punctuation, including: Capital Letters Full Stops Question Marks Exclamation Marks Commas Paragraphs Apostrophes - Omission, Possessive, Possessive Plural It's/Its and Who's/Whose Learning Objective - to be able to use basic punctuation accurately Suitable for: KS3 Revision KS4 Revision Adult Learners - Functional Skills L1 and L2 This can be used as a complete booklet, or separate sheets on different topics can be extracted for targeted topic revision. The booklet was written for adults, but would be suitable for KS3 and KS4 classes as revision in the run up to end-of-year and external exams. The booklet covers all of the necessary punctuation for L1 and most of the L2 Functional Skills writing exams.