A highly simplifed re-writing of Act Four of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in modern English. There are just over 4 pages at font size 14. Written for a Year 9 nurture group.

A learning mat that summarises the basic layout of an article and an essay and the structure of a full paragraph. Sold separately here but will eventually become part of a KS3 unti of work on article writing, all being well. Suited to higher ability KS3.

A 25-slide PPT that enables an exploration of Tennyson’s ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’. It covers the contextual background and the concept of dactylic dimeter. A series of questions are provided to prompt annotation of the poem. Suggested answers to the questions are included for those that may be unfamiliar with the poem.

This lesson provides an alternative to : https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/my-last-duchess-11887073 In this lesson: Learners use a context notes sheet and its accompanying worksheet to generate a collection of ideas about the historical context of the poem. There are links to two different video clips in which the poem is recited. Learners then discuss their answers to a series of comprehension questions on the poem. Teacher answers provided. Learners go on to annotate the poem using the context sheet and a prompt sheet. Learners will need their own copy of the poem. Slide 7 provides a glossary of the more unfamiliar terms in the poem. The final slide presents 4 different long-answer questions which can be explored in groups and used a basis for group presentations.

A PPT that enables an exploration of Shelley’s ‘Ozymandias’. As with many of my other Power and Conflict lessons, the emphasis is on independent learning, so you might wish to ask learners to work in pairs or groups for the activities. The content is aimed at upper ability groups. This lesson comes with a detailed context sheet and a modern translation of the poem.

A highly simplifed re-writing of Act Five of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in modern English. There are just over 5 pages at font size 14. Written for a Year 9 nurture group

A 217-slide PowerPoint that aims to teach article writing at KS3. Learners read a range of broadsheet and tabloid texts on the theme of crime and punishment and complete reading and writing activities based on each. The article questions set are oriented towards AQA 8700 Paper 2, Question 5 but could be adapted for other boards. Links to each article and report are provided. The whole unit covers about 8-10 weeks and was written with a high ability year 8 group in mind. This resource includes a ZIP file containing 44 files including the core PowerPoint. If there are download issues, please email me at SD English using the email address provided in my shop front.

A full lesson on Heaney’s ‘Storm on the Island’. It incorporates: A brief scansion entry task Learners then read the poem and form initial impressions, giving reasons for their interpretations. There is then a vocabulary task relevant to the context of the poem. Learners read a sheet entitled 'Different Interpretations of ‘Storm on the Island’ which provides a brief introduction to the political situation in Northern Ireland. Learners use this information to respond to questions on a worksheet. Learners can then annotate the poem using a guidance sheet. The whole lesson is likely to take 1.5-2 hours approx. It is aimed at higher ability learners.

A PowerPoint that enables an exploration of ‘The Emigree’ by Carol Rumens. Learners begin with an entry task that encourages them to think about some relevant vocabulary and then explore the poem’s context in terms of Rumens’ interest in the poetry of Anna Akhmatova and Osip Mandelstam. A series of questions are provided to prompt annotation of the poem - this could be done in small groups or pairs. Learners should them complete the comparison table, thinking about how ‘The Emigree’ shares similar ideas with ‘Kamikaze’. There is an opportunity to explore a related poem as an unseen poetry task. For this, you will need copies of ‘I am not one who left their land’ by Anna Akhmatova. This lesson is aimed at upper ability learners and is likely to take about two hours approx.

A full lesson on the extract from ‘The Prelude’ in the AQA Power and Conflict Anthology. The entry task is a short multiple choice quiz entitled ‘How Romantic Are You?’. The aim of this is for students to identify how closely their own ideas tie-in with those of the Romantic poets. Students then use a detailed context sheet to create a mind map of contextual influences on the poet Wordsworth. This is followed by an annotated copy of the extract and two questions on the poem: one just on the extract itself and one comparison question. I have provided a WAGOLL for the question on the poem itself. Finally, students peer assess their responses using success criteria. The whole PPT is likely to take more than an hour - probably more like 2 - and it aimed at higher ability learners.

A crossword that tests learners’ awareness of the following terms: foot quatrain enjambment blank verse tercet refrain sonnet personification iamb trochee stanza sestet A teacher copy with the answers is also provided. Could be used as a starter into an unseen poetry task. This document was last saved in Word 2016.

A highly simplifed re-writing of Act Two of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in modern English. There are 5 pages at font size 14. Written for a Year 9 nurture group.

A PPT that enables the exploration of ‘Tissue’ in the Power and Conflict anthology. Each student will need a copy of the poem e.g. in their anthologies. You will need an interactive whiteboard or a screen that can be written on with the PPT as a background. Students match up the poem’s more difficult vocab with their definitions. An extension task looks at three of these words in more depth. There is some basic contextual information. Students could make notes on this. The aim then is that students work in pairs or small groups to annotate the poem using a series of prompts and questions. These are contained in the file entitled ‘Tissue Stanza Questions’. Slides 9-19 provide space for students to write their answers on the board. You could have students coming up in their groups to present their ideas to the rest of the class.

A 12-slide powerpoint that guides an exploration of ‘Kamikaze’ by Beatrice Garland in the AQA P&C anthology. After thinking about the meaning of the word ‘Kamikaze’, learners explore the historical context of the poem using a context notes sheet and accompanying worksheet. Learners explore the poem using a range of questions for each stanza. This could be done in pairs, groups or individually. The exploration of the poem is followed by a GCSE-style question that encourages learners to think about how ‘Kamikaze’ compares with ‘Remains’ in terms of the impact of conflict. There is a comparison table for learners to fill in (teacher answers provided) and then learners undertake the question. The lesson concludes with peer assessment using a mark scheme with indicative content for each lesson. The whole session should take approximately 2 hours. The lesson is aimed at middle-upper ability learners. If you choose to purchase this resource, please also ensure that you also download my free Power and Conflict Mark Scheme that is based on the AQA original: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/power-and-conflict-mark-scheme-11931715

A PowerPoint that can be used to teach or revise AQA 8700 Language Paper 1, Question 2 - the 8 mark language question. The main question is based on an extract from Paula Hawkins’ ‘The Girl on the Train’. If you purchase this resource, please be aware that you will need to source the extract for yourself. It is the opening chapter of the novel, from ‘There is a pile of clothing…’ down to ‘…not a drop left’. The entry task is based on an extract from an 1888 article about Jack the Ripper. Learners examine the extract and think about how the writer has portrayed the subject of the article. This extract is then presented on slides 3-4 so it can be annotated. Two short excerpt from sample responses are then provided for comparison. Learners should identify which response would be likely to score more highly and suggest reasons why. The lesson then moves onto the main extract, which is accompanied by a sample exam question. Learners read and highlight the extract in relation to the question and then feedback. There are some key point on the language question to go through followed by a sample answer/WAGOLL. Learners then taken ten minutes to write their own responses and peer assess.

An hour lesson that provides an introduction to the plot of ‘Macbeth’. Learners examine a range of sources that provide an insight into what happens in the play and its socio-historical context. The sources cover: A 19th Century poster advertising a production of the play Shakespeare’s Twitter feed A diary entry by Lady Macbeth A diary entry by Macbeth A letter from Malcolm to Donalbain, from England. For additional challenge, learners can attempt to link their inferences about the play to a range of quotations illustrating key ideas. After feedback, learners write a summary of the plot. There are three levels of challenge here, with the ‘gold’ challenge encouraging the use of higher level discourse markers. The lesson culminates in a plenary in which learners write one thing they have learnt about the play on a post-it note. This lesson is aimed at middle-upper ability learners.

A mind map for AQA English Language Paper 2. Black and White version also included.

If you are planning to introduce your learners to the context of ‘An Inspector Calls’, these documents may be of use to you. This pack contains: A mock Twitter feed for Eric Biring (also contains some hints about the plot) Two front covers of an imagined ‘Dandy’ magazine (N.B. the article headlines are the same) A mock flyer for the Titanic A mock receipt from Milwards for Arthur Birling A mock notice from Birling to his workers about a planned wage reduction A mock letter from Eva Smith to a female friend/relative about the planned wage reduction A mock anti suffrage poster (not shown on front cover). These documents could be used to introduce learners to the context of AIC or to revise the context as you approach the end of the play. There is a recording sheet for learners to make a note of their inferences as they move through the texts and a PPT slide that presents a suggested question. Some of the files are available as both PowerPoint slides and JPEG files. These files were last saved using Office 2016.