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 PPT that enables an exploration of ‘London’ by William Blake. The lesson includes: A true or false entry task that provides some hints about the context of the poem. A handout on the context of the poem with an accompanying worksheet. A guidance sheet to prompt annotation of the poem. 3 differentiated extended response questions. The lesson is aimed at upper-ability learners and should last 1.5-2 hours approximately.

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 four-week, fully-resourced unit of work on Roald Dahl’s ‘The Twits’. There are 12 powerpoints, each intended to last about an hour each. Each lesson is aimed at low ability Year 7 students but could be appropriate to a Year 5-6 group. It was designed as an end-of-year unit of work to be used by cover staff. Please note that the novel ‘The Twits’ is not included and will need to be obtained separately.

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

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 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.

I’ve endeavoured to create a mark scheme for the Power and Conflict poetry with indicative content, similar to the Language papers for AQA 8700/1 + 2. I’m not an examiner for this course so would be grateful for any constructive feedback.

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 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 fully-resourced unit of work for SEN students who need a general understanding of the play before approaching the original text in KS4. The unit includes an adapted script in modern English. The PPT is just over 140 slides long and is intended to provide 8-10 weeks’ worth of work for low ability and SEN students. It guides students through the adapted Acts 1-5 and provides a range of comprehension and vocab exercises. It culminates in an assessment that makes use of both short-answer questions and one long-answer question on Romeo as a tragic hero. Suitable for teachers and non-specialists with a low ability KS3 group. If you would prefer to buy the adapted script separately, it is available here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/romeo-and-juliet-sen-script-11892212 NB. On slide 128, I’ve discovered that the multi-coloured text boxes look slightly out of place on different computers. If this is the case, it is simply a question of adjusting them slightly to put them back over the appropriate squares. UPDATE: Core PPT tweaked and 2 new starters added. Please email me with any queries.

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 57-slide PPT that provides a walk-through of Section A only for both papers for 8700/1 + 8700/2. Paper 1 focuses on an extract from ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini (ISBN 978-1408824856). Please ensure that you can obtain a copy of the ‘The Kite Runner’ before purchasing this resource. Paper 2 focuses on two extracts: an article from ‘The Guardian’ on Ian Mikardo High School (link provided) and an extract from a Dickens’ article on a London pauper school (provided). There are sample answers for each paper and guidance for each question. Please also be aware that some of the resources are sold separately on SD English: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/aqa-8700-paper-2-schools-comparison-11880097 https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/word-classification-table-11746996

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 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 highly simplifed re-writing of Act Three of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in modern English. There are 8 pages at font size 14. Written for a Year 9 nurture group.

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 highly simplifed re-writing of Act One of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in modern English. There are just over 6 pages at font size 14. Written for a Year 9 nurture group.