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Resources for GCSE English Language 9-1. I also publish resources for the BTEC Level 2 in IT course.
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Resources for GCSE English Language 9-1. I also publish resources for the BTEC Level 2 in IT course.
All resources
2 GCSE English Language 9-1 Scaffolded Descriptive Writing - Whole Text Exercises
This is an editable resource but a PDF is included.
A great way to encourage students to write good descriptive pieces.
Contents
2 decriptive scaffolded writing tasks with space for student responses
The same 2 tasks without lines (if this is being done in an exercise book)
WAGOLL - What a good one looks like for both tasks
Lesson Plan
Cheat sheets at the back of instructions to help students with them.
A great way to encourage students to write good descriptive pieces.
This set of prompts is designed to introduce students to descriptive writing in a number of ways…
The resource is designed as a 2 60 minute section of a class and it focuses on a FULL RESPONSE for a description of a picture. one set prompts students to write a happy piece and the second prompts them to write a sad one (SAME PICTURE).
there is one lesson plan but you could easily diverge. A teacher might give half the class the happy task and the other half the sad task. I hope that these tasks will also promote discussion about how time, place, colours and smells can impact on a piece of writing, give it a certain mood.
Each paragraph the students must write is accompanied by a number of prompts to the left. The prompts indicate what they should write. So, the first (major) prompts, for example, are:
Para 1
Start with a one word sentence, stating the time of year – spring. Then use a simple sentence to describe the woman positively.
Para 2
Shift and describe the setting (don’t worry that you can’t see it!).
As a minimum, your paragraph should include…
• a simile about the busy people walking happily by.
• Describe the sky – what can be seen? Use bright colours!
• Smells – is there a baker’s shop? A coffee shop?
• Write a compound sentence about the passing traffic and the sound it makes.
• Start the last sentence with “Around the old woman, life…”
Add anything else you want about the setting ONLY.
…and so on!
The prompts then progress, enabling the students to create a complete response which includes all of the skills descriptors for Paper 1 Question 5. They should end up with a piece containing a minimum of 7 paragraphs of varying language with structural features and language devices used throughout.
This lesson could also be used as a ‘snap’ revision session or a cover class. In fact it’s a highly adaptable (and editable!) resource which you can turn to many things.
There is also a ‘five senses’ prompt on the lesson handout, to encourage students to use one or more of these in their writing.
These exercises cover the following Assessment Objectives:
AO5:
AO6:
GCSE English Language 9-1 Scaffolded Descriptive Writing - Whole Text Exercise
This is an editable resource but a PDF is included too.
Ever tried to teach descriptive writing and been met with a sea of faces staring back blankly? However, when the terminal exam promises the distinct possibility of a descriptive writing task (Paper 1 Question 5) then students must be prepared for this eventuality.
This is one way to encourage students to write good descriptive pieces.
This set of prompts is designed to introduce students to descriptive writing in a number of ways…
The resource is designed as a 60 minute section of any class and it focuses on a FULL RESPONSE for a description of a picture.
If you want to use exercise books, there is an ‘instruction only’ set here too.
Each paragraph the students must write is accompanied by a number of prompts to the left. The prompts indicate what they should write. So, the first (major) prompts, for example, are:
Para 1
Start with a one word sentence, stating the time of day – or year. Then use a simple sentence to describe the sea.
Para 2
Describe the setting.
As a minimum, your paragraph should include…
• a simile about the place e.g. the sun was like… The air was as…
• Describe the sky – what can be seen? Use colours!
• Write a compound sentence about the sun and/or sea.
• Start the last sentence with “In the distance…”
Add anything else you want about the setting ONLY.
…and so on!
The prompts then progress, enabling the students to create a complete response which includes all of the skills descriptors for Paper 1 Question 5. Your students should end up with a piece containing a minimum of 7 paragraphs of varying language with structural features and language devices used throughout.
This lesson could also be used as a ‘snap’ revision session or a cover class. In fact it’s a highly adaptable (and editable!) resource which you can turn to many things.
There is also a ‘five senses’ prompt on the lesson handout, to encourage students to use one or more of these in their writing.
These exercises cover the following Assessment Objectives:
AO5: Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences. Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts
AO6: Candidates must use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.
Bundle
GCSE English Grade 9-1 Paper 1 Resources
This bundle consists of 3 separate resources
Paper 1 Question 5 Descriptive & Narrative Writing Questions
This pack of picture questions is designed for AQA GCSE English Language 9-1. They simulate Paper 1 Question 5 where students are given a picture and are presented with two options (it’s hard, almost to call them questions!). The tasks can be for a descriptive or a narrative response (although both tasks can be descriptive or narrative and this pack reflects that). I hope that you will be able to use this pack to help you increase the story-telling powers of your learners as well as their descriptive prowess!
The pack gives teachers the opportunity to have a selection of ready-made questions for Paper 1 Question 5. These can be used to ensure that there are always writing tasks at hand. They might be used to stimulate class or small group discussion or can be used as interchangeable exercises to be done during a session. I hope that there is a sufficient variety of images in this pack to pique the interest of even the most reluctant of writers. By giving your learners a choice of task (while the assessment objectives - A05 and A06 remain the same) these sample questions might help to ensure both differentiation and an element of choice.
Structural Features Game
This was created for learners doing GCSE English Language - the new Grade 9-1 Course. It can be used as a revision but more particularly as an introduction to structural features. Paper 1 Question 3 is the structure questions where learners must comment on structure (see example question below from the June 2018 examination). A student response can easily become muddled if they are not confident with the terminology used to do that.
The game is designed to be naturally differentiated - the quality of the responses will depend on the ability of the students but all can participate. Learners are given individual structural features to investigate and must report back on it to the class, including an easy-to-understand definition and hopefully examples of where it is used in one of a variety of forms. If there are no opportunities to use internet enabled devices in class, this could be easily changed to be a homework activity. It is also perfect for a cover class!
Scaffolded Descriptive Writing
This set of prompts is designed to introduce students to descriptive writing in a number of ways…
The resource is designed as a 10-15 minute section of any class and it focuses on an opening paragraph for a description of a picture. Students can build their confidence here before then progressing to longer pieces. It could also be used as a ‘snap’ revision session, a cover class (where more than one is attempted) or as a prompt for a longer response which the students must do once they finish their first paragraph. In fact it’s a highly adaptable (and editable!) resource which you can turn to many things.
20 GCSE English Language 9-1 Scaffolded Descriptive Writing Opening Exercises
If you need short tasks to use with or email out to students, look no further!
Ever tried to teach descriptive writing and been met with a sea of faces staring back blankly? However, when the terminal exam promises the distinct possibility of a descriptive writing task (Paper 1 Question 5) then students must be prepared for this eventuality.
This is one way to encourage students to write good descriptive pieces.
This set of prompts is designed to introduce students to descriptive writing in a number of ways…
The resource is designed as a 10-15 minute section of any class and it focuses on an opening paragraph for a description of a picture. Students can build their confidence here before then progressing to longer pieces. It could also be used as a ‘snap’ revision session, a cover class (where more than one is attempted) or as a prompt for a longer response which the students must do once they finish their first paragraph. In fact it’s a highly adaptable (and editable!) resource which you can turn to many things.
There is a selection of 20 pictures so you can choose which to give to specific students you think may engage with the picture. I have called them ‘picture challenges’ to try and encourage a little competition. Perhaps there could be something as a prize for the one judged the best by peers?
The pictures are all used under a Creative Commons license which means that while the link to the original is included to credit the photographer(s) they are free to use and modify.
There are a number of prompts on each handout. Here is an example.
WRITE A DESCRIPTION SUGGESTED BY THIS PICTURE. Your description should be five to seven sentences in length.
Start with a one-word sentence about time (e.g. season, time of day), location, event or emotion.
Try to use the following words somewhere in your description: pungent, vengeful, applause (these change on each picture).
You must use two or three linguistic devices of your choice.
Remember to use Standard English!
There is also a ‘five senses’ prompt on each of the pictures, to encourage students to use one or more of these in their writing.
These exercises cover the following Assessment Objectives:
AO5: Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences. Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts
AO6: Candidates must use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.
Functional Skills English L1 Skills Tracker and Learning Plan (OLD SPEC)
This could save some time…
This spreadsheet contains five sheets:
A front page enter their details (name etc) and yours, that are then copied through to all other sheets (so name only goes in once).
A writing FCP (Form, Content, Purpose) Skills Tracker sheet for the Writing Unit
A Writing SPAG (Spelling and Grammar) Skills Tracker for the Writing Unit
A Reading Skills Tracker for the Reading Unit
A Speaking & Listening Skills Tracker
Together they build to give you a complete picture of where your student’s skills lie. They can be updated twice during the year so that students can measure their progress.
Hope it’s useful to you!
BTEC L2 Extended Cert in ICT - Grade Calculator in Excel
This editable spreadsheet allows your students to calculate their grades easily.
It has the following units:
Online World, Tech Systems, Digital Portfolio, Graphics, Animation, Spreadsheets, Databases. Web Design, Computer Networks.
It does give ‘false’ results if students enter high grades for some units and none for the others so there is a note at the side warning them of this!
Functional Skills English - Writing an Email of Complaint (Activity and Lesson Plan)
This writing exercise is for students working towards L1 although E3 students should also be able to cope.
It is based on writing an email of complaint when a leather jackets turns out to be the 'wrong one".
Full lesson plan and activity sheet with scenario included.
Functional Skills English Speaking and Listening Lesson Plan with Resources
It can be difficult to engage learners when it comes to Speaking and Listening. Students must make relevant and extended contributions to a discussion and so it is important to choose a subject which will engage them. So I created this lesson plan where they more or less talk about themselves - or teenagers at least - and what they should do before they turn twenty. The scenario gives students the chance to allow for and respond to others’ input, make different kinds of contributions to discussions and to present information/points of view clearly and in appropriate language
This can easily be adapted for an adult class where they reflect on what they would have liked to have done…
All documents are editable. They are:
Lesson plan for the session
Formal discussion - handout explaining the scenario and with space for the students to make notes
A reflection sheet for students to fill out once the discussion is over
An additional task in which students can write the article they have discussed
A couple of pages of possible comments that can go on the assessment record sheet for individual students
Plus there is a video to give the students some visual stimulation when they are gathering their ideas for the discussion.
I have done this many time with classes - and it works very well!
Hope you find it useful!
Parts of Speech Poem - FREE POSTER
Here’s the old “parts of speech” poem you may already know (author impossible to find so I am assuming it is very old and in the public domain).
It is in A3 and A4 size (however only the A3 one is editable - the other is a JPG of the A3 one).
Anyway, cool as a poster in a quiet corner…
Four Spreadsheet Exercises for Beginners
These spreadsheet exercises were created for the BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate in Information and Creative Technology but might be used in any beginners Spreadsheet class.
They are design to be done after some teacher input and cover a number of simple function and formulae. These include:
Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
Percentages
Simple IF statement
Minimum
Maximum
Average
Creating simple charts and graphs
Wrapping Text
Borders and fills
Change of font and size
The aim, too, is to get learners to think about the math rather than blindly following instructions without really ‘getting it’. These exercises can be done by students of varying abilities - and there are some additional activities on each sheet for those who finish first.
Entity Relationship Diagram Tool & Form Design Template
These two PowerPoint slides are designed for students learning about Database Development at Levels 2 and 3.
The first allows a user to create an Entity Relationship Diagram by dragging and dropping elements on to the screen - only the central part of which is in the print area.
The second allows a user to drag and drop elements on to the print area in order to design a form in access. Elements include labels, images, text boxes and buttons.
These two PPs allow learners who are acquiring database skills to experiment with their designs. I have found them very useful delivering the Database Development Unit for the BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate in Information and Creative Technology.
GCSE English Language 9-1: Spreadsheets to Calculate Mock Exam Grades for Jun17, 18 & Nov17 Papers
This spreadsheet allows users to enter marks for each question for GCSE English Language. There is a spreadsheet for Paper 1 and Paper 2 for each of the three 9-1 GCSE English Language 8700 sittings so far.
The spreadsheets will not allow errors so they will not let users type in 9 marks for an 8 mark question, for example.
They calculate the total marks - plus they also automatically give you the final grade for that paper.
These are editable spreadsheets so you can further change them if you so wish.
There is a separate spreadsheet containing grade boundaries for all 6 past papers (Paper 1 and Paper 2 x3).
GCSE English Language 9-1: Structural Features Game (with Lesson Plan)
This was created for learners doing GCSE English Language - the new Grade 9-1 Course. It can be used as a revision but more particularly as an introduction to structural features. Paper 1 Question 3 is the structure questions where learners must comment on structure (see example question below from the June 2018 examination). A student response can easily become muddled if they are not confident with the terminology used to do that.
The game is designed to be naturally differentiated - the quality of the responses will depend on the ability of the students but all can participate. Learners are given individual structural features to investigate and must report back on it to the class, including an easy-to-understand definition and hopefully examples of where it is used in one of a variety of forms. If there are no opportunities to use internet enabled devices in class, this could be easily changed to be a homework activity. It is also perfect for a cover class!
The game is an editable PowerPoint so you can also adapt it if you wish. Please do not redistribute afterwards in any format.
Also included is a full lesson plan for this session - again it is editable if you wish to make changes (inevitable as your learner needs may be subtly or very different to those of my own).
Assessment Objective: AO2: Explain, comment on and analyse how writers use language and structure to achieve effects and influence readers, using relevant subject terminology to support their views
The resource also works towards paper 1 question 5 (AQA board at least!) when learners must incorporate structural features in to their own creative writing, either descriptive or narrative.
20 GCSE English Language Paper 1 Q5 Style Descriptive & Narrative Writing Questions with Pictures
This pack of picture questions is designed for AQA GCSE English Language 9-1. They simulate Paper 1 Question 5 where students are given a picture and are presented with two options (it’s hard, almost to call them questions!). The tasks can be for a descriptive or a narrative response (although both tasks can be descriptive or narrative and this pack reflects that). I hope that you will be able to use this pack to help you increase the story-telling powers of your learners as well as their descriptive prowess!
The pack gives teachers the opportunity to have a selection of ready-made questions for Paper 1 Question 5. These can be used to ensure that there are always writing tasks at hand. They might be used to stimulate class or small group discussion or can be used as interchangeable exercises to be done during a session. I hope that there is a sufficient variety of images in this pack to pique the interest of even the most reluctant of writers. By giving your learners a choice of task (while the assessment objectives - A05 and A06 remain the same) these sample questions might help to ensure both differentiation and an element of choice.
Each is formatted to include the question on a single A4 sheet. The originals are also included on their own if you would like to use them without the question stimulus.
They would probably also be very useful if you are covering a class - the skills that students develop with these questions are vital for success in GCSE English as this question alone represents 25% of the entire exam.
All of the wonderful pictures have been ethically sourced and are available under a Creative Commons license which means you do not have to worry about copyright with them at all. Each originator is credited by use of a link to the original.
4 Kahoot Quizzes for “As Told By Teachers”
These quizzes are designed to accompany the anthology “As Told By Teachers” (https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/as-told-by-teachers-an-anthology-of-short-stories-for-gcse-english-language-11973337).
There are 4 but more will be added. Want to make one yourself?
Know Kahoot?
If you would like to create a Kahoot quiz based on any of the stories, please do. I would appreciate it if you could send me the link so it can be included in this document. If you would like to use the question mark pictures (free from copyright) the links are below. Please don’t forget to credit the creators (you can put a links at the bottom of any question).
Kahoot Newbie?
If you would like to create a Kahoot quiz but are unfamiliar with it (or just technophobic!) please feel free to put a set of questions and answers together and email it to taliesyn30@aol.com. I will be happy to put it online for you.
This resource will be updated as quizzes are added.
As Told By Teachers - An Anthology of Short Stories for GCSE English Language
Paper 1 Question 5 can be a challenge, particularly as it is 25% of the entire GCSE. As such it is vital that students do well on this question. Reading short stories from across the years does help in teaching creative writing but these were not written with assessment objectives and skills descriptors in mind.
43 teachers came together to produce this anthology of stories written with this exam in mind.
The aim of this project was to help stretch and challenge learners by showing them what a good one looks like. It is hoped that by providing a set of exemplars specifically written for this qualification that learners will gain an insight in to the form of a great GCSE short story and how that may differ from their original expectations. This anthology provides students with a stimulus to improve their own responses, particularly in the context of the terminal examination.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
KAHOOT QUIZZES FOR THE ANTHOLOGY AVAILABLE HERE:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/2-kahoot-quizzes-for-as-told-by-teachers-11978295
AQA GCSE English Language June 2018 Series Grade Breakdown Calculator
AQA EXAM ONLY. This is a spreadsheet for individual students who might want to keep a record of their marks per question - particularly useful if they are going to resit.
All you have to do is to type in the marks for each question and the spreadsheet will do the rest.
It calculates the final individual paper grade based on their separate bands.
It gives a percentage for each question (I find that easier to get my head around as I forget how many marks are available for each question and this means I don’t have to bother looking).
Of course it gives the final overall grade too!
GCSE English Grade 9 1: Examples of Student Story Writing for Paper 1 Question 5
Students may be asked to write a story for AQA GCSE English Language Paper 1 Question 5. This is also known (mostly by teachers) as narrative writing.
So how do you write a story in 45 minutes?
This video shows you two examples of work done by real GCSE English students in exam conditions. It also has comments by a marker on the responses. The method the students have used represents just one way to approach this question.
Pie Charts for GCSE English Language (Posters & Video)
Pie charts for GCSE English Language? But why? We hope these charts help to visualise how much the questions are worth, plan and re-evaluate revision and to work out just how much time should be spent on each question in the exams. Plus it’s a bit of fun - enjoy!
Two Free A3 GCSE English Language Posters - Great Analytical Verbs to Use in GCSE English
Based on the accompanying video, this is a set of two A3 posters for GCSE English Language focusing on analytical verbs. Many students use “show” and “suggest” well but struggle to come up with alternatives. Here are 10 which can be used in a number of contexts - examples are given on the posters in a “before and after” format. As they are based on the video you can see here too - it could be used as a lesson starter to reinforce the poster content - or as a standalone 3.5 minute warm up to exam practice (or whatever takes your fancy of course!) Enjoy!