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Tess of the d'Urban Quills

Average Rating3.73
(based on 61 reviews)

I'm a passionate secondary English and History teacher and am the main planner of resources for my department; as such, I thought I would start sharing them here with the wider community of teachers and professionals. I am Australian trained, but currently teaching GCSE and A- Level (AQA specifications). All lessons are very visually engaging, with images, clips and a variety of activities. You won't find any boring/blank resources here!

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I'm a passionate secondary English and History teacher and am the main planner of resources for my department; as such, I thought I would start sharing them here with the wider community of teachers and professionals. I am Australian trained, but currently teaching GCSE and A- Level (AQA specifications). All lessons are very visually engaging, with images, clips and a variety of activities. You won't find any boring/blank resources here!
Year 10/11: The Secret Garden- Single Lesson
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Year 10/11: The Secret Garden- Single Lesson

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A helpful revision tool for GCSE Language Paper 1. Looking at an extract from "The Secret Garden", students analyse language devices, respond to a 20 mark style question, and then attempt a creative writing activity.
Gothic Literature- Language Analysis- 2 lessons
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Gothic Literature- Language Analysis- 2 lessons

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1/2 lessons that introduce students to extracts from various Gothic texts, such as The Woman in Black, Interview with the Vampire and two short stories from The Bloody Chamber. Creative writing activity at the end. GCSE skills and related questions: Language Paper 1, Q1, 2, 5
Years 9/10: Dystopian Fiction Lesson
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Years 9/10: Dystopian Fiction Lesson

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Text: Ready Player One Skills: Extended critical writing, language analysis, self-marking Designed for GSCE Language Q4, but can be taught as it is for any Dystopian unit.
Year 9- Jurassic Park (2 Lessons)
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Year 9- Jurassic Park (2 Lessons)

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Two lessons for boys looking at language and structural analysis of an extract from the novel Jurassic Park. Fun clips from the movie, revision of the adventure genre and creative writing. Great for a double lesson!
Year 9/10: Frankenstein Lesson
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Year 9/10: Frankenstein Lesson

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Higher ability lesson that can be used as a one off, or as part of teaching the GCSE Language Paper 1. Skills: language analysis, applying context, genre and creative writing.
Year 10/11: "Tissue" Imtiaz Dharker
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Year 10/11: "Tissue" Imtiaz Dharker

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The introduction lessons (or two) to the GCSE poem "Tissue" by Imtiaz Dharker. An guided annotation dissects language features and ideas in this challenging poem. Follow up lesson to come!
GSCE Language Paper 1- Revision
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GSCE Language Paper 1- Revision

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A two part lesson that walks students through question 1-5 of Language Paper 1. The extract is from "The Fellowship of the Ring". An excellent resource for revising the whole paper in class.
Year 11/12: Heart of Darkness- Single Lesson
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Year 11/12: Heart of Darkness- Single Lesson

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A single lesson that builds on the skills required for the GCSE Language Paper 1. Activities include analysis of language and some creative writing. Can be used as a one off for any critical writing based lesson.
GCSE Language Paper Intro
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GCSE Language Paper Intro

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A single lesson introducing students to the structure of the GCSE Language papers, and then genre based activities that familiarise them with conventions.
Year 10/11: 'London' by William Blake
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Year 10/11: 'London' by William Blake

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Two to three lessons on the poem "London" by William Blake. Carries on from the "Ozymandias" lesson, but can be taught as it is. Context, high level language and structure analysis, critical writing, writing frames and model answers make for engaging, jammed-packed lessons.
Years 10/11: Tone, Colour & Senses in Creative Writing
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Years 10/11: Tone, Colour & Senses in Creative Writing

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2/3 lesson bundle that builds student understanding of how authorial tone works in texts, and how colour and senses can be devised as a narrative tool for generating different tones. Several creative writing activities get the ball rolling, with analytical writing for the 2nd/3rd lesson. An extract from "The Great Gatsby" (Scott Fitzgerald) is the example extract here: how does the author play with colour and senses to suggest the beautiful but tragic and empty love of Gatsby and Daisy? A clip from the film accompanies this (right click the picture to open hyperlink). Enjoy :)
Year 10/11: Language Paper 2 (Perspectives & Viewpoints) Q2
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Year 10/11: Language Paper 2 (Perspectives & Viewpoints) Q2

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For the GCSE paper Language Paper 2 (Non-fiction), this lesson facilitates students' development of summary writing skills (Q2 of the exam). Ideal for a weaker class- visual clips of Wonderwoman and Guardians of the Galaxy make the material more accessible, with other written non-fiction texts the focus for the latter part of the lesson.
Year 10/11: Language Paper 2 (Perspectives & Viewpoints) Q3
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Year 10/11: Language Paper 2 (Perspectives & Viewpoints) Q3

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For the GCSE Language Paper 2 (non-fiction), this lesson facilitates students' development of critical writing for non-fiction texts. Tailored for question 3 of the exam. In this lesson, students revise persuasive language devices and analyse "Hiroshima" by John Hersey.
Year 10/11: Checking Out Me History
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Year 10/11: Checking Out Me History

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Part of the Power & Conflict cluster for GCSE poetry, these 2-3 lessons firstly cover contextual factors (Agard's subjective experience and the broader issues/aftermath of colonialism), in depth annotations of the poem, themes and ideas. An guided annotation sheet can be done in class or as homework.
Year 10/11: Power & Conflict Comparison
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Year 10/11: Power & Conflict Comparison

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A lesson teaching comparison skills, designed for the "Power & Conflict" poetry cluster for the GCSE. (AQA specification). Can be taught as a one off after the rest of the unit has been taught
GCSE QUIZ
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GCSE QUIZ

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Revision quiz questions for all four papers for topics: Macbeth Inspector Calls Jekyll and Hyde Language paper 1 and 2 Will take you several lessons- language analysis, quotes, themes and context are all covered- enjoy!
Year 7/8: Treasure Island
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Year 7/8: Treasure Island

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Great for a high ability class, these 4-5 lessons look at an extract from Treasure Island and build skills in: - Language analysis - Identifying language techniques - Creative writing - Peer and self marking. A good introduction if you're starting to look at 19th century texts with younger groups. Enjoy!