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Tess of the d'Urban Quills

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(based on 59 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 7/8: Taming of the Shrew
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Year 7/8: Taming of the Shrew

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A one off lesson, as part of an "Introduction to Shakespeare" unit for KS3. A focus on language, plot and some characterisation.
Year 7: Villain's Speeches
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Year 7: Villain's Speeches

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My year 7s are studying non-fiction at the moment, which I personally find very boring! To spice things up, we’ve been looking at non-fiction textual forms through the theme of comic books (see my other lessons for examples). This lesson/2 lessons examines the features of speeches, with examples being the grand speeches comic villains perform. Included: Two clips of Ego and Bane- why are their speeches convincing? Analysis activities for the Joker’s speech from The Dark Knight Model critical paragraph Creative: students write their own villain speech Extension: Students create a comic page featuring their villain and given speech. My class loved it. Enjoy!
Year 7: Introduction to Poetry
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Year 7: Introduction to Poetry

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My year 7s are about to undertake a poetry unit, and so I thought I'd share my first two lessons. Lesson one covers form, structure and language with related activities. Lesson two looks at meaning in the poem "The Word Party" which is a great introduction poem for little newbies. Happy new year everyone!
Year 7: Non-Fiction
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Year 7: Non-Fiction

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This is the first lesson I've taught for our new non-fiction unit with year 7. This lesson recaps language techniques, introduces non-fiction types, and then looks at a short review of "Alice in Wonderland." The final activity requires students to write their own review of "The Jabberwocky". Enjoy
Year 7 Non Fiction: Black Panther Film Review
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Year 7 Non Fiction: Black Panther Film Review

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My year 7s are continuing their non-fiction unit this term and after seeing (and loving!) Black Panther these holidays, I saw an opportunity for some enlightenment. 1-2 lessons examine a film review of Black Panther, with a series of questions and activities analysing its language features and meaning. Can be taught as a one off. A particularly important lesson for young students who, like mine, come from primary white backgrounds.
Year 10-12: A Study in Scarlet
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Year 10-12: A Study in Scarlet

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This is a single lesson that I designed for my year 13 class. Looking at an extract from "A Study in Scarlet" by Arthur Conan Doyle, students consider the dimensions of Sherlock's character and why he is enduring. A puzzle activity merges analytical skills with group work. Can be taught with able groups of younger years, and as a general one- off for students already studying crime fiction/detective fiction.
Year 7 Poetry: All One Race
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Year 7 Poetry: All One Race

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These three lessons introduce students to the poem “All One Race” by Ooderoo Noonuccal. Sequence of activities is as follows: Brief authorial context Word sort Guided annotation of the poem Scaffold for how to write a TEEL paragraph How to create a meaningful topic sentence Peer feedback activity Included also is: How to analyse techniques effectively placemat Model paragraph
Year 9-11: Teaching analysis skills
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Year 9-11: Teaching analysis skills

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After marking my year 11 exams, I was disappointed by how many students continue to panic and write huge generalisations instead of proper analysis. E.g. "the imagery really helps the reader picture the scene in their mind" or "this technique creates tension and makes the reader want to read on." This resource can be used with high-ability year 9/10 or low-middle ability year 11s. A couple of different activities walk students through ways of approaching analysis.
Year 10/11: Comparing Conflict Poetry
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Year 10/11: Comparing Conflict Poetry

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A lesson that's ideal at completion of the GCSE "Power and Conflict" poetry cluster. Activities for retaining quotes, comparing themes and critical writing (through a differentiation focused "draw of the hat" exercise) are included.
Macbeth Acts 4/5 Revision
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Macbeth Acts 4/5 Revision

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A revision lesson that briefly looks at the main themes, language and contextual features for Macbeth Act 4 and 5, followed by an examination of the Biblical in Macbeth (whole play). Enjoy!
GCSE: 'Remains' poem, Simon Armitage
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GCSE: 'Remains' poem, Simon Armitage

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2-3 lessons on the poem “Remains” for the Power and Conflict anthology. Covers all GCSE outcomes AO1-3, in depth annotation of the poem, and builds students’ deeper conceptualisation of the themes of dehumanisation, PTSD, moral injury, and psychological trauma.
GCSE: 'Kamikaze' poem, Beatrice Garland
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GCSE: 'Kamikaze' poem, Beatrice Garland

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In depth 2-3 lessons on the GCSE poem ‘Kamikaze.’ Covers all 3 assessment outcomes, and deepens students’ conceptualisation of Japanese culture and the West’s understanding of collectivism. Detailed annotations of the poem included, amongst other scaffolded activities. Enjoy :)
GCSE Macbeth- Pt3
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GCSE Macbeth- Pt3

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Apologies for having to break this into two parts, TES has size limits. I designed this SOW (all power-points and worksheets included) for the GCSE study of Macbeth (Lit paper). Power-points work through the text scene by scene and investigate language, build analysis skills and connections made between text and context.
Lady Macbeth & Women in "Macbeth"
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Lady Macbeth & Women in "Macbeth"

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A single lesson for higher set classes studying "Macbeth." Examines the role of women (Lady Macbeth, Hecate, Lady Macduff and the witches) in the play. Original analysis by myself included- can be printed as a "write on the reading" activity for students.
GCSE Power & Conflict: Comparing Checking Out Me History & The Emigree`
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GCSE Power & Conflict: Comparing Checking Out Me History & The Emigree`

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These three lessons walk students through writing an essay that compares Checking Out Me History and The Emigree. Activities include: Higher order AO1 terminology for comparing poems Language, form and structure Higher-order contextual ideas Scaffolds and writing structures for introductions and paragraphs Models for both of these See the notes section at the bottom of PP slides for instructions for each activity. Enjoy!