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Tess of the d'Urban Quills

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(based on 62 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!
How to write a history introduction
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How to write a history introduction

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This workshop guides students through how to: Write a thoughtful thesis statement in response to a history question Write and structure an introduction to a history essay Included resources are: Model examples Scaffold and writing frames BENTOS box activity.
Understanding narrative structure
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Understanding narrative structure

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**Pitch: **Lower- set year 10 **Context: **For students writing fiction narratives Included: Explanation of Todorov narrative structure theory Breakdown of four narrative types: linear, non-linear, parallel, framed Bank of structural terms Narrative planning sheets in each of the four structure types.
Writing Historical Fiction
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Writing Historical Fiction

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**Pitched at: **Lower-set year 10 **Context: **Students writing narrative fiction Lesson content: Tips and tricks for writing in the historical fiction genre How to write setting How to write plot How to write characters and build a character arc. Included: Powerpoint Examples of historical fiction Planning sheets
What is an archetype?
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What is an archetype?

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A four slide resource that introduces students to the meaning of archetypes. I like to use this resource at the beginning of any fiction topic.
Year 11: Reading to Write
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Year 11: Reading to Write

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Pitched at: Year 11 Standard **Context: Students are studying different fiction genres and culminating product is writing a narrative fiction in a genre of their choice. Lesson sequence: Introdution and goal setting Student get to know you/diagnostic What is genre? Recap of form, structure, language The Gothic Genre (several lessons, looking at extracts from Dracula, Frankenstein, The Werewolf by Angela Carter. The Fantasy Genre (looking at Tolkien, WOT, world-building etc) The Dystopian genre What is narrative structure? How to write critical paragraphs analysing language How to structure a creative response Show, don’t tell workshop Resources included: Main power-point Model creatives and critical paragraphs Worlshop power-points on structure and narratology, symbolism, types of fantasy worlds All extracts Worksheets Peer marking activities
Year 10/11: 'Ozymandias' by Percy Shelley
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Year 10/11: 'Ozymandias' by Percy Shelley

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Two to three lessons on the poem "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Romantic context, high level language and structure analysis, annotations and creative activities make an engaging three-part series.
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!
Year 9/10: Presentations
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Year 9/10: Presentations

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If you've taught some of my other resources (Ready Player One, Jurassic Park) this can serve as a nice summative or formative assessment. This lesson guides students through developing presentations, where they choose an extract from a distinguished piece of literature, and analyse its various features. I've been really impressed with the presentations of my year 9 girls; some chose classics like Wilkie Collins to examine, with others choosing more contemporary texts such as The Book Thief. Print the relevant task slides (I did this and stapled as a booklet) for students.
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 9: Non-Fiction (Film Reviews)
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Year 9: Non-Fiction (Film Reviews)

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3/4 lessons for if you're starting to teach the GCSE Language Paper 2: Viewpoints and Perspectives, or as a general introduction to non-fiction. Find included: - Introduction to non-fiction and persuasive language devices - Structure of a film review (I've chosen "All Quiet on the Western Front" as it coincides with my class's adjacent war unit, but you can supplement this for any film) - Analysis of a film review - Comprehension, analysis and summary exam skills. Enjoy
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
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.
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 10/11: Language Paper 1 Revision Booklet
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Year 10/11: Language Paper 1 Revision Booklet

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Using an extract from “The God of Small Things” by Arundhati Roy, this booklet allows students to work in pairs or individually to complete a mini-project that covers all the skills for the Language Paper 1, AQA GSCE specimen. This took my class about 2-3 lessons to complete. Self-directed learning is great for this time of year!
Year 11: Unseen Poetry Projects
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Year 11: Unseen Poetry Projects

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Using two unseen poems (one by Louise Gluck) this booklet allows students to work in pairs or individually to complete a mini-project that covers all the skills for the unseen poetry section of Language Paper 1, AQA GSCE specimen. This took my class about 2-3 lessons to complete. Self-directed learning is great for this time of year!
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!