Do you have an extremely mixed ability Stage 5 class? I definitely did. This resource is three different versions of a Lady Macbeth deconstruction worksheet, catering three different levels of student ability. The aim is to have students analyse Lady Macbeth’s characterisation at one of the most critical moments of her character arc. The problem: Macbeth is a complex play, and trying to digest it in its entirey can be cognitive overload for some of our students. The solution: I’ve gone through and hand picked just a few extracts that help illuminate the point in which Lady Macbeth begins to spiral. Not in entire Acts or even scenes but just a few passages. Then, I’ve written some guiding questions to help our students deconstruct the quotes in question. The guiding questions vary in level and the higher ability students will be able to contemplate the intersection between context and the text. All levels accumulate to a writing task at the end. What’s Included: Three different versions of worksheets that cover: 1). Guided annotations 2). Short answer questions that uses the annotations 3). Consolidating analytical paragraph questions. Personally, I put students into groups to complete this task so that students could help one another and share ideas. However, depending on your class’ ability this can be completed individually also. Saved as a Word document for editing and printing ease.

If you are teaching the Craft of Writing for the first time, or you want to refresh your Module C toolbox, or your students are STILL CONFUSED on what discursive writing is, then this is the resource for you! Whilst this resource has been made primarily with year 11 and 12 in mind, it can EASILY be modified for a Year 9-10 audience! This is a FOUR PART TEACHING PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDES: A discursive writing workshop This workshop provides your students with an overview of expectations around discursive writing through a step by step PPT (9 slides) and a worksheet (5 pages) to accompany it. This workshop will give your students a clear understanding of what key features a discursive piece MUST HAVE in order to suceed in the HSC. We also go through extracts of a sample discursive piece (David Foster Wallace’s This is Water) to act as a model of good writing. Writing Scaffold based on Zadie Smith’s Joy. This discursive piece by Zadie Smith is used as a model for good discursive writing. Students are then given a graphic organiser to brainstorm some of their own ideas, drawing inspiration for this text. There is plenty of guidance along the way to help them reflect and organise their ideas, funnelling their thinking into insightful discursive pieces. PLEASE NOTE: the text is not included in this bundle due to copyright, but can be easily found for free online. It is also NOT an HSC prescribed text. Discursive Writing Activity - A soft start This is for those classes who just cannot GET STARTED. I have written up the key things that are needed to start a discursive piece. You can send your students off to do said things if they are ready OR they can use the start that I have written for them. Please note: the students may use my opening as practise, but it should not be reproduced for any exam or sales purposes. A quick post assessment/draft ‘Helpful Hints’ PPT. This is also a workshop style PPT which guides teachers in helping students refine their work post-assessment or post-draft. If you are super busy and unable to provide 1:1 feedback, this class-wide feedback process might be your best bet!!! If you’ve been putting off discursive writing in your Stage 5 or 6 classes TAKE THIS RESOURCE and let it run its course!! For an introduction into Module C Craft of Writing, see here: Craft of Writing Introduction Click here for both at a DISCOUNTED Bundle price! Module C Craft of Writing: Discursive Writing FULL Bundle Please note: this resource does not cover the prescribed texts!!

If you’re trying to get your lower to mixed ability students to think more critically about the author’s purpose and intentions, this is the resource for you! This is a PPT that was originally designed for the remote learning space and is therefore incredibly easy to navigate. Though simple to execute, it is packed with insightful points to consider and plenty of teacher notes to help you along the way too! These slides track through: Bildungsroman and the Southern Gothic genre - examples from the text and the significance of this in Silvey’s writing style. the structure of the novel, plot and its significance The reason behind the child narrator/narrative voice. A sample paragraph There are small tasks throughout the presentation to help consolidate students’ knowledge. Please note, these slides took my lower to mixed ability class 3 x 1hour lessons to complete, but pacing will depend on your class’ ability.