This worksheet helps students (especially EAL/ESL students) to identify knowledge claims (which they should have already been introduced to in a prior lesson), especially using elements of grammar with which they are familiar. They are then encouraged to think critically about whether or not certain ideas about climate change may be true, and why. The final italic line should be cut off with scissors and only given to students towards the end of the lesson (as extension or plenary) to encourage them to consider how the sources of information can affect their answers. This activity is particularly appropriate for students studying Global Perspectives, Theory of Knowledge, or Critical Thinking.

This resource begins with a simple matching game to reinforce/refresh student knowledge of techniques found in poetry. While this resource was designed with Sylvia Plath’s ‘Blackberrying’ in mind, it could be easily adapted for other poems. There are also sentence starters to help students write an analytical paragraph about the poem, as well as extension tasks for early finishers. Printing on A3 is recommended to give students maximum space for note-taking. Note that a copy of the poem is not included but is easily accessible online.

This resource bundle contains 2 video clips (of Jamie Oliver and Delia Smith making a Victoria sponge), a grid for students to fill in with instances of linguistic features such as hedging and fillers, and an answer grid for the teacher. For extension purposes, the grid contains some blank lines for students to fill in any other features they believe they have spotted. The ‘cosmetic surgery or speech feature?’ game is also included along with the lesson plan.

This 16-lesson (4-week) unit explores a variety of poetry from the 1500s to the present day. It examines several aspects of poetry, including specialist structures, rhythm, rhyme and meter, as well as techniques common to several types of literature, including personification, alliteration, and onomatopoeia. An effort is made in the unit to encourage text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text connections in the pupils' readings. Contextual information about the lives of the poets studied is introduced as and when it is relevant, as opposed to systematically. Pupils consider the links between style, context, content and purpose. Their studies of poetry culminate in the production of a piece of official coursework – an essay addressing a key theme across several poems studied. The unit was designed for students studying the Cambridge IGCSE in World Literature, but could easily adapted for (I)GCSE, IB or A-Level students studying the same poems. The poems for which there are lesson plans in this unit are as follows: Futility (Wilfred Owen) The Death Bed (Siegfried Sassoon) First March (Ivor Gurney) Last Sonnet (John Keats) If thou must love me (Elizabeth Barrett Browning) lion heart (Amanda Chong) I years had been from home (Emily Dickinson) Homecoming (Lenrie Peters) The Border-Builder (Carol Rumens) Rhyme of the Dead Self (ARD Fairburn) The Caged Skylark (Gerard Manley Hopkins) Song (George Szirtes) The Road (Nancy Cato)

The statements and questions in this grid about Bao Ninh’s novel “The Sorrow of War” were provided by real sixth-form students, with development in the brackets being provided by me. The third column in the chart is left blank so that your students can fill in their own responses to the ideas. It may be prudent to print this on A3 paper so that students have sufficient space to write, and/or upload a copy to your school’s VLE so that students can download and type directly onto a digital copy. Excellent for revision.

This worksheet/activity is designed to follow on from a lesson covering the poem’s content. Once students have understood its content, the sheet can be used. The first task encourages students to match techniques found in the poem with definitions. (Students can also find examples from the poem once they are done.) Suggested follow-up activities, mentioned on the sheet, include inviting students to guess information about the poem’s time period and author, and asking students to explain why the literary/linguistic techniques are used (with sentence stems included to start them off). Aimed at MA-HA KS3 but could also be used with KS4.

This 16-lesson (4-week) unit plan for Alain-Fournier's novel, Le Grand Meaulnes, explores characterisation, setting, themes, techniques, and text-to-self connections, as well as the context of the author's life and the influence of these on the text. The unit is enhanced by the usage of other fictional and non-fictional texts, such as The Great Gatsby and articles from The Economist. Pupils consider the links between style, context, content and purpose. They also create their own directed writing task based on the story, which is designed to demonstrate empathy and their understanding of plot and character, as well as command of authentic language appropriate to the text. The unit plan was designed for use with students of IGCSE World Literature, but could also be adapted for other (I)GCSEs in literature, as well as (I)GCSE, IB French B, or A-Level French.

These notes on The Sound of Waves list potentially useful quotations from each chapter through the themes of innocence and experience (I have taught this text once privately and my student’s essay was based on this idea, so I read and made notes on the text with a view to helping her with this). Using the prism of these universal themes enables connections to be made between other curriculum texts, such as the poetry of William Blake and the plays of William Shakespeare. The notes are aimed at teachers (rather than students) and do not constitute full lesson plans in themselves but serve to provide inspiration for lessons depending on what skills and topics you hope to teach when instructing students on the novel. They provide opportunities to help students understand the effects of techniques such as simile and metaphor, foreshadowing, personification, pathetic fallacy, and symbolism. The notes also make links to critical thinking courses such as TOK (Theory of Knowledge) so can also be used by IB teachers to facilitate links to the Diploma core. Obviously all ideas presented in the notes are interpretations which you may agree or disagree with. Nonetheless, I hope they help!

PLEASE NOTE: These lesson plans pertain to the ‘old’, outgoing Lang/Lit course (final exams in 2020). While a lot of the material will still be usable in the new course (first exams 2021), please bear this in mind when purchasing and, subsequently, using the plans yourself (whether as written or to make your own). Thanks for your understanding! This file contains at least 50 hours of lessons pertaining to Part 1 (Language and Cultural Context) of the English A: Language and Literature IB program. This would normally last you at least one academic year when taught alongside a minimum of 2 IB set texts (based on a schedule of 4 hours a week at standard level, with a supplementary hour per week at higher level). Topics include spoken language, censorship, translation, metalanguage, and historical and geographical contexts. Texts used include Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue, Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, and Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal. Tasks are differentiated and activities are suggested to support students in TOK and with their extended essay, as well as to support you in the event of your absence from school. Extra resources can be supplied upon request at no extra charge to support you as far as possible. Created by an experienced IB teacher and examiner.

This resource collates multiple WW1 letters from an American soldier, deployed in France, to his father back home in the US. The ensuing activities check on students’ comprehension of vocabulary and ask them to analyse the context, audience, purpose, and stylistic elements of the text. Best for students with some confidence at doing this already but could be adapted for weaker students or students who are only just starting to develop these skills. If using the final analysis-writing activity this could easily stretch to 2-3 lessons depending on the amount of groundwork you need to lay with your students beforehand. An alternative approach could be, for instance, to carousel the reading and analysis of letters so that e.g. a small group just works with one letter.

These Persepolis resources focus on Criterion A of the IB English A: Language and Literature courses, deepening students’ ability to understand and interpret texts through the use of Persepolis 1: p146-147. The Powerpoint is based on a template from SlidesGo, so there are some extra/superfluous generic slide templates included that haven’t been used, but the presentation makes the aims of the lesson clear for students and includes cutt.ly links to Quizlets and a digital version of the attached worksheet of comprehension tasks (which students can view, download and make copies of). The Powerpoint includes differentiated ways in which students can share their responses (Twitter, write on the whiteboard, or tell you in person). The comprehension tasks worksheet is also differentiated, offering 4 levels of tasks that encourage students to explore both explicit and implicit meanings inherent within the text. This allows students choices as to which tasks to complete. Finally, the answer grid enables them to type their responses rapidly alongside each question.

This advertisement was kindly supplied to me by Save The Children Supporter Care. It can be used to help A-Level, IB, and (I)GCSE students analyse advertisements through the lenses of context, audience, purpose and style.

The attached questions about obesity can be used in social studies, PSHE and Global Perspectives lessons to explore the themes of the human body, health and disease. The questions encourage students to consider how society influences how we see overweight people, to identify the differences between underweight/healthy/overweight/obese/morbidly obese, to question whether someone can be healthy and overweight, to explain why we need fat in our bodies, and to research hereditary disorders such as Prader-Willi and Cushing's syndromes. All tasks could be completed by all students, or you could divide students into groups and give each group a different question which they then research/consider more thoroughly.

These comprehension questions on John Keats’ Bright Star sonnet were designed for (I)GCSE students studying the poem but could also be used for A Level/IB students. The 4-page pack includes a copy of the poem as well as a vocabulary matching activity, space for handwritten definitions of any other unfamiliar vocabulary, note-taking space, comprehension questions, and an optional extension task.

This character impressions grid scaffolds student note-taking on the characters in Christopher Marlowe’s play ‘The Jew of Malta’. Topics include appearance and attitudes. These notes can be subsequently used for revision purposes or to help structure an essay on a topic from the grid. Printing on A3 is recommended so as to maximise the space that students have for note-taking.

This resource consists of two files bundled together: one file containing a quotes quiz, the other file containing the answers. Students are asked to identify who said a particular quotation, roughly where in the play it took place, and about any techniques used in the quotation, as well as its possible significance. This can take a whole hour’s lesson if completed in traditional silent quiz/exam style, or the questions could be completed in teams and made more competitive (particularly if you only go for the summative aspect asking students to name who says it and where it happens, and possibly naming techniques, leaving out the interpretive aspect). Note that the answers only indicate the name of the character who said the line and where in the play this occurs, as well as some possible techniques that students may identify; any valid explanation of the quotation’s possible significance should be accepted.

This resource helps students to take notes on the theme of abandonment in Bao Ninh’s novel ‘The Sorrow of War’. Contains page numbers to assist, for both Vintage and Minerva editions, as well as an extension task for early finishers. The scaffolded notes can then be used to construct an essay on abandonment in the novel.

This quiz was designed to be used in an English lesson to reinforce student knowledge of Irish history in relation to Brian Friel’s play “Translations”. However, it could of course also be used by history teachers! The quiz could be done traditionally, whereby students revise in advance and then sit the quiz on their own. However, I used it as a team game, whereby at around Easter time, the slips were cut up and hidden around the classroom treasure hunt-style. Students had to work in teams to find the slips and fill in the answers where they thought they went on the answer sheet. The first team to get a full sheet of correct answers - or the highest number of correct answers - by the end of the given time - won an Easter egg (I appreciate that edible prizes and/or the religious aspect won’t work in all schools so obviously feel free to substitute this with a reward of your choosing if needed). Ground rules worth setting include: no hoarding of slips in your team (they should be put back where you have found them so other teams can also find them…) and no using chairs/tables etc as weaponry to guard the slips you have found (yes, really!!).

These comprehension questions can be completed by students in groups or on their own, in class or as homework. They are also great revision resources and can be handy if you need to set cover work. Multiple copies of the questions are duplicated on one sheet in some cases, for ease of printing, photocopying, and distribution. The questions are designed for MA-HA students and range from identification and interpretation of techniques used (such as paradox) to encouraging students to explore issues surrounding translation, narratorial reliability, and choices of nomenclature in the novel. Motif and symbolism are also covered. Some extension tasks are included. These questions were originally developed for use by KS4 students working towards their IGCSE in World Literature. They could also be used for native French speakers, or students of IB/A Level French (although they would of course need to be translated).

This lesson was designed for KS4 and was used in English lessons to illustrate the impact of persuasive language and connotation. However, it could also be used as part of lessons in business studies/marketing. Opportunities are given for whole-class and small-group discussion, as well as for students to work alone. Students are invited to compare their initial thoughts about a brand with the brand’s mission statement, and to chart their changing impressions over the course of a lesson. Students are also able to consider the ethics of companies’ decisions behind their choices of brand name. There are some elements of the PPT which pertain specifically to the IGCSE First Language English syllabus run by CIE; however, these are not the main part of the presentation and could be easily adapted or deleted. For extension in an English lesson, there is the opportunity to discuss euphemism (especially in relation to Simpsons episode Realty Bites) - or this could be done as a separate lesson. This PPT was created for use with KS4.