STREETS OF LONDON Multiple Choice Levels of Meaning Listening and Reading Stimulus and Test Suitable for early middle school Years 7/8/9 Theme of Social Commentary and Social Protest. Along with a dramatic cover sheet with the song lyrics of Ralf McTell's famous ballad urging us to look and see the hardships of the underclass around us, there are 20 questions, structured as follows 1. Five "Right There" specific / literal questions 2. Five "Gather the Information" questions requiring longer reading across the entire text. 3. 10 Inferential questions based on the implied meaning and the writer's intentions.

This is intended as a N A P L A N or general classroom activity to get students to respond to the multiple levels of a poem and to respond in a structured way to indicate their understanding. On the theme of growing up, friendship and the influence of peers on our development, here is a beautiful ballad about a childhood friendship by Billy Joel brought to life to show the way we change and grow apart. The lyric in full is given along with a video of the performance of the lyric.

Harry Chapin's CATS IN THE CRADLE about wish fulfilment, father and son relationships and the irony of getting what you always hoped for is presented here in full lyric, with a fifteen part multiple choice set of questions and an exemplar essay analysis of the poem, presented as a punctuation exercise.

This is a lesson in itself, or an assessment item as preferred. Alfred Noyes' celebrated ballad THE HIGHWAYMAN in full. Visually realised with the text is fully annotated, with difficult words explained in side bars. Reading comprehension about literary elements. Then a letter writing exercise on point of view. Do play the best recording of the poem by PHIL OCHS obtainable on You Tube as part of your presentation.

Punctuation and Spelling Powerpoints - with answers * Homophones * Antonyms * Spelling tests * Direct and Indirect Speech

For English and historyteachers and values educators, this power point resource is a pre-timed examination of how we perceive the world, containing stills, animation and challenges for the class to respond to. It is approximately four minutes in length, featuring some of history's best examples of visual illusions, and examines how we see the world in ways that can be inaccurate and distorted. The final slides cover stereotyping and false judgements. The presentation will be useful as a stimulus / starter, getting students to consider how perception and reality are not always the same. Useful for literature studies on racial attitudes, discrimination based on perceived difference and flawed thinking leading to injustice. For example - "To Kill A Mockingbird," "1984," "Brave New World," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" Useful for values classes in social studies, philosophy and ethics classes.

This is a student handout providing an annotated exemplar of an analytical essay on The Soldier by Rupert Brook (sorry but this site will not allow publication of his proper spelling). On the same page is a set of guidelines for the student to then respond to Wilfred Owen's It Is Sweet and Honourable Et Decorum Est.

Don McLean's VINCENT is presented with a visual representation and annotation for all the difficult words on the side of the poem. Questions are structured to go from literal to metaphorical, and are 1. multiple choice 2. short answer 3. short essay response

Here are two handout items on the anti-war poem / song lyric AND THE BAND PLAYED WALTZING MATILDA by Eric Bogle. The first contain the text of the poem / lyric which use has shown works best by playing the video version from Youtube to being to life this immensely powerful and moving lyric. There are a series of comprehension questions which can be used for formal assessment or group discussion. The letter writing task contains an example of a letter to the editor about the thematic relevance and literary qualities of the poem. The student is then provided with a question task of their own to complete on a war poem of their choice.

This is a power point presentation intended to create a reflective response from studetns. It can be used for history teaching, although I find it works effectively as part of English teaching of war poetry and war fiction. Of course, if the class is doing John Hersey's Hiroshima, it fits perfectly.

This is a middle school creative writing lesson and (practice / homework?) assessment task. The power point and student diagrammatic handout gives an outline of main techniques in creative writing. The exemplar and comprehension task provides a rich example of descriptive writing and the questions tied to targeted concepts which are themselves explained (Justify, Explain etc). The assessment task provides for a range of student abilities, with an outline of suggestions about what to write about in the descriptive passage. The criteria for the writing task is explained in simple language to provide student feedback.

This is a colorful, professionally produced study guide of ten numbered pages, used and found practical for a range of Year 11 and 12 students. With plenty of graphics, including cartoons and a range of activities to promote active participation in watching the film, this is aimed at promoting extended writing about positioning, bias and point-of view, with comprehension questions, crossword and discussion questions aimed at vocabulary building and identifying film techniques. It includes an annotated exemplar of effective reviewing, guidance questions for the viewing process, and builds on skills in a cumulative way, from literal understanding of the content to more sophisticated concepts such as selectivity, language choices in commentary and the power of documentary film making to promote change.

For use in pastoral care and values education, or in a unit on humour, this is a musical cartoon presentation about the meaning of small joys in life, and is intended for use as a stimulus for discussion about appreciation, a resource for use as a lesson starter on the need for a sense of fun and the ridiculous, and an entertaining piece for reflection about resilience and coping in everyday life. The length of the film, which is a resource I made and first used in an English unit on comedy, lasts 3 minutes 35 seconds and is a strong item as a lesson starter. Get the students to write down the “Happiness Is…” comment that they think is most pertinent to them, and then write their own humorous description of little joys in life.

This ten page study guide covers all the elements of plot characters and themes in the play. It is envisaged as all the teacher will need for a two to three week unit. The activities invite close reading and reflect on social conscience issues, and are presented in a visually stimulating setting with the emphasis on depth of comprehension of plot, characters and themes. There is an analytical essay provided as an exemplar which summarises the work covered on character relationships and the theme of social responsibility.

Handout sheet for discussion and analysis on Oscar Wilde's chief character quotes in "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Useful for analysing Wilde's witty inversion of the superficial and the profound, and the tragic perspective of the character's doomed efforts to retain that which is impossible - the lustre of youth and the invincible appeal of physical beauty.

As a weekly projected screen image to greet the week as the students enter class, or as a study resource to examine the language of inspiration and uplifting aphorism, this 56 slide power point is aimed to engage students with proverbs centered on themes like persistence, life long learning, planning and tolerance. The quotes are accompanied with visually arresting art, photography and animation, and are good discussion starters for talking about ethics, responsibility and the individual’s relationship to society. The level of language is aimed at secondary students in middle and senior school. I personally find that it is particularly effective in humanities, philosophy and legal studies classes, and have used some of the visuals for creative writing stimulus, in which the students respond to the moral and ethical point of the proverb with a narrative or personal reflection that reflects the idea. As a long term debating coach, I have used the material for end - of - week classroom debates, with the students contesting the ethical / logical implications of the nominated proverb.

THE ENGLISH ROMANTIC POETS - A PRACTICAL STUDY GUIDE This is a visually stimulating fifteen page study guide on the poetry of the great poets of the Romantic Period. It is intended as the basis of a two week unit. The emphasis is on direct, attention getting material that will engage learners of different levels, covering the life and poetry of John Keats William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge Percy Shelley Lord Byron William Blake The numbered pages contain exercises on (i)the concept of romanticism (ii) the distinction between romance poetry and the philosophy of romanticism in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s (iii) backgrounding of each poet and an outline of his distinctive viewpoint (iv) poems from each of the six poets, with vocabulary explained for each poem, and comprehension questions. the poems are ‘Daffodils’ (Worsworth), (v) art activity for the visual learner (vi) exercise in distinguishing love poetry and romantic poetry The work involves straightforward explanation so that the student can proceed at his / her own pace, without need for constant guidance. Students will be able to identify the major elements of romanticism beyond mere rebelliousness and be able to locate textual evidence about pantheism, philosophical interest in heroic mythology, romantic preoccupation with the imagination over clinical intellect and the embrace of the non-rational and spiritual in the works of some of the poets. The layout and design is meant to have a magazine style level of visual interest and at the same time provide rigorous and serious commentary in a way that doesn’t rely on jargon or confusing terminology (vocabulary is explained in each of the poems so that teacher direction is minimized)

This is a practical handout which is aimed at Year 10 to Year 12 students, and covers work for two or three lessons, made up of the following material Characteristics of the genre of eulogy and tribute writing - tone, structure, purpose, language choices, use of anecdote Preparation overview - note taking and planning suggestions Exemplar of a tribute - annotated with explanations of structure Two practice writing activities Famous eulogies - texts of two historical eulogies in full, with comprehension Audio of the eulogies

This is a complete unit of work for use in the study of the animated film “A Bug’s Life.” The seven pages of activities are varied, well illustrated to gain interest, and sequenced for comprehension of plot, character, characterization and theme. The material is practical, so that students at various levels of ability can proceed through the work at their own pace, with self-explanatory language and a magazine style visual presentation that does not require teacher clarification and guidance. The material is intended for Years 7 to 9 The material guides students through the following steps Plotting - cloze exercise Characters - reading comprehension Characterization - comparing and contrasting External and internal elements of characterization - comparative case study Tweety Bird / Flik Using evidence and quotes from the text - identifying key elements of dialogue and drawing conclusions Paragraph writing - revision and practice writing exercise Themes and Ideas in the film - summary and practice questions.

A set of visual exemplars of sexist advertising accompany the handout which will take at least a lesson or two to complete. It includes an overview of what to identify in gender-discriminating advertising, with exemplar responses and explanations of how to write more effectively. Student exercises follow to apply the knowledge learned. A brief power point about the deconstruction of advertisements is included.