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English Teaching Resources for All

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I am an English specialist and I am passionate about supporting all students to access the English curriculum, to achieve at the highest possible levels in their exams and to love the subject. I currently teach AQA and have created lots of full schemes of work which develop exam skills and independence. All my resources have been tried and refined in the classroom; I hope that you will find them useful.

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I am an English specialist and I am passionate about supporting all students to access the English curriculum, to achieve at the highest possible levels in their exams and to love the subject. I currently teach AQA and have created lots of full schemes of work which develop exam skills and independence. All my resources have been tried and refined in the classroom; I hope that you will find them useful.
48 Lesson Animal Farm AQA GCSE Scheme of Work - Fully Resourced
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48 Lesson Animal Farm AQA GCSE Scheme of Work - Fully Resourced

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• Fully-resourced 12 Week Animal Farm Scheme. • 48 lessons including fully-planned and resourced assessments. Includes 8 peer/self-assessments, 4 teacher assessments and 4 structured D.I.R.T lessons. • The content is deliberately designed to be challenging, in terms of concepts, vocabulary and context. An illustration of activities includes: Mini Lectures, frequent assessment and opportunities for extended writing, research lessons, contextual source material drawn from GCSE History, high level modelling materials and frequent use and repetition of sophisticated vocabulary. • There is a focus on mastery of key technical writing skills. Writing skills lessons & activities are interleaved to prepare students for the SPaG element of the AQA GCSE qualifications. There are a number of fluency activities. • A ‘language through literature’ approach is taken, with the inclusion of reading and writing tasks clearly linked to AQA English GCSE Language Papers 1 & 2. • Homework is inbuilt and is called Independent Study; it is designed to be challenging. It is an essential element of the scheme and linked class activities are based upon independent study tasks. The aim is to improve students’ independent study skills, reform their view of ‘homework’ so that they understand its central role in their learning and significantly improve the rate and quality of completion. The level of challenge increases over the course of the scheme. • D.I.R.T lessons are planned into the scheme for the lesson after the teacher assessment; however, this is a ‘floating’ lesson and there is flexibility in when it is delivered to accommodate marking. It should ideally be delivered within 4 lessons of the assessment. The D.I.R.T lessons will include both structured and independent tasks. • All resources are included with the exception of the following, which I cannot include for copyright reasons: 1. The OCR GCSE Russian History Source Pack which is required for some Independent Study and 2. The article required in Week 5, Lesson 1, ‘The Ghosts of Yalta Still Haunt The World’ by Richard Ebbing. Both resources can be found on Google. • Detailed teaching instructions & differentiation suggestions are contained within the notessection of each PowerPoint slide. • For referencing and page number purposes, the Penguin Classics 2000 edition of the text has been used.
A Passage to Africa Detailed Notes - For Teachers or Students
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A Passage to Africa Detailed Notes - For Teachers or Students

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Detailed 2-page resource of analytical notes on 'A Passage to Africa' by George Alagiah - for use with Section B of the Edexcel IGCSE in English Language. I prepared these notes for first-teaching of the extract but also ultimately gave them to students who found them very useful for revision purposes. The notes begin by focusing on purpose, audience and form and then focus in close detail on key linguistic and structural choices made by the writer. This helped my students to gain the in-depth and high level knowledge and skills required to score well on this section.
Jekyll & Hyde GCSE Revision Guide & Workbook
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Jekyll & Hyde GCSE Revision Guide & Workbook

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A twenty-two page revision guide on The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Contains a combination of information and activities for students to work through, taking them back to the text and asking them to think deeply and independently about characters, language, themes and context. Once completed, the activities then act as a further revision resource for students. This was written with the new AQA GCSE specification in mind and has information on the AQA assessment objectives, but beyond that would be useful for revising the text for any exam board. The booklet includes sections on: The AQA paper and assessment objectives Author Biography Plot Themes & Context Character function, traits and quotations Form and Narrative Structure Language and Structure Nineteenth Century Art and the unconscious mind Setting Practice extract question I have found this very useful as a homework pack for a half term/term, which can be reflected on and further discussed and developed in lessons. Differentiation is inbuilt - for example, a range of quotations is provided for the character activities. Students can analyse and learn a selection of these, or all of them, depending on skill level. A straightforward author biography is provided which will contain sufficient context for some students, but context is returned to in much greater depth in the 'themes and context' section of the booklet to provide stretch and challenge. The section on 19th century art could be used as an optional extension for targeted students or be used to challenge a whole class to develop their contextual knowledge even further. Any questions, please just ask. Thanks.
Intro to The Bloody Chamber Booklet - A Level
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Intro to The Bloody Chamber Booklet - A Level

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A thorough introduction to Angela Carter designed for A Level students beginning study of The Bloody Chamber. The booklet covers key biographical information on Carter, including the experiences in Japan which shaped her as a writer. There are accessible introductions to essentialism, feminism, including the virgin-whore dichotomy, and post-modernism. Charles Perrault's version of 'Bluebeard' is also included to kick off study of the title story of the collection, as well as an exploration of artistic influences on Carter's version of this tale, including Impressionism and Symbolism. There is an analysis of each of the Marquis' wives and a collaborative research task. The booklet includes a number of questions and wider reading tasks. Designed for the OCR spec as part of the 'Gothic' module which heavily weights context and requires knowledge of the author's biography and wider works as well as critical traditions and alternative readings. Includes occasional reference to Dracula, as this was the partner text, however could be used with any other Gothic partner text or on its own. I studied Carter for my undergraduate dissertation and Master's degree and draw on that knowledge here, in a format that aims to be compact and accessible for students.
Chaucer Merchant's Tale Context Revision Resource
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Chaucer Merchant's Tale Context Revision Resource

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An A3 double-sided revision resource for Chaucer and The Merchant's Tale context. Includes information on Chaucer's life, The Canterbury Tales, the marriage tales, use of irony, conventions of medieval poetry, the medieval Church, contemporary beliefs about poverty and death, Chaucer's earlier great poem Troilus & Criseyde and specific symbolism, imagery and references in The Merchant's Tale. My students found this a really useful go-to for context revision as the information can seem overwhelming, but here it's brought together in one place.
Merchant's Tale Key Quotations for Revision
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Merchant's Tale Key Quotations for Revision

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An A Level revision resource with fifteen key quotations from The Merchant's Tale which cover a range of themes and events. The meaning of each quotation is explained in modern English and there is a ticklist for the student to use when they have learnt the quotation. I found this particularly helpful for students who struggled to learn many quotations in Middle English as it provides a good range of quotes which could be used in lots of different essays.
Chaucer Merchant's Tale - Marriage and January & May's Relationship Activities
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Chaucer Merchant's Tale - Marriage and January & May's Relationship Activities

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A bundle of three handy resources on the Marriage Tales and the presentation of January & May's relationship. 'Mapping the Marriage Tales' allows students to summarise each of the marriage tales and plot them on a 'graph' based on the view of marriage presented and who is in charge (videos of the four tales are on YouTube!). The 'Sympathy Graph' is useful for assessing how sympathetic May & January are at different points in the tale. 'The Wedding Night Experience' requires students to explore May and January's different experiences of the consummation of the marriage.
Canterbury Tales General Prologue Introduction
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Canterbury Tales General Prologue Introduction

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An introductory lesson to The Canterbury Tales focused on an extract from the General Prologue - good for use with an A Level class that is going to go on to study one of the tales. Includes a listening starter activity to introduce the language aurally, then a deduction activity where students try to work out the meaning of individual words from the extract, followed by an interlinear translation activity of this section of the prologue and follow-up analytical questions.
The Penelopiad - Power, Sexuality and Weaving e-Book for iBooks
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The Penelopiad - Power, Sexuality and Weaving e-Book for iBooks

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A detailed, 22-page e-Book on the background, key themes and characters of Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad focusing on historical context, power, sexuality and weaving. Created to give A-Level students the necessary background on The Odyssey and the roles of Penelope and Odysseus in Homer's text, it looks at themes of power and sexuality in the original text, throughout history and the ways in which Atwood explores, challenges and expands on these. The e-Book is divided into the following sections: - Aristotle's philosophical conceptions of power. - Male power in The Odyssey, focusing on Odysseus, Telemachus and The Suitors, followed by a detailed analysis of how male power is represented in Homer's text, looking in particular at storytelling as a male prerogative. - Female power in The Odyssey, focusing on Penelope, the Maids, Circe and Calypso, and the threat of female power and sexuality. - Context on the Virgin-Whore Dichotomy and the Femme Fatale in 20th Century Culture. This is developed into a discussion on the cultural conception of two Penelopes; the virgin and the whore. - Detailed section on the Maids in both texts and their connection to Artemis and her 12 Moon Maidens. - Does Penelope sleep with the suitors? An exploration of this question in Homer and Atwood's texts. - What other forms does female power take?: A look at inaction and weaving as key forms of female power. - Penelope throughout History - An overview looking at Penelope in Ovid's Heroides, 16th and 17th Century poetry and 21st Century film and theatre. - How far does Atwood reject and rewrite the limiting portrayal of Penelope? - An exploration of what Atwood's Penelopiad achieves. Contains critical quotations from Cixous, Stein and Gregersdottir. Please note, the file will need to be opened and read in iBooks, which can be done on any iPad or iPhone, so works well for student revision on the go.
Chaucer Context Research Activity
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Chaucer Context Research Activity

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A research activity on Chaucer which requires students to work independently and work through different levels of questions. (I’ve used SOLO Taxonomy to provide a range of questions). The resources included are: a detailed contextual booklet on Chaucer’s life, The Canterbury Tales, and a history of Pilgrimage; differentiated questions which require students to read the booklet and do their own research. This is an effective introductory lesson for A Level study of Chaucer and provides much of the contextual knowledge required by OCR.
Chaucer Merchant's Tale - Pluto & Proserpina Interlude
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Chaucer Merchant's Tale - Pluto & Proserpina Interlude

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A detailed handout explaining the Pluto and Proserpina Interlude in The Merchant's Tale. Their unique presentation and nuanced relationship is explored in relation to the wider tale. Designed for the OCR specification, which weights context heavily.
Chaucer Merchant's Tale Bundle
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Chaucer Merchant's Tale Bundle

6 Resources
A selection of Chaucer/Merchant’s Tale resources designed for A Level teaching and revision. Includes: Introductory slides on the Canterbury Tales; a SOLO taxonomy context research activity; a selection of activities on marriage; a handout on the Pluto & Proserpina interlude; a context revision knowledge organiser, drawing together lots of information; and a primary quotations revision resource.
Romeo & Juliet Character Knowledge Organiser - Detailed
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Romeo & Juliet Character Knowledge Organiser - Detailed

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A 32-page character revision resource for Romeo and Juliet covering twenty characters in depth. This booklet is designed to give students the thorough and highly detailed knowledge required by the new GCSE. The character profiles for major characters contain: - Key Facts - Character Function & Development (focusing in detail on how each character functions at a symbolic level and how they develop over the course of the play) - Characteristics - Key plot points in the play - Key Quotations - Summary of themes linked with the character Key summaries are also provided for minor characters, e.g. Peter, Potpan, Abram and Balthasar, the Chorus. Although the focus is on character, the resource also provides much detail on key events and themes, motifs and context. In addition, at the end of the resource, there is a summary section of character development over the course of the play - half of these are completed as examples and students can complete the second half themselves. I have used this resource to: - Provide staggered revision homework and followed up with tests on each character - As a support resource for essay-writing - As a way to introduce characters or explore them in more depth as a class. - As a research resource for jigsaw learning activities, dividing the class into groups and assigning a major character to each group. - To help students understand how to think about character function and development. Differentiation can be done in a number of ways - through the character assigned to a student, the sections they are asked to work on, and the number and length of quotations they are expected to revise. This is a particularly useful resource for a high-ability group with high target grades. It gives them the level of detail and breadth of knowledge that will allow their essays to stand out, and is designed to get them thinking at a functional and symbolic level considering the whole of the play. Any questions, please ask.
Macbeth Character Knowledge Organiser - Detailed
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Macbeth Character Knowledge Organiser - Detailed

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A 24-page detailed and interactive character revision resource for Macbeth covering key characters in depth and twenty-two characters in total. This booklet is designed to give students the thorough and complex knowledge required by the new GCSE. The character profiles for major characters contain: Key Facts, covering their role and relationships in the play Character Function & Development, focusing in detail on how each character functions at a symbolic level, linking to relevant context, and how they develop over the course of the play Characteristics Key Quotations section, including space for students to do their own analysis of each quotation Summary of themes linked with the character Key summaries are also provided for minor characters, e.g. Lennox, Angus and Ross . Although the focus is on character, the resource also provides much detail on key events, themes and context. At the end of each section there is a space for students to make their own revision notes. At the end of the resource, there is a character development activity focused on how key characters evolve over the course of the play - the first of these is completed as an example and students should complete the others themselves when they have completed their character revision from the booklet. I have used this resource to: Provide staggered revision homework and followed up with tests on each character As a support resource for essay-writing As a way to introduce characters or explore them in more depth as a class. As a research resource for jigsaw learning activities, dividing the class into groups and assigning a major character to each group. To help students understand how to think about character function and development. Differentiation can be done in a number of ways - through the character assigned to a student, the sections they are asked to work on, and the number and length of quotations they are expected to revise. This is a particularly useful resource for a high-ability group with high target grades. It gives them the level of detail and breadth of knowledge that will allow their essays to stand out, and is designed to get them thinking at a functional and symbolic level considering the whole of the play. Any questions, please ask.
IGCSE English Language A Paper 1 Mock Exam
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IGCSE English Language A Paper 1 Mock Exam

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A full Paper 1 Non-Fiction Texts and Transactional Writing mock exam for the new Edexcel IGCSE English Language A 2016 specification, to be first examined in Summer 2018. I designed this to mimic the sample material provided by Edexcel so it includes all the question types you would expect to find in Sections A and B of the exam. The booklet is 19 pages in total, providing space for students to write their answers. The two extracts that Section A is based on are from the 2012 specification - ‘Taking on the World’ (Ellen MacArthur) and ‘Explorers, or Boys Messing Around?’ (Stephen Morris - also in the updated 2016 anthology). For copyright reasons, I can’t include these extracts, however they are easily found on the Edexcel IGCSE website in the 2012 anthology (green cover). Any questions, please ask!
GCSE English Non-Fiction Writing Models
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GCSE English Non-Fiction Writing Models

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Four non-fiction model writing responses that I created to help students prepare for the non-fiction writing section of GCSE English Language. The models are as follows: A persusasive letter from a teacher to the school Principal about changes to the school canteen (398 words - suitable for middle or lower ability groups). A letter to a friend who is coming to stay describing the things they can see and do in the area. This is a hybrid of letter writing and travel writing, combining the skills of writing to describe, explain and inform (945 words - this is a lengthy, high level response suitable for middle or higher ability groups). A travel-writing article about Isafjordur in Iceland (452 words - suitable for a range of groups). A stop-smoking leaflet, aimed at persuading teenagers to quit smoking (381 words - suitable for a range of groups). Any questions, just ask!
Knowledge Organiser: Power & Conflict Poetry AQA
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Knowledge Organiser: Power & Conflict Poetry AQA

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A detailed knowledge organiser for AQA Power & Conflict Poetry Anthology, with chunked up knowledge designed to be easily digested and learnt while challenging students at the highest level. Images are used as cues to support memory. Each poem has sections on: Key ideas on power and/conflict Key quotations Key ‘soundbites’ of language analysis that can be easily digested and learnt Form, structure and perspective Context Suitable poems for comparison, with a brief summary comparative points At the end, there is space for students to practice: Retrieval of key quotations from memory Retrieval of key points of comparison for each recommended pair of poems.
IGCSE Anthology Teacher Notes for Touching the Void, Passage to Africa and Your Guide to Beach Safety.
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IGCSE Anthology Teacher Notes for Touching the Void, Passage to Africa and Your Guide to Beach Safety.

3 Resources
Detailed teacher notes resources for the following Edexcel IGCSE English Language Anthology texts: - Touching the Void - A Passage to Africa - Your Guide to Beach Safety I created these as a teaching guide for myself but also gave them to students for revision purposes. They achieved very highly in their exam so these notes were effective. Please see individual resources for further details.
Anne Frank Diary Analysis Model Answer - for Edexcel IGCSE or other GCSE boards.
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Anne Frank Diary Analysis Model Answer - for Edexcel IGCSE or other GCSE boards.

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This model answer responds to the June 2013 paper of the Edexcel IGCSE English Language, which contained two extracts from Anne Frank's diary. The exam paper can be accessed on the Edexcel website if you wish to use the extracts with your students. Although this was created specifically for the IGCSE, it is a useful example of analysis for use with any GCSE English class. I created this model to demonstrate sophisticated and in-depth analysis to my top set students. The response is detailed - 635 words - and provides students with high target grades with a good level of challenge. Any questions, just ask!