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Tangled Up In Poetry

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I teach English Lit and Lang at IGCSE and IB Level. Resources here are mainly for these courses but I often upload KS3 resources too. Currently I am working on the new Songs of Ourselves for 2026. Drop me a line on: underthevolcanoagain@gmail.com for one-to-one tuition.

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I teach English Lit and Lang at IGCSE and IB Level. Resources here are mainly for these courses but I often upload KS3 resources too. Currently I am working on the new Songs of Ourselves for 2026. Drop me a line on: underthevolcanoagain@gmail.com for one-to-one tuition.
Songs of Ourselves - Volume 1 Part 4 - CIE 2023-25 - All Poems Analysed
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Songs of Ourselves - Volume 1 Part 4 - CIE 2023-25 - All Poems Analysed

16 Resources
Here you will find a detailed PowerPoint presentation for every single poem in the new iGCSE syllabus. In addition, there is a selection of 1000-word model essays responding to a variety of the poems to share with students. In other lessons, there are model paragraphs, colour-coded for clarity. Some of the poems have a supplementary YouTube video where I have broken down the poems for students to revise at home (more videos to come soon). The lessons have a very wide range of activities to engage students, and most poems have either line by line questions or line by line annotations (or both). This is all you need to be prepared to teach these 15 poems. I have also included a 16th poem (The Bay) that could be used as an “unseen” exam example. I have also made a full anthology for easy printing. Poems covered here are: The City Planners The Planners The Man With Night Sweats Night Sweat Rain The Spirit Is Too Blunt An Instrument From Long Distance Funeral Blues He Never Expected Much The Telephone Call A Consumer’s Report Request To A Year On Finding A Small Fly Crushed In A Book Ozymandias Away, Melancholy Bonus Poem (The Bay) Full Printable Anthology (email me for anthology: underthevolcanoagain@gmail.com)
The Complete War of the Worlds SoW - HG Wells - IGCSE First Exams 2024 - Every Chapter Planned - Assessment Included
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The Complete War of the Worlds SoW - HG Wells - IGCSE First Exams 2024 - Every Chapter Planned - Assessment Included

12 Resources
In this bundle you will find a wide variety of resources to help you teach War of the Worlds. This is a new text for the iGCSE syllabus starting in September 2022 ready for first exams in 2024. It is also a useful resource if you just want to teach the text as part of KS3/5, or for a different spec. It is ready to be shared with students so that they can keep up with the work from home and access the PowerPoints for revision. The activities are broad and varied, ranging from traditional teacher-led tasks, to paired/group work, and individual assignments. There are some more creative activities included throughout, like designing aliens and drama. I have also included some model paragraphs of analysis, technique analysis, quite a few vocabulary tasks, discussion topics, and I have included a selection of tailor-made assessments. Every chapter has also been summarised. Lessons have objectives, and are aesthetically striking. Each of the 12 PowerPoints vary in length of delivery. Some will take between 1 and 2 lessons, others may take between 3 and 4, but you can pick and choose the activities to skip as you go along. I have tried my best to pitch a range of different tasks for a range of abilities, including regular extension work. Instructions and tasks are very clear for students and teachers to follow. This should be all you need to teach the text, and if you need a copy of it, there are many freely available online. If you buy the whole bundle, you will save £18 compared to if you had bought each PowerPoint separately.
The Complete 2026 Songs of Ourselves Volume 1 Teaching Pack / Scheme of Work - Cambridge IGCSE 0992 / 0475
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The Complete 2026 Songs of Ourselves Volume 1 Teaching Pack / Scheme of Work - Cambridge IGCSE 0992 / 0475

15 Resources
Detailed PowerPoint presentations and homework PDFs, ready to teach with no additional prep for the following 15 poems, examined for IGCSE Literature 0992/0475 first exams 2026: Aphra Behn, ‘Song: Love Armed’ Sujata Bhatt, ‘A Different History’ William Blake, ‘The Chimney-Sweeper’ Elizabeth Brewster, ‘Where I Come From’ Boey Kim Cheng, ‘Report to Wordsworth’ Gillian Clarke, ‘Lament’ Kevin Halligan, ‘The Cockroach’ Seamus Heaney, ‘Follower’ Liz Lochhead, ‘Storyteller’ Charles Mungoshi, ‘Before the Sun’ Katherine Philips, ‘A Married State’ Alexander Pope, From ‘An Essay on Man’ Carol Rumens, ‘Carpet-weavers, Morocco’ William Shakespeare, ‘Sonnet 18’ Judith Wright, ‘Hunting Snake’ Full Printable Anthology (email me for anthology: underthevolcanoagain@gmail.com) Bundle price equates to less than £2.50 per poem. Every lesson has line by line questions and line by line analysis. In addition to this, I have included a vast range of activities for every single poem, including: drama and creative writing tasks to help first readings and develop vocabulary; model paragraphs and model essays; essay plans; quizzes; and much more. The PowerPoints are visually clear and striking. Each poem has an additional PDF with thought-provoking questions for students to engage with the poem at home beforehand; this has also been included as a Word document, in case you wish to add questions or edit. The main presentations work best with PowerPoint, but can be used in other formats such as Google Slides and PDF converter. You might consider sharing the PowerPoints with your students so that they can revise from the line by line analysis and model essays. If sharing, please consider purchasing the whole school version. Any attempt to re-publish or re-sell this product is illegal.
Love Armed by Aphra Behn - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
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Love Armed by Aphra Behn - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

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In this 25-slide PowerPoint, you will find a starter activity, vocabulary challenge, line by line annotations, activities on the author, a fun drama task, line by line questions (with answers), a summary of the poem, an activity about the rhyme scheme, and two possible essay questions to challenge students’ knowledge. An 18 question PDF handout (with answers) is also attached for h/w or pre-reading. This PP and PDF can be used as a teacher tool and/or revision resource. It is very detailed and should really take up to about 3-4 hours of teaching time. I hope you find it useful. If there is anything you are unhappy about, please let me know and I will try my best to satisfy your query.
Hunting Snake by Judith Wright - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
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Hunting Snake by Judith Wright - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

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In this 14-slide PowerPoint, you will find: objective and starter, the poem presented as a short story to facilitate comprehension (with questions), key themes (with task), homework PDF of 20 questions (with answers presented as line-by-line annotations for feedback), group work activities to engage creatively, model essay with a task of essay critique. Works best as a PP but can also be used in other formats.
A Different History by Sujata Bhatt - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
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A Different History by Sujata Bhatt - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

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In this 18-slide PowerPoint, you will find: starter and extension; vocabulary creative writing task; deep delve into the gods mentioned in the poem; classwork/homework PDF attached with 22 thought provoking questions (with answers); line by line analysis; summary of the poem; colour-coded example paragraphs; and finally, an essay question and essay plan. The PowerPoint works best downloaded and not converted to Google Slides (you will lose the animations I believe on Google Slides, but all the content will remain). I hope it is useful. Any doubts, let me know.
The Chimney Sweeper (Little Black) by William Blake - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
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The Chimney Sweeper (Little Black) by William Blake - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

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In this 17-slide PowerPoint you will find a research the author challenge, comprehension questions about the poem’s basics, a comparison of both Chimney Sweep poems from innocence and experience which is necessary to understand the poem properly, a fill in the blanks summary task, homework analysis challenge (line by line questions), detailed annotations of every line in the poem, an essay question and a full model essay. This will take anything from between one and three hours to teach.
A Consumer's Report by Peter Porter - Full Lesson - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2023-25
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A Consumer's Report by Peter Porter - Full Lesson - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2023-25

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In this PowerPoint presentation you will find: 20 questions to help students annotate and understand the poem, pre-reading activities related to the theme of commodification, a brief introduction to Marxism, an example of how the brand Oreo used the Gay Pride flag to help sell its product and brand itself, about the author (very brief), and finally an example analytical paragraph used for modelling, answering the question: How does Peter Porter, in his poem A Consumer’s Report, convey his views on the commodification of life? This PowerPoint can be bought individually or as part of a bundle at a discount.
Carpet Weavers, Morocco by Carol Rumens - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
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Carpet Weavers, Morocco by Carol Rumens - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

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In this 13-slide PowerPoint, you will find: starter, video task, first impressions questions, homework questions for flipped learning, line by line analysis, drama activity, and an in-depth essay investigating the ambiguity in the poem. It is a poem that can easily be interpreted in two fairly distinct ways, and so this essay should provide students with a clear model that shows them that poetry is genuinely open to interpretation. It works best as a PP, and not Google Slides.
The Cockroach by Kevin Halligan - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
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The Cockroach by Kevin Halligan - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

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In this 14-slide PowerPoint, you will find a theme exploration starter, line by line annotations, essay plan, twelve homework questions (students could do this in lesson but I like them to come to class having studied the poem a little), theme and quote matching task, and finally I have included an optional “fun” activity where students use the vocabulary of the poem to create a short playscript, which you could choose to develop into a performance. This PowerPoint will probably take about three hours to complete if you choose to do all the activities. It could also work as revision. Please let me know if you have any feedback.
Where I Come From by Elizabeth Brewster - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
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Where I Come From by Elizabeth Brewster - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

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In this 26-slide PowerPoint you will find a thought-provoking starter, matching poetry technique task, in-depth discussion task, creative writing exercise (using the key vocabulary from the poem), an artwork imagery task, homework questions, line by line questions, deep line by line annotations/analysis, essay question and plan, and a model paragraph (colour-coded). This could take anything between one and three hours of teaching, depending on the cohort.
Storyteller by Liz Lockhead - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
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Storyteller by Liz Lockhead - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

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In this 27-slide PowerPoint, you will find: thought-provoking starter, quick thematic overview, each stanza accompanied by relevant picture, line-by-line questions (with answers), PDF to complete the questions at home as flipped learning if required, clear essay plan with activities, a fun storytelling activity that has students research a folktale (optional extra if you have time), line-by-line technique annotations. Plenty of activities to really explore the poem in detail.
Report to Wordsworth by Boey Kim Cheng - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
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Report to Wordsworth by Boey Kim Cheng - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

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In this 16-slide PowerPoint you will find an interesting starter where students use the vocabulary of the poem to make a wall display of haikus, a discussion task on the allusions to sea gods, full read through discussion, homework task, comparison of two Wordsworth poems to help understand Cheng’s ideas, very detailed line by line annotations, essay question with mindmap for essay planning, full essay plan. It should take between two and five hours to complete.
A Married State by Katherine Philips - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
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A Married State by Katherine Philips - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

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In this 20-slide PowerPoint, you will find: intriguing starter for students to share opinions on the theme of marriage, a biography of the author with a quiz at the end (with answers), first impressions task, vocabulary challenge, homework task, line-by-line questions, line-by-line analysis, essay question, essay plan, model introduction, model analytical paragraph (colour-coded for clarity, prompts for further analysis paragraphs with quotes identified for each one. This resource will take about 2 hours to complete plus homework and students will gain confidence in understanding and unpacking the poem.
On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book - Full Lesson - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2023-25
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On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book - Full Lesson - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2023-25

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In this PowerPoint you will find a detailed breakdown of the poem’s central meaning, line by line questions, line by line summary, a true/false quiz, finish the sentences activity, a group work discussion task, and students end the analysis by creating their own YouTube video exploring the theme of ‘death’ in the poem. Prompts have been provided for the video’s content.
01 War of the Worlds - Introduction Lesson - H G Wells - Context - IGCSE First Exams 2024
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01 War of the Worlds - Introduction Lesson - H G Wells - Context - IGCSE First Exams 2024

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UPDATED VERSION - PLEASE REDOWNLOAD Jeff Wayne intro! In this 15 slide PowerPoint, you will find a fun starter with images connected to the novel, a gap-fill about the life of HG Wells (with answers), a matching activity about Victorian England, Industrial Revolution, Imperialism, Science, and Political Change (also with answers), and some documentary viewing questions that could either be done during class or for homework (answers also provided). This is all you need to help your students get started with the background to the novel; it works well as a set of pre-reading activities. The full SoW can be bought as part of a bundle. I have made the SoW with the IGCSE first exams 2024 in mind, but it can be used generically too. I hope it is useful for your students. Please check out my other resources!
09 War of the Worlds - HG Wells - Chapters 16 and 17 - IGCSE First Exams 2024
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09 War of the Worlds - HG Wells - Chapters 16 and 17 - IGCSE First Exams 2024

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In this 23-slide PowerPoint you will find: summaries of both chapters, four short model responses for language analysis, an activity on how to embed quotes, a short drama task about how dialogue is used for suspense, a definition of the technique ‘allusion’ with a task based on Wells’ allusion to the Huns; here students watch a 10-minute YouTube video about the Goths and Huns in Europe and complete 18 viewing questions based on the video (could be done as h/w). Finally, students finish Chapter 17 by reading alongside a selection of comprehension/discussion questions to check understanding. This is the last lesson for Part 1 of War of the Worlds.
The Spirit Is Too Blunt An Instrument by Anne Stevenson  - Full Lesson - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2023-25
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The Spirit Is Too Blunt An Instrument by Anne Stevenson - Full Lesson - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2023-25

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This detailed PowerPoint takes students through some of the big questions raised in the poem, having them discuss in groups and then feedback to the class. It picks out key vocabulary and and has students analyse language. There is a short close analysis of sound imagery and an essay question with “break down” questions. Also, there are a couple of model analytical paragraphs to help with essay writing.
Lament by Gillian Clarke - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026
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Lament by Gillian Clarke - Full Lesson Activities - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2026

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In this 19-slide PowerPoint you will find a starter activity that helps students understand the concept of lamentation, and a vocabulary task to help with breaking down keywords, key context of Kuwait and a link to an online analysis video, reading comprehension questions, homework challenge questions, line by line questions, line by line analysis, essay plan with topic sentence ideas and quotes for each paragraph, and an essay question for students to tackle the assessment.
He Never Expected Much by Thomas Hardy- Full Lesson - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2023-25
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He Never Expected Much by Thomas Hardy- Full Lesson - CIE Poetry iGCSE 2023-25

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In this PowerPoint you will find a detailed summary of the poem, some pre-reading activities, a breakdown of structure, style and rhyme, teacher annotations, and a model analysis and interpretation, which I have colour-coded to highlight embedded quotes, techniques and personal interpretation. Overall, this poem resource is quite a teacher-led presentation as this is one of the trickier poems in the anthology to break down from first glance. By using this resource, the poet’s central message and some of his techniques should be understood by your students. I hope it is useful for your iGCSE class. I have also added a supplementary YouTube video to help with introducing the poem to students - it could be a homework task to watch the video before the lesson.