A selection of resources for a first lesson on spoken language/speeches, using Wordles and active learning - visual, audio, and movement. Lesson objective: Understand that different types of speech can be made, and identify key indicators of purpose, audience, and context. Print and laminate the Wordles and display them around the room, numbering them clearly, then work your way through the 6 presentations for the whole lesson. I have had fantastic results using this for GCSE level English Language. If the videos fail to play (they are quite big files, exported from my original Keynote into PowerPoint!), then search YouTube for the speeches: when studying the spoken word - and especially in an introductory lesson like this - it is important that pupils listen to language, and don't just read transcriptions of it. They must gain experience of pace, tone, volume, and pauses in order to analyse effective use of spoken language. (I've also made a PowerPoint of 'Just Wordles' in case the embedded videos cause problems, and you could have another window open on YouTube with the videos open in different tabs, and then just swap between the presentation and the browser - I had to do this once when the school's IT systems were playing up!) As an English teacher, I also kept these up in my classroom afterwards as inspirational posters.

A study map each on the possible AS1 examination question themes of The Night ('Had I Not Been Awake' by Heaney and 'Acquainted with the Night' by Frost) and Self Discovery ('Birches' by Frost and 'Personal Helicon' by Heaney) on the new CCEA English Literature specification. These resources should be used by pupils to locate quotations and produce analysis after studying the poems in comparison, in preparation for framing an essay plan and writing practice exam essays.

Lesson resources for writing AS1 new CCEA specification in English Literature essays on Heaney and Frost: practice questions, guidelines, and two exemplar A* pupil essays.

A study map each on the possible AS1 examination question themes of Poetic Inspiration ('Personal Helicon' by Heaney and 'After Apple-picking' by Frost) and The Creative Process ('The Forge' by Heaney and 'Mowing' by Frost) on the new CCEA English Literature specification. These resources should be annotated by pupils and used to produce analysis of quotations and essay plans/frameworks after studying the poems.

A lesson on the poem 'After the Titanic' by the Northern Irish poet Derek Mahon, in which pupils engage in active, collaborative close reading and language analysis through 'Home Group/Expert Group' activities. Presentation is split into 2 PowerPoints, since the first includes a video and is larger. I have also removed the video and made the presentation into a pdf, if that is an easier format to work with. The handout is for printing, cutting, and distributing to the groups.

Exemplar paragraphs on computer games in functional / discursive essays, written by top-level KS3 class, and also used by a lower-ability GCSE class as 'What a Good One Looks Like' for English Language revision.

Three activities, covering Homeric similes and epithets, as well as exploring the role of the Greek gods in the text through a 'Mastermind'-style lesson. I have used all of these resources for both GCSE and A-level study of the Odyssey.

End-of-book tests on books 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 of the text, including teacher's answers.

A lesson using a CCEA GCSE Literature past-paper unseen poem, 'After the Titanic' by Derek Mahon. Lesson makes use of the 'Home Group/Expert Group' activity, using the attached question sheets.

Due to the size of the videos, the presentation has been split into two parts. This is a task to practise Personal Writing, giving pupils the opportunity to practise generating ideas, planning, and structuring their planning prior to writing an assessment piece for Personal Writing. Task is based upon 'your worst holiday experience'.

A presentation in two formats including 'On the Beach at Fontana' by James Joyce, 'Nettles' by Vernon Scannell, 'Rough' by Stephen Spender, and 'The Evacuee' by R. S. Thomas. Poems are accompanied by written activities (or, alternatively, can be completed in discussion or group work), leading up to a final Reading assessment.

An activity where pupils identify types of words in a nonsense poem ('Jabberwocky'), then create their own dictionary of nonsense words in order to write their own poem about school.

A 31-page resource containing 14 poem comparison (AO4) grids for the Frost & Heaney anthology, including notes on situation of speaker (AO1), tone and poetic methods (AO2), and context (AO3) for the new CCEA English Literature specification. The grid format can be employed as a basis for first lessons on each of the poems, and should be used to gather quotations and write analysis. Alternatively, pupils may use the resource independently in order to plan an essay framework for practice exam questions. These are also extremely useful at the end of the course for revision purposes, where pupils use the class notes that they have made whilst studying AS1 to complete the grids from memory, as effective exam preparation.

Four handouts, prepared for KS5 study of Heaney's translation of Sophocles' Antigone, The Burial at Thebes, detailing Classical Theatre and Drama, as well as Greek gods and tyrants.

Folowing my lesson on structure, this is lesson five in my scheme on speeches and techniques used in the Study of Spoken Language. Lesson objective: identify the general tone of a speech and be able to identify changes of tone in a presentation, and their purpose. Three tones are examined: reflective, argumentative, and encouraging. Includes videos of speeches to illustrate points.

Folowing my lesson on Introduction/purpose, this is lesson two (or three if the previous took two) in my scheme on speeches and techniques used in the Study of Spoken Language. Lesson objective: to be able to identify the audience of a speech, and comment on the impact that audience would have on the language and delivery of the presentation. Five audiences are examined. Includes videos of speeches to illustrate points.

An introductory lesson (for short periods) or a lesson starter (for long periods), discussing the concept of dreams in relation to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

KS3 novel - randomly allocate a character from the novel to each pupil (or also works in pairs, depending on ability), then get them to use this worksheet to develop deeper understanding of character. A nice follow-up extension is to work this into a Speaking and Listening class presentation for Key Skill Communication assessment.