I provide high quality, tried and tested materials, developed over 17 years of teaching KS3-5. There is material to support G3/4 students as well as material to push for G8 and G9s.
I provide high quality, tried and tested materials, developed over 17 years of teaching KS3-5. There is material to support G3/4 students as well as material to push for G8 and G9s.
This Unit of Work has been designed as a pathway through the Paris Anthology for AQAEnglish A-level Language and Literature. It contains over 33 lessons and covers all of the extracts, as well as lessons to compare the extracts using past papers. It is fully resourced with a linguistic toolkit, features of spoken language mini tests, word class worksheets, past papers, exemplar essays, opportunities for online research and homework tasks.
Lesson 1a: Introduction to The Anthology
Lesson 1b: Grammar and Lexis
Lesson 2: Stories Are Waiting - Eurostar Advert
Lesson 3: Mile by Mile by R Piggott
Lesson 4: Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson
Lesson 5a: The Most Beautiful Walk in the World by John Baxter
Lesson 5b: Comparing The Most Beautiful Walk with Neither Here Nor There
Lesson 6: Paris City Guide by Lonely Planet
Lesson 7a: An introduction to Spoken Language
Lesson 7b: Anna and Zara’s narratives
Lesson 8a: Breathless - Waiting for Goddard
Lesson 8b: Breathless - Roommates
Lesson 9a: Around the World in 80 Dates by Jennifer Cox
Lesson 9b: Writing Guide
Lesson 10: What do you wish… by Trip Advisor
Lesson 11: Visiting Paris conversation: Mike and Sophia
Lesson 12: Rick Steves’ Walking Tour of the Louvre
Lesson 13: French Milk by Lucy Knisley
Lesson 14: Understanding Chic by Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni
Lesson 15: Memories of Places in Paris: Isabelle and Sophia
Lesson 16: Encore Une Fois by Just Another American in Paris
Lesson 17: 18 Months Later by Just Another American in Paris
Lesson 18: Comparing Encore Une Fois and The Most Beautiful Walk
Lesson 19: Traveling to Paris by Gransnet
Lesson 20: Paris for Children by The Rough Guide
Lesson 21-24: NOT FOR PARENTS by Klay Lamprell
Lesson 25a: Hemmingway research
Lesson 25b: On Paris by Ernest Hemmingway
Lesson 26: Foreign Correspondent by Peter Lennon
Lesson 27: Paris Riots 1968 by British Pathe
Lesson 28: The Seven Ages of Paris by Alistair Horne
Lesson 29: Letters from France by Helen Maria Williams
Lesson 30: Fine French Food by Lonely Planet
Lesson 31: The Sweet Life by David Lebovitz
Lesson 32: Eating in Paris: Isabelle, Mike and Sophia
Lesson 33: Comparing Eating in Paris and The Sweet Life
This unit contains everything you need to teach transactional writing (letters, speeches, articles, essays, reviews and leaflets) at IGCSE. This unit of work is focused on Pearson Edexcel Paper 1 for English language and teaches the students how to argue, advise and persuade. It includes 25 lessons and is fully resourced with lesson Powerpoints, exemplar answers, newspaper articles, leaflets, essays, reviews and speeches.
Lesson 1: Introduction to transactional writing
Lesson 2: Coronavirus response
Lesson 3: How to counter-argue
Lesson 4: Tough love
Lesson 5: Raising children
Lesson 6: Travel Writing
Lesson 7: Charity speech
Lesson 8: Letter of application
Lesson 9: Write your letter of application
Lesson 10: Technology
Lesson 11: Fame
Lesson 12: English teacher application
Lesson 13: Health leaflet
Lesson 14: Mobile phones
Lesson 15: Parents are over-protective
Lesson 16: Who would you vote for?
Lesson 17: Film censorship essay
Lesson 18: Writing your essay
Lesson 19: Protecting the countryside
Lesson 20: Virgin Atlantic complaint letter
Lesson 21: Meghan and Harry
Lesson 22: Writing your opinion
Lesson 23: Foreign holidays
Lesson 24: Writing a film review
Lesson 25: Writing a book review
Everything you need to revise Streetcar at KS5. This unit includes 12 revision lessons and is fully resourced with lesson powerpoints, contextual information, exemplar essays, extracts and critical articles. The lessons cover character and theme questions. Page numbers refer to the Penguin Modern Classics edition. This unit of work has been designed for the AQA A-level, but is adaptable to fit other exam board specifications.
Lesson 1: The American South
Lesson 2: Tragedy as a genre
Lesson 3: Structure of the scenes
Lesson 4: Style and idiolect
Lesson 5: betrayal and desire
Lesson 6: social class
Lesson 7: Stella
Lesson 8: men and women
Lesson 9: Stella and Stan
Lesson 10: Steve and Eunice
Lesson 11: Belle Reve
Lesson 12: Gone With The Wind
This scheme of work focuses on The Handmaid’s Tale at A-level. It contains 28 lessons that allow slow progression through the text, allowing opportunities for analysis and critical thinking. It is fully resourced and comes with worksheets, videos, notes, example essays and critical articles. It is particularly in depth for high achieving students, looking at post-modern concepts such as metafiction and the unreliable narrator. Each lesson focuses on different aspects of the text such as:
why Gilead could come true
the epigraphs
identity
feminist arguments
the irony of Serena Joy
class hierarchy
rebellion
oppression
the role of the mother in society
the female body
use of colour imagery
masculinity
the role of religion
Everything you need to revise Othello at KS5. This unit includes 14 revision lessons and is fully resourced with lesson powerpoints, contextual information, exemplar essays, extracts and critical articles. The lessons cover character and theme questions. Page numbers refer to the Cambridge Shakespeare edition. This unit of work has been designed for the AQA A-level, but is adaptable to fit other exam board specifications.
Lesson 1: Desdemona
Lesson 2: Who is responsible?
Lesson 3: Literary Criticism
Lesson 4: Hitting the assessment objectives
Lesson 5: Past Paper
Lesson 6: Film overview
Lesson 7: Brabantio and Roderigo
Lesson 8: Iago
Lesson 9: Love and Hate
Lesson 10: Iago and love
Lesson 11: Past questions
Lesson 12: Bradley vs Leavis
Lesson 13: Revision guides
Lesson 14: Love and Loyalty
This unit includes everything you need to teach Mockingbird at KS4 and it will save you hours of preparation time! It is focused on essay writing skills for English Literature, but covers themes such as prejudice, segregation, bravery and innocence along the way. It includes 25 lessons and is fully resourced with lesson powerpoints, contextual information, assessment questions, quizzes, activities to exploit drama, extracts, context cards, theme cards and opportunities for online research. Page numbers refer to the Orange Faber and Faber edition with an introduction by Ian Gregor.
Lesson 1: Context research
Lesson 2: An introduction to Maycomb County and Alabama
Lesson 3: A Southern Education
Lesson 4: Miss Caroline extract practice
Lesson 5: The relationship between Atticus and Scout
Lesson 6: Atticus and Bravery
Lesson 7: Miss Maudie Atkinson
Lesson 8: How Harper Lee builds tension
Lesson 9: Growing Up
Lesson 10: Creative Writing and The Fire
Lesson 11: The rabid dog
Lesson 12: Ms Dubose and Southern Belles
Lesson 13: Segregation
Lesson 14: Aunt Alexandra
Lesson 15: Lynch Mobs and the KKK
Lesson 16: The Trial
Lesson 17: How Harper Lee creates mood and atmosphere
Lesson 18: The Verdict
Lesson 19: Character Foils: Bob and Atticus
Lesson 20: The Missionary Ladies
Lesson 21: Role Models
Lesson 22: The attack on Scout and Jem
Lesson 23: The Aftermath
Lesson 24: The Ending
Lesson 25: Chapter Revision Guides
Everything you need to teach unseen poetry at KS5. This unit of work includes 22 lessons and is fully resourced with lesson powerpoints, contextual information, exemplar material, quizzes, extracts and critical articles. It covers poetry eras such as: Renaissance, Cavalier, Metaphysical, Romantic, Victorian, Modernist and The Beats. This unit of work has been designed for the AQA A-level course but is adaptable to fit other exam board specifications.
Lesson 1: what makes a poem a poem?
Lesson 2-3: poetry era research
Lesson 4: scansion: rhythm, rhyme and meter
Lesson 5: Family relationships in modern poetry
Lesson 6: Male/female relationships in modern poetry
Lesson 7: Loss in Renaissance and Romantic poetry
Lesson 8: Romantic love in Edwardian and Victorian poetry
Lesson 9: Romantic love in the Renaissance
Lesson 10: The Cavaliers
Lesson 11: Romantic love in Cavalier and Metaphysical poetry
Lesson 12: Family relationships and regret in modern poetry
Lesson 13: Family relationships in modern poetry
Lesson 14: The Metaphysicals
Lesson 15: Romantic love in Cavalier and Victorian poetry
Lesson 16: Individual poet research
Lesson 17: The use of satire in Restoration and Beat poetry
Lesson 18: Hitting the assessment objectives
Lesson 19: Breaking Up in modern poetry
Lesson 20: Romantic Love in Modernist and Victorian poetry
This unit contains everything you need to teach Streetcar at KS5 for AQA A-level English Language and Literature. It includes over 20 lessons and is fully resourced with lesson PowerPoints, contextual information, exemplar material, quizzes, extracts and critical articles. Each lesson targets a scene in the play, a theme, a character or an exam extract. I have used it for the last 5 years to teach top students who have gone on to achieve A* grades and study English Literature at Oxford and Cambridge.
Page numbers refer to the Penguin Modern Classics edition. This scheme of work has been designed for the AQA A level course. It looks at areas like:
Lesson 1: Naturalist and Expressionist theatre
Lesson 2: Context research on the deep south, the civil war, post WW2 immigration, 1940s New Orleans, The Southern Gothic and Tennessee Williams’ family
Lesson 3: Context presentations
Lesson 4: Impressions of Blanche
Lesson 5: Past Paper on “bitterness”
Lesson 6: The significance of Belle Reve
Lesson 7: Williams’ use of staging
Lesson 8a: The Poker Game and Sonnet 43
Lesson 8b: Past Paper on “loneliness”
Lesson 9: Blanche and The Southern Belle
Lesson 10: The allure of aggressive men
Lesson 11: Comparing Blanche and Stella
Lesson 12: The Southern Gent and Shep Huntleigh
Lesson 13a: Violence in Streetcar
Lesson 13b: Past Paper on “anxieties”
Lesson 14: Essay writing
Lesson 15a: Fantasy and self-deception
Lesson 15b: Past Paper on “tension”
Lesson 16: Elia Kazan’s influence
Lesson 17: Is Stan a victim or a villain?
Lesson 18: The relationship between Blanche and Mitch
Lesson 19a: Essay marking
Lesson 19b: Past Paper on “anger”
Lesson 20: Sherman’s march through Georgia
Everything you need to teach Science Fiction at KS3. This unit of work includes 14 lessons and is fully resourced with lesson powerpoints, quizzes, stories and a descriptive assessment . It is geared towards boys, with extracts from Ray Bradbury, Mars missions and The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. This is useful as an early introduction to the skills needed for English Language GCSE Paper 1.
Lesson 1: Introduction to Science Fiction
Lesson 2: The rise of Artificial Intelligence
Lesson 3-4: A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
Lesson 5: Colonising Mars
Lesson 6: Write a Mars Speech
Lesson 7: All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury
Lesson 8: Designing a Science Fiction Trailer
Lesson 9: The Time Machine by HG Wells
Lesson 10: Virus and future pandemics
Lesson 11: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Lesson 12: The Veldt by Ray Bradbury
Lesson 13: Writing a Doctor Who script for TV
Lesson 14: Describing an alien planet from Star Wars
This unit contains everything you need to teach non-fiction writing (letters, speeches, articles, essays, reviews and leaflets) at KS4. This unit of work is focused on AQA Paper 1 for English language and teaches the students how to argue, advise and persuade. It includes 23 lessons and is fully resourced with lesson Powerpoints, exemplar answers, newspaper articles, leaflets, essays and speeches.
Lesson 1: Introduction to transactional writing
Lesson 2: Coronavirus response
Lesson 3: How to counter-argue
Lesson 4: Tough love
Lesson 5: Raising children
Lesson 6: Travel Writing
Lesson 7: Charity speech
Lesson 8: Letter of application
Lesson 9: Write your letter of application
Lesson 10: Technology
Lesson 11: Fame
Lesson 12: English teacher application
Lesson 13: Health leaflet
Lesson 14: Mobile phones
Lesson 15: Parents are over-protective
Lesson 16: Who would you vote for?
Lesson 17: Film censorship essay
Lesson 18: Writing your essay
Lesson 19: Protecting the countryside
Lesson 20: Virgin Atlantic complaint letter
Lesson 21: Meghan and Harry
Lesson 22: Writing your opinion
Lesson 23: Foreign holidays
This unit is ideal as an introduction to non-fiction texts at KS3. It has 18 lessons focusing on evaluating non-fiction texts, opinion writing, describing travel destinations, writing a letter of complaint and more. It comes fully resourced with PowerPoints, travel guide extracts, example answers and newspaper articles.
Lesson 1: Introduction to travel writing
Lesson 2: The Road to Manali by Melissa Bell
Lesson 3: The Red Dust
Lesson 4: Describing Antarctica
Lesson 5: Writing a speech to reduce tourism
Lesson 6: Pole to Pole by Michael Palin
Lesson 7: Narrative tenses in The Beach
Lesson 8-9: Designing a travel advert
Lesson 10: Designing the ultimate trip
Lesson 11: Describing holidays
Lesson 12: Holiday web quest
Lesson 13: Holiday narrative writing
Lesson 14-15: Holidays from hell
Lesson 16: Designing a promotional video
Lesson 17: Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks
Lesson 18: Travel TV Shows
This Midsummer Night’s Dream unit is lots of fun and fantastic for stretching high ability KS3 students. It contains 18 lessons, focusing on the playwright’s use of language, how the playwright uses dramatic devices, creative writing and the effect of staging. It comes fully resourced with PowerPoints, contextual information to illuminate understanding of the text, extracts and IWB activities. The page numbers refer to the Cambridge School Shakespeare edition. The unit includes:
Lesson 1: Elizabethan context
Lesson 2: Online research
Lesson 3: The Globe
Lesson 4: The Characters
Lesson 5: The language
Lesson 6: Plot and Characters
Lesson 7: Act out the play
Lesson 8: Set design in A1S1
Lesson 9: Creating characters in A1S2
Lesson 10: Exploring fairies in A2S1
Lesson 11: Oberon and Titania in A2S1
Lesson 12: Persuasive language in A2S1
Lesson 13: Shakespeare’s language
Lesson 14: Writing spells in A2S2
Lesson 15: Insults in A3S2
Lesson 16: Analysing character in A4S1
Lesson 17: Themes review at the end
Lesson 18: Blockbuster revision
Do you need your students to have an overview of English Literature canon? From Beowulf to The Bard?
This unit of work is dedicated to the progress of language from Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare and The Romantics to modern day speakers like Muhammad Ali and Malala Jusef . This unit works well with mid to high ability KS3 students, and could serve as a basic introduction to language change. It is fully resourced with extracts, gap fills, cartoon strips, timeline sorts, games and drag and drop activities.
Lesson 1: Timeline of English Literature
Lesson 2: The origins of English
Lesson 3: English pronunciation
Lesson 4: The Romantics
Lesson 5-7: Beowulf
Lesson 8: The Magna Carta
Lesson 9: The Wife of Bath by Chaucer
Lesson 10: Write your own Canterbury Tale
Lesson 11: Shakespearean Language
Lesson 12: The Witches in Macbeth
Lesson 13: The Great Fire of London
Lesson 14: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Lesson 15: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Lesson 16: JFK speeches
Lesson 17: Muhammad Ali speeches
Lesson 18: I am Malala
Lesson 19: Emma Watson’s speech on feminism
This unit is designed to give Year 9 students an introduction to Charles Dickens and other Victorian Writers at KS3. It includes extracts from Dombey and Son, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and more. This is perfect for introducing KS3 students to the skills they will need for their GCSE course and the context for Victorian Literature. The 14 lessons are fully resourced with extracts, contextual information, quizzes, gap fills and exemplar answers.
Lesson 1: The plot of Dombey and Son
Lesson 2: Analysing an extract
Lesson 3: Formative assessment
Lesson 4: Language to describe Victorian London
Lesson 5: The Dining Hall in Oliver Twist
Lesson 6: Victorian Women
Lesson 7: Lowood in Jane Eyre
Lesson 8: Miss Temple from Jane Eyre
Lesson 9: Mr Creakle from David Copperfield
Lesson 10: Describing characters
Lesson 11: Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights
Lesson 12: Comparing childhoods in Wuthering Heights and David Copperfield
Lesson 13: Comparing teachers in Jane Eyre and David Copperfield
Lesson 14: Assessment
This unit of work allows you to teach The Outsiders in a way that it relevant and engaging for the students. It works well with mid to high ability KS3 students, and could serve as a basic introduction to the English Literature AQA exam. It comes fully resourced with PowerPoints, worksheets, contextual information, IWB activities, links to Robert Frost and opportunities for creative writing. The page numbers refer to the Puffin Edition. Each lesson focuses on a different chapter and aspect of the novel.
Lesson 1: Gang culture
Lesson 2: How Hinton creates character
Lesson 3: Hinton’s use of stereotypes
Lesson 4: How writers build tension
Lesson 5: The Socs and The Greasers
Lesson 6: Making your writing more exciting
Lesson 7: Narrative perspective
Lesson 8: Robert Frost “Nothing Gold Can Stay”
Lesson 9: Analysing the character of Ponyboy
Lesson 10: Writing a newspaper article
Lesson 11: Dual narratives
Lesson 12: Use of foreshadowing to build tension
Lesson 13: Building tension in “The Rumble”
Lesson 14: Character foils: Jonny and Dally
Lesson 15: Analysing the character of Ponyboy
Lesson 16: Formal speeches in The Courtroom
This 21 lesson unit of work for Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, contains comprehension by chapter, vocabulary challenges, creative writing opportunities, the trial of Jack Will, camp planning, friend dilemmas and much more!
This literature unit is teacher and student friendly. It contains a wide variety of activities, along with open-ended questions and role plays that will enthrall your students, especially those who have just started at a new school, as Auggie overcomes the challenges students face on a daily basis.
The unit ends with an assessment evaluating Jack Will’s role as a friend and his relationship with Auggie. It is supported by extracts and important pages in the novel, so the students don’t have to trawl through 400 pages looking for a quote!
Lesson 1: First day at middle school
Lesson 2: Treacher-Collins syndrome
Lesson 3: Jack, Julian and Charlotte
Lesson 4: bullying
Lesson 5: write your own precept
Lesson 6: Halloween
Lesson 7: Via’s perspective
Lesson 8: the trial of Jack Will
Lesson 9: Summer
Lesson 10: Jack Will
Lesson 11: the parents
Lesson 12: Justin
Lesson 13: dealing with bereavement
Lesson 14: losing friendships
Lesson 15: the camping trip
Lesson 16: the fight and social acceptance
Lesson 17: the aftermath
Lesson 18: graduation
Lesson 19: prepare your assessment
Lesson 20: write your assessment
Lesson 21: assessment feedback
This unit of work has been designed to prepare A-level students for their AQA Paper 2 Unseen Prose exam. The students have to incorporate context into their answers, so the unit contains 13 lessons ranging from Victorian Literature to more modern, multi-cultural texts like White Teeth. Each lesson will take you about an hour to prepare their answer and a further hour to write an essay if you wish to do so. It comes fully resourced with PowerPoint lessons, exemplar essays, guidance on how to write introductions and conclusions, extracts, and examiner advice. The lessons include extracts from:
The Heart of Darkness
I am Charlotte Simmonds
Brick Lane
Digging to America
White Teeth
Gone with the Wind
Catcher in the Rye
Revolutionary Road
Everything I Never Told You
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
I have used this unit with very high achieving A-level students who have gone on to study English Literature at Oxford and Cambridge, so it is definitely targeted towards the top end.
Are you teaching Myths, Legends, Fables and Fairy Tales? This unit will help you teach folktales and traditional tales, and it will save you hours of preparation! This unit of work includes 10 lessons and is fully resourced with lesson PowerPoints, contextual information, exemplar answers, quizzes and the classical stories. The unit includes:
Lesson 1: The Norse World
Lesson 2: Analysing settings
Lesson 3: Asgard
Lesson 4: Thor, Loki and Odin
Lesson 5: Comparing Thors
Lesson 6: Loki’s children
Lesson 7: Hel
Lesson 8: Thor and The Frost Giants
Lesson 9: Ragnarok
Everything you need to teach AQA Power and Conflict Poetry at KS4. This unit of work is focused on AQA Paper2 for English Literature. It includes 20 lessons and is fully resourced with lesson powerpoints, contextual information, exemplar material, IWB interactive resources, quizzes, activities to exploit drama and exemplar essays.
Everything you need to teach Blood Brothers at KS4. This unit of work is focused on AQA Paper 2 for English Literature. It includes 18 lessons and is fully resourced with lesson powerpoints, contextual information, exemplar material, IWB interactive resources, quizzes, activities to exploit drama, extracts and opportunities to exploit online research. Page numbers refer to the Metheun Drama Edition edited by Jim Mulligan.