This is a lesson on a poem about the First World War which laments how soldiers died 'as cattle' without proper Christian burial in the trenches of France. It is a conflict poem which explores the themes of violence and fear in war which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. It's particularly useful to compare to 'Bayonet Charge' by Ted Hughes and 'Exposure' (also by Owen). The lesson begins by asking students to list what they know about the poor living conditions within the trenches. There is then a slide which offers facts later referred to in the poem. Students are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding quotes which are examples of religious references, metaphors, simile and alliteration. The ideas they pull together for this can then be explored as a class and the slides can be annotated by the teacher on the board. Students are then asked to think about structure and there is a slide which introduces them to the structure of a sonnet, iambic pentameter and demonstrates the rhyme scheme. The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs using a generic success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills. As with all my lessons, there are 'Talk for Writing' activities and Challenge tasks for more able students. Attached is; - A powerpoint with the lesson clearly outlined - Links to online videos/readings (see 'Notes' under slides) - A copy of the poem with a word bank

In this lesson students are asked to explore how Golding uses patterns of imagery within 'Lord of the Flies' in order to explore the sinister nature of the boys and the island itself. The lesson starts by asking students to consider how the boys would feel after arriving at the island and the challenge task asks them to consider why Golding chose the island as the setting at all. As a warm up, students are then asked to consider 2 quotes from the first chapter in pairs and list any techniques used and the effect of those comments. A slide follows with suggested ideas to discuss. Student can then in groups consider the list of quotes from across the rest of the novel attached.They can stick them in their books, annotate and highlight them and then the teacher can annotate them on the board where the class can feedback their ideas. Students are encouraged to think about the following questions: - What is Golding’s message to the reader? - What is he trying to say to us about what is happening to them? - The novel was published in 1954. How might these quotes link to people’s attitudes towards the world after WWII? - Some people think that the island is like a character itself. To what extent do you agree? Students are then asked to write essay paragraphs independently using provided sentence starters which come in 3 formats: a 'layers of meaning' approach, PEA or the 'reading ladder'. An opportunity to self or peer assess their essay writing follows this. To follow this, there is an exemplar essay about the island which students can peer assess in order to think again about the targets that they can set themselves. They can annotate this essay within their books and compare it to their own efforts. I've also added it to the powerpoint for class feedback annotations. The success criteria provided refers to the Edexcel English Literature course but can be adapted to suit your course. This lesson, as my other Literature lessons do, includes: - Links to online videos (see 'notes' under Powerpoint slides) - Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson - Handouts of quotes / extracts from the novel - Differentiated tasks - Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities ('Talk for Writing') - Alternating opportunities for self and peer assessment - Essay writing prompts to allow students to write about the text

This is a lesson on a poem which explores the point of view of a War Photographer - not to be confused with Carol Ann Duffy's poem of the same name (AQA). It features in the Edexcel anthology of Literature exam poems. The poem, if you don't know it, contrasts the photographer's memories of taking photos of conflict in a war zone and the Ascot races. It explores the themes of violence and isolation in war which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. It's particularly useful to compare to 'Remains' by Simon Armitage and of course Duffy's poem (see my shop for a lesson on that one). The lesson begins by asking students to consider what it would be like to be a war photographer and why they would be an effective focus for a poem. There is then a slide which introduces them to Carole Satyamurti as a poet. Students are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding quotes which are examples of metaphors, simile and contrasts, as well as some more challenging devices. The ideas they pull together for this can then be explored as a class and the slides can be annotated by the teacher on the board and there are also some quotes colour coded as the answers. Students are then asked to think about structure and there is a slide which refers to sibilance, alliteration and how the poem develops through each stanza. The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with Edexcel's exam success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills. As with all my lessons, there are 'Talk for Writing' activities and Challenge tasks for more able students. Attached is; - A powerpoint with the lesson clearly outlined - A copy of the poem with a word bank - A handout of glossary style word banks which students can stick into their anthologies - A PEA style writing frame for weaker students - Links to online videos/readings (see 'Notes' under slides).

This lesson asks students to analyse how Macbeth explores his conscience before he decides to murder Duncan. Initially students are asked to imagine and list Macbeth's thoughts and feelings at this stage of the play. After watching a video of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth discussing the crime students are asked to speculate their attitudes before tackling the text in detail. After reading the scene, pertinent questions are posed for groups to consider and then there is an optional task where imagery can be identified and commented on. All lessons in this series include: - Links to online videos (see 'Notes' under Powerpoint slides) - Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson - Differentiated tasks - Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities ('Talk for Writing') - Handouts of scenes or a selection of quotes from scenes studied - Alternating opportunities for self and peer assessment - Essay writing prompts to allow students to write about the scene - References to the AQA English Literature mark scheme for Paper 1, particularly to the demands for attaining a grade 5 - what is considered a 'good pass' for the qualification. It's suggested that you download the whole series to appreciate the full learning journey.

Attached is everything you need to set up a speaking and listening project that could be adapted to last up to 3 lessons and could be assessed as a GCSE style Speaking and Listening activity. After studying the play Romeo and Juliet, students are asked to get into groups of up to 6 and perform in role as an outsider commenting on the relationship between Romeo and Juliet (it's suggested that the imaginary discussion takes place after their suicide for maximum impact). They can choose from the roles of: Friar Lawrence, the Nurse, Lord and Lady Capulet, Benvolio and Mercutio. By planning and performing the activity, they are not only revising the plot of the play but they are also practicing/being assessed on their speaking and listening skills. This task is naturally easy to differentiate since some characters are more challenging as others and you can choose who plays which role if you like. Although this is designed to help departments using the AQA exam board, it can be adapted for any course. Attached is: - Lesson 1 powerpoint (planning and assigning roles) - Lesson 2 powerpoint (performing and peer assessing) - a prompt sheet for each student's character where they're offered ideas to explore in the discussion - a student friendly copy of the AQA Speaking and Listening mark scheme (Pass, Merit, Distinction) - A student and teacher assessment tick sheet (plenty of space for peer and self assessment which refers to the success criteria.

‘Free Writing’ is where students write ‘stream of consciousness’ style passages under timed pressure without a chance to pause or worry about planning first. It’s asking them to be creative, impulsive and to take risks. I have designed this to be a series of 8 tasks done in ‘rounds’ which are clearly marked, however you may want to use them as starters across a few lessons. There is a template for each round if you’d like to use it. Blowing it up to A3 will obviously mean that students would have more space in which to write. There is an opportunity to peer assess at the end of each round so that students can see what others have done. All images are copyright free. Of course they can be adapted to suit your students’ needs.

In the lesson students are asked to create an interesting gothic style villain to use in their creative writing (AO5.1, 5.2). I put this lesson together for a year 9 scheme of work which referred to the AQA English Language marking criteria but the success criteria can be adapted beyond a level 3 so that it's more demanding for a year 10/11 class. To begin students are asked to consider Count Dracula's past (see the other lesson I did on him although it's not vital to use to do this lesson). This leads to a discussion about how important a villains' back story can be and whether they are sympathetic to readers at all. For this I have provided a link to the 'Dracula Untold' trailer which explores this idea. Next to get their creative juices flowing these are 2 slides with images of villains on them - students can work in pairs to write descriptive sentences about them using a list of key skills ranging from adjectives, similes to harder ones such as oxymoron and adverbs. Next students are asked to make up a gothic-style villain of their own and write a profile of them. The lesson ends with a chance to peer assess a partner's and offer advice on how their character plan could be improved.

This resource acts as an introduction to etymology: the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history. Attached are 2 table style handout sheets listing root words which originate from either Greek or Latin. They ask students to list words which use them and to investigate what they mean. This would be useful to do in a computer room or using dictionaries in pairs/groups. The powerpoint reveals the answers and of course can be adapted to add more. This would be useful for KS3 literacy classes or within learning support (learning roots of words can help with spellings).

In this lesson students are asked to explore how Roald Dahl describes his childhood in chapter 12 of his autobiography, Boy. It would ideal to use as part of a KS3 unit. The lesson starts by asking students to ‘think, pair, share’ about what it would be like to go to boarding school. They are then to read chapter 12. There is an extract attached which students can stick into their book. There is a group task for students to do after reading the chapter where they are given 4 questions on the board and a challenge task. All questions are linked to the GCSE reading skills AO1, 2, 3 where they have to think about language, structure and the readers’ reactions. There are slides with the text on for teachers to annotate on a smart board. There is a slide which demonstrates to students how they can structure an essay. The plenary asks students to write an essay paragraph using the SQUID structure provided. There is a slide which demonstrates how students can peer assess each others’ essay writing skills. This lesson, as my other Literature lessons do, includes: Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson Handouts of extracts/text Differentiated tasks Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities (‘Talk for Writing’)

These resources could be stretched across at least 3 lessons if you chose. Alternatively, a class might be split into 3 groups to discuss the suggested themes and then present to the class within one session. Attached is a powerpoint and a quote bank for the following themes: Power, Fate and Destiny and Good versus Evil in the play Macbeth. The quotes are taken from across the play and some themes share some quotes. In some cases the speaker is named but not always, so that it challenges students to remember them. I would suggest that the quote banks are copied onto A3 paper or at least as A4 sheets pasted across 2 pages in an exercise book so that students have the space to annotate them and link them. Students could colour code their ideas and identify the act, scene and speaker of the quotes as a form of revision for the Literature exam. These are also a good basis for a classroom display. The lesson ends with a chance for students to write essay paragraphs independently using provided sentence starters which come in 3 formats: a 'layers of meaning' approach, PEA or the 'reading ladder'. An opportunity to self assess essay writing follows this. The success criteria provided relates to the AQA GCSE standards for a grade 5 (a good pass) but can be adapted to suit your course.

This is a lesson on a poem about a War Photographer which features in AQA's anthology of Literature exam poems. The poem, if you don't know it, describes how a photographer struggles with their feelings after taking photos of conflict in a war zone. It explores the themes of violence and isolation in war which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. It's particularly useful to compare to 'Remains' by Simon Armitage since it touches upon P.T.S.D and of course 'War Photographer' by Carole Satyamurti (see my lesson on that in my shop). The lesson begins by asking students to consider what it would be like to be a war photographer and why they would be an effective focus for a poem. There is then a slide which introduces them to Carol Ann Duffy as a poet and offers a quote about her thoughts about it as a form of journalism. Students are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding quotes which are examples of metaphors, simile and contrasts, as well as some more challenging devices. The ideas they pull together for this can then be explored as a class and the slides can be annotated by the teacher on the board and there are also some quotes colour coded as the answers. Students are then asked to think about structure and there is a slide which introduces them to sestets, internal rhyme and the 'volta' as well as explaining the rhyme scheme. The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with AQA's exam success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills. As with all my lessons, there are 'Talk for Writing' activities and Challenge tasks for more able students. Attached is; - A powerpoint with the lesson clearly outlined - A copy of the poem with a word bank - A handout of glossary style word banks which students can stick into their anthologies - A PEA style writing frame for weaker students (to be cut into strips and stuck into books) - Links to online videos/readings (see 'Notes' under slides).

Attached is a lesson where students are asked to identify how a writer has structured a text and comment on how that interests a reader (AO2, 3, 4). It uses an extract from 'Spies' by Michael Frayn. To start, students are asked to define the word 'structure' when we apply it to texts and as a 'challenge task' to list all the forms of structural devices that they are aware of. Slides follow with suggestions and a brief explanation of the AOs that they are assessed on by AQA in the English Language Paper 1. Students are then presented with the exam style question which in pairs they can identify the key words and suggest what the examiner is really looking for. The extract is attached with a word box and planning tasks which, after reading, students can tackle alone or with others. Other useful planning tasks follow such as colour coding structural devices and breaking down the story down into 4 stages. The lesson ends with a chance for students to write structured paragraphs in response to the question and there are sentence starters in the form of PEA attached to help. The lesson ends with a chance to self assess, referring to the success criteria for a grade 5. There is also a suggested homework task asking for student to research spies during the war and an accompanying video. This lesson, as my others, includes 'Talk for Writing' activities, pair and group tasks and differentiated tasks.

...also explains anapestic tetrameter! This is a lesson on a poem which describes the Assyrian invasion of Jerusalem and how God intervened to protect the holy land - Byron based this on a biblical account of a real battle. It features in the Edexcel anthology of Literature exam poems. It explores the themes of violence and conflict which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. It's particularly useful to compare to 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' (see a lesson on this in my shop). The lesson begins by asking students to predict the story behind the poem based on some images. There is then a slide which introduces them to the story of King Sennacherib's attempt to invade Jerusalem and then another which introduces Lord Byron as a poet. Students are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding quotes which are examples of metaphors, simile and violent imagery, as well as some more challenging devices. The ideas they pull together for this can then be explored as a class and the slides can be annotated by the teacher on the board and there are also some quotes colour coded as the answers. Students are then asked to think about structure and there is a slide which explains the poet's use of anapestic tetrameter, rhyming couplets and end stopping. I have also added a slide which offers historical facts about the Temple of Baal/Bel in Palmyra which was recently destroyed by ISIS. Although it was built a long time after the historical battle and there would have been many temples dedicated to Baal at time, it symbolised the King's culture and its recent destruction mirrors the violence in this poem and people's attitudes to ancient gods. The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with Edexcel's exam success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills. As with all my lessons, there are 'Talk for Writing' activities and Challenge tasks for more able students. Attached is; - A powerpoint with the lesson clearly outlined - A copy of the poem with a word bank - A handout of glossary style word banks which students can stick into their anthologies - A PEA style writing frame for weaker students - Links to online videos/readings (see 'Notes' under slides).

In this lesson students will be asked to peer assess an essay extract and identify key skills from the mark scheme. Attached is an essay extract from a student which has the criteria to meet level 5 on it. Students are to stick this across a double page and annotate which A0s are used and where and highlight the strongest areas. This essay is on the powerpoint slides for the teacher to annotate. Students are then offered other quotes from the rest of the book on the board as well as a handout of ones from across the novel with a word box for more complicated words. The lesson ends with a chance for students to write essay paragraphs independently using provided sentence starters which come in 3 formats: a 'layers of meaning' approach, PEA or the 'reading ladder'. An opportunity to self or peer assess their essay writing follows this. The success criteria provided refers to the AQA English Literature course but can be adapted to suit your course.

In this lesson students are asked to explore what a reader expects from a villain and explain how one is portrayed in an extract (AO2, 3 + 4) I put this lesson together for a year 9 scheme of work which referred to the AQA English Language marking criteria but the success criteria can be adapted beyond a level 3 so that it's more demanding for a year 10/11 class. Students are asked to consider what a villain is and what conventions they usually follow with the gothic horror genre. As a challenge task they can consider whether they're always so complicated. After the starter, the class can can feedback and a list of 5 main features can be collated on the next slide. Next there is a slide which introduces Count Dracula which states some basic facts about him referring to the original novel by Bram Stoker and a link to a video clip. Next students can stick the attached extract into their books which describes Dracula's appearance and in pairs they could highlight key quotes and annotate it with their ideas. On this sheet there is a word box which defines any archaic language. The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with the AQA English Language GCSE success criteria which can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills.

In this lesson students are asked to explain how Shakespeare builds tension before, during and after the discovery of King Duncan's body. The lesson starts by asking students to identify clues in the 'Porter's scene' that something evil is occurring in the castle. Students are then asked to explore how the different characters react to the news of Duncan's death (a link is provided to Patrick Stewart's performance). The lesson ends with an opportunity to respond independently by writing an essay paragraph. All lessons in this series include: - Links to online videos (see 'notes' under Powerpoint slides) - Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson - Differentiated tasks - Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities ('Talk for Writing') - Handouts of scenes or a selection of quotes from scenes studied - Alternating opportunities for self and peer assessment - Essay writing prompts to allow students to write about the scene - References to the AQA English Literature mark scheme for Paper 1, particularly to the demands for attaining a grade 5 - what is considered a 'good pass' for the qualification. It's suggested that you download the whole series to appreciate the full learning journey.

In this lesson students are asked to explain how Shakespeare uses the theme of disorder in order to reflect the Jacobean fear of evil . The lesson starts by asking students to identify how there has been disorder so far in the play and comment on some provided quotes. Students are then asked to read the scene where Ross and the Old Man discuss the chaos within Scotland since Duncan's death and identify and explain key quotes. The lesson ends with an opportunity to respond independently by writing an essay paragraph. All lessons in this series include: - Links to online videos (see 'notes' under Powerpoint slides) - Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson - Differentiated tasks - Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities ('Talk for Writing') - Handouts of scenes or a selection of quotes from scenes studied - Alternating opportunities for self and peer assessment - Essay writing prompts to allow students to write about the scene - References to the AQA English Literature mark scheme for Paper 1, particularly to the demands for attaining a grade 5 - what is considered a 'good pass' for the qualification. It's suggested that you download the whole series to appreciate the full learning journey.

In this lesson students are asked to peer assess an extract from an essay and set themselves their own target based on their scrutiny of success criteria provided. After this, they are asked to identify and explain how Lady Macbeth uses language to persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan. Attached is a printable grid listing persuasive devices where students can annotate suitable quotes from the text. On these slides are essay prompts where students can then write up their findings, aiming to act on the target they set at the start of the lesson. All lessons in this series include: - Links to online videos (see 'Notes' under Powerpoint slides) - Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson - Differentiated tasks - Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities ('Talk for Writing') - Handouts of scenes or a selection of quotes from scenes studied - Alternating opportunities for self and peer assessment - Essay writing prompts to allow students to write about the scene - References to the AQA English Literature mark scheme for Paper 1, particularly to the demands for attaining a grade 5 - what is considered a 'good pass' for the qualification. It's suggested that you download the whole series to appreciate the full learning journey.

This is a bundle compiling of a powerpoint which introduces students to basic facts about Shakespeare, a sheet which lists facts about King James I, witchcraft and religious conflict in the 1600s that link to the play. Also there is a copy of act 1, scene 1 and an exit slip which can be used at the end of the lesson to assess students' understanding. All lessons in this series include: - Links to online videos (see 'notes' under powerpoint slides) - Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson - Differentiated tasks - Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities ('Talk for Writing') - Handouts of scenes or a selection of quotes from scenes studied - Alternating opportunities for self and peer assessment - Essay writing prompts to allow students to write about the scene - References to the AQA English Literature mark scheme for Paper 1, particularly to the demands for attaining a grade 5 - what is considered a 'good pass' for the qualification. It's suggested that you download the whole series to appreciate the full learning journey.

If you haven't already, it's a good idea to have a bank of postcards which teachers can send out to parents to celebrate their child's progress in lessons or extra curricular activities. They can truly add a personal touch, more so than a text message which teachers are often asked to send. This competition offers all students in your school the opportunity to have a go at designing the postcard which teachers will send home. This bundle includes a powerpoint which can be adapted to use in assembly or in lessons and an A3 poster which can also be adapted to be used in corridors or form rooms. Most schools have a reprographics room or member of admin staff who can scan A4 designs and adapt them using software like Photoshop and cut them for use by teachers. Entries for the competition could be shown as part of a display within your department or in the school library.