This is a straightforward comprehension activity using an abridged text from Dickens’ story “The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain”. There are 8 questions. This could be set for homework or used as cover. Alternatively, the questions could be used to structure a guided reading session.

This short and simple activity could be used for cover or set as homework. Alternatively, the questions could be used to structure a guided reading session. The excerpt is Oberon’s short speech about the part of the enchanted wood where Titania sleeps. There are thirteen questions requiring some simple analysis - and the final question could be used as an extension task - asking the pupils to evaluate a simple statement. Suggested answers are provided

This is a lesson focusing on the skills needed to tackle the unseen poetry question in paper 2 of the English Literature exam. The two poems used are “The Thunderstorm” by Emily Dickinson and “The Thunder Mutters” by John Clare (both public domain). Printable copies of the poems, for annotation, and the exam-style questions are on the final slide.

This is a revision (practice) powerpoint covering many of the skills required for English Language Paper 2. There is also an unseen poem which links thematically, so there’s a bit of Paper 2 Lit interleaved. There are three non-fiction texts, rather than two, so that there’s a greater breadth of reading during the revision period. The powerpoint ends with an exam-style paper 2 writing task.

14 tasks here that could be used for pick and mix homework or alternatively set for cover so that pupils can select their own task.

I've created this revision powerpoint for my year 11 class - it's a detailed walkthrough of the poem with a focus on language and structural features (the metaphor of the mind-forg'd manacles, the effect of the first verb, wander, the symbol of the river, Blake's use of contrast and of a semantic field). The lesson begins with a reference to the French Revolution and asks the students to link the mind-forg'd manacles to the slogan of the revolution. It uses a lot of questioning - the questions form a large part of the powerpoint - and the intention is that the pupils should annotate their anthologies or copies of the poem as they work through the lesson.

This is the opening of a very strange story, published in “Household Words”. There are 5 tasks to support evaluative thinking about the story. Created for a year 8 class as part of a unit of work on Dickens. Could be used as a cover activity or set for homework. Alternatively, the questions could scaffold the start of a discussion about the story.

This is a simple and straightforward activity originally created for use as cover with a mixed-ability year 7 class but also suitable for upper primary. There is a very short extract describing the hound from Conan Doyle’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles” and 7 questions which could be used for homework or cover or to structure a guided reading activity.

Created for a year 11 class to support their learning of the Love and Relationships cluster in the AQA poetry anthology, this is a first teaching walkthrough of the poem using questioning to secure understanding of the speaker’s intention in the poem, the use of natural imagery, rhyme and sibilance and the fact that the speaker’s love remains unrequited at the end of the poem.

Made for my class as part of their revision, this extract is longer than they’ll have in the exam - to give them more scope for choosing evidence - and is Romeo’s long speech as he enters the Capulet tomb. The question, divided into two bullets as in the exam, asks the students to focus on Shakespeare’s presentation of the effects of love.

This is a multiple choice quiz with 18 questions (answers provided). It could be used for homework or revision. Alternatively, it could be used for pre-teaching to identify gaps in knowledge or understanding so that the subequent lesson can be more sharply focused. For less confident students, the questions could be used to structure a guided reading session.

This is a comprehension (close reading and response) activity using an extract from “Old Tales Told Again” by Walter de la Mare. The text is in the public domain and is a re-telling of the story of Snow White. There are ten questions. The questions focus mainly on the reading skill of inference. This could be used as a cover activity or for homework. Alternatively, the questions could be used to structure a guided reading session. This would sit well in a unit on fairy tales.

This is a multiple choice quiz (answers provided) on “Mother Any Distance” from the Love and Relationships cluster of the GCSE anthology. There are 21 questions. This could be used for revision and homework. Alternatively, it could be used prior to teaching to identify gaps in students’ knowledge so that subsequent teaching can be more precisely focused.

This lesson is part of a unit on fractured fairy tales. It uses part of the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. The focus of the lesson is on selecting verbs that allow the reader to draw inferences about characters.

I made this grid when cover was needed for a year 7 class who were working on a unit on Fairy Tales. The task is adaptive so children could choose their own activity. However, this grid could also be used over a half term, providing homework activities.

This is a short excerpt from Elbert Hubbard’s recount of the sinking of Titanic with 12 multiple choice questions (answers provided). This could be used as a starter activity or for homework. It could be used to structure a guided reading activity with the questions providing a starting point for a more in-depth discussion of the writer’s use of language. Alternatively, it could be used prior to teaching to identify gaps in knowledge so that the subsequent lesson can be more precisely focused.

This is a simple and straightforward powerpoint created for cover but also useful for homework - or could be taught as a lesson or used to structure guided reading and writing. There are three slides. The first focuses on writing to describe, the second is a simple comprehension activity and the third is an opportunity for more extended creative writing. The intention was for the ppt to be displayed, reducing the need for photocopying, but the slides are easily editable if handouts are required.

This powerpoint uses three excerpts from ghost stories (all in the public domain), interspersed with three slides for revision/recall of “A Christmas Carol”. The excerpts are duplicated for ease of printing (2 slides per piece of A4); the slides on “A Christmas Carol” are not intended to be printed. Students can work from them while they are displayed on the screen. My intention for these is that they will be used as an extended starter activity - the “Christmas Carol” slide and then the ghost story extract.

This short powerpoint uses a brief extract from “Man Sized in Marble” by E.Nesbit (in the public domain). There are questions on the key reading skills tested at GCSE: information retrieval, inference and analysis. Only 3 slides so easily editable. The resource can be used for homework or revision. Alternatively, it could be used to structure a guided reading activity or for intervention with less confident readers.

These were originally created as three starters to go across a week of teaching - the three excerpts used are from “The Ghost Pirates” by William Hope Hodgson. They could be combined to furnish resources for a guided reading session. Alternatively, they could be set as homework or used for revision. The main focus is on inference but there are also questions building the basic skills of analysis.