A learning mat that summarises the basic layout of an article and an essay and the structure of a full paragraph. Sold separately here but will eventually become part of a KS3 unti of work on article writing, all being well. Suited to higher ability KS3.

A 217-slide PowerPoint that aims to teach article writing at KS3. Learners read a range of broadsheet and tabloid texts on the theme of crime and punishment and complete reading and writing activities based on each. The article questions set are oriented towards AQA 8700 Paper 2, Question 5 but could be adapted for other boards. Links to each article and report are provided. The whole unit covers about 8-10 weeks and was written with a high ability year 8 group in mind. This resource includes a ZIP file containing 44 files including the core PowerPoint. If there are download issues, please email me at SD English using the email address provided in my shop front.

A PowerPoint that enables an exploration of ‘The Emigree’ by Carol Rumens. Learners begin with an entry task that encourages them to think about some relevant vocabulary and then explore the poem’s context in terms of Rumens’ interest in the poetry of Anna Akhmatova and Osip Mandelstam. A series of questions are provided to prompt annotation of the poem - this could be done in small groups or pairs. Learners should them complete the comparison table, thinking about how ‘The Emigree’ shares similar ideas with ‘Kamikaze’. There is an opportunity to explore a related poem as an unseen poetry task. For this, you will need copies of ‘I am not one who left their land’ by Anna Akhmatova. This lesson is aimed at upper ability learners and is likely to take about two hours approx.

A PPT that enables the exploration of ‘Tissue’ in the Power and Conflict anthology. Each student will need a copy of the poem e.g. in their anthologies. You will need an interactive whiteboard or a screen that can be written on with the PPT as a background. Students match up the poem’s more difficult vocab with their definitions. An extension task looks at three of these words in more depth. There is some basic contextual information. Students could make notes on this. The aim then is that students work in pairs or small groups to annotate the poem using a series of prompts and questions. These are contained in the file entitled ‘Tissue Stanza Questions’. Slides 9-19 provide space for students to write their answers on the board. You could have students coming up in their groups to present their ideas to the rest of the class.

A PowerPoint that can be used to teach or revise AQA 8700 Language Paper 1, Question 2 - the 8 mark language question. The main question is based on an extract from Paula Hawkins’ ‘The Girl on the Train’. If you purchase this resource, please be aware that you will need to source the extract for yourself. It is the opening chapter of the novel, from ‘There is a pile of clothing…’ down to ‘…not a drop left’. The entry task is based on an extract from an 1888 article about Jack the Ripper. Learners examine the extract and think about how the writer has portrayed the subject of the article. This extract is then presented on slides 3-4 so it can be annotated. Two short excerpt from sample responses are then provided for comparison. Learners should identify which response would be likely to score more highly and suggest reasons why. The lesson then moves onto the main extract, which is accompanied by a sample exam question. Learners read and highlight the extract in relation to the question and then feedback. There are some key point on the language question to go through followed by a sample answer/WAGOLL. Learners then taken ten minutes to write their own responses and peer assess.

If you are planning to introduce your learners to the context of ‘An Inspector Calls’, these documents may be of use to you. This pack contains: A mock Twitter feed for Eric Biring (also contains some hints about the plot) Two front covers of an imagined ‘Dandy’ magazine (N.B. the article headlines are the same) A mock flyer for the Titanic A mock receipt from Milwards for Arthur Birling A mock notice from Birling to his workers about a planned wage reduction A mock letter from Eva Smith to a female friend/relative about the planned wage reduction A mock anti suffrage poster (not shown on front cover). These documents could be used to introduce learners to the context of AIC or to revise the context as you approach the end of the play. There is a recording sheet for learners to make a note of their inferences as they move through the texts and a PPT slide that presents a suggested question. Some of the files are available as both PowerPoint slides and JPEG files. These files were last saved using Office 2016.

This 67-slide PPT and accompanying resources enables an exploration of Stave One. It is aimed at middle-ability learners and includes: A thorough exploration of the context of the novel Guided reading of the chapter with much of the difficult vocabulary explained A range of activities to promote understanding and analysis.

A PPT that enables an exploration of ‘Checking Out Me History’ by John Agard. The entry task is a true or false activity based on a paragraph from a 19th Century non-fiction text called ‘Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coast’ by Frank R. Stockton (1898). The paragraph hints at the answer to Agard’s question about what happened to the the Caribs and the Arawaks when Christopher Columbus and his crew arrived in the Bahamas in 1492. After this, learners complete a quiz entitled ‘How much of a history buff are you?’ The aim is to match the historical figure or year to the correct explanation of its significance. Some of the explanations contain clues so that some elimination is possible. There is a context sheet to be given out after this activity, which learners can use in conjunction with their exploration of the poem. Learners then watch a video in which Agard discusses his poem (link provided). As they watch, learners are encouraged to think about who is in conflict in the poem and who or what has power. The next task is to read the poem in conjunction with a video of a recording of Agard reciting the poem (link provided). After this, learners explore the poem using a worksheet. The lesson culminates in a summary task, which is differentiated according to challenge. This resource is aimed at middle-upper ability learners and should take about 1.5 - 2 hours. UPDATE: A few typos corrected on the Context Sheet. Simplified context table added.

The fifth in the ‘MRS SOAP’ Creative Writing series for lower ability KS3. This is an extended lesson that covers some basic grammatical concepts: Subject Predicate Main clause Dependent clause Simple Sentence Compound Sentences Complex Sentences The starter links to the previous lesson on adverbs and adjectives. After this, the lesson progresses steadily towards complex sentences. There are activities to test and apply learning at each stage and the lesson culminates in a creative writing task with a picture prompt. You would need to allocate about 2 hours, maybe a shade longer, depending on your group.

A straightforward lesson on personification for lower ability KS3 learners. It is the third in a series that begins with this introductory lesson: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/introduction-to-creative-writing-la-ks3-12065152 It provides: A lesson starter in which learners use a series of pictures as a prompt for creating similes and metaphors What is personification? Identifying personification and its effects in an extract from the opening of a story A storyboarding task that encourages learners to use personification in a six-scene description of their day Plenary

The 7th in the MRS SOAP creative writing series for lower ability KS3. The starter asks learners to read an extract from a story and then write the next paragraph based on what they have read. Feedback slide What is repetition? To check understanding, there are three images representing three fairytales: Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and The Three Little Pigs. Ask learners if they can identify the fairytale from the image and if they know what key phrase is repeated in these stories. This is followed by a worksheet in which learners read four mini extracts and identify the repeated words/phrases. They then comment on the effect of the repetition. After this, learners write the opening of their own fairytale based on one of several image prompts. They then say what they would repeat and why and how they would continue the story. An example is provided. Review Estimated time: about 1.5 hours. Update: if you have recently purchased this lesson, please note that I have added a sheet detailing the features of the MRS SOAP acronym, as it is referred to in the Review. However, you may wish to adapt this review question if you have not bought the previous PPTs in the series.

A starter activity that tests learners’ recognition of simple, compound and complex sentences. There are 5 different boards and one teacher sheet. Board 1 is the winning board. All being well, this resource will soon be incorporated into a wider lesson on developing complex sentences, but in the meantime, you may wish to purchase it separately. It is aimed at a lower-middle ability Year 8.

A straightforward lesson on choosing between a full stop and a comma. The starter encourages learners to revise the terms subject and main verb. The term predicate is introduced. Learners identify the subject, main verb and predicate in a range of different sentences contained within a table. Slide 2: The idea of a comma splice is introduced. Slide 3: Learners identify whether a comma splice exists in five different sentences. It would be helpful to have an interactive board so that the sentences can be annotated on screen. Slide 4: Learners are directed to a paragraph which contains multiple comma splices. They must identify them. Slide 5: Feedback on screen Slide 6: Learners write a paragraph about themselves, ending their sentences correctly. Slide 7 Review/Check Learning

The seventh in the Basic Literacy series for lower ability KS3. This lesson covers: Starter/Do Now: following on from the previous PPT, learners practise making inferences from text (see cover image) Feedback slide Quick revision on complex sentences What is a relative clause? What is the purpose of a relative clause? What is the difference between a non-defining and a defining relative clause? Learners then work through a series of four relative clause-based tasks with corresponding feedback slides. There is a two-sided guidance sheet to aid their completion. Review Learning **NB: As this lesson is aimed at lower ability learners, it only asks them to work with four relative pronouns instead of the complete range. These are: who whose that which**

A lesson that follows on from this introduction to speech writing for KS3: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/an-introduction-to-speech-writing-for-ks3-12049010 This is a speech-writing lesson based on the issue of homework. It includes: Starter - learners say to what extent they agree with a series of statements relating to homework Feedback slide Keywords for the lesson + extension task A link to a relevant article for research and a YouTube link An exploration of the main arguments for and against homework Sample GCSE question (AQA-style) WAGOLL Writing time Peer assessment and review This lesson is aimed at lower-middle ability learners and should take about two hours.

This lesson aims to teach learners the difference between you’re and your. It is aimed at lower ability learners and follows on from this lesson on inference-making: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/ks3-basic-literacy-making-inferences-12082697 It can stand alone but assumes some pre-teaching on making inferences from text and images. This lesson includes: Do Now Task: make inferences from these images and text Feedback slides The difference between your and you’re, with ‘test your understanding’ statements Practise using your and you’re double-sided worksheet with challenge task Listen for the homophone task (you will need to provide hold-up whiteboards, pens and erasers) Review learning

The 9th in the KS3 Basic Literacy series that begins with: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/ks3-basic-literacy-what-is-a-sentence-12053604 This lesson on semicolons includes: Do Now Task (see cover image) Do Not task feedback slides Revision of key terms: main clause, dependent clause and complex sentence The purpose of a semicolon Independent practice using a semicolon Feedback slides Learning Review Estimated time: 1 - 1.5 hours. Target group: lower ability KS3

A lesson that aims to develop learners’ confidence with complex sentences. It includes: Sentence Bingo starter (also sold separately) What is a complex sentence? The difference between the main clause and dependent clause An exercise in producing complex sentences using prompt material An independent writing task Review Time suggested: 1 hour Target Ability : Lower to middle KS3

The tenth in the KS3 Basic Literacy series aimed at lower ability learners. It includes: Do Now Task (see cover image) Feedback slides Revision of key term: main clause The main differences between the semicolon and the colon, with examples Independent practice Feedback slides Review Learning Estimated time: 1 - 1.5 hours