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English language arts
19th Century Poetry Study Activity: Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson
19th century poetry regularly makes the top ten poems in public surveys, and much of our conception of what makes ‘good’ poetry was shaped by poets like Tennyson, Browning, Rossetti, and Arnold. This period formed the emotional and social attitudes which linger today – even in post-modern texts which claim to have moved beyond them. While the Romantics were read by the literati, the poets in this unit formed the core of public poetry consumption. An understanding of this period is essential for students who will read Edwardian and Modernist literature in later terms, by showing them what these writers and artists reacted against.
This activity comprises
four poems by Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson with questions which require students to make a close analysis and interpretation
suggestions for extension reading to extend their knowledge of the poets
a creative writing task which helps them to engage laterally and personally with the ideas in the poetry.
Chapter and essay questions for Kazuo Ishiguro, An Artist of the Floating World
Thirty-five high-level reading questions and ten essay questions for students reading Kazuo Ishiguro’s masterly study of ambiguity and self-fictionalisation in post-war Japan. The questions are designed to draw students’ attention to Ishiguro’s mastery of language strategies and his handling of Masuji Ono’s deceptions, fictions, and shifting portraits.
Can be used together with the Talking Points and sample essay (https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12365546) available as a bundle. here
Unit of Work: Narratives that shape our world - Voltaire's Candide
Voltaire’s brilliant philosophical satire has never been more relevant than now. Candide’s response to the belief that “all’s for the best in the best of all possible worlds” is a timely challenge for a climate in turmoil and the need for intelligent resilience.
This 59-page unit contains
An introductory task on the Enlightenment and its ideas and values
An biographical task on Voltaire’s life
Reading questions and activities on each chapter of Candide, supported by images
A bibliography of short stories which can be used as support texts and for extension reading
A number of essay questions suitable for senior students
Bundle
HSC Common Module: Merchant of Venice Talking Points AND Essay
Memorized essays betray a lack of confidence and an unwillingness to commit to authentic answers. Examiners have always advised students to prepare ‘talking points’ instead - a selection of ideas that they can draw on and which convey solid analysis and interpretation of the text.
These talking points can be used by teachers, to focus discussion on higher-level or less-noticed features of the text and context. They also form effective student revision materials for formal assessment. Each point is supported by a piece of evidence from the text, and there are sufficient points to generate solid responses to almost any essay question. The Talking Points also model how students can articulate more complex thoughts about the text, and adduce evidence in natural and well-integrated writing.
The essay is a three-part resource for students undertaking the NSW HSC Common Module Texts and Human Experience.
A generic essay plan shows students how to compose an essay suitable for Stage 6, progressing them from the simpler PEEL/TEAL models of Stage 4 and 5.
A sample essay for the prescribed text, The Merchant of Venice, answers a sample question for this module.
There is also a second copy of the essay, marked up to show how it follows the plan, and with five short questions which require students to engage critically with the essay and its form.
Devices of Poetry: Imagery
This worksheet introduces students to an important element of poetry: imagery. It can be taught as a stand-alone lesson or as part of a wider study of poetry, and contains
a one page-explanation of the device or technique
at least two poems for easy differentiation
writing tasks for each poem following Bloom’s Taxonomy of lower- to higher-order questions
Short Story Study: Junichiro Tanizaki, 'Tattoo'
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
[Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.]https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12564488)
Each classic story is copyright free in Australia, the U.K. and U.S. Paragraphs are numbered for ease of reference.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Tanizaki’s classic horror story has been successfully used with a Stage 5 / Year 10 class ( 15 years).
Short Story Study: Cecil Castellucci, 'We Have Always Lived on Mars'
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
These activities support Cecil Castellucci’s recent short story ‘We Have Always Lived on Mars’, which can be found free online by searching for the title.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Castellucci’s sci-fi story has been successfully used with a Stage 4 / Year 8 class (12-13 years).
Short Story Study: Fritz Lieber, 'A Pail of Air'
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
These activities support Fritz Lieber’s short story ‘A Pail of Air’, which can be found free online by searching for the title.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Lieber’s sci-fi story has been successfully used with a Stage 4 / Year 8 class (12-13 years).
Short Story Study: Deborah Ellis, 'Boot Camp'
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
These activities support Deborah Ellis’s recent short story ‘Boot Camp’, which can be found free online by searching for the title.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Ellis’s story about growing up and making mistakes has been successfully used with a Stage 4 / Year 9 class (15 years).
Ways Into - Peter Carey, 'A Report on the Shadow Industry'
HSC Module C: The Craft of Writing offers students complex texts from which to draw for their own writing. Because of their complex construction and ideas, students can be at a loss for ‘ways in’ to the text, and teachers can often struggle to break down these complex texts in the time available.
This product contains questions for Peter Carey’s short story, ‘A Report on the Shadow Industry’ and links to online resources which explain the Platonic allegory of the cave. It is designed to lead students to writing their own brief and creative allegory of life.
Ways Into - Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis
HSC Module C: The Craft of Writing offers students complex texts from which to draw for their own writing. Because of their complex construction and ideas, students can be at a loss for ‘ways in’ to the text, and teachers can often struggle to break down these complex texts in the time available.
Along with the complete text of the story, this product contains questions and handouts for Franz Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’. It is designed to be taught over 3-6 lessons, and includes an introduction to absurdism, and to discursive writing, as well as questions which require students to write imaginatively and discursively.
HSC Texts and Human Experience Sample Essay with Essay Analysis: 1984
This is a three-part resource for students undertaking the NSW HSC Common Module Texts and Human Experience.
A generic essay plan shows students how to compose an essay suitable for Stage 6, progressing them from the simpler PEEL/TEAL models of Stage 4 and 5.
A sample essay for the prescribed text, Orwell’s 1984, answers a NESA question for this module.
There is also a second copy of the essay, marked up to show how it follows the plan, and with five short questions which require students to engage critically with the essay and its form.
HSC Advanced English Module A: Richard III and Looking for Richard sample essay
This is a three-part resource for students undertaking the NSW HSC Advanced English Module A: Textual Conversations.
A generic essay plan shows students how to compose an essay suitable for Stage 6, progressing them from the simpler PEEL/TEAL models of Stage 4 and 5.
A sample essay for the prescribed text-pairing Richard III and Looking for Richard, and answers the 2019 HSC question:
Everything is being dismantled, reconstructed, recycled. To what end? For what purpose?
To what extent is this true of the texts you have studied for this module?
There is also a second copy of the essay, marked up to show how it follows the plan, and with five short questions which require students to engage critically with the essay and its form.
Unit of Work: The Poetry of John Keats
A unit of work on seven poems by John Keats:
On First Looking Into Chapman’s Homer
When I have fears that I may cease to be
Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art
Ode on a Grecian Urn
Ode to a Nightingale
To Autumn
La Belle Dame sans Merci
This unit is suitable for senior students in Years 10-12. It introduces them to the forms Keats used, and seven of his most famous poems.
A research task with suggested reading and viewing gets students across Keats’ life and influences.
‘What is analysis?’ encourages them to think about exactly what literary analysis is, and how to go about it
Explanation of the sonnet, ode, and ballad forms
Explanation of Negative Capability
Foray into critical reading
Seven poems included with questions structured according to Bloom’s taxonomy
Selection of senior-suitable essay questions
Short Story Study: Ernest Hemingway, 'Hills Like White Elephants'
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
[Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.]https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12564488)
Each classic story is copyright free in Australia, the U.K. and U.S. Paragraphs are numbered for ease of reference.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Hemingway’s acute psychological study has been successfully used with a Stage 5 / Year 10 class ( 15 years).
HSC Advanced English Mod B: Artist of the Floating Sample Essay & Essay Analysis
This is a three-part resource for students undertaking the NSW HSC Advanced English Module B: Close Study of a Text.
A generic essay plan shows students how to compose an essay suitable for Stage 6, progressing them from the simpler PEEL/TEAL models of Stage 4 and 5.
A sample essay for the prescribed text, An Artist of the Floating World, answers the 2019 HSC question:
An exploration of unreliability, ambiguity, and contradiction.
To what extent does this view align with your understanding of An Artist of the Floating World?
There is also a second copy of the essay, marked up to show how it follows the plan, and with five short questions which require students to engage critically with the essay and its form.
King Lear: What is a Close Reading and Sample Close Reading
Shakespeare’s tragedy about madness and family is an established favourite for senior students. Since the bulk of English literature units focus on close textual analysis, the ability to perform ‘close readings’ is essential for students of literature. This handout provides a a brief, student-friendly explanation of what a close reading actually is and how to perform it, followed by a sample close reading of the opening passage.
The Picture of Dorian Gray: Discrete analysis activity
Wilde’s Gothic novel about vanity and perdition is an established favourite for senior students. Many students regard essays as memorizable activities; they may disregard the question and continue to provide the same pieces of textual evidence paired with the same analytical remarks regardless of the question that evidence should address. This activity presents students with a brief piece of textual evidence and shows how it must be differently handled when answering three different questions. Students are then given another piece of evidence with which to practice, using it to answer three different questions.
The Great Gatsby: Close Reading Sample and Explanation
Fitzgerald’s novel about ‘careless people’ and avarice in the modern era is an established favourite for senior students. This is a brief, student-friendly explanation of what a close reading is and how to perform it, followed by a thoroughly detailed sample close reading of the opening passage which models the principles of close reading.
Short story Study: Rudyard Kipling, 'The Gate of 100 Sorrows'
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
Each classic story is copyright free in Australia, the U.K. and U.S. Paragraphs are numbered for ease of reference.
There are four activities, corresponding to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
A close reading task assists development of textual analysis
A writing at length task involves considering the story’s effect, mood, or technical strategies.
A choice of two creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
This monologue-style short story, ‘The Gate of 100 Sorrows’, by Rudyard Kipling is around 2600 words and has been successfully used with a Year 10 class (age 15-16).