A series of tasks, based on a selection of texts exploring whether Graffiti could be called ‘Art’ or ‘Eyesore’. All students that I have ever taught have really enjoyed taking part in this and the debates it brought. Please leave a review and feel free to browse my other resources - many of which are free as I know how hard teachers work for too little money! Many thanks

Using the compelling and gruesome moment that Aron Ralston chose to sever his own arm and free himself from certain death, students are asked to analyse language and structure choices and explore affects on the reader. This complements the AQA GCSE English Paper 2 - Q3 section of the exam, whilst giving opportunity to analyse a truly amazing piece of non-fiction. This resource includes: The whole lesson presentation, the extract from ‘127 Hours’ by Aron Ralston and a worksheet to accompany the extract (with extension.) The clip is available on YouTube but think carefully before you show this to your group; the film is certificated ‘15’ so all must be alder than this but this is a particularly graphic moment! If you like this resource, check out my others and feel free to leave any comments to help me make future resources even better!

A complete range of lessons and worksheets to accompany teaching the fab historical/fictional novel ‘Witch Child’ by Celia Rees. For me, this book seemed to resonate most with my Yr 9 girls groups and they really enjoyed the range of activties including reading, writing and speaking and listening skills. There are some lessons shorter than others or have been deleted due to now irrelevant mark scheme/curriculum work (including APP). I hope you enjoy this selection and please feel free to review and look at my other resources as well. Many thanks

Whether teaching Media or English, The Hunger Games is a fantastic text to use for it’s integral themes, characters, symbolism and locations. These activities and worksheets ask pupils to analyse the locations of The Capitol and District 12 (from sections of the book or stills from the film) and compare the different ways they are presented.

This is an introduction to the AQA GCSE English Spoken Language Endosement. It outlines the tasks, mark scheme and asks students to use this understanding to explore other’s work (where available - I have to seek out permissions to include previous transcripts or audios here, sorry!) This makes the task of introducing and planning/prepping for the Spoken Language Endorsement super easy!

From capital letters to homophones, tenses to apostrophes, these key skills are important to master. Here are a selection of worksheets to practise these skills and help teachers know where gaps in learning may be and more focus needs to be given. I hope that you enjoy these resources - please give a review and look at my other resources! Many thanks.

This is a series of lessons exploring the writing sections of the AQA English exam papers (Q5 on both papers) and our approach to writing tasks. Resources include lessons on: importance of planning and proofreading, punctuation, understanding writer’s intention and a random activity about Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of FaceTime! Included in the presentations are references and details of AQA exam specification and grade boundaries - help your students truly understand what the marker is going to be looking for by simplifying and desicting it if necessary. Q5 will either make or break students and hopefully these activities will help them smash it! Hope you find these resources useful; please comment and review and even take a look at my other resources if you like them! Many thanks.

Fairy Tales are canonical texts, passed through the ages. These resources ask pupils to explore the different characters perspectives in fairy tales and then helps guide them into preparation for their own performance of a classic Fairy Tale. For higher ability or older students you could ask them to modernise the fairy tales or even ‘explode the canon’ and turn the fairy tale on it’s head! Thanks so much for viewing, please review and feel free to browse to other resources too (many of them are free as I know how hard us teachers work!) Many thanks, Short

This is a series of lessons I would do with groups who need more chances to discuss modern real-life ideas, whilst also introducing them to a range of texts and approaches to them. The lessons start looking at the idea of perceptions and assumptions we make, in all aspects of our lives, and then asks them to look at how attitudes may have changed (eg. tattoos). This then leads to the idea of signs and symbols (logos) that students are surrounded by daily and how sometimes people look to the symbol before the person - “it’s not what on my feet…” This culminates in the exploration of disabilities and how being ‘disabled’ is perceived. This has always worked great for reluctant learners and mainstream students alike - gives them a chance to voice their opinions while reading and analysing a range of text types.

A whole series of lessons explorinng the theme of ‘Space and the Future’. From Geographical knowledge of Moon Landing reactions to explorations of future technology and the awesome ‘Ready Player One’ by Ernest Cline. (If you haven’t already, READ IT!! (And don’t cheat by watching it first…) Hope you enjoy these resources and please comment or review how I can make them even better! Thanks so much and, if you like these, check out my other resources.

A range of resources, including a handy differentiated task sheet according to AQA Grade specs. The Chapter 5 Task Sheet (Frankenstein) is an independent learning, asking students to challenge themselves by stretching to higher grade analysis in preparation with the current AQA GCSE English specifications. Some really fun ‘Wipeout’ style SMART notebook games exploring Gothic Literature and Social/Historical factors at play when such classics as The Black Cat and The Raven were written. A whole bunch of lessons for you to enjoy (and to make your work/life balance slightly better!) I’d love to hear your comments and feedback and if you enjoy these resources, take a look at my others available. Many thanks.

Get your students to practise their knowledge of compass directions and giving instructions, by completing this fun Pirate Map activity. Included is a blank map for extension task - students draw their own locations on the map then swap with a partner who writes instructions. Really hope you enjoy this resource and please feel free to browse my other stuff (a lot of which is free - teachers work too bloody hard!) and please leave a review!

These resources ask students to use websites and leaflets to research and better understand how animals are endangered or become extinct. The websites on the worksheets (including the CBBC site) have been recently checked to ensure access and leaflets are the property of the charities that made them. You can wither use these leaflets to accompany the ‘Effective Campaigning’ work sheet or any more recent campaign leaflets - perhaps look up ‘Stop the Cull’ leaflets, Donkey Sanctuary, Save the Elephants etc. I really hope you like these resources and please feel free to review or comment how I could make it even better. Also, I have lots more resources available - many of which are free as teachers already work too hard and don’t get paid enough! Enjoy!

Two really clear and self-explantory cover work/homework/ independent learning worksheets, that are differentiated to suit your groups. Compliments work on such texts as ‘Lord of the Flies’, ‘Castaway’, ‘Treasure Island’ or ‘Robinson Crusoe’ or any adventure based scheme really. The SEN worksheet asks students to use images and keywords to explain the processes you must go through to survive (if you find yourself stranded on a desert island!) and the second sheet extends on this asking students to complete internet research and diary entries at different points in the year stranded. Hope you find these resources useful and please feel free to comment/review so I can make them even better! Many thanks.

Here are a couple of random bits to accompany reading of the superb ‘Noughts and Crosses’ by Malorie Blackman I used to particularly love doing the History Class lesson and was always pleasantly surprised at how well the fake logic task worked! Really hope you like these bits and please feel free to review/comment - I have plenty of other resources too, so I hope you enjoy!

This whole lesson (with slides you can print out for worksheets) explores the idea of extended metaphors and figurative devices in both Valentine - by Carol Ann Duffy - and I wanna be yours - by John Cooper Clarke. This then culminates in students creating their own valentine poetry. When I used to teach this lesson, I would actually bring an onion into class and cut it up for the initial reading of ‘Valentine’ - made a stink but definitely got my students interested! Hope you enjoy and please feel free to browse my other resources - a lot of which are free as I understand us teachers work far too hard already!

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck Although it is not on the exam curriculum anymore, Of Mice and Men will still be one of the finest stories ever written. This text has started to be used by my school with Year 9 pupils in the second half of the year (for GCSE English Literature preparation) - long live Of Mice and Men and long may people want to teach it! In this area there are: Useful sheets exploring quotes said about, to or by characters to greater understand them. (Quotes can then be explored and specific words and techniques can be dissected for higher ability literature classes.) Worksheet to analyse the setting of ‘Of Mice and Men’ 2 x Blockbuster style SMART board games to get your class revising themes, characters, setting, events and structure. I hope you find them useful!

A handy lesson looking at how paragraph breaks can be used by writers for dramatic effect. Asked pupils to think dramatically as well as analytically, to truly understand how paragraph breaks can affect the structure, pace and response to a piece of writing. Short extract is from ‘Maze Runner’ by James Dashner (opening page) and is really good to use when answering an AQA GSCE English (Paper 2 - A) style question. Hope you like this resource and please feel free to comment or browse my other resources if you like it! Many thanks.

There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned debate to get all your students talking. Great icebreaker with new groups and includes video links (via YouTube) to the BBC show Argumental. Some interesting questions to really get your students thinking. I hope you like and please feel free to review or comment on how I can make this resource even better. Please check out my other resources too - many are free as I know teachers work too blooming hard already! Cheers for looking and I hope you enjoy. Short