English: Supporting struggling students

Guides, templates and activity ideas to support secondary students as they develop their reading and writing skills

Tes Resources Team

Teacher supporting struggling KS4 secondary English Students with resources

Help lower attaining students build confidence and develop their written skills with these popular tools, strategies and activity ideas

With a new term underway, it's the perfect time to continue to build your lower attaining learners' confidence and encourage them to recall and revise key strategies, in preparation for assessments. From writing and exam skills booklets and mind map templates, to knowledge organisers and structure strips, we have brought together a selection of materials you could introduce to your students.

If you are also looking for intervention resources to support secondary English students, why not try this hand-picked collection of English intervention resources and activities?

Booklets and planning templates

English Home Learning Packs KS3
Sarah Graham

English Home Learning Packs KS3

(156)
Here are two 30+ page English work packs I made for my SEMH Y8 and Y9 students who are self-isolating. It has sections on SPaG, reading and writing, with an extras section at the back with some fun creative tasks. They will easily suit upper KS2 though. They might look a bit wonky in the preview...
KS3 English Transactional Writing Booklet
georgia_lovatt

KS3 English Transactional Writing Booklet

(1)
A fully comprehensive transactional writing booklet for KS3. Included a PDF and word doc. The font I used mainly was 'Follow You into the World' and free to download from dafont.com. Created this for lockdown work, suitable for a range of abilities.
Close Language Analysis Template
astarlevels

Close Language Analysis Template

(3)
This template is designed to guide students through close language analysis. I found this kind of approach the fastest and most effective way to label **language features for AO1 and then to score really good AO3** with in depth analysis and links to wider ideas and meaning. Slide one is a blank tem...

Structure strips

STRUCTURE STRIP
Shamima A

STRUCTURE STRIP

(6)
This structure strip was created for KS4 GCSE Literature based essays. Can be used with any text/play and allows students to understand the Assessment Objectives clearly.
What How Why Essay Structure Strip KS3 / KS4 Literature Exam
Penguinlover04

What How Why Essay Structure Strip KS3 / KS4 Literature Exam

(2)
What / How / Why Essay Writing Structure Strip Each section of the strip contains specific instructions. Can be used for KS3 and KS4 literature essays to help students meet all of the assessment objectives. Can also be used to scaffold and differentiate. The last section of the strip contains u...
Poetry comparison structure strips
redwoodperformance

Poetry comparison structure strips

(1)
A set of three poetry comparison structure strips to help ensure students hit all aspects of the mark scheme in their response. Simply stick them in the margin and set students off on a question and encourage them to use the strip to remind them of the importance of covering all parts of the questi...

Knowledge organisers

English Literature Knowledge Organiser/ Writing Mats (AQA)
Georgina O'Toole

English Literature Knowledge Organiser/ Writing Mats (AQA)

(24)
These knowledge organisers provide a quick guide for pupils to help them write effective answers for AQA English Literature paper 1 and paper 2 with poetry on one side and fiction on the other. Keep them on your classroom desks to use as writing mats, or give them to students to revise from. Each on...
AQA English Language Paper 1 Knowledge Organiser
EnglishGCSEcouk

AQA English Language Paper 1 Knowledge Organiser

(3)
A fantastically detailed AQA English Language Paper 1 Section A knowledge organiser / revision mat that includes a step by step approach to all four Section A questions (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4), scaffolded answers, sentence starters, key vocabulary, language feature analysis, structural feature analysis, a ...
Unseen Poetry Knowledge Organiser
EnglishGCSEcouk

Unseen Poetry Knowledge Organiser

(3)
A fantastically detailed unseen poetry knowledge organiser / revision mat that includes a step by step approach to both AQA English Literature Paper 2 unseen poetry questions, language analysis, structure and form analysis, and key content information, as well as detailed info on meter, language, rh...