Welcome to Word Birds, a weekly lesson and resources to build higher-level vocabulary in your Year 7 students. These weekly lessons include the following: • a single word plus definition as a PDF designed to be printed as a poster and displayed in your room • a PowerPoint slide to accompany the poster, with an example of how to use the word in a sentence • 6 entertaining task cards to get your students using the word in a variety of ways including my trademark comic strip! • a Word Bird helpsheet explaining the differences between verbs, adjectives, nouns and adverbs. • a record sheet to go in student exercise books to help them keep track of the words they have learnt. Most school years run for 38 weeks, but I’ve included 40 words in case you don’t fancy using any of them or you want to use them on other occasions too. Package includes: 40 slide in PowerPoint in British English 40-page PDF of words plus definitions for student handouts or posters 6 mini task cards 1 record sheet 1 help sheet to be used as a student handout. NOTE: This set will be followed with Word Birds for years 8-12 shortly, along with a complete bundle of all six sets! This product is for personal and classroom use. It is NOT for resale or any other commercial purposes.

This lesson is part of an Imaginative Writing Scheme of Work focused on Science-Fiction and Dystopian short stories. This is a full lesson guiding students through a close reading of Ray Bradbury's short story, 'The Veldt'. It is fully interactive and engaging with a detailed lesson plan. PLEASE NOTE: You will need to download my FREE short story anthology for use with this lesson.

A whole lesson on Zephaniah's poem 'No Problem' from the new Edexcel GCSE Conflict Cluster. Includes discussion of dialect, interpretations and devices.

A full lesson exploring the poem 'Half-Caste' by John Agard.

A whole lesson analysing the poem 'Poppies' from the Edexcel Conflict Cluster (1-9 GCSE) Includes language analysis, vocab, context and questions.

A whole lesson analysing the poem 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' from the Edexcel Conflict Cluster (1-9 GCSE) Includes language analysis, vocab, context and questions.

A whole lesson analysing the poem 'The Class Game' by Mary Casey from the Edexcel Conflict Cluster (1-9 GCSE) Includes language analysis, vocab, context and questions, as well as an exploration of dramatic monologue form.

A whole lesson analysing the poem 'Extract from The Prelude' by William Wordsworth from the Edexcel Conflict Cluster (1-9 GCSE) Includes language analysis, vocab, context and questions.

Obesity is second only to smoking as the biggest killer in the United States. Morgan Spurlock's award-winning documentary highlights the dangers of fast food in a hilarious and shocking way. This two-page worksheet is a comprehensive way to ensure that students are watching the 'Super Size Me' documentary with purpose. This information can then be used for informative or persuasive writing outcomes - my students generate an awareness campaign for other teenagers. Entirely print and go - no preparation needed! -NOTE- This documentary is 'PG-13' rated in the US and '12' in the UK. Prior-viewing is advised. There are some brief incidents of bad language and some graphic footage of surgery, along with one conversation of a sexual nature (nothing visual; this is a discussion on Morgan's impeded 'performance' as a result of his diet.)

This resource is my own version of the Edexcel 9-1 English Language Paper 2. I made a series of practice papers to help my own students as there aren't any past papers yet and only a handful of samples. I've followed their style very carefully and included a detailed mark scheme to help you assess. The topic of this paper is 'education' and includes two non-fiction articles on the theme. The whole paper is prepped and ready to print so you simply need to run off enough copies for your class. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!

This is a bundle of lessons covering award-winning documentaries BLACKFISH, BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE and SUPER SIZE ME. PLUS - two worksheets - one on Aristotle's Means of Persuasion, and one that introduces students to begin working on their own persuasive campaign. SUPER SIZE ME: Obesity is second only to smoking as the biggest killer in the United States. Morgan Spurlock's award-winning documentary highlights the dangers of fast food in a hilarious and shocking way. -NOTE- This documentary is 'PG-13' rated in the US and '12' in the UK. Prior-viewing is advised. There are some brief incidents of bad language and some graphic footage of surgery, along with one conversation of a sexual nature (nothing visual; this is a discussion on Morgan's impeded 'performance' as a result of his diet.) BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE:The Columbine tragedy affected the world. It was the first in a wave of school shootings and people have fought to understand why and how it could have happened. Michael Moore's award-winning documentary seeks to unearth the background to America's gun crimes and questions everything from causes to culpability. -NOTE- This documentary is 'R' rated in the US and '15' in the UK. Prior-viewing is advised. There are some incidents of bad language and some graphic footage, but I strongly believe that the importance of this documentary outweighs any potential concerns. BLACKFISH:This documentary explores SeaWorld's treatment of killer whales and interviews past and present employees and orca trainers. A hard-hitting look at the treatment of animals in captivity, this documentary is a perfect way to introduce students to the rules of rhetoric.

This is a fun and exciting review game for Macbeth which comprises of 50 character clues. Instructions for play: Stick the character names to the wall or board. Split the class into teams (two works best, but you can rotate players if you need more) and have them nominate a ‘swatter’ to begin. You will need something they can use to hit the character answer – a flyswat or paper plate works well. As you read out each clue, the players race to find the correct character name on the board and be the first to hit it. This works wonderfully for an end of study review, or for revision before an exam. I hope it brings as much enthusiasm to your classroom as it does to mine – happy playing!

This resource is to support Science Fiction, Horror and Dystopian fiction lessons. It is packed with writing prompts, research tasks and creative projects. I ask students to gain 35 points across a half term, handing in one piece of homework per week. These flexible choice homework menus allow students to take control of their own learning and pursue their own interests.

This lesson is part of an Imaginative Writing Scheme of Work focused on Science-Fiction and Dystopian short stories. This lesson introduces students to symbolism and explores symbolic references through a close-reading of 'Marionettes Inc.' by Ray Bradbury. PLEASE NOTE: You will need to download my FREE short story anthology for use with this lesson.

This is a lesson that I used to introduce the Holocaust to my Year 9 students. This was the first lesson in my scheme of work studying 'Night' by Elie Wiesel. It contains graphic organisers, a Pyramid of Hate and a short story by Ira Sher 'The Man in the Well'. This lesson is likely to take approx. two hours to complete.

This is a worksheet comprising 19 activities on Act 3 Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice. You can use this worksheet in any number of the following ways, and possibly more that I haven't thought of!: - as unit homework, asking students to complete 1-2 activities per week - as a lesson for pre-exam revision - ask students to choose one task from each colour to ensure a wide range of analysis and interpretation. To use the QR codes students can download a free QR reader from the App Store - this is often their favourite bit! This has been clearly differentiated for a wide variety of learning styles with a colour key at the bottom of the page.

This is a beautifully presented Roald Dahl crossword created from facts about his life and works. Also included is an answer key for you to use as you wish. This is a perfect first lesson for students to gain a bit of context and develop their research skills! I used this for my introductory lesson before my 'Darker Side of Dahl' unit for my Year 8 students. They loved it and the answers inform their thinking for the rest of the topic. I took them to the computer suite and encouraged them to use their initiative. The questions are tricky enough not to know, but not so difficult that the students lose interest. This would also be a brilliant activity to use on Roald Dahl Day on September 13th!

This lesson is part of an Imaginative Writing Scheme of Work focused on Science-Fiction and Dystopian short stories. This lesson explores tension and how it is created in Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant short story 'The Brazilian Cat'. PLEASE NOTE: You will need to download my FREE short story anthology for use with this lesson.

Study Shakespeare's Macbeth using these high-interest, rigorous worksheets on key scenes! Packed full of tasks to inspire and engage both creatively and analytically, focusing on characters, plot, language and themes. The sheets include focus on the following sections: -The Witches -Act 1 Scene 2 -Act 1 Scene 3-5 (two pages) -Act 1 Scene 7 -Act 2 Scene 2 (two pages) -Act 3 Scene 4 -Act 4 Scene 3 -Act 5 Scene 1 -Act 5 Scene 8 and 9 PLUS Two pages of literary terminology and questions relating to their use in the play. Enjoy using these resources for grabbing your students attention when studying the remarkable Scottish Play!