Breathing Space
I am a Secondary English Teacher on a mission - to produce the highest quality lessons I possibly can with the intention of saving precious time for teachers!
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I am a Secondary English Teacher on a mission - to produce the highest quality lessons I possibly can with the intention of saving precious time for teachers!
BACK TO SCHOOL BOOK BINGO - 10 'Ice Breaker' Bingo Cards on Reading Habits
This resource contains a set of ten bingo cards for students to get to know each other during their first English lesson back at school.
The idea of the activity is that students quiz each other about their reading habits and preferences and collect information to share. Traditional bingo rules apply - first to a line wins, then first to a 'full house'.
Tasks include things such as
-Find someone who has read all of the Harry Potter books (films don't count!)
-Find someone who has read your favourite book
-Find someone who has been so scared reading a book that they couldn't sleep
And then a few literacy and grammar tasks for good measure!
-Find someone who can correctly identify a noun, verb and adjective
-Find someone who can give you an example of a metaphor.
Files include both UK and US spellings, along with colour and black and white versions for those that are print-budget conscious!
Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes
This is a PowerPoint lesson focusing on the poem Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes (AQA Anthology).
The lesson focuses on language, symbolism and interpretations of the poem.
Bundle
MACBETH GROWING BUNDLE - Full of Worksheets, Activities and Engaging Tasks!
Fill your boots with a range of innovative, inspiring and creative activities to take the pain out of Shakespeare!
This bundle currently includes three of my Macbeth resources, and will continue to be updated with new resources. Grab it now at this price and cash in on all future updates!
Currently included are the following:
Macbeth Cloze Gap-Fill Worksheets
Macbeth Key Scene Worksheets
MASSIVE Macbeth Crossword Puzzle
Psychoanalysis of Lady Macbeth Activity (Added April 2017)
Macbeth Character Revision - Who Am I? (Added May 2017)
Keep checking back for more updates - I will update this list when new resources have been added.
Enjoy, and I hope it takes a little of the stress out of Shakespeare!
Lesson 6 Imaginative Writing: Baseline
This lesson is part of an Imaginative Writing Scheme of Work focused on Science-Fiction and Dystopian short stories.
This is a baseline test based on the previous lesson's work on Unreliable Narrators.
PLEASE NOTE:
You will need to download my FREE short story anthology for use with this lesson.
Lesson 7 Imaginative Writing: Setting - The Hobbit
This lesson is part of an Imaginative Writing Scheme of Work focused on Science-Fiction and Dystopian short stories.
This lesson explores settings, with a particular focus on an extract from 'The Hobbit'.
PLEASE NOTE:
You will need to download my FREE short story anthology for use with this lesson.
Lesson 10 Imaginative Writing: The Veldt - Reading
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.
TWITTER ISSUES - Correct the Spelling and Grammar of Celebrities!
TWITTER ISSUES - Correct the Spelling and Grammar of Celebrities!
This great starter activity includes 25 grammatically incorrect tweets from famous celebrities. Pop one on the board and get your students to correct them!
A mixture of spelling and grammar issues #Twissues on one fun PPT.
I made this into a TuesdayTwissue activity and the kids LOVE it!
This could also be used in any subject area for Literacy across the curriculum.
The Taming of the Shrew Choice Homework Menu
This is another no-prep, ready to print learning mat for Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew'!
This works brilliantly as homework tasks given out at the beginning of a unit. I ask my students to complete one activity per week and require them to have gained 25 points by the end of the unit.
This means that they have the freedom to self-evaluate - if they have a football match and a school concert this week then they only have to do a 2 point task.
If they have a quieter week, they may want to bump up the points!
I find that the competitive challenge to these tasks really improves homework hand-in rates and the quality of the work produced. I swear by homework mats now!
Check out my other learning mats for other topics by clicking on the category to the left.
Enjoy!
Narrative and Creative Writing Choice Menu with 17 Tasks
Please Miss, Can I Have Some More?!
This is an engaging Narrative and Creative Writing worksheet comprising 17 high quality tasks and prompts for students to undertake.
Each task has a points value depending on how easy or challenging the task is, which means you can set a points requirement as homework, during the lesson or for the duration of a unit.
SAMPLE TASK:
Describe your first encounter with a celebrity. Tell the story twice - first from your point of view, then imagine how the celebrity felt about meeting you.
The 'task bubbles' presentation means that students can colour in the tasks that they have completed so that you can easily check progress, and it can also be used to add a competitive edge to proceedings!
You can also use this as a homework mat alongside your Narrative/Creative unit to support independent learning.
Have fun with it! I'm always amazed by the quality of the responses!
Lord of the Flies Character Organiser
This is a four-sheet organiser for the main characters in William Golding's Lord of the Flies.
It includes space for:
Ralph
Piggy
Simon
Jack
The Twins
Roger
The Lord of the Flies
Beast.
It asks students to fill in any physical descriptions, inner desires and important traits of the characters. It is an excellent resource to use alongside reading and to make students accountable for their own notes while still giving them some structure.
Word Birds Word of the Week Year 9 High-Level Vocabulary Builder: 40 Lessons!
Welcome to Word Birds, a weekly lesson and resources to build higher-level vocabulary in your Year 9 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 slides PowerPoint
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.
Come On, Come Back - Stevie Smith (AQA Conflict Poetry Cluster GCSE)
A whole lesson analysing the poem 'Come On, Come Back' by Stevie Smith.
TWITTER ISSUES Volume 2 - Correct MORE Spelling and Grammar of Celebrities!
TWITTER ISSUES - Correct the Spelling and Grammar of MORE Celebrities! This great bell ringer includes 25 more grammatically incorrect tweets from famous celebrities. Pop one on the board and get your students to correct them!
A mixture of spelling and grammar issues #Twissues on one fun PPT.
I made this into a TuesdayTwissue activity and the kids LOVE it!
This could also be used in any subject area for Literacy across the curriculum.
Half-Caste - John Agard (Edexcel Conflict Poetry Cluster GCSE 1-9)
A full lesson exploring the poem 'Half-Caste' by John Agard.
DIRT Work Bundle - Save Time Marking and Make it More Worthwhile!
This pack is full of resources to help you streamline your marking and assessment, and to make your students work harder in response!
If you're a teacher from the UK you'll know the OFSTED legend around response to marking. Even though it's not now a requirement, I've seen massive improvements and progress on work that has been DIRTed!
DIRT stands for Directed Improvement and Reflection Time. This is a time specifically for students to improve the work that you have marked - then and there. No more comments like, "Sorry Miss, I'll do it next time!"
This includes a time-saving key that you can edit to suit your requirements. You simply write the number of the task you want them to complete on their work, and they can reference the key in their books to find out what to do.
It also includes full instructions, including helpful links, sample marking and assessment, help sheets for capital letters and 'there, their, they're' and a PowerPoint for you to display during DIRT time.
This process has saved me masses of time while making my marking more worthwhile and getting far more progress out of the kids.
I hope you find it as useful as I do!
The Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Lord Tennyson (Edexcel Conflict Poetry Cluster GCSE 1-9)
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.
Exposure - Wilfred Owen (Edexcel Conflict Poetry Cluster GCSE 1-9)
A whole lesson analysing the poem 'Exposure' by Wilfred Owen from the Edexcel Conflict Cluster (1-9 GCSE)
Includes language analysis, vocab, context and questions.
Falling Leaves - Margaret Postgate Cole
A whole PowerPoint lesson on Falling Leaves by Margaret Postgate Cole, focusing on background, language analysis and context.
Edgar Allan Poe Paper Doll - Cut Out & Keep Everyone's Favourite Gothic Writer!
Why is a raven like a writing desk?
Because Poe wrote on both!
This is a cut-out-and-keep traditional paper doll of Edgar Allan Poe. See Poe in his pants, then dress him in his sombre suit.
Poe comes with a selection of accessories, including:
-A raven
-The Black Cat
-A realistic heart
-A skull
-A jester's hat
-A stack of his most popular books
-A speech bubble proclaiming 'Nevermore'.
The options with this product are limited only by your imagination. Have some fun with it while learning all about the strange and mysterious Poe.
Bundle
Word Birds Word of the Week Vocabulary Builder: 6th-12th Grade GROWING BUNDLE!
Welcome to Word Birds, a weekly lesson and resources to build higher-level vocabulary in your 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 learned.
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.
Each grade package includes:
40 slides in PowerPoint in both US and British English (80 slides total)
40-page PDF of words plus definitions for student handouts or posters (again in both US and British English)
6 mini task cards
1 record sheet
1 help sheet to be used as a student handout.
Take a closer look by clicking the “Preview” button above.
NOTE: This set will shortly include Word Birds for Year 11 and 12.
This product is for personal and classroom use. It is NOT for resale or any other commercial purposes.