An understanding of the early period of the English language is novel and exciting for junior high schoolers. This unit of work introduces them to the Anglo-Saxon period and provides a gentle, easy and fun overview of what English language and literature once looked and sounded like. The focus text is Michael Morpurgo’s Beowulf, an excellent version of the heroic poem retold for children and young adult readers. The unit strives to remind students and teachers of all cultural and language backgrounds of their contribution and membership of the worldwide Anglophone community. Written as a combined unit of work and worksheets, teachers only need to purchase Morpurgo’s Beowulf to teach this unit! The unit includes lessons on: Our Language Family Runes, Gods, and the Northern Heritage Kennings, Riddle Poems, and Gnomic Poetry The First Hero: Michael Morpurgo’s Beowulf (focus text) The Hero’s Journey: Overcoming the Monster The End of Old English Where is Old English today? Practice assessment task Assessment task suitable for ages 11-13

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 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 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 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 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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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).

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.

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.

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.

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 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).

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 character-study short story, ‘The Use of Force’, by William Carlos Williams is around 1550 words and has been successfully used with a Year 7/8 class (age 11-13).

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 short story about the supernatural, ‘August Heat’, by William Fryer is around 1800 words and has been successfully used with a Year 7 class (age 11-13).

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 twist in the tale moral short story, ‘The Necklace’, Guy de Maupassant is around 3000 words and has been successfully used with a Year 10 class (ages 15-16)