Melissa Victoria is a former English teacher with over 15 years' experience in a variety of secondary school settings, including comprehensive and grammar schools. She provides English resources mainly for high-ability students studying for GCSE and A level (AQA).
Melissa Victoria has an MA in English from the University of Birmingham, UK.
Melissa Victoria is a former English teacher with over 15 years' experience in a variety of secondary school settings, including comprehensive and grammar schools. She provides English resources mainly for high-ability students studying for GCSE and A level (AQA).
Melissa Victoria has an MA in English from the University of Birmingham, UK.
A graphic organiser (PDF) for high-ability GCSE English Literature pupils studying Macbeth. AQA, OCR, Edexcel etc.
Are you tired of PowerPoint lessons? Looking for a way for pupils to work more independently whilst keeping organised notes? Then a graphic organiser might work for you and your class.
The graphic organiser is 60 pages long. It has been designed to be printed off back-to-back. Every scene in the play has two dedicated pages which will work best if the booklet is stapled, treasury-tagged or bound so that both pages for the scene can be viewed at the same time as an open booklet. There is a white edge alongside each page to allow for securing. (Please see preview for more details)
Each scene contains the following:
A synopsis
Page one - Three themes (from a selection of six) with high-level exploratory questions with room for note-making
Page two -A question on each of the following as related to the scene: dramatic tragedy genre, Shakespeare’s method, and context, with room for note-making.
At the start of the booklet there is a glossary of characterisations and structural devices related to the dramatic tragedy genre
At the back of the booklet, there is an extra page for note-making.
Other ways to use this booklet:
Print off a teacher copy and photocopy the scenes you wish to focus on in detail only
Page one for classroom teaching with page two for homework, or vice versa
Group work with pupils completing different parts of the booklet followed by whole class feedback
Individual, silent work
For when you’re absent and you need to set structured cover for a lesson
For that long-term absent, but bright pupil who needs a structured approach to catching up
For those able students who are great at discussion, but cannot organise their notes in their exercise books
Focused, active revision
Best wishes,
Englbee x
EIGHT REVISION POSTERS for those studying Macbeth at GCSE. Suitable for those aiming for grades 6-9.
Each poster contains an original hand-drawn illustration of a character with their role within the tragedy underneath i.e. tragic hero or tragic victim etc.
The posters cover the following six themes:
Masculinity/Femininity; Appearance and Reality; Children; Guilt; Kingship; Fate and Ambition. Each poster contains a key quotation or quotations with a short piece of analysis in order to demonstrate how Shakespeare’s methods of language and characterisation explore the themes within the play.
Layout of the themes within the posters are similar in order for side-by-side study of themes across characterisation.
Quotations are not definitive, but offer a simple way for students to link quotations and theme for revision purposes. Act, scene and line are also given. Could be printed onto A3 for classroom revision or A4 for home revision.
A high-ability booklet on Macbeth can be found at my shop below:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/macbeth-high-ability-gcse-12053952
Original illustrations by mancsunshine (copyright)
Best wishes,
Englbee x
Four PowerPoints exploring Act 2 of ‘Macbeth’ for mid-high level GCSE Engish Literature classes.
The PowerPoints contains exploration of themes: Kingship; Ambition, Fate & Freewill; Appearance and Reality; Gender & Identity; and Children
Genre, Shakespeare’s Method and Context are also explored.
The teacher can choose to focus on some, or all of the slides, as the class requires.
Underneath most slides are teacher notes to aid with class teaching.
Best wishes,
Englbee x
This is a high-ability 16-page GCSE Literature booklet on Macbeth. Offered both in Publisher as a fully-adaptable resource, and also as a PDF.
Are you new to teaching English? Is this the first time you have taught Macbeth at GCSE? Or have you only ever taught the play to lower- and middle-ability groups, and are worried about pitching it to the new top-set class you’ve been allocated? Concerned as to how to stretch to those 7s, 8s and 9s? Then this guide might be for you.
The guide contains detailed analysis of:
the theme of masculinity, focusing upon Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, the Witches and Macduff
the theme of womanhood, focusing upon Lady Macbeth, the Witches and Lady Macduff
the significance of children, heirs, legacy and posterity
There are also concise explanations of:
Types of Kings and Kingship found in the play
The Great Chain of Being and the Divine Right of Kings
Aspects of the ‘Human Condition’ found in the play
Macbeth as part of the tragedy genre: characterisation, tragic flaw and structure inc. anagnorisis, peripeteia
and catharsis
The guide is not exhaustive, but offers good grounding in higher-level ideas especially surrounding characters as constructs and vehicles for concepts, and also devices within the tragedy genre.
In the summer before exams, the guide can be adapted and given to pupils to take away as part of their revision.
Original posters on characters can be found at my shop: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/macbeth-revision-posters-12070022
Best wishes,
Englbee x
This bundle contains two PowerPoints, one focusing upon the dramatic comedy genre, and the other the dramatic tragedy genre.
Both PowerPoints follow a similar format:
*students are introduced to the terms ‘comedy’ or ‘tragedy’
*critical interpretations
*revision of dramatic method
*paired exploration of genre-specific method
*a didactic commentary of characterisation
language and structure
Best wishes,
Englbee
Eight PowerPoints exploring Act 4 of ‘Macbeth’ for mid-high level GCSE Engish Literature classes.
The PowerPoints contain exploration of themes: Gender & Identity; Appearance and Reality; Children; Ambition, Fate & Freewill; and Kingship
There is also exploration of Genre, Shakespeare’s Method and Context
The teacher can choose to focus on some, or all of the slides, as the class requires.
Underneath most slides are teacher notes to aid with class teaching.
Best wishes,
Englbee x
Six PowerPoint exploring Act 3 ‘Macbeth’ for mid-high level GCSE Engish Literature classes.
The PowerPoint contains exploration of themes: Children; Appearance and Reality; Kingship; Gender & Identity; and Ambition, Fate & Freewill
Genre, Shakespeare’s Method and Context are also explored.
The teacher can choose to focus on some, or all of the slides, as the class requires.
Underneath most slides are teacher notes to aid with class teaching.
Best wishes,
Englbee x
This resource offers two comprehensive PowerPoints for English Language GCSE AQA: one for you to teach to your class, and the second with exemplar responses for you to share with your class as you see fit.
The resource is most suitable for introducing a strong summer Year 9 class to GCSE skills needed next year, or as an introduction to a high-ability autumn Year 10 class just starting GCSE. The resource allows students to consider the GCSE as a whole, and the AOs as overlapping, before dividing them between the two papers later on in their GCSE studies
How the PowerPoint works:
The Learning Objectives and AOs are colour-coded to link with AQA’s symmetry grid (hyperlink provided in PowerPoint)
Resources out of copyright are provided within the PowerPoint
Resources in copyright are hyperlinked for you. You can copy and paste into the PowerPoint onto new slides should you wish, or you can continue to use the hyperlinks (I have had to hyperlink to avoid copyright breach)
Questions are curriculum-aligned
The PowerPoint works through AO1, AO2, AO4, AO3, AO5/6
The second PowerPoint contains high-level exemplar answers for AO1-4 questions, and detailed exemplar paragraphs for writing tasks covering AO5/6. If exemplars are too difficult for your class, you can adapt downwards as needed, but showing good quality ‘top’ answers may benefit most pupils aiming for 5+.
I have used this myself with high-ability classes who have found it useful as an introduction to their GCSE English Language.
The texts are: the opening two/three pages of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service; two linked 19th century letters on hanging; and a Guardian article on capital punishment. Links to 20th/21st Century articles necessary due to copyright.
Please note the links to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service are sometimes temperamental.
There is a copy here: https://archive.org/stream/JamesBondBooks/OHMS_0020#page/n7/mode/2up
and here (also on PowerPoint):
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MkH504QgSKsC&pg=PA1&source=kp_read_button&redir_ese=y
However, as with all things internet, sources disappear from time-to-time. Purchasing a cheap paperback copy of OHMSS might be an idea…
Best wishes,
Englbee
Literary Nonfiction writing exemplars for AQA English Language GCSE Paper 2 question 5.
The Bundle contains the following:
*A article to argue a point-of-view
*An essay to explain a point-of-view
*A leaflet to advise
*A letter to persuade
All exemplars are based around the theme of homework. These allows for easy cross-reference in order for students to see that a similar topic can be written about in varied ways in order to achieve differences in form and style.
The exemplars are for higher-level students, grades 6-9.
There is also an extra writing-to-persuade exemplar in the form of a speech on the topic of giving to charities.
Best wishes,
Englbee x
Four fully-adaptable PowerPoints on the simple past, past continuous, past perfect and past perfect continuous tenses. Suitable for high-ability KS3, mid-to high ability KS4, and intermediate ESOL. Suitable for home-learning.
The PowerPoints introduce the student to different ways of using each of the four past tenses.
Includes:
*a brief recap of pronoun/verb agreement, plus the use of past participles, the verb ‘to have’, the verb ‘to be’ , and the forming of gerunds
*an explanation of how the tenses are used with examples
*challenge exercise one which all students should complete to show they understand how to form the tenses
*extra challenge exercises which students can work through, or choose from, to show different uses and understanding of the tenses
*sample answers after each exercise
Teachers can choose to teach all or some of the functions of the tenses, dipping in or out, or selecting as necessary.
Could be used as a series of starter activities or as longer grammar lessons. Could also be set remotely for home-learning as independent study exercises.
The PowerPoints are not definitive, but offer a clear approach to understanding the different uses of the four past tenses.
Best wishes,
Englbee x
Seven PowerPoints exploring Act 1,of ‘Macbeth’ for mid-high level GCSE Engish Literature classes.
The PowerPoints contain exploration of themes: Gender & Identity; Appearance and Reality; Children; Ambition, Fate & Freewill; and Kingship
There is also exploration of Genre, Shakespeare’s Method and Context
The teacher can choose to focus on some, or all of the slides, as the class requires.
Underneath most slides are teacher notes to aid with class teaching.
Best wishes,
Englbee x
12 adaptable PowerPoints on ‘An Inspector Calls’ for GCSE mid-high ability groups.
Each PowerPoint offers a step-by-step exploration of a scene section with colourful slides and interesting tasks. For most tasks there is either an ‘answer slide’ to check work against or comprehensive ideas in the teacher notes to aid the teacher in conducting class discussion as feedback. The PowerPoints cover both thematic ideas and Priestley’s method/use of devices in detail.
Used with Year 11 grammar school classes; tried and tested.
Best wishes,
Englbee x
Four fully-adaptable PowerPoints on the simple present, present continuous, present perfect and present perfect continuous tenses. Suitable for high-ability KS3, mid-to high ability KS4, and intermediate ESOL. Suitable for home-learning.
The PowerPoints introduce the student to different ways of using each of the four present tenses.
Includes:
*a brief recap of pronoun/verb agreement, plus the use of past participles, the verb ‘been’ , and the forming of gerunds
*an explanation of how the tenses are used with examples
*challenge exercise one which all students should complete to show they understand how to form the tenses
extra challenge exercises which students can work through, or choose from, to show different uses and understanding of the tenses
*sample answers after each exercise
Teachers can choose to teach all or some of the functions of the tenses , dipping in or out, or selecting as necessary.
Could be used as a series of starter activities or as longer grammar lessons. Could also be set remotely for home-learning as independent study exercises.
The PowerPoints are not definitive, but offer a clear approach to understanding the different uses of the four present tenses.
Best wishes,
Englbee x
Macbeth resources for high-ability pupils studying for English Literature GCSE.
Bundle contains:
An introduction to the dramatic tragedy genre with didactic and interactive tasks to help your pupils understand tragedy as a genre
A 60-page graphic organiser workbook with support for every scene. Includes information and questions on themes, genre, method and context
A 16-page study-guide which will help with teacher preparation and student revision. Includes mini essays and reflections on: gender, children, boundaries, Great Chain of Being, the Human Condition, plus notes on the dramatic tragedy genre
Eight character revision posters which focuses on how each contributes to the following six themes: gender, guilt, kingship, children, appearance and realty, and fate/freewill. Key language evidence from the text is also included.
All you need to teach Macbeth!
Best wishes,
Englbee
A Bundle of popular high-level Much Ado about Nothing GCSE resources. In this bundle, you will find:
*An introduction to Dramatic Comedy PowerPoint
*A Much Ado about Nothing high-level booklet
*Much Ado about Nothing character revision posters
*Three Much Ado about Nothing high-level essays with notes on how they fulfil AQA’s ‘extract to whole’ criteria
*A high-ability Much Ado about Nothing Knowledge Organiser covering conceptual characterisation, context, themes and dramatic method
Best wishes,
Englbee x
15 fully-adaptable PowerPoints covering each of the Love and Relationship poems in the AQA English Literature GCSE Poetry Anthology. Suitable for those students aiming for grades 7-9.
Each PowerPoint contains:
AQA Assessment objectives for the poetry anthology examination paper
A brief biography of the poet
A link to an audio reading of the poems and a listening task before reading
A list of high-level terminology for each poem as required for higher grades, and as a ‘way-in’ to the poems
A pyramid of critical questions which moves from knowledge to evaluation as a way of stretching higher students’ thinking, rather than you simply offering didactic teaching/leading questions
A copy, or link to a copy of the poem (due to copyright of some poems; you can easily copy and paste into PowerPoint)
A student sheet which can be printed off or projected onto the board as a structure to record ideas whilst working through critical questions
A short plenary
Followed by:
Teacher notes -two/three slides containing ideas for understanding each poem and its methods at a high level which you should likely read before the lesson as preparation for discussion and teaching.
How much you ‘teacher-lead’ using these notes, or whether you use them to aid independent learning is up to you. Notes are not definitive, but offer good-grounding in understanding poets’ use of method in the poems, with detail on structure and form as well as language in order to reach higher grades.
NEW: THREE PAGE LESSON PLAN ON HOW TO USE EACH SLIDE INCLUDING KEY QUESTIONS, LEARNING AND OUTCOMES
The lessons presume that some previous learning has taken place on what language, form and structure mean, and that students have a good level of understanding of what questions they should ask of poems in order to explore them (e.g. when was it written? how might that influence language choices? is there a specific form? what relevance is the form? how is the poem’s narrative structured and why? etc.)
You can find revision posters for your students nearer exam time here https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/love-and-relationships-revision-12183742
Kind regards,
Englbee x
A scheme of work for Enduring Love by Ian McEwan. Written originally for an outgoing specification for AQA A Level English Literature B. 25 PowerPoints in total covering each chapter.
It offers a strong starting point for fine-grained analysis of literary method , whilst also focusing upon complex philosophical questions explored in the text.
Included in each lesson: Five narrative method slides, one each on - narrative voice, setting, structure, form and language. Some slides more detailed than others depending on importance of method to each chapter. There are prompts for discussion and exploration of significance of each method with quotations if relevant. Advanced Level students will benefit from the prompts without being ‘spoonfed’. Teachers new to Enduring Love will find studying the slides for each chapter in advance, before reading, will help them focus upon the methods McEwan uses in the novel and aid teaching preparation.
Later slides focus on debate questions, focusing less on method, and more on the philosophical ideas raised by the text within each chapter.
The PowerPoints should be used as starting points for further discussion and analysis by advanced level students. Could be used for undergraduate also.
Free prereading lesson here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/enduring-love-by-ian-mcewan-pre-reading-lesson-11916185s
Best wishes,
Englbee
A comprehensive scheme of work on Much Ado about Nothing for high-ability GCSE groups aiming for grades 6-9. There are 17 PowerPoints, one for each scene.
Each PowerPoint has discussion, analysis and exploration of at least three themes with very detailed notes under each slide for teachers.
There are further slides on each PowerPoint on Dramatic Comedy Genre; Shakespeare’s Method; and Context. Again, there are comprehensive notes relating to these areas so that you can teach with confidence.
You will find the following…
Themes:
Love and War
Gender and Identity
Appearance and Reality (Constructive, Destructive & Self-Deception)
Private Desire and Social Approval
Legitimate and Illegitimate Behaviours
Theatre of War and Domestic Sphere
Miscommunication
Transformation
Dramatic Comedy Genre:
Metadrama
Metalanguage
Significance of Structure
Pairs and Parallels
Antithesis
Low Comedy
Comedy Endings
Shakespeare’s Method:
Characterisation and conceptualisation
Significance of Structure
Significance of language inc. imagery, symbolism, classical references,
self- reflexive language, malapropism, poetry, and prose
Shakespeare’s use of stagecraft
Shakespeare’s drawing attention to theatre as artifice
Context:
Women, identity, sexual behaviour within the 16th Century
The importance of reputation
Ontological death
Patriarchal Hegemony
Elizabethan Fashion/Significance of Clothing
The social significance of marriage in the 16th Century
Chivalric Love
Renaissance Humanism
The role of the Church within the play and the 16th Century
The importance of legitimacy and the ‘problem’ of illegitimacy
16th Century ‘Police Force’ (The Watch)
Hierarchical structure of society
Twenty-Eight PowerPoints exploring each scene of ‘Macbeth’ for mid-high level GCSE Engish Literature classes.
The PowerPoints contain exploration of themes: Gender & Identity; Appearance and Reality; Children; Ambition, Fate & Freewill; Guilt; and Kingship
There is also exploration of Genre, Shakespeare’s Method and Context.
This includes:
Dramatic Tragedy Genre:
Tragic Hero; Tragic Villain(s); Tragic Victim(s); Perpeteia; Anagnorisis; Rising & Falling Action; Catharisis; Endings; Hubris; Hamartia; Overreaching; Limits of Humanity
Shakespeare’s Method:
Shakespeare’s use of Language inc. Phantasmagoria, Equivocation & Lexical Fields/Motifs; Structure; Stagecraft; Dramatic Irony; Characterisation & Foils; Men of Thought/Men of Action; and Setting
Context:
Medieval/Shakespearean/Jacobean Gender Expectations; The Role of Medieval Kings; Elizabethan Great Chain of Being; The Divine Right of Kings; The Body Politic & The Body Natural; Regicide & Sacrilege; Witchcraft; Elizabeth I & James I (VI); Medieval Children; Fathers & Sons; Jacobean Male Friendships; Ontological Death; Insanity; some of Sigmund Freud’s ideas on Macbeth/Lady Macbeth
The above is not exhaustive. PowerPoints are also not definitive. There will be other analysis and interpretations that can be applied alongside as the teacher wishes.
The teacher can choose to focus on some, or all of the slides, as the class requires.
Underneath most slides are teacher notes to aid with class teaching. These can be shared with students as and when the teacher sees fit.
Best wishes,
Englbee x
