A series of 3 reading lessons based on an extract from ‘The Girl on the Train’. Follows the style of questions for AQA Language Paper 1 Questions 1-4.

A lesson exploring the power relationships between the characters and Chapter 11 (The Fury comes to visit). Included differentiated worksheets to encourage students to explore deeper inferences and layers of meaning in the text.

A lesson encouraging students to make inferences based on Bruno and Gretl’s first impressions of Outwith in question 4. Includes differentiated slides with pointers and questions to encourage deeper inferences from the text.

Created as a writing assessment task, this is two lessons worth of resources where students read the ending of the novel, gather ideas about what happens and use these to create a newspaper article about Bruno’s disappearance. Included worksheets and slides to support exploring the conventions of a newspaper article, planning their article and SPAG tasks which were specific to the needs of the group I was teaching at the time (homophones, commas in lists, would of/could of) but are easily adaptable.

Activity and resources to revise language devices - could be used before reading section and exploring writers' uses of language features or as part of creative writing and the techniques students can use. A language device bingo Powerpoint in which the powerpoint rapidly whizzes through lots of examples of language features. Press the 'S' key to stop the PowerPoint at random. Give students copies of the 'VAMPIRES bingo cards' and they then cross off the features as they see them come up (teacher will also need to jot down a record of what has come up to avoid any confusion....or dare I say...cheating!!) Fully adaptable so you could add in your own examples. I've also thrown in a language devices cut up and match up activity. Please see my seller account for more resources or my website www.rushtoneducation.co.uk for other services on offer to support secondary English departments.

A lesson exploring the theme of empathy in relation to Pavel’s character and his interaction with Bruno. Included speaking and listening work using KAGAN structures as well as reading and a guided written response to the text using inference skills.

Planned as one lesson but could easily cover two. Reading of Chapter 2 of BISP. Students are then guided through exploring the structure of a short section of the text (like an AQA Lang 1 Q3 GCSE style task) followed by a creative writing diary extract from Bruno’s point of view comparing his new house to his old one.

Originally designed for KS3, this booklet contains 7 tasks designed around building up basic skills and themed on dystopian fiction. This contains the booklet as PDF and editable word document. The booklet includes an introduction to dystopican fiction in which students are given an overview of a range of dystopian novels from across the last century and explore the conventions/define the genre, extracts from The Hunger Games and Divergent in order to explore how characters are presented, how thoughts and feelings are presented (inference skills) and writer's use of language features to convey setting. There are literacy activities on spelling and developing vocab as well as a structured creative writing piece based on setting (writing from an image - which ties into the new GCSE English Language Paper 1 Question 5). The final task is around the marketing of dystopian novels and films and designing their own marketing in order to convey the key themes/ideas of their own writing or an existing novel through the connotations of colour/images etc... The booklet could be used in class as additional activities to support a study of dystopian fiction, as a homework booklet or for cover. Space in the booklet for all work to be completed if desired.

Resource building up to students completing a question 4 response for language paper 2 (comparing perspectives and viewpoints/how they are conveyed). This is based on the theme of legal highs/effects of drugs. The lesson starts with students discussing the difference between viewpoint and perspective and defining these important key terms. The next tasks include exploring a pre 19th century text on opium use in the Victorian era and they practice their true/false skills with a quick Q1 task. They then explore the viewpoint conveyed in the text and how it is conveyed. Next students read an extract from a website on legal highs and practice summary skills by summarising the content of the text and the viewpoint it gives on the topic. There is then a table to support students comparison of how the viewpoints/perspectives are conveyed in the two texts and optional sentence starters and writing frames to support write up.

AQA new specification language paper 2 lesson with levelled outcomes using mark scheme levels. Based on the theme of poverty this lesson covers a questions 1 (true or false) recap before supporting students through Q2 which is the comparison/summary and synthesis question. Compares pre and post 19th century texts in line with the specification requirements. Includes model answer and self/peer assessment criteria. Lesson files include copies of the text both in the PowerPoint and word file.

An introductory lesson to the novel exploring the book covers, tagline, blurb and key ideas and themes that students will encounter. A start to looking at context followed on by Lesson 1b of this scheme in further detail.

A mid unit look at chapters 5-10 including a recap of the symbolism of Piggy's glasses, reading chapter 5 and summary, watching chapters 7-10 with an A3 notes sheet to collate ideas whilst watching the film, extracts from Chapter 8 to explore Simon's interaction with the 'Lord of the Flies' and returns to the symbolism of Piggy's glasses after they are stolen. Focuses on AO1 of AQA new lit spec. 1-2 lessons worth.

A selection of thought provoking quotes from a range of literature designed for a classroom display on teachers' favourite authors/books. In word documents, fully adaptable to add in own quotes.

This resource contains around 10 lessons geared towards practising the skills for the new AQA Language Paper 1 skills: list 4 (retrieval), exploring language and its effects, exploring structure and its effects, critical evaluation. Initially themed around gothic fiction and then moving to focus on the short story 'The Phantom Coach' by Amelia Edwards. Each lesson focusses on specific skills and question types for the exam along with modelled examples and support/guidance/scaffolding. A range of activities included. Aimed at Level 3 of the mark scheme (roughly grade 4/5) - can be tweaked up or down. The unit ends with an exemplar paper that I've created on an extract from the ending of the story which tests students on all of the Paper 1 Section A skills. Used with top set Y9 with great success - ideal for high ability KS3 or at KS4.

A mini-scheme of 6 lessons plus an adaptable feedback lesson planned for mixed ability Y8 but would be suitable for high Y6-Y8. The first 6 lessons work on building up towards writing a story around the theme of ‘ancient tales’. Students work on 1) describing setting using a range of word classes, 2) describing a protagonist using similes and metaphors, 3) describing an antagonist using a range of sentence structures for effect, 4) structuring the climax/dilemma of a story including accurately punctuated speech, 5) writing an effective ending with comma skills included, 6) analysing a full example for the skills covered so far and writing up their story in full. All of the resources are included and clearly ordered/labelled. There are lots of mini recap quizzes included throughout to consolidate skills from previous lessons. The last lesson is an improvement lesson that’s very specific to the class that I taught this to but could be kept or adapted as you see fit.

Lesson surrounding the context of Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Link to Language Paper 2 non-fiction skills. Students read a real life account and complete true/false style questions. Discussion and exploration of ideas surrounding the holocaust.

A practice exam paper that I have created using a short extract from The Book Thief. Apologies that I’ve not managed to make and upload a markscheme for this - will hopefully create and update when I get time!! I’ve also included a couple of lessons on Q2 and Q4 that go with this.

Two revision worksheets, originally designed to use in form time, which explore the writer's use of language in very short extracts and the effects. Supports students to write up a response in preparation for new specification English Language Paper 1 Question 2.