Welcome. My resources include CPD self-study units for teachers as well as whole units of work specifically designed for the English classroom. Whole units come with detailed teacher notes, teaching PPTs and all student resources. I hope you enjoy using them as much as I have. Questions are very welcome and I can be contacted at roseandmay2@virginmedia.com.
Best wishes, Sam
Welcome. My resources include CPD self-study units for teachers as well as whole units of work specifically designed for the English classroom. Whole units come with detailed teacher notes, teaching PPTs and all student resources. I hope you enjoy using them as much as I have. Questions are very welcome and I can be contacted at roseandmay2@virginmedia.com.
Best wishes, Sam
Welcome to a world of snakes, rats, chameleons and cats! This half-termly unit is built around the latest Step Up topic of Pets (valid from January 2024) and is designed to prepare students for their AQA Step Up to English Component 1 Creative Reading and Writing assessment, including the Spoken Language component. It is aimed primarily at Gold award candidates however it is also applicable to those doing the Silver award if, like me, you have candidates doing both awards in the same class. It is designed to ensure students develop the skills necessary to complete the assessment tasks which include responses to reading and an extended piece of writing. It includes a nicely presented 41 slide teaching PPT with lots of engaging activities and extracts from a range of texts including fiction and non-fiction.
All 13 texts and student resources are included as well as a detailed set of teacher’s notes explaining how I have used them.
I have included all resources in PPT, Word and PDF formats.
Please check current list of NEAs with AQA and note that information, guidance, support and resources are available from AQA.
More Step Up to English Resources
Other complete courses and individual teaching units on all component 1 and 2 topics are available. They include editable teaching PPTs, all student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes and can be found at:
RoseandMay’s TES English Classroom Resources
New individual units:
AQA Step Up to English: Component 1 STYLE Unit
AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 CRIME Unit
AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Dystopia Unit
You may also like:
AQA Step Up to English: Grammar and Punctuation Starters
AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Creative Writing Unit
AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 CRIME Unit
Welcome to the murky world of Victorian child crime and pickpockets! This half-termly unit is built around the Step Up topic of Crime and is designed to prepare students for their AQA Step Up to English Component 2 Creative Reading and Writing assessment. It is aimed mainly at Gold award candidates however it is also applicable to those doing the Silver award if, like me, you have candidates doing both awards in the same class. It includes a nicely presented 79 slide teaching PPT (in editable PPT and PDF formats) with lots of engaging activities and both fiction and non-fiction extracts to ensure students develop the skills necessary to complete the assessment tasks for reading and writing. This includes four extracts from Roald Dahl’s ‘The Hitchhiker’, none of which appear in the actual Gold assessment - you may wish to watch the short film version to give a sense of the whole story. The writing section includes sections on good story openings, writing dialogue, creating character, narrative voice and varying sentences.
All 21 resources with all texts and student resources are included in pdf and word format as well as a detailed set of teacher’s notes explaining how I have used the resources.
Please check current list of NEAs with AQA and note that information, guidance, support and resources are available from AQA.
More Step Up to English Resources
Complete courses and individual teaching units on all component 1 and 2 topics are available. They include teaching PPTs, all student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes and can be found at:
RoseandMay’s TES English Classroom Resources
New individual units:
AQA Step Up to English: Component 1 STYLE Unit
You may also like:
AQA Step Up to English: Grammar and Punctuation Starters
AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Creative Writing Unit
AQA Step Up to English: Component 1 Hobbies Unit
This Step Up to English unit of work is designed to prepare students for the Component 1 Literacy topics Hobbies unit. It supports students to engage with relevant text types, develop some of the key skills and practice the style of assessment questions before they tackle the actual AQA assessment papers. It is designed to last around 4-5 weeks depending on the number of English lessons you have. I have not broken it down into individual lessons as all classes are different and some will need longer on some activities than others. It is designed in a way that classes can practice how to answer the Step Up style of questions thus building confidence before completing the AQA assessments. It includes a 56 slide teaching PPT, all 12 student resources in both word and pdf formats plus 5 digital resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes explaining how the unit can be delivered.
Please check current list of NEAs with AQA and note that information, guidance, support and resources are available from AQA.
More Step Up to English Resources
Complete courses and individual teaching units on all component 1 and 2 topics are available. They include teaching PPTs, all student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes and can be found at:
RoseandMay’s TES English Classroom Resources
New individual units:
AQA Step Up to English: Component 1 STYLE Unit
AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 CRIME Unit
New Complete Course
AQA Step Up to English: Complete Course (Leisure, Crime and Style Units)
You may also like:
AQA Step Up to English: Grammar and Punctuation Starters
AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Creative Writing Unit
Welcome to the relaxing world of the staycation! This half-termly unit is built around the Step Up topic of Holidays and is designed to prepare students for their AQA Step Up to English Component 1 Literacy topics assessment. It is aimed mainly at Gold award candidates however it is also applicable to those doing the Silver award if, like me, you have candidates doing both awards in the same class. It is designed to ensure students develop the skills necessary to complete the assessment tasks which include two speaking and listening tasks as well as responses to reading and a longer piece of writing. It includes a nicely presented 40 slide teaching PPT with lots of engaging activities and extracts from a range of texts including a web review page, a holiday advert and a travel book by Bill Bryson.
All 10 texts and student resources are included as well as a detailed set of teacher’s notes explaining how I have used them. Thanks for looking and don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of any help.
I have included all resources in PPT, Word and PDF formats.
Please check current list of NEAs with AQA and note that information, guidance, support and resources are available from AQA.
Welcome to a world which has gone badly wrong! This half-termly unit is built around the latest Step Up topic of Dystopia (valid from January 2024) and is designed to prepare students for their AQA Step Up to English Component 2 Creative Reading and Writing assessment. It is aimed primarily at Gold award candidates however it is also applicable to those doing the Silver award if, like me, you have candidates doing both awards in the same class. It is designed to ensure students develop the skills necessary to complete the assessment tasks which include responses to reading and an extended piece of writing. It includes a nicely presented 56 slide teaching PPT with lots of engaging activities and extracts from a range of texts including fiction and non-fiction.
All 16 texts and student resources are included as well as a detailed set of teacher’s notes explaining how I have used them.
I have included all resources in PPT, Word and PDF formats.
Please check current list of NEAs with AQA and note that information, guidance, support and resources are available from AQA.
More Step Up to English Resources
Other complete courses and individual teaching units on all component 1 and 2 topics are available. They include editable teaching PPTs, all student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes and can be found at:
RoseandMay’s TES English Classroom Resources
New individual units:
AQA Step Up to English:Component 1 Pets
You may also like:
AQA Step Up to English: Grammar and Punctuation Starters
AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Creative Writing Unit
This bundle of teaching units is for English departments who have more than one teaching group doing Step Up and would like to choose from a range of units to help match resources with the interests of the students. I have included three component 1 units and three component 2 units of work. All include teaching PPTs, teacher’s notes and all resources in both word and pdf formats. It also includes four CPD units which are aimed at teachers who wish to develop their knowledge and expertise in delivering entry level English. Two practice units are also included - previous assessment papers should be available from AQA.
Please check current list of NEAs with AQA and note that information, guidance, support and resources are available from AQA.
This bundle includes:
Component 1
Style
Pets
Music
Component 2
Heroism
Crime
Gothic Horror
Practice Units
Leisure
Myths and Legends
How to teach Entry level English
Speaking and Listening
Creative Writing
Non-fiction skills
Reading
**More Step Up to English Resources
Other individual teaching units and complete courses which include teaching PPTs, all student resources and teacher’s notes can be found at:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/RoseandMay101
**
Cambridge IGCSE First Language English: Narrative and Descriptive Writing Unit
This half-termly unit of work is designed to help prepare students for the Cambridge IGCSE First Language English with particular focus on narrative and descriptive writing in Paper 2 Section B Composition or the Component 3 Coursework Portfolio. It supports students in actively exploring and enjoying both descriptive and narrative writing, looking at excellent and varied models of texts and identifying successful features before moving to students composing their own creative responses. These can be completed as practice assessments for paper 2 or for the coursework portfolio. A well-presented 61 slide teaching PPT is included as well as a detailed set of teacher notes with suggested teaching approaches and all eleven classroom resources in both Word and PDF formats. All resources have been tried and tested in my classroom and I hope you enjoy teaching the unit.
You may also like:
Cambridge IGCSE English Language: Speaking and Listening Unit
This unit prepares students for their Cambridge IGCSE Speaking and Listening test (individual talk and conversation) on a specific topic agreed with their teacher. It guides students through the whole process by looking at aspects of effective talks such as openings, rhetorical devices, endings, use of cue cards to structure a talk and responding to questions. A 40 slide PPT is included as well as all eight resources in both word and pdf formats and a detailed set of teacher’s notes.
AQA Step Up to English: Component 1 Music Unit
This updated unit of work is designed to prepare students for the AQA Step Up to English Component 1 Literacy topics Music unit. It supports students to engage with relevant text types, develop some of the key skills and practice the style of assessment questions before they tackle the actual AQA assessment papers. It is designed to last around 4-5 weeks depending on the number of English lessons you have… It includes a well-presented 58 slide teaching PPT and all ten resources in word and pdf formats plus a detailed set of teacher’s notes based on my experience of delivering the unit.
Please check current list of NEAs with AQA and note that information, guidance, support and resources are available from AQA.
More Step Up to English Resources
Complete courses and individual teaching units on all component 1 and 2 topics are available. They include teaching PPTs, all student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes and can be found at:
RoseandMay’s TES English Classroom Resources
New individual units:
AQA Step Up to English: Component 1 STYLE Unit
AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 CRIME Unit
New Complete Course
AQA Step Up to English: Complete Course (Leisure, Crime and Style Units)
You may also like:
AQA Step Up to English: Grammar and Punctuation Starters
AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Creative Writing Unit
This resource bundle for teachers of Cambridge IGCSE First Language English includes the following:
Narrative and Descriptive Writing Unit
This highly engaging unit of work is designed to help prepare students for the Cambridge IGCSE First Language English 0500 with particular focus on building skills in descriptive and narrative writing within the context of gothic fiction. This style of creative response is relevant to Cambridge IGCSE Paper 2 Section B Composition where students are given a choice of descriptive and narrative tasks or Component 3 Coursework Portfolio assignment 2 ‘writing to describe’ and assignment 3 ‘writing to narrate’.
Speaking and Listening Teaching Unit
This unit prepares students for their Cambridge IGCSE Speaking and Listening test (individual talk and conversation) on a specific topic agreed with their teacher. It guides students through the whole process by looking at aspects of effective talks such as openings, rhetorical devices, endings, use of cue cards to structure a talk and responding to questions. Strategies include exploring good examples of talks as well opportunities to try out a variety of techniques to help make their own talks lively and engaging .
Student Home Learning Guide
This student-friendly guide is designed to support students in developing their skills in preparation for the Cambridge First Language English IGCSE Paper 2 Section B: Composition exam. It is intended for use at home and includes lots of interactive and practical tasks to help them embed the key skills required at this level. It includes a work booklet as well as accompanying resources in Word and PDF formats including planning frames, narrative extracts and creative writing tasks for exam practice. It will be invaluable for teachers who wish to set revision tasks for their classes or for parents who wish to support with exam preparation.
Edexcel Functional Skills in English: Level 1 Unit - LEISURE
This highly engaging unit of work is designed to teach some of the key skills required for tackling the Edexcel Functional Skills Level 1 English exam paper. It is built around the topic of Leisure and includes two sections:
Reading section – exploration of three related non-fiction texts including a website and leaflet
Writing section – culminates in an assessed piece of work in which students complete an Edexcel task on review writing
This includes a well-presented 49 slide teaching PPT (editable PPT format) as well as a set of detailed teacher’s notes and all 12 resources in both word and pdf formats. Tasks and texts are relevant and engaging and ideal preparation for the Level 1 exam.
More Edexcel Functional Skills Resources
Edexcel Functional Skills English: Level 1 and 2 Speaking and Listening Unit
Edexcel Functional Skills English: Level 1 Unit - The Next Step
Edexcel Functional Skills English: Level 1 Unit - Climate Change Crisis
AQA Step Up to English: Grammar and Punctuation Starters
This resource was designed as a series of starters for my Step Up to English group though it is could be used more widely for those requiring support with improving sentences. It focuses on sentences structure and punctuation and provides opportunities for students to apply new skills. It takes a visual approach to teaching simple, compound and complex sentences and provides texts and writing activities which help provide a context rather than the more traditional method of writing out individual sentences. As well as sentence structure, it covers punctuation including use of commas and punctuating direct speech. It perfectly complements Step Up Component 2 units which require narrative or descriptive writing as many of the examples and tasks are fiction based. Included is a 68 slide teaching PPT plus all ten resources in both word and pdf formats as well as a detailed set of teacher’s notes. I hope you enjoy using these starters and that they help your students to improve their grammar and punctuation.
More Step Up to English Resources
Complete courses and individual teaching units on all component 1 and 2 topics are available. They include teaching PPTs, all student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes and can be found at:
RoseandMay TES English Classroom Resources
New individual units:
AQA Step Up to English: Component 1 STYLE Unit
AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 CRIME Unit
New Complete Course
AQA Step Up to English: Complete Course (Leisure, Crime and Style Units)
You may also like:
AQA Step Up to English: Component 2 Creative Writing Unit
AQA English Language GCSE Paper 1: Narrative and Descriptive Writing Tasks
This resource includes fifty creative writing tasks (narrative and descriptive) based on original images and which are presented in the AQA Paper 1 format. It includes 25 original images which can act as inspiration for creative writing or as practice assessments. The photographs belong to the author and I am happy for teachers to use them in the classroom. I have also included planning frames for both narrative and descriptive writing tasks. Hope you enjoy using them.
You may also like:
AQA English Language GCSE Paper 1: Creative Writing Unit for Mid to High Attainers
AQA English Language GCSE: Paper 1 Creative Writing Unit for Lower Attainers
Edexcel Functional Skills in English: Level 2 Unit - Climate Change Crisis
This engaging and fully resourced unit of work is designed to teach some of the key skills required for tacking the Edexcel Functional Skills Level 2 English exam paper. It is built around the topic of the climate crisis.
There are two sections:
Reading section – students explore three different non-fiction texts including a letter, web pages and a blog.
Writing section – students learn how to write a persuasive letter and a blog and complete two pieces of work which can be assessed formally.
This unit includes a well-presented 60 slide teaching PPT (editable PPT format) as well as a set of detailed teacher’s notes and all 11 resources in both word and pdf formats. Tasks and texts are relevant and engaging as well as ideal preparation for the Level 2 exam.
You may also like:
Edexcel Functional Skills in English: Level 2 Complete Course
Edexcel Functional Skills in English: Level 2 Unit - Leisure
Edexcel Functional Skills in English: Level 2 Unit - Taking the Next Step
Edexcel Functional Skills English Level 1 and 2: Speaking and Listening Unit
This unit of work is designed to help build the skills necessary for success in the speaking and listening assessment for AQA Functional Skills English as well as those valued by employers. It is a discussion based unit and explores skills such as asking questions, leading a discussion, researching and planning a presentation. It leads to two assessment activities, a ‘meeting’ in which students discuss setting up a series of lunchtime clubs for younger pupils followed by an individual presentation in which students showcase their own plans for a school club. I have included a detailed set of teacher’s notes, a 42 slide teaching PPT and all resources in both word and pdf format.
More AQA Functional Skills in English Units
AQA Functional Skills in English: Level 1 - Complete Course
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12458768
AQA Functional Skills in English: Level 1 Unit - Climate Change Crisis
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12458750
AQA Functional Skills in English: Level 1 Unit - Leisure
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12446306
AQA Functional Skills in English: Level 1 Unit - Taking the Next Step
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12443289
This unit of work is designed to help build the skills necessary for success in the speaking and listening assessments for Edexcel Functional Skills English Levels 1 and 2 as well as those valued by employers.
It is a discussion based unit and explores skills such as asking questions, leading a discussion, researching and planning a presentation. It leads to two assessment activities, a ‘meeting’ in which students discuss setting up a series of lunchtime clubs for younger pupils followed by an individual presentation in which students showcase their own plans for a school club. I have included a detailed set of teacher’s notes, a 44 slide teaching PPT and all resources in both word and pdf format. I hope your students enjoy taking part in this unit.
**More Edexcel Functional Skills Resources
Edexcel Functional Skills in English: Level 1 - Complete Course
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12459414
This is a collection of four teaching units for Edexcel’s Functional Skills in English Level 1 exam. Together they form a complete course which can be taught across one academic year or form the basis of a 2 year course. Each unit comes complete with a teaching PPT, detailed teacher notes and all resources in both word and pdf formats. **
**Edexcel Functional Skills in English: Level 2 - Complete Course
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12455303
This is a collection of four teaching units for Edexcel’s new Functional Skills in English Level 2 exam. Together they form a complete course which can be taught across one academic year or form the basis of a 2 year course. **
English Teaching Poetry Unit: Ted Hughes 'Hawk Roosting’
This highly engaging unit is designed to introduce and explore Ted Hughes’ poem ‘Hawk Roosting’ as well as develop students’ ability to write analytically using a specific, taught paragraph structure. This unit is collaborative in nature with lots of opportunities for paired, group and class discussion. It includes a very nicely presented 40 slide teaching PPT as well as all 15 student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes explaining how you can deliver the unit. Outcomes include an analytical PETAL paragraph which could be extended into a longer essay using the structure provided and a comparative essay as an optional extension activity. I have also included a free self-study professional development unit on teaching poetry. Please note that all resources are in pdf format.
You may also like the following poetry units:
You might also like:
William Blake’s ‘London’
Seamus Heaney’s ‘Storm on the Island’
Seamus Heaney’s ‘Digging’
Wilfred Owen’s ‘Exposure’
Edexcel English Language GCSE Paper 1: Imaginative Writing Tasks
This resource is a series of titles linked to pictures in the style of Edexcel’s English Language GCSE Paper 1 Imaginative Writing questions. The images are my own and you are very welcome to use them as practice questions.
More Edexcel English Language GCSE Resources
Edexcel English Language GCSE Paper 1: Imaginative Writing Unit
This half-termly unit of work is designed to help prepare students for the Edexcel English Language Paper 1 exam with particular focus on narrative and descriptive writing. It supports students in actively exploring and enjoying both descriptive and narrative writing, looking at excellent and varied models of texts and identifying successful features before moving to students composing their own creative responses.
Edexcel English Language GCSE: Spoken Language Unit
This unit prepares students for their Edexcel GCSE English Language spoken presentation. The unit guides students through the process by looking at aspects of effective presentations such as openings, rhetorical devices, endings, use of cue cards to structure a talk, delivery and responding to questions.
**Edexcel Functional Skills in English: Level 1 - Complete Course **
This is a collection of four teaching units for Edexcel’s Functional Skills in English Level 1 exam. Together they form a complete course which can be taught across one academic year or form the basis of a 2 year course. The Speaking and Listening unit prepares students for the discussion and presentation assessments on the topic of setting up lunchtime clubs. The Taking the Next Step unit, which explores preparing for the world of work and college, offers alternative speaking and listening tasks and also includes sections on developing key reading and writing skills for the exam. Both the Leisure and Climate Crisis units also explore non-fiction reading and writing with a focus on exam-style tasks and approaches. Each unit comes complete with a teaching PPT, detailed teacher notes and all resources in both word and pdf formats. I hope you enjoy teaching these units.
You may also like:
Edexcel Functional Skills in English: Level 2 - Complete Course
OCR English Language GCSE: Paper 2 Creative Writing tasks
This resource is a series of titles in the style of OCR’s English Language GCSE Paper 2 Writing Imaginatively and Creatively questions. The images are my own and you are very welcome to use them as practice questions.
More OCR GCSE Resources available
OCR English Language GCSE: Writing Imaginatively and Creatively Unit
This unit of work is designed to help prepare students for the OCR GCSE English Language with particular focus on Component 2 Section B: Writing Imaginatively and Creatively. A 61 slide teaching PPT is included together with 12 resources in pdf and word format. These include planning frames, alternative tasks and self assessment resources.
OCR English Language GCSE: Spoken Language Unit
This unit prepares students for the OCR GCSE English Language spoken presentation. The unit guides students through the process by looking at aspects of effective presentations such as openings, rhetorical devices, endings, use of cue cards to structure a talk, delivery and responding to questions.
Edexcel IGCSE English Language: Paper 2 Imaginative Writing Tasks
This resource includes a series of questions in the style of Edexcel’s English Language IGCSE Paper 2 Imaginative Writing exam paper. I have added some extra creative tasks with images which are my own and which colleagues are welcome to use.
More Edexcel English Language Resources
Pearson Edexcel IGCSE English Language: Imaginative Writing Unit
This unit of work is designed with a particular focus on Component 2 or 3 Imaginative writing. It explores descriptive and narrative writing within the context of gothic fiction, and includes a superbly presented 104 slide teaching PPT plus all 19 student resources and a set of detailed teacher’s notes.