Based on the popular game show 'Pointless', this resource is perfect for use as a whole lesson resource, enrichment option, or revision tool. Editable, so that you can change to any other topic or change questions. (I've also added a blank template so that you can make your own games from scratch). Containing almost 30 slides of sound clips, engaging visuals, and suitably challenging questions, this resource is effective at both promoting engagement and enhancing learning. There are several full rounds of questions to build or revisit knowledge of characters, plot, and themes in 'Romeo and Juliet.' Round 1. The characters in Romeo and Juliet Round 2. Quotations from the play Round 3. Settings, themes, and objects Round 4. Who appears in Act 1 Scene 1? The nature of this game ensures that the resource can challenge students of all levels.

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Owen Sheers’ poem ‘Farther.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Line-by-Line Analysis; Poetic Devices/ Language Devices; Themes; Form/Structure; Poems for Comparison; More About the Poem. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).

This stimulating and informative lesson develops students’ skill in creating informal letters that precisely meet the content, language and structural features of the form. In particular, they gain an in-depth understanding of how informal letters should be set out on the page, what information should be included within them, and what style they should be written in, in order to meet form, audience and purpose. Students follow a clear and logical learning journey, in which they: -Understand why letter writing is still important in the present day; -Unjumble a model example of an informal letter in order to establish its structure; -Work collaboratively to identify and analyse the content and language features in further model examples of informal letters; -Create a success criteria for effective informal letters (although a ready-made success criteria is included); -Write their own informal letters, using a structure strip and helpsheet (if needed) and the techniques that they have learnt; -Peer/self-assess their writing attempts. There are enough resources here really for two lessons, including: -Visually engaging whole-lesson PowerPoint; -Informal letters x 3 (based on The Simpsons, Batman, and Harry Potter characters) -Informal letters structure strip; -Informal letters helpsheet; -Step-by-step lesson plan. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final page of the slide.

This lesson aims to improve students’ skills in comparing and contrasting poems. Students learn how to understand the different ways that poetry can be compared, plan a well-structured comparative essay, and complete a detailed, organised, and sustained comparison. This lesson is most suitable for children preparing to sit GCSEs/ A Levels. Please note, the lesson should be used subsequent to students being taught poems, as I have left the poems to be compared up to the teacher, as opposed to specifying particular poems. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Understanding what features of poems can be compared (a comprehensive list is provided and utilised in the lesson); - Comprehending how to structure comparative essays as a whole (using a specific formula, which has always formed a successful model for my previous students); - Reading and analysing a model example of a comparative paragraph, in order to understand the key features within each paragraph of a comparative essay; - Writing their own poetry comparison, using planning and success criteria that are formed over the lesson; - Peer assessing each other's learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and substantial; - Worksheets and resources for all activities; - A model example; - Comprehensive lesson plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to mixed-ability year 10 groups, but can be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Stephen Kelman’s ‘Pigeon English.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in exam revision, comprehension tasks, or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the KS4 expectations within the National Curriculum framework - this makes the tasks suitable for all examining bodies. Students have found these resources extremely engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that students gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: 'Context: Modern Britain - to aid students with ‘Drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation;’ ‘Kelman’s Description’ - to aid students with ‘Analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact;’ ‘X-Fire’ and ‘Lydia’ Profiles - to aid students with ‘Seeking evidence in the text to support a point of view, including justifying inferences with evidence;’ ‘Editing the Text’ - to aid students with ‘Making an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 30 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Stephen Kelman’s ‘Pigeon English.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Chapter by Chapter Summary (with quotes); Main Characters; Themes; Symbols and Motifs; Key Terminology Definitions. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).

This interesting and engaging lesson enables students to gain a detailed understanding of Act I Scenes I-IV in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, in which the title characters (Romeo and Juliet) are introduced. Students learn to develop sustained and developed interpretations regarding both the characterisation and the plot development of both characters. They partake in tasks such as comprehension questions, character case studies, and a diary writing exercise to build these skills. The lesson utilises a range of tasks, that require students to be attentive and interactive learners. It follows this learning journey: - Defining the key term 'social influences' and apply this to both Shakespearean and modern contexts; - Reading and interpreting Act 1 Scene 1 to Act 1 Scene 4, and establishing how Shakespeare introduces and develops both Romeo and Juliet; - Reflecting upon the key social influences that are acting upon both characters; - Making detailed inferences/ interpretations into clues about characterisation and social structure through a case study; - Showing an understanding of character viewpoint and reasoning through the diary writing task; - Peer/self evaluating the learning in the lesson. Included in this resource pack are: - A well-presented, thorough, and informative, whole-lesson PowerPoint presentation; - Resources for the reading and interpreting activity - full transcript of scenes with space for notes; - A case study template - A challenging and thought-provoking worksheet, and an answer sheet for the teacher. - A detailed lesson plan for the teacher. All images in this resource are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on the final slide of the lesson presentation.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Kazuo Ishiguro’s ‘Never Let Me Go.’ Teachers have found them particularly useful in exam revision, comprehension tasks, or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the KS4 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework - this makes the tasks suitable for all examining bodies. Students have found these resources extremely engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that students gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: ‘Context: Cloning and the Future’ - to aid students with ‘Drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation;’ ‘Ishiguro’s Description’ - to aid students with ‘Analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact;’ ‘Madame, Tommy, and Ruth’ - to aid students with ‘Seeking evidence in the text to support a point of view, including justifying inferences with evidence;’ ‘Editing the Text’ - to aid students with ‘Making an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.’ Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 30 pages in length!) I’ve also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

This engaging and informative enables students to make precise and detailed interpretations of Kazuo Ishiguro’s language choices throughout Never Let Me Go. In particular, students identify and analyse the effect of Ishiguro’s language in his description in the novel of the boat on the marsh, using their understanding of various language devices, before applying these concepts to their own descriptive writing attempts. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: Defining and exemplifying the descriptive writing techniques, through a fun and interactive activity; Identifying the language techniques that Ishiguro uses in his description of the boat on the marsh in the novel;’ Analysing the effectiveness of Ishiguro’s descriptive writing; Creating their own descriptions of settings, using Ishiguro’s model example, a structure strip, and the techniques that they have gathered over the course of the lesson; Peer assessing each other’s learning attempts; Included is: Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; Card sorting cards Selected extract (from chapter 19); Descriptive Writing Structure Strip; Descritpive Writing Helpsheet; Comprehensive Lesson Plan. There are also opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 10 and 11 classes, however colleagues have used them for between year 9 and year 13 with some adaptations. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

Based on the popular game show ‘Pointless’, this resource is perfect for use as a whole lesson resource, enrichment option, or revision tool. Editable, so that you can change to any other topic or change questions. (I’ve also added a blank template so that you can make your own games from scratch). Containing almost 30 slides of sound clips and suitably challenging questions, this resource is effective at both promoting engagement and enhancing learning. There are several full rounds of questions to build or revisit knowledge of characters, plot, and themes in ‘Never Let Me Go.’ Round 1. The characters in Never Let Me Go Round 2. Quotations from the text Round 3. Settings and Objects Round 4. Themes in Never Let Me Go The nature of this game ensures that the resource can challenge students of all levels. A blank template has also been added, so that you can create your own games!

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to make detailed and precise interpretations of the language used by Charles Dickens in describing Miss Havisham in Great Expectations. In particular, students analyse the interesting vocabulary choices, similes, metaphors, and other language devices employed to depict Miss Havisham’s decayed appearance and surroundings, before utilising the techniques in a similar manner through their own vivid descriptions. The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through: - Defining and exemplifying each of the descriptive language devices; - Reading extracts from 'Great Expectations' in which Miss Havisham is described, identifying the descriptive devices used; - Precisely and in detail, analysing how Dickens uses each of the descriptive language devices for effect; - Creating their own imaginative and appropriate descriptions of mysterious characters, using a wide range of descriptive language devices; - Peer assessing each other's learning attempts. Included is: - Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive; - Extracts from Great Expectations; - Cards for card-sorting activity; - Analysis template with success criteria for creating well-structured responses; - Blank character profile template; - Model example character profile template; - Writing to describe helpsheet; - Comprehensive lesson plan. All documents are attached as Word and PDF in case formatting differs on your computer. There are also opportunities for group learning, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. This was originally taught to mixed ability year 10 groups, but can easily be differentiated for groups of different ages and abilities. All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.

This resource booklet contains a wide range of age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of Charles Dickens' 'Great Expectations.' Teachers have found them particularly useful in exam revision, comprehension tasks, or guided reading sessions. They are perfect for aiding the progress of students towards meeting the KS4 expectations within the new National Curriculum framework - this makes the tasks suitable for all examining bodies. Students have found these resources extremely engaging, and for teachers there is explicit information within each task regarding which comprehension strands the task is designed to demonstrate. They also relate to key extracts, characters, and themes from the story, ensuring that students gain a deep understanding of the text. Activities within the booklet include: - 'Context: 19th Century Britain' - to aid students with 'Drawing on knowledge of the purpose, audience and context of the writing, including its social, historical and cultural context and the literary tradition to which it belongs, to inform evaluation;' - 'Dickens' Description' - to aid students with 'Analysing a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features, and evaluating their effectiveness and impact;' - 'Abel Magwitch' and 'Miss Havisham' - to aid students with 'Seeking evidence in the text to support a point of view, including justifying inferences with evidence;' - 'Editing the Text' - to aid students with 'Making an informed personal response, recognising that other responses to a text are possible and evaluating these.' Plus many, many more activities (the booklet is around 30 pages in length!) I've also added it as a PDF in case the formatting differs on your computer. All images are licensed for commercial use, and are cited on a separate document (included).

This detailed and visually-appealing resource offers a complete reference point for students learning or revising Daljit Nagra’s love and relationships poem 'Singh Song.’ It contains comprehensive sections on: Context; Line-by-Line Analysis; Poetic Devices/ Language Devices; Themes; Form/Structure; Poems for Comparison; The Poet’s Influences. Key words and ideas are underlined for easy reference. The resource is designed to be printed onto A3, and is provided as both a PDF and a Word version (so that you can edit if you want to). All images used are licensed for commercial use and are cited on a separate document (included).