Using this handy scaffolding students can start to become more aware of the choices made by a filmmaker and the effect of those choices. This is a handy activity for doing at home either individually or in small groups. It can also be used with students of mixed ability as it can be applied to any film.

We spend a lot of time preparing students for speaking tasks but we don't always teach the vocal elements in detail. This presentation (101 slides) discusses the following: Volume Pace Pitch Pause Modulation Pronunciation Tone Diction Also included is a Tongue Twister handout that can be used to practice diction.

When our students need to talk about literature in a sophisticated way they need to employ the meta-language. Meta language is not jargon ( Well, not always.) It is language that lets us discuss language and literature objectively. This handout provides a selection of the most common terms needed to talk about literature.

A fun activity as students think for carefully about how what we see is often constructed for us. Can be used in conjunction with film studies in English.

A simple two frame beginning to get students using storyboards in English to flesh out ideas.

Even though we know that reading is a valuable pastime we sometimes forget just how much is going on in our brain when we pick up a book. For most English teachers, who are avid readers, it is easy to forget just how intense the activity can be. This infographic reminds us of the myriad ways that reading exercises the mind. What it also does is remind us of the pre-knowledge that needs to be in place before students can really get engaged with the material.

According to most sources there are only 7 story archetypes upon which all stories are built. Aaron Spelling believes there are only 5 in film. This poster presents those 5 colourfully. A valuable addition to the English classroom. Suits any English class.

The art of persuasion is required by everyone at some point in time. Whether students are writing speeches or simply trying to convince a friend to go along with their latest nefarious plan, the need to persuade is evident. More than any other type of writing, other than poetry, persuasive speech uses a variety of rhetorical devices. This infographic gives examples of a few of them.

This is for every teacher of every subject who speaks or conducts conversations in English. There is a bonus presentation which addresses email etiquette for business. Important for our students to understand as they head into the workplace. Grammar and all its parts is important. Mistakes in grammar undermine credibility and can make you look less smart. It is hard to get students to be excited by this though and hopefully this 28 min video will help. The video is accompanied by a slide presentation if teachers want to go through it with students. It will easily fill a lesson. The video is ideal for substitute teachers or as a recap at any year level.

The three most common types of speeches that students have to deliver are impromptu, persuasive and dramatic monologue. This presentation takes them through what can be specific to each type as well as speaking skills that are common to all three. There are 84 Slides. The presentation is accompanied by student handouts in pdf format for each of the types. Also included are some suggestions for impromptu speaking activities and a copiable sheet of mini marking rubrics. I have found that 3-4 of the students marking each of the speeches is optimum as if you do too many it takes too much time to go through them in sufficient detail for solid learning to occur. As students compare their marks to those awarded by the teacher and their peers they grasp the elements more quickly. A single slide of the mini mark sheet is included for teachers to talk through with the whole class in preparation for the activity. Like all our material, the presentation is curriculum agnostic and can be adapted for any region.

Learning to manage speaking on a topic without much warning is a valuable skill that can only be achieved with practice. The suggestions for 1 minute orals come with accompanying mini mark sheets. These can be copied and cut up and I have always chosen 2 or 3 students in the class to mark each oral. The students learn a great deal when they compare the marks they awarded to the ones the teacher awarded. There is a slide of the mark sheet which can be used to talk the process through with the students. Even if they don't write much and they spend most of their time in a digital world, they are still going to need to speak and communicate and constant practice, without the pressure of summative assessment, is the best way to prepare them.

A selection of student ready handouts and activities to accompany lessons on oracy. They cover non-verbal aspects, the elements of voice as they relate to performance, persuasive speech techniques and planning, dramatic monologues and impromptu/spontaneous speaking. These can be used as they are but they can also accompany the presentations which are listed separately. The handouts would suit secondary school students in most disciplines.

Teaching speaking skills (oracy) has never been more important for our students. No matter how much we would like them to be writing everything, their digital world demands a different skill set. They are always going to have to speak and teaching oracy with the same attention to detail that we apply to teaching literacy is crucial. This package contains everything a teacher will need to build a unit of work around oracy and speaking. The package contains: A short overview of oracy and why we need to teach it. 4 presentations on various aspects of speaking. 5 student handouts. - pdf 3 activity pdfs.

Every English teacher has taught persuasive techniques more than once. This presentation looks at the issues of timing, audience, tone and handling the opposition in persuasive speeches from a slightly different angle and with an eye on changing social perceptions. It is a short presentation ( 45 slides ) and would be best used with a class that was already familiar with the genre of persuasive speeches. I have included a 2 page handout in pdf format that covers more general aspect of persuasive speeches.

Interesting content, confident delivery and appropriate language are the three essential elements of any effective speech. This short (46 slides) presentation explains each and outlines the ideas students need to consider when making their choices. A useful resource for introducing concepts of spoken English to secondary students. Examples are kept to a minimum so that teachers can use ones that are appropriate to their year level. This is part of a larger body of material on spoken English but is perfectly able to be used as a stand alone.

Package includes a presentation which looks at a couple of different angles on audience, timing and delivery in persuasive speeches. A handout for students with information about persuasive speeches. A video version of the presentation. It runs for 8 minutes and can be useful for relief teachers, revision or to show at the end of unit as a refresher. The Vimeo password is on the penultimate slide of the presentation. This package is also part of a larger body of work on Speaking skills and oracy.

Give students the confidence they need to talk about literature by arming them with the right terms and language. There are so many factors that go into making meaning in texts and these 3 handy resources are just the beginning.

2 simple quizz activities and a vocab list that compliment the study of Katherine Paterson’s popular novel Bridge to Terabithia. These could be used in any class and offer the benefit of being useful in mixed ability classes.

The ability to write analytically is critical for our students. It is an integral part of all English curricula. This package includes a slide presentation that explains what the purpose of the analytical essay is, how it is structured and how students can best master it. The presentation is also included in a 10 min. video format that can be useful for relief teachers. There is also a handy visual planning template for those of us who learn better that way.