Two lessons using the opening of 1984 to introduce students to the features of dystopian fiction with a particular emphasis on Orwell’s use of pathetic fallacy in the introduction. The lesson sequence is as follows: Lesson 1 Starter on what students think makes a perfect world. Explanation of origin of term dystopia. Examples of dystopian fiction for children. Overview of 1984 without spoilers. Analysis of techniques used in opening to establish the dystopian atmosphere of the novel. Zoom in on Orwell’s use of pathetic fallacy. Students identify examples. Answers on slide. Discussion regarding living in this kind of world. Lesson 2 Students return to their original thoughts on what makes a perfect world. Narrative writing in preparation for AQA GCSE English Paper One Narrative Writing. Choice of writing a story about a perfect world or writing a story inspired by a picture of the Earth. Both with focus on using pathetic fallacy and sensory description. Folder includes 24 slide powerpoint and copy of extract of opening. Students are quite rightly fascinated by this amazing novel.

Although Old English was spoken many centuries ago, some words have survived into modern English. This powerpoint contains clues to ten words which originated in Old English. It is then followed by examples of place names which are derived from Old English. Students are given many opportunities to brainstorm more place names and investigate the language. This could be used as part of the English or History curriculum.

This introductory lesson to the greatest World War One poet includes sixteen slides about his life. The folder also contains a very moving letter that he wrote to his mother about a disastrous sentry duty that he had to undertake. The powerpoint concludes with a choice of activities inspired by this letter, such as highlighting all the powerful language and writing your own poem; responding to the letter as Owen’s mother; interviewing Owen and then writing up the interview as a newspaper report (planning sheets included). A great resource to celebrate the centenary of the end of World War One and can be used in both English lessons and history lessons. This can also be used as an introduction to the two other lessons on Dulce et Decorum Est and Exposure, both available here.

Teach your students how to write a ballad poem using the life of ex-slave and slave rescuer, Harriet Tubman. Celebrating the heroic life of Harriet Tubman, this twenty slide powerpoint shows how her life story was made into a ballad by Eloise Crosby Culver. Students then study the key features of ballads and are invited to add an extra verse of their own to the ballad, with historical information about the great lady. Students are then tasked with writing their own ballads about either a fictional or real person. Links in well with writing a ballad about Kissin' Kate Barlow from "Holes".

Support students to write a persuasive speech on the subject of school uniform by analysing an extract from Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech”. Students then apply Mr King’s language techniques to a speech either for or against school uniform. Students never tire of this eternal subject. A twenty-two slide powerpoint guides them through planning and structuring the speech with some ideas for and against the issue. Perfect for teaching GCSE transactional writing.

Using Levi Tafari’s poem “Caribbean Christmas”, students read the poem as a class, then take a verse each to practice and perform. Finally students write their own poem about what Christmas is like in the region where they live. Tafari’s poem is great fun as it includes several “Call and response” verses that students love interacting with. Festive fun for all the class with a multi-cultural element. Don’t be all bah humbug this Christmas. Have some fun with your students! Folder includes powerpoint and hard copy of poem.

Designed to help students connect and extend sentences, this eighteen slide Powerpoint contains a variety of exercises, with answers. It would take one hour to deliver all the exercises or two lessons of thirty minutes, as the exercises increase in difficulty. Fully adaptable for you and your students.

Teach your students to become master writers with this powerpoint on creating multi-clause complex sentences. Students are given the elements of a sentence, which they have to incorporate into a grammatical complex sentence. Ten sentences in total build to create an action-packed adventure story that you write together as a class. In the second activity, students analyse how Robert Louis Stevenson uses this type of sentence to describe Long John Silver. Students are then tasked with writing a description of Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes using the same construction. This should cover two separate lessons.

With an activity to create compound sentences, this powerpoint also helps students to identify the effects of using both simple and compound sentences. First of all students add a conjunction to a sentence to create compound sentences. Then students change a passage of description just using compound sentences in to a combination of simple and compound, considering the effect. Finally students write a set of instructions using both simple and compound sentences.

Two lessons using an extract from Bill Bryson’s travelogue “Notes from a Small Island” in which he describes his disappointment at visiting Blackpool. The lesson sequence is as follows: In the first lesson the students attempt the question “How does the writer use language to show disappointment?” in preparation for AQA English Paper One Question 2 on language. A WAGOLL answer is provided demonstrating how the answer should be marked. A mark scheme is provided and students peer assess each other’s work following the model, giving each other a mark and written feedback. The second lesson uses the theme of disappointment as a springboard. Students write a story about disappointment in preparation for Section B: Writing on English Paper One. An example of planning a story with a 3 part story structure is included, as well as a further extract from Bryson on Weston-Super-Mare in which he shows disappointment. 23 slides and two extracts included.

Twenty-two lessons on JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone aimed at weak Key Stage 3 students, so it would be suitable for Key Stage 2 students also. Activities include designing your own sweet and selling it ; mapping out and labelling Diagon Alley; creating your own potion; creating your own wand; creating similes; selecting text to fill in the blanks cloze exercises. As you progress through the scheme, students create a silly name for themselves which they develop into a character who will have to defeat a monster. They create their own monster and then write a story where they imagine themselves running through the corridors of Hogwarts to defeat it. Full of supporting resources and examples to get them writing. My Harry Potter name is Sally Silly Sausage. What will yours be?

Have fun revising key language techniques with this enjoyable quiz. Students can work in pairs or groups to guess the product being advertised. For extra bonus points they have to name the language techniques used (imperatives; direct address; rhetorical questions; bold statements; rhyme; puns etc). In the second round they are given ten new brands and they have to come up with slogans themselves. Finally, if you want to take it further, they choose one of the brands and slogans and turn it into a full-blown advertising campaign. A great way to launch them into several lessons worth of work!

Many words have come into English from Latin and Greek, making the formation of some plurals quite tricky. Other words just seem to have random plurals like ‘foot and feet’. This 45 slide powerpoint take you through 18 of the most common irregular plurals. Then you have a memory test to see if you can remember them. Finally a worksheet is included to consolidate the learning. With fun cartoon graphics and all answers provided. Designed to be completed as an individual or as a class.

Engage your students in creative writing with this eight lesson student workbook and accompanying powerpoint. Students imagine that their car has broken down near the haunting and mysterious Howley Hall Hotel. Just like Brad and Janet, they knock on the door, whereupon they encounter a strange old lady. Little do they know that inside a strange presence lurks. They are guided to write a gothic story at the same time as revising basic skills, such as sentence demarcation; capital letters; homophones - their/they’re/their; your/you’re; punctuation speech; commas in lists; vocabulary enrichment; complex sentences; sentence variety. Suitable for primary students or secondary students who need to revise basic skills.

This lesson begins with a quiz to see if the students can guess which animal is being described by the poet. They are given a second chance to guess the animal with a series of images to represent each line of the poem. After a short analysis of the writer’s message, students are then given help to write their own six-line poem on an animal of their choice. Students are then guided through the re-drafting and presentation process. A fun couple of lessons that can link into work on animal rights. Alternatively, it could be used to set up a school poetry competition.

Everything that you need to teach about the life of the great bard. A Powerpoint gives the important known details of his life and an additional Powerpoint includes a quiz with multiple choice answers to the key questions about his life. The folder contains a worksheet with three pages of written information on his life and a timeline to fill in that could be used as follow-up or homework.

Twelve lessons with powerpoints and resources to help students to create their own magazine on a topic of their choice. Scheme comprises of: Analyse the title of magazines and decide on your own title. Analyse mastheads and create your own masthead. Design your own front cover. Write a celebrity profile features article. Write a travel article. Write a how-to article. Design a competition. Write an article on a food of your choice. Use emotive and sensationalising language. Create a contents page. There are extra folders with a GCSE media task comparing two front covers and a WAGOLL analysis of a front cover. Students love this scheme of work as it allows them to be creative while exploring their own interests.

Travel writing is one of the best ways to teach students to use language in a sophisticated way. In this project students choose a city or region of the world that they are interested in and create a travel guide on it using the example provided as a style model. The style model is about the Spanish city of Girona and the sections of the travel guide include: An introduction 3 Days in your chosen destination. Four of the best things to do there. Essential information with top tips for visiting. Final section original to the student. Students’ attention is drawn to the use of premodifying adjectives and imperatives, which are typical of this style of writing. Students are able to see how travel writers sell destination through interweaving information about history, modernity and cuisine to make their locations sound exciting and attractive. There is also the possibility to turn the travel guide into a speaking and listening activity as students imagine that they work for the tourist board of their destination and wish to promote it.

Calling all Harry Potter fans, this fifty question quiz with answers will test your knowledge of JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter novel - “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”. A fun way to encourage reading.

This Powerpoint introduces the historical context of witches in Macbeth with a true or false game where students have to identify the correct or incorrect statements about witches. Students are then given some information about James V1th’s role in witchcraft persecution. Before studying Act One Scene One they are presented with a modern translation so that they understand what is going on. They then read Shakespeare’s Act One Scene One and consider what was lost in the translation and why Shakespeare’s scene is much more powerful. Students enjoy reading and acting out the scene in groups. They are then asked to design three costumes for a modern version of the play, focusing on representing the witches as powerful, evil and frightening. At the end of the lesson, you can show them Roman Polanski’s opening scene and compare and contrast their costumes with Polanski’s choices. Could be used as a precursor to my lesson on the witches’ spell; as part of an introduction to Shakespeare or as part of a scheme on Macbeth.