What makes a good ghost story? Atmosphere. A template and guidance for writing a ghost story. Appropriate for KS3 (Year 9) or International GCSE Creative Writing Coursework. Includes a template to help planning; plus an emphasis on foreshadowing, tension and atmosphere. There is also a strong emphasis on self-assessment (via success criteria) so that the pupils can evaluate and edit as they work towards the finished product.

Andersen’s short, but very moving story, A copy of the story, a powerpoint to help guide the pupils through it and a persuasive task.

World War I Literature ‘The Hero’ by Siegfried Sassoon. The poem, a Powerpoint, and a feedback sheet. Plus an extension poem: ‘The General’ to help the pupils gauge Sassoon’s attitude to the war…

World War I Literature The poem, a powerpoint to help teach it with an essay question. There is also a feedback sheet to aid marking and remind the pupils of the success criteria for analysing poetry. This can work well as an ‘unseen poem’ where the pupils try and work out from the clues what is going on… Also extending the pupils’ vocabularly by adding more advanced vocabulary to use in their analysis, e.g. euphoric.

A series of stand-alone tasks that can be used whilst studying the play: analytical (P.E.E.) paragraphs, essays (with scaffolding templates), and rhetorical tasks.

Macbeth: Lady Macbeth Some resources to help the pupils to understand how Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth at the beginning of the play: Act I, scene 5.

Target Audience? G.C.S.E. pupils. Exam preparation and revision. A straightforward and clear template of how to structure a response for a writing to persuade task; with examples. Useful for pupils who need a clear guide on how to build their letters / speech but equally has advanced elements that can hep to achieve the top band.

The poem, a powerpoint with key terminology building to an essay question. There is a feedback form with success criteria, plus two writing scaffolds for differentiation.

Some resources to help with the analysis and discussion of this classic tragedy: Whole Text Powerpoints - to help discuss the play and help the pupils learn academic terminology, e.g. soliloquy. End of Unit Essay Tasks with feedback sheets Sonnet 116 Unit - which works well as an introduction to Shakespeare’s Sonnets and as an introduction to Shakespeare’s view on love.

A powerful introduction to WWI poetry via Wilfred Owen’s ‘Dulce et Decorum est…’ with historical context and exemplar essay paragraphs to show the pupils how to analyse closely and how to construct a strong essay.

A collection of diary extracts and recollections from Helen Thomas, widow of Edward Thomas, killed at the front. There is also a moving memory of her visit to Ivor Gurney after the war.

World War I Poetry A very moving and very accessible poem from the sensitive soldier poet who explored the theme of guilt in this poem. A great poem to get the pupils interested in WWI poetry: clear, powerful and moving. The presentations also includes exemplar essay paragraphs and focuses on close analysis.

Jessie Pope’s poem that acted as a catalyst to Owen’s ‘Dulce et Decorum est…’ This poem is worth reading prior to studying Owen’s riposte to her work - especially if the pupils then look at the original draft which has her name crossed out…

A guide on how to succeed at the writing to persuade section of the G.C.S.E. English Language Exam. There is a template to help the students structure their responses and exemplar speeches / letters. The revision pack / lesson will be useful for weaker pupils, but also includes some advanced devices to help achieve the top band too. There is also a section focusing on Orwell’s Animal Farm (Major’s Speech) and inviting the students to appreciate why it is so effective.

What is rhetoric? The ability to write / speak persuasively. From Aristotle to the present day, never has the ability to be able to persuade (or understand when it is being used on you) been so important… It will also help with GCSE results! An introduction to the Art of Rhetoric with a reference to many classic texts and leaders: Henry V, Elizabeth I, Churchill, Martin Luther KIng. There is also a template for how to construct classic speech using advanced rhetorical devices, e.g. the tricolon.

World War I Literature A thought-provoking and harrowing poem by Winifred Letts, about the fate of a deserter with an ‘English bullet in his heart’…

Three poems that can be used as ‘unseen’ to help the pupils get to grips with poetry:’ The Listeners’, ‘Unquiet Grave’ and ‘The Gray Folk’. There is also a creative writing task linked to ‘The Listeners’ once analysis of the key devices has been discussed.

Timothy Winters is a thought-provoking poem about poverty and nobility in poverty. Perfect for an end of term Christmas lesson in December…