A huge 23 page document that gives you everything students need to write effective detailed and well developed persuasive pieces. It consists of definitions and a host of examples (most have between 10 and 20) of 31 persuasive devices which include more sophisticated techniques such as parallel structure, antanagogue, absurdity, weasel words, neologisms, allusion, delayed epithet, hypophora, distinction and metabasis. All of the better known devices such as rhetorical questions, emotive language etc are present as are examples of how to use punctuation for persuasive effect such as ellipsis and inverted commas. There is a list of 34 topics for debate followed by 13 AQA style GCSE Language Paper 2 Question 5s. Also provided are 14 ideas that students can choose between to build any argument around which will help them avoid repeating the same point in their writing. 10 mnemonics are included to help students remember these argument ideas. The resource ends with a handy checklist to aid students in ensuring their writing uses the conventions of a persuasive piece. This resource acts as an excelling addition to any scheme of learning or works very well alone. It is also a useful reference when focusing on specific skills with any age group.

A 22 slide ppt and handouts which teaches students to understand Romeo and Juliet as a piece of theatre to be watched rather than a text which is read. Students work in groups on drama, arts and crafts activities to produce a tableau of one moment in Act 3 Scene 1, although any moment in the play can be used. Elements including facial expression, body language, proximity, symbolism and use of props to create meaning are explored. Ideas for using masks, playing cards and colour to create meaning are included. An entertaining range of activities are provided which prepare students to complete the central task of creating a tableau. The tableau will communicate information about the characters, themes and issues of the play using only the sense of sight. Students are also asked to write a short essay explaining the content, symbolism and meaning of their tableau. Handouts with detailed instructions, sentence stems and a sample essay are provided. Originally created for Key Stage 4, I am confident this can be used successfully with any age group and ability level as an assessment task or a fun project. The props created can also be adapted for use in a display, as can photographs of the tableaus (with student permission).

Four pages of question by question advice and tips for AQA GCSE Language Paper 2 Section A and Section B. Easy to remember acronyms, sentence stems and phrases, rhetorical devices and strategies tailored to the Assessment Objectives of each question. Excellent for last minute cramming or consolidation of knowledge.

Designed for A Level or advanced GCSE students, a 25 slide power-point presentation which provides a detailed introduction to literary criticism. The concept of critical ‘lenses’ is described and short explanations are given of a number of critical paradigms including Formalism, Deconstructionism, Historical, Intertextual, Psychological, Archetypal, Mimetic and Reader-Response. Feminist (8 slides) and Marxist (4 slides) critical perspectives are explored in some detail, encompassing their core aims, central concerns and interests with specific reference to aspects of The Great Gatsby and Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Bibliographies and guidelines for conducting further research are also included.

A five page resource to aid last minute ‘cramming’ and revision for AQA GCSE Literature Paper 1 and Paper 2 middle to lower ability students. The texts covered are Macbeth, A Christmas Carol and The Lord of the Flies. Each page consists of a number of key words, pertinent textual references, core events, tone, context and symbolism. There are also pages for the Power and Conflict poetry cluster and the Unseen Poetry section of Paper 2. These consist of key words, voice, symbolism, tone, context, pace and setting. Ideas and possible structures for essay responses are included as acronyms and bullet points, as are sentence stems and discourse markers to aid comparison. These cards work well alone or as a short booklet.

Created to raise student achievement in the Edexcel A Level Literature 9ETO/02 examination, a collection of eight sophisticated, evaluative and detailed thesis statements drawing connections between Frankenstein and The Handmaid’s Tale. The statements address all Assessment Objectives for this examination and can be adapted for use in most essays. A number of tasks are included to familiarise students with the language of the mark scheme and to develop their analytical writing skills to an excellent standard. The content and tasks here can be used as one lesson and homework or extended into a longer unit of work.

For the Edexcel A Level Literature Prose Study: Science and Society, a detailed Scheme of Learning connecting Frankenstein and The Handmaid’s Tale. A range of concepts and focuses for study are included, along with sophisticated vocabulary and terminology. There are many thought provoking discussion questions, critical viewpoints and ideas provided which can be adapted to extended essay content. Interesting individual and collaborative learning activities with a number of links to websites with useful related content are included throughout.

A full Scheme of Work for the Romantic Poetry unit (9ETO/03) of the Edexcel A Level Literature course. Information and a host of learning activities address each Assessment Objective, focus on contextual influences, conventions and characteristics of the movement, then on each poet and prescribed poem in turn. Tasks and ideas for study are provided to extrapolate evaluative and insightful understanding of the meanings of each poem in conjunction with further activities which prepare students for writing high level essay responses to essay questions.

A ten slide ppt which provides a brief, interesting history of Castle Frankenstein in Germany, believed to be one of the central inspirations for Shelley’s novel. There are a handful of descriptive and creative writing tasks which provide good practice for AQA GCSE Language Paper 1 Section B. There is also one activity which asks students to find connections between the history of the castle and characters and events of the novel.

Four pages of question by question advice and tips for AQA GCSE Language Paper 1 Section A and Section B. Easy to remember acronyms, sentence stems and phrases, narrative and descriptive ideas and strategies tailored to the Assessment Objectives of each question. Excellent for last minute cramming or consolidation of knowledge.

An unusual activity which enables students to access a wider range of ambitious, unexpected, descriptive vocabulary and devices than they may usually rely on in their creative writing and make their compositions stand out in the examiner’s pile. This will also assist students in creating specific language fields to assist establishing tone and character within narrative or descriptive writing. The activity should take a full lesson and requires a packet of jelly snakes or similar. It is excellent for GCSE creative writing or adaptable to any age group or ability.

Primarily designed to prepare students for AQA GCSE Paper 1 Section B, a tried and tested comprehensive selection of practical, engaging activities which enable students to make incredible progress in their creative writing. Skills include basing a narrative around a central theme, show don’t tell, avoiding repeating words, focussing on small details of a larger scene, symbolism and layers of meaning, using a variety of sentence structures, creating a character, narrative structure, impact openings and closings and more. There are 32 slides with easy to follow guidelines, lots of tips for improvement and a number of short examples of good quality creative writing. Tasks are structured to build towards high quality short stories or extended piece of descriptive writing, although they work just as well as stand-alone starters or full lesson tasks. Activities can be successfully used with any age group and ability from Year 7 through to 6th Form.

For AQA GCSE Literature, A ppt of 12 slides designed to stretch and extend students skills in analysis, evaluation and academic writing. The ppt contains a list of the central themes of the novel, two extended thesis statements for students to expand upon with supporting evidence, and a number of shorter ideas which students are asked to use to form their own thesis statements and explorations. There are also a number of specific references to the contextual influences on the narrative. The final slides consist of a sample exam style question and a detailed essay plan which shows students how to incorporate themes into their response.

This package focuses on To My Nine Year Old Self by Helen Dunmore and prepares students for the Edexcel A Level Literature ‘Contemporary Poetry’ section of exam paper 9ETO/03. It contains a host of thought provoking learning activities designed to give students an in depth knowledge of the poem and the skills to write an evaluative comparative essay. There is a ppt with thinking routine activities and an analytical paragraph, an extended worksheet of questions and tasks which guides students towards forming and developing their own thesis statements, and an extended analysis which students are asked to adapt into a comparative essay. Links to the examination focus, question style and Assessment Objectives are referenced throughout.

A very detailed breakdown of the novel. The table has a section for every chapter which includes a summary of events, an exploration of literary methods with quotations and a number of specific, detailed connections to Frankenstein. At the end of the document are 13 sample essay questions which use the style and structure of the Edexcel A2 pre-released SAMs questions.

Created for the Edexcel A Level Literature Prose Study, here are twenty eight essay style analytical ideas connecting The Handmaid’s Tale and Frankenstein. These ideas can be used to aid students in composing detailed paragraphs or be developed into extended responses. There are three exemplar evaluative paragraphs with quotations, one of which contains a short task. There are also twelve thinking questions which can be used for discussion or as the basis for longer written responses, detailed instructions for an oral presentation task and a fun introductory lesson to The Handmaid’s Tale which asks students to create their own nation.

With new additions, a fantastic resource which uses Romeo and Juliet as a focus to practise and refine persuasive writing skills in a variety of forms including a letter to the editor, a newspaper article, a radio interview, a personal journal and a speech. Students develop empathy skills through writing as a series of characters to persuade an audience of Verona’s citizens of their perspective on the events of the play. Each task includes a description of the form students will be asked to write in, a list of its structural and language conventions, and detailed task instructions. This works well as early preparation for the AQA GCSE Paper 2 Section 2 Point of View task for a Year 9 class, or any other persuasive writing examination assessment, or as an extended independent learning homework project. New addition are fun Wanted Poster worksheets for Romeo, Mercutio and Tybalt which act primarily as a drawing activity, and a Hot Honeys Dating Profile worksheet that students can complete for characters of their choice.

A really useful ppt that provides TEN critical evaluation exam style questions based around the ‘to what extent’ or ‘how far do you agree’ stems. Four of the question slides include a comprehensive or partial list of points to support an argument which encourage students to add their own ideas, forming a basis for a written response. Five exam style questions with extracts from the play make up the remainder of the ppt. If worked through in order, the slides build on reading and essay writing skills, though the resource works very well if used in any order.

Detailed essay ideas, quotes, scaffold included: A new spec AQA GCSE Literature Paper 1 Macbeth exam style question on the theme of ‘remorse’ incorporating a play script extract from Act 3 Scene 4 ‘Banquo’s Ghost’. A number of additional scene extracts and quotations relevant to the question are included as well as a series of detailed thesis statement ideas and a comprehensive essay scaffold handout to aid student planning. This resource provides excellent revision preparation for the upcoming examinations that can be used in class or as an independent student task.

A detailed table which breaks down many of the similarities and differences in the ways the characters, narrative events and issues in the play are extended, challenged and subverted in the modern film appropriation. It can be used as a support resource for an essay, presentation or to aid revision. It can also be adapted by deleting some parts of the text and asking students to add their own ideas and examples.

Two practice AQA GCSE Language Paper 1 Section A examinations. The first uses an extract from the opening of George Orwell’s 1984 and the second uses an extract from JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Each practice examination fits on two sheets of A4 paper and line numbers are included within the sources.