An interesting and accessible 18 page ppt presentation introduction to Romanticism which focuses on the contextual influences and central values of the movement across works of literature, visual art and music. Quotations from contemporary philosophers and artists are included with examples of neo classical and Romantic works of art and music. This provides a fun and interesting introduction to any unit of work on Romanticism for A Level Literature or Arts students.

This highly engaging scheme of learning which asks students to compare the film Bladerunner and Shelley’s novel Frankenstein focusing on the cultural paradigms and key contextual concerns of the creators of each text. Students explore what each text asserts about what it is to be human and our relationship with the natural world and spiritual realm. A number of essay tasks are included with a marking rubric and two exemplar essays.

A 17 page Scheme of Learning focussing on appropriation and comparing The Taming of the Shrew with the film Ten Things I Hate About You. This is written for the Australian National Curriculum English Stage 4 for a Year 8 class, though it could be easily adapted for another curriculum or age group. The scheme is fully differentiated for ESL, Learning Difficulties and Gifted and Talented students. Resources included are: a detailed table connecting all the main elements of the play and film, graphic organisers to aid student thinking and planning, an essay / speech scaffold, a worksheet focussing on the conventions of Shakespearean comedy, at least 20 assessment task ideas, most of which focus on making connections and analysis skills. Assessment tasks take the form of analytical essays and speeches, debate and discussion tasks and creative writing. Six alternative interpretations of Katherina’s final speech are provided with a fun discussion and debate task as well as clear definitions and explanations of the concept of narrative appropriation and transformation. There is a two page introductory essay which explores the way each text reflects the context within which it was created.

A nine slide ppt and 8 page work pack filled with examples of good quality writing that shows rather than tells, top tips, tasks and challenges for students to build skills in using language to show something with their creative writing skills rather than tell it. Ideal for AQA GCSE Language Paper 1 or Key Stages 2 and 3 creative writing.

Midsummer Night’s Dream Scene by Scene Quizzes of between 10 and 20 multiple choice questions. All are available as printouts and ppt presentations with one question per slide to aid feedback or so quizzes can easily be turned into a class competition. A full answer key is provided and everything is printable and editable. A quiz on the opening scene which asks for short written responses. This can be used with any age group though it is probably better suited to 14 years old and upwards, GCSE and A Level or similar age curriculums.

15 A Midsummer Night’s Dream critical thinking essay question cards, indicative content and marking sheets. Best for A Level or extending GCSE students, or any curriculum ages 14+. All resources are printable and editable. Each has a challenging and engaging central essay question, with the remainder of the page given over to a number of thought provoking and sophisticated thesis statements or ideas which students can extend to form a complete essay. Questions focus on: love, power, characterization, the influence of setting, narrative methods, justice and morality, reality and illusion, the conventions of Shakespearen comedy, argument and conflict, plays and acting roles, rebellion and dissent, transformation and personal identity, the value a society places on free will, the consequences of argument and conflict, the interplay of states of order and chaos. Essay focuses are concerned with enabling comment on the human condition and the structures of the world around us. Samuel Pepys’ Review Essay Task: a highly engaging essay task asking students to respond to a 17th century negative review of the play. The task is presented in a 4 page hand out which provides step by step tuition in how to form sophisticated, convincing response ideas, source textual evidence and write engaging, analytical and perceptive paragraphs. An additional 2 page resource consists of exemplar paragraphs and a short essay are provided with a list of useful vocabulary and perceptive ideas for students to adapt and use. This is available in 2 alternative formats for teacher choice. A graphic organiser to assist students in forming specific, complex ideas is included as are two Marking Rubrics.

A Christmas Carol for AQA Literature Paper 1. Seven fun, interactive games for students based around the themes, issues, content, message and characters in A Christmas Carol. All resources and instructions are provided and no preparation is required other than to cut out the playing cards. The games are: What am I Describing? Speed Speech. Sort. Connect. Most to Least. Anagrams (answers provided). Words from Words. This is a fun activity for any class or year group, although it is designed for low to middle ability GCSE students.

Creative narrative and descriptive writing unit of work, full lessons of fun, practical activities guaranteed to enable students to make incredible progress. 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 and punctuation, creating a character, narrative structure, impact openings and closings and more. There are 32 slides and a 27 page worksheet document with easy to follow guidelines, lots of tips for improvement and examples. 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. Primarily designed for AQA GCSE Paper 1 Section B, a tried and tested comprehensive selection which can be used with any age group and ability from Year 7 through to 6th Form.

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.

A detailed program for Australian Stage 4 Year 8 on Trash by Andy Mulligan which is estimated to last 7 or 8 weeks / 20 to 25 lessons. All activities are tied to Australian National Curriculum Outcomes and fully differentiated for G&T, LD and ESL students. Learning activities and assessment tasks are embedded throughout taking the form of group projects, debates, close analysis of visual, literary and digital texts, and creative writing in a range of text types including news reports, feature articles and diary text types. Students also compose graphic organisers, charts and Venn diagrams. Visible thinking routines, self and peer assessment are used throughout, and there is an emphasis on social justice, diversity, sustainability and critical thinking built into all tasks. Extensive ICT learning is embedded through the unit with the creation and development of a ‘Digital Portfolio’ where students will store and reflect on their work. All activities also comply with UK NC guidelines.

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.

A close reading test on the traditional story Artemis and Actaeon. The short story is included and there are nine comprehension questions and an extended response task. This is intended for a higher ability Year 8 or 9 class. It is recommended that the class reads the story together then students approach the tasks alone. Presented this way, this should take two lessons.

A ‘How To’ guide in writing successful, sophisticated short stories. These 8 pages break down all the major elements including; narrative viewpoint and the way this shapes meaning, the importance of setting and context, plot building, character creation and development, the necessity of strong themes, methods to create and maintain a central conflict, effective openings, and maintaining reader interest. This is best suited to advanced classes or older students. This will raise achievement for AQA GCSE Language Paper 1 Section B.

37 detailed study questions for chapters 1 to 5, a list of gothic features with a task, a short exemplar essay analysing an extract and another extract with questions which can be used as a test. A list of ideas for learning activities is also included.

A ccss compliant, no prep required 14 page work book consisting of 100 reading questions, a detailed list of the gothic features of the novel and a creative writing task ‘The Danvers Letters’. There is also a two page essay which introduces the novel and argues its merit as a source of study. A document of four sample PEA paragraphs which explore the gothic features of the text and an analysis grid worksheet considering the female characters are also provided.

Three creative writing tasks with ideas and advice for producing good quality stories. This forms part of my larger resource ‘AQA GCSE Paper 1 Section B Really Effective Creative Writing Advice and Tasks’. Both resources can work brilliantly with any age group for any curriculum. This works really well with students, showing them how to write less but write it better. This also stimulates their own creative ideas for using narrative and descriptive language. I have uploaded a short film to YouTube which takes you throught this presentation names AQA GCSE Language Paper 1 Section B Creating a Narrative. Available in ppt and word document formats.

A really handy venn diagram and 6 short tasks which asks students to investigate the characters Hamlet, Claudius and Laertes through consideration of the ways they are similar and unique. This is a great way to stretch students’ knowledge of the play, stimulate discussion and debate, or simply to use as a homework task for A Level courses.

A brief (288 words) analysis of the Colin Kaepernick quotation. This resource provides a strong example of analytical writing particularly relating to emotive vocabulary, and of the ways contextual information can enhance the investigation of vocabulary and phrases within a quotation.

A short 600 word A Grade exemplar essay exploring the spontaneous overflow of emotion in Shelley’s Stanzas Written in Dejection Near Naples. The meaning and impact of literary devices are explored in connection with contextual issues relation to Shelley’s own life and the wider Romantic movement. Originally designed for the Edexcel A Level Literature course, this can be used as an exemplar analysis and to assist creating an essay response which explores two Romantic poems for the 9ETO/03 examination paper.

Ninety flashcards and a teacher reference list of high level literary terms and vocabulary which raise the sophistication of literary investigation and analytical writing. If applied correctly, these terms will enhance student insight into literary texts and raise the evaluative quality of essays. This resource is great for A Level courses or advanced GCSE students.