This is a lesson on a poem about the First World War which laments how soldiers died 'as cattle' without proper Christian burial in the trenches of France. It is a conflict poem which explores the themes of violence and fear in war which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. It's particularly useful to compare to 'Bayonet Charge' by Ted Hughes and 'Exposure' (also by Owen).
The lesson begins by asking students to list what they know about the poor living conditions within the trenches. There is then a slide which offers facts later referred to in the poem. Students are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding quotes which are examples of religious references, metaphors, simile and alliteration. The ideas they pull together for this can then be explored as a class and the slides can be annotated by the teacher on the board. Students are then asked to think about structure and there is a slide which introduces them to the structure of a sonnet, iambic pentameter and demonstrates the rhyme scheme.
The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs using a generic success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills.
As with all my lessons, there are 'Talk for Writing' activities and Challenge tasks for more able students.
Attached is;
- A powerpoint with the lesson clearly outlined
- Links to online videos/readings (see 'Notes' under slides)
- A copy of the poem with a word bank
This is a lesson on a poem which explores the point of view of a War Photographer - not to be confused with Carol Ann Duffy's poem of the same name (AQA). It features in the Edexcel anthology of Literature exam poems. The poem, if you don't know it, contrasts the photographer's memories of taking photos of conflict in a war zone and the Ascot races. It explores the themes of violence and isolation in war which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. It's particularly useful to compare to 'Remains' by Simon Armitage and of course Duffy's poem (see my shop for a lesson on that one).
The lesson begins by asking students to consider what it would be like to be a war photographer and why they would be an effective focus for a poem. There is then a slide which introduces them to Carole Satyamurti as a poet. Students are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding quotes which are examples of metaphors, simile and contrasts, as well as some more challenging devices. The ideas they pull together for this can then be explored as a class and the slides can be annotated by the teacher on the board and there are also some quotes colour coded as the answers. Students are then asked to think about structure and there is a slide which refers to sibilance, alliteration and how the poem develops through each stanza.
The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with Edexcel's exam success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills.
As with all my lessons, there are 'Talk for Writing' activities and Challenge tasks for more able students.
Attached is;
- A powerpoint with the lesson clearly outlined
- A copy of the poem with a word bank
- A handout of glossary style word banks which students can stick into their anthologies
- A PEA style writing frame for weaker students
- Links to online videos/readings (see 'Notes' under slides).
Attached are quote banks from across the novel on the following characters:
- Ralph
- Jack
- Piggy
- Roger
The quotes listed are either taken from the narration or from dialogue and the page each comes from is referred to so that they're easy to find (based on the Faber and Faber edition with the red cover: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lord-Flies-William-Golding/dp/B00IIAU0EK).
At the top of each page is an easy to read bullet point list which summarises the main ideas about that character.
These sheets are useful for revision for the English Literature GCSE. Students could add the quotes to revision cards or stick these across a double page in their exercise book and annotate them as a class exercise.
This lesson asks students to identify useful quotes about Eric and explain what they show about him and the world in which he lives. The lesson starts by asking students to consider what sins he committed in the play and what he symbolizes as a 'challenge' task. There are suggested answers to these questions which could be discussed as a class. 2 extracts from the play follow this which students can think about in pairs and they can then be annotated on the board by students/the teacher.
Students are then asked to list the positive and negative aspects of his character and what he does across the play. There are some suggestions which follow this.
Also attached is a list of quotes from across the whole play which illustrate a range of ideas about Eric (either what he says or what others say about him). Students can annotate these in their books or they can be blown up to A3 size to write on.
The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with the AQA English Literature GCSE success criteria which can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills.
This is a lesson on a poem about the First World War which features in Edexcel and AQA's anthology of Literature exam poems. The poem, if you don't know it, describes the hopelessness of war and misery whilst living as a soldier in the trenches. It is a conflict poem which explores the themes of violence and fear in war which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. It's particularly useful to compare to 'Bayonet Charge' by Ted Hughes and 'Remains' by Simon Armitage.
The lesson begins by asking students to list what they know or can guess about the poet and the conditions in the trenches. There is then a slide which introduces them to Owen and gives a short list of important facts to consider. Students are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding quotes which are examples of metaphors, simile and personification. The ideas they pull together for this can then be explored as a class and the slides can be annotated by the teacher on the board. Students are then asked to think about structure and there is a slide which introduces them to tercets, para-rhyme and explains the rhyme scheme.
The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with AQA's exam success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills.
As with all my lessons, there are 'Talk for Writing' activities and Challenge tasks for more able students.
Attached is;
- A powerpoint with the lesson clearly outlined
- A handout of glossary style word banks which students can stick into their anthologies
- Essay PEA styles sentence starters writing frames for weaker students.
- Links to online videos/readings (see 'Notes' under slides).
‘Free Writing’ is where students write ‘stream of consciousness’ style passages under timed pressure without a chance to pause or worry about planning first. It’s asking them to be creative, impulsive and to take risks.
I have designed this to be a series of 8 tasks done in ‘rounds’ which are clearly marked, however you may want to use them as starters across a few lessons. There is a template for each round if you’d like to use it. Blowing it up to A3 will obviously mean that students would have more space in which to write.
There is an opportunity to peer assess at the end of each round so that students can see what others have done.
All images are copyright free. Of course they can be adapted to suit your students’ needs.
In the lesson students are asked to create an interesting gothic style villain to use in their creative writing (AO5.1, 5.2).
I put this lesson together for a year 9 scheme of work which referred to the AQA English Language marking criteria but the success criteria can be adapted beyond a level 3 so that it's more demanding for a year 10/11 class.
To begin students are asked to consider Count Dracula's past (see the other lesson I did on him although it's not vital to use to do this lesson). This leads to a discussion about how important a villains' back story can be and whether they are sympathetic to readers at all. For this I have provided a link to the 'Dracula Untold' trailer which explores this idea.
Next to get their creative juices flowing these are 2 slides with images of villains on them - students can work in pairs to write descriptive sentences about them using a list of key skills ranging from adjectives, similes to harder ones such as oxymoron and adverbs.
Next students are asked to make up a gothic-style villain of their own and write a profile of them. The lesson ends with a chance to peer assess a partner's and offer advice on how their character plan could be improved.
In this lesson students are asked to explore how Roald Dahl describes his childhood in chapter 12 of his autobiography, Boy. It would ideal to use as part of a KS3 unit.
The lesson starts by asking students to ‘think, pair, share’ about what it would be like to go to boarding school. They are then to read chapter 12.
There is an extract attached which students can stick into their book. There is a group task for students to do after reading the chapter where they are given 4 questions on the board and a challenge task. All questions are linked to the GCSE reading skills AO1, 2, 3 where they have to think about language, structure and the readers’ reactions.
There are slides with the text on for teachers to annotate on a smart board. There is a slide which demonstrates to students how they can structure an essay.
The plenary asks students to write an essay paragraph using the SQUID structure provided. There is a slide which demonstrates how students can peer assess each others’ essay writing skills.
This lesson, as my other Literature lessons do, includes:
Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson
Handouts of extracts/text
Differentiated tasks
Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities (‘Talk for Writing’)
These resources could be stretched across at least 3 lessons if you chose. Alternatively, a class might be split into 3 groups to discuss the suggested themes and then present to the class within one session.
Attached is a powerpoint and a quote bank for the following themes: Power, Fate and Destiny and Good versus Evil in the play Macbeth. The quotes are taken from across the play and some themes share some quotes. In some cases the speaker is named but not always, so that it challenges students to remember them.
I would suggest that the quote banks are copied onto A3 paper or at least as A4 sheets pasted across 2 pages in an exercise book so that students have the space to annotate them and link them. Students could colour code their ideas and identify the act, scene and speaker of the quotes as a form of revision for the Literature exam. These are also a good basis for a classroom display.
The lesson ends with a chance for students to write essay paragraphs independently using provided sentence starters which come in 3 formats: a 'layers of meaning' approach, PEA or the 'reading ladder'. An opportunity to self assess essay writing follows this.
The success criteria provided relates to the AQA GCSE standards for a grade 5 (a good pass) but can be adapted to suit your course.
This is a lesson on an extract from a longer poem about a young man who steals a boat and becomes afraid of the sight of a mountain in the distance which makes him return to land. It features in AQA and Edexcel's anthology of Literature exam poems. It explores the themes of isolation and fear which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. It's particularly useful to compare to 'Remains' by Simon Armitage and 'Storm on the Island' by Seamus Heaney.
The lesson begins by asking students to consider their emotional reaction to images connected to the poem and predict which themes could be explored in it. There is then a slide which introduces them to William Wordsworth as a poet. Students are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding quotes which are examples of metaphors, simile and references to nature, as well as some more challenging features. The ideas they pull together for this can then be explored as a class and the slides can be annotated by the teacher on the board and there are also some quotes colour coded as the answers. Students are then asked to think about structure and there is a slide which introduces them to blank verses, sibilance and contrast.
The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with AQA's exam success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills.
As with all my lessons, there are 'Talk for Writing' activities and Challenge tasks for more able students.
Attached is;
- A powerpoint with the lesson clearly outlined
- The poem with a word bank on it
- A handout of glossary style word banks which students can stick into their anthologies
- A set of PEA style writing frames for weaker students to use (cut into strips to stick in books)
- Links to online videos/readings (see 'Notes' under slides).
Attached is a lesson where students are asked to identify how a writer has structured a text and comment on how that interests a reader (AO2, 3, 4). It uses an extract from 'Spies' by Michael Frayn. To start, students are asked to define the word 'structure' when we apply it to texts and as a 'challenge task' to list all the forms of structural devices that they are aware of. Slides follow with suggestions and a brief explanation of the AOs that they are assessed on by AQA in the English Language Paper 1. Students are then presented with the exam style question which in pairs they can identify the key words and suggest what the examiner is really looking for.
The extract is attached with a word box and planning tasks which, after reading, students can tackle alone or with others. Other useful planning tasks follow such as colour coding structural devices and breaking down the story down into 4 stages.
The lesson ends with a chance for students to write structured paragraphs in response to the question and there are sentence starters in the form of PEA attached to help. The lesson ends with a chance to self assess, referring to the success criteria for a grade 5.
There is also a suggested homework task asking for student to research spies during the war and an accompanying video.
This lesson, as my others, includes 'Talk for Writing' activities, pair and group tasks and differentiated tasks.
This is a lesson on a poem which explores the consequences of the American attacks on Vietnam during the war. It features in the Edexcel anthology of Literature exam poems. It's particularly useful to compare to 'Kamikaze' by Beatrice Garland (AQA) or 'War Photographer by Carole Satyamurti (see my lesson on this in my shop).
The lesson begins by asking students to comment on Vietnamese cultures based on images presented on the slide. There is then a slide which introduces them to the Vietnam war and then Denise Levertov as a poet. Students are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding quotes which are examples of peaceful and violent imagery, as well as some more challenging devices. The ideas they pull together for this can then be explored as a class and the slides can be annotated by the teacher on the board and there are also some quotes colour coded as the answers. Students are then asked to think about structure and there is a slide which refers to the use of anaphora, alliteration and the overall effect of the poem's layout.
The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with Edexcel's exam success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills.
As with all my lessons, there are 'Talk for Writing' activities and Challenge tasks for more able students.
Attached is;
- A powerpoint with the lesson clearly outlined
- A copy of the poem with a word bank
- A handout of glossary style word banks which students can stick into their anthologies
- PEA style writing frames which can be cut out to support weaker students in their essay writing
- Links to online videos/readings (see 'Notes' under slides).
- A separate powerpoint with 2 suggested homework activities linked to this poem.
If you like this resource, please review it!
...also explains anapestic tetrameter!
This is a lesson on a poem which describes the Assyrian invasion of Jerusalem and how God intervened to protect the holy land - Byron based this on a biblical account of a real battle. It features in the Edexcel anthology of Literature exam poems. It explores the themes of violence and conflict which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. It's particularly useful to compare to 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' (see a lesson on this in my shop).
The lesson begins by asking students to predict the story behind the poem based on some images. There is then a slide which introduces them to the story of King Sennacherib's attempt to invade Jerusalem and then another which introduces Lord Byron as a poet. Students are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding quotes which are examples of metaphors, simile and violent imagery, as well as some more challenging devices. The ideas they pull together for this can then be explored as a class and the slides can be annotated by the teacher on the board and there are also some quotes colour coded as the answers. Students are then asked to think about structure and there is a slide which explains the poet's use of anapestic tetrameter, rhyming couplets and end stopping.
I have also added a slide which offers historical facts about the Temple of Baal/Bel in Palmyra which was recently destroyed by ISIS. Although it was built a long time after the historical battle and there would have been many temples dedicated to Baal at time, it symbolised the King's culture and its recent destruction mirrors the violence in this poem and people's attitudes to ancient gods.
The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with Edexcel's exam success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills.
As with all my lessons, there are 'Talk for Writing' activities and Challenge tasks for more able students.
Attached is;
- A powerpoint with the lesson clearly outlined
- A copy of the poem with a word bank
- A handout of glossary style word banks which students can stick into their anthologies
- A PEA style writing frame for weaker students
- Links to online videos/readings (see 'Notes' under slides).
Attached are some resources for students to use in groups in order to make a magazine. This would be perfect for year 7 and 8 since from this age students need to be encouraged to read a wide range of non fiction texts in preparation for GCSE and magazines are a good place to start. I would suggest that you provide piles of different types of magazines for them inspect and scrutinize such as ones based on music, fashion, teen girl, cars, football/sport and gaming.
Within their groups, students can assign roles and each student can plan and design their own page.
Since I can't share images of front covers or pages from real magazines, I have left boxes on some of these planning sheets blank so that students can stick their own in to demonstrate their decision making. I have made these resources into PDFs so that the text boxes don't shift.
The resources attached include:
- Magazine Planning Sheet (a sheet to record their group's initial decisions)
- Front Cover Analysis Sheets (provides space to stick examples and thinking prompts)
- A suggested questionnaire for students to distribute or an exemplar which students can build on
- Design a Contents Page - a planning resource
- Design a Front Cover - a planning resource
- Design a Letters or Problem Page - a planning resource
- Design a Product Review - a planning resource
- Page Templates - boxed sections to place text and images
- Planning an Advert - a planning resource
- Spellings - suggested spelling lists which can be adapted
- Write a Feature Article - a planning resource.
In this lesson students are asked to explore how Golding uses patterns of imagery within 'Lord of the Flies' in order to explore the sinister nature of the boys and the island itself. The lesson starts by asking students to consider how the boys would feel after arriving at the island and the challenge task asks them to consider why Golding chose the island as the setting at all. As a warm up, students are then asked to consider 2 quotes from the first chapter in pairs and list any techniques used and the effect of those comments. A slide follows with suggested ideas to discuss. Student can then in groups consider the list of quotes from across the rest of the novel attached.They can stick them in their books, annotate and highlight them and then the teacher can annotate them on the board where the class can feedback their ideas.
Students are encouraged to think about the following questions:
- What is Golding’s message to the reader?
- What is he trying to say to us about what is happening to them?
- The novel was published in 1954. How might these quotes link to people’s attitudes towards the world after WWII?
- Some people think that the island is like a character itself. To what extent do you agree?
Students are then asked to write essay paragraphs independently using provided sentence starters which come in 3 formats: a 'layers of meaning' approach, PEA or the 'reading ladder'. An opportunity to self or peer assess their essay writing follows this.
To follow this, there is an exemplar essay about the island which students can peer assess in order to think again about the targets that they can set themselves. They can annotate this essay within their books and compare it to their own efforts. I've also added it to the powerpoint for class feedback annotations.
The success criteria provided refers to the Edexcel English Literature course but can be adapted to suit your course.
This lesson, as my other Literature lessons do, includes:
- Links to online videos (see 'notes' under Powerpoint slides)
- Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson
- Handouts of quotes / extracts from the novel
- Differentiated tasks
- Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities ('Talk for Writing')
- Alternating opportunities for self and peer assessment
- Essay writing prompts to allow students to write about the text
This is a lesson on a modern poem (published 1957) about the First World War which features in AQA's anthology of Literature exam poems. The poem, if you don't know it, describes a nameless soldier's advance 'over the top' in the trenches. It is a conflict poem which explores the themes of violence and fear in war which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. It's particular useful to compare to 'Exposure' by Wilfred Owen and 'Remains' by Simon Armitage.
The lesson begins by showing students a list of words featured in the poem, asking them to define them and consider associations with them which encourages them to think about the context. There is then a slide which explains what a bayonet is and features a link to a video on 'going over the top'. Students are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding quotes which explore peace and violence as well as any imagery. The ideas they pull together for this can then be explored as a class and there are slides which reveal the devices for them to then write about.
The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with AQA's exam success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. There are 3 options on how to approach essay writing: 'layers of meaning', PEA, or the 'reading ladder' which follow the same idea. There is then an opportunity to self or peer assess according to the key skills.
As with all my lessons, there are 'Talk for Writing' activities and Challenge tasks for more able students.
Attached is;
- A powerpoint with the lesson clearly outlined
- A copy of the poem with a word box
- A handout of glossary style word banks which students can stick into their anthologies
- Essay PEA styles sentence starters writing frames for weaker students (these refer to a different essay question to the lesson but can be adapted)
In this lesson students are asked to explain how Shakespeare builds tension before, during and after the discovery of King Duncan's body. The lesson starts by asking students to identify clues in the 'Porter's scene' that something evil is occurring in the castle. Students are then asked to explore how the different characters react to the news of Duncan's death (a link is provided to Patrick Stewart's performance). The lesson ends with an opportunity to respond independently by writing an essay paragraph.
All lessons in this series include:
- Links to online videos (see 'notes' under Powerpoint slides)
- Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson
- Differentiated tasks
- Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities ('Talk for Writing')
- Handouts of scenes or a selection of quotes from scenes studied
- Alternating opportunities for self and peer assessment
- Essay writing prompts to allow students to write about the scene
- References to the AQA English Literature mark scheme for Paper 1, particularly to the demands for attaining a grade 5 - what is considered a 'good pass' for the qualification.
It's suggested that you download the whole series to appreciate the full learning journey.
In this lesson students are asked to explain how Shakespeare uses the theme of disorder in order to reflect the Jacobean fear of evil . The lesson starts by asking students to identify how there has been disorder so far in the play and comment on some provided quotes. Students are then asked to read the scene where Ross and the Old Man discuss the chaos within Scotland since Duncan's death and identify and explain key quotes. The lesson ends with an opportunity to respond independently by writing an essay paragraph.
All lessons in this series include:
- Links to online videos (see 'notes' under Powerpoint slides)
- Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson
- Differentiated tasks
- Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities ('Talk for Writing')
- Handouts of scenes or a selection of quotes from scenes studied
- Alternating opportunities for self and peer assessment
- Essay writing prompts to allow students to write about the scene
- References to the AQA English Literature mark scheme for Paper 1, particularly to the demands for attaining a grade 5 - what is considered a 'good pass' for the qualification.
It's suggested that you download the whole series to appreciate the full learning journey.
In this lesson students are asked to peer assess an extract from an essay and set themselves their own target based on their scrutiny of success criteria provided. After this, they are asked to identify and explain how Lady Macbeth uses language to persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan. Attached is a printable grid listing persuasive devices where students can annotate suitable quotes from the text. On these slides are essay prompts where students can then write up their findings, aiming to act on the target they set at the start of the lesson.
All lessons in this series include:
- Links to online videos (see 'Notes' under Powerpoint slides)
- Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson
- Differentiated tasks
- Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities ('Talk for Writing')
- Handouts of scenes or a selection of quotes from scenes studied
- Alternating opportunities for self and peer assessment
- Essay writing prompts to allow students to write about the scene
- References to the AQA English Literature mark scheme for Paper 1, particularly to the demands for attaining a grade 5 - what is considered a 'good pass' for the qualification.
It's suggested that you download the whole series to appreciate the full learning journey.
In this lesson students are asked to explain how events up to the start of Act 4 fit into the structure of the play and create more tension. The lesson starts by showing students Gustav Freytag's structure for a 5 act play and asks them to plot what would go where in the play so far by drawing a diagram in their book. Students are then asked to read the scene where Macbeth revisits the witches to retrieve more information about his position as King and consider how the story could now unfold. There are 2 links to both the McKellen and Fassbender film for this scene. There is an activity designed to help student unpick their fresh predictions and consider the concept of 'equivocation'. The lesson ends with an opportunity for students to explore how dangerous or useful the witches are to Macbeth using a continuum.
All lessons in this series include:
- Links to online videos (see 'notes' under powerpoint slides)
- Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson
- Differentiated tasks
- Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities ('Talk for Writing')
- Handouts of scenes or a selection of quotes from scenes studied
- References to the AQA English Literature mark scheme for Paper 1, particularly to the demands for attaining a grade 5 - what is considered a 'good pass' for the qualification.
It's suggested that you download the whole series to appreciate the full learning journey.