In this lesson students are asked to explain how and why Lady Macbeth has changed within the play so far. The lesson starts by offering students an analogy about Lady Macbeth and asks them to comment on it. Students are then asked to read the scene where she sleep walks and reveals her guilt to others (links to various film and stage slips are attached). In groups students are then asked to make links to what she says unwittingly here and to what she has previously said in the play. 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.

...even tackles Dactylic Dimeter! This is an interesting poem which features in both AQA and Edexcel's anthology of Literature exam poems. The poem, if you don't know it, describes the advance made by the Light Brigade during the Battle of Balaclava, part of the Crimean War. It is a conflict poem which explores the themes of glory and tragedy in war which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. The lesson begins by showing students some images of the Crimean war and asks them to list what they teach them about the battle and the context, thus predicting what the poem could be about. There is then a slide which lists important facts about the battle which are easy to read and discuss as a class. They are then introduced to the 'WPSLOMP' method of analysing poetry which they can then apply in pairs before colour coding quotes which explore the themes of violence and bravery. The ideas they pull together for this can then be pulled together as a class and there are slides which reveal the devices for them to then write about. I have added 2 slides to this presentation which go into depth about structure for more able students - particularly on Dactylic Dimeter which can be hard to explain. There is a clear annotation of a stanza and an explanation of how it works to add the crucial rhythm which this poem is famous for. 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. 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 (these refer to a different essay question to the lesson but can be adapted) Within this powerpoint are also links to online analyses of the poem as well as the BBC Bitesize video.

Attached is everything you need to set up a speaking and listening project that could be adapted to last up to 3 lessons and could be assessed as a GCSE style Speaking and Listening activity. After studying the play Romeo and Juliet, students are asked to get into groups of up to 6 and perform in role as an outsider commenting on the relationship between Romeo and Juliet (it's suggested that the imaginary discussion takes place after their suicide for maximum impact). They can choose from the roles of: Friar Lawrence, the Nurse, Lord and Lady Capulet, Benvolio and Mercutio. By planning and performing the activity, they are not only revising the plot of the play but they are also practicing/being assessed on their speaking and listening skills. This task is naturally easy to differentiate since some characters are more challenging as others and you can choose who plays which role if you like. Although this is designed to help departments using the AQA exam board, it can be adapted for any course. Attached is: - Lesson 1 powerpoint (planning and assigning roles) - Lesson 2 powerpoint (performing and peer assessing) - a prompt sheet for each student's character where they're offered ideas to explore in the discussion - a student friendly copy of the AQA Speaking and Listening mark scheme (Pass, Merit, Distinction) - A student and teacher assessment tick sheet (plenty of space for peer and self assessment which refers to the success criteria.

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 'I'm the King of the Castle' by Susan Hill. 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. Another useful planning task follows where students are encouraged to break the story down into 4 stages. Suggestions for this follow on the next slide. The extract itself appears on the PowerPoint so that the teacher can annotate it on the board. 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. This lesson, as my others, includes 'Talk for Writing' activities, pair and group tasks and differentiated tasks.

In this lesson students are asked to explore how Roald Dahl describes his childhood in chapter 5 and 6 of his autobiography, Boy. It would ideal to use as part of a KS3 unit. The lesson starts by asking students to discuss how tension can be created in fiction within a pair. There is a challenge task which asks students to think about how pace can also contribute. There are some slides which reveal some ideas that they could have thought about in terms of language and structure (a useful introduction to GCSE skills). Students are then to read chapter 5 and 6 which describe the fall-out Dahl and his friends suffered after the ‘Great Mouse Plot’ involving Mrs Pratchett! Students are then to stick the attached sheet into their books which has quotes from this anecdote which demonstrate the tension that Dahl creates. Students are to annotate these in pairs and consider how he uses language and structural devices to do so. These tasks are linked to the GCSE reading skills AO1, 2, 3. The plenary asks students to plot the moments of tension onto a line style graph. There is a template for this attached. This lesson, as my other Literature lessons do, includes: Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson Handouts of quotes/extracts/text Differentiated tasks Opportunities for pair and group talk within activities (‘Talk for Writing’)

In this lesson students are asked to explore how Roald Dahl describes his childhood in chapter 2 of his autobiography, Boy. It would ideal to use as part of a KS3 unit. The lesson starts by asking students to discuss their memories of being 6/7 years old as Dahl was in this chapter. There is a challenge task relating to the meaning of ‘kindergarten’. There is a group task for students to do after reading the chapter where they are given 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. The plenary asks students to write a descriptive paragraph about their first day at school using key skills, using Dahl’s writing as inspiration. This lesson, as my other Literature lessons do, includes: Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson 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).

This lessons asks students to plan how they could write convincingly in role, using persuasive techniques to develop their ideas whilst referring to their knowledge of the play Macbeth. The lesson is good writing practice for AQA English Language Paper 2, section B and of course the Literature Paper 1. Students would need to know the whole play in order to complete this task. The lesson starts by asking students to list persuasive devices (I have used the DAFOREST acrostic here but you could change to which ever you use). They are then asked, initially in pairs, to plan for the following task: Imagine you are Lady Macbeth. You have been put on trial for the involvement in King Duncan’s murder. You must convince the judge that you were not responsible for the murder… It was all your husband’s fault! There is a slide which suggests some ideas and a planning sheet to help them articulate their ideas using the devices discussed previously. This could be taught across two lessons (1 to plan and 1 to write it). There is an opportunity to either peer or self assess the plan or the written argument at the end of the lesson which refers to the exam's success criteria.

In this lesson students are asked to identify key moments from 'Lord of the Flies' and comment on how the writer explores the theme of violence throughout the story (A01, 3). The lesson starts by asking students what violence is and list all the relevant moments from the book that they remember. A slide follows with suggested ideas to discuss. Student can then in groups consider the list of quotes from across the novel on the A3 sheet 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. Since there are a lot of quotes on this sheet, student may want to allocate a section to each member of the group in order to get through it all. Students are encouraged to think about the following questions: - What is Golding’s message to the reader? - What is he trying to tell us about what is happening to the boys? - 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 violent character itself. Do you agree? Why is this effective? 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. 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/websites (see 'notes' under Powerpoint slides) - Starter tasks which introduce the main idea of the lesson - Handouts of quotes / extracts from the text - 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

In this lessons students will be able to explain how a poet explores particular contexts within a poem and discuss useful quotes in order to prove their ideas (A01, 2, 3). The poem is part of AQA's anthology of Literature exam poems. The poem, if you don't know it, illustrates Agard's anger at the inadequacy of teaching of black history taught in schools and how certain figures are still unknown by many. It is a conflict poem which explores the themes of prejudice and ignorance which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. It's particularly useful to compare to 'The Émigrée' by Carol Rumens and 'Tissue' by Imtiaz Dharker. The lesson starts with asking students what context is. The next few slides introduce them to key words relating to colonialism as well as some facts about the British / European occupation of Agard's homeland, Guyana. There are also some facts about the famous black people he lists: Toussaint L’Ouverture, Nanny of the Maroons, Shaka the Zulu, etc. This background information will help them contextualize his feelings which are presented in the poem. In pairs, they're asked to use the WPSLOMP acrostic to annotate the poem and there is a slide with it on to be presented on the board. 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 - Essay PEA styles sentence starters writing frames for weaker students. - Links to online videos/readings (see 'Notes' under slides).

In this lesson students are asked to explain how Shakespeare builds tension on stage when we hear of Duncan’s murder. Initially the concept of tension is explored, then students are asked to identify where it is built in pairs. The questions posed in the central group work task centre around Shakespeare's stage craft and how news of his death is revealed to the crowd. Key dramatic devices such as elision and stichomythia are introduced and there is an opportunity for students 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 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.

This is an English lesson on the poem ‘Frederick Douglass’ by Robert Hayden which explores the legacy of the escaped slave who became an Abolitionist campaigner. It discusses the themes of prejudice and freedom which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit. The lesson begins by asking students to consider their emotional reaction to images portraying Afro-Americans in the 1830s. There is then a slide which introduces them to Frederick Douglass and offers facts about his life as well as providing a video link. 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 repetition and positive and negative ideas / imagery, 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 asks them to consider why the poet broke the rules of a sonnet in this poem. The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with an adaptable success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. Here I have used SQUID (Statement, Quote, Infer, Device/Develop which is similar to PEA). 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 Links to online videos/readings (see ‘Notes’ under slides). An extension task: write a poem about your chosen hero using this poem as inspiration. All images are from Openclipart.org or Wiki Commons.

‘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.

This is an English lesson on the poem ‘America’ by the Jamaican born poet Claude Mckay. In it he explores his feelings about becoming an American citizen and lamenting how badly black people were treated by the establishment. It discusses the themes of prejudice and freedom which can be linked to other poems taught within a unit (see my poem on Frederick Douglass in my shop). The lesson begins by asking students to make judgements based on a group of images and consider the lifestyle of black Americans within the 1920s when Claude had moved there. There is then a slide which introduces them to some facts about the social context and another which offers facts about McKay’s life. There is then a slide reminding students of how sonnets are constructed and asks them to identify the clues that suggest that this poem is one and why that would be appropriate considering the content. 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 personification and imagery 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. The lesson ends with a chance for students to write independent essay paragraphs with an adaptable success criteria but this can be adapted for your course. Here I have used SQUID (Statement, Quote, Infer, Device/Develop which is similar to PEA). 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 -Link to online videos (see ‘Notes’ under slides). -An extension task: write a poem about your country (here the UK) using this poem as inspiration. All images are from Openclipart.org or Wiki Commons.

In this lesson students are asked to explore how authors promote their autobiographies by writing engaging blurbs. It would ideal to use as part of a KS3 unit on autobiography. The lesson starts by asking students to think about the difference between autobiographies and biographies as well as the meaning of root words - auto, bio, graphy. There is a slide to reveal the answers. There is a group task for students to do after reading a selection of blurbs where they are given 4 questions on the board. Thes extracts are from the autobiographies of Colleen Rooney, Michelle Obama and A Street Cat Named Bob. 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. The plenary asks students to write a mini blurb introduce themselves and their lives using the key descriptive skills to engage a reader. There is a slide suggesting a peer assessment, referring to a success criteria. 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’)

This is a lesson on a poem about a War Photographer which features in AQA's anthology of Literature exam poems. The poem, if you don't know it, describes how a photographer struggles with their feelings after taking photos of conflict in a war zone. 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 since it touches upon P.T.S.D and of course 'War Photographer' by Carole Satyamurti (see my lesson on that in my shop). 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 Carol Ann Duffy as a poet and offers a quote about her thoughts about it as a form of journalism. 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 introduces them to sestets, internal rhyme and the 'volta' as well as explaining 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 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 (to be cut into strips and stuck into books) - Links to online videos/readings (see 'Notes' under slides).

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

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.