This uses John Clare’s “First Love”. There are 7 comprehension questions, the ideas from which can be used to annotate the poem in preparation for tackling the exam-style question at the bottom of the page. The questions could structure a class/small group discussion before the students work independently on the exam-style question. Useful for cover, for homework or for revision.

This resource uses the speech that the Fairy delivers in response to Puck’s “How now, spirit! Whither wander you?” There are seven questions and then a longer writing task, to write a letter. The questions should furnish the children with some ideas prior to tackling the letter-writing activity. This could be used as cover, for homework or the questions could be used to structure a guided reading activity. Suggested answers are provided though these are only a guide.

This is a straightforward quiz on Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 29. Answers are provided. This could be used for revision or homework. Alternatively, it could be used to structure a reading of the poem.

This is a straightforward powerpoint with the aim - W.a.l.t: know and use the cinquain form. Planned for key stage three. Covers both reading and writing skills.

This is a simple and straightforward comprehension exercise using an extract from “The Strand” magazine in which the writer describes a visit to Jamrach’s Emporium to see a crocodile being force fed. There are 8 questions. This could be used as homework or a cover activity. Alternatively, it could be used as a pre-reading or guided reading activity prior to a lesson with a focus on the writer’s viewpoint.

This is a non-fiction excerpt which is a recount by a boy who attended the notorious Bowes Academy (inspiration for Dotheboys Hall). I’ve used this alongside teaching of stave 2 of “A Christmas Carol” (Scrooge’s schooldays) to give pupils some contextual information about Dickens’ attitude towards boarding schools. The extract has a task attached which uses the wording of the viewpoint question for AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2.

A simple and straightforward comprehension activity with 6 questions (answers provided) looking at a brief extract from Stave 2 where Scrooge revisits his school and is rescued by his little sister, Fan.

This is a simple and straightforward activity using the opening of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula’s Guest”. There are four, short tasks dealing with vocabulary, information retrieval, inference and analysis. Useful for homework or as home learning. Could be used to structure a guided reading activity. Could be used for flipped learning prior to analysing the next (more gothic) segment of the story in class. Useful for students at KS3 or to embed key sklls and build confidence at KS4.

This is a 20-question multiple-choice quiz on Thomas Hardy’s “Neutral Tones”. It could be used for revision, for homework after the poem has been covered in class or as a flipped learning activity so that the students read the poem and attempt the quiz prior to teaching - that way, subsequent teaching can be targeted towards gaps and misconceptions. Answers are provided so that the task can be self or peer-assessed.

This is a simple and straightforward resource using an excerpt from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story, “The Terror of Blue John Gap”. There are ten questions, focusing on vocabulary, inference and analysis. This resource could be used for homework or set as cover. Alternatively, the questions could be used to structure a guided reading session.

This is a multiple choice quiz with 25 questions (answers provided) that could be used as a homework, as a revision activity or as a flipped learning activity, to support students working from home as they work through the poem independently - and then for the teacher to identify gaps in knowledge and understanding prior to teaching the poem. Alternatively, the questions could be used to structure a small-group revision or catch-up session. Some questions lend themselves to further exploration of the poem; others assess whether basic knowledge is in place.

This straightforward task uses an excerpt from Oscar Wilde’s story “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime” and the questions are divided into sections echoing many of the reading skills that will be tested at GCSE: information retrieval, inference, analysis of language, analysis of structure and evaluation. Useful as a homework or cover activity. Created as part of a unit of home-learning during lockdown.

This is a multiple-choice quiz on Oscar Wilde’s poem, “La Mer”. There are 14 questions. Answers are provided. I have set this as homework prior to using class time to explore the poem as an unseen in response to this question: How does the poem present ideas about the natural world? Answers are provided so that peer/self assessment can be used. Alternatively, the questions could be used to struture a guided reading/catch-up session. Some questions lend themselves to further exploration - for example, having identified that the alliteration is on the letter ‘s’ the students could be prompted to think about what that sibilance suggests about the natural world.

This straightforward task uses a couple of paragraphs of Charles Dickens’ impressions of travelling in France and there are 20 multiple-choice questions (answers provided) which could be set as homework to form part of a unit on Dickens, used for pre-reading or flipped learning or used to structure a guided reading or catch-up session.

This straightforward activity uses an excerpt from Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story, “The Horror of the Heights” in which an aviator discovers a new ecosystem at a height of 40,000 feet. The tasks increase in difficulty and focus on: vocabulary, information retrieval, inference and analysis. Useful for homework, home learning or cover. Could be used with a small group to structure a guided reading activity.

This activity uses an excerpt from “The Beetle” by Richard Marsh which could slot into a unit on monsters, horror, tension and so on. It could be used for homework, as a cover activity or for small group work, to structure a guided reading session. The resource has the extract, taken from early in the novel, and the questions focus on vocabulary, information retrieval, inference, comprehension (of the structure) and analysis. The questions could be tweaked for greater depth or alternatively used as a springboard into a discussion of greater depth. The resource was planned for KS3 but could be used at KS4 to develop students’ confidence in reading this kind of challenging text.

This is a multiple-choice quiz with 21 questions, planned for flipped learning so set for homework before the poem was explored - in greater depth - in class. Alternatively, the quiz could be used for a consolidation homework after the teaching of the poem. You might wish to use the quiz to structure a more guided reading session of the poem as some of the questions lend themselves to further questioning and exploration. Answers are provided.

Planned for a year 8 class, this lesson looks at Dickens’s viewpoint on slums and the methods that he uses to communicate this viewpoint. The lesson begins with a discussion about a modern slum, an introduction to the idea that vocabulary gives an indication about viewpoint and questioning intended to ensure that all pupils have a secure understanding of viewpoint before they begin to look at the extract. The extract used is from “Oliver Twist” as Oliver and his employer (‘owner’), Mr Sowerberry, go into the slums to collect the corpse of a woman. The lesson uses several hinge questions to check crucial points of understanding. Wherever a question is used, the answer is given on the subsequent slide, just for clarity. For some reason, the ppt preview does not appear in the correct order. I will try to get TES to rectify this.

This lesson can be taught in two ways depending on the students’ level of confidence and the amount of scaffolding required. The resource used is Vachel Lindsay’s “The Spider and the Ghost of the Fly” which is an extended metaphor exploring the end of a relationship. More confident students can approach the task more or less straight away (after a warm-up which asks them to explore the title and furnishes some initial ideas). The task and poem are on slide 3 which is a printable but could be displayed on the screen if you’re trying to cut down on photocopying ! The idea is that students will approach the task fairly cold and then the subsequent 7 slides can be used to support an improved response, ensuring that the response is as thorough as possible. Less confident students (for whom this was planned) can work through all of the slides so that they have a wealth of ideas on which to draw before attempting their own response.

Planned for a year 8 class as part of a unit of work on Charles Dickens, this lesson focuses on Dickens’s use of setting for characterisation. The extract used (a short one; printable is on slide 11); prior to that, the pupils are asked to look at the description of the Chocolate Room from ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, explaining how Dahl’s use of colour suggests the character of Willy Wonka. There is then a focus on concrete nouns and pupils are asked what these suggest about Willy Wonka - what aspect of his personality they might reflect. Having built confidence in this skill, the focus then shifts to the more challenging text - from ‘Great Expectations’. Having gone through some text marking, pupils are then asked to share what they think the setting suggests about Miss Havisham - then pick one aspect of that setting and write up an analytical paragraph. For homework, pupils are asked to describe a room that gives the reader clues as to their own character - describing the room’s colour, temperature, listing at least 3 concrete nouns and mentioning the view from the window.