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English Teaching Resources for All

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I am an English specialist and I am passionate about supporting all students to access the English curriculum, to achieve at the highest possible levels in their exams and to love the subject. I currently teach AQA and have created lots of full schemes of work which develop exam skills and independence. All my resources have been tried and refined in the classroom; I hope that you will find them useful.

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I am an English specialist and I am passionate about supporting all students to access the English curriculum, to achieve at the highest possible levels in their exams and to love the subject. I currently teach AQA and have created lots of full schemes of work which develop exam skills and independence. All my resources have been tried and refined in the classroom; I hope that you will find them useful.
Art in 'The Bloody Chamber' Lesson
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Art in 'The Bloody Chamber' Lesson

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Explores the artistic influences and references in 'The Bloody Chamber' (the title story of the collection) and how Carter challenges a patriarchal artistic tradition in which women are 'killed into art' (Gilbert & Gubar). Lesson slides break down key information and references to artistic movements and artists. Most slides provide a question for students to consider individually, in pairs or as a group, allowing them to build knowledge and understanding. A detailed booklet is provided as reading material for homework.
Chaucer Merchant's Tale Context Revision Resource
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Chaucer Merchant's Tale Context Revision Resource

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An A3 double-sided revision resource for Chaucer and The Merchant's Tale context. Includes information on Chaucer's life, The Canterbury Tales, the marriage tales, use of irony, conventions of medieval poetry, the medieval Church, contemporary beliefs about poverty and death, Chaucer's earlier great poem Troilus & Criseyde and specific symbolism, imagery and references in The Merchant's Tale. My students found this a really useful go-to for context revision as the information can seem overwhelming, but here it's brought together in one place.
48 Lesson Animal Farm AQA GCSE Scheme of Work - Fully Resourced
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48 Lesson Animal Farm AQA GCSE Scheme of Work - Fully Resourced

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• Fully-resourced 12 Week Animal Farm Scheme. • 48 lessons including fully-planned and resourced assessments. Includes 8 peer/self-assessments, 4 teacher assessments and 4 structured D.I.R.T lessons. • The content is deliberately designed to be challenging, in terms of concepts, vocabulary and context. An illustration of activities includes: Mini Lectures, frequent assessment and opportunities for extended writing, research lessons, contextual source material drawn from GCSE History, high level modelling materials and frequent use and repetition of sophisticated vocabulary. • There is a focus on mastery of key technical writing skills. Writing skills lessons & activities are interleaved to prepare students for the SPaG element of the AQA GCSE qualifications. There are a number of fluency activities. • A ‘language through literature’ approach is taken, with the inclusion of reading and writing tasks clearly linked to AQA English GCSE Language Papers 1 & 2. • Homework is inbuilt and is called Independent Study; it is designed to be challenging. It is an essential element of the scheme and linked class activities are based upon independent study tasks. The aim is to improve students’ independent study skills, reform their view of ‘homework’ so that they understand its central role in their learning and significantly improve the rate and quality of completion. The level of challenge increases over the course of the scheme. • D.I.R.T lessons are planned into the scheme for the lesson after the teacher assessment; however, this is a ‘floating’ lesson and there is flexibility in when it is delivered to accommodate marking. It should ideally be delivered within 4 lessons of the assessment. The D.I.R.T lessons will include both structured and independent tasks. • All resources are included with the exception of the following, which I cannot include for copyright reasons: 1. The OCR GCSE Russian History Source Pack which is required for some Independent Study and 2. The article required in Week 5, Lesson 1, ‘The Ghosts of Yalta Still Haunt The World’ by Richard Ebbing. Both resources can be found on Google. • Detailed teaching instructions & differentiation suggestions are contained within the notessection of each PowerPoint slide. • For referencing and page number purposes, the Penguin Classics 2000 edition of the text has been used.
Chaucer Context Research Activity
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Chaucer Context Research Activity

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A research activity on Chaucer which requires students to work independently and work through different levels of questions. (I’ve used SOLO Taxonomy to provide a range of questions). The resources included are: a detailed contextual booklet on Chaucer’s life, The Canterbury Tales, and a history of Pilgrimage; differentiated questions which require students to read the booklet and do their own research. This is an effective introductory lesson for A Level study of Chaucer and provides much of the contextual knowledge required by OCR.
A Passage to Africa Detailed Notes - For Teachers or Students
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A Passage to Africa Detailed Notes - For Teachers or Students

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Detailed 2-page resource of analytical notes on 'A Passage to Africa' by George Alagiah - for use with Section B of the Edexcel IGCSE in English Language. I prepared these notes for first-teaching of the extract but also ultimately gave them to students who found them very useful for revision purposes. The notes begin by focusing on purpose, audience and form and then focus in close detail on key linguistic and structural choices made by the writer. This helped my students to gain the in-depth and high level knowledge and skills required to score well on this section.
Romeo & Juliet Character Knowledge Organiser - Detailed
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Romeo & Juliet Character Knowledge Organiser - Detailed

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A 32-page character revision resource for Romeo and Juliet covering twenty characters in depth. This booklet is designed to give students the thorough and highly detailed knowledge required by the new GCSE. The character profiles for major characters contain: - Key Facts - Character Function & Development (focusing in detail on how each character functions at a symbolic level and how they develop over the course of the play) - Characteristics - Key plot points in the play - Key Quotations - Summary of themes linked with the character Key summaries are also provided for minor characters, e.g. Peter, Potpan, Abram and Balthasar, the Chorus. Although the focus is on character, the resource also provides much detail on key events and themes, motifs and context. In addition, at the end of the resource, there is a summary section of character development over the course of the play - half of these are completed as examples and students can complete the second half themselves. I have used this resource to: - Provide staggered revision homework and followed up with tests on each character - As a support resource for essay-writing - As a way to introduce characters or explore them in more depth as a class. - As a research resource for jigsaw learning activities, dividing the class into groups and assigning a major character to each group. - To help students understand how to think about character function and development. Differentiation can be done in a number of ways - through the character assigned to a student, the sections they are asked to work on, and the number and length of quotations they are expected to revise. This is a particularly useful resource for a high-ability group with high target grades. It gives them the level of detail and breadth of knowledge that will allow their essays to stand out, and is designed to get them thinking at a functional and symbolic level considering the whole of the play. Any questions, please ask.
Jekyll & Hyde GCSE Revision Guide & Workbook
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Jekyll & Hyde GCSE Revision Guide & Workbook

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A twenty-two page revision guide on The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Contains a combination of information and activities for students to work through, taking them back to the text and asking them to think deeply and independently about characters, language, themes and context. Once completed, the activities then act as a further revision resource for students. This was written with the new AQA GCSE specification in mind and has information on the AQA assessment objectives, but beyond that would be useful for revising the text for any exam board. The booklet includes sections on: The AQA paper and assessment objectives Author Biography Plot Themes & Context Character function, traits and quotations Form and Narrative Structure Language and Structure Nineteenth Century Art and the unconscious mind Setting Practice extract question I have found this very useful as a homework pack for a half term/term, which can be reflected on and further discussed and developed in lessons. Differentiation is inbuilt - for example, a range of quotations is provided for the character activities. Students can analyse and learn a selection of these, or all of them, depending on skill level. A straightforward author biography is provided which will contain sufficient context for some students, but context is returned to in much greater depth in the 'themes and context' section of the booklet to provide stretch and challenge. The section on 19th century art could be used as an optional extension for targeted students or be used to challenge a whole class to develop their contextual knowledge even further. Any questions, please just ask. Thanks.
24 Lesson SoW -AQA GCSE English Language: Fiction Texts
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24 Lesson SoW -AQA GCSE English Language: Fiction Texts

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• 8 Week, 24 Lesson Scheme designed for teaching or revision of GCSE-level fiction reading skills. The scheme was created specifically for AQA English Language GCSE Paper 1, but may be useful for schools doing other exam boards. It aims to develop whole-text reading skills from the outset. • The scheme predominantly focuses on responding to reading questions, but there are some linked writing lessons in which students plan/create their own fiction texts. • Week 1 and 8 are set aside for baseline and final testing using exam-board papers of your choice, hence the resources included start at Week 2 and finish at Week 7. • The texts are taken from the AQA Anthology ‘Telling Tales’ and the AQA Paper 1 Reading Support Booklet, or are included as individual extracts. I cannot include the AQA Anthology or Reading Support booklet here for copyright reasons, but the anthology is available for order free of charge here for schools doing AQA. The reading support booklet is available online as a PDF here: https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/english/AQA-87001-RSB.PDF • The texts/extracts covered are: 1. My Polish Teacher’s Tie (Helen Dunmore); 2. Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (Roddy Doyle). 3. Goldfinger (Ian Fleming); 4. Bring Up the Bodies (Hilary Mantel); 5. Remarkable Creatures (Tracy Chevalier). 5. I’m the King of the Castle (Susan Hill). 6. The Thirty-Nine Steps (John Buchan); 7. Chemistry (Graham Swift); 8. Birdsong (Sebastian Faulks). 9. Spies (Michael Frayn). 10. The White Tiger (Aravind Adiga). 11. The Awakening (Kate Chopin – Extra Challenge Reading). • Assessments: Baseline Paper 1 assessment (your choice); 2 teacher assessments with 2 D.I.R.T lessons; 2 peer/self-assessments; final Paper 1 Exam (your choice) • The D.I.R.T lesson is planned into the scheme for the lesson after the teacher assessment; however, this is a ‘floating’ lesson and there is flexibility in when it is delivered to accommodate marking. It should be delivered within 4 lessons of the assessment to ensure timely feedback. The D.I.R.T lesson will include both structured and independent tasks. • There is a focus on mastery of whole-text reading skills and technical writing skills. Interleaved activities are planned to prepare students for the independent reading requirement, the creation of their own non-fiction texts, as well as the SPaG element of the AQA GCSE qualifications. There are a number of fluency activities. • Homework is inbuilt but is called Independent Study and is designed to be challenging. It is an essential element of the scheme and linked class activities are based upon independent study tasks. The aim is to improve students’ independent study skills, reform their view of ‘homework’ so that they understand its central role in their learning and significantly improve the rate and quality of completion. • Teaching instructions & differentiation suggestions are contained within the notes of the PowerPoint slides.**
Angela Carter Biography - For The Bloody Chamber
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Angela Carter Biography - For The Bloody Chamber

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A valuable resource to help meet the context Assessment Objective for 'The Bloody Chamber'. This is a summary of key extracts from Edmund Gordon's recent biography of Carter, 'The Invention of Angela Carter'. Includes fascinating and revealing comments from Carter's personal writings which can be directly connected to The Bloody Chamber tales. My students found this very interesting and useful.
Bloody Chamber Bluebeard & Postmodernism Intro Lesson
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Bloody Chamber Bluebeard & Postmodernism Intro Lesson

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Set 'Bluebeard' as homework reading then do this lesson, which tests student's knowledge of the text and asks them to rewrite it in the style of Angela Carter. Post-modernism is then introduced (clear explanation provided) and students read and assess each others' rewritten stories for post-modernist traits. Finally, students consider quotations from critics and Carter herself examining the nature of revisionist fairy tales. There is a homework question on how far Carter is postmodern writer in the tales studied so far. *Note - This lesson presupposes that students have read 'Bluebeard' but have not yet read 'The Bloody Chamber'. They should be familiar with Carter's style and should have read at least one of her other stories (I always start with 'The Werewolf').
Chaucer Merchant's Tale - Marriage and January & May's Relationship Activities
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Chaucer Merchant's Tale - Marriage and January & May's Relationship Activities

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A bundle of three handy resources on the Marriage Tales and the presentation of January & May's relationship. 'Mapping the Marriage Tales' allows students to summarise each of the marriage tales and plot them on a 'graph' based on the view of marriage presented and who is in charge (videos of the four tales are on YouTube!). The 'Sympathy Graph' is useful for assessing how sympathetic May & January are at different points in the tale. 'The Wedding Night Experience' requires students to explore May and January's different experiences of the consummation of the marriage.
A Level Gothic Literature - Guide to writing a comparative thesis
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A Level Gothic Literature - Guide to writing a comparative thesis

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A 3-page guide to writing a comparative thesis paragraph for the A Level Gothic Literature unit. The resource includes: 1. An explanation of what a thesis is. 2. The golden rules of thesis-writing. 3. A model thesis paragraph comparing The Tell-Tale Heart with The Fall of the House of Usher, focusing on the extent to which they are Gothic texts. 4. Two pages of sentence stems for essay-writing - these are useful for all Literature essays, not just Gothic. I used this resource as the basis for a lesson in which students worked in pairs to write their own comparative thesis on a different pair of Gothic texts, using the model and rules for guidance, first getting them to read the model and articulate what made it an effective opening paragraph. Alternatively, if your students have studied these texts, they could write the rest of the essay, using the thesis paragraph as a road map. *Please note, if you have purchased my 'Essay Writing Guide for A Level and GCSE', the sentence stems in this resource are the same as in that.
GCSE English Non-Fiction Writing Models
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GCSE English Non-Fiction Writing Models

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Four non-fiction model writing responses that I created to help students prepare for the non-fiction writing section of GCSE English Language. The models are as follows: A persusasive letter from a teacher to the school Principal about changes to the school canteen (398 words - suitable for middle or lower ability groups). A letter to a friend who is coming to stay describing the things they can see and do in the area. This is a hybrid of letter writing and travel writing, combining the skills of writing to describe, explain and inform (945 words - this is a lengthy, high level response suitable for middle or higher ability groups). A travel-writing article about Isafjordur in Iceland (452 words - suitable for a range of groups). A stop-smoking leaflet, aimed at persuading teenagers to quit smoking (381 words - suitable for a range of groups). Any questions, just ask!
IGCSE Anthology Teacher Notes for Touching the Void, Passage to Africa and Your Guide to Beach Safety.
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IGCSE Anthology Teacher Notes for Touching the Void, Passage to Africa and Your Guide to Beach Safety.

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Detailed teacher notes resources for the following Edexcel IGCSE English Language Anthology texts: - Touching the Void - A Passage to Africa - Your Guide to Beach Safety I created these as a teaching guide for myself but also gave them to students for revision purposes. They achieved very highly in their exam so these notes were effective. Please see individual resources for further details.
Anne Frank Diary Analysis Model Answer - for Edexcel IGCSE or other GCSE boards.
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Anne Frank Diary Analysis Model Answer - for Edexcel IGCSE or other GCSE boards.

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This model answer responds to the June 2013 paper of the Edexcel IGCSE English Language, which contained two extracts from Anne Frank's diary. The exam paper can be accessed on the Edexcel website if you wish to use the extracts with your students. Although this was created specifically for the IGCSE, it is a useful example of analysis for use with any GCSE English class. I created this model to demonstrate sophisticated and in-depth analysis to my top set students. The response is detailed - 635 words - and provides students with high target grades with a good level of challenge. Any questions, just ask!
Your Guide to Beach Safety - Detailed Notes for Teachers or Students
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Your Guide to Beach Safety - Detailed Notes for Teachers or Students

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Detailed 2-page resource of analytical notes on 'Your Guide to Beach Safety' plus past questions on the extract - for use with Section B of the Edexcel IGCSE in English Language. I prepared these notes for first-teaching of the extract but also ultimately gave them to students who found them very useful for revision purposes. The notes begin by focusing on purpose, audience and tone and then focus in close detail on key linguistic and structural choices made by the writer. This helped my students to gain the in-depth and high level knowledge and skills required to score well on this section of the IGCSE exam.
Touching the Void - Detailed Notes for Teachers & Students
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Touching the Void - Detailed Notes for Teachers & Students

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Detailed 3-page resource of analytical notes on 'Touching the Void' plus a list of past questions on the extract - for use with Section B of the Edexcel IGCSE in English Language. I prepared these notes for first-teaching of the extract but also ultimately gave them to students who found them very useful for revision purposes. The notes begin by focusing on purpose, audience and tone and then focus in close detail on key linguistic and structural choices made by the writer. This helped my students to gain the in-depth and high level knowledge and skills required to score well on this section.
Sentence Stems Display - For speaking and writing - 65 Slides
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Sentence Stems Display - For speaking and writing - 65 Slides

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A display of sentence stems to help students verbalise their ideas using academic language. 65 slides in total - two 'title' slides which works well at the centre of the display and 63 different sentence stems. The sentence stems range from straightforward (e.g. 'This quotation suggests...') to complex (e.g. 'The dichotomy between [civilisation and savagery] underpins the novel'.) Lots of examples from a range of literary texts including Lord of the Flies, Macbeth, Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet. Ellipses and square brackets show students where they can insert their own relevant text/character/theme. There are also definitions of key words on many of the slides, e.g. 'quotation', 'inference', implies' etc. I have had this display in every classroom I've taught in and use it every day in discussions and writing with students, to help them verbalise complex ideas and use more formal language. This translates really well into essay writing and my students also use the display as a reference point when writing. *The preview doesn't display properly - the slides are formatted properly but for some reason this isn't showing in the preview.*
Romeo and Juliet Bundle
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Romeo and Juliet Bundle

4 Resources
Four Romeo & Juliet resources, suitable for revision or other activities. Bundle includes: - Detailed character profiles knowledge organiser (32 pages). Focuses on character role, function, development, links to themes, and key quotations. Designed to give students the rigorous knowledge they need for the new GCSE specification. - Key Motifs quotation resource - a 2-page resource with 27 quotation organised by key motifs including light & darkness, stars and religion. Perfect for focused revision. - A3 double-sided themes & characters quotation revision resource. Contains over a considerable range of quotations, demonstrating the crucial links between theme and characters and also leaving space for students to add their own additional quotations. - Treatment of women workbook, giving key contextual knowledge on women’s roles and space for students to complete tables about key female characters plus Lord Capulet and his attitude to women.
Nineteenth Century Short Stories Resources
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Nineteenth Century Short Stories Resources

5 Resources
Resources for teaching The New Windmill Nineteenth Century Short Stories collection, including: 1. An in-depth, 30 page revision guide for the New Windmill Book of Nineteenth Century Short Stories on the Edexcel IGCSE English Literature Course. For each story, there is: - An overview, covering key points on characterisation, plot and themes. Links are made between the stories where relevant. - Key quotations - A list of key themes. 2. Country Living SOLO Taxonomy Questions - 14 questions on the short story 'Country Living' by Guy De Maupassant based on SOLO Taxonomy principles. The questions are designed to be done after a first reading of the story to check and develop students' understanding of the plot, context and characters in a phased way. They are divided into sections of 'Unistructural', 'Multistructural', 'Relational' and 'Extended Abstract' going from basic, building-block knowledge of the story to abstract connections to contemporary ideas and writing. Students choose a starting point appropriate to their current skill and knowledge level; equally, they could work in differentiated groups, with each group taking a set of questions to answer. 3. 14 questions on the short story 'Napoleon and the Spectre' by Charlotte Bronte based on SOLO Taxonomy principles, designed similarly to those above for Country Living. 4. Nine comprehension and analysis questions on the short story 'The Nightingale and the Rose' by Oscar Wilde requiring in-depth, critical responses. The questions are designed to be done after a first reading of the story to check and develop students' understanding of the plot, characters and themes. This is a useful classwork or homework resource. 5. Three sets of questions on the short stories 'News of the Engagement', 'The Unexpected' and 'Hop Frog' from the New Windmill collection. The questions are designed to be done after a first reading of the story to check and develop students' understanding of the plot, context and characters. There is a combination of comprehension and analysis questions. This would make an effective classwork, homework or flipped learning task if you asked students to read the story independently before completing the questions.