I'm an English Teacher based in Northern Ireland, with extensive experience of delivering the CCEA Specification for GCSE and A-Level Literature and Language. I'm passionate about making resources that are effective, engaging and lesson-ready.
I also teach a little bit of KS3 Maths!
I'm an English Teacher based in Northern Ireland, with extensive experience of delivering the CCEA Specification for GCSE and A-Level Literature and Language. I'm passionate about making resources that are effective, engaging and lesson-ready.
I also teach a little bit of KS3 Maths!
This workbook acts as an engaging and accessible entry for KS3 pupils into a study of poetry.
It includes the following sections:
1. Introduction to Poetry- exploring what poetry is, what others have said about poetry and a study of "An Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins.
2. Researching the definition and examples of poetic devices.
3. Understanding and using personification.
4. Introduction to War Poetry- understanding the context of WWI, understanding and analysing imagery in 'Dulce et Decorum est" and "Who's for the Game?".
5. Poetic Form: the Haiku: examples of Haiku, Haiku guessing game and crafting Haiku.
6. Poems and Songs- understanding the similarities and differences between poems and songs, analysing songs as poems.
This Assembly has been used to promote reading among pupils.
The PowerPoint uses engaging images as prompts to guide pupils through the benefits and importance of reading, the lessons to be learned from famous novels, while also offering pupils the opportunity to discuss their favourite books. The script for the assembly is easy to follow, with corresponding slides for the PowerPoint labelled for ease.
Alternatively, a version of the powerpoint that combines the presentation and script is also included.
It is also interactive, allowing for audience participation.
This has been used as part of a wider initiative to promote reading throughout the school.
This detailed 18 slide PowerPoint has been developed to assist teachers in delivering a detailed analysis of Frost’s “Desert Places” to Literature students.
There are detailed questions that prompt critical stanza-by-stanza analysis from pupils. Each set of questions enables pupils to focus on identifying and analysing poetic methods (AO2) and strengthening their understanding of the poem.
There are detailed and focused analyses of each stanza, focusing on poetic methods (AO2) to supplement the initial notes taken by students.
Also included in this document:
-Context on Robert Frost(AO3)
-Context on “Desert Places” (AO3)
-Pre-reading tasks
-Initial reading questions
-Questions on the Theme of Grief and Loss
This detailed 24 slide PowerPoint has been developed to assist teachers in delivering a detailed analysis of Frost’s “Going for Water” to Literature students.
There are detailed questions that prompt critical stanza-by-stanza analysis from pupils. Each set of questions enables pupils to focus on identifying and analysing poetic methods (AO2) and strengthening their understanding of the poem.
There are detailed and focused analyses of each stanza, focusing on poetic methods (AO2) to supplement the initial notes taken by students.
Also included in this document:
-Context on Robert Frost(AO3)
-Context on ���Going for Water” (AO3)
-Pre-reading tasks
-Initial reading questions
-Questions on the Themes of Journeys and Childhood Experiences
These documents are designed to assist students in exploring the thematic connections (AO4) between the Frost and Heaney poems in the CCEA A Level Anthology.
In the document, pupils are prompted to use the detailed arguments and connections between pomes (AO1, AO3) to locate textual references and poetic methods (AO2) to further their analysis and understanding of the poems.
These sheets would then be used as a basis for an essay on the poems and provided topic.
The paired poems and themes include: The Road Not Taken and The Peninsula (Journeys), Mowing and The Forge (The Creative Process), Mending Wall and Bogland (The Past).
There is also a blank template for both teachers and students to use for other poems/themes and a list of thematic connections between the poems.
My A Level students have found this approach immensely beneficial in finding the connections between poems and structuring written responses.
These detailed resources have been developed to help enhance the quality of pupils' personal writing essays.
They include a checklist for a successful personal writing response, guidance on how to plan and structure responses and many sample topics to write about. Also provided are worksheets and presentations to assist pupils in using linguistic devices, effective punctuation and varied sentence starters to enhance the quality of their writing.
I have used these resources with both KS3 and GCSE students.
This detailed 52 page document is developed to assist both pupils and teachers in their understanding of the CCEA A Level Frost and Heaney poetry anthology, while guiding them towards a detailed analysis.
For each of the 24 poems in the anthology, there are detailed questions that prompt critical stanza-by-stanza and line-by-line analysis from pupils. Each set of questions enables pupils to focus on identifying and analysing poetic methods (AO2) and strengthening their understanding of each poem.
Also included in the document-
-specific contextual information for each poem (AO3)
-specific themes for each poem to assist in connections between poems (AO4)
-further prompt questions to analyse specific poetic devices (AO2).
My A Level students have found this document immensely beneficial in group work analysis and individual research and analysis.
Poems:
Frost-Into My Own, Mowing, Going For Water, Mending Wall, After Apple-Picking, The Road Not Taken, Birches, “Out, Out-”, For Once Then Something, Gathering Leaves, Acquainted With The Night, Desert Places.
Heaney- Personal Helicon, The Forge, The Peninsula, The Wife’s Tale, Bogland, The Harvest Bow, The Railway Children, The Summer of Lost Rachel, Postscript, ‘Had I not been awake’, The Conway Stewart, The Baler.
This engaging activity prompts pupils to engage with the imagery used in Wilfred Owen's war poem "Dulce et Decorum est".
Pupils are required to read the poem, while locating examples of imagery that correspond to provided images. Pupils must then document the quote from the poem and analyse the effect of the imagery, with the PowerPoint presentation providing the answer and prompting further analysis. They are also encouraged to discuss what they believe to be the most impactful use of imagery in the poem.
This activity can be used successfully in a study of War Poetry, imagery or as a supplementary activity in a KS3 History class.
This detailed 60 page document has been designed to assist students and teachers in their thematic understanding of Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale”.
For each theme, detailed interpretations of the text are provided, along with accompanying quotations and line references to assist in a student’s exploration of that theme in an essay. This has proven beneficial for my A-Level students, by having them directly engage with Chaucer’s language and methods to help achieve AO2.
Due to the repetitive nature of the Wife’s narrative, there will inevitably be some overlap with some of the themes. However, my students have found this beneficial as it has made some of the ideas easier to learn.
Themes that are explored:
Marriage
Authority / Power
Gender / Gender Roles
Gentillesse / Social Class
Male / Female Relationships
The Wife’s Narrative Style
Sexual Relationships
The Church
The Wife as a Character
Struggle for Power / Maistre
This booklet has been designed to assist pupils in their study of John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”.
Each chapter has been broken down into separate sections, each with specific questions to help guide pupils through their reading of the novel and extract important quotes to document and analyse in their exercise books / notebooks.
There is also a “Theme Tracker” throughout each section to help students engage thematically with the novel and organise thieir notes.
This detailed 24 slide PowerPoint has been developed to assist teachers in delivering a detailed analysis of Heaney’s “Bogland” to Literature students.
There are detailed questions that prompt critical stanza-by-stanza analysis from pupils. Each set of questions enables pupils to focus on identifying and analysing poetic methods (AO2) and strengthening their understanding of the poem.
There are detailed and focused analyses of each stanza, focusing on poetic methods (AO2) to supplement the initial notes taken by students.
Also included in this document:
-Context on Seamus Heaney (AO3)
-Context on “Bogland” (AO3)
-Pre-reading tasks
-Initial reading questions
-Questions on the Theme of The Past
This detailed document contains 20 sample essay questions for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, covering major characters and themes.
The questions provided are A Level standard.
This resource pack contains a detailed, chapter-by-chapter summary for Nathan Filer's "The Shock of the Fall". It can be used for both teachers and students to assist in engaging with a fragmented and unconventional narrative that is difficult to follow.
Secondly, there is a document that contains detailed character notes and textual references for crucial characters within the novel, focusing primarily on the narrator, Matt. There are also quotes and page references to assist in the analysis of language, imagery etc.
Also included is a document that contains many of the key quotes from the novel and links to external sources for contextual research. There is also a detailed document that explores the narrative style of the protagonist under the following headings: Structure, Purpose of the Narrative, Unreliable Narrator and Chapter Titles.
These resources have been made to assist my pupils who will be studying this novel for their A Level Coursework for the CCEA Specification. However, as the novel is very recent and there are not many materials on it, they will assist anyone in studying it.
This detailed 20 slide PowerPoint has been developed to assist teachers in delivering a detailed analysis of Heaney’s “Personal Helicon” to Literature students.
There are detailed questions that prompt critical stanza-by-stanza analysis from pupils. Each set of questions enables pupils to focus on identifying and analysing poetic methods (AO2) and strengthening their understanding of the poem.
There are detailed and focused analyses of each stanza, focusing on poetic methods (AO2) to supplement the initial notes taken by students.
Also included in this document:
-Context on Seamus Heaney (AO3)
-Context on Personal Helicon (AO3)
-Pre-reading tasks
-Initial reading questions
-Questions on the Themes of Childhood Experiences, Self-Discovery and Poetic Inspiration.
This bundle contains PowerPoints on every poem in the Conflict Anthology for the current CCEA GCSE Specification. These PowerPoints have been designed to promote student success in their exam response to Conflict poetry, and each one contains the following:
-Detailed, line-by-line analysis of poetic devices and language for each poem (AO2)
-Contextual information on each poet and poem (AO3)
-Related poems / themes to assist with the thematic connections within the Conflict Anthology(AO4)
-Detailed stanza-by-stanza/line-by-line questions to prompt critical analysis from pupils (AO2)
-Pre-reading tasks to assist in a thematic understanding of the poem
Included poems- The Charge of the Light Brigade, Vitai Lampada, The Man He Killed, Who’s for the Game?, Easter Monday (In Memoriam E.T.)(1917), Anthem for Doomed Youth, An Irish Airman Foresees His Death, What Lips My Lips Have Kissed And Where And Why (Sonnet XLIII), Vergissmeinnicht, Bayonet Charge, Requiem for the Croppies, Mametz Wood, Last Post, Poppies, Out of the Blue.
This detailed 22 slide PowerPoint has been developed to assist teachers in delivering a detailed analysis of Douglas’ “Vergissmeinnicht” to Literature students. This poem features in the CCEA GCSE Conflict Poetry Anthology.
There are detailed questions that prompt critical stanza-by-stanza analysis from pupils. Each set of questions enables pupils to focus on identifying and analysing poetic methods (AO2) and strengthening their understanding of the poem.
There are detailed and focused analyses of each stanza, focusing on poetic methods (AO2) to supplement the initial notes taken by students.
Also included in this document:
-Context on Keith Douglas (AO3)
-Pre-reading tasks
-Initial reading questions
-Possible thematic connections to other poems in the Conflict Anthology
These resources have been designed to assist teachers in delivering engaging lessons and activities that will foster an understanding and enjoyment of Fantasy Fiction in KS3 pupils.
Each resource includes opportunities to test prior pupil knowledge of Fantasy Fiction, explore different Fantasy Fiction texts and compare them to their on-screen counterparts.
These resources, are also used to help pupils generate ideas for their own piece of Fantasy Fiction in the form of a creative writing piece.
As a fun way to finish the lessons, there is also a Fantasy Fiction Quiz.
Included in this pack:
- Introduction to Fantasy Fiction
- Non-humans in Fantasy Fiction
- Non-human template
- Fairies in Fantasy Fiction
- Good vs Evil in Fantasy Fiction
- Codes and Riddles in Fantasy Fiction
- Codes and Riddles Worksheet
- Setting Worksheet
- Fantasy Fiction Quiz and Answers
This PowerPoint deals with the major themes in A Streetcar Named Desire.
Each theme is explored with references to each character associated with that theme, with detailed points for exploration provided.
My A Level pupils found this to be quite beneficial, assisting them in gathering quotations for critical analysis and exploring the themes in greater depth.
This detailed 26 slide PowerPoint explores several contextual areas of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” to support teachers’ and students’ understanding of the novel.
This PowerPoint is aimed at A-Level students, but can also be used for high-ability GCSE students. I have used this in my teaching of CCEA’s AS Unit 2 module to help enhance students’ use of AO3 in their written responses.
Areas of Contextual Study include the following:
Biographical Context: Mary Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, William Godwin, Percy Shelley.
Literary Context: The Gothic Novel, The Science Fiction Novel, Literary Allusions (Paradise Lost and the Prometheus Myth).
Social/Historical/Cultural Context: Age of Enlightenment, The Romantic Period/Romanticism, Scientific Discoveries and Ideas (Galvinism), Social Unrest, Gender.
Please feel free to leave a rating, review or any feedback that you have.
This detailed 17 slide PowerPoint explores several contextual areas of Shakespeare’s “Othello” as a Tragedy to support teachers’ and students’ understanding of the play.
I have used this in my teaching of CCEA’s A2 Unit 1 module (Shakespearean Genres) to help enhance students’ use of AO3 in their written responses. As students are only required to comment on the Literary Context of the play, this PowerPoint focuses solely on Tragedy.
Areas of Contextual Study include the following:
Definitions of Tragedy
Aristotle and Tragedy
Key Elements of Tragedy
Structure of Tragedy
Characters in Tragedy: The Tragic Hero, The Villain
Conventions in Tragedy
Types of Tragedy: Jacobean/ Senecan Revenge Tragedy, Political Tragedy, Domestic Tragedy
Shakespearean Tragedy
Please feel free to leave a rating, review or any feedback that you have.