This begins with a drawing activity, to emphasise the importance of conveying detail. Students are given two different versions of the same description to decide which is best, followed by a number of statements to improve upon themselves. IAMSOAP is introduced, as a method for remembering the techniques of descriptive writing. Finally, students are asked to describe three images to create atmosphere, using the techniques from IASOAP. Peer Assessment to finish.

This is a set of five lesson plans, with homework tasks and other resources, on Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

Please note: resource assumes you have a copy of the Anthony Horowitz retelling of the Greek Myths, or at least the Judgement of Paris chapter. This is a range of activities that would take 2 or 3 lessons, looking at the greek gods and working through the various stories within this myth. First activity is to match the pictures of the gods in this story with their correct descriptions. Answers supplied for easy marking. Watch 10 minute clip on the greek gods. Activity 2 is to plan Peleus and Thetis’ wedding using information from the story. Next, students examine an extract and consider how the writer uses language to build tension (English Language Paper 1 Q2 style). Find evidence to show Hera’s persuasive skills, compare the descriptions of Athena and Hera (English Paper 2 style), summarise Helen’s story using given images and choose the true statements about Troy (as in Paper 2 Q1).

A continuation of part one of my scheme (already for sale in my shop), this set of lessons continues to work through the story and develop a range of skills from English Language Paper 1 and 2. Lesson 17 contains a step by step approach to the Paper 1 Q4 English Language style question requiring students to critically evaluate a statement. Please see my shop for other quality resources - thanks!

White Fang - AQA English Language Paper 1 Reading style tasks and questions. Extract provided with a list of techniques for students to identify. Followed by group discussion and feedback of the effects of these techniques. Exam style question given, with help sheet provided if needed. Final task is a further extract which can be used as an extension of class work or homework task.

Two lessons developing students’ reading skills in a (hopefully!) creative way. Covers the characters of Gradgrind, Bill Sikes, and Scrooge. Includes extracts to analyse (included), clips to watch and ultimately to decide who the favourite villain is.

This resource contains lessons on The Storm, Piroska, Pitch, The Boy in the Boat, Nature, Mud and Monkey from Chris Priestley’s Tales of Terror from the Black Ship. Some focus on identifying and writing skills such as simile, onomatopoeia, alliteration, metaphor and inference. Aimed at Y7 & 8.

Use some images to create ideas for descriptive sentences. Look at two examples and analyse them. See how Charles Dickens does it and then have a go!

This resource is 3 ppt slides which demonstrate key ideas to bear in mind when planning a response to Q5, the narrative / descriptive question of English Language Paper 1 (AQA). It contains some key advice from a recent AQA Language training session I attended, involving getting students to consider the ‘bigger ideas’ when presented with an image for stimulus.

This resource contains reading and writing activities based on three extracts from Narnia and one from Jamaica Inn. The final activity is not extract based but requires students to imagine what the firey world of Muspelheim (Norse Mythology) might have looked like before considering how they might describe it. I have included differentiated versions too which include edited and shorter versions of the extract and slightly easier task requirements. Easy to adapt and print off.

Part Two of the introductory unit: Literature Through the Ages A further 8 lessons with pupil anthology (two separate ones for just core texts and then all texts), CPD booklet and knowledge organiser. Pupils will build on their knowledge from Part One of the unit to cover the following extracts: Daphne & Phoebus - Hesiod The Seven Pomegranate Seeds - Horowitz The Ramayana - retold by Donald A Mackenzie The Odyssey - translated from Homer Adventures of Sir Lancelet - Malory The intention of this unit is to provide students with some knowledge of how stories originated, came to be written down and how some of those same stories have been retold and developed over time, such as Horowitz’s re-telling of a popular Greek myth, in our unit. Students should understand that there does not have to be one single version of a ‘story.’ Some may have originally been made up to explain mysteries about the world and to enable humans to understand their place within it. Stories are constantly evolving and shaped by their social and historical influences. We can see, for example, that the concept of the Underworld has been around for centuries. Students will study the Underworld described in the Renaissance period by Dante, as a way of teaching his readers to live purer lives on Earth, but we can also enjoy its imaginative appearance in Rick Riordan’s modern ‘Percy Jackson’ tales. We can introduce the concept that, historically, the female figure has been presented as temptress and the cause of human suffering, an idea developed in ‘the Serpent’s Deception’ and Homer’s ‘Odyssey’, or later subverted in Le Morte d’Arthur, where the female is weak and in need of a chivalrous male to save her. We can see stories as a reaction to the beliefs and fears of society at the time. Shelley’s Frankenstein can be interpreted as a reaction to society’s distrust of the advancement of scientific experimentation. Running through all these stories is a series of symbols that capture a society’s values, beliefs and fears. Through the identification of symbolism in these stories, such as the snake in Serpent’s Deception, Daphne & Phoebus and Le Morte d’Arthur, it is hoped that our Y7s can learn to become confident in spotting symbols in future stories they read and have the confidence to critically evaluate the significance of them, in relation to their own contextual experience and a knowledge of literature throughout the ages.

Aimed at higher ability KS3 or 4, this lesson provides a range of WW1 poetry related tasks. Students are asked to consider what they already know about WW1 and create a colourful wordle (word cloud). Then, using stills from WW1 in Lego, students match lines from famous WW1 poems to the images. Finally, students decorate a template of a poppy (choice provided), with images and quotations from their learning. This could be provided as a competition. Possible introductory lesson to WW1 poetry.

This is a made up specimen descriptive writing question, with a sample response to facilitate student discussion.

An introductory task for pupils to complete on computers or phones, complete with answers for the teacher. Ideal for researching the context in which A View from the Bridge was set.

Aimed at KS3 but could be used at KS4, these four lessons introduce the idea of researching and presenting a job / career that students would like to do in the future, after looking at some celebrity jobs. Includes an interactive whiteboard game to emphasise key speaking and listening skills. Peer and self assessment are part of the lessons.

1-2 LESSONS RE-CAPPING ONOMATOPOEIA, IDENTIFYING IT IN THE POEM 'NOISE', DESCRIBING A TSUNAMI WITH VISUAL STIMULUS USING ONOMATOPOEIA AND FINALLY LOOKING AT ITS USE IN A SHORT EXTRACT OF CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

The main resource here is the Powerpoint presentation exploring three different possible exam questions for Blood Brothers. This includes a cut out activity as preparation for one of the questions. Once preparation has been completed, students can complete the question in full as a class activity. Other resources include various worksheets looking at Mickey and Eddie's friendship, the characters of Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons and some worksheets analysing characters & themes. These can be adapted for other characters too.

FOUR LESSON MINI UNIT. Lessons assume pupils have cold read The Speckled Band first. Copy of story included in resources. Starter asks pupils to watch brief clip on using speech marks in writing and then apply them in the correct places to an example of Holmes’ speech from The Speckled Band. Re-read the extract where Holmes is visited by Helen Stoner. The next tasks asks students to find the clues by finding evidence that matches the given inferences, from the extract. Then, students use a set of clues about an invented character in order to form a set of inferences. They can then describe this visitor, using conversation to include accurate direct speech punctuation (writing frame on slide 7). This lesson focuses on the villainous character of Dr Roylott. Students given short extract and asked to list and explain the connotations of his description. Example given. Then students explode a quotation describing this character, using given prompts, followed by two individually exploded quotations. Then, students to stick a further extract in their books and match the given connotations to the evidence. Read the article on Victorian Women and, using slide 10 and the information from the article, students should explain Dr Roylott’s motive for wanting both step daughters out of the way. Plenary asks students to decide how far Roylott matches up to given set of villainous character traits. Starter asks students to describe Holmes’ living room using a variety of sentence forms (examples given). Introduced to concept of foreshadowing and asked to identify methods in given extract which foreshadows later violence in the story. Followed by a further more detailed extract (could be printed on A3) which students annotate using a series of prompts to think about the signifcance of setting. Plenary asks students to draw the section of Stoke Moran described in the final slide. This lesson focuses on the relevance of symbolism in creating atmosphere - of the gypsies, animals and India. Information posters provided for teachers to put up around the room so that students can collect facts and then interpret them to understand how the symbolism helps create an atmospheric setting in Stoke Moran. Final task is to write a description of the grounds of Stoke Moran, using ideas learned in lesson.

This mini unit aims to introduce KS3 pupils to the way female figures have been historically presented in poetry. Originally written as a remote scheme, these would work equally well in the classroom. Copies of the poems are included as part of the powerpoints and can be easily found on the internet. Pupils will read a range of poems (see below) which portray views of the female, in line with the context of the time period. They will be encouraged to apply new knowledge of the context in which the poem was written, in their readings. The unit will introduce inference skills, as we consider the connotations of the poets’ language choices and imagery. Poems covered are: ‘Perfect Woman’ by William Wordsworth ‘The Lady of Shalott’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson ‘Cousin Kate’ by Christina Rossetti ‘Mirror’ by Sylvia Plath.

Wondering which quotations to set your students to revise for Blood Brothers? Here is a selection, carefully chosen for students to learn and apply to a number of different question possibilities. Each quotation includes a visual prompt to encourage further analysis and aid memory recall. There is also an explanation which highlights key methods (thinking about the play as a drama, in particular) and suggested essay themes. These slides could be printed off and displayed or made into flash cards for revision. Easily editable if you want to change or add anything.