This lesson focuses on the creation of interesting and believable characters. It is aimed at lower ability KS3 and follows on from the ‘Developing Skills in Creative Writing’ series: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/developing-skills-in-creative-writing-12079150 However, it can stand alone. Lesson Structure: Do Now Task - see cover image Feedback slide How many of the following statements in relation to fictional characters do you think are true or false? Feedback slide The importance of creative interesting and believable characters, with two examples. The major ‘Do’s’ and ‘Do Not’s’ of character creation Character planning worksheet task Tell a friend about your character Write an extract from your character’s story, with WAGOLL. The WAGOLL is about a penguin who has never learnt to swim. Peer Assessment Review

A lesson on ‘The Prelude’ for lower ability learners. It includes: Multiple choice starter based on the Romantic Movement What is ‘The Prelude’? Context sheet + tasks Suggested annotations for lower ability learners True or false to test understanding Comparison task with ‘Storm on the Island’ Review

This is a newly-differentiated version of the following resource: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/macbeth-annotated-act-one-11875448 This lower-ability version contains: The full text of Act 1, translated (same as original) Several key extracts for study Scene summaries for Scenes 2-7 A range of activities to develop understanding. Simplified contextual notes with a corresponding worksheet Key information with corresponding worksheet. This resource is aimed at lower-middle ability learners.

A lesson on Imtiaz Dharker’s ‘Tissue’ for lower ability learners. It includes: Do Now Task (see cover image) Keywords Task: architect, transparent, monolith and sepia. Learners look at a six images and suggest which keyword they represent. This worksheet is best printed in colour or at least projected at the time of use. Contextual information with ‘How far do you agree with these statements?’ worksheet Storyboarding the poem worksheet (learners insert quotes) Analysing three quotations task Comparison with ‘Ozymandias’ table Learning Review

A 46-slide PowerPoint that provides a short course in narrative and descriptive writing for GCSE. It is aimed at middle-ability KS4 and is oriented towards AQA English Language 8700, Paper 1, Question 5. The PowerPoint covers: The writing AO’s, unpacked and turned into 7 ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions The structures of 8700 Papers 1 & 2 The difference between narrative and descriptive writing Descriptive techniques organised into the acronym MRS VAN SOAPS Descriptive writing success criteria Sample descriptive writing tasks (students choose 1 of 2) A teacher-written response (presented as an extract from a full response) Peer assessment Short story structure (Freytag’s Pyramid) Exploring Freytag’s Pyramid in relation to ‘A Christmas Carol’ Sample narrative writing tasks with planning activity Narrative writing success criteria Showing and telling in fiction 4 showing tasks with sample responses DIRT tasks Narrative choice: 1st or 3rd person with picture prompt activity Self-assessment Final writing tasks (descriptive or narrative) Peer assessment Reflection opportunity. This resource incorporates others that have previously been on sale in my shop, either in their current form or slightly tweaked. If you already have these but wish to purchase this unit of work, please contact me at and we’ll try to work something out. Resources also sold separately: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/descriptive-writing-techniques-match-up-activity-11749389 https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/descriptive-writing-techniques-summary-mat-11747011 https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/short-story-planning-flow-chart-11747165 These files were last saved in Office 2016.

A PPT that teaches ‘My Last Duchess’ from the Power and Conflict Anthology. It covers: The contextual background What is a dramatic monologue? The poem, broken down into manageable chunks and annotated. A series of questions for group work. Suitable for upper-middle ability learners. An alternative lesson for the same poem is available here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/my-last-duchess-11933556

A double-sided, detailed context sheet for ‘A Christmas Carol’. As this doesn’t seem to show on the preview, the reverse side of the sheet contains a section on working conditions in the Victorian age and the ideas of Thomas Malthus. There is an accompanying worksheet on which students can write their notes. If preferred, these resources can be purchased as part of a larger unit of work on Stave One: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/a-christmas-carol-stave-one-11996048

This assessment tracker uses the 2024 grade boundaries for AQA 8702 Paper 1 and 2 (English Literature). It will generate a grade for individual sections, each paper and the overall course. Please email me using the address on my store front if you would like any adjustments made to your tracker, e.g. additional columns. Please do not send any pupil data when requesting adjustments.

A two-page guide to writing a discursive essay. The topics covered are: The purpose and content of the introduction The role of topic sentences Different forms of evidence Concluding sentences The use of counterargument The content and purpose of the conclusion This revision sheet is suitable for upper-ability learners at GCSE.

A lesson on John Agard’s ‘Checking Out Me History’ aimed at lower ability learners. It includes: Do Now task (shown on cover slide) Contextual information regarding the historical figures and events referenced in the poem, with corresponding worksheet. Link to relevant video + the meaning of ‘Eurocentric’ Quotation Hunt + Challenge Task Imagery in the poem worksheet Comparison table to complete with ‘My Last Duchess’ in terms of the presentation of the abuse of power. Review learning with challenge question.

A lesson that follows on from this introduction to speech writing for KS3: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/an-introduction-to-speech-writing-for-ks3-12049010 This is a speech-writing lesson based on the issue of gender equality. It includes: Starter - learners say to what extent they agree with a series of statements relating to men and women. Feedback slide Key Facts about Gender Equality sheet Links to Emma Watson’s HeForShe speech Planning sheet task Sample GCSE question (AQA-style) Writing time Peer assessment and review This lesson is aimed at lower-middle ability learners and should take about two hours. **UPDATE: WAGOLL now included and Slide 9 question corrected. **

This is a ‘crash course’ in Act Five aimed at lower ability learners who need to get through the text quite quickly. It includes: An overview of Act 5 (see cover image) with tasks. Scene summaries for Scenes 1, 5 and 8. A storyboard for learners to fill in for Scenes 1 and 8. On a basic level, they can use the scene summaries to create captions for each scene, although you can increase the challenge by removing the quotations as well. An activity which encourages learners to contrast the presentation of Lady Macbeth in Acts 1-3 with the sleepwalking scene. A focus on Macbeth’s ‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow’ speech. Learners number the images according to when they appear in the speech. These resources were created for low-ability learners who only had a limited amount of time in which to approach Act 5. However, you could use these as starters or revision tasks for more able learners.

This lesson enables learners to explore ‘Kamikaze’ by Beatrice Garland. It includes: Lesson Starter (see cover image) An image of the sinking US Arizona with the question, ‘When do you think this photograph was taken’? Learners discuss and then feedback. A context sheet contained a simplified explanation of the Pearl Harbour attack and the rise of Kamikaze pilots. There is a corresponding worksheet for this. A link to a BBC interview with a surviving Kamikaze pilot with three questions to answer. A sheet of questions to prompt annotation of the poem. The lesson is aimed at lower ability learners whose primary goal is understanding.

A PPT that enables an exploration of Blake’s ‘London’. It is aimed at lower ability learners whose primary focus is understanding with some analysis of language and contextual ideas. The starter/Do Now task is a multiple-choice, general knowledge quiz about London as a city. Learners then read a context sheet for the poem and respond to the associated tasks. They then read a translation of the poem and annotate their copies in their anthology. Suggested annotations included. After this, they compare ‘London’ with ‘Tissue’ in terms of the presentation of human power. The PPT concludes with a learning review. Estimated time required: 1.5 hours.

A lesson on Ted Hughes’ ‘Bayonet Charge’ for lower ability learners, It includes: Starter - a short explanation of what a bayonet is and how they were used in WW1. Learners then answer ‘Why do you think the bayonet was considered to be a suitable weapon for infantry attacks?’ Feedback slide Basic contextual information about the poet. A link to a relevant YouTube video Learners then read the poem and use choose quotations to caption six images on a storyboard depicting the main events of the poem. This is followed by a worksheet in which learners are asked to make three basic comparisons with ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ (this will have to have been covered beforehand). The table is partly filled in. Review

This assessment tracker uses the 2024 grade boundaries for AQA 8700 Paper 1 and 2 (English Language). It will generate a grade for Sections A and B of both papers and arrive at an overall grade for each paper and the whole course. Please email me using the address on my store front if you would like any adjustments made to your tracker, e.g. additional columns. Please do not send any pupil data when requesting adjustments.

Learners should cut up and match the descriptive techniques to the correct examples, focusing in on the emboldened words and phrases.

This is Birling's early capitalist speech, annotated in Active Inspire. There are two slides. Please ensure you have access to Active Inspire software before you download.

A powerpoint that teaches Duffy's 'War Photographer'. Suitable for GCSE English Literature.

Two revision clocks on PowerPoint slides: one blank and the other tailored to ‘Macbeth’.