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Tess of the d'Urban Quills

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I'm a passionate secondary English and History teacher and am the main planner of resources for my department; as such, I thought I would start sharing them here with the wider community of teachers and professionals. I am Australian trained, but currently teaching GCSE and A- Level (AQA specifications). All lessons are very visually engaging, with images, clips and a variety of activities. You won't find any boring/blank resources here!

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I'm a passionate secondary English and History teacher and am the main planner of resources for my department; as such, I thought I would start sharing them here with the wider community of teachers and professionals. I am Australian trained, but currently teaching GCSE and A- Level (AQA specifications). All lessons are very visually engaging, with images, clips and a variety of activities. You won't find any boring/blank resources here!
Year 8 Exam Papers
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Year 8 Exam Papers

(27)
At our school, year 7, 8 and 9 all do formative and summative assessments that mimic the GCSE style Language Paper 1. Students are given a literary extract and then complete the following: One comprehension question One language analysis quesiton One creative writing question in response to a prompt. These are some exam papers that I created for my class to practise, and can be used either at the beginning of term as a broad diagnostic of skills, part way through the term to assess progress, or as a end of year paper. The three extracts for these papers are from The Hobbit, The Eye of the World, and The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.
Year 7: Writing a book review
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Year 7: Writing a book review

(1)
I set this for my low-ability year 7 class just before the half-term break (holiday homework!), but you can use this lesson at any point throughout the term. A lesson that introduces book reviews and provides students with a checklist for writing their own. The worksheet helps students understand how to structure their review. Enjoy!
Year 7/8: Short Stories 3 Lessons
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Year 7/8: Short Stories 3 Lessons

(2)
Suitable for higher ability classes, these 3-4 lessons cover: - An introduction to the short story form - Recap of form, language and structure - An analysis of the short story “The Flowers” by Alice Walker - Creative writing - Self and peer marking activities Enjoy :)
Literary Devices Quiz
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Literary Devices Quiz

(7)
A good formative or summative revision tool. This quiz is included in my "Literary Devices" pack (22 lessons covering all different language techniques geared at KS3-4) but am posting it for free as it can be used separately. Enjoy :)
Year 7: Villain's Speeches
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Year 7: Villain's Speeches

(1)
My year 7s are studying non-fiction at the moment, which I personally find very boring! To spice things up, we’ve been looking at non-fiction textual forms through the theme of comic books (see my other lessons for examples). This lesson/2 lessons examines the features of speeches, with examples being the grand speeches comic villains perform. Included: Two clips of Ego and Bane- why are their speeches convincing? Analysis activities for the Joker’s speech from The Dark Knight Model critical paragraph Creative: students write their own villain speech Extension: Students create a comic page featuring their villain and given speech. My class loved it. Enjoy!
Year 7/8: Form, Structure, Language
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Year 7/8: Form, Structure, Language

(1)
A great lesson for introducing these English terms or revising them. The lesson looks at the poem “I Carry Your Heart” by EE Cummings; an excellent poem for examining language, structure and form. Lots of structured activities included: paragraph writing, revision of language techniques, peer marking, and an extension creative writing task.
Cat in the Rain- Short Story lesson
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Cat in the Rain- Short Story lesson

(1)
A lesson for a mixed ability KS3 class, analysing the short story form and Hemingway’s application of the “Icerbeg Theory”. Activities include: Key words Information about Hemingway and summaries Introduction to iceberg theory Applying iceberg theory to creative writing Reading, comprehending and analysing the short story “Cat in the Rain” There is individual, paired, and whole-class activities included. Enjoy!
GCSE Jekyll & Hyde Unit of Work
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GCSE Jekyll & Hyde Unit of Work

(1)
Find enclosed all resources required for teaching an entire scheme of work for "The Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde" (AQA GCSE). - All lessons and activities covering themes, plot, characters, language, context and critical theory - Formative "Hot Task" assessment - Worksheets - Termly homework grid - How to write an essay- two part lessons for surmising the unit. 25-30 lessons of content in total. I am teaching this currently- enjoy!
Literacy Placemat
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Literacy Placemat

(1)
To be used alongside literacy units- helpful toolbox for students to have on their desks or in their books while working on literacy tasks.
The Awakening , Kate Chopin - AQA A Level
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The Awakening , Kate Chopin - AQA A Level

(3)
This unit of work is designed for AQA’s A Level “Love through the Ages”, looking at Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening.” All content is what I taught over the course of two terms. Find enclosed - Whole lessons covering plot, context of creole culture etc - Worksheets - Critical theory (particularly philosophy of Descartes, Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre and de Beauvoir) Enjoy!
KS3- Years 7/8: Myths & Legends
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KS3- Years 7/8: Myths & Legends

(1)
A scheme of work with 15 lessons, all power-points, resources and activities included. I created this for my year high ability year 7 class- is suitable for KS3 or low ability KS4. Myths and legends covered include: Prometheus, Pandora’s Box, Hercules, Perseus, Beowulf, Medusa and the Canterbury Tales. Skills are focused around identifying language techniques and writing both critically and creatively, while understanding the role of myth storytelling in human literary history. I’ve also included a termly homework project.
Year 7: Introduction to Poetry
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Year 7: Introduction to Poetry

(0)
My year 7s are about to undertake a poetry unit, and so I thought I'd share my first two lessons. Lesson one covers form, structure and language with related activities. Lesson two looks at meaning in the poem "The Word Party" which is a great introduction poem for little newbies. Happy new year everyone!
Lady Macbeth & Women in "Macbeth"
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Lady Macbeth & Women in "Macbeth"

(2)
A single lesson for higher set classes studying "Macbeth." Examines the role of women (Lady Macbeth, Hecate, Lady Macduff and the witches) in the play. Original analysis by myself included- can be printed as a "write on the reading" activity for students.
GCSE Power & Conflict: Comparing Checking Out Me History & The Emigree`
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GCSE Power & Conflict: Comparing Checking Out Me History & The Emigree`

(0)
These three lessons walk students through writing an essay that compares Checking Out Me History and The Emigree. Activities include: Higher order AO1 terminology for comparing poems Language, form and structure Higher-order contextual ideas Scaffolds and writing structures for introductions and paragraphs Models for both of these See the notes section at the bottom of PP slides for instructions for each activity. Enjoy!
Year 10/11: Language Paper 2 (Perspectives & Viewpoints) Q4
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Year 10/11: Language Paper 2 (Perspectives & Viewpoints) Q4

(1)
For GCSE Language Paper 2 (non-fiction), this lesson facilitates students’ development of comparison and critical writing skills, for question 4 of the exam. Clips introduce comparison skills, which are consolidated in examining non-fiction extracts surrounding the Titanic (original news report and survivor’s journal).
Year 9: Crime & Punishment unit
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Year 9: Crime & Punishment unit

(0)
Introducing my 12 week Crime & Punishment unit! Introduce your students to the two GCSE language papers through this fun unit, focusing on the crime and detective genre. This program of study explores the history of the detective genre, conventions, characterisation, archetypes, language, genre, textual form, and structure. Students will build their critical and creative writing skills through a close study of several key 19th century and modern crime texts, such as “The Speckled Band” and “Perfume: Story of a Murderer.” They will experiment with crafting crime stories of their own. The unit is split between fiction and non-fiction, so as to cover the skills required for the GCSE Language Papers 1 and 2, questions 1, 2, 3 and 5. Included: All power-points and lesson resources Worksheets and homework A social justice project focusing on the inquiry question: when is the law unjust? You can choose to therefore draw connections between the Crime & Punishment unit and real-world application. We personally took part in the Amnesty International “Write for Rights” Campaign, where we investigated unjust political processes around the world and unfair detainment of political prisoners. Practise GCSE Language Paper 1 exam Group projects (2-4 lessons alone) Model texts (non-fiction and fiction) I’m very proud of this unit- I hope you enjoy!