A series of Cambridge- style essay questions on all 15 poems from "Songs of Ourselves" Vol 1 Part 5 , (Because I Could Not Stop for Death, etc) made up by my two IGCSE classes. Great for revision and essay skills.

A set of 22 vivid photographs to be used as inspiration for descriptive, narrative or discursive writing. The pictures are open to interpretation and can be used in multiple ways. The resource includes a brainstorming template for students to use to organise their initial ideas. The download includes both a PPT and PDF version of the images and student template.

A collection of IGCSE essay- style questions made up by my class (and edited by me) for revision purposes on poems 1-6 from Volume 1 Part 5 of “Songs of Ourselves” (Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” through to Nichols’ “Praise Song”- examinable 2017). Not a particularly pretty handout, but I hope you’ll find it useful!

This poster adds a splash of colour to your classroom walls whilst fostering an environment where kindness flourishes and encouraging students to think before they speak; especially when it comes to gossip, rumours and bullying. Appropriate for all age groups.

An eye- catching brainstorm style poster on how to create a mind map. Print, laminate and display in classrooms or use as part of a revision/study skills unit. Suitable for Secondary School If you find this useful please take a second to review it! See my complete set of study skill posters in my store! https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/26-pre-exam-revision-tips-posters-11925026?theme=0

This 8 page resource introduces the main devices found in the poem including the main features of an Italian and Shakespearean sonnet, iambic pentameter, imagery, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia and a Cambridge- style essay question at the end in which the understanding gathered from the various activities can be applied to write the essay. This would be a great resource for a first reading and teaching of Owen's poem with the focus on revising the literary devices found in the poem and building up an informed response to the writing which can then be used for the cumulative task of writing a Cambridge style essay.

This 5 page worksheet is a break- down of the STILTS acronym which is a useful and easy tool to arm students with when analyzing a poem for the first time. This worksheet gives an overview of how STILTS works and then asks students to apply it to Maya Angelou’s “Africa”. It rounds off the exercise with a sample unseen Cambridge style essay question (Syllabus 0486 Paper 42) where the student is asked to plan the essay using the analysis techniques described and practised in the worksheet. Updated to include a teacher’s copy with basic answers to guide the lesson!

This reflective learning handout is designed as a self- assessment tool for students prior to handing in an assignment for marking. The 1-10 scale is a simple way for students to express how they feel they performed on a piece of work, and the follow- on questions allow them to jot down notes for their own future use. It allows students to pin- point their perceived strengths and weaknesses while the topic is still fresh in their minds and before the teacher provides external feedback. The completed handout can be attached to assignments and used by students to refer back to before exams; it also allows teachers to gauge whether students are on track and if they have clear and realistic expectations of their own learning. There are two slightly different versions of the assessment form here: one asks students to draw an emoji which corresponds with the 1-10 scale of their work; the other asks for students to simply indicate a score from 1 to 10 on the scale.

This ‘Mingle Bingo’ is a great ice- breaker for the start of the year. There are 25 spots on the card, each describing a physical attribute (such as green eyes), a capability (such as being able to lick your elbow!) or something specific about family and home (such as having a dog, or having two sisters). Students embark on a scavenger hunt to find someone in the class who fits that description . There are two slightly different Bingo cards (although they do have some of the same points on them) which could be used together with everyone randomly handed one or the other, or choose which you prefer according to what you know about characteristics within your class. The idea is that everyone mingles and asks each other specific questions. When students find someone who “ticks” one of the boxes on their sheet, that person writes their name down in the space provided. Each person can only be used once, so students have to use a little bit of tactical thinking about whose name to place where! For smaller classes adjust the game by giving students a certain number of boxes to fill in, or ask them to complete a row or two. The activity would also be great for use in a module on Geneticsas many of the Bingo boxes ask about characteristics which are dominant and recessive genes. The cards could also be used in an English as Second Language class in an activity about describing people.

A series of 45 conversation cards, ranging from the pure ridiculous through to real mind- bogglers! Print, cut and laminate and keep as a deck of cards to use year after year to break the ice with a new class, to fill awkward spaces of time or as discursive and argumentative writing or debate topics. Encourage students to elaborate on their answers and talk about themselves. These are suitable for a wide range of ages from Elementary/ Primary all the way to Secondary/ High School students. There is also a Black & White set included for more economical printing, and a blank template so you can add in more of your own, or reverse the activity and ask students to make up some for themselves!

A set of 12 statements regarding power, ambition and the supernatural which ask students to state how strongly they agree or disagree with each. The statements are tenuously linked to the main themes of “Macbeth” but do not outright reference the play. Use this activity as a starter to get students thinking about the main ideas and potentially empathizing with the characters or understanding their motives.

This 19 slide PowerPoint presentation is an excellent introduction to Owen’s “Anthem for Doomed Youth”. It provides a basic biography, a line-by- line analysis of the poem including points of interest and discussion, and ends with an IGCSE/GCSE style essay question. It could also be used for revision and recap purposes.

A classroom poster which will constantly evolve as you add new words to it. Put words on trial and send them to Siberia! This resource gives an overview of the idea and contains printable templates to get you started. This can be used with a wide range of ages, just adapt the display accordingly.

This 10 slide PowerPoint is great to accompany a first reading of Nichols’ “Praise Song for My Mother”. It offers biographical information and then contains a stanza by stanza break down with points of interest which can be discussed either altogether in class or as a small group activity. It ends with a GCSE/ IGCSE style essay question and a series of bullet point questions to serve as scaffolding and guidance in writing the essay.

Make the catch- up process easier on the absent student. Take the pressure off the teacher. Foster a sense of responsibility and peer duty in class! A simple black and white template to guide students in writing notes for their buddy on what was missed when absent. Includes instructions on use for teachers. Buddy up everyone in your class and when someone’s buddy is absent from school they grab a form and fill in the details of what is covered in class that day, as well as taking any worksheets or handouts for them.

Missing work acknowledgment form for students to fill in when work has not been handed in. Designed to create accountability in learners, they fill in this form to acknowledge and explain their actions and sign off on the consequences. These can be stuck into work books or kept on file for the teacher’s own records. There is also a space for students to suggest what they could do in the future to prevent the same from recurring, thus encouraging reflective learning.

This is a great revision exercise to get students to re- visit the text and consider Macbeth and how his moods and personality changes as the play progresses. This graph maps Macbeth’s confidence levels on the y- axis and the play’s acts on the x-axis. Students think back to each major shift in Macbeth’s characterand plot his confidence or fear at the time on the graph in order to create a one page visual representation of his tyrannical descent. Appropriate for any levels studying the play.

A fun activity to introduce students to the concept of prophecy and to later question whether Macbeth was driven by greed and manipulated into creating his own destiny, or whether the witches’ prophecies really did come true! Cut out the 30 “prophecies” provided and have students pick one from a hat. Give students a week to see if any of their prophecies come true (they are all pretty vague, some of them are bound to!) There is a summative handout for students to complete after and from here a general class discussion and sharing of stories will give students something to think about and later link to the question of Macbeth’s fate.

*UPDATED TO INCLUDE AN EXTRA SET IN PRINTER- FRIENDLY BLACK & WHITE! (PRINT ON COLOURED CARD FOR THE SAME EFFECT) This vivid set of 26 posters offers tips to help your students to have a successful and less stressful exam period. Suitable for Secondary/ High School age groups. They can be printed and laminated and used year after year in your class, displayed altogether to create a striking, alluring and informative wall or brought out individually and used as interchangeable classroom decor. There is no set order they need to be displayed in. Also INCLUDES a mind map poster and additional exam day tips. (The full set of 52 posters are available for download in a Zip file; additional copies are included so that you can view a sample before purchase)

An exercise designed to get your students thinking critically about the main themes and storyline of “Romeo and Juliet”. Print a copy of these statements for each student and give then 5 minutes to decide and indicate how strongly they feel about each statement. Follow this with group or class discussion.