A-Level English Literature - KS5 - extracts from texts spanning a thousand years. - activities outlined with focus on semantic analysis, contextual research, and critical approaches - ideal introduction to prose writing styles for synoptic units at A-Level - challenge for more able - differentiated tasks included - preparation for Oxbridge candidates looking to cover a broad sweep of literary heritage

Using a copy of The Machine Stops (E M Forster) which may be found here: http://archive.ncsa.illinois.edu/prajlich/forster.html NB: students should have read story before lesson. Challenge Question (on board at the start of lesson): what would your most frightening dystopian future be? (connect it to the world as it is now...) - share best on paper pinned to the board for later inspiration for others. Discuss rules for effective group work - one speaker at a time / listen actively / build on ideas... 1. 3 or 6 groups (equal size) each discuss and make notes on one of the three discussion tasks (tasks are increasingly complex: character, genre, concept) 2. form new triads made up of one student from each of the three tasks - share ideas with a new central Q: What might readers find difficult to understand in the story? how would you explain it to them? 3. Students work independently on the personal response section - pause after twenty minutes to peer review progress and give feedback before editing and finishing. Additional idea: use http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heAVOA8iyCw (top ten dystopian film ideas - some moderate violence included) students should draw, describe or act out a trailer for a new dystopian book idea. Could be followed up with some study of other dystopian fiction: V for Vendetta - Alan Moore Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins The Maze Runner - James Dashner 1984 - George Orwell

MACBETH - drama / writing lesson for KS3 or KS4 1. Rank order crimes based on how evil they are. Discuss: how you can judge how evil a crime is - eg. act vs outcome, intention, circumstance how they should be punished (if death penalty were not available). 2. Students choose a specific crime to write about / perform as a monologue. Spend time planning / drafting writing before completing final piece. Focus on using quotation for the play (selected to match crime). 3. Use quotations as foundation of an essay piece exploring evil in the play. 4. Plenary - establish which of the crimes Macbeth committed - ask: is "dead butcher" a fitting epitaph?

ENGLISH LITERATURE / ENGLISH LANGUAGE - useful for KS3-KS5; best at KS4 - guides higher ability expression of ideas and language analysis - provides exemplar language for use in analytical essay writing - offers alternative phrases for the common expressions students use and thus restrict their capacity to express.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE - useful for KS3-KS5; best at KS3/4 - guides crafting of writing to improve expression - fully adaptable power point to individual purposes - used successfully in writing character monologues, sell or slate reviews, rhetoric, and all forms of descriptive writing

Drama - Macbeth - KS3 / KS4 - imagery - plot - tension - themes TIME: 1 hour (may be extended to 1.5 hours) Students learn about conflict as the central theme of drama and then learn the plot of Macbeth by performing key scenes focused on illuminating significant imagery in the play and its dramatic tension. Opportunity is given to investigate the psychological aspects of character in each scene and in the plenary. Sophisticated drama lesson resource with clear guidance and variations to take into account group size - resource has been extensively trialled and developed, proving to be successful, accessible, and enjoyable. Questions for each scene may be used in classroom writing time later, as may the plenary be used an extended writing task. Macbeth extracts have been edited to focus on key quotations and imagery. Some spelling and insignificant words have been regularised/edited to ensure clarity of meaning for students.

Generic advice for writing an essay effectively under time pressure and to a high quality. Especially useful for students preparing for TSA / LNAT essays for Oxbridge. Also useful for those preparing debating speeches.

Multi-use resource - reading and writing tasks using stimulus material Activities based on close reading and analysis Sequence of lessons which may culminate in writing own effective descriptive writing Challenging and high expectations for learners - tried and tested with NC level 5 and above successfully Encourages students to explore Dickens further by offering a range of taster extracts

GCSE AQA English Literature Poetry Moon on the Tides Anthology - Relationships - top grade ideas Notes written using academic vocabulary that focuses on A/A* grade thinking. Includes a sequence of challenge questions and a focus on the comparative element of assessment useful as revision and to extend most able. May be used as part of group work, individual revision, or in deepening student responses.

GCSE AQA Poetry MoonTides Relationships Comparison Skills support Support to write comparatively with examples Questions to extend and develop thinking about literature Essay structure for responding to poetry in the AQA English Literature exam

To Kill a Mockingbird (GCSE - Higher Paper) A sequence of lessons focused on group work exploration of the characters of Maycomb. Tasks include: - revision of characters - evaluation of their narrative functions - exploring the contexts of TKAM - developing alternative readings of characters - evaluating interpretations - group work / presentation skills

ENGLISH LITERATURE / ENGLISH LANGUAGE - useful for 6th to 10th grade; best at 6-8th grade - guides higher ability expression of ideas and language analysis - provides exemplar language for use in analytical essay writing - offers alternative phrases for the common expressions students use and thus restrict their capacity to express.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE - useful for 6th to 10th grade; best at 6-8th grade - guides crafting of writing to improve expression - fully adaptable power point to individual purposes - used successfully in writing character monologues, sell or slate reviews, rhetoric, and all forms of descriptive writing.