This activity is taken from the Plenary in Lesson One of the Edexcel GCSE Eng Lit Component 2: Unseen Poetry Scheme.

Decide on your Poem

Choose a poem you are studying that you want the students to analyse. This scheme is looking at ‘The Sick Rose’ by William Blake.

Draw some jigsaw puzzle pieces on the board and ask students to do the same in their books.

Pose the question “What pieces make up ‘The Sick Rose’ puzzle?” Ask students to insert some of the possible meanings of the poem onto each puzzle piece.

Discuss the effects...

This resource takes a Language Paper One extract, and provides exemplar answers for every question, and every band, along with helpful explanations of how to interpret the mark scheme.

This could be used in a number of ways

Department Moderation

See video links to examiner talking you through this paper

• As a mock paper for your whole cohort to sit, and the exemplar responses will mean that department marking will be accurate and consistent

In Class

• In class when going through different responses to really focus on the difference between...

Associated Resources

• Lesson Plan.docx

Ofsted Inspections: What Makes An Outstanding Lesson?

For many teachers the anxiety and worry of being observed is all too real. With new government initiatives such as the fact that pay is linked to performance, and the new Ofsted Framework (2012) breathing down our necks, it could enhance these worries and fears even more. It was therefore thought that it will be helpful to provide some guidance in terms of what makes an outstanding lesson. I was fortunate enough to participate in a project where we...

This collection of lesson starters for A Level English Literature complement the collection of ‘ice breakers’ and general English starters for broad recapping ideas, word games, creative writing starters, essay skills, general terms activities and skill builders. See A Level English Starters.

General discussion prompts are useful as broad starters once in a while. Try one of these quotations to get the class thinking:

• “Literature adds to reality. It does not simply describe it.” C. S. Lewis
• “Poetry is the best words in the best...

Guide Navigation

• A Level English Language Starters: Frameworks & Analysis
• A Level English Language Starters: Accent & Dialect
• A Level English Language Starters: Language & Gender
• A Level English Language Starters: Language Change
• A Level English Language Starters: Mode & Technology
• A Level English Language Starters: Child Language Acquisition
• A Level English Language Starters: Language & Power

This collection of suggestions includes ice-breaker or ‘getting to know you’ ideas which are especially suitable for a new class and some...