A fun task in which Middle School students are guided to create their own 'blackout poems' - by deleting words on a page of a discarded novel. Two links to videos are given: one for creating a paper poem; the other for creating one on a tablet / iPad.

A series of notes and exercises, giving students practice in all of the basic punctuation / speech marks.

A list of 30 contentious topics - suitable for Middle School students. Students select a number and are given one minute to prepare their speech in which they have to persuade the class that their point of view is the correct one. This could lead to other activities: debating, persuasive writing etc.

A variety of activities based on the film ‘Gnomeo & Juliet’ - suitable for Middle School English classes.

A workbook for students, giving them notes and exercises on all of the basic parts of speech / word classes. Answer key provided.

A series of graded worksheets, giving students practice in writing various types of sentences.

A literature assignment, in which each student selects one contemporary novel for individual study. Assessments provided for reading aloud, book review, character analysis etc. A list of 30 novels is provided, along with brief summaries of their content. Suitable for Middle School.

Visual Literacy - analysing graphs - bellringer activities Note: created for South African students in the IEB curriculum. A number of colleagues have requested exercises, tips for teaching vis. lit. My students are not great at analysing graphs / interpreting statistics. I have created the attached 12 ‘bellringer activities - graph of the week’, for use at the beginning / end of a lesson for the coming term. You can project the image on your screen, and discuss answers with your classes. Or, you can print in colour on an A3 page, giving one page to each group in the class.

A selection of 30 cartoons / memes for analysis. This can be used as a bellringer activity, at the beginning (or end) of a lesson. Students are required to peruse the image (on the screen) and then to analyse it in as much detail as possible. Each slide is accompanied by detailed model answers. Recommended usage: one slide (ie cartoon / meme) per week, as part of a programme of daily bellringer activities.

A slide presentation of numerous words to be used in a Middle School Spelling Bee. Each slide gives the word, its etymology, its meaning and a sentence in which it is used. Also included are fun slides for 'spot&' questions for the audience. The words should be screened behind the participants - to allow for audience insight & enjoyment.

A different method for novel study. Each student (or pair of students) receives an A5 envelope with instructions pasted on the outside. Inside the envelope are 4 x A5 index cards, on which the students record all information, according to the instructions. At the end of the novel study, the students share their knowledge. This can be done in groups or as a presentation. This approach allows the students to focus on specific themes / characters etc as they work through the novel. There are instructions for 26 envelopes. I have included the A4 pages on which the procedure / explanation is typed for each student. This will lead to a summative assessment - a literary essay on the topic given on the envelope. Credit: the idea for this task came from Letitia Hughes of Kentucky, USA.

A page of advice for students to assist them in preparing for a prepared speech / oral assignment

A list of video links for every English HL poem prescribed by the IEB (the South African Independent Examinations Board) for 2020.

A pack of notes and guidelines for students to write a Dystopian narrative essay. It is particularly suited for South African students in the F.E.T. phase, who study the IEB curriculum. It was designed for use during the national Coronavirus lockdown, but will work as a ‘normal’ class assignment. Recommendation: Stacey Lloyd, a TPT seller, has a superb pack on various writing tasks. This essay topic was inspired by her amazing work.

An investigative task - in which pupils explore the challenges of teen pregnancies. Although created for the South African context, it can be adapted for any community. A selection of group work discussions and a written assessment. Assessment is done by the pupil, peers and the teacher. Rubrics provided.

Two worksheets that encourage close reading of the labels and packaging of everyday products (in this case, Milo chocolate drink & Pronutro breakfast cereal).

Using the art work of Jeff Hong, students are challenged to write an essay in which the usual Disney fairy tale endings are subverted.

A revision task, in which groups / pairs of students link poems / poets by means of pre-printed hexagons. The students have to explain the links and connections that they have made.

Three reading texts based on the tradition of April Fool pranks. General reading comprehension questions as well as language and grammar. Can be used as a worksheet or a formal assessment.

A fun way to introduce themes / topics from Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” by means of a “cross-the-floor” debate. Students decide whether they are ‘for’ or ‘against’ each statement. They then have to convince their peers on the other side of the room to “cross the floor” and agree with their argument. [Many thanks to colleague, Ruth Stewart, for developing this idea.]