Shakespeare Close-reading Starters and Plenaries for KS3

All provided as interactive PowerPoints for quick and easy delivery

Generate excitement and focus amongst your students with imaginative and original starter activities!

Absolutely fantastic - one of the best resources I have seen! Great originality

J Churchill, English Teacher & Peer Reviewer (Previous edition)
  • Wide range of useful vocabulary for students to learn and relate to existing knowledge
  • Encourages students to think laterally about how words and phrases shape meaning
  • Fully cross-referenced to reading objectives of the KS3 national curriculum
  • All instructions and answers included
  • 25 activities for each text!

I have rarely seen a resource (that is not supplied by the exam board) that is so totally tuned in to the specification

J Churchill, English Teacher & Peer Reviewer (Previous edition)

Activity Type Part 1: Recognition Games Part 2: Discussion Activities
Quote Hunt A quotation is revealed word by word. Students will aim to identify the full quotation and which character it is spoken by. Students explore the meaning of a key word from the quotation in terms of
a) the whole play, and b) the quotation itself
Fade Out Students try to memorise jumbled words from a quotation and put them
in the right order
Students explore the meaning of a key word both in and outside of the context of the quotation
Tone of Voice Students identify the appropriate tone of voice for the quotation given Students work in pairs speaking the lines aloud, thinking about tone of voice, body language and dramatic pauses
Wipe Out Students identify which 6 out of 12 quotations are spoken by a particular character Students explore and analyse one of the quotations in detail
WordPics Students have to identify the missing word in a quotation using one of three picture clues Students consider why the playwright chose the identified word rather than another

What do teachers say about this resource? (7368)

Absolutely fantastic - one of the best resources I have seen! Great originality... I loved the depth of information and the extension at each stage... I also liked the Lesson Objectives, as these would be extremely useful to remind students what they are aiming for in their evidence of understanding... This resource has such deep learning value by questioning answers that students are likely to give; this will make students think about why are they are responding in a specific way. The activities around why a specific word is used are particularly good... presentation is great, very user friendly. It also makes it easy for the teacher to choose which information to concentrate on... [Matches the specification] perfectly! I have rarely seen a resource (that is not supplied by the exam board) that is so totally tuned in to the specification. This is borne out by the LO's and the explanations of language at each stage. Again, the questioning that students are encouraged to do can only embed their learning and add to their skills... this resource is exceptional as it is... A wonderful resource; a little different and great fun for students and teachers alike!

J Churchill, English Teacher & Peer Reviewer (Previous edition)

This is a great resource. Easy to use, well structured and accessible for a range of abilities... great format – simple for teachers to set up and use. Easy, quick, focussed exercises will encourage students' participation from the beginning of the lesson... I really like the way that these exercises encourage focussing on individual words - very useful as this is something I really encourage and needs teaching explicitly... Matches the specification well, with explicit links to the AOs for GCSE and learning objectives for KS3.

V Denman, HoD & Peer Reviewer (Previous edition)

I liked it because it was a little different and I am always looking for new activities in the classroom... I liked the interactive nature of some of the activities.... [The resource enhances learning] by its appeal to a variety of learning styles (images, mind maps and interactive activities etc). Short, focused activities that really make [students] think about meaning, so excellent skills development.

N Worgan, English Teacher & Peer Reviewer (Previous edition)

I really like this resource... I like the use of PowerPoint; this allows a quick visual starter that moves quickly – allowing learning to commence from the start of the lesson... I like the use of fade out and timings making the pupils focus and concentrate... covers and interprets the spec for this key stage well... gives the teacher the option for independent work and group work so I really like that flexibility.

H Ward, HoD & Peer Reviewer (Previous edition)