Extracted

If there are times in our lives that we remember (or think we do) from when we are very young, I expect a visit to the dentist is towards the top of the list for most of us.  This charming film does just that – but through the eyes of a puppy.  Created by VeryTrue Story, this is a charming animated short (and it is short!). 

Extracted is a visually striking short film written and directed by Adam Glickfield, who also serves as executive producer alongside Kristin Almy. The film’s distinctive visual style is shaped by illustrator Renaud Lavency, with animation by Latham Arnott, Arley Cornell, Alex Deaton, Josh Parker, Grant Perdew, Paul Slemmer and Dennis Wardzala. Completing the immersive experience, Jeff Moberg provides the music score, sound design and final mix, bringing depth and atmosphere to this inventive production.

Free GCSE English Posters - Typical Features of Narrative and Creative Writing

Here is a set of 3 A3 posters that you can download for free. They are designed to inform students about typical features of creative (or narrative) writing, specifically for GCSE English.  Having said that, they can be used for any exam board, or even if you are not teaching GCSE English.  I hope that they brighten up your classroom and your students enjoy them.

The posters reflect new information that the AQA exam board will be putting in the mark scheme for Paper 1 Question 5, starting with the June 2026 exam series.  Although these are typical features, they shouldn’t be used as a checklist (although that’s not a particularly bad idea!).  Rather they are intended to visually guide your students towards improving their creative writing by giving them some instructions which are easy to take in and remember.

Above is an example of one of the posters.  Please don’t use this, though – follow thislink and you will be able to download the original PowerPoint slides – the software I used to create the posters.  The posters include tips about twelve typical features of creative writing – perspective, characters, vocabulary, setting, ideas, sequence, shifts, structure, pace, mood, style and sentences. Phew!