“One child, one teacher, one pen
and one book can change the world.”
Malala Yousafzai
Our campaign began in research and in raising awareness, so that we would have the information and groundswell of support needed to affect change. As we continue our work and build our community, we also want to provide practical tools that will help schools and educators to change our education system for the better – creating culture and curriculum free of gender bias and gendered expectations. This library of resources is a work in progress and we will continue adding to it over time. If you would like to get involved in developing resources, such as book lists, CPDs or schemes of work – or if you already have resources you’d be willing to share – please email us at endsexisminschools@gmail.com.
Year 7 Novel Scheme of Work – Tender Earth by Sita Brahmachari
Suitable for year 7 students, this scheme of work explores the wide range of themes in Sita Brahmachari’s novel, Tender Earth, including family, friendships, change, belonging, cultural traditions and equality. It provides opportunities for developing a variety of skills, including inference and deduction, creative writing, speaking and listening and using textual evidence.
From the blurb:
Laila Levenson has always been the baby of the family, but now with her older siblings, Mira and Krish, leaving home just as she starts secondary school, everything feels like it’s changing… can the reappearance of Nana Josie’s Protest Book and the spirit it releases in Laila, her friends and her local community, help her find her own voice and discover what she truly believes in? A powerful chime rings through Laila’s mind, guiding her to walk the footsteps of the past on her way to discover her own future.
Year 7 Novel Scheme of Work – The Railway Children by E Nesbit
Suitable for Year 7 students, this scheme of work provides an opportunity to combine teaching a classic novel with challenging vocabulary through an accessible, age-appropriate story. E Nesbit’s The Railway Childrenexplores a range of contemporary themes such as family, friendships, loss, loyalty, justice and redemption. The scheme provides opportunities for close textual analysis, vocabulary building, creative writing, and drama, and is fully resourced, making it possible for you to download and teach with minimal planning.
From the blurb:
When Father goes away with two strangers one evening, the lives of Roberta, Peter and Phyllis are shattered. They and their mother have to move from their comfortable London home to go and live in a simple country cottage, where Mother writes books to make ends meet. However, they soon come to love the railway that runs near their cottage, and they make a habit of waving to the Old Gentleman who rides on it. They befriend the porter, Perks, and through him learn railway lore and much else. They have many adventures, and when they save a train from disaster, they are helped by the Old Gentleman to solve the mystery of their father’s disappearance, and the family is happily reunited.
Year 8 Novel Scheme of Work – Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Suitable for Year 8 students, this scheme of work explores a compelling novel that offers younger students the chance to engage with a range of powerful contemporary debates in an age-appropriate way, such as inequality, abuse of power, race and gender. The scheme provides opportunities for close textual analysis, vocabulary building, creative writing, and drama, and is fully resourced, making it possible for you to download and teach with minimal planning.
From the blurb:
Isabel and her sister, Ruth, are slaves. Sold from one owner to the next, they arrive in New York as the Americans are fighting for their independence, and the English are struggling to maintain control. Soon Isabel is struggling too. Struggling to keep herself and her sister safe in a world in which they have no control. With a rare and compelling voice, this haunting novel tells not only the story of a remarkable girl and her incredible strength, but also of a time and place in which slavery was the order of the day and lives were valued like weights of meat or bundles of vegetables.
Year 8 Novel Scheme of Work – The Girl of Ink and Stars
by Kiran Millward Hargrave
Suitable for Year 8 students, this scheme of work provides pointers for discussion and suggestions for activities to support you as you read the novel. A contemporary novel that will appeal to a wide range of students, the scheme encourages discussion of a range of themes such as courage, equality, friendship and loyalty, and develops skills in textual analysis, contextual understanding, research and speaking and listening.
From the blurb:
Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella dreams of the faraway lands her father once mapped. When her best friend disappears, she’s determined to be part of the search party. Guided by an ancient map and her knowledge of the stars, Isabella navigates the island’s dangerous Forgotten Territories. But beneath the dry rivers and dead forests, a fiery myth is stirring from its sleep….
Year 9 Novel Scheme of Work – Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Suitable for Year 9 students, this scheme of work gives students the opportunity to read a contemporary novel written in verse, developing the ability to cope with analysing different literary styles. A contemporary novel exploring the fallout of a traumatic real life event, studying this novel allows students to discuss themes of love, loss, family, identity, ethnicity and community. The scheme provides opportunities for close textual analysis, essay writing skills, creative writing and speaking and listening, and is fully resourced, making it possible for you to download and teach with minimal planning.
From the blurb:
Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash. Separated by distance – and Papi’s secrets – the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other. In a dual narrative novel in verse that brims with both grief and love, award-winning and bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.
Year 9 Novel Scheme of Work – Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Suitable for Year 9 students, this novel is simply written in an accessible style, though with a complex structure and challenging content that will support students in developing their analytical skills. Salt to the Sea is a Carnegie prize winning novel exploring a real historical event from four young people’s perspectives, and involves themes of war, prejudice, love, loss, family, justice and redemption. The scheme provides opportunities for close textual analysis, essay writing skills, creative writing and speaking and listening, and is fully resourced, making it possible for you to download and teach with minimal planning.
From the blurb:
It’s early 1945 and a group of people trek across Germany, bound together by their desperation to reach the ship that can take them away from the war-ravaged land. Four young people, each haunted by their own dark secret, narrate their unforgettable stories. This inspirational novel is based on a true story from the Second World War. When the German ship the Wilhelm Gustloff was sunk in port in early 1945 it had over 9000 civilian refugees, including children, on board. Nearly all were drowned. Ruta Sepetys, acclaimed author of Between Shades of Grey, brilliantly imagines their story.
CPD – Gender Equalising your English Curriculum
Want to help balance the books in your school? Our CPD is aimed at teachers and senior leaders and covers our research findings, implications and practical steps for improving gender balance in the KS3 English curriculum. Designed to be either delivered in a single 1hr session or broken down over several shorter sessions to allow time for reflection, this CPD includes video voice over & guidance from English teacher and author of our research paper, Rachel Fenn. View and download from Google Drive now.