fasting essay in english

Fasting Importance in Islam | Saum (Fasting) and its impacts Islamic studies

Introduction Meaning and concept of fasting Importance of Fasting in Quran and Hadith Philosophy of Fasting: Why Fasting was obligatory? Real Aims and Objectives/Requirements of Fasting: Impacts of Fasting on Human Life and Society:

Fasting Importance in Islam

Introduction:

Fasting Importance in Islam. Fasting is one of the ―Five Pillars of Islam‖ or discipline of the faith (Iman). Fasting is a discipline that enables the Muslim to realize the pangs of hunger and thirst. It is, indeed, to create broader understanding of the problems of the underfed, under-clothed and shelter less people, and arouse an adequate amount of sympathy for their sufferings. Saum (fasting) according to Islam is primarily a spiritual discipline. A new consciousness of higher life, a life above that which is maintained by eating and drinking, has been awakened. Allah‘s presence, which may be a matter of faith to others, becomes a reality for a fasting one, and this is made possible by the spiritual discipline underlying fasting. There is also a moral discipline underlying fasting, for it is the training ground, where man is taught the greatest moral of his life—the lesson that he should be prepared to suffer the greatest privation and undergo the hardest trail rather than indulge in that which is not permitted to him. In addition to its spiritual and moral values, fasting as prescribed in the Quran has also a social value, more effective than that which is realized through Salat. The appearance of the moon of Ramadan is a signal for a mass movement towards equality, which is not limited to one vicinity or even one country, but affects the whole Muslim world. According to Imam Ghazali, fast does not mean only to control on food and water but it means to control oneself from evil thinking, evil listening and evil talking.

Meaning and Concept of Fasting:

The Fourth pillar of Islam is ―Fasting‖ the technical term for it is (Saum) which is literally means to be at rest. It has been so named for the reason that while one is keeping fast he abstains from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk.

Importance of Fasting in Quran and Hadith:

Ibn-e-Umar reported Allah‘s Messenger (PBUH) as saying: ―Don‘t fast till you see the new moon and do not break your fast till you see it; but if the weather is cloudy, calculate when it should appear.‖ In a version, he said: ―The month consist of twenty nine days, wait till thirty days of previous month have passed.‖ (Bukhari and Muslim)

Philosophy of Fasting: Why Fasting was obligatory?

• Aim of servitude of God
• Ibadat—training of servitude
• Fasting is a Hidden Ibadat
• Fasting—sign of strength of Iman
• One month‟s Continuous Training
• Long Practice of Obedience
• Favorable Collective Environment for Training

Real Aims and Objectives/Requirements of Fasting:

• Abstention from laying
• Faith and self-scrutiny:
• Shield for protection from sins:
• Temptation of Goodness:
• Reward for Providing „Iftar‟:

Impacts of Fasting on Human Life and Society:

Spiritual impacts:.

• Discipline and self-control
• Attainment of Piety
• Obedience to God
• Closeness to God
• Fasting Infuses Spirit of Jihad
• Shield against sin
• Immunity from Hypocrisy
• Distinctive Position
• Internal Security, Humanitarian and Spiritual Spirit

Moral Impacts:

• Building Moral Character
• Attainment of Moral Uplift
• Fasting Controls Passion
• Fasting Destroy the Pride of Man
• Fasting Increases Moral Resistance of Man

Social Impacts:

• Brotherhood and Sympathy
• Social Congregation
• Social Unity
• Economic Benefits
• Manifold Reward of Zakat, Sadaq, Fitrana

Read More: Importance of DEEN in Islam

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Diet — Is Fasting Healthy: Behind the Intermittent Fasting

Is Fasting Healthy: Behind The Intermittent Fasting

• Categories: Diet Dieting Eating Habits

About this sample

Words: 1539 |

Published: Aug 31, 2023

Words: 1539 | Pages: 3 | 8 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, the benefits of intermittent fasting, the impact of fasting on circadian rhythms, the healthy side of intermittent fasting, precautions of fasting, works cited.

• Mattson, M. P., Longo, V. D., & Harvie, M. (2016). Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes. Ageing Research Reviews, 39, 46-58.
• Antoni, R., Johnston, K. L., Collins, A. L., & Robertson, M. D. (2018). Investigation into the acute effects of total and partial energy restriction on postprandial metabolism among overweight/obese participants. British Journal of Nutrition, 119(6), 657-666.
• Patterson, R. E., Laughlin, G. A., LaCroix, A. Z., Hartman, S. J., Natarajan, L., Senger, C. M., ... & Gallo, L. C. (2015). Intermittent fasting and human metabolic health. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 115(8), 1203-1212

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Reading Comprehension About Ramadan

Develop your reading skills. Read the following text about Ramadan. Then, answer the comprehension task.

Understanding Ramadan: A Sacred Month of Fasting and Spiritual Renewal

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, holds significant spiritual and cultural importance for Muslims worldwide. During this sacred month, Muslims observe fasting from dawn until sunset, refraining from eating and drinking as an act of devotion and obedience to God. The practice of fasting during Ramadan is deeply rooted in Islamic tradition, aiming to instill virtues of patience, modesty, and spirituality in believers.

The origins of Ramadan predate Islam, with the month being named so in Arabian culture long before the advent of the religion. In the Qur’an, fasting is described as an obligation for Muslims, similar to the fasting practices of previous faiths such as Judaism, particularly on occasions like Yom Kippur. Through fasting, Muslims seek spiritual purification, asking for forgiveness, guidance, and protection from wrongdoing.

One of the distinctive features of Ramadan is its observance according to the lunar calendar, causing its dates to shift by about ten days each year relative to the solar calendar. This variation underscores the fluidity of the Islamic lunar calendar and adds to the anticipation and reverence surrounding Ramadan.

Moreover, Ramadan holds special significance as the month in which the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad during the night known as Laylat al-Qadr, or the Night of Decree. This auspicious occasion, occurring within the last ten days of Ramadan, is marked by increased prayer, reflection, and devotion among Muslims seeking spiritual blessings and guidance.

The culmination of Ramadan is celebrated with Eid ul-Fitr, a joyous festival marking the end of fasting and the beginning of Shawwal, the following month in the Islamic calendar. Eid ul-Fitr is a time of communal prayer, gratitude, and festivity, where Muslims come together to share meals, exchange gifts, and extend greetings of peace and goodwill.

In essence, Ramadan serves as a period of spiritual renewal, self-discipline, and communal solidarity for Muslims worldwide, reinforcing their commitment to faith, compassion, and social responsibility.

Source: Wikipedia

Comprehension

• Ramadan was introduced after Islam had appeared. a. True b. False
• Ramadan comes on a fixed date every year. a. True b. False
• In Ramadan, Muslims fast all day long. a. True b. False
• Muslims believe that the Qur'an was revealed during the first nights of Ramadan. a. True b. False

Related Pages:

• Eid al Fitr
• Benefits of fasting
• The Five Pillars of Islam

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What is intermittent fasting? Does it have health benefits?

Intermittent fasting means that you don't eat for a period of time each day or week. Some popular approaches to intermittent fasting include:

• Alternate-day fasting. Eat a normal diet one day and either completely fast or have one small meal (less than 500 calories) the next day.
• 5:2 fasting. Eat a normal diet five days a week and fast two days a week.
• Daily time-restricted fasting. Eat normally but only within an eight-hour window each day. For example, skip breakfast but eat lunch around noon and dinner by 8 p.m.

Some studies suggest that alternate-day fasting is about as effective as a typical low-calorie diet for weight loss. That seems reasonable because reducing the number of calories you eat should help you lose weight.

Can intermittent fasting improve your health? Losing weight and being physically active help lower your risk of obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes, sleep apnea and some types of cancer. For these diseases, intermittent fasting seems to be about as beneficial as any other type of diet that reduces overall calories.

Some research suggests that intermittent fasting may be more beneficial than other diets for reducing inflammation and improving conditions associated with inflammation, such as:

• Alzheimer's disease
• Multiple sclerosis

It's important to note that intermittent fasting can have unpleasant side effects, but they usually go away within a month. Side effects may include:

Intermittent fasting is safe for many people, but it's not for everyone. Skipping meals may not be the best way to manage your weight if you're pregnant or breast-feeding. If you have kidney stones, gastroesophageal reflux, diabetes or other medical problems, talk with your doctor before starting intermittent fasting.

Manpreet Mundi, M.D.

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• How to track saturated fat
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• de Cabo R, et al. Effects of intermittent fasting on health, aging, and disease. New England Journal of Medicine. 2019; doi:10.1056/NEJMra1905136.
• Patterson RE, et al. Metabolic effects of intermittent fasting. Annual Review of Nutrition. 2017; doi:10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064634.
• Cioffi I, et al. Intermittent versus continuous energy restriction on weight loss and cardiometabolic outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Translational Medicine. 2018; doi:10.1186/s12967-018-1748-4.
• Mattson MP, et al. Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes. Ageing Research Reviews. 2017; doi:10.1016/j.arr.2016.10.005.
• Rakel D, ed. Alzheimer disease. In: Integrative Medicine. 4th ed. Elsevier; 2018. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed April 6, 2020.
• Phillips MCL. Fasting as a therapy in neurological disease. Nutrients. 2019; doi:10.3390/nu11102501.
• Gordon B. What is intermittent fasting? Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. https://www.eatright.org/health/weight-loss/fad-diets/what-is-intermittent-fasting. Accessed April 12, 2020.

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Fasting, Feasting

Anita desai, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Anita Desai's Fasting, Feasting . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Fasting, Feasting: Introduction

Fasting, feasting: plot summary, fasting, feasting: detailed summary & analysis, fasting, feasting: themes, fasting, feasting: quotes, fasting, feasting: characters, fasting, feasting: symbols, fasting, feasting: theme wheel, brief biography of anita desai.

Other Books Related to Fasting, Feasting

• Full Title: Fasting, Feasting.
• When Written: 1999
• Where Written: Great Britain
• When Published: 1999
• Literary Period: Contemporary
• Genre: Novel
• Setting: First section: A small town in India; Second section: Western Massachusetts (1970’s-1999)
• Climax: The death of Anamika
• Antagonist: Uma, Arun
• Point of View: Close third person. Uma (first section), Arun (second section)

Extra Credit for Fasting, Feasting

Awards : Anita Desai was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fasting, Feasting.

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Forgotten Spaces: Ecocriticism Social Justice, and the U.S. South (Collection of Essays)

The U.S. South is often a forgotten space within ecocritical discussions, yet it provides fruitful ground for thinking about environmental issues. In 2019, in the first edited collection of essays on the topic, Zachary Vernon notes that focusing attention on this bioregion might help “provide a way out of the limitations of thinking too locally or too globally,” and it might inspire a group of stakeholders to come to the table as well (7). One problem with ecocritical approaches is the long history of representing the U.S. South as an “internal other in the national imagination: colonized, subordinate, primitive, developmentally arrested, or even regressive” (Watson 254). Another issue is that both the environmental humanities and Southern studies have frequently been white spaces. This proposed anthology convenes a conversation about the U.S. South and environmental issues with an eye towards social justice. We seek theoretically-sophisticated essays attentive to intersections between race, class, gender, and sexuality within the U.S. South to round out our proposed collection.  Interdisciplinary environmental research from a variety of frameworks and disciplines is welcome, including literature, film, art, history, popular culture, public memory, sociology, political science, and geography. 

Questions to consider:

• Why does the U.S. South seem like a forgotten space within ecocritical discussions?
• How do we reach across entrenched divides and academic silos to engage in cross-disciplinary engagement with ecocritical concerns about the South?
• What entanglements might we find between race, environment, gender, sexuality, class, and social justice?
• How have artists, writers, activists, and cultural workers of color engaged with representing the environment, and what might their creative labor contribute to wider discussions beyond the academy?
• How are rural and urban environments represented in the U.S. South? How are they represented from outside?
• What constitutes the commons in the South? Was there ever really a Southern commons?
• How are public parks, museums, and recreation areas curated in the South, and what might we learn about entanglements between race and the environment through attending to these spaces?
• What is the history of traveling southward or leaving the South? What kinds of cultural constructions represent the region as a place to return to or escape from?
• How might we interrogate Donna Haraway’s phrase “the plantationocene” to consider the vexed history of work, nature, and captivity in Southern spaces? 
• How might we consider Settler colonialism, genocide, and Indian Removal within an ecocritical framework? How has a legacy of Settler colonialist violence in the South impacted the environment?
• Can indigenous practices, beliefs, and cultural production be mobilized towards a Southern ecocriticism?
• What are the many varieties of experience within different souths?

Other possible topics:

• Climate change and its impact on southern spaces. Southern climate diaspora.
• Hurricanes, floods, tornados. Natural disasters and social justice.
• Disaster capitalism and southern spaces.
• Sacrifice zones. Industrial pollution.
• Carceral, military, and/or institutional Southern spaces.
• Queer ecology and queer ecological souths.
• Global approaches to environment and the U.S. South.
• Animals and animality in southern cultural productions. Domestic/wild/wilding.
• Southern megacities and the built environment in the U.S. South.
• Race and nature in the South.
• White supremacy and public spaces.

We seek MLA-formatted essays from 4,000-7,000 words. Please submit abstracts of 250-500 words by July 15, 2024. Notification of acceptance will be made by Aug. 1, 2024. And final essays will be due October 15, 2024. We will be submitting the proposal, table of contents, and sample essays to academic presses by Aug. 1, 2024.

Send abstracts and questions to: Katie Simon, Georgia College and State University,  [email protected]  and Catherine Bowlin, Elon University,  [email protected]

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Morgan Spurlock, Documentarian Known for ‘Super Size Me,’ Dies at 53

His 2004 film followed Mr. Spurlock as he ate nothing but McDonald’s for a month. It was nominated for an Oscar, but it later came in for criticism.

By Clay Risen and Remy Tumin

Morgan Spurlock, a documentary filmmaker who gained fame with his Oscar-nominated 2004 film “ Super Size Me ,” which followed him as he ate nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days — but later stepped back from the public eye after admitting to sexual misconduct — died on Thursday in New York City. He was 53.

His brother Craig Spurlock said the cause was complications of cancer.

A self-described attention hound with a keen eye for the absurd, Mr. Spurlock was a playwright and television producer when he rocketed to global attention with “Super Size Me,” an early entry into the genre of gonzo participatory filmmaking that borrowed heavily from the confrontational style of Michael Moore and the up-close-and-personal influences of reality TV, which was then just emerging as a genre.

The film’s approach was straightforward: Mr. Spurlock would eat nothing but McDonald’s food for a month, and if a server at the restaurant offered to “supersize” the meal — that is, to give him the largest portion available for each item — he would accept.

The movie then follows Mr. Spurlock and his ever-patient girlfriend through his 30-day odyssey, splicing in interviews with health experts and visits to his increasingly disturbed physician. At the end of the month, he was 25 pounds heavier, depressed, puffy-faced and experiencing liver dysfunction.

The film, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, grossed over $22 million, made Mr. Spurlock a household name, earned him an Academy Award nomination for best documentary and helped spur a sweeping backlash against the fast-food industry — though only temporarily ; today, McDonald’s has 42,000 locations worldwide, its stock is near an all-time high, and 36 percent of Americans eat fast food on any given day.

“His movie,” the critic A.O. Scott wrote in The New York Times , “goes down easy and takes a while to digest, but its message is certainly worth the loss of your appetite.”

The film became a touchstone in American culture. By making himself a part of the story, Mr. Spurlock could be considered a forerunner of TikTok influencers and citizen-journalist YouTubers.

And even after the backlash against fast food subsided, “Super Size Me” remained a staple in high school health classes and a reference point for taking personal responsibility for one’s own diet.

But the film also came in for subsequent criticism. Some people pointed out that Mr. Spurlock refused to release the daily logs tracking his food intake. Health researchers were unable to replicate his results in controlled studies.

And in 2017, he admitted that he had not been sober for more than a week at a time in 30 years — meaning that, in addition to his “McDonald’s only” diet, he was drinking, a fact that he concealed from his doctors and the audience, and that most likely skewed his results.

The admission came in a statement in which he also revealed multiple incidents of sexual misconduct, including an encounter in college that he described as rape, as well as repeated infidelity and the sexual harassment of an assistant at his production company, Warrior Poets.

The statement, which Mr. Spurlock posted on Twitter in 2017, came as he was gearing up for the release of a sequel to the film, “ Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! ” on YouTube Red.

He stepped down from his production company, and YouTube dropped the film; it was instead released in 2019 by Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Morgan Valentine Spurlock was born on Nov. 7, 1970, in Parkersburg, W.Va., and grew up in Beckley, W.Va. His father, Ben, owned and operated an auto-repair shop, and his mother, Phyllis (Valentine) Spurlock, was a junior high school and high school guidance counselor.

He later said he grew up as a fan of 1970s and ’80s British comedies like “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and “Blackadder.”

“I was doing funny walks round the house at 6 or 7,” he told The Independent in 2012 .

He studied film at New York University and received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1993, then began his career as a production assistant on film projects around New York City, beginning with Luc Besson’s “Léon: The Professional” (1994).

He also began writing plays, including “The Phoenix,” which won an award at the 1999 New York International Fringe Festival.

Mr. Spurlock’s first foray onto the screen was a proto-reality show called “I Bet You Will,” which was also one of the first web-only programs. In five-minute segments, he would dare people to do something gross, or humiliating, or both — eating a “worm burrito,” for example — in exchange for a wad of cash.

The show drew millions of viewers, as well as the interest of MTV, which bought the program a few months after it debuted.

During a Thanksgiving visit to his parents in 2002, Mr. Spurlock saw a TV news story about two women who had sued McDonald’s, claiming that the chain had misled them about the nutritional value of its hamburgers, fries and sodas and caused them to gain significant weight.

“A spokesman for McDonald’s came on and said, you can’t link their obesity to our food — our food is healthy, it’s nutritious,” he told The New York Times in 2004 . “I thought, ‘If it’s so good for me, I should be able to eat it every day, right?’”

And thus, “Super Size Me” was born.

Mr. Spurlock took to fame eagerly, and, with his wide smile and handlebar mustache, was hard to miss. He became an unofficial spokesman for the wellness movement, hobnobbed with celebrity chefs — and scrambled to find a new project.

He did not want to lose the momentum generated by “Super Size Me,” nor did he want to go down in history only as the guy who ate a lot of Big Macs.

“I’ll be that guy till I die,” he told The Independent.

A follow-up film, “Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?” (2008), was not nearly as well received. Critics assailed him for making light of an international terrorist and for oversimplifying complicated global politics. More bricks were thrown when it emerged that he had put himself at significant personal risk while in Pakistan while his wife was at home with their newborn son.

Eventually, he did get somewhat past the shadow of “Super Size Me”: He teamed up with the actors Jason Bateman and Will Arnett to explore the male grooming industry in “Mansome” (2012) and followed the band One Direction around, resulting in the film “One Direction: This Is Us” (2013).

He produced films by other documentarians, including “The Other F Word” (2011), directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins, about punk rockers who became fathers, and “A Brony Tale” (2014), directed by Brent Hodge, about the subculture known as Bronies — adults, mostly men, who love the animated series “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.”

And he continued to make projects that leaned on the participatory style of “Super Size Me.” He created and starred in a series called “30 Days” for FX, in which a person, often Mr. Spurlock himself, would spend about a month embedded in a community much different from his own. One episode saw him spend 25 days in a Virginia jail.

Mr. Spurlock was married three times, to Priscilla Sommer, Alexandra Jamieson and Sara Bernstein; all three marriages ended in divorce. Along with his brother Craig, he is survived by another brother, Barry; his parents; and his sons, Laken and Kallen.

His decision to discuss his sexual past, which came at the height of the #Metoo movement, was met with a mix of praise and criticism. Though many people lauded him for coming forward, critics suggested that he was trying to get ahead of a story that was going to emerge anyway.

All agreed, though, that the decision came with consequences: “Career death,” The Washington Post declared it in 2022 , noting that the once-ubiquitous Mr. Spurlock had largely disappeared.

Clay Risen is a Times reporter on the Obituaries desk. More about Clay Risen

Remy Tumin is a reporter for The Times covering breaking news and other topics. More about Remy Tumin

Releasing Windows 11, version 24H2 to the Release Preview Channel

• Windows Insider Program Team

Hello Windows Insiders!

Today, we are making this year’s annual feature update Windows 11, version 24H2 (Build 26100.712) available in the Release Preview Channel for customers to preview ahead of general availability later this calendar year.

Windows 11, version 24H2* includes a range of new features such as the HDR background support, energy saver, Sudo for Windows , Rust in the Windows kernel, support for Wi-Fi 7, voice clarity and more. It also includes many improvements across Windows. For example, we are introducing a scrollable view of the quick settings flyout from the taskbar, the ability to create 7-zip and TAR archives in File Explorer (in addition to ZIP), and improvements for connecting Bluetooth® Low Energy Audio devices. We will be sharing more details in the coming months on many of the new features and improvements included as part of Windows 11, version 24H2 leading up to general availability. Please note that the new AI features such as Recall announced earlier this week will not be available on your PC after installing this update today as they require a Copilot+ PC. For more information on those new AI features and Copilot+ PCs, see this blog post here .

As part of this update, we’re also evolving the Copilot** experience on Windows as an app that will be pinned to the taskbar. This enables users to get the benefits of a traditional app experience, including the ability to resize, move, and snap the window – feedback we’ve heard from users throughout the preview of Copilot in Windows. This model also allows Microsoft to more agilely develop and optimize the experience based on user feedback. This change will be making is way to Insiders in the Canary, Dev, and Beta Channels shortly.

Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel can install Windows 11, version 24H2 via our “seeker” experience in Windows Update. This means if you are an Insider currently in the Release Preview Channel on a PC that meets the Windows 11  hardware requirements , you can go to Settings and Windows Update and choose to download and install Windows 11, version 24H2 if you want. Once you update your PC to Windows 11, version 24H2, you will continue to automatically receive new servicing updates through Windows Update (the typical monthly update process). For instructions on how to join the Windows Insider Program and join your PC to the Release Preview Channel,  click here .

PLEASE NOTE: Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels will not be able to switch to the Release Preview Channel as they are on builds already based on Windows 11, version 24H2 but are on higher build numbers. These Insiders don’t need to switch. 

Commercial*** customers enrolled in the  Windows Insider Program for Business  can begin validating Windows 11, version 24H2 on PCs in their organizations. For these customers, the Windows 11, version 24H2 feature update is available through Windows Update for Business (WUfB) and Windows Server Update Service (WSUS). Azure Marketplace will be coming soon. You can learn more about deploying pre-release feature updates using  these deployment methods here . Should any issues arise, IT admins in organizations deploying Release Preview updates can request Microsoft Support .

And finally – ISOs are now available for download for Windows 11, version 24H2 via the Windows Insider ISO download page .

Thanks, Windows Insider Program Team

*Please note that Cortana, Tips, and WordPad are removed after upgrading to Windows 11, version 24H2. These apps are deprecated .

**Copilot in Windows is being rolled out gradually to Windows Insiders across our global markets. Customers in the European Economic Area will be able to download the Copilot in Windows experience as an app from the Microsoft Store (coming soon).

***We consider a device a commercial device if it is not running the Windows 11 Home edition AND is being managed by an IT administrator (whether via Microsoft Endpoint Manager or other management solution) or has a volume license key or commercial ID or is joined to a domain.

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Guide to Writing AQA GCSE English Literature Essays PPT

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

26 May 2024

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A detailed (103 slides) PowerPoint walking pupils through:

Part 1: What to expect in the exam Part 2: How am I assessed? Part 3: What should I do before I write my essay? Part 4: How do I plan? Part 5: How do I structure my essay?

Using PowerPoint transitions to animate slides when in full screen mode.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

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