This 22-slide lesson explores Simon Armitage’s poem, ‘I Am Very Bothered’. The lesson encourages students to analyse Armitage’s poem as a subversion of typical love poetry, thinking about its ironic use of the sonnet form and the speaker’s distorted sense of romantic imagery. The poem’s language, structure, and form is considered. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. An extended essay question (including an exemplar introduction and analytical paragraph) is featured at the end of the lesson. A copy of the poem is also included. This lesson is ideal for Key Stage 3 or GCSE analysis. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This lesson is a sophisticated and thorough introduction to the context and key ideas behind Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’. This 23-slide PowerPoint lesson is perfect for those studying the play as part of AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing course at A level, but easily adaptable to other A level courses (including Theatre Studies) too. The lesson includes biographical information about Ibsen, an explanation of Norway’s social history in the 19th century (with particular focus on the rights of women), and an introduction to the key themes and ideas in ‘A Doll’s House’. Questions and tasks are also featured for students. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 20-slide lesson introduces the key themes and context behind Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’. Students are encouraged to think about colonialism and cultural erasure, learning about Nigeria’s history since the 19th Century. Achebe’s life and work is discussed, and students are given an introduction to the Igbo (or ‘Ibo’) people. Key vocabulary and themes linked to the novel are explained, including the novel’s allegorical status. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are featured for students. Students are encouraged in this lesson to reflect upon the impacts of Western Colonialism - a practice seemingly more important now than ever in the wake of recent international conversations surrounding race and privilege. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 30-slide lesson explores Stave Three of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’. Students are encouraged to consider how Dickens presents the Ghost of Christmas Present and how Scrooge is affected by what he is shown, including the Cratchit family, Fred’s party, and how Christmas is celebrated by even poor and isolated communities. The lesson explores Dickens’ use of children as symbols - notably Ignorance and Want - and how this might link to the context of the Industrial Revolution. We think about how this all relates to Dickens’ authorial message. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. This is ideal for those studying the novella at GCSE or at KS3. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 30-slide lesson explores Stave Four of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’. Students are encouraged to consider how Dickens presents the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and how Scrooge is affected by what he is shown, including the businessmen, families, and looters who profit by Scrooge’s death, how the Cratchit family is affected by Tiny Tim’s death, Fred’s act of charity and kindness, and how Scrooge vows to repent at the sight of his own grave. The ominous and foreboding atmosphere of his chapter is scrutinised, considering why Dickens populates this Stave with so much morbidity. As ever, we think about how this all relates to Dickens’ authorial message. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. This is ideal for those studying the novella at GCSE or at KS3. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 21-slide lesson explores Chapter 3 of John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’. Students are encouraged to think about the pathos created via the death of Candy’s dog, and how George and Lennie’s fate continues to be foreshadowed. Significant focus is placed on Lennie’s fight with Curley, which leads students to an extract-based essay question to answer. Top tips for how to approach the extract question are included here, plus an exemplar introduction and analytical paragraph as a model for students. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. The extract-based question is also included in this resource. Ideal for upper-KS3 or GCSE students. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 32-slide lesson explores William Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 130’. The lesson considers what we might expect typical love poetry to entail and how Shakespeare subverts our expectations. Students are prompted to question stereotypical depictions of romance and romantic imagery, and to think about how Shakespeare plays with the sonnet form itself. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are featured throughout, including an analytical ‘mini-essay’ in response to a question. The lesson ends with a creative writing (poetry) task that could be set in class or as a homework activity. This lesson is ideal for KS3. A copy of the poem (with glossary) is included.

This 15-slide lesson explores Chapter 4 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. In this comprehensive lesson, students consider how Orwell presents the Battle of the Cowshed and its significance in the animals’ quest for independence. Alongside this, we explore how Snowball and Napoleon exhibit very different styles of leadership. The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils learn about who/what Mr Pilkington and Mr Frederick represent. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 20-slide lesson provides a comprehensive introduction to the context of Khaled Hosseini’s ‘The Kite Runner’. It features an overview of 20th century Afghan history and the rise of the Taliban, plus a brief synopsis of the novel and Hosseini’s intentions/message in writing it. Also included is a list of key words for students to research, some topical questions for classroom debate, and some key vocabulary. This is a useful first lesson for those reading the novel for their A level studies (particularly for AQA’s Political and Social Protest paper). Also included is a brief geo-political summary sheet of Afghanistan to help pupils to understand the nation’s context. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

These two lessons (28 slides each) explore William Blake’s companion poems, ‘Infant Joy’ and ‘Infant Sorrow’, from the ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’. The lessons explore Blake’s radicalism and context, analysing the poems’ language, themes, form, structure, and message in light of his political protest. Questions, tasks, and discussion points for students are included throughout, including extended essays. These lessons are ideal for those studying Blake’s ‘Songs’ as part of AQA’s A level ‘Political and Social Protest Writing’ paper, but could be adapted for other purposes. PowerPoints saved as PDF. 56 slides in total.

Let your students track how each of the Seven Commandments is broken with this great worksheet. Understanding when and why (and by whom) each Commandment is broken is paramount to Orwell’s vision of corruption and manipulation on the farm. Hugely useful for helping students to really know the plot and structure of the novella.

This resource includes a 32-slide lesson designed to introduce Greek Myths and Legends to students, accompanied by a short story in which the key Greek Gods are established. The lesson aims to introduce the conventions of Greek myths and the most significant characters of the legends. Storytelling and myth-making are explored, as is the influence of Greek mythos on our own modern culture. Students then read the story of ‘Zeus and His Mighty Company’, considering the characterisation of the Greek Gods. Tasks, discussion points, and questions are included for students. A research task ends the lesson either as a class-based or homework activity. The lesson works as an introduction to any unit of work on Greek mythology, or could feature as part of a larger unit on storytelling, heroes, or legends. This lesson is ideal for KS3 or upper-KS2. PowerPoint and Word Doc. story saved as PDF.

This is a thorough and comprehensive introduction to the context of Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’. The 21-slide lesson details Caesar’s life and role in the Roman Republic, outlining key terminology, politics, and history that will help explain his downfall. Shakespeare’s own life is also explored alongside the plot and focus of the play itself, and Elizabethan parallels with the play’s themes are explained. Questions and tasks are included for pupils, including a research (potential homework) task at the end of the lesson. The lesson is ideal for GCSE pupils, but could easily be adapted for other Key Stages. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This resource includes two comprehensive lessons for analysing William Blake’s ‘Holy Thursday’ poems from the Songs of ‘Innocence’ and ‘Experience’. The first 28-slide lesson covers ‘Holy Thursday’ from ‘Innocence’. The second 32-slide lesson covers ‘Holy Thursday’ from ‘Experience’. Both lessons include detailed explorations of the poems’ language, context, imagery, structure, and ideas, especially in relation to Blake as a protest writer and critic of institutionalised systems of power. We think about Blake’s role as a Dissenter from the Church of England, and his use of recurring symbols (such as children) throughout the ‘Songs’. The image of Ascension Day in the ‘Holy Thursday’ poems is analysed, reading the poems as Blake’s critique of ecclesiastical hypocrisy and his attempt to understand the extent of the poverty to which he bore witness. Crucially, both lessons work in tandem to read both versions of the poem alongside one another, exploring Blake’s collective message through ‘Innocence’ and ‘Experience’. Blake’s singular poetic voice and ironic tone are also deconstructed, and we consider how the poems relate to 18th century children’s literature. Questions, tasks, and discussion points are featured throughout. Both lessons end with comparative essay questions. These lessons are ideal for those studying Blake as a ‘protest writer’ with AQA at A level, but could easily be used for any KS5 study of the ‘Songs’. *This resource is new and updated in March 2021. PowerPoints are saved as PDFs.

This 20-slide lesson explores Fleur Adcock’s poem, ‘The Telephone Call’. Starter activities probe students to think about their attitude to the lottery and its anthropological implications. We then learn about the life and work of Fleur Adcock before reading the poem. Students are prompted to think about the two juxtaposing characters in the poem before delving into Adcock’s use of language, imagery, form, structure and rhyme. The significance of the poem’s 1980s context is also considered. Key themes and sophisticated vocabulary are listed to enable students to conduct precise analysis. We also ask what the poem’s true message may be, posing a variety of interpretations. This resource is ideal for those studying the poem as part of Cambridge IGCSE’s ‘Songs of Ourselves’, but is useful for anyone looking at the poem. Two versions of the lesson are attached: one is a PDF to save the best aesthetics and formatting; the other is a standard PowerPoint where fonts and formatting may be lost but can easily be edited.

This 25-slide lesson explores all the key context behind Dickens’ classic novella, ‘A Christmas Carol’. It’s everything that students need to know before reading the text - including an introduction to Dickens’ life, understanding Victorian poverty, and an exploration of the key themes and concepts of the timeless story. Questions, discussion points, and tasks for students are also featured, including a research task at the end of the lesson (potentially a homework task). This lesson is ideal for GCSE pupils studying the text, but is easily adaptable for KS3. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 17-slide lesson explores Stevie Smith’s poem, ‘Not Waving But Drowning’. Students are asked challenging but important questions about how conscious we are of the feelings of those around us - our family, friends, and even neighbours, colleagues, and acquaintances. We discuss the nature of Smith’s poetry - her recurring themes, styles, and subject matter - before reading her famous poem. We think about how the poem might be read as an allegory, reflecting on important ideas surrounding mental health and compassion. The language, imagery, structure, and rhyme of the poem are then deconstructed in detail. Students explore the poem’s key themes, and ambitious vocabulary is introduced to facilitate sophisticated analysis. At the end of the poem, an exam-style question is included. Please note: this poem (and lesson) explores some mature themes regarding mental health. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This resource includes an extract from E.M. Forster’s 1909 short story, ‘The Machine Stops’, as well as an accompanying PowerPoint with four questions on the source based on AQA’s English Language GCSE Paper 1.