A lesson on comparison. The ‘Tell-Tale Heart’ and ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ are compared by students based on things like the use of the supernatural or the display of extreme emotions. They then, after closely comparing the two, select quotations to explode with questions to answer to prompt their analysis. The lesson finishes on a writing task where they offer their opinion on which is the better example of the gothic and which feature makes it so effective?

This lesson focuses heavily on exam technique. It takes the students through GCSE language paper styled questions. A breakdown of the PEAL structure is provided and sentence starters in order to scaffold.

This lesson focuses on the analysis. It goes step by step through the story looking closely at the different methods. Students look at setting, atmosphere, foreshadowing and how tension is created. Then a model answer is provided and an activity on writing their own exam style answers.

This lesson focuses on introducing the text so most of the lesson will be spent on reading the text as a class. Activities are provided to prepare them for the story like becoming familiar with key techniques like foreshadowing and making their own predictions about what will happen in the story.

Lesson exploring the use of a dual narrative in fairy tales. Builds students up by looking at examples to then write their own independently.

Fun fairy tales lesson where students look at different fairy tales and identify common themes and tropes within them. They create presentations in groups to teach each other about the fairy tales they’ve looked at. I encouraged my students to think about gender roles within fairy tales and what issues are present. The article offers a great opportunity for a debate around whether we should change and update our fairy tale stories or whether they should remain unchanged…

Mini Macbeth quiz taken from online to use as a recap starter activity.

This lesson is on Macbeth and the theme of ambition. It focuses on an exam question and I break it down showing how I would approach it. I’ve also written model answers for students to use. The lesson involves key terminology like hamartia and tragic hero to encourage them to use in their exam style answers.

Lesson focused on travel writing and persuasive techniques. For this lesson I brought in loads of travel magazines and brochures. This allowed students to cut and stick pictures around their persuasive pieces and to prompt their imaginations. We also looked at persuasive techniques in the writing used in the magazines. I include an example in the lesson where students have to identify the techniques to use in their own piece.

Lesson focused on travel writing. Involves looking at Bryson’s writing and writing their own postcards.

Lesson on Act 1, Scene 5. The lesson takes the students through the scene by including extracts on the slides which can be annotated as a class. Questions are provided to assist the students with their exploration of each extract from the scene. The extracts include romeo and Juliet’s first meeting, Romeo’s first sight of Juliet and Tybalt and Lord Capulet’s confrontation. A model answer and writing task is used to finish the lesson and consolidate their learning.

Lesson on Act 1 Scene 4. Involves a starter which acts as a recap as well as provides the opportunity for students to make predictions. Read the scene and then an extract is provided. Print out and give to students and allow them time to analyse and answer the questions on the slide. Then run through the extract as a class annotating the literary techniques. A model answer is provided which can be printed and annotated. Then a formal writing task to finish with answering the question; How does Shakespeare convey Romeo’s love sickness?

Lesson on Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Scene 3. Involves a clip and the opportunity to read the scene as a class. Then an extract focusing on Juliet is provided can be annotated by the students individually before feeding back as a class. I provided an example model answer that could also be printed off and could be turned into an exercise where they could annotate it. Then the lesson finishes, like the others in this series, with independent PEAL paragraph writing on how Shakespeare conveys progressive ideas on women’s rights. Prompts are provided and key terms to include.

Lesson on Act 1 Scene 2. Involves a sorting starter task to get the students thinking about characters and loyalty. Then an opportunity to read and/or watch the scene. Then close analysis of the scene through annotating the extract. Modeling is used to prepare them to answer a question. You can explode the quote with the class in relation to the question and then let them write their own PEAL paragraphs. The lesson finishes with an evaluation task where students can swap books and edit.

This lesson is on Act 1 Scene 1. It involves a starter task looking at the tragic arc to introduce them to the idea of tragedy as a genre. It also involves reading the first scene as a class and then looking closer at language. The lesson focuses on practicing skills like exploding quotations to closely analysis language and looking through an extract to find good quotations. Students are also prompted to think about the scene as part of the whole play, so why is it significant to the plot and the rest of the play? The concept of foreshadowing is introduced as well as the characters of Benvolio and Tybalt. At the end of the lesson they have an opportunity to write formally in a PEAL paragraph to show off what they have learnt and answer the question: Why is the scene so significant? (It’s a long lesson- may take two lessons if you spend more time writing and editing/evaluating.)

Lesson involves contextual information on the atomic bomb and the impact on humans. Involves tasks on the use of personification in the story, as well as looking for the message. Then a second lesson moves onto a creative writing piece. They have to pretend their school is alive and describe it using personification like Bradbury does in the story. Prompting questions are provided and a mark scheme.

A lesson on ‘An Inspector Calls’ dramatic devices revision. Leads on from the previous characters and themes lessons or works as a stand alone lesson.

A lesson on ‘An Inspector Calls’ themes revision. Leads on from the previous.

A lesson on ‘An Inspector Calls’ themes revision.

A lesson on ‘An Inspector Calls’ character revision. Leads on from the previous.