An Inspector Calls (J. B. Priestley) - Act 3: Structure - NO PREP TEACH + REVISE

This FREE resource provides a comprehensive lesson pack focusing on structure and tension in Act 3 of J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls.

Designed for easy, no-prep teaching or revision, it guides students through essential dramatic concepts using a blend of quizzes, gap-fill exercises, structured analysis tasks, discussion prompts, and graphing activities.

The material consolidates knowledge of the play’s plot, explores stagecraft and the ‘well-made play’, and challenges students to engage critically with Priestley’s techniques for building suspense and delivering his social message.

Included Activities:

1. Quick Quiz: Place key scenes in the correct act to consolidate chronology and test recall

2. Digging Deeper - Structure & Plot: Answer focused questions on how Priestley creates tension, plot twists in Act Three, and the Inspector’s method of dramatic control

3. Analysing Tension: Informative, engaging activity about the ‘well-made play’ structure, practicing key vocabulary while linking dramatic form to the play’s events.

4. Contextual Analysis: Students explore how the play functions as a modern morality play, making links to allegorical drama and themes of responsibility

5. Tension Graphing: Students complete a tension graph using the most important events, twists and plot points of the play. Discussion and reflectino prompts foster critical thinking with questions about the play’s most tense moments, the function of dramatic highs and lows, and ways of creating tension in drama

6. Teaching Slides & Answer Key: Ready-to-use presentation slides and a comprehensive answer key are provided, supporting both classroom teaching and independent student study. The slides guide students through the lesson, reducing prep time for busy teachers!

Please leave feedback, and happy teaching!