8 week’s worth of homework on Macbeth to support the study and revision of the play. Tasks focus on supporting vocabulary of pupils, linking vocabulary to our study of the play, as well as tasks on context, SPaG and a ‘Elizabethan pronoun’ challenge. All tasks have been designed so they can easily be marked in class either as self/peer assessment (to reduce teacher marking!) but also designed to be purposeful to student’s learning. Pupils will need to know the plot / summary of the play in order to complete these tasks (i.e. I always begin teaching Macbeth with context and summary / main plot, before studying in more detail).

A lesson exploring the topic of unemployment in Act 2 of Blood Brothers.

A lesson on exploring and reviewing the structural features used so far within the play (at the start of Act 2), with a task comparing the start of Act 1, with the start of act 2, searching for similarities and differences, moving onto specifically exploring the role of dramatic irony.

A lesson exploring the confrontation between the two mothers in Act 2, from the angle of exploring the power shift between the two mothers since Act 1.

Two lessons exploring the characterisation of Mr Lyons across the play, leading to an assessment task. Lessons are suitable for KS3 or lower ability KS4. Easily adapted for higher ability KS4.

A lesson exploring Thatcherite Britain, responding to Thatcher’s view that everyone’s able to be successful, if you work hard enough. Pupils are to apply this view to the events in the play (Act 2), and then write a letter to Mrs Thatcher addressing their point of view (whether they agree/disagree with her statement).

A lesson exploring the theme of crime and violence in the play, exploring the context of high unemployment in the 1980’s and Thatcherite Britain.

A lesson introducing the device of ‘pathos’, with suitable tasks scaffolded for pupils to go from ‘understand’ -> ‘identify’ -> ‘apply’. This lesson has been personally used for KS3, and lower ability KS4.

A lesson reviewing the events of Blood Brothers (post-reading) and exploring Russell’s intentions for the play.