A variety of whole lessons reading lesser-known dystopian literature and tying these in with students' creative writing of a dystopian narrative. There is also a practice reading comprehension and a final reading comprehension assessment. This scheme of work is designed for middle to top set students at GCSE level. I found all the students really engaged with the topic and already knew loads of dystopian works of literature, films and computer games, so had to stretch them to read lesser known works. I've tried as far as possible to make this relevant to their interests and to be representative of a range of backgrounds instead of just the classic "dead, white males". My students really enjoyed this unit of work and I hope yours do too! Contains: Structuring narratives in interesting ways (very useful for getting A*s) Analysing and writing speech in ways that show originality and flair (as well as accuracy of punctuation) Creating original dystopian worlds Creating original dystopian characters Close analysis of individual words and basic PEE reading answers Improving and extending vocabulary Recognising satire and comedy in film and literature (Idiocracy and Harrison Vonnegut) because, frankly, all this dystopian stuff could get a bit depressing otherwise! A detailed and thorough comprehension of a (student-friendly version) of Stephen King's The End of the Whole Mess with optional scaffolding which should build towards GCSE style detailed essays covering plot summaries, close analysis, evaluation of word choice, structure, messages, themes, conventions, language features and more.

Students not adding enough detail to narrative writing? Are they unsure when to go in to a new paragraph? This game for two or more players can help support them in adding depth to their ideas while clearly defining what wouldn't be acceptable. It's lead to some really fun results which kids like to read out afterwards. Less able students may only do one each, whereas more able students can have a go at later ones independently. I've used this with students from KS3, 4 and even 5 as either a starter or development activity. It makes progress really clear to you and them.