This word search is a fun and stimulating activity for those studying ‘An Inspector Calls’ to help consolidate knowledge of characters, key themes, and their spelling.

This crossword on J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’ provides an enjoyable but academic activity for pupils to test their knowledge of the play. It always works as a great starter or plenary task.

This crossword on Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ provides an enjoyable but academic activity for pupils to test their knowledge of the play. It always works as a great starter or plenary task. Ideal for pupils from KS3 to KS5.

This crossword on Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ provides an enjoyable but academic activity for pupils to test their knowledge of the play. It always works as a great starter or plenary task.

This worksheet is designed to stimulate analytical consideration of the key images, symbols, and themes of J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’. The task is flexible: teachers may ask pupils to surround each image with quotations, words, themes, or general ideas from the play. For example, around the picture of the golf ball, pupils may write: “I don’t play golf” or ‘Birling’s luxuries and leisure as antithesis of the Inspector’, etc. Images inevitably link together and overlap, which is a great prompt for students to connect the key ideas from across the play.

This 21-slide lesson introduces students to the key context of Alan Bennett’s ‘The History Boys’. The lesson provides an introduction to Bennett’s career, Oxbridge, Thatcherism and New Labour, as well as the key themes and ideas of the play. Students consider what makes a good teacher, and learn critical vocabulary linked to the play. The role and significance of ‘history’ is also debated, while New Labour’s focus on ‘spin’ is explained in view of its relevance to the play. Theatre reviews of notable productions of ‘The History Boys’ are also included for discussion. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are featured throughout for students. This resource is ideal for those studying the play at GCSE or A level. PowerPoint saved as pdf.

This 20-slide PowerPoint is an introductory lesson on the context of Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’, aimed primarily at A level students (particularly those studying the genre of comedy). The lesson contains information on Shakespeare, Commedia dell’Arte, Elizabethan acting, Illyria in context, religious satire, and more. Questions and tasks are featured for students, including a potential homework task. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 26-slide lesson covers the Prologue to Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in great detail, analysing its purpose and the questions that it raises for the audience about how the story might unfold. The lesson includes: an introduction to the function of Renaissance Prologues; an explanation of the setting of ‘Romeo and Juliet’; a step-by-step modern translation of Shakespeare’s Prologue; analysis of the Prologue’s key images and themes; key vocabulary; and several small tasks/questions to tackle. This is ideal for KS3 or GCSE pupils commencing their study of the play. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This lesson explores various elements and features of comedy as a genre. Students are introduced to various aspects of comedy, including wit/wordplay, satire, misunderstandings, and disguise - among many others - with detailed definitions of each and explanations for how writers use them. Key vocabulary is integrated throughout the lesson, as are some tasks for students to complete to test and consolidate their knowledge of the comedic genre. Students are invited to think about comedic films to make the genre more readily accessible. This lesson is particularly applicable for those studying the ‘Aspects of Comedy’ English Literature A level course with AQA, but it is easily applicable to other needs too, particularly Drama/Theatre Studies and general explorations of genre. PowerPoint is saved as PDF.

How does Shakespeare explore deception and performance in ‘Macbeth’? This 27-slide lesson explores this pivotal question. Things are never what they seem in ‘Macbeth’: fair is foul and foul is fair when it comes to the much-contested fate of the crown. Explore how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth commit regicide through endless deception and performance, but also how they ultimately become trapped in their own web of lies. Questions, discussion points and tasks are included. An essay question (based on an extract from the play) is featured at the end of the lesson. This lesson is perfect for those studying the play at GCSE, but could be used for other year groups too. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 30-slide exploration of the Witches in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ makes for a comprehensive and detailed revision lesson. The lesson includes key context, as well as focus on the Witches’ language, appearance, and function in the play. Links are made to wider themes (including gender and the supernatural), and questions and tasks are included for pupils throughout. Students are encouraged to deconstruct historical depictions of witches and witchcraft - particularly with reference to misogyny - while considering how Shakespeare exploits/subverts stereotypes. The lesson ends with a practice essay question, which is ideal for those studying the play at GCSE (especially those studying with AQA). PowerPoint is saved as PDF.

This 34-slide lesson explores the character of Viola in Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’. With academic scrutiny, the lesson analyses one of Shakespeare’s most complex heroines, beginning with an overview of her key lines, attributes, and role in the plot. This then leads to analysis of her name, key vocabulary that we might use to describe her, and how her role as a cross-dressing protagonists compares to other Shakespearean comedies. Important historical and theatrical context is explored alongside Viola’s character, and we consider the debates around just how ‘proto-Feminist’ Shakespeare’s presentation of Viola really is. Interesting viewpoints from a range of critics, directors, and actors are discussed. Crucially, we also explore how Viola’s character catalyses other key events in the play and is central to the comedy of ‘Twelfth Night’. We look at how Viola interacts with other characters in the play and debate modern interpretations of whether homoeroticism is integral to her character. The role of twins in other Shakespearean plays is considered, and the Carnivalesque atmosphere of the play is analysed in light of Viola’s character. Questions, discussion points, and essay questions are featured throughout. Students are encouraged to consider Viola’s character at a high level, so this lesson would be ideal for students aged 16+. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 20-slide lesson explores how props and stagecraft are used in Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. Important theatrical context is discussed in order to analyse how Wilde’s play relates to ideas of farce, melodrama, and Naturalism in the late 19th century. Students are encouraged to reflect upon the various props used in the play and their symbolic significance. Costumes, entrances, exits, asides, off-stage characters, and dramatic irony are also considered. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 35-slide lesson explores the character of King Duncan in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. Analysing the role of Duncan alongside the Divine Right of Kings and Great Chain of Being, as well as James I’s personal ideas of Kingship, this lesson deconstructs how Shakespeare uses Duncan to represent an idealised and legitimate image of the monarchy in the wake of the Gunpowder Plot. Students are encouraged to consider Duncan’s characterisation as Macbeth’s foil, how Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to heighten the tragedy of Duncan’s death, and how Duncan links to the play’s key themes. High-grade vocabulary is featured too. Questions, discussion points and tasks are included for students, and the lesson ends with an essay question based on an extract from the play. This lesson is ideal for those studying ‘Macbeth’ for GCSE. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 43-slide lesson explores the character of Malvolio in Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’. With academic scrutiny, the lesson analyses one of Shakespeare’s most famous and complex characters, beginning with an overview of his key lines, attributes, and role in the plot. This then leads to analysis of Malvolio’s name, key vocabulary that we might use to describe him, and how his ‘gulling’ threatens the comic spirit of the play. Important historical and theatrical context is explored alongside Malvolio’s character, and we look at how Shakespeare uses him to satirise Puritanism. Using Elizabethan debates surrounding acting and its influence, we think about how Malvolio functions as a metatheatrical symbol of anti-theatricality. Interesting viewpoints from a range of critics, directors, and actors are discussed. Crucially, we also explore how Malvolio’s character relates to the key themes of the play and is central to the comedy of ‘Twelfth Night’. We look at how Malvolio interacts with other characters in the play, the vivid imagery used in his gulling, and how his famous ending might be interpreted from a range of critical lenses. The Carnivalesque atmosphere of the play is analysed in light of Malvolio’s character. Questions, discussion points, and essay questions are featured throughout. Students are encouraged to consider Malvolio’s character at a high level, so this lesson would be ideal for students aged 16+. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This bundle of resources is a comprehensive, detailed, and academic exploration of all scenes from Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ to provide the ideal companion for studying the play. Five presentations are included - one for each of the play’s five acts. Each presentation introduces the setting and context for each of the play’s scenes, before providing step-by-step supportive notes for the scenes. These notes not only explain what is happening as the scene progresses, but key dialogue, images, and stage directions are deconstructed with academic scrutiny. Questions are also posed for students at regular intervals to encourage a thematic and holistic understanding of the play. These resources can be used to support class readings of the texts, or made accessible to students at home to facilitate their understanding of each scene. In addition, students have found them extremely useful as revision resources to review in their own time. Act 1 Notes - 54 slides Act 2 Notes - 42 slides Act 3 Notes - 50 slides Act 4 Notes - 40 slides Act 5 Notes - 38 slides These resources are ideal for GCSE or A level study of ‘Othello’. 224 slides in total. PowerPoints saved as PDFs.

How does Shakespeare present attitudes to gender in ‘Macbeth’? Students so often write about gender dynamics in ‘Macbeth’ with clumsy generalisations that examiners can’t abide. This lesson aims to encourage specific and mature contextualised understanding of gender in the 1600s and within the play itself. This 30-slide PowerPoint explores how Shakespeare exploits and subverts attitudes to gender throughout the play, encouraging students to comment with precision and perception on masculinity and femininity. Ideal for KS4 students in particular but easily adaptable for other ages. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 28-slide lesson explores the themes of duality and double-lives in Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. The lesson encourages students to think about the numerous binaries and dualities throughout Wilde’s play, and how these relate to the idea of ‘earnestness’ that the play satirises. Sophisticated vocabulary is provided to help students with their analysis. Students are presented with important literary and historical context, including Wilde’s own ‘Picture of Dorian Gray’ and Stevenson’s ‘Jekyll and Hyde’, plus examples of real-life late-Victorian scandals which fed into and fuelled fin de siecle interests in the duality of man. We also explore dualities in Wilde’s own life. The lesson considers how deception plays into the play’s key themes, and explores Wilde’s literary preoccupation with ‘masks’. Key quotations from the play (linked to duality or double-lives) are considered throughout the lesson, and each of the key characters are dissected. Discussion points and questions are featured throughout. This lesson is ideal for A-level (age 16+) study of the text. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 36-slide lesson explores the character of Feste in Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’. With academic scrutiny, the lesson analyses one of Shakespeare’s most complex comic characters, beginning with an overview of his key lines, attributes, and role in the plot. This then leads to analysis of Feste’s name, key vocabulary that we might use to describe him, and how his role as a jester grants him special privileges and licence. Important historical and theatrical context is explored alongside Feste’s character, and we look at the development of Shakespeare’s ‘Fools’ across his plays. Feste’s relationship with music and song is analysed, as well as his engagement with the play’s fascination with disguise when he becomes ‘Sir Topas’. Interesting viewpoints from a range of critics, directors, and actors are discussed. Crucially, we also explore how Feste’s character relates to the key themes of the play and is central to the comedy of ‘Twelfth Night’. We look at how Feste interacts with other characters in the play, such as Malvolio, and compare him to Viola in his liminal and transgressive state. The Carnivalesque atmosphere of the play is analysed in light of Feste’s character. Questions, discussion points, and essay questions are featured throughout. Students are encouraged to consider Feste’s character at a high level, so this lesson would be ideal for students aged 16+. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 38-slide lesson explores the character of Olivia in Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’. With academic scrutiny, the lesson analyses one of Shakespeare’s most complex female characters, beginning with an overview of her key lines, attributes, and role in the plot. This then leads to analysis of her name, key vocabulary that we might use to describe her, and how there may be more than meets the eye to Olivia’s excessive mourning. Important historical and theatrical context is explored alongside Olivia’s character, and we consider the debates around how subversive and ‘proto-Feminist’ Shakespeare’s presentation of Olivia really is. Interesting viewpoints from a range of critics, directors, and actors are discussed. Crucially, we also explore how Olivia’s character relates to the key themes of the play and is central to the comedy of ‘Twelfth Night’. We look at how Olivia interacts with other characters in the play and debate modern interpretations of whether homoeroticism is integral to her character. Her connection to Queen Elizabeth I is considered, and the Carnivalesque atmosphere of the play is analysed in light of Olivia’s character. Questions, discussion points, and essay questions are featured throughout. Two exemplar paragraphs are included, too. Students are encouraged to consider Olivia’s character at a high level, so this lesson would be ideal for students aged 16+. PowerPoint saved as PDF.