Discussion about differences between Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnstone Questions for reading of the text for teachers Key themes of parents/children and growing up discussed P.E.E writing frame and plenary task

Discussion about Grammar schools and Secondary Moderns. Questions for teacher to ask during ready. Discussion on theme of fate. Discussion on theme of secrets. Discussion about parallels and contrasts of Mickey and Edward. Discussion of dramatic irony. Model paragraph annotated by AOs. P.E.E writing frame activity. Plenary to check P.E.E.

Discussion on the setting and its impact on the characters’ relationships. Mini-plenaries and questions for reading. Discuss contrasts and parallels between the boys’ lives. Discuss humour and motifs in the play. P.E.E writing frame and plenary checklist.

Discuss society’s/narrator’s view on Mrs Johnstone’s choice to give up her child. Listen to a BBC radio recording about the expectations of a housewife in the 1950s. Discuss how things have changed. Watch two videos on the expectations of women/wives and discuss how things have changed. Discuss context of the 1960s feminists and their accomplishments/suffrage. Listen to Lesley Gore’s hit song ‘You Don’t Own Me’ and discuss how it would’ve been popular and why. Read the Milkman scene at the start of the play. Discuss why the context of the 1950s and Mrs Johnstone’s ex husband maintains our sympathy for her. True or false statements plenary.

Examine the context of the 1950s. Compare Marilyn Monroe with Mrs Johnstone. Listen to “Tell Me It’s Not True”, discuss cyclical structure and foreshadowing. Listen to “Marilyn Monroe”, discuss Mrs Johnstone’s life and her ex-husband and watch a short drama re-enactment. P.E.E. paragraph grid and model for question: How does Mrs Johnstone’s song help you understand her character and situation?

Discuss superstitions. What differences (class) do you notice about these two characters? Discuss with image. Reading questions for teacher to ask students. Discussion about superstition in the agreement scene and its impact on the story. P.E.E. table for: What does this conversation reveal about Mrs Lyons’s character? Students write up answer to question and then plenary is to check understanding.

Discussion about the motif of guns and children having them as toys. Reading the play scene with questions for teacher. Mini-plenary checks for understanding. Discussion on setting, symbols and superstition in the scene. P.E.E. writing frame for: Mickey and Edward seem destined to influence each other’s lives. How does Russell present this to the audience? Plenary check for writing.

A list of terms to support students with learning.

What do you know about Mrs Lyons so far? What kind of character is she? What kind of character do you think she will be in the play? Discuss the absence of Mr Lyons and how this is a plot device. Questions for teacher to ask students during reading. Mrs Lyons is desperate to have a child. What pressures might her and her husband be under? Discussion on the effects of ellipsis in the superstition comment. Does this scene change your opinion of her? Who is each character talking about? Mini-plenary Writing about Mrs Lyons: model paragraph with AO1 and AO2 highlighted. Students write their own paragraphs using the P.E.E. writing frame Plenary is to self-assess progress

What differences do you notice about the lives of Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons just from these images of their houses. Discuss staging directions by Russell and his intentions. Questions for teacher to ask during reading. Mini plenary gap-fill paragraph to check understanding of events. Discussion about Mrs Johnstone’s character. P.E.E. table to fill: How does Mrs Johnstone show her feelings of regret? Students write answers in book and then do mini-plenary.

Discussion about class divides in society. Reading the scene with teachers’s questions to accompany understanding. Detailed analysis of the scene: Examining the characters’ personalities Discuss the term dramatic irony and its presence here. Dialect and accent (class) (definitions given). Theme of class Examining the differences and similarities between them P.E.E. paragraph table for question: How does Russell use language and structure to present childhood in this scene? Plenary to check paragraph.

Recap, what does “foreshadowing” mean? Challenge: Name some examples of foreshadowing that have existed so far in the play. Reading questions for teacher and mini-plenary fill in gaps paragraph. Defining stereotypes and discussing class in this scene. Discussing the theme of superstition and fate. Link to foreshadowing. Model paragraph for students to read/discuss success of. P.E.E. frame for question: How does Russell use this scene to show the different experiences the families have of the law? Plenary to check understanding.

Name 3 ways in which Mickey and Edward have two different upbringing. Challenge: Name 3 ways in which they will have similar upbringings. The play encourages the audience to ask themselves questions about nature and nurture. Discuss these themes. What do we remember about Mrs Lyons? Character recap. Questions for reading for teacher to ask class. Mini-plenary to check understanding of scene. Discuss whether Mrs Lyons is a controlling parent and her treatment of Edward. P.E.E. table and model for: What does Mrs Lyons’s behaviour towards Edward and Mickey reveal about her? Plenary to check answer to the question.

A lesson on features of spy novel genre and invasion genre to accompany teaching The Thirty-Nine Steps (novel version) by Buchanan. Includes features of spy novel genre discussion and model. Invasion genre introduction Introduction to spy genre/invasion genre novels with two extracts from The Riddles of the Sand and The Battle of Dorking Comparing the two texts, examining features of spy genre and invasion genre in the texts

A lesson to support teaching the novel version of the 39 Steps. Introduction to his character, including reading the biography. Watching video clips from the play version and then answering questions after finding key words to describe him. Also: reading an article by former MI5 chief about his character’s influence on the general public since the 1900s.

Suitable for high ability KS3/4. Suitable for the novel version of 39 Steps to be studied as an English 19th Century Novel.

A lesson guiding students to meditate and be mindful.

LESSON 1: Students to recap the meaning of purpose and audience. Recap purpose/audience for leaflet. Students to identify features of a holiday brochure/leaflet. Students identify those features and evaluate the successes of those features in x2 leaflets. LESSON 2: Students recap features of a holiday brochure/leaflet. Students identify those features in a leaflet example quickly. Students then have to create their own leaflet for Butlin’s Resort. Walk through of expectations and model examples. Students peer assess each other’s work, evaluating how well they wrote to purpose and audience. Suitable for Years 7-9 or for low ability KS4. Printouts at the end of the powerpoint, hidden from view on normal powerpoint.

LESSON 1: Students identify different text-types and their audiences. They then have to identify which language features and use of vocabulary suits which type of audience. They then examine 5 extracts and how they are suitable for their text types. LESSON 2: Students identify different text-types and their purposes. They then have to identify which language features and use of vocabulary suits which type of purpose. They then examine 3 extracts and how they are suitable for their text types. LESSON 3: Students to identify features of a holiday brochure/leaflet. Students identify those features and evaluate the successes of those features in x2 leaflets. LESSON 4: Students recap features of a holiday brochure/leaflet. Students identify those features in a leaflet example quickly. Students then have to create their own leaflet for Butlin’s Resort. Walk through of expectations and model examples. Students peer assess each other’s work, evaluating how well they wrote to purpose and audience. Suitable for Years 7-9 or for low ability KS4. Printouts at the end of the powerpoint, hidden from view on normal powerpoint.

Students identify different text-types and their audiences. They then have to identify which language features and use of vocabulary suits which type of audience. They then examine 5 extracts and how they are suitable for their text types. Suitable for Years 7-9 or for low ability KS4. Printouts at the end of the powerpoint, hidden from view on normal powerpoint.

Students identify different text-types and their purposes. They then have to identify which language features and use of vocabulary suits which type of purpose. They then examine 3 extracts and how they are suitable for their text types. Suitable for Years 7-9 or for low ability KS4. Printouts at the end of the powerpoint, hidden from view on normal powerpoint.