The premise of this SOW is to have frequent quizzes and comprehension questions to check understanding. Every lesson has a plenary quiz at the end to check comprehension and knowledge of the characters and the storyline. There are also recaps of particular terms like pathetic fallacy, narrative, gothic and narrator. The first two weeks are dedicated to a simplified version of contextual knowledge. I chose to omit Freud and the Id, Superego and Ego because it is designed for low ability. But you can add and alter the SOW and alter the fortnightly quizzes to add questions and reteach sheets on this if you wish. The activities are designed to be for low ability in the sense that they are given sentence starters whenever they do discussion pair work and they also do bingo cards for chapter reading. Audiobooks are attached to the reading parts. There is an assessment right at the end of the unit on whether or not Mr Hyde is a frightening character. Bonus: there are fortnightly quizzes with answers and reteach sheets, with time allocated in the SOW to have reflection and review of learning time.

Scheme of learning for KS3/4 study of Blood Brothers by Russell. Assessment based on Paper 2 of English Literature AQA. AO’s learning objectives focus. Lesson 1: Introduction to Mrs Johnstone AO1+AO3 Lesson 2: Learning More about Mrs Johnstone AO1+AO3 Lesson 3: The Agreement Between Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnstone AO1+AO2 Lesson 4: The Twins are Separated AO1+AO2 Lesson 5: Mrs Lyons Sacks Mrs Johnstone AO1+AO2 Lesson 6: The Twins are Reunited AO1+AO2 Lesson 7: Mickey Visits Edward’s House AO1+AO2 Lesson 8: Caught by the Police AO1+AO2 Lesson 9: Moving Away AO1+AO2+AO3 Lesson 10: A New Start AO1+AO2 Lesson 11: Suspensions and Secrets AO1+AO2 Lesson 12: Mickey and Edward Reunited AO1+AO2 Lesson 13:Teenage Years AO1+AO2 Lesson 14: Adult Life AO1+AO2 Lesson 15: Crime and Punishment AO1+AO2+AO3 Lesson 16: The End AO1+AO2 Lesson 17: Exam preparation lesson 1 AO1+AO2+AO3+AO4 Lesson 18: Exam preparation lesson 2 AO1+AO2+AO3+AO4 Final Assessment Question, 45 minute timed essay Resources: AQA Paper 2 mark scheme Assessment objective tasks Character family tree Character worksheets Contextual knowledge sheet Final assessment task Glossary of literary terms Parallels and contrasts Student-friendly adapted mark scheme Teacher questions for learning Timeline of tension and events

A lesson guiding students to meditate and be mindful.

An AS/A-Level lesson on the Middle/Old English revolution and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

An A-Level style lesson on the basics and introduction to Courtly Love and Chivalry in literature and society.

Exploring the philia and platonic love origins in history, through the use of Plato. Perfect for high ability students or A-Level (AO’s linked to A-Level English Literature AQA)

A lesson for AS-A Level or high ability students. Focused on the mythological story in Genesis of Adam and Eve. Reading and comparing to John Milton’s Paradise Lost.

An A-Level lesson on Ovid’s four texts: Amores, Heroides, Ars Amatoria and Metamorphoses. Discussion around the theme of love, loss and sex and connecting to other literary works over time.

An AS-A Level lesson on platonic love in David and Jonathan and the sexual love in Song of Songs in the Old Testament of the Bible.

An introduction to who Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary are for A-Level literature.

Recap of who Marilyn Monroe is Reading with questions for reading Mini-plenary to check comprehension Discussion about Mickey Discussion about Mrs Lyons’s manipulation Discussion about antidepressants and the invisibility Mickey feels Model paragraph with annotations P.E.E paragraph writing frame Plenary to check writing

Discuss foreshadowing and structure in the play Reading with questions for reading Discuss superstition and class as themes Discussion of Mickey and Edward’s final thoughts and relationship Mini-plenary for comprehension P.E.E. paragraph table Plenary to check writing

Discuss unemployment in the 80s Reading the scene with reading questions Discussion about growing up as a theme Discussion about poverty and crime Discussion about juxtaposition in these scenes P.E.E. writing frame Plenary.

Discuss the deterioration of Mrs Lyons’s mental health. Reading questions for teacher Plenary checks of understanding Discussion about structure and key quotations Discussion about Edward and Mrs Lyons’ health and accusations P.E.E. writing frame table for: How does Russell use language to show the decline of Mrs Lyons’s mental health?

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.

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.

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.