FREE Introduction to Gothic Fiction: Full Lesson and Resources

This FREE “Introduction to Gothic Fiction” lesson for KS3 and KS4 provides a structured, engaging approach to teaching the key elements of Gothic literature. Starting with a sensory Bell Task, students describe a Gothic setting, focusing on sensory details. The lesson then covers the core features of Gothic fiction—eerie settings, supernatural events, isolated characters, and fear and mystery—through clear definitions and examples.

Activities include an interactive matching task, a gallery walk for sensory vocabulary, and scaffolded writing exercises. Success criteria are differentiated to support all levels, guiding students from basic descriptions to more complex, suspenseful narratives. The lesson concludes with an independent writing task, where students create their own Gothic scene using the features they’ve learned.

This PowerPoint resource is designed to develop descriptive writing skills, introduce students to Gothic fiction, and support creative thinking in a clear, accessible format.