Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s famous short story broke new ground in both topic and style and is a great vehicle to introduce senior students to more sophisticated ways of analysing and evaluating texts. This 38-page resource comprises A copy of the text, in numbered sections for easy reference Questions for the story which follow Bloom’s Taxonomy of lower-to-higher order tasks A handout on different schools of theory and how they have viewed Gilman’s story, with an accompanying reading and analysis task A longer extract from the first academic article about ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, which gets students to read academic prose, and consider formation and challenges to argument A discussion of related texts which also respond to similar ideas and themes, and a sample poem by William Carlos Williams which students can compare to Gilman’s story. A 2-page bibliography of poems, short stories, and films from which students can select their own related text A choice of six engaging creative tasks

Huxley’s famous dystopian novel is a fantastic choice for senior fiction studies. This 75-page unit of work has been tested successfully with a mixed-ability Year 11 (age 16-17) class. It focuses oin textual analysis and engagement with questions of social and political philosophy. There is a comprehensive, illustrated introduction to issues of industrialisation, sexual freedom, and political authoritarianism which affected Huxley’s world and continue to affect us. There are 80+ writing tasks of different lengths and types, which allow teachers to differentiate for a mixed-ability group. Each 3-chapter section is accompanied by an extension reading which engages with the relevant philosophical topic. Readings range from Hobbes and Rousseau on human nature to Admiral Moreel on bread and circuses. The unit can be printed for students who prefer hard copy, or presented digitally. Ten essay questions suitable for senior high schoolers can be used as the basis of assessment.

This short unit of work for students in the final year of primary or first years of middle school accompanies Guus Kuijer’s short novel ‘The Book of Everything’. Chapter by chapter questions provide activities which will allow students to read, research, and discuss issues such as childhood fear, WWII and its aftermath, religious intolerance, and parental anger. A great modern short novel to accompany works like The Diary of Anne Frank, and with a male protagonist, provides a reading experience which will draw in boys too. The unit of work concludes with a short assessment task and accompanying criteria for easy marking.

Wilde’s Gothic novel about vanity and perdition is an established favourite for senior students. Each chapter has a single-page task sheet comprising three higher-order tasks: a close reading of a nominated passage, an extended response to develop interpretative thinking, and a choice of creative writing tasks which springboard from the language and ideas in the chapter. These tasks get students writing analytically, personally, and creatively, helping them to build up their own unique interpretation of the work, and eventually to express this in a formal essay.

Shakespeare’s tragedy about madness and family is an established favourite for senior students. Each scene has a single-page task sheet comprising three higher-order tasks: a close reading of a nominated passage, an extended response to develop interpretative thinking, and a choice of creative writing tasks which springboard from the language and ideas in the scene. These tasks get students writing analytically, personally, and creatively, helping them to build up their own unique interpretation of the work, and eventually to express this in a formal essay.

An understanding of the early period of the English language is novel and exciting for junior high schoolers. This unit of work introduces them to the Anglo-Saxon period and provides a gentle, easy and fun overview of what English language and literature once looked and sounded like. The focus text is Michael Morpurgo’s Beowulf, an excellent version of the heroic poem retold for children and young adult readers. The unit strives to remind students and teachers of all cultural and language backgrounds of their contribution and membership of the worldwide Anglophone community. Written as a combined unit of work and worksheets, teachers only need to purchase Morpurgo’s Beowulf to teach this unit! The unit includes lessons on: Our Language Family Runes, Gods, and the Northern Heritage Kennings, Riddle Poems, and Gnomic Poetry The First Hero: Michael Morpurgo’s Beowulf (focus text) The Hero’s Journey: Overcoming the Monster The End of Old English Where is Old English today? Practice assessment task Assessment task suitable for ages 11-13

The story of the Trojan War is foundational to European literature and thought. Rosemary Sutcliffe’s retelling makes the epic accessible to younger students. It rewards close study in junior high-school English because of Sutcliffe’s rich figurative language, vivid character portraits, and seamless blending of the many tales of Troy. This 96-page unit comprises: An introduction to Troy, Homer, the Iliad, and the story’s importance - with student research activities. A 4-6 page worksheet for each chapter (19 chapters) with an explanation of the relevant concept to the story, questions for the chapter, and a visual learning exercise using a famous art-work which depicts the events. Essay questions suitable for 11-13 year olds A summative creative writing task Questions require higher-order thinking skills and encourage writing at length and reading widely to support growing knowledge. Students’ knowledge of the canon of European literature and art should grow considerably over the term with this unit.

Shakespeare’s tragedy about madness and ambition is an established favourite for senior students. Each scene has a single-page task sheet comprising three higher-order tasks: a close reading of a nominated passage, an extended response to develop interpretative thinking, and a choice of creative writing tasks which springboard from the language and ideas in the scene. These tasks get students writing analytically, personally, and creatively, helping them to build up their own unique interpretation of the work, and eventually to express this in a formal essay.

Fitzgerald’s novel about ‘careless people’ and avarice in the modern era is an established favourite for senior students. This set of chapter questions comprises a single-page task sheet for each chapter. Each chapter has three higher-order tasks: a close reading of a nominated passage, an extended response to develop interpretative thinking, and a choice of creative writing tasks which springboard from the language and ideas in the chapter. The tasks lay the foundation for a critical essay at the end of the unit of study.

Shakespeare’s tragedy about race and manipulation is an established favourite for senior students. Each scene has a single-page task sheet comprising three higher-order tasks: a close reading of a nominated passage, an extended response to develop interpretative thinking, and a choice of creative writing tasks which springboard from the language and ideas in the scene. These tasks get students writing analytically, personally, and creatively, helping them to build up their own unique interpretation of the work, and eventually to express this in a formal essay.

A unit of work on seven poems by John Keats: On First Looking Into Chapman’s Homer When I have fears that I may cease to be Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art Ode on a Grecian Urn Ode to a Nightingale To Autumn La Belle Dame sans Merci This unit is suitable for senior students in Years 10-12. It introduces them to the forms Keats used, and seven of his most famous poems. A research task with suggested reading and viewing gets students across Keats’ life and influences. ‘What is analysis?’ encourages them to think about exactly what literary analysis is, and how to go about it Explanation of the sonnet, ode, and ballad forms Explanation of Negative Capability Foray into critical reading Seven poems included with questions structured according to Bloom’s taxonomy Selection of senior-suitable essay questions

Voltaire’s brilliant philosophical satire has never been more relevant than now. Candide’s response to the belief that “all’s for the best in the best of all possible worlds” is a timely challenge for a climate in turmoil and the need for intelligent resilience. This 59-page unit contains An introductory task on the Enlightenment and its ideas and values An biographical task on Voltaire’s life Reading questions and activities on each chapter of Candide, supported by images A bibliography of short stories which can be used as support texts and for extension reading A number of essay questions suitable for senior students

Ray Bradbury’s seminal novel is a perennial favourite for middle schoolers. This 49-page unit of work has been tested successfully with a mixed-ability Year 9 (age 13-15) class and provides material for a full school term. This unit focuses on close textual analysis. There is a mixture of tasks which gets students writing analytically, personally, and creatively, helping them to build up their own unique interpretation of the work, and eventually to express this in a formal essay. Commentary of each overarching section is given, and 70+ writing tasks cover the whole novel. The tasks cover a variety of levels from comprehension to complex inference and personal response. There is a brief, student-friendly explanation of what a close reading actually is and how to perform it, followed by a sample close reading of a short passage. Texts of Blake’s poem, ‘The Tyger’ and Matthew Arnold, ‘Dover Beach’. Practice assessment task based on short-answer questions, a close reading of a passage, and a creative question Five research tasksheets which can be done by groups during the novel study, as extension work for Gifted and Talented students, or as closure to a unit of study. The Atomic Bomb Memory Phoenix Railroads Rivers Each task comprises four sections, following Bloom’s taxonomy, and requires students to complete: a piece of contextual research, a close reading of a nominated passage, a free-form writing at length, and a creative piece. Five middle-school appropriate essay questions. There is also a presentation on book-burning which can be used with this unit.

This unit of work brings John Wyndham’s vivid novel to life for students of all abilities, aimed at Year 9-10/Stage 5 students. The program provides clear differentiation for three levels of student: higher ability, lower ability, and Gifted and Talented, and clearly indicates core and differentiated tasks. Activities accompany each chapter, and relevant secondary texts such as Edwin Muir’s ‘The Horses’ are included. There are a selection of news articles on genetic mutation and ‘post-human’ or far-future people which will engage students of different levels and persuasions. Brief and cogent discussions of how societies have treated difference develop students’ general and historical knowledge and sharpen their critical thinking.

Shakespeare’s play about madness and family is an established favourite for senior students. This 48-page unit of work has been tested successfully with a mixed-ability class and provides material for a full 10-week school term. This unit focuses on close textual analysis. There is a mixture of tasks which gets students writing analytically, personally, and creatively, helping them to build up their own unique interpretation of the work, and eventually to express this in a formal essay. There is a brief, student-friendly explanation of what a close reading actually is and how to perform it, followed by a sample close reading of the opening passage. Each scene has a single-page task sheet comprising three higher-order tasks: a close reading of a nominated passage, an extended response to develop interpretative thinking, and a choice of creative writing tasks which springboard from the language and ideas in the chapter. Ten senior-level essay questions offer a choice of arguments about character, theme, language, and context, and a sample essay discusses the following question: King Lear is enduringly relevant because it shows us that when we suffer from distorted perception we need others’ care, not their exploitation. Does this satisfactorily explain the relevance of the play?

Although dystopian novel study is a firm and familiar part of high school English, an awareness of the Utopian tradition in thought and literature is just as important. Tested on a middle-ability Year 9 (14-15 years) class, this 60-page unit can be taught independently or alongside the study of dystopian fiction. This unit looks at how ideas of a perfect world grew from visions of paradise in early religion, through planned societies (focusing on Ancient Sparta), and comical visions (the medieval poem of topsy-turvy land), before appearing as a full description of a social perfection in Thomas More’s Utopia and Michel de Montaigne’s account of Brazil in the 1600s. Each section as an introduction to the concepts and context, and has a core primary text broken into manageable chunks which encourage collaborative learning. There is a variety of writing tasks throughout for students of all abilities. There is an ongoing task, based on the work of Jim Dator, for students to describe their own ideal society. The final assessment (for which the marking criteria are included) draws on this ongoing project and requires a verbal presentation of one aspect of the student’s ideal world. This unit can be taught in an English, History, Social Science, Civics, or Philosophy class.

Wilde’s Gothic novel about vanity and perdition is an established favourite for senior students. This 55-page unit of work has been tested successfully with a mixed-ability class and provides material for a full 10-week school term. Pre-reading research tasks introduce students to the late Victorian period and the Decadent movement, before the bulk of the unit focuses on close textual analysis. There is a mixture of tasks which gets students writing analytically, personally, and creatively, helping them to build up their own unique interpretation of the work, and eventually to express this in a formal essay. There is a brief, student-friendly explanation of what a close reading is and how to perform it, followed by a sample close reading of the opening passage. Each chapter has a single-page task sheet comprising three higher-order tasks: a close reading of a nominated passage, an extended response to develop interpretative thinking, and a choice of creative writing tasks which springboard from the language and ideas in the chapter. There is a discrete analysis task which shows students how to evaluate the same piece of textual evidence against three different questions, preventing them from regurgitating the same remarks regardless of question. A guided essay which breaks an essay down into manageable steps for lower-ability students or those who struggle to form and maintain an argument. Ten senior-level essay questions offer a choice of arguments about character, theme, language, and context, and a sample essay discusses whether ‘touching the sacred things is the only thing worth touching’.

The Middle Ages are fun and fascinating period of literature which even younger middle school students can enjoy. This complete unit of work is an easy and enjoyable survey of ten different medieval genres (including courtly love poetry, advice guides to children, frame tales, chronicles, and allegories) which will engage students of a more developed reading ability. This unit was successfully tested on a high-ability Year 8 (age 13-14) group. It assumes no prior knowledge of the medieval period. Contextual introduction to the period, changes to the English language, discussion of what people read and valued. Ten short modules covering ten different text-types found in popular medieval literature. Each module includes: introduction to the text type and a discussion of where we can see it in literature and culture today; a short focus text in modern English, either translated or retold Bloom’s Taxonomy questions on the focus text Stand-alone creative writing with medieval prompts Summative thematic essay on one short text (provided) and the student’s choice of another text from the unit Teachers can use the ten modules as a complete unit or as single modules supporting a study of another text.

Victorian poetry regularly makes the top ten poems in public surveys, and much of our conception of what makes ‘good’ poetry was shaped by poets like Tennyson, Browning, Rossetti, and Arnold. This period formed the emotional and social attitudes which linger today – even in post-modern texts which claim to have moved beyond them. While the Romantics were read by the literati, the Victorian poets in this unit formed the core of public poetry consumption. An understanding of this period is essential for students who will read Edwardian and Modernist literature in later terms, by showing them what these writers and artists reacted against. The unit is designed to be taught over an 8-10 week term, and contains: Introduction to Victorian Britain – an easy research task which students can do together or individually, drawing on readily-available online resources about the nineteenth century. Seven poetry-focused modules: o The Poet Laureate: Alfred, Lord Tennyson o The Pre-Raphaelites: Dante Gabriel and Christina Rossetti o Celebrity Marriages: Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning o Personal Piety: Matthew Arnold and Gerald Manley Hopkins o Nonsense Poetry: Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll o The Poetry of Empire: Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Hardy o America: Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson A short list of films, documentaries, and series which students can watch for context. An essay-based assessment task suitable for students aged 15-16

A thorough study of each chapter in Eliot’s short masterpiece Silas Marner. Each chapter is annotated with a short precis of the chapter’s events, so that students can quickly locate the right section, and a thematic table at the beginning lays out some of the complex philosophical and literary ideas which underpin Eliot’s morality tale. Language and narrative techniques are carefully explained, and each chapter is accompanied by a selection of quotations to strengthen students’ understanding of evidence-based arguments.