This extract from J.M. Coetzee’s powerful novel ‘Disgrace’ is perfect for practising analysing ‘unseen’ passages of Protest Literature. Designed for those studying ‘Political and Social Protest Literature’ with AQA for A level. Please note: this extract contains mature themes.

Explore elements of political and social protest in this extract from Ralph Ellison’s ‘Invisible Man’. Excellent practice for those studying AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing A level syllabus. This extract is particularly effective for studying how writers protest against racism.

An extract from George Bernard Shaw’s classic play ‘Mrs Warren’s Profession’, perfect for analysis as an example of political and social protest writing for Section A of the AQA A level exam. It can be challenging to find great resources for this part of the exam, but this extract (with the accompanying exam question) always work fantastically.

A series of posters designed to help students to understand word classes. Included: Nouns, Adjectives, Verbs and Adverbs (with examples). Designed by Mr_Gradgrind to help support SEN students but equally useful for promoting whole-school literacy. Four posters included.

This 15-slide lesson on Neil Gaiman’s horror story, ‘Don’t Ask Jack’, is ideal for KS3 classes studying short stories or genre writing. Students are encouraged to consider common elements of the horror genre and key vocabulary associated with ‘horror’ and its atmosphere. Conducting close analysis of Gaiman’s language and structure, students are then tasked with creating their own piece of creative horror writing, inspired by ‘Don’t Ask Jack’. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included in the lesson. A copy of the story is included in this resource. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 18-slide lesson offers an introduction to Stevenson’s use of setting in ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. We consider how Stevenson’s use of setting facilitates Hyde’s dark deeds and the Gothic atmosphere of the novella. How the author’s childhood in Edinburgh influenced his depiction of Victorian London is also explored. Stevenson’s language and techniques are analysed, linked closely to the text’s overarching themes of duality and deception. Questions are included for students, too. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 27-slide PowerPoint is a great lesson on the beloved poem that we now know as ‘Daffodils’ by William Wordsworth. The lesson guides students through the poem, thinking about its language, structure, rhyme, and central ideas. A basic biography of Wordsworth is also provided, and a glossary of challenging vocabulary. Questions are included in the lesson (including short comprehension-based tasks), as well as a larger final task in which students write their own poem, inspired by Wordsworth’s. It is an ideal lesson for KS3 students, particularly Year 7 students who are still learning about poetic craft. The lesson functions either as a stand-alone study or could easily fit into a larger scheme of work on nature poetry or Romanticism, for example. A copy of the poem is also included in this resource. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 28-slide lesson explores James Reeves’ poem, ‘The Sea’. This poem is a brilliant example of extended metaphor and poetic craft; it is a beloved staple of many Key Stage 3 poetry lessons. The lesson deconstructs Reeves’ use of metaphor and other linguistic techniques, paying attention to the poem’s rhyme and rhythm too. Biographical information about Reeves is provided, as well as a series of questions, discussion points, and tasks for students. Students are asked to write a short analytical response to the poem, and an exemplar response is included in the PowerPoint. The lesson ends with a creative writing (poetry) task that could be used either as a homework activity or class-based task. This lesson is ideal for KS3 pupils, but could be used for GCSE pupils - especially those who find poetry challenging. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This resource contains four well-known recent speeches by famous women (Angelina Jolie, Emma Watson, Michelle Obama and Theresa May) which are excellent for linguistic and rhetorical analysis. This is a useful exercise for pupils studying persuasive writing and effective rhetoric. Not only do these speeches allow students to analyse how famous orators have used language, but they also inspire and teach how pupils can use language in their own persuasive writing too. Each speech is transcribed here and some contain designated space for analysis and answers to questions based on common GCSE exam tasks. This resource bundle is ideal for those studying English Language at GCSE, but is equally useful for KS3 language analysis or any other unit on rhetorical or persuasive writing.

This 32-slide lesson explores William Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 130’. The lesson considers what we might expect typical love poetry to entail and how Shakespeare subverts our expectations. Students are prompted to question stereotypical depictions of romance and romantic imagery, and to think about how Shakespeare plays with the sonnet form itself. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are featured throughout, including an analytical ‘mini-essay’ in response to a question. The lesson ends with a creative writing (poetry) task that could be set in class or as a homework activity. This lesson is ideal for KS3. A copy of the poem (with glossary) is included.

A series of mock questions on Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ designed to emulate AQA’s exam style in the Political and Social Protest Paper (Section B). Sixteen questions in total. Perfect for revision and practice assessments.

This lesson is focused on helping students to analyse literary ‘structure’ using an extract from Suzanne Collins’ ‘The Hunger Games’. The lesson is focused on Question 3 (‘How has the writer structured the text to interest you as a reader?’) from AQA’s GCSE English Language Paper 1. Students are presented with methods of tackling this notoriously challenging question. Exemplar paragraphs on ‘The Hunger Games’ are also included. The resource includes a lesson PowerPoint and the extract from the novel. This lesson is aimed at GCSE pupils but could be used for KS3. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This resource includes an extract from and questions on Louis Sachar’s ‘Holes’, based on AQA’s English Language GCSE Paper 1. The bundle includes the extract from the novel and a PowerPoint with questions and tips for how to answer three questions. Two exemplar paragraphs are given in response to Question 2 (analysing the writer’s use of language). The focus is on the first three questions of Paper 1 in the exam. This resource is perfect for introducing students to the exam specifications. It works well for a LA set or SEND GCSE group. It is also suited KS3 groups, if your school chooses to get students used to the exam early.

This PowerPoint is perfect for introducing Greek Tragedy to KS3 pupils in either English or Drama lessons. Originally designed to introduce a lesson series on ‘Antigone’, this PowerPoint is easily adaptable to consider any Greek tragedy.

This is a complete mock exam paper on J.D. Salinger’s ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ in the style of AQA’s English Language Paper 1 Section A. The resource includes the extract and an exam booklet featuring four questions (as per the exam) based upon it. A PowerPoint supports the question booklet and offers top tips for how to answer each question. This is an ideal practice paper/mock for students to sit.

This 18-slide lesson explores Tennyson’s classic poem ‘The Kraken’. Perfect as a stand-alone lesson or part of a larger scheme of work on poetry or creatures, the lesson is neatly contained with its own explanation of Tennyson’s context and accompanying tasks on the poem itself. Questions, discussion points and tasks are included for students, including extended activities at the end of the lesson. The poem’s mythos, form, and environmental themes are considered. The poem itself is included. This lesson is designed for KS3 but could easily be used with KS4 pupils who are studying poetry. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 25-slide lesson explores Tennyson’s poem, ‘The Eagle’. The lesson includes a zoological, historical and mythological overview of eagles, considering their connotations and status in various cultures, as well as biographical information on Tennyson. Students are presented with numerous questions, tasks, and discussion points to analyse Tennyson’s poem. Close attention is paid to Tennyson’s language and technique. Students are tasked with an analytical response to the poem (an exemplar paragraph is included) before the lesson ends on a creative writing activity (which could be used as a homework task). This lesson is ideal for KS3, but could be used to help GCSE (particularly SEND) students with poetry too. 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.

A superb extract from Patrick Marber’s ‘After Miss Julie’, perfect for analysis as an ‘unseen’ text for Section A of AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing A level paper. Extract is attached with PowerPoint featuring questions for students to consider/discuss/answer and an exemplar INTRODUCTION to an essay response. PowerPoint saved as PDF.