This extract from Caryl Churchill’s ‘Top Girls’ is perfect for analysing elements of political and social protest as per the AQA A level paper. This extract is particularly effective for considering Feminist theory and gender politics.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

This 21-slide lesson explores Alfred Noyes’ poem, ‘The Highwayman’. Students explore the meaning of heroism and consider the use of ‘anti-heroes’ in film and literature. They are then taught about the history of highwaymen (including how they have been romanticised in popular culture over the years), and learn about the notorious career of Dick Turpin. Students then read Alfred Noyes’ famous poem and unpick its language, imagery, and structure. We think about the romantic and tragic elements of the poem, and discuss whether or not the titular highwayman deserves our sympathy at the end of the narrative. In the next task, the poem’s language and Noyes’ use of various linguistic techniques (including similes, metaphor, and repetition) are identified and analysed. The poem’s atmosphere and epilogue are also explored. The lesson ends with two creative responses to the poem (which could be set as homework tasks or be covered in the next lesson). This lesson is ideal for upper KS2 and lower KS3 students. A copy of the poem is included in this resource. PowerPoint and Word doc are saved as PDF.

Detailed and high-grade notes on each of the major characters in J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’. Perfect for revision of the characters when studying the play at GCSE.

What kind of king is Macbeth? The perfect holistic study of how power corrupts Macbeth in Shakespeare’s tragedy, this detailed lesson traces what happens to Macbeth after he chooses the heretical path of regicide. This is an ideal lesson for GCSE students. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

A PowerPoint all about the importance of names in Dickens’ ‘Hard Times’. Ideal for those studying the novel for AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing A level course.

Three colourful posters designed by Mr_Gradgrind on ‘The Jungle Book’, ‘Holes’ and ‘Watership Down’. Great for your classroom or corridor displays.