This crossword on Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ provides an enjoyable but academic activity for pupils to test their knowledge of the play. It always works as a great starter or plenary task.

This crossword on Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ provides an enjoyable but academic activity for pupils to test their knowledge of the play. It always works as a great starter or plenary task. Quotations and spellings are based on the Michael Meyer translation, eg. ‘Christine’ not ‘Kristine’. Ideal for KS4 or KS5 students.

This crossword on John Boyne’s ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ provides an enjoyable but academic activity for pupils to test their knowledge of the novel. It always works as a great starter or plenary task. Ideal for KS3 and high-attaining KS2 pupils. Note: answer to the question of Shmuel’s religion is ‘Judaism’ not ‘Jewish’ or ‘Jews’, etc.

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.

How does Shakespeare present attitudes to gender in ‘Macbeth’? Students so often write about gender dynamics in ‘Macbeth’ with clumsy generalisations that examiners can’t abide. This lesson aims to encourage specific and mature contextualised understanding of gender in the 1600s and within the play itself. This 30-slide PowerPoint explores how Shakespeare exploits and subverts attitudes to gender throughout the play, encouraging students to comment with precision and perception on masculinity and femininity. Ideal for KS4 students in particular but easily adaptable for other ages. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This is a thorough and comprehensive introduction to the context of Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’. The 21-slide lesson details Caesar’s life and role in the Roman Republic, outlining key terminology, politics, and history that will help explain his downfall. Shakespeare’s own life is also explored alongside the plot and focus of the play itself, and Elizabethan parallels with the play’s themes are explained. Questions and tasks are included for pupils, including a research (potential homework) task at the end of the lesson. The lesson is ideal for GCSE pupils, but could easily be adapted for other Key Stages. PowerPoint 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.

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 22-slide lesson analyses Stevenson’s use of the Gothic genre in ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. The lesson prompts students to consider Stevenson’s deliberate use of setting, mood and atmosphere to exploit Gothic tropes. Key featues of the genre such as suspense, violence, doubling, and damsels in distress are deconstructed. Extracts from the novella are included for close analysis. The lesson features discussion points and questions for students, and ends with an extended task (which could be set as a homework activity). This lesson serves as an ideal supplement to those studying the text at GCSE (especially with AQA), but could be used for KS3 too. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

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 27-slide lesson explores Langston Hughes’ poem, ‘Aunt Sue’s Stories’. The lesson includes an introduction to Hughes and his cultural significance, and asks students to deconstruct the meaning and effect of stories and storytelling. The poem’s language, themes, structure and rhythm are deconstructed, and questions and tasks are featured for students throughout the lesson. At the end of the lesson, after a series of focused questions on the poem, students are asked to produce a piece of creative writing inspired by Hughes’ poem. This could be set as a homework task if lesson time is short. This lesson is ideal for KS3 pupils and deals with the important history of African-American people, as well as more general themes of identity, memory, and ancestry. PowerPoint is saved as PDF.

This resource is a collection of 30 practice questions based on J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’. Providing perfect revision for those studying the text at GCSE, this bundle of 30 exam-style questions will give your students plenty of practice at analysing the play’s key themes, characters, and ideas. Questions are included on every character and each of the main themes. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 35-slide lesson explores how George Orwell presents the theme of education in ‘Animal Farm’. This detailed and thorough exploration of education within the novella provides an excellent framework for analysis and revision. It includes various discussion points, questions, and tasks for students, features key quotations, sophisticated terminology, and a final essay question for exam practice. Students are encouraged to think about how the pigs blur the lines between education and propaganda on the farm, and how this relates to Orwell’s message and the novella’s historical (and allegorical) context. This lesson is perfect for GCSE groups or high-attaining KS3 classes. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 23-slide lesson provides an introduction to John Boyne’s ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’. The lesson introduces students to the novel’s key ideas of friendship and childhood, as well as the historical context of World War II and anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students throughout, and the lesson ends with a creative writing task that could be used in class or as a homework activity. This lesson is designed for KS3 pupils. Given the novel’s subject matter, some historical context deals with mature content. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 24-slide lesson explores Emma Lazarus’ poem, ‘The New Colossus’. Immortalised on its plaque beneath the iconic Statue of Liberty, Lazarus’ poem honours one of the greatest monuments in the world. This lesson explores how the poem personifies and gives symbolic power to Lady Liberty, analysing the sonnet’s language, form, structure, and rhyme. We look at why Lazarus juxtaposes Liberty with the ancient Colossus of Rhodes, and how Lazarus uses the poem to champion the rights of immigrants seeking comfort in the Land of Opportunity. A glossary is provided for challenging vocabulary, and the poem’s key ideas and images are deconstructed in detail. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. An essay question is included, as well as a creative task at the end of the lesson. The full poem is featured within the PowerPoint. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 15-slide lesson explores Chapter 9 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. In this comprehensive lesson, students consider the tragic fate of Boxer as his stupendous strength finally fails. We analyse how the pigs exploit Boxer’s death with cold calculation, and debate whether Benjamin’s refusal to utilise his literacy is responsible for his friend’s fate. The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils learn about who/what Boxer and Moses represent. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students. PowerPoint 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.

This 28-slide lesson explores the themes of duality and double-lives in Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. The lesson encourages students to think about the numerous binaries and dualities throughout Wilde’s play, and how these relate to the idea of ‘earnestness’ that the play satirises. Sophisticated vocabulary is provided to help students with their analysis. Students are presented with important literary and historical context, including Wilde’s own ‘Picture of Dorian Gray’ and Stevenson’s ‘Jekyll and Hyde’, plus examples of real-life late-Victorian scandals which fed into and fuelled fin de siecle interests in the duality of man. We also explore dualities in Wilde’s own life. The lesson considers how deception plays into the play’s key themes, and explores Wilde’s literary preoccupation with ‘masks’. Key quotations from the play (linked to duality or double-lives) are considered throughout the lesson, and each of the key characters are dissected. Discussion points and questions are featured throughout. This lesson is ideal for A-level (age 16+) study of the text. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

PowerPoints on all 10 chapters of Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. These can be used in conjunction with reading the text as a class or for revision purposes. Each PowerPoint contains key quotes, themes, ideas, and questions/activities for students. These PowerPoints will produce at least 10 lessons. Perfect for studying the novella at GCSE.

Top band essay analysing how Priestley explores the ‘generation gap’ in ‘An Inspector Calls’. Perfect for high-attaining students studying the play at GCSE. Includes a key for reading and highlighting the essay with your class.