This 30-slide lesson offers a contextual introduction to Mildred D. Taylor’s novel, ‘Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry’. This lesson explores the historical background to the novel, covering the American Civil War, the Reconstruction era, the Great Depression, and Jim Crow Laws. The tragically widespread power of racism is noted, including the prevalence of the Ku Klux Klan and how segregation was legally enforced. Students also consider Mildred D. Taylor’s own upbringing and how this came to influence her writing. Quotations from Taylor herself can be analysed with students. We also explain the American Dream and its significance to the novel’s setting. The novel’s title, key themes, and narrative are also deconstructed, including reference to African American ‘spirituals’ and the importance of the novel being narrated by a child. Students consider the novel as a coming-of-age story. Key vocabulary linked to the novel is also presented for students to define and understand. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included throughout. Students reflect on whether we have a duty to challenge injustice in our communities and debate how influential adult influence can be on children. This comprehensive lesson is ideal for students ages 11+. The themes of racism do of course mean that some content is fairly mature. PowerPoint 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.

This is a top-band exemplar essay on how Dickens presents Scrooge as an outsider in ‘A Christmas Carol’. Based on a genuine AQA Literature past paper, this essay is perfect for HA pupils to see how to structure a sophisticated and perceptive essay. The extract and exam question are included on the first page.

This top-band essay analyses how Shakespeare presents Macbeth and Banquo’s attitudes to the supernatural, based on the (infamous) AQA exam question from 2018. Many students found this question challenging when it appeared in the summer of 2018. This essay is perfect (for HA pupils, in particular) to see how to structure a sophisticated and perceptive essay. The extract and exam question are included on the first page.

This 20-slide lesson explores Carol Ann Duffy’s poem, ‘War Photographer’. The lesson begins by considering the role of news and news media, before discussing our relationship with news coverage. Students are encouraged to think critically about how they interact with various news platforms and whether the globalisation of news coverage has lessened or deepened our understanding of the world. Duffy’s life and work is considered, including her friendship with prominent photojournalists. Students look at some of the work of notable real-life ‘war photographers’, considering the unique and challenging role of a photojournalist, and the ethics behind it. We read the poem and explore its language, form, structure, and rhythm. Key vocabulary is presented to students to facilitate top-grade analysis, and the poem’s main themes are discussed. A variety of discursive and formal questions are featured for students, and an exam-style essay question is included at the end. Teachers can use various stimuli to discuss the complex questions that Duffy asks about the role of photojournalism. This lesson is ideal for students ages 13+. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 20-slide lesson explores Fleur Adcock’s poem, ‘The Telephone Call’. Starter activities probe students to think about their attitude to the lottery and its anthropological implications. We then learn about the life and work of Fleur Adcock before reading the poem. Students are prompted to think about the two juxtaposing characters in the poem before delving into Adcock’s use of language, imagery, form, structure and rhyme. The significance of the poem’s 1980s context is also considered. Key themes and sophisticated vocabulary are listed to enable students to conduct precise analysis. We also ask what the poem’s true message may be, posing a variety of interpretations. This resource is ideal for those studying the poem as part of Cambridge IGCSE’s ‘Songs of Ourselves’, but is useful for anyone looking at the poem. Two versions of the lesson are attached: one is a PDF to save the best aesthetics and formatting; the other is a standard PowerPoint where fonts and formatting may be lost but can easily be edited.

This 21-slide lesson explores John Keats’ poem, ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’. Students begin by exploring popular depictions of Medieval culture, particularly gender dynamics and attitudes towards heroism in storytelling. Stereotypes surrounding knights and damsels are discussed, and we unpick the concept of ‘chivalry’ from both a Medieval and modern context. We talk about the life of John Keats before reading the poem. The ballad’s language, imagery, rhythm, and structure are discussed. Students are taught ambitious vocabulary to describe each of the characters, and we think about how Keats is subverting stereotypes regarding Medieval attitudes to gender within the poem. The notion of the ‘femme fatale’ is explored, and students are encouraged to conduct close linguistic analysis through a table of key quotations from the poem. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students throughout. The lesson ends with a creative task (which could be set as homework or covered in a following lesson). A copy of the poem is included in this resource. This lesson is ideal for KS3 students, but could easily be used for GCSE students exploring poetry too. PowerPoint and Word Doc saved as PDFs.

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 bundle of resources is a comprehensive, detailed, and academic exploration of all scenes from Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ to provide the ideal companion for studying the play. Five presentations are included - one for each of the play’s five acts. Each presentation introduces the setting and context for each of the play’s scenes, before providing step-by-step supportive notes for the scenes. These notes not only explain what is happening as the scene progresses, but key dialogue, images, and stage directions are deconstructed with academic scrutiny. Questions are also posed for students at regular intervals to encourage a thematic and holistic understanding of the play. These resources can be used to support class readings of the texts, or made accessible to students at home to facilitate their understanding of each scene. In addition, students have found them extremely useful as revision resources to review in their own time. Act 1 Notes - 54 slides Act 2 Notes - 42 slides Act 3 Notes - 50 slides Act 4 Notes - 40 slides Act 5 Notes - 38 slides These resources are ideal for GCSE or A level study of ‘Othello’. 224 slides in total. PowerPoints saved as PDFs.

This 24-slide lesson is the perfect analytical summary of Boxer’s character function in Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. Students are encouraged to consider Boxer’s purpose within the novella and how he links contextually to the allegory of corrupted Communism. Emphasis is placed on his stupendous strength, tragic naivety, and exploitation. There are discussion points and questions posed for students to answer either individually or collaboratively. At the end of the PowerPoint is an extended essay question for students to answer (either in class or as a homework activity). This lesson (which could easily be split into multiple lessons) is ideal for GCSE students but could also be used to challenge high-attaining KS3 pupils. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This worksheet is great for revising the key themes of AQA’s ‘Love & Relationships’ poetry anthology. In the right-hand column, students can write all of the poems in the collection which they think match the theme in the left-hand column. Encourages students to think thematically and comparatively about the poems.

Enhance your learning environment with this poster of J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’, designed by Mr. Gradgrind.

Enjoy this stylish poster for ‘Pride & Prejudice’ by Jane Austen to enhance your learning environment. Designed by MrGradgrind.

This 43-slide lesson explores the character of Malvolio in Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’. With academic scrutiny, the lesson analyses one of Shakespeare’s most famous and complex characters, beginning with an overview of his key lines, attributes, and role in the plot. This then leads to analysis of Malvolio’s name, key vocabulary that we might use to describe him, and how his ‘gulling’ threatens the comic spirit of the play. Important historical and theatrical context is explored alongside Malvolio’s character, and we look at how Shakespeare uses him to satirise Puritanism. Using Elizabethan debates surrounding acting and its influence, we think about how Malvolio functions as a metatheatrical symbol of anti-theatricality. Interesting viewpoints from a range of critics, directors, and actors are discussed. Crucially, we also explore how Malvolio’s character relates to the key themes of the play and is central to the comedy of ‘Twelfth Night’. We look at how Malvolio interacts with other characters in the play, the vivid imagery used in his gulling, and how his famous ending might be interpreted from a range of critical lenses. The Carnivalesque atmosphere of the play is analysed in light of Malvolio’s character. Questions, discussion points, and essay questions are featured throughout. Students are encouraged to consider Malvolio’s character at a high level, so this lesson would be ideal for students aged 16+. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 34-slide lesson explores the character of Viola in Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’. With academic scrutiny, the lesson analyses one of Shakespeare’s most complex heroines, beginning with an overview of her key lines, attributes, and role in the plot. This then leads to analysis of her name, key vocabulary that we might use to describe her, and how her role as a cross-dressing protagonists compares to other Shakespearean comedies. Important historical and theatrical context is explored alongside Viola’s character, and we consider the debates around just how ‘proto-Feminist’ Shakespeare’s presentation of Viola really is. Interesting viewpoints from a range of critics, directors, and actors are discussed. Crucially, we also explore how Viola’s character catalyses other key events in the play and is central to the comedy of ‘Twelfth Night’. We look at how Viola interacts with other characters in the play and debate modern interpretations of whether homoeroticism is integral to her character. The role of twins in other Shakespearean plays is considered, and the Carnivalesque atmosphere of the play is analysed in light of Viola’s character. Questions, discussion points, and essay questions are featured throughout. Students are encouraged to consider Viola’s character at a high level, so this lesson would be ideal for students aged 16+. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 33-slide lesson on Philip Larkin’s ‘Going, Going’ explores the poem in comprehensive detail. Examining Larkin’s seemingly impassioned warning against the dangers of capitalist industrialisation against the sardonic satire of his poetic persona, this lesson unpicks the poet’s masterful use of language, form, structure, and imagery. Questions and discussion points are featured for students throughout, encouraging them to unpick the poem in great detail. Other Larkin poems to which ‘Going, Going’ might be compared are suggested, and the lesson ends with an extended essay question for students to complete either in class or as a homework. This lesson is aimed primarily at A level students, but could be used for high-attaining GCSE sets. ‘Going, Going’ is particularly rich for pupils reading poems through an ecocritical lens. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 21-slide lesson explores Chapter 2 of John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’. Students are encouraged to think about George and Lennie’s arrival at the ranch and how Steinbeck foreshadows future events in the novella. The majority of the text’s key characters are introduced in this chapter and students are invited to consider Steinbeck’s characterisation of each of them. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students in a PowerPoint that could easily stretch across two lessons. Ideal for upper-KS3 or GCSE students. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

These 25 posters - featuring words of wisdom from 24 of Shakespeare’s plays - make for an inspiring, educational and visually stunning display in your classroom and corridor.

This 21-slide lesson explores Robert Hayden’s poem, ‘Those Winter Sundays’. The lesson considers the connotations evoked by the title before teaching students about Hayden’s life and work. Students then read the poem and are encouraged to think about information that can be inferred by ‘reading between the lines’ of the poem. The poem’s language and imagery is deconstructed in view of what it suggests about the relationship between the speaker and their father. We consider what is ‘unspoken’ in the text and what the reader might deduce from this. Students are encouraged to reflect on the ambiguity of the poem’s ending before considering the overall form, structure, and rhyme. The poem’s key themes are discussed, the tone is considered, and ambitious vocabulary is presented to students to allow them to produce sophisticated and precise analysis of the poem. Questions and discussion points are included throughout the lesson, and an exam-style question is presented at the end. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 17-slide lesson explores Stevie Smith’s poem, ‘Not Waving But Drowning’. Students are asked challenging but important questions about how conscious we are of the feelings of those around us - our family, friends, and even neighbours, colleagues, and acquaintances. We discuss the nature of Smith’s poetry - her recurring themes, styles, and subject matter - before reading her famous poem. We think about how the poem might be read as an allegory, reflecting on important ideas surrounding mental health and compassion. The language, imagery, structure, and rhyme of the poem are then deconstructed in detail. Students explore the poem’s key themes, and ambitious vocabulary is introduced to facilitate sophisticated analysis. At the end of the poem, an exam-style question is included. Please note: this poem (and lesson) explores some mature themes regarding mental health. PowerPoint saved as PDF.