This 25-slide lesson is a thorough and comprehensive study of Carol Ann Duffy’s poem, ‘Before You Were Mine’, included in AQA’s GCSE English Literature ‘Love and Relationships’ poetry anthology. The lesson unpicks key themes of parent-child relationships, admiration, guilt, memory, and sacrifice. A brief introductory biography of Carol Ann Duffy is also provided. Also included are small questions and tasks for students and a ‘mock’ essay question in which students must compare ‘Before You Were Mine’ to another poem, just like in the real AQA exam. PowerPoint is saved as PDF.

The perfect lesson for teaching students how to punctuate speech/dialogue. Aimed at KS3 students, but could easily be used or adapted at KS4.

A lesson designed to revise the character of Eva Smith in J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’. Lesson includes a thorough study of what life would have been like for someone of Eva Smith’s class in the Edwardian era. At the end of the lesson is an essay prompt for analysing ‘class’ within the play. Perfect for those studying AQA English Literature GCSE, especially high-attaining students. Lesson is PowerPoint pdf.

How does Shakespeare explore deception and performance in ‘Macbeth’? This 27-slide lesson explores this pivotal question. Things are never what they seem in ‘Macbeth’: fair is foul and foul is fair when it comes to the much-contested fate of the crown. Explore how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth commit regicide through endless deception and performance, but also how they ultimately become trapped in their own web of lies. Questions, discussion points and tasks are included. An essay question (based on an extract from the play) is featured at the end of the lesson. This lesson is perfect for those studying the play at GCSE, but could be used for other year groups too. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 35-slide lesson explores the character of King Duncan in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. Analysing the role of Duncan alongside the Divine Right of Kings and Great Chain of Being, as well as James I’s personal ideas of Kingship, this lesson deconstructs how Shakespeare uses Duncan to represent an idealised and legitimate image of the monarchy in the wake of the Gunpowder Plot. Students are encouraged to consider Duncan’s characterisation as Macbeth’s foil, how Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to heighten the tragedy of Duncan’s death, and how Duncan links to the play’s key themes. High-grade vocabulary is featured too. Questions, discussion points and tasks are included for students, and the lesson ends with an essay question based on an extract from the play. This lesson is ideal for those studying ‘Macbeth’ for GCSE. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

A lesson (or two) designed to introduce pupils to Section B of AQA English Language Paper 1, where they are required to produce a piece of creative writing worth 40 marks. This PowerPoint (and accompanying worksheet) aims to break down the demands of the question into manageable chunks for pupils who may find extended writing challenging. By the end of the lesson/s, pupils will write their own short piece of writing based on an image, as per the exam question. This may be particularly useful for SEN groups and support classes.

A revision lesson designed to deconstruct Dr. Rank’s significance in ‘A Doll’s House’. This is a detailed analytical summary of Dr. Rank, including his key quotations, function in the play, and an essay question for students to consider. Perfect for those studying the play with AQA for A level (Political and Social Protest Writing).

This 29-slide lesson analyses Simon Armitage’s poem ‘Remains’, deconstructing its language, structure, imagery, context, message and more. Critical-thinking questions and tasks are included, as well as the option of two exam-style essay questions at the end of the lesson. The lesson is ideal for those studying AQA’s ‘Power and Conflict’ poetry cluster in the Literature GCSE (especially high-attaining groups), where the poem is featured. It could also be taught to GCSE groups as an ‘unseen’ poem or even KS5 groups as a poem of political and social protest. 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 is a thorough and comprehensive 30-slide lesson on Owen Sheers’ poem ‘Winter Swans’, which is studied as part of AQA’s GCSE Literature anthology on ‘Love & Relationships’. This PowerPoint unpicks key themes of romantic love, separation and reconciliation with close analysis of language, form and structure. Also included are questions/tasks for students and a ‘mock’ essay question in which students must compare ‘Winter Swans’ to another poem, just like in the real AQA exam. Also included is a table for students to complete on the poem to help compartmentalise their notes. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 21-slide explores Rosemary Dobson’s poem, ‘The Three Fates’. The lesson encourages students to consider ideas of fate, discussing the role of the Three Fates in Greek mythology. Dobson’s life and work is also introduced. The poem is read and students give their first impressions, before delving into close linguistic analysis. Dobson’s use of imagery, form, structure, and rhyme is then deconstruction. Students are taught the key themes of the poem, and equipped with ambitious vocabulary to allow for sophisticated analysis. We then debate how we might describe the tone of the poem. Questions and discussion points are included throughout the lesson. An exam-style essay question is featured at the end. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 21-slide lesson explores Isobel Dixon’s poem, ‘Plenty’. Students are encouraged to consider what it means to have ‘plenty’, reflecting on ideas of necessity vs. luxury. We look at Dixon’s life and work, thinking about how the poem reflects her childhood. We read the poem together before delving into its language, imagery, structure, rhythm, and form. Tasks include images linked to key ideas in the poem, which students must identify. Questions and discussion points are included throughout the lesson. The poem’s key themes and ideas are deconstructed, and ambitious vocabulary is introduced to aid students with sophisticated analysis. We also consider the tone and mood of the poem. At the end of the lesson, an exam-style essay question is featured for students, with tips for how to structure the response. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

A lesson designed to revise Louisa Gradgrind’s character function in Dickens’ ‘Hard Times’. Ideal for students reading the text for AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing A level course.

This 35-slide lesson explores Robert Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’. The lesson unpicks Browning’s masterful use of the dramatic monologue form and his key themes of monomania, narcissism, power, control, and objectification. Brief biographical information on Browning is featured, as well as information on the poem’s commonly accepted source and Italian Renaissance culture. Questions and discussion points are included throughout for students, as well as key vocabulary and analysis of the poem’s form, structure, and rhyme. A creative writing task - in which students write their own poem inspired by Browning’s - is included at the end of the lesson. This lesson is ideal for GCSE pupils - particularly those studying the poem as part of AQA’s ‘Power and Conflict’ poetry anthology - but could be used with KS3 too. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 40-slide lesson is a thorough and comprehensive study of Daljit Nagra’s poem, ‘Singh Song!’, included in AQA’s GCSE English Literature ‘Love and Relationships’ poetry anthology. The lesson unpicks key themes of excitement, passion, rebellion, identity, duty, romance, and infatuation. Also included are small questions for students and a ‘mock’ essay question in which students must compare ‘Singh Song!’ to another poem, just like in the real AQA exam. PowerPoint is saved as PDF.

This 27-slide lesson serves as the perfect introduction to J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’, establishing the key context and background to the play. The lesson features information about Priestley’s life and views, capitalism, socialism, important historical dates, and pre-war and post-war context. The play’s key themes and ideas are explored, and tasks and discussion points are included throughout. At the end of the lesson is an extended writing task that could serve either as a class-based activity or homework task. This lesson is aimed primarily at GCSE students but could be used for KS3 too. PowerPoint is saved as PDF.

This 28-slide lesson on ‘Of Mice and Men’ introduces the key context vital to understanding Steinbeck’s classic novella, as well as functioning as a general introduction to studying the text. The lesson includes key information about the Depression, the Dust Bowl, racism, patriarchal pressures and other prejudice during the 1930s in America. Steinbeck’s own life is also covered, as well as the meaning behind the text’s title, and students are invited to analyse various book jacket designs for the novella. Key themes are explored alongside a comprehensive introduction to the American Dream and its role in the novella. Questions and tasks are also included for students to tackle. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 30-slide lesson provides a comprehensive contextual introduction to Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Posing questions to students about young love, marriage, passion, and stereotypes, the lesson introduces key themes and ideas related to Shakespeare’s iconic tale of doomed romance. The genre of tragedy is considered, as are typical elements of romance. We look at Shakespeare’s life and work, and examine a series of posters for ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to see how the play is commonly presented in the cultural imagination. Important historical and theatrical context is explained, and key terminology is introduced to allow students to produce sophisticated analysis. Questions and discussion points are featured throughout, and there is a research task at the end of the lesson. Also included is a series of films inspired by ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to facilitate conversations around the play’s cultural impact. PowerPoint saved as PDF. Also included is a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ word-search.

This 17-slide lesson explores Chapter 10 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. In this comprehensive lesson, students consider how Orwell brings the novella to its dramatic and iconic conclusion. As the pigs become indistinguishable from their human rivals, students must debate whether the Revolution really was worth it. Looking back on the whole novella, we think about how things went so wrong, and whether any of the Seven Commandments remain unbroken by the end. The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils learn about how we look upon Stalin in hindsight and the fate of the Soviet Union. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. A creative summarising task is featured at the end. The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 14-slide lesson explores Chapter 5 of John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’. Students are encouraged to think about the tragedy of Curley’s wife: her dual role as a both a femme fatale and a victim. The key themes of dreams and hope are considered alongside the fatal turning point in George and Lennie’s dream. A non-fiction creative task is included for students at the end of the lesson. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. Ideal for upper-KS3 or GCSE students. PowerPoint saved as PDF.