This no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “an afternoon nap” by Arthur Yap. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2025-2027. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, and explanatory notes where necessary. 3) Pre-Reading Activities (to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class). I’ve focused on the phenomenon of tiger parenting, as this is a central issue in the poem. 4) Comprehension, Close-reading & Analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria. 5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4) 6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). **Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!**

This no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “Before the Sun” by Charles Mungoshi. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2026-2028. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, including historical context and explanatory notes where necessary. 3) Pre-Reading Activities to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class. I’ve focused on sensory imagery. 4) Comprehension, Close-reading & Analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria. 5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4) 6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). **Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!**

This print-and-use, ready to teach unit contains all my activities, worksheets, printables, handouts, answers and teacher’s guide resources for Chapter 2 of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. One of my favorite novels to teach, I’ve revisited and revised my Of Mice and Men resources and included a range of activities for each of the six parts of the novel. This unit, for Chapter 2 of Of Mice and Men, contains the following: Comprehension & Close Reading Questions for Chapter 2 of Of Mice and Men Let’s Get Quizzical! - Quote Hunt Quiz for Chapter 2 of the novel. Analyzing Characters - Curley’s Wife & Slim - this guided, scaffolded character analysis activity facilitates a close reading & analysis of the initial descriptions of Curley’s wife and Slim, using key passages and accompanying questions etc. Let’s Get Creative! - Draw Your Own Caricatures - this creative activity, designed to cater to visual learners and to present a different, more personal approach to characterization, introduces students to caricatures and guides them through drawing and creating a caricature of one of the characters presented in Chapter 2. A great alternative way to assess understanding of direct and indirect characterization. Creative Writing Task - A Diary Entry - George’s Point of View - this creative writing task allows students to step into the shoes of George, our primary protagonist, and to reflect upon everything that has happened in this Chapter and in Chapter 1 through a personal diary entry. This activity provides a guided writing prompt and incorporates Steinbeck’s eye dialect as well, to make the diary entry more authentic. Teacher’s Guide (Model Answers + Commentary + Analysis) - This is a comprehensive teacher’s guide for Chapter 2 of the novel, and it includes model answers for all the activities as well as a detailed plot summary and analysis of Chapter 2 designed for teachers who are new to the novel, or veterans who wish to gain fresh insights, as well as for students working independently in a home-schooling setting or in a distance learning environment. Hoping you find everything you were looking for, please leave feedback!

This no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “The Enemies” by Elizabeth Jennings. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2025-2027. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, and explanatory notes where necessary. 3) Pre-Reading Activities (to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class). I’ve focused on extended metaphor as this is a key aspect of the poem. 4) Comprehension, Close-reading & Analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria. 5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4) 6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). **Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!**

This no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “The Chimney-Sweeper” by William Blake. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2025-2027. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, including historical context and explanatory notes where necessary. 3) Pre-Reading Activities to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class. I’ve focused on the two different versions of the poem in Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, as this comparison is crucial to understanding Blake’s message. 4) Comprehension, Close-reading & Analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria. 5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4) 6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). **Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!**

This no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “The Road” by Nancy Fotheringham Cato. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2025-2027. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, and explanatory notes where necessary. 3) Pre-reading activities (to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class) 4) Close-reading & analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices. 5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4) 6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). ***Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!

This no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “These Are The Times We Live In” by Imtiaz Dharker. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2025-2027. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, and explanatory notes where necessary. 3) Pre-reading & After-Reading Activities (to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class). I’ve focused on Dharker’s use of metonymy and synecdoche, as these aspects are particularly relevant to the poem. 4) Comprehension, close-reading & analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria. 5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4) 6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). **Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!**

This is an advanced worksheeet, ready-to-print and teach handout that facilitates a guided reading and provides while-reading questions for teaching the novel “The Wave” by Morton Rhue / Todd Strasser. The reading log includes: Comprehension, close reading & analysis questions for each chapter. Particular focus on close reading, analysis of language and its effects, including historical context links, analysis of structure, themes and pupose. Since most available reading logs and while-reading activities do not go into enough analytical depth and detail, I put together my own reading log that tries to dig a little deeper and forces the students to engage in higher order thinking and analysis skills. Enjoy, and please leave feedback!

This no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “The Instant of My Death” by Sarah Jackson. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2024-2026. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers and explanatory notes to facilitate a close-reading and understanding. 3) Pre-reading activities (to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class). I’ve focused in particular on the poem’s use of enjambment and caesura, as this is crucial to appreciate “The Instant of My Death” fully. 4) Comrpehension, close-reading & analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices. 5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4) 6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). **Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!**

This no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “Rich and Poor or, Saint and Sinner” by Thomas Love Peacock. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2025-2027. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, and explanatory notes where necessary. 3) Pre-reading & After-Reading Activities (to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class). I’ve focused on metaphor, as Peacock uses metaphor extensively in his poem. **4) Comprehension, close-reading & analysis **questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria. 5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4) 6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). **Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!**

This no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “A Long Journey” by Musaemura Zimunya. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2025-2027. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading and explanatory notes where necessary. 3) Before-Reading Activities (to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class). I’ve focused on the historical context of the poem, as it is central to understanding “A Long Journey”. 4) Comprehension, Close-reading & Analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria. 5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4) 6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). **Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!**

This no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “Report to Wordsworth” by Boey Kim Cheng. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2025-2027. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, including historical context and explanatory notes where necessary. 3) Pre-Reading Activities to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class. I’ve focused on ecocriticism and the allusions to Wordsworth’s sonnets and his legacy as a nature poet. 4) Comprehension, Close-reading & Analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria. 5**) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice,** modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4) 6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). **Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!**

This no-prep bundle of activities is designed to enable the in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “Hunting Snake” by Judith Wright. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2026-2028. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, including historical context and explanatory notes where necessary. 3) Pre-Teaching Activities: to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class. I’ve focused on introductory activities of figurative and poetic devices. 4) After Reading Activities: a range of activities ideal as follow-up to reading the poem in class. Topics covered include: sensory imagery in the poem, visualisation and comprehension of the poem. 5) Close-reading & Analysis Questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria. 6) Exam Practice Questions, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4). These can be used as a mock exam with your students. 7) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). *Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!***

An informative handout to introduce Rupert Brooke and a unit of analysis for his famous war poem ‘The Soldier’. The handout includes the following: a short biography of Rupert Brooke, the poet annotated text of the poem ‘The Soldier’ (includes a glossary of key terms explained in the context of the poem) comprehension, close reading, and analysis questions holistic, ‘food for thought’ question to elicit an essay-style response.

The title, Of Mice and Men, is an allusion to a line in a poem called “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns. This no-prep print-and-use pre-reading activity includes: A copy of the poem in its original Scots Modern English translation Comprehension, analysis & discussion questions Connections to the novel and the title in particular. Enjoy, and please leave feedback!

This no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “Song” by George Szirtes. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2025-2027. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, and explanatory notes where necessary. 3) Pre-reading & After-Reading Activities (to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class). I’ve focused on rhythm and meter, as this is particularly relevant to Szirtes’ “Song”. 4) Comprehension, close-reading & analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria. 5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4) 6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). **Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!**

This no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “A Different History” by Sujata Bhatt. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2025-2027. The unit includes: 1) Short biography and introduction to the poet 2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, including historical context and explanatory notes where necessary. 3) Pre-Reading Activities to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class. I’ve focused on Sujata Bhatt’s life and the context of the poem, as this is particularly relevant to “A Different History”. 4) Comprehension, Close-reading & Analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria. 5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4) 6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4). **Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising! Please leave feedback!**

This FREE no-prep unit provides introductory activities for Chinua Achebe’s iconic African novel Things Fall Apart. The unit includes: 1. Exploring Expository Writing: An in-depth introductory text that provides insights into the following aspects of the novel: critical reception & worldwide success of Things Fall Apart context & background 2. Discussion Questions: A range of discussion prompts that test understanding of the text, on the one hand, and provide food for thought and extended critical discussion. Happy teaching! Feedback is always appreciated!

This FREE advanced ready-to-teach worksheet & handout is designed as a pre-reading activity for George Orwell’s monumental dystopian classic, 1984. It includes: Thought-provoking information text that asks the question What is Literature and Why Should we Read Literature? Although the text begins in general terms, the concepts and issues raised should facilitate a critical discussion about the purpose of reading any literary text as well as 1984. Follow-up discussion and critical thinking questions that can be applied to all literary texts (but which may find more food for thought & application in 1984 especially). Enjoy, and please leave feedback!

This FREE print-and-use lesson worksheet is part of my teaching unit for Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It focuses specifically on Act 1, Scene 1 of the play. The worksheet includes: Comprehension Questions for Act 1, Scene 1 of Macbeth Shakespeare in Context: Informative text about witches & James I and the context of composition. This is crucial to fully appreciate the dramatic effect & significance of Shakespeare’s choice of using witches in the play. The information text is accompanied by relevant questions to link it to the play. Drama Activity: This is an activity that encourages engaging with the text on stage; it outlines various ways for students to act out and the scene, and to think critically about how the scene may have been performed on stage. Act 3 Close Reading Activity (focuses on 3.5.1-36, with all the imagery of light and darkness - a crucial dichotomy and thematic trope and motif that runs through the play) MODEL ANSWERS for all the questions + activities as well as a teacher’s guide and further in-depth analysis and commentary of the relevant aspects of Act 1, Scene 1 of Macbeth PS: This worksheet, as indeed all of my Macbeth handouts and activities are specifically designed to be read at IGCSE level or in preparation for the IGCSE English Literature exams. But they can be used independent of these exams and the IGCSE curriculum, too, of course! Enjoy, and please leave feedback!