I'm a university lecturer of Drama and English Literature. On this page you'll find loads of powerpoint presentations filled with useful resources for teachers and students interested in English Literature, Drama, Art History, and Academic English / Research. Useful for all levels.
I'm a university lecturer of Drama and English Literature. On this page you'll find loads of powerpoint presentations filled with useful resources for teachers and students interested in English Literature, Drama, Art History, and Academic English / Research. Useful for all levels.
This presentation explains how to interpret a performance. It provides useful quotes about performance analysis and illustrates how thinking about drama is different to thinking about poems or novels. The presentation explores the impact art has on the world around us and considers what makes a performance a work of art. It also focuses on the role the audience has on the interpretation of a play.
This presentation is on Hard Times by Charles Dickens. It is aimed at ALevel and undergraduate level university students exploring the work of Charles Dickens, the Industrial Revolution, and/or Victorian literature. The slides focus on how Dickens explores issues surrounding the Industrial Revolution in Hard Times. With particular focus on Dickens’s views on the rights of workers during Victorian Britain, this presentation draws on literary criticism to debate the two philosophies of that time: Utilitarianism (John Stuart Mill) and Political Economy (Adam Smith). The is resource also contains: key quotations, discussion points, and quotes from literary critics (including Mikhail Bakhtin). Perfect for preparing an essay on themes surrounding Dickens’s representation of the lower-class workforce in his novels, especially Hard Times.
This resource is useful to students and teachers covering cause and effect essay writing. It contains lots of in-class tasks linked to cause and effect essays.
What a cause &/ effect essay is
The block / chain structure of a cause and effect essay
How to identify cause and effect
Vocabulary to express cause & vocabulary to express effect
Tasks and exercises for activity work
Sample essay with cause / effect highlighted
Further essay questions
The PowerPoint is also useful for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners and for IELTS preparation.
This presentation is aimed at GCSE English literature students studying J. B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls. It contains in-class activities as well as homework questions. It focuses on the idea of social responsibility in the play and also helps students to understand the importance of stage directions and set. A great resource for anyone teaching or studying An Inspector Calls at GCSE level.
This presentation focuses on theatre during the 1960s and Postmodernism. It is useful for anyone interested in the artistic trends and socio-political events of the '60s. It refers to the work of Patrice Pavis to discuss the shift of focus from the actor to the spectator and then looks at ‘Off-Off Broadway’ performances. Jerzy Grotowski’s ‘Poor Theatre’, The Living Theatre, The Open Theatre, and Robert Wilson’s productions are looked at in turn. The Wooster Group moves the presentation forward to explain Postmodernism with reference to the ideas of Jacques Lacan, Jean-François Lyotard, Fredric Jameson, and Baudrillard.
This presentation highlights some of the major shifts in recent theatre history that have become significant moments for the recognition of women’s playwrighting and theatre making. With examples from Judy Chicago’s Feminist Art Program, the first Women’s Theatre Conference, critic Michelene Wandor’s influential study of sexual politics in the theatre, and women’s theatre groups from the 1970s, the slides trace the history of women’s playwriting. The powerpoint then focuses on the work and influence of Caryl Churchill, especially her play Vinegar Tom. Critics like Janelle Reinelt and Elin Diamond are also quoted in a clear, easy to follow manner. A final slide contains some recommended reading suggestions.
This presentation looks at theatre and nation, specifically the Irish Theatre tradition. It looks at the history of Irish theatre and focuses on comments by W. B. Yeats and the Abbey Theatre. Concepts such as gender politics and the mother nation are explored in relation to Marina Carr’s play The Bog of Cats… The powerpoint includes close analysis of scenes from the play, quotes from notable scholars, and comparisons between Carr’s work and that of John Keats and Samuel Beckett. This powerpoint is useful for anyone studying nation and theatre, Irish theatre, and Marina Carr’s drama.
This presentation explores Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. With clear character discussions, analysis of themes, quotes, and contextual information, it is an ideal teaching and study resource for anyone studying The Merchant of Venice. It contains: a plot summary; contextual information about Shakespeare’s decision to set the play in Venice; a discussion of racial prejudice (especially from Antonio towards Shylock); character studies of Shylock, Jessica, and Portia; a discussion on the idea of value, and details from three notable performances of the play. The last slide contains a quiz with 10 questions focused on details from the play.
Ideal handout for university and A Level students working on Caryl Churchill’s Cloud Nine.
The handout offers:
Questions to encourage discussion and analysis of Cloud Nine
An explanation of Mikhail Bakhtin’s Carnivalesque
**Carefully selected extracts from Cloud Nine **
**Scholarly readings of Churchill’s play **
Perfect for students writing an essay or preparing for a class/seminar on Caryl Churchill’s Cloud Nine.
This package includes a PowerPoint lecture, *full written lecture, * and detailed handout on Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street
It explores the novel’s concern with gender and race (particularly Hispanic communities in America), drawing parallels between Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street and Virginia Woolf’s A Room Of One’s Own.
The lecture document includes a university-level overview of 20th-century gender theory.
Ideal for A Level and university students working on Cisneros’s novel.
This presentation outlines the shift in drama from Realist to Symbolist to Modernist forms of theatre. It uses work by Chekhov, Maeterlink, and Beckett to illustrate the differences between representational and Avant-Garde playwrighting and scenography. The explanation of Ferdinand de Saussure’s semiotics is supported by examples form Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author. The presentation also covers the work of Ionesco and Tom Stoppard when discussing the Theatre of the Absurd (a term coined by Martin Esslin).
Bertolt Brecht’s famous play Mother Courage and All Her Children is the focus of this handout. It includes:
Carefully selected extracts from Mother Courage to discuss
An explanation of Brecht’s Verfremdungseffekt or ‘Alienation effect’
Some scholarly quotes on Brecht’s playwriting to discuss in relation to Mother Courage
This handout is ideal for university seminars and A Level classes. It will help with in-class discussions and essay writing.
This presentation looks at Ibsen’s drama focusing on his major play: Hedda Gabler. The sildes offer detailed information on and colourful examples of the historical context, gender politics, and themes of Ibsen’s drama. The powerpoint then examines Hedda’s character with links to short videos of performers such as Ruth Wilson discussing playing the role and what makes Hedda tick. This presentation is useful for anyone interested in Ibsen’s drama, feminism in his work, and performing his tragic heroine: Hedda Gabler.
Have you ever been asked to write an essay about a topic like ‘climate change’ or ‘technology and healthcare’ and you don’t know how to begin or what to write? This resource will give you lots of research and writing tips and will give you inspiration so that you can write an engaging and interesting essay.
It takes an example question and gives suggestions on how to:
brainstorm
gather information
write an essay ‘hook’ for your introduction
write a ‘clincher’ for your conclusion
read and quote from & paraphrase an academic article
Find relevant information from videos, newspapers, and museums
Finally it teaches you how to tie all of your information together to write an essay that flows.
The example question is:
Researchers such as David Attenborough state that we are heading towards mass extinction due to global warming and climate change. What are some of the factors that have led to the current climate crisis? You may want to focus on the climate crisis in your own country.
You can use this PowerPoint as a teaching resource or to help you to find ideas for your own essay.
This handout covers the key concepts explored in The Homecoming by Harold Pinter. It outlines the premiere of The Homecoming in London’s Aldwych Theatre in 1965, exploring aspects of the set, audience reaction, as well as outlining the characters and plot.
The handout also covers:
Harold Pinter’s life, writing, themes, and contribution to theatre
The influence of Samuel Beckett on Harold Pinter
Questions that The Homecoming raises
Important extracts from scholarship on The Homecoming
A key scene between Lenny and Ruth
Discussion of the significance of staging at the end of The Homecoming
Final thinking point for further discussion
Great resource to aid in understanding of one of Harold Pinter’s most well-known plays. Suitable for university students, seminars, and in-depth A Level discussions.
This resource contains 1 examination (2 hours) in Academic English skills. The exam is divided into 4 sections: reading, source credibility, critical thinking, and writing. Students will be tested on the following essential skills:
Section 1: Reading and comprehension (multiple choice & true / false / not given questions)
Section 2: Identifying whether an article is peer-reviewed (comment on the main features of academic publications)
Section 3: Understanding & documenting findings from visual data (describing main findings of a graph)
Section 4: Essay writing, accurate source integration and correct referencing (final essay question with marking rubric)
The examination comes with a rubric (for the final essay question) and an answer key for Section 1. It is a perfect resource for students and teachers taking Academic English at A Level and Foundation level. It can also be used for high-level GCSE students. Students will gain exam practice, improve their reading and comprehension skills, and will develop their knowledge and critical thinking. The exam can also be used for revision classes.
**This academic English mock exam will lead to: better understanding of texts, confident use of academic research, improved fluency and accuracy in writing, ability to think critically about a range of topics. **
This resouce can be purchased in a bundle with 2 additional practice exams.
This bundle contains 4 resources on academic writing & English skills, focusing on:
Essay writing for cause & effect
Researching tips and source integration for academic essays
Annotated biblographies & referencing
Writing & structuring an essay - a step-by-step guide
**The bundle covers the basics of essay writing, researching, and referencing. It is a perfect tool for teachers who want to teach academic / essay writing and critical thinking skills. **
This presentation is on George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch. It gives an outline of George Eliot’s life and focuses on the themes of politics, feminism, and religion that Eliot explores in Middlemarch. This is an ideal resource for university and A Level students working on George Eliot, Middlemarch, and Victorian Literature. It includes quotes from literary critics and reviewers useful for essays on Dorothea’s feminist and political ambitions & constraints within the novel. This presentation is useful as an introduction to Middlemarch’s themes.
This bundle contains 3 examinations (2 hours each = total of 6 hours) in Academic English skills. The exams are divided into 4 sections: reading, source credibility, critical thinking, and writing. Students will be tested on the following essential skills:
Section 1: Reading and comprehension (multiple choice & true / false / not given questions)
Section 2: Identifying whether an article is peer-reviewed (comment on the main features of academic publications)
Section 3: Understanding & documenting findings from visual data (describing main findings of a graph)
Section 4: Essay writing, accurate source integration and correct referencing (final essay question with marking rubric)
All examinations come with a rubric (for the final essay question) and an answer key for Section 1. This bundle is perfect for students and teachers taking Academic English at A Level and Foundation level. It can also be used for high-level GCSE students. Students will gain exam practice, improve their reading and comprehension skills, and will develop their knowledge and critical thinking. The bundle can also be used for revision classes. The themes of the examinations are as follows:
Tourism in the Dubai
Sustainability and climate change in Abu Dhabi
The impact of robotics and AI on society in the UAE
**This bundle will lead to: better understanding of texts, confident use of academic research, improved fluency and accuracy in writing, ability to think critically about a range of topics. **
A helpful resource for any student who needs to submit an annotated bibliography or any teacher/lecturer wanting to explain how to put together an annotated bibliography. The PowerPoint goes through the following aspects of an annotated bibliography:
What is an annotated bibliography?
How to record research for your bibliography
A 3-Step Process to writing an annotation
Creating an annotated bibliography: what goes into each annotation
Examples for discussion / reference
Useful phrases for your own annotations
Further examples asking students to identify strengths and weaknesses in the annotations
Summary checklist for writing annotations
This resource can be used by students of any subject.
