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 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.

This three-part workbook on the key themes of ‘Macbeth’ is an ideal revision or consolidation task. The first page asks students to annotate images representative of key themes in the play. Students could surround each image with words, quotations, analysis, etc. The second page asks students to retrieve key quotations from the play linked to each theme. The third page is another series of images, this time linked to key quotations from the play. Students are asked to write down the quotations beside the image.

This PowerPoint is perfect for introducing Greek Tragedy to KS3 pupils in either English or Drama lessons. Originally designed to introduce a lesson series on ‘Antigone’, this PowerPoint is easily adaptable to consider any Greek tragedy.

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 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.

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 crossword on Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ 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. Note: When the answer to a question is ‘Lady Bracknell’, it should be written as one word, ie: ‘LADYBRACKNELL’.

This worksheet is designed to stimulate analytical consideration of the key images, symbols, and themes of J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’. The task is flexible: teachers may ask pupils to surround each image with quotations, words, themes, or general ideas from the play. For example, around the picture of the golf ball, pupils may write: “I don’t play golf” or ‘Birling’s luxuries and leisure as antithesis of the Inspector’, etc. Images inevitably link together and overlap, which is a great prompt for students to connect the key ideas from across the play.

This extract from John Osborne’s classic 1956 play ‘Look Back in Anger’ is perfect practice for analysing elements of political and social protest for those studying the AQA A level syllabus.

This crossword on Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ 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. Ideal for pupils from KS3 to KS5.

This extract from Harold Pinter’s powerful play ‘One For The Road’ is perfect practice for analysing elements of political and social protest for those studying the AQA A level syllabus. Please note: this extract (and play) contains very mature themes and language.

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 21-slide lesson introduces students to the key context of Alan Bennett’s ‘The History Boys’. The lesson provides an introduction to Bennett’s career, Oxbridge, Thatcherism and New Labour, as well as the key themes and ideas of the play. Students consider what makes a good teacher, and learn critical vocabulary linked to the play. The role and significance of ‘history’ is also debated, while New Labour’s focus on ‘spin’ is explained in view of its relevance to the play. Theatre reviews of notable productions of ‘The History Boys’ are also included for discussion. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are featured throughout for students. This resource is ideal for those studying the play at GCSE or A level. PowerPoint saved as pdf.

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 24-slide lesson explores the character of Lady Bracknell from Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. Wilde’s presentation of Lady Bracknell is thoroughly deconstructed, with students asked to consider her theatrical heritage via Greek stock characters and the Comedy of Manners. We debate to what extent Lady Bracknell can be called the play’s ‘antagonist’, and how Wilde uses her to catalyse key events or provide comical obstacles in the play. Wilde’s structural use of Lady Bracknell is analysed, and important quotations from her and relating to her are dissected. We think about what we can learn from the stage directions about Lady Bracknell, and discuss how Wilde uses the offstage character of Lord Bracknell to inform Lady Bracknell’s character. We consider Lady Bracknell in the context of the ‘New Woman’ and students are provided with key vocabulary that might be used to analyse Lady Bracknell. Modern theatrical interpretations (including gender inversions) of Lady Bracknell are discussed. Students are also encouraged to think critically about how Lady Bracknell interacts with props and how Wilde positions her at the end of the play. Questions and discussion points are provided for students throughout the lesson. An exam-style essay question is featured at the end. Exemplar sentences and sentence openers are provided for students to enable sophisticated analysis, including purposeful introductions to extended essays. This lesson is ideal for high-level analysis of Lady Bracknell. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 30-slide lesson explores the character of Sir Toby Belch in Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’. With academic scrutiny, this lesson analyses one of Shakespeare’s most iconic and riotous characters, beginning with an overview of Sir Toby’s key lines, attributes, and role in the plot. We consider Sir Toby’s role as a quintessential comic creation: his Falstaffian parallels, his festive spirit, and his role as the ‘Lord of Misrule’. Important historical and theatrical context is explored alongside Sir Toby’s character. We consider how self-aware Sir Toby is, thinking about his relationship with the audience and how he relates to Shakespeare’s stagecraft. Crucially, Sir Toby’s function as a comic character (and how he relates to other characters, including Malvolio, Sir Andrew, and Maria) is discussed. We scrutinise Sir Toby’s role in view of the Carnivalesque atmosphere of the play. Questions, discussion points, and essay questions are featured throughout. Students are encouraged to consider Sir Toby’s character at a high level, so this lesson would be ideal for students aged 16+. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

A superb extract from Patrick Marber’s ‘After Miss Julie’, perfect for analysis as an ‘unseen’ text for Section A of AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing A level paper. Extract is attached with PowerPoint featuring questions for students to consider/discuss/answer and an exemplar INTRODUCTION to an essay response. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

An extract from George Bernard Shaw’s classic play ‘Mrs Warren’s Profession’, perfect for analysis as an example of political and social protest writing for Section A of the AQA A level exam. It can be challenging to find great resources for this part of the exam, but this extract (with the accompanying exam question) always work fantastically.

This extract from Arthur Miller’s play ‘The Crucible’ is perfect practice for analysing elements of political and social protest for those studying the AQA A level syllabus.