suitable for Black History Month
90+ mins
Pack includes: lesson plan, student worksheet, activity cards
Lesson Plan: The Bamber Bridge Incident
Overview:
Introduce your students to the powerful story of the Bamber Bridge incident, a pivotal event in the history of racial tensions during World War II. This engaging lesson plan explores the clash between Black American soldiers and local British citizens, highlighting issues of racial discrimination and solidarity.
Key Features:
Historical Context: Students will learn about the social and political dynamics of World War II, particularly the racial segregation in the U.S. military and its impact overseas.
Interactive Activities: Engage your students with primary source analyses, role-playing scenarios, and group discussions that bring the historical events to life.
Critical Discussions: Facilitate thoughtful conversations on racial discrimination, the impact of segregation, and the importance of allyship and community support.
Reflective Exercises: Encourage students to draw connections between past events and current social justice issues, fostering empathy and critical thinking.
Learning Objective
Understand the causes and significance of the Bamber Bridge incident.
Analyse the impact of racial segregation and discrimination on soldiers during World War II.
Reflect on the legacy of the incident and its relevance to contemporary discussions on race and justice.
Perfect for Black History Month or any history or social studies curriculum, this lesson plan will inspire your students to explore important themes of racial equality, solidarity, and social justice.
90+ mins
Pack includes: lesson plan and student worksheets. Activities include: creating a characterisation, studying direct and indirect characterisation, identifying quotes, finding evidence for characteristics, and identifying characteristics. Students collaborate to map Macbeth’s transformation, and how his character affects and is affected by the action.
Lesson assumes that the class has already read Macbeth.
Learning objectives:
Understand the complexity of Macbeth’s character.
Analyse how Shakespeare uses various literary devices to develop Macbeth’s character.
Evaluate the transformation of Macbeth throughout the play.
Discuss the themes of ambition, power, and guilt as they relate to Macbeth’s character.
90+mins
pack includes: lesson plan, game and worksheet with multiple activities
This is one of a series of lessons on UK General Elections that can be taught in isolation or as a group.
Learning Objectives:
Practical Understanding: Students gain hands-on experience with the negotiation and compromise required in coalition governments.
Critical Thinking: The activity encourages critical thinking about political strategy and policy-making.
Communication Skills: Students develop their negotiation and public speaking skills.
Teamwork: The simulation fosters teamwork and collaboration, mirroring real-world political processes.
Activities
There are several activities on the worksheet. Depending on time and resources, you may wish the whole class to work on the same activity, or you may allow students to pick and choose based on their interests and which activity interests them.
Activities that can be done in the classroom (may need internet access for research):
Elect a class cabinet
Essay
Political Cartoons Analysis
90+ mins
lesson pack include: lesson plan, student worksheet, Coalition game sheets.
focus: elections of the 21st-century, focus on coalition government. skills focus - negotiation and speaking skills.
Learning Objectives
Practical Understanding: Students gain hands-on experience with the negotiation and compromise required in coalition governments.
Critical Thinking: The activity encourages critical thinking about political strategy and policy-making.
Communication Skills: Students develop their negotiation and public speaking skills.
Teamwork: The simulation fosters teamwork and collaboration, mirroring real-world political processes.
Activities
There are several activities on the worksheet. Depending on time and resources, you may wish the whole class to work on the same activity, or you may allow students to pick and choose based on their interests and which activity interests them.
Activities that can be done in the classroom (may need internet access for research):
Create a poster
Essay on the impact of key issues in significant elections
Speculative Fiction - creative writing
Campaign Speech Writing
Game of Who Am I? or Guess the Year
Activities that may include homework
case study
short answers - examine the terms “Thatcherism”, “Majorism” and “Third Way”.
90+mins
pack includes: lesson plan and student worksheet.
This is one of a series of lessons on UK General Elections that can be taught in isolation or as a group.
Learning Objectives:
Practical Understanding: Students gain hands-on experience with the negotiation and compromise required in political parties
Critical Thinking: The activity encourages critical thinking about political strategy and policy-making.
Communication Skills: Students develop public speaking skills.
Teamwork: The simulation fosters teamwork and collaboration, mirroring real-world political processes.
There are several activities on the worksheet. These activities should be approached in order to complete the campaign.
Activities Campaign
analyse campaign videos
create their own political party
map which constituencies are likely to vote for these new parties
roleplay interviews
mock election
Activities that may include homework
comparative essay
90+ mins
Pack includes: lesson plan, student worksheet
Lesson focus: General Elections in the UK - manifestos, elected MPs, and constituencies.
This is one of a series of lessons on UK General Elections that can be taught in isolation or as a group.
Learning Objectives:
Critical Thinking: The activity encourages critical thinking about political strategy and policy-making.
Analytical Skills: Students develop their analytical skills, evaluating the candidate’s success.
There are several activities on the worksheet. Depending on time and resources, you may wish the whole class to work on the same activity, or you may allow students to pick and choose based on their interests and which activity interests them.
Activities that can be done in the classroom (may need internet access for research):
Research manifestos
timeline
Constituency bio
Assess how well a candidate does in an election debate.
60 mins (+ additional writing, +film available on youtube)
pack includes: lesson plan and student worksheet.
Read and analyse poem ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ by Roald Dahl. Worksheets detail poetic devices (rhyme, metre, etc) which students should search for in the text (not included, available online).
Activities include: dramatic readings, adapting poem into a play/film, writing own poem based on a traditional fairy tale, and watching an adaptation of Dahl’s poem.
90+ minutes
pack include: lesson Plan, worksheets
Overview:
Introduce your students to the inspiring story of “Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners” (LGSM), a remarkable example of solidarity and activism during the UK miners’ strike of the 1980s. This engaging lesson plan is perfect for middle and high school classrooms, offering educators comprehensive resources to teach about this unique alliance and its impact on both the LGBTQ+ and labor movements.
What’s Included:
Historical Context: Detailed background on the UK miners’ strike of 1984-1985, including the economic and political challenges faced by the miners.
LGSM Formation: An exploration of how the LGSM group was formed, the motivations behind their support for the miners, and the initial challenges they faced.
Key Events and Actions: A chronological account of LGSM’s activities, from fundraising efforts to public demonstrations, and their interactions with mining communities.
Impact and Legacy: Analysis of the long-term effects of LGSM’s activism on LGBTQ+ rights and labor movements, including the mutual support and lasting alliances formed.
Interactive Activities: Engage students with role-playing scenarios, group discussions, and creative projects to deepen their understanding and empathy.
Discussion Prompts: Thought-provoking questions designed to spark classroom conversations about solidarity, activism, and the power of diverse communities working together.
Comprehensive and Ready-to-Use: Streamline your preparation with a thorough and well-organized lesson plan covering all key aspects of the LGSM movement.
Engaging and Dynamic: Keep students captivated with a variety of interactive and multimedia resources that bring the story of LGSM to life.
Educational and Inspiring: Highlight the importance of unity and mutual support in activism, fostering a sense of empathy and social responsibility in students.
Empower your classroom with the inspiring story of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners: teach your students about the power of solidarity and the enduring impact of collective action!
90-120 mins (+homework).
Pack includes: lesson plan, and worksheets.
An in-depth study of Roald Dahl’s short story ‘The Landlady’. This short story appears simple on the surface but offers broad discussions and a range of interpretations for students. It is an easy read.
Analyse the short story, then write essays, summaries or creative writing projects.
Comprehension questions for the story and further discussion points are included.
The lesson can be linked with essay writing, summary writing, and creative writing.
Other Dahl lesson plans include: Lamb to the Slaughter
60-90 mins
Pack contains: lesson plan, worksheet, Tilbury speech.
Pack focus: the historical context of the speech and the rhetoric devices used during the speech.
This lesson analyses the Elizabeth I’s Tilbury Speech and the rhetoric devices used in persuasive speech. As well as analysing the speech, students should research other famous war time speeches, and attempt to write their own persuasive argument.
There is a page for historical context, so this can be a stand alone lesson.
Rhetoric devices that are studied in this lesson include: tone, pathos, anaphora, and imagery.
For ESL lessons - all online searches should be completed in English.
up to 180 mins of lessons (including games) with a focus on reported speech, crime vocabulary.
Pack includes: lesson plan, worksheets, verbs used in reported speech, witness statements, and additional exercises.
Writing, listening and speaking exercises.
not included: “Serial” Podcast. this is available on youtube as well as podcast hosting platforms. The listening exercise is based on the first 10 minutes.
When I teach this, I usually add games at the end, especially if it is taught in one day. Games could include: Cluedo/Clue, Imposter, etc.
up to 180 mins of lesson.
Lesson begins with analysing real newspapers (either online, or physical papers), looking for articles on various topics (immigrants/LGBTQ+/racism/environment/EU politics/art,etc), gauging the political slant of the paper, and how the paper has chosen to cover the headlines for the day chosen.
Students should be given plenty of time to read articles that interest them, attempt puzzles, discuss the articles in small groups.
Find a news story that occurs in all papers, and have students compare how the paper approaches the news/topic.
The students should spend the rest of the time organising themselves to create their own newspaper. Each student should be encouraged to write a couple of articles in different styles. I have had students who have created their own puzzles, advertisments, agony aunts, etc. Students edit/proofread each others work, and bring their paper together.
I have suggested 90 minutes for this activity, but I rarely interrupt the students as they become invested in their newspaper. I will make a copy of the paper for each student.
90+ mins
Pack contains: lesson plan, worksheets
Pack focus: discussions on morality and ethics, as well as understanding other viewpoints, and how thought experiments can be applied to the real world.
For upper intermediate to advanced ESL classes, focus is on conditionals (ie. “If there are three people on the first track and a child on the second track, I would…”)
120 mins (+homework).
Pack includes: lesson plan, and worksheets.
For students learning the passive voice, or are revising passives.
Includes a biography of Mary Anning.
Ends with a game of passive battleships!
120 mins (+homework).
Pack includes: lesson plan, and worksheets.
An in-depth study of George Orwell’s essays published in newspapers, including ‘A Nice Cup of Tea’ and ‘Moon Under Water’. These essays express the authors opinions on important aspects of British culture.
Analyse the essays, then write opinion essays.
Comprehension questions for the story and further discussion points are included.
The lesson can be linked with essay writing, summary writing, and creative writing.
Other Orwell lesson plans include: Homage to Catalonia
(Orwell’s essays not included, but easily found online)
90 mins (+homework/writing exercise).
Pack includes: lesson plan, and worksheets.
An in-depth study of Hemingway’s short story ‘Old Man at the Bridge’. This short story appears simple on the surface but offers broad discussions and a range of interpretations for students. It is an easy read.
Analyse the short story, then write essays, summaries or creative writing projects.
Comprehension questions for the story and further discussion points are included.
Also included: historical, political and ideological context for the Spanish Civil War.
The lesson can be linked with essay writing, summary writing, and creative writing.
Other Spanish Civil War lesson plans include: George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia.
Other Hemingway lesson plans include: Cat in the Rain
(DOES NOT INCLUDE COPIES OF THE STORY - THESE CAN BE EASILY FOUND ONLINE)
90+ minutes
Pack contains: lesson plan, Titanic worksheet, conditionals worksheets, additional activities sheet.
Pack focus: conditional clauses.
Students learn about the sinking of the Titanic with a newspaper article. Students use conditionals to discuss how the past could have been different had ‘x’ happened, or ‘y’ had been awake.
There is a resource sheet with all the conditional information with examples for the students to keep for revision, as well as a worksheet that goes step-by-step through the different conditional structures and build up to creating their own sentences.
Additional activities: debate (who is most to blame for the sinking of the Titanic), writing (both essay and creative), and games.
Lesson plan focused on how to write an effective essay in the British academic style.
This lesson can be combined with short story lesson, history, and many other lesson plans. (In my lesson plans, there are notes in the ‘Materials Needed’ and ‘objectives’ boxes at the top of the lesson plan).
As well as information about academic essay writing, there are small writing activities for students which break down the essay into small, manageable pieces.
Worksheet is designed as a reference tool for after the class.
Pack contains: lesson plan, worksheets (short story not included, but easily found online: A Man Who Had No Eyes – Mackinlay Kantor)
Pack focus/learning objectives: Summarise the plot of “A Man Who Had No Eyes”. Identify and analyse the key themes of the story (perspective, resilience, and deception). Evaluate the use of irony and characterisation in the text. Discuss the moral implications of the story. Write a brief response on how perspective shapes our understanding of others.
Activities include: discussions on making judgements based on appearance, general knowledge about the early 20th century, reading a short story, comprehension questions, critical thinking (using a philosophical thought experiment), debate and writing.
90+ mins
Pack includes: lesson plan and student worksheets. Activities include: creating a presentation on historical context research, comparative analysis essay and comparative essay, set design, lighting and soundscape creation, and finally blocking an entire scene.
Students collaborate to map Macbeth’s transformation, and how his character affects and is affected by the action.
Lesson assumes that the class has already read Macbeth.
Learning objectives:
Students will analyse how different staging choices affect the interpretation and emotional impact of scenes from “Macbeth”.
Students will identify and describe the key elements of staging a play, including set design, lighting, sound, costumes, and actor movement.
Students will deepen their understanding of “Macbeth” by exploring how staging can highlight themes, character motivations, and dramatic tension.
Enhance Understanding of Shakespeare: by engaging with the play through creative projects, students gain a deeper understanding of “Macbeth,” its characters, and its themes. The lesson plan helps demystify Shakespeare’s language and makes the text more approachable and enjoyable for students.