How does Scotland fare under the tyrannical reign of Macbeth? Students rarely consider the country of Scotland itself when analysing Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, but to ignore Scotland is to forget the national scale of this bloody tragedy. This PowerPoint considers the role of Scotland in the play, including 10 key quotes about Scotland from various characters. Teachers can use these quotes however they please - it may create a great group activity or independent task. At the end of the PowerPoint is an exam-style question for students to consider. This is an ideal resource for encouraging students to aim for high marks in their GCSE analysis.

This 26-slide lesson provides a comprehensive introduction to the context and comedy of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. The lesson features information on Wilde’s life and literary career and on Victorian contexts of gender, sexuality, and morality. The genre of comedy is considered in detail, and the key themes, characters, and conventions of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ are outlined. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. This lesson would work particularly well for those teaching Wilde on AQA’s Aspects of Comedy paper for English Literature A level, but is still useful for those exploring the play for other courses. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 32-slide lesson explores William Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 130’. The lesson considers what we might expect typical love poetry to entail and how Shakespeare subverts our expectations. Students are prompted to question stereotypical depictions of romance and romantic imagery, and to think about how Shakespeare plays with the sonnet form itself. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are featured throughout, including an analytical ‘mini-essay’ in response to a question. The lesson ends with a creative writing (poetry) task that could be set in class or as a homework activity. This lesson is ideal for KS3. A copy of the poem (with glossary) is included.

This 31-slide lesson on William Blake’s ‘The Little Black Boy’ offers superb analysis for those studying the poem at A level. In tackling one of the most complex and ambiguous of Blake’s ‘Songs’, this lesson provides sophisticated linguistic, contextual and thematic scrutiny. This is an ideal lesson for those studying Blake as a protest writer with AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing course. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 18-slide lesson explores Tennyson’s classic poem ‘The Kraken’. Perfect as a stand-alone lesson or part of a larger scheme of work on poetry or creatures, the lesson is neatly contained with its own explanation of Tennyson’s context and accompanying tasks on the poem itself. Questions, discussion points and tasks are included for students, including extended activities at the end of the lesson. The poem’s mythos, form, and environmental themes are considered. The poem itself is included. This lesson is designed for KS3 but could easily be used with KS4 pupils who are studying poetry. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 27-slide lesson explores Langston Hughes’ poem, ‘Aunt Sue’s Stories’. The lesson includes an introduction to Hughes and his cultural significance, and asks students to deconstruct the meaning and effect of stories and storytelling. The poem’s language, themes, structure and rhythm are deconstructed, and questions and tasks are featured for students throughout the lesson. At the end of the lesson, after a series of focused questions on the poem, students are asked to produce a piece of creative writing inspired by Hughes’ poem. This could be set as a homework task if lesson time is short. This lesson is ideal for KS3 pupils and deals with the important history of African-American people, as well as more general themes of identity, memory, and ancestry. PowerPoint is saved as PDF.

Here are 22 mock essay questions on Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ for students to practise their exam technique and sharpen their analysis of the text. These questions are particularly aimed at those studying the play within the comedic genre with AQA at A level, but they are easily applicable to any course offering detailed analysis of the play.

These two lessons (28 slides each) explore William Blake’s companion poems, ‘Infant Joy’ and ‘Infant Sorrow’, from the ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’. The lessons explore Blake’s radicalism and context, analysing the poems’ language, themes, form, structure, and message in light of his political protest. Questions, tasks, and discussion points for students are included throughout, including extended essays. These lessons are ideal for those studying Blake’s ‘Songs’ as part of AQA’s A level ‘Political and Social Protest Writing’ paper, but could be adapted for other purposes. PowerPoints saved as PDF. 56 slides in total.

This lesson explores various elements and features of comedy as a genre. Students are introduced to various aspects of comedy, including wit/wordplay, satire, misunderstandings, and disguise - among many others - with detailed definitions of each and explanations for how writers use them. Key vocabulary is integrated throughout the lesson, as are some tasks for students to complete to test and consolidate their knowledge of the comedic genre. Students are invited to think about comedic films to make the genre more readily accessible. This lesson is particularly applicable for those studying the ‘Aspects of Comedy’ English Literature A level course with AQA, but it is easily applicable to other needs too, particularly Drama/Theatre Studies and general explorations of genre. PowerPoint is saved as PDF.

Help students to finally master apostrophes with this engaging lesson that covers all the rules. We all know that many students struggle with apostrophes. This lesson aims to explain the theories alongside practical examples. It explains how to use apostrophes for omission/contraction and possession, including plurals and names ending in ‘S’. Also included is a worksheet with apostrophe-related questions/tasks for students to complete either in class, as a homework task, or a starter activity to test knowledge retention in the next lesson. This lesson is ideal for KS3, but could definitely be used for GCSE students struggling with apostrophes too. PowerPoint and worksheet saved as PDF.

A comprehensive A-Z list of key terminology to help students understand and analyse political and social protest writing as part of the AQA A level Literature paper. This resource aids pupils’ expansion of vocabulary and promotes sophistication and maturity when analysing texts and their contexts.

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.

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.

What kind of king is Macbeth? The perfect holistic study of how power corrupts Macbeth in Shakespeare’s tragedy, this detailed lesson traces what happens to Macbeth after he chooses the heretical path of regicide. This is an ideal lesson for GCSE students. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 30-slide lesson analyses William Blake’s ‘The Tyger’ from the ‘Songs of Experience’. Blake’s ambiguous poem is deconstructed via its various interpretations - as an exploration of faith, revolution, and industrialisation. Key themes, language, and imagery are unpicked, and Blake’s political context and radical views are explained. Discussion points, questions, and tasks are included throughout, and the lesson ends with an extended essay question in which students compare ‘The Tyger’ to other poems in Blake’s ‘Songs’. This lesson is perfect for A level students studying the collection as part of AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing course. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This is a thorough and comprehensive 26-slide lesson on Simon Armitage’s poem ‘Mother, Any Distance’, which is studied as part of AQA’s GCSE Literature anthology on ‘Love & Relationships’. This PowerPoint unpicks key themes of distance, growing up, independence, family bonds and letting go with close analysis of language, form and structure. Also included are many small questions for students and a ‘mock’ essay question in which students must compare ‘Mother, Any Distance’ to another poem, just like in the real AQA exam. PowerPoint is saved as PDF.

This 23-slide lesson provides an introduction to John Boyne’s ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’. The lesson introduces students to the novel’s key ideas of friendship and childhood, as well as the historical context of World War II and anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students throughout, and the lesson ends with a creative writing task that could be used in class or as a homework activity. This lesson is designed for KS3 pupils. Given the novel’s subject matter, some historical context deals with mature content. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This is a perfect stand-alone lesson aimed at KS3 or KS4 for thinking about how language is used every day in advertising. Have you ever thought about how many adverts you read in a day? What are the most powerful words in advertising? Are you aware of when and how advertising tries to entice you? This lesson uses a wide range of adverts to demonstrate the different techniques used by advertisers. At the end of the lesson, students are tasked with creating their own advert/brand. PowerPoint saved as PDF. 23 slides in total.

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.