In this comprehensive lesson, students are guided through how to understand and interpret Shakespeare independently using word roots and context clues to unpick meanings of familiar words. They will work through Act 3 Scenes 3-5 with varying levels of support. Learning Objective: Independently comprehend and interpret scenes from The Merchant of Venice Learning Outcomes: -Students will be guided through how to comprehend and decipher Shakespearean English using word roots and context clues. Students will work both in pairs and individually to interpret scenes. Students will make a prediction about what will happen next in the play. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Students infer details from image. Starter: Overview of differences between Shakespearean and modern English. Task one: Teacher modelling of how to interpret Act 3 Scene 3. Task two: Students work in pairs to interpret Act 3 Scene 4. Task three: Students work individually to interpret Act 3 Scene 5. Plenary: Students predict what will happen next in the play. More Resources for The Merchant of Venice Click here for a bundle of all the lessons to take you through the play plus a quiz, knowledge organiser and character revision posters. Freebies: For character revision posters for your classroom, click here. For an English/Drama lesson based on Portia’s choice in Act 1 Scene 2, click here. For a Scheme of Work overview for the unit, click here. Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

A fully-resourced one hour lesson to support students in exploring different interpretations of Shylock through the analysis of his “Hath not a Jew” monologue. Learning Objective: Consider different interpretations of Shylock in Act 3 Scene 1. Learning Outcomes: Students will use a worksheet to independently analyse Shylock’s speech to find language devices and consider their effect. Students will consider the multiple ways that Shylock’s character can be interpreted in this scene. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Students complete questions individually on definitions of tension and suspense. Starter: Summary of Act 3 Scene 1 followed by reading of Shylock’s speech. Activity one: Students individually analyse the scene using the worksheet followed by class discussion and suggested answers. Activity two: Watch different interpretations of Shylock’s monologue followed by discussion of what different emotions they portray. Plenary: Students perform excerpts of the speech applying different emotions to it each time. More Resources for The Merchant of Venice Click here for a bundle of all the lessons to take you through the play plus a quiz, knowledge organiser and character revision posters. Freebies: For character revision posters for your classroom, click here. For an English/Drama lesson based on Portia’s choice in Act 1 Scene 2, click here. For a Scheme of Work overview for the unit, click here. Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

A detailed lesson on Act 5 of The Merchant of Venice in which students are introduced to Freytag’s Pyramid so that they understand how the falling action leads to a resolution at the end of the play. They then consider which characters do or do not have a happy ending and write a review of the play. Learning Objective: Evaluate the experience of different characters at the end of the play. Learning Outcomes: Students will be introduced to Freytag’s Pyramid and understand how the action falls towards the end of the play. Students will read and discuss a summary of Act 5 scene 1. Students will evaluate the experience of different characters at the ending of the play. Students will write a review of the play. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Recall questions about Act 4 Starter: Introduction to Freytag’s Pyramid. Activity one: Read and discuss summary of Act 5. Activity two: Students complete a worksheet about whether the characters have a happy, sad or mixed ending. Students then swap and peer assess each other’s work. Plenary: Students write a review of the play. More Resources for The Merchant of Venice Click here for a bundle of all the lessons to take you through the play plus a quiz, knowledge organiser and character revision posters. Freebies: For character revision posters for your classroom, click here. For an English/Drama lesson based on Portia’s choice in Act 1 Scene 2, click here. For a Scheme of Work overview for the unit, click here. Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

In this lesson, students are guided through the court room scene in Act 4 Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice. Students will consider the implications of justice and mercy and then consider how a Shakespearean audience would have viewed Shylock’s fate as compared to a modern one. Learning Objective: Compare and contrast how a Shakespearean audience and a modern audience would respond to the trial scene in Act 4. Learning Outcomes: Students will discuss the implications of justice and mercy in practice. Students will answer comprehension questions about Act 4 Scene 1. Students will compare the response of a Shakespearean audience with a modern audience to Shylock’s fate. Students will write a paragraph to address the question of to what extent do they feel pity for Shylock. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Students write their ideas on a post-it note examining a quote by the Duke about Shylock. Starter: Introduction to key vocabulary (justice and mercy) and discussion around them. Activity 1: Read and discuss a summary/extracts from Act 4 Scene 1. Questions are interspersed. Activity 2: Class discussion exercise. Students share their opinions on to the extent that feel sorry for Shylock followed by an outline of the contextual differences between a Shakespearean and a modern audience. Plenary: Students write a paragraph to answer this question: “Shylock is the true victim of The Merchant of Venice”. To what extent do you agree with this statement?” More Resources for The Merchant of Venice Click here for a bundle of all the lessons to take you through the play plus a quiz, knowledge organiser and character revision posters. Freebies: For character revision posters for your classroom, click here. For an English/Drama lesson based on Portia’s choice in Act 1 Scene 2, click here. For a Scheme of Work overview for the unit, click here. Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

A fully-resourced one hour lesson to support students in exploring how Shakespeare uses dramatic irony in Act 3 Scene 2 to create tension as Bassanio chooses a casket. Students will be guided through and discuss the scene. Learning Objective: Understand how Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to build tension in Act 3 Scene 2 Learning Outcomes: -Students will experience dramatic irony through a class demonstration. Students will understand how dramatic irony can be used for humour or to create tension. Students will discuss Act 3 Scene 2 and interpret the meaning of Shakespearean language. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Recall questions about the casket tests from Act 2. Starter: Dramatic irony explanation and examples. Activity one: Think – pair – share after students watch and discuss two examples of dramatic irony. Activity two: Summary of scene with discussion and interpretation tasks interspersed. Plenary: Students answer questions on mini-whiteboards or scrap paper. More Resources for The Merchant of Venice Click here for a bundle of all the lessons to take you through the play plus a quiz, knowledge organiser and character revision posters. Freebies: For character revision posters for your classroom, click here. For an English/Drama lesson based on Portia’s choice in Act 1 Scene 2, click here. For a Scheme of Work overview for the unit, click here. Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

A 35 question quiz on The Merchant of Venice! This quiz has four rounds: characters, quotes, the casket tests and literary techniques. Many questions are multiple choice to scaffold learners and the quiz includes a range of more accessible and more challenging questions. More Merchant of Venice Resources: A complete bundle of resources for The Merchant of Venice which includes lessons to take you through the entire play, a quiz, knowledge organiser and revision posters. . This bundle includes: 1) A 40 Question Shakespeare Quiz 2) Introduction to Characters and Themes in The Merchant of Venice 3) Act 1 Scene 1 (Antonio and Bassanio) 4) Portia’s Choice in Act 1 Scene 2 (FREE) 5) Shakespeare’s Portrayal of Shylock in Act 1 Scene 3 6) Jessica’s Character in Act 2 Scenes 1-3 7) The Casket Test in Act 2 Scene 7 8) Shylock’s Portrayal in Act 2 Scene 8 9) Prince Arragon in Act 2 Scene 9 10) Interpretations of Shylock in Act 3 Scene 1 11) Dramatic Irony in the Casket Scene in Act 3 Scene 2 12) Independently Interpreting Shakespeare Using Act 3 Scenes 3-5 13) Act 4: The Courtroom Scene 14) Evaluate the Ending of the Play in Act 5 15) A 35-Question Quiz on the Play with Answers Included 16) A knowledge organiser with key information for studying the play. Merchant of Venice Freebies: For character revision posters for your classroom, click here. For an English/Drama lesson based on Portia’s choice in Act 1 Scene 2, click here. For a Scheme of Work overview for the unit, click here. Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

This is an engaging and fully-resourced one hour lesson to introduce students to the characters of the witches and some of the key themes in Act 1 Scene 1 of ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare. This resource includes a full PowerPoint including all teacher instructions that is ready to download and teach straight away. Students will consider pathetic fallacy and the paradox of ‘fair is foul, and foul is fair’. Students will work in groups to complete an engaging worksheet and then will work individually to write an analysis paragraph (which is scaffolded with an example paragraph included). Students will also have the opportunity to stage the opening scene and consider how they could increase the fear for the audience. Lesson Objective: Analyse how Shakespeare creates fear at the start of Macbeth. Learning Outcomes: Understand how the opening scene introduces some important themes in Macbeth. Evaluate Shakespeare’s use of literary devices. Distinguish between the reactions of a Shakespearean audience and a modern audience. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Questions for students to consider how a Shakespearean audience would have reacted to the witches. Starter: Think – Pair – Share about witches in Shakespeare’s time. Activity 1: Read act 1 scene 1 and students complete worksheet to identify language techniques with answers provided. Activity 2: Students write an analytical paragraph to answer the question ‘how did Shakespeare create fear for a Shakespearean audience?’ They will see a modelled paragraph first and peer assess afterwards. Activity 3: In groups of 3, consider how they would stage and direct the scene to really terrify a Shakespearean audience. Plenary: How would a modern audience react differently to the opening of Macbeth? Do you think it is still as scary even though the belief in witchcraft isn’t as widespread? Leave a review and choose any other resource, of up to the same value, for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

An hour long engaging lesson in which students are introduced to the main characters and themes in Macbeth. Through individual and group work, students will practise reading skills - in particular comprehension, inference and summarising - and collaborate with each other to share information that they have gleaned from profiles about the key characters in the play. Students will also be shown images representing Macbeth and prompted to infer themes they think will be evident in the play. Learning Objective: Get to know the main characters and themes in Macbeth. Learning Outcomes: Find and highlight key information about your character in the play. Re-write information about your character and share it with others in your own words. Question others about their characters and make connections between different characters. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Think – Pair – Share question about ambition Starter: Students look at five images representing Macbeth and infer themes from them. Activity one: Students are assigned a character from Macbeth. They read the information sheet and take bullet points notes in their graphic organiser. Activity two: Students circulate around the room swapping facts until they have completed all five character profiles. Plenary: Mini quiz based on the characters in the lesson. This lesson contains a 16-slide PowerPoint and five printable character profiles. Leave a review and choose any other resource, of up to the same value, for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

A detailed PowerPoint with accompanying printable worksheets for students to explore the context of Shakespeare’s Macbeth before embarking on their reading of the play. This lesson prompts students to dive deep into the historical and cultural backdrop of the play while honing critical skills like summarising, analysis, and collaboration. The lesson includes a thorough exploration of Macbeth’s context, including the reign of King James I, the Gunpowder Plot, witchcraft and the supernatural, family life, and gender roles. Through teacher modelling, students learn effective summary writing techniques, equipping them with the tools to distill complex information into concise and impactful summaries. They then put this into practice by using one of the worksheets to summarise information on their given topic. Students then engage in a carousel activity, where they delve into each of the context topics, learning from their peers, and collaboratively constructing their understanding. Learning Objective: Summarise contextual information about British society in the Jacobean period. Learning Outcomes: Students will read and comprehend new information and life in Jacobean times. Students will summarise this information in their own words. Students will clearly articulate what they have learned to your classmates. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Students think – pair – share about the importance of understanding a text’s context. Starter: Walkthrough of how to write an effective summary using an example text about James I. Activity 1: Students write their own summary of one of the contextual topics (King James I and the Gunpowder plot, Witchcraft, Family Life and Gender – these are differentiated by ability as shown by notes on PPT slide). Students spend 15 minutes creating their summary and then self-assess. Activity 2: Summary carousel – students move around the classroom sharing their summaries and taking notes on the various topics. Plenary: Mini whiteboard questions on the topic from this lesson. Leave a review and choose any other resource, of up to the same value, for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.