A fully-resourced one hour lesson to support students in exploring the casket test in Act 2 Scene 7 of The Merchant of Venice. Students will be guided through the reading of the scene and then creatively respond by predicting what they believe will be in the other incorrect casket. Learning Objective: Explore the casket test for Portia’s suitors. Learning Outcomes: Students will read summaries of Act 2 Scenes 4-6 and complete recall questions. -Students will be guided through the reading of Act 2 Scene 7 and consider the reasons the Prince gives for rejecting or choosing each casket. -Students will creatively respond to the scene by predicting what will be in the remaining incorrect casket. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Match the character description to the name. Starter: Summary of Act 2 Scenes 4-6 followed by recall questions and think-pair-share to consider Shylock’s reaction. Activity one: Guided reading of the scene with student questions interspersed. Activity two: Students creatively predict what will be inside the other incorrect casket. Plenary: Act 2 Scene 7 ends with Portia saying “a gentle riddance” as she is happy to see the Prince leave. Why do you think she says this? Is it because she doesn’t want to marry the Prince specifically or is there another reason? 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.

Revision cards/posters for the five main characters in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare - great for quizzing, introducing characters or as prompts for lessons or homework. These posters contain visual clues about the characters plus four important character quotes for students to remember. The characters included are: Antonio Bassanio Shylock Jessica Portia 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 one-hour lesson focuses on how Shakespeare uses the Porter’s scene to build tension in Act 2, Scene 3 of Macbeth. Perfect for engaging students in critical analysis, this lesson explores dramatic irony, pathetic fallacy, and comic relief to enhance their understanding of how Shakespeare builds tension. This resource includes: A ready-to-teach PowerPoint with full instructions. A worksheet to guide reflection on tension in the scene. Learning Objective: Analyse how Shakespeare uses structure to build tension in Act 2 Scene 3. Learning Outcomes: Students will read Act 2 Scene 3 and analyse the use of tension-building techniques in the scene such as dramatic irony, pathetic fallacy and comic relief. Students will independently choose quotes from the scene that use the techniques. Students will consider where else they have seen the use of these tension-building techniques. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Read these quotes on use of tension and laughter and infer what we will be studying today. Starter: Watch the short video and discuss the techniques used by Shakespeare to build tension. Activity 1: Read act 2 scene 3 and discuss the questions. Activity 2: Worksheet reflection on class discussion and peer assessment. Plenary: Can you think of an example of pathetic fallacy, dramatic irony or comic relief from another book or movie you’ve enjoyed? Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

This one-hour lesson focuses on independent analysis of Macbeth or Lady Macbeth using the STEAL framework (Speech, Thoughts, Effect on others, Actions, Looks). Perfect for students studying Act 2, Scene 2, this lesson promotes deep understanding through a structured approach to character analysis. This resource includes: A fully editable PowerPoint with step-by-step teacher instructions, ready for immediate download and use. Learning Objective: Complete STEAL analysis on Macbeth or Lady Macbeth. Learning Outcomes: Students will read and summarise Act 2 Scene 2. Students will answer questions to check their understanding and inference of the scene. Students will use the STEAL framework to analyse either Macbeth or Lady Macbeth in detail. Lesson Outline: Do it now: How would you describe the end of act 2 scene 1? How would the audience be feeling? Starter: Read act 2 scene 2 and discuss questions Activity 1: Independent STEAL analysis of either Macbeth or Lady Macbeth Activity 2: Carousel to peer assess each other’s work Plenary: What did you learn about the characters from your analysis? For more Macbeth resources, check out our Macbeth Bundle (some freebies in there too). Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

Engaging and ready to teach one hour lesson to cover chapter thirteen of ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ by John Boyne. This lesson requires students to consider how John Boyne creates tension in the dinner party scene and to compare how this is shown in the book and the movie. Students will then devise their own drama scene to put into practice tension-building devices. Learning Objective: Analyse how writers and directors create tension. Learning Outcomes: Bronze: Understand which techniques can be used by writers and directors to create tension. Silver: Explain clearly how these techniques create tension. Gold: Use some of these techniques yourself to construct a dramatic performance. Lesson Outline: Do It Now: How might a movie director create tension? Starter: Reading focus – how does John Boyne create tension? Activity 1: Students complete an analysis table based on quotes from this chapter with teacher support. Activity 2: How is tension created in the film? Activity 3: Devising their own scene in groups and performing. Plenary: What do you think happened to Pavel? What do you think will be the consequences for Lieutenant Kotler? Freebies: Two pre-reading lessons to introduce students to the context of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is available for free here. A lesson on chapter 1 of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is available for free here. A scheme of work for teaching the entire novel is available for free here. If you find this lesson useful, please consider purchasing this ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ Bundle or have a look at other resources available in my shop. . Leave a review and choose any other resource of up to the same value for free from my shop.

A fully-resourced engaging English or Drama lesson which explores the narrative of act 1 scene 2 of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Portia’s choice of suitors. It also prompts students to consider the importance of exposition and spacing on stage when performing a play. This lesson is ready to teach and easily adaptable. It develops both English and Drama skills. Learning Objective: Explore the Scenario of Portia’s Choice in Act 1 Scene 2. Learning Outcomes: Students will consider how spacing and staging can be used to show character and setting. -Students will understand Portia’s dilemma in act 1 scene 2. Students will understand the features of a script and will put these into practice by writing their own. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Mind-map features of a script Starter: Thinking about exposition, the students create freeze frames of different scenarios in large groups. Activity 1: Summary of act 1 scene 2. Drama task where students act as Portia and her suitors. Activity 2: Modelling of script layout and script-writing task in pairs. Performances and peer assessment 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. I am grateful for all reviews and feedback. If you found this helpful, have a look at the other resources in my LikeAnExpert shop.

This fully-resourced, one-hour lesson guides students through independent analysis of Macbeth’s soliloquy (“Is this a dagger…”) in Act 2 Scene 1 of Macbeth. Perfect for fostering critical thinking, this lesson allows students to paraphrase Macbeth’s speech and collaborate in groups to examine Shakespeare’s use of lexical fields, rhetorical questions, and repetition. This resource includes: A ready-to-teach PowerPoint with full teacher instructions. A printable extract of the soliloquy with a detailed glossary for student reference. Printable group task instructions, also embedded in the PowerPoint. Learning Objective: Analyse Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 2 Scene 1. Learning Outcomes: Students will read and understand act 2 scene 1 and independently paraphrase it and answer questions on it. Students will work in groups to closely analyse the language in Macbeth’s soliloquy. Students will compare two different portrayals of this soliloquy. Lesson Breakdown: Do it now: ’There’s husbandry in heaven, their candles are all out’ – students explore this quote. Starter: Read act 2 scene 1 and discuss questions. Activity 1: Paraphrase the soliloquy in groups whilst watching a performance. Activity 2: Scaffolded independent analysis task Plenary: Students watch another performance of the soliloquy. How does this other portrayal of Macbeth compare to the earlier one? Why Choose This Resource? Designed for Confidence-Building: Helps students feel secure in their analysis of complex texts. Ready to Use: Download and start teaching immediately with no prep required. Leave a review and select another resource of equal value for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

This free worksheet is designed to deepen students’ understanding of Act 1, Scene 7, where Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to commit murder. Perfect for in-class activities or homework, this resource helps students analyse persuasive devices such as rhetorical questions, emotive language, flattery, hyperbole, and direct address used by Lady Macbeth to manipulate Macbeth. Students will then apply these techniques through one of five creative tasks, encouraging them to craft their own persuasive speeches. This Macbeth worksheet is ideal for key stage 3 and key stage 4 students studying Shakespeare and works across various ability levels. Have a look at our other resources in our LikeAnExpert shop.**

This one-hour lesson is designed to guide students through Lady Macbeth’s persuasive techniques in Act 1, Scene 7, focusing on how she manipulates Macbeth to commit murder. Ideal for key stage 3 or key stage 4 classes studying Macbeth, this resource is tailored towards developing students language and literature skills and providing them with a range of practice opportunities. What’s included: Complete PowerPoint with step-by-step teacher instructions—ready to download and teach. Ready-to-print worksheet for students to label and explain Lady Macbeth’s use of persuasive techniques. Learning Objective: Students will analyse how Lady Macbeth persuades and manipulates Macbeth using powerful rhetorical techniques. Learning Outcomes: Identify the persuasive strategies Lady Macbeth uses. Practice applying these techniques in both analysis and through writing your own examples. Write an analytical paragraph exploring the effects of her language. Lesson Outline: Do It Now Activity: Persuade the teacher for extra game time. Starter: Introduction to key persuasive techniques. Activity 1: Annotate the worksheet, labeling persuasive methods and explaining their effects. Activity 2: Write an analytical paragraph answering, “How does Lady Macbeth manipulate Macbeth?” Peer Assessment to evaluate analytical writing. Activity 3: Write a persuasive letter using Lady Macbeth’s rhetorical techniques. Plenary: Reflect on the power dynamics between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

This one-hour lesson is designed to help students analyze and annotate Lady Macbeth’s powerful soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5. Perfect for teachers seeking an engaging, fully-prepared resource that saves time, boosts understanding of Lady Macbeth’s character and supports students with their annotation and analysis skills. What’s included: Ready-to-teach PowerPoint with detailed teacher instructions, so you can download and start teaching immediately. A photo of a sample annotation to guide students through the process. Printable extract of Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy with a built-in glossary for key terms, enhancing comprehension. Learning Objective: Explore Lady Macbeth’s Character in Act 1 Scene 5. Learning Outcomes: Students will be introduced to the character of Lady Macbeth and vocabulary to describe her. Students will be guided through a close annotation of Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy. Students will identify language techniques used in the soliloquy and discuss the effects of them. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Think – Pair – Share around students’ expectations of Lady Macbeth. Starter: Vocabulary – match words to describe Lady Macbeth to their definitions. Activity 1: Guided annotation of Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy. Activity 2: Answer questions followed by discussion of questions. Activity 3: Watch and discuss a modern interpretation of this scene. Plenary: What do you predict will happen next? What will Lady Macbeth’s role be in this play? Leave a review and choose any other resource for free from the LikeAnExpert shop.

A fully-resourced one hour lesson to introduce students to the character of Jessica in act 2 scene 3 of The Merchant of Venice . Students will complete a guided annotation and then consider different ways of staging the scene to make Jessica appear more or less sympathetic. Learning Objective: Explore Jessica’s Character in Act 2. Learning Outcomes: Students will read a summary of act 2 scenes 1 and 2. Students will read act 2 scene 3 and be guided through annotation of the scene before participating in a class discussion. Students will consider different ways of staging the scene to make Jessica more or less sympathetic to the audience. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Summarise act 1 in five sentences and then five words. Starter: As a class, read a summary of Act 2 Scenes 1 & 2. Then as a class, read Act 2 Scene 3. Students then answer questions and share in a class discussion. Activity 1: Guided annotation of scene. Activity 2: Stage the scene with Jessica portraying different emotions to make her sympathetic to the audience. Plenary: Personal response – to what extent is Jessica a victim? 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 introduce students to the character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice in the context of the history of anti-Semitism. Students will read the scene and consider how Antonio and Shylock treat each other as well as considering how Shakespeare presents Shylock. Students will be scaffolded to independently find quotes from act 1 scene 3 and explain what this shows us about the characters. Learning Objective: Explore Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock. Learning Outcomes: Students will understand a basic history of anti-Semitism. Students will understand the events of act 1 scene 3 and consider how Shylock is introduced. Students will work in pairs to independently find and analyse quotes to show what they learn about Shylock. Lesson Outline: Do it now: Think – Pair – Share: What do we learn about Shylock from his opening quote? Activity 1: The history of anti-Semitism teacher explanation and student discussion of anti-Semitic propaganda. Group and class discussion of propaganda posters. You may want to edit this down if you feel it would be distressing to members of your class. Activity 2: Read act 1 scene 3. Activity 3: In pairs, students complete worksheet by finding quotes and considering what this tells us about the characters. Plenary: Who do you have more sympathy for: Antonio or Shylock? Class discussion 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.

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.