English teacher for upper schools with a passion for literature. My resources eschew flashy, clip-art-infested layouts for clean, focused, and advanced worksheets and activities for students and teachers.
English teacher for upper schools with a passion for literature. My resources eschew flashy, clip-art-infested layouts for clean, focused, and advanced worksheets and activities for students and teachers.
This FREE activity focuses on Lois Lowry’s novel “The Giver” addresses a central issue of the novel: the importance of colour.
The activity includes various discussion questions and activities that students can either perform in an experimental setting in class or as a while-reading homework assignment at home.
Enjoy, and feel free to leave feedback!
This FREE unit of work focuses on Part 2, Chapters 14-15 of Chinua Achebe’s iconic novel Things Fall Apart.
As a comprehensive unit for Chapters 14-15 it includes the following:
1. Comprehension, Close Reading & Discussion Questions for Chapters 14-15 of the novel.
2. Identify the Quote Quiz - this activity provides an alternative, quicker, and potentially more fun way to check reading and comprehension of Chapters 14-15 of the novel - with quotes that students have to recognize and contextualize.
3. The Novel in Context - A Brief History of Colonial Africa - This activity provides a brief history of the colonization of Africa by Europe and Western powers, accompanied by comprehension and discussion questions.
4. Teacher’s Guide + Answer Key - this provides a detailed answer key with model answers for all the activities as well as a teacher’s guide for Chapters 14-15 of the novel - including a summary and analysis of Chapters 14-15. This is designed for teachers who are new to the novel, or veterans who wish to gain fresh insights.
**Perfect for independent study and distance learning. Feedback is greatly appreciated!
This FREE no-prep unit provides introductory activities for Chinua Achebe’s iconic African novel Things Fall Apart. The unit includes:
1. Exploring Expository Writing: An in-depth introductory text that provides insights into the following aspects of the novel:
critical reception & worldwide success of Things Fall Apart
context & background
2. Discussion Questions: A range of discussion prompts that test understanding of the text, on the one hand, and provide food for thought and extended critical discussion.
Happy teaching!
Feedback is always appreciated!
This FREE print-and-use lesson worksheet is part of my teaching unit for Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It focuses specifically on Act 1, Scene 1 of the play. The worksheet includes:
Comprehension Questions for Act 1, Scene 1 of Macbeth
Shakespeare in Context: Informative text about witches & James I and the context of composition. This is crucial to fully appreciate the dramatic effect & significance of Shakespeare’s choice of using witches in the play. The information text is accompanied by relevant questions to link it to the play.
Drama Activity: This is an activity that encourages engaging with the text on stage; it outlines various ways for students to act out and the scene, and to think critically about how the scene may have been performed on stage.
Act 3 Close Reading Activity (focuses on 3.5.1-36, with all the imagery of light and darkness - a crucial dichotomy and thematic trope and motif that runs through the play)
MODEL ANSWERS for all the questions + activities as well as a teacher’s guide and further in-depth analysis and commentary of the relevant aspects of Act 1, Scene 1 of Macbeth
PS: This worksheet, as indeed all of my Macbeth handouts and activities are specifically designed to be read at IGCSE level or in preparation for the IGCSE English Literature exams. But they can be used independent of these exams and the IGCSE curriculum, too, of course!
Enjoy, and please leave feedback!
This FREE advanced unit of work focuses on Book 1, Chapters 6-7 of George Orwell’s 1984 or Nineteen-Eighty-Four, with a specific focus on aiding your study of the novel for IGCSE English Literature (1984 is a set text for the IGCSE English Literature Exams in 2020 and 2021).
Although this unit of work, as indeed all of my 1984 handouts and activities are specifically designed to be read at IGCSE level or in preparation for the IGCSE English Literature exams. But they can be used independent of these exams and the IGCSE curriculum, too, of course!
The level is certainly also high enough to be used if you have made 1984 one of the set texts for your IB English A: Literature or English A: Language & Literature course.
The unit of work includes:
1. Comprehension questions for Book 1, Chapters 6-7 of 1984
2. Exam Practice: This activity uses an important passage from Book 1, Chapter 7, and emulates the IGCSE English Literature exam by offering both a passage-based and an essay question to choose from. Can be used to facilitate close reading and exam practice.
3. TEACHER’S GUIDE + ANSWER KEY: A detailed teacher’s guide with summary & analysis of Book 1, Chapter 6-7, as well as an MODEL ANSWERS for the comprehension questions & the Exam Practice Question.
Enjoy, and please leave feedback!
This FREE teaching and exam practice unit focuses on Volume 1, Chapters 9-12 of the classic novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
The novel is also on the IGCSE English Literature syllabus for exams 2026 and 2027 as well as the A/AS-Level English Literature syllabus for exams 2024-2026.
The bundle includes:
1. Comprehension: Quick Quiz Activities: Two fun, quick quiz activities to test your students’ reading, and to enable an engaging introduction to the main topics and learning objectives of the unit. I’ve also included a link for an interactive Kahoot!-version of this quick quiz that you can alternatively do with your students!
2. Close Reading: Find the Quote Quiz: This is another fun activity that facilitates an engaging close reading of the most pertinent quotes or statements from the chapters. The quotes have been carefully selected so that you can also use them to segway to the main digging deeper activity.
3. Digging Deeper: Austen’s Minor Characters: This activity introduces / revisits concepts of characterisation, with a particular focus on minor characters and which function they can fulfil or serve in Austen’s storytelling.
4. Exam Practice: Passage-Based Response: This activity enables exam practice for IGCSE & AS/A-Levels in a structured, scaffolded manner that focuses on the exam assessment criteria. It is also directly linked to the concepts of minor character and characterisation taught in the previous activity. Additionally, the question addresses concepts of characterisation as foreshadowing.
5. Teacher’s Guide & Model Answers for all activities. The teacher’s guide includes detailed model answers for all activities as well as the link to the alternative digital Kahoot! activities.
***Happy teaching, studying, revising, and reading!
Feedback is always welcome!*
This FREE activity focuses on Lois Lowry’s novel “The Giver”, specifically Chapters 1-3, in which Jonas’ world is introduced. Some central questions that should be addressed at this point in the study of the novel are:
To what extent have the Elders succeeded in creating a perfect world of ‘Sameness’?
Is Jonas’s world a utopia or a dystopia?
The activity includes guided discussion questions for these central concepts and a creative follow-up activity: ‘Create Your Own Utopia’.
Students can use the ideas and input to create their own perfect world, compare ‘utopias’ and, importantly, discuss similarities and differences to Jonas’ community. The idea of ‘dystopia’ is touched upon, but can be addressed in more depth at a later point in your study of the novel.
Enjoy, and feel free to leave feedback!
The FREE BUNDLE includes the following selection of materials that will complement teaching and revising for the IGCSE English Literature Exams in 2026-2028, with a particular focus on poetry from Vol. 1:
Roadmap and Scheme of Work for IGCSE Vol. 2, Part 3 Poetry for Exams in 2025-2027
Figurative Language Flashcards
Creative Writing Activity: Free Verse
Creative Writing Activity: Sonnet
Comparative Analysis Activity
Analysing Poetry - SIFT Method Activity
Shakespeare’s Language - An Extensive Introduction
Poetry Appreciation Week - A Selection of Favourites
The activities and the scheme of work are designed to complement my IGCSE Poetry 2026-2028: Vol. 1 TEACH + EXAM PREP + ANSWERS Bundle
***Happy teaching and revising! Please leave feedback!
This FREE PowerPoint presentation presents and focuses on introducing Stanley Milgram’s (in)famous experiment to test “the banality of evil” and adherence / obedience to authority figures.
The PowerPoint clearly and succinctly presents the experiment in the context of the many unthinkable and atrocious war crimes committed by Nazis during and before World War II.
The PowerPoint can be taught in the context of any novel or unit that looks at the issue, but I mostly use it in connection with “The Wave” by Morton Rhue / Todd Strasser.
This FREE no-prep bundle of activities is designed to enable the in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” by William Shakespeare. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2026-2028.
The unit includes:
1) Short biography and introduction to the poet
2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, including historical context and explanatory notes where necessary.
3) Pre-Teaching Activities: to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class. I’ve focused on the Shakespearean sonnet (structure and form).
4) After Reading Activities: a range of activities ideal as follow-up to reading the poem in class. Topics covered include: aporia (figurative device), visualising the poem, “Sonnet 18” - reading aloud and a first analysis.
5) Close-reading & Analysis Questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria.
6) Exam Practice Questions, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4). These can be used as a mock exam with your students.
7) Detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4).
**Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising!
Please leave feedback!**
This FREE no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “Where I Come From” by Elizabeth Brewster. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2025-2027.
The unit includes:
1) Short biography and introduction to the poet
2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, including historical context and explanatory notes where necessary.
3) Pre-Reading Activities to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class. I’ve focused on the central themes of the poem: place and identity, and created an engaging class activity accordingly.
4) Comprehension, Close-reading & Analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria.
5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4)
6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4).
**Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising!
Please leave feedback!**
The BONUS BUNDLE includes the following selection of materials that will complement teaching and revising for the IGCSE English Literature Exams in 2025-2027, with a particular focus on poetry Vol. 2, Part 3:
Roadmap and Scheme of Work for IGCSE Vol. 2, Part 3 Poetry for Exams in 2025-2027
Figurative Language Flashcards
Figurative Language Quizzes
Sensory Imagery Activity
Creative Writing Activity: Free Verse
Creative Writing Activity: Sonnet
Comparative Analysis Activity
The activities and the scheme of work are designed to complement my IGCSE Poetry 2025-2027: Vol. 2 Part 3 TEACH + EXAM PREP + ANSWERS Bundle
Happy teaching and revising! Please leave feedback!
This FREE ready-to-teach handout focuses on close reading and analysis of the final Chapters of “The Wave” by Morton Rhue / Todd Strasser (Chapters 15-17).
The worksheet is structured around 4 carefully selected extracts, each accompanied by close reading questions that facilitate a higher-order engagement with the central issues of the novel.
Enjoy, and please leave feedback!
This FREE no-prep unit of work is designed to enable an in-depth teaching and preparation of the poem “Children of Wealth” by Elizabeth Daryush. The poem is also on the IGCSE English Literature curriculum for exams in 2025-2027.
The unit includes:
1) Short biography and introduction to the poet
2) The poem text with line numbers to facilitate a close-reading, and explanatory notes where necessary.
3) Pre-reading & After-Reading Activities (to facilitate teaching the poem & exam prep in class). I’ve focused on the sonnet form, as this is particularly relevant to the poem.
4) Comprehension, close-reading & analysis questions, with a particular focus on poetic devices and the IGCSE English Literature exam criteria.
5) Essay questions to facilitate IGCSE exam practice, modeled after the IGCSE English Literature Assessment Criteria (AO1-AO4)
6) In-depth, detailed model answers for all activities, questions, as well as model answers for the practice exam questions, again based on IGCSE Exam Rubric (A01-AO4).
**Happy reading, teaching, studying, and revising!
**
Please leave feedback!
This FREE advanced ready-to-teach worksheet & handout is designed as a pre-reading activity for George Orwell’s monumental dystopian classic, 1984. It includes:
Thought-provoking information text that asks the question What is Literature and Why Should we Read Literature? Although the text begins in general terms, the concepts and issues raised should facilitate a critical discussion about the purpose of reading any literary text as well as 1984.
Follow-up discussion and critical thinking questions that can be applied to all literary texts (but which may find more food for thought & application in 1984 especially).
Enjoy, and please leave feedback!
FREE Discuss & Debate Activity - Did George have to kill Lennie? / Is Lennie guilty/responsible for Curley’s wife’s death? - this guided discussion/debate activity provides prompts, guidance and further input to either stage a formal debate about some of the key debatable issues of the novel, or in a less formal manner to have shorter discussions/debates/presentations about said issues.
FREE Analyzing Characters - George & Lennie - this guided character analysis activity facilitates comparison and contrast of the protagonists of the novel - George & Lennie.
This activity is best used after reading Chapter 1 of the novel.
An answer key is included!
Enjoy, and please leave feedback!
This FREE worksheet takes a closer look at the central themes of the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, namely loneliness and dreams.
This is best used after reading Chapter 5, as it focuses on how the various characters of the novel are used to develop these themes.
Enjoy, and please leave feedback!
This teaching unit focuses on Act 1, Part 1 of the seminal play A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen with a particular focus on exploring key aspects of the context of the play as well as the first impressions Torvald and Nora Helmer make on their audience.
The play is a particular success with IB or A-Level students, but the resources can be used with any upper school / high school class!
The unit includes:
1. Comprehension: Quick Quiz Activity: A fun, quick quiz activity to test your students’ reading, and to enable an engaging introduction to the main topics and learning objectives of the unit.
2. Digging Deeper: Warning Signs & Foreshadowing: This activity goes some depth and takes a closer look at the various hints and warning signs already in this opening scene of the play. It can be used as a way to facilitate close reading as well as to address Ibsen’s use of foreshadowing, if your students have read further.
3. Teacher’s Guide & Model Answers for all activities. The teacher’s guide includes detailed model answers for all activities as a summary and analysis of the first scene of the play to help you prepare for a perfect lesson and to become an expert at teaching this great play.
Happy teaching, and please leave feedback!
This is a print-and-use whole-book (after-reading) essay assessment for Chinua Achebe’s iconic African novel Things Fall Apart, and it includes:
1. Whole Book Essay Questions: A range of essay questions address key issues and central concerns of the novel as prompts for a final, summative assessment
2. Essay Assessment Criteria & Rubric: An essay assessment rubric & list of criteria that can be used to easily assess the essay responses (should they be used as an assessment).
3. TEACHER’S GUIDE with MODEL ANSWERS for all the comprehension questions, the bildungsroman activity, as well as model essay responses for ALL the essay questions of the assessment to help teachers. Perfect for independent study or distance learning.
NB: I’ve included 2 versions of the instructions & questions.
Version 1 presumes that the students can use Things Fall Apart as an open-book source of reference (without any notes, however!)
Version 2 presumes that the students do not have access to the text.
Feedback is always appreciated!