I'm a university lecturer of Drama and English Literature. On this page you'll find loads of powerpoint presentations filled with useful resources for teachers and students interested in English Literature, Drama, Art History, and Academic English / Research. Useful for all levels.
I'm a university lecturer of Drama and English Literature. On this page you'll find loads of powerpoint presentations filled with useful resources for teachers and students interested in English Literature, Drama, Art History, and Academic English / Research. Useful for all levels.
This presentation looks at theatre and nation, specifically the Irish Theatre tradition. It looks at the history of Irish theatre and focuses on comments by W. B. Yeats and the Abbey Theatre. Concepts such as gender politics and the mother nation are explored in relation to Marina Carr’s play The Bog of Cats… The powerpoint includes close analysis of scenes from the play, quotes from notable scholars, and comparisons between Carr’s work and that of John Keats and Samuel Beckett. This powerpoint is useful for anyone studying nation and theatre, Irish theatre, and Marina Carr’s drama.
This presentation explores Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. With clear character discussions, analysis of themes, quotes, and contextual information, it is an ideal teaching and study resource for anyone studying The Merchant of Venice. It contains: a plot summary; contextual information about Shakespeare’s decision to set the play in Venice; a discussion of racial prejudice (especially from Antonio towards Shylock); character studies of Shylock, Jessica, and Portia; a discussion on the idea of value, and details from three notable performances of the play. The last slide contains a quiz with 10 questions focused on details from the play.
This presentation outlines the shift in drama from Realist to Symbolist to Modernist forms of theatre. It uses work by Chekhov, Maeterlink, and Beckett to illustrate the differences between representational and Avant-Garde playwrighting and scenography. The explanation of Ferdinand de Saussure’s semiotics is supported by examples form Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author. The presentation also covers the work of Ionesco and Tom Stoppard when discussing the Theatre of the Absurd (a term coined by Martin Esslin).
Bertolt Brecht’s famous play Mother Courage and All Her Children is the focus of this handout. It includes:
Carefully selected extracts from Mother Courage to discuss
An explanation of Brecht’s Verfremdungseffekt or ‘Alienation effect’
Some scholarly quotes on Brecht’s playwriting to discuss in relation to Mother Courage
This handout is ideal for university seminars and A Level classes. It will help with in-class discussions and essay writing.
This presentation looks at Ibsen’s drama focusing on his major play: Hedda Gabler. The sildes offer detailed information on and colourful examples of the historical context, gender politics, and themes of Ibsen’s drama. The powerpoint then examines Hedda’s character with links to short videos of performers such as Ruth Wilson discussing playing the role and what makes Hedda tick. This presentation is useful for anyone interested in Ibsen’s drama, feminism in his work, and performing his tragic heroine: Hedda Gabler.
This presentation is about Sarah Kane’s exploration of National Identity in her infamous play Blasted. Each slide contains quotes, images, factual information, and videos about Sarah Kane and In-Yer-Face Theatre. The powerpoint focuses on extracts from Blasted that examine human frailty, compassion, brutality, and powerlessness. It asks how Kane manages to evoke compassion through violence and uses the theory of Susan Sontag and the history of the Bosnian War (1992-1995) to unpick the relationship between the Soldier, Ian and Kate in the play. There are also many ‘thinking points’, including a video discussion of the (un)ethical nature of Kane’s drama and theorist Hanna Arendt’s ‘Reflections on Violence’.
This resource contains 1 examination (2 hours) in Academic English skills. The exam is divided into 4 sections: reading, source credibility, critical thinking, and writing. Students will be tested on the following essential skills:
Section 1: Reading and comprehension (multiple choice & true / false / not given questions)
Section 2: Identifying whether an article is peer-reviewed (comment on the main features of academic publications)
Section 3: Understanding & documenting findings from visual data (describing main findings of a graph)
Section 4: Essay writing, accurate source integration and correct referencing (final essay question with marking rubric)
The examination comes with a rubric (for the final essay question) and an answer key for Section 1. It is a perfect resource for students and teachers taking Academic English at A Level and Foundation level. It can also be used for high-level GCSE students. Students will gain exam practice, improve their reading and comprehension skills, and will develop their knowledge and critical thinking. The exam can also be used for revision classes.
**This academic English mock exam will lead to: better understanding of texts, confident use of academic research, improved fluency and accuracy in writing, ability to think critically about a range of topics. **
This resouce can be purchased in a bundle with 2 additional practice exams.
M. Butterfly , a play by David Henry Hwang is the focus of this presentation and handout. M Butterfly is explored alongside themes of gender, sexuality, Orientalism, representations of East/West.
The powerpoint and handout include:
Quotes from the playwright, David Henry Hwang
Quotes from the play, M Butterfly
Tasks, discussion questions, and thinking points
Extracts from Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble
Extracts from Edward Saïd’s Orientalism (and other texts)
Academic criticism with questions for students
Recommended reading
This is a very useful interactive powerpoint and accompanying handout for any course that covers M Butterfly and drama concerned with gender, performativity, race and ethnicity.
Suitable for A Level and undergraduate students.
This presentation explores F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel, The Great Gatsby. The slides outline its publication, reputation as ‘The Great American Novel’, and themes such as corruption, the American Dream, class, nostalgia, and love. An in-depth character outline depicts all of the major characters with reference to the themes associated with their actions/role in the novel. Three slides are dedicated to close textual analysis of important moments/themes in the novel. The scholarship of Sarah Churchwell is referred to and there are also suggestions for further reading. This powerpoint is useful for A Level and undergraduate students looking at The Great Gatsby.
This handout is designed for students studying **Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s **Emilia.
It discusses the life and poetry of Aemilia Lanyer and includes carefully selected quotes from the play for discussion and analysis. The handout includes questions that help students understand the play’s concern with gender inequality during the time of Shakespeare and today.
The handout is aimed at students at any level.
This presentation explains how to interpret a performance. It provides useful quotes about performance analysis and illustrates how thinking about drama is different to thinking about poems or novels. The presentation explores the impact art has on the world around us and considers what makes a performance a work of art. It also focuses on the role the audience has on the interpretation of a play.
This presentation is aimed at GCSE English literature students studying J. B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls. It contains in-class activities as well as homework questions. It focuses on the idea of social responsibility in the play and also helps students to understand the importance of stage directions and set. A great resource for anyone teaching or studying An Inspector Calls at GCSE level.
This presentation highlights some of the major shifts in recent theatre history that have become significant moments for the recognition of women’s playwrighting and theatre making. With examples from Judy Chicago’s Feminist Art Program, the first Women’s Theatre Conference, critic Michelene Wandor’s influential study of sexual politics in the theatre, and women’s theatre groups from the 1970s, the slides trace the history of women’s playwriting. The powerpoint then focuses on the work and influence of Caryl Churchill, especially her play Vinegar Tom. Critics like Janelle Reinelt and Elin Diamond are also quoted in a clear, easy to follow manner. A final slide contains some recommended reading suggestions.
Handout for students discussing Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Includes quotes from the play to discuss as well as an extract from Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own. The handout focuses on themes of gender and patriarchal society in A Doll’s House. Perfect for A Level students studying Ibsen and naturalism in theatre. Also useful for university seminars working on A Doll’s House.
Ideal handout for university and A Level students working on Caryl Churchill’s Cloud Nine.
The handout offers:
Questions to encourage discussion and analysis of Cloud Nine
An explanation of Mikhail Bakhtin’s Carnivalesque
**Carefully selected extracts from Cloud Nine **
**Scholarly readings of Churchill’s play **
Perfect for students writing an essay or preparing for a class/seminar on Caryl Churchill’s Cloud Nine.
This resource contains 1 examination (2 hours) in Academic English skills. The exam is divided into 4 sections: reading, source credibility, critical thinking, and writing. Students will be tested on the following essential skills:
Section 1: Reading and comprehension (multiple choice & true / false / not given questions)
Section 2: Identifying whether an article is peer-reviewed (comment on the main features of academic publications)
Section 3: Understanding & documenting findings from visual data (describing main findings of a graph)
Section 4: Essay writing, accurate source integration and correct referencing (final essay question with marking rubric)
The examination comes with a rubric (for the final essay question) and an answer key for Section 1. It is a perfect resource for students and teachers taking Academic English at A Level and Foundation level. It can also be used for high-level GCSE students. Students will gain exam practice, improve their reading and comprehension skills, and will develop their knowledge and critical thinking. The exam can also be used for revision classes.
**This academic English mock exam will lead to: better understanding of texts, confident use of academic research, improved fluency and accuracy in writing, ability to think critically about a range of topics. **
This resouce can be purchased in a bundle with 2 additional practice exams.
This resource contains 1 examination (2 hours) in Academic English skills. The exam is divided into 4 sections: reading, source credibility, critical thinking, and writing. Students will be tested on the following essential skills:
Section 1: Reading and comprehension (multiple choice & true / false / not given questions)
Section 2: Identifying whether an article is peer-reviewed (comment on the main features of academic publications)
Section 3: Understanding & documenting findings from visual data (describing main findings of a graph)
Section 4: Essay writing, accurate source integration and correct referencing (final essay question with marking rubric)
The examination comes with a rubric (for the final essay question) and an answer key for Section 1. It is a perfect resource for students and teachers taking Academic English at A Level and Foundation level. It can also be used for high-level GCSE students. Students will gain exam practice, improve their reading and comprehension skills, and will develop their knowledge and critical thinking. The exam can also be used for revision classes.
**This academic English mock exam will lead to: better understanding of texts, confident use of academic research, improved fluency and accuracy in writing, ability to think critically about a range of topics. **
This resouce can be purchased in a bundle with 2 additional practice exams.
This presentation is on George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch. It gives an outline of George Eliot’s life and focuses on the themes of politics, feminism, and religion that Eliot explores in Middlemarch. This is an ideal resource for university and A Level students working on George Eliot, Middlemarch, and Victorian Literature. It includes quotes from literary critics and reviewers useful for essays on Dorothea’s feminist and political ambitions & constraints within the novel. This presentation is useful as an introduction to Middlemarch’s themes.
This bundle contains 3 examinations (2 hours each = total of 6 hours) in Academic English skills. The exams are divided into 4 sections: reading, source credibility, critical thinking, and writing. Students will be tested on the following essential skills:
Section 1: Reading and comprehension (multiple choice & true / false / not given questions)
Section 2: Identifying whether an article is peer-reviewed (comment on the main features of academic publications)
Section 3: Understanding & documenting findings from visual data (describing main findings of a graph)
Section 4: Essay writing, accurate source integration and correct referencing (final essay question with marking rubric)
All examinations come with a rubric (for the final essay question) and an answer key for Section 1. This bundle is perfect for students and teachers taking Academic English at A Level and Foundation level. It can also be used for high-level GCSE students. Students will gain exam practice, improve their reading and comprehension skills, and will develop their knowledge and critical thinking. The bundle can also be used for revision classes. The themes of the examinations are as follows:
Tourism in the Dubai
Sustainability and climate change in Abu Dhabi
The impact of robotics and AI on society in the UAE
**This bundle will lead to: better understanding of texts, confident use of academic research, improved fluency and accuracy in writing, ability to think critically about a range of topics. **
A helpful resource for any student who needs to submit an annotated bibliography or any teacher/lecturer wanting to explain how to put together an annotated bibliography. The PowerPoint goes through the following aspects of an annotated bibliography:
What is an annotated bibliography?
How to record research for your bibliography
A 3-Step Process to writing an annotation
Creating an annotated bibliography: what goes into each annotation
Examples for discussion / reference
Useful phrases for your own annotations
Further examples asking students to identify strengths and weaknesses in the annotations
Summary checklist for writing annotations
This resource can be used by students of any subject.
