As we continue our study of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, we look at what life was like for women in the 1930s and the United States in order to develop a contextual understanding of Curley’s Wife. Includes differentiated activities throughout and helps students to develop their understanding of politics, the patriarchal society, life as a householder, finding work and more. A very useful lesson for the study of American literature for KS3 students and adaptable for older students.

As we continue to study Darkside by Tom Becker, we use our notes on tension within Chapter Seven to created detailed analytical paragraphs before peer assessing them around class success criteria. A really useful for KS3 students but with activities and resources easily adaptable for KS4. Differentiated througout.

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As we continue to study Tom Becker’s Darkside, we look at how the writer builds up tension in Chapter Seven and plot out a tension graph based on the changing tension within the chapter. A really useful lesson for KS3 students and some interesting activities that could be adapted for KS4. Fully differentiated throughout.

Of Mice and Men assessment prep lesson. In preparation for an English Literature-style assessment on Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, KS3 students analyse a key extract about Curley’s Wife and look at the use of language in preparation for an assessment. Includes differentiated worksheets to support students as they look carefully at the features used by Curley’s Wife and other characters within the extract. UPDATE: Now includes a detailed essay plan and writing frame for students to use!

As we study Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak, we look at Chapter Nine and think about how Shan is able to create tension for his readers using a variety of language techniques. We use our analyses to create evaluative paragraphs based on agreed success criteria and then peer assess our final paragraphs to ensure they are effective. A fantastic lesson for KS3 students and some very useful ideas and resources that could be incorporated into KS4 lessons as well. Fully differentiated and resourced throughout.

We look at Chapter Eight of Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan and how the boys feel as they meet Mr Tall and visit the Cirque du Freak for the first time. As part of this lesson, students create their own ‘freaks’ and write descriptive paragraphs on their creations. Fully differentiated throughout.

As we continue to study Tom Becker’s Darkside, we delve into Chapter Five and look at how the writer describes the London Underground and introduces the mysterious character of Marianne. A brilliant lesson for KS3 students and fully differentiated throughout.

We look at Of Mice and Men and Chapter Two, with a focus how Steinbeck introduces the new character of Curley’s wife, Additionally, we consider how social and historical context impact on the presentation of Curley’s wife. A really useful lesson for students preparing for Literature exams but easily adaptable for younger students as well. Fully differentiated and resourced.

Using an extract from Chapter Two of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, we explore how the writer structures the introduction of Curley’s Wife to reader. We look at both the start and the end of the extract, how she is introduced and how she leaves, and consider how the writer is able to build tension in this small extract. Fully differentiated throughout and designed so students can practice answering Q3 of the AQA English Language Paper 1 exam, so useful for KS4 students, too.

In this lesson on Tom Becker’s Darkside we look at how the narrator builds atmosphere in description through the use of pathetic fallacy and personification, making comparisons between chapters four and five. We also evaluate the impact of some key quotes throughout the chapter. Fully differentiated throughout.

As we look at Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak, we analyse chapters four and five carefully, thinking about the characters that are introduced to us and how the writer creates tension and suspense for the reader. A useful lesson for KS3 students with a number of activities easily adaptable for other texts and age groups. Differentiated throughout.

Of Mice and Men lesson where we focus on how Curley is introduced in Chapter Two of John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men and look at some key quotes surrounding the character. We analyse the use of language within these quotes and think carefully about how Steinbeck is able to get across Curley’s personality to the reader. Fully differentiated activities and worksheets throughout.

A fully differentiated lesson that helps students to improve their answers to a KS3-style assessment question on how John Steinbeck develops setting at the very beginning of Of Mice and Men. Includes differentiated activities and notes for students to use in order to improve their own answers. Easily adapted for other year groups and with a range of activities useful for KS3 and GCSE.

In this lesson on Tom Becker’s Darkside we look at how Jonathan and Mrs Elwood are presented in Chapter Two, and how the narrator builds up a sense of foreboding through the description of setting and the clues given to us through what the inmates and staff say to each other. A fully differentiated and resourced lesson.

In this lesson on Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak, we focus on Chapter Two and explaining the presentation of Darren and Steve as characters and the impact of the language throughout the chapter. Designed for KS3 students but with a number of activities that could easily be adapted for older students.

As we continue to study Tom Becker’s Darkside, we look at The Prologue and how the character of Ricky is introduced, plus look at the language used to describe one of the mysterious people that follows Ricky through the streets of the city. Fully differentiated and resourced, this lesson is designed for KS3 students but is easily adaptable for older students.

In this lesson on Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak, we focus on Chapter One and developing some context around the idea of freaks and how we might perceive ‘freaks’ now. We move on to analysing Chapter One and explaining the presentation of Darren as a character and the impact of the language in the final two sentences. Designed for KS3 students but with a number of activities that could easily be adapted for older students.