This 25-slide resource explores Percy Shelley’s iconic poem, ‘Ozymandias’. Students are encouraged to think critically about the function and purpose of statues, making way for discussions about myth-making and deification. They then learn about Shelley’s life and work, before delving into the context behind why he wrote the poem following the British Museum’s landmark acquisition. The resource explores ideas about the speakers and use of frame narrative, the poem’s heavy use of irony, and tensions between art and the artist. Form, structure, and language are analysed, and lists of key themes and vocabulary are provided to equip students with sophisticated tools for analysing the poem. Questions and discussion points are provided throughout the resource. ‘Quick-fire’ questions are given at the end, followed by an essay question. This resource can be used as a lesson or revision resource. It is ideal for ambitious GCSE or KS3 classes. Both a PDF and PowerPoint version of the resource are included.

This 33-slide lesson on Philip Larkin’s ‘Going, Going’ explores the poem in comprehensive detail. Examining Larkin’s seemingly impassioned warning against the dangers of capitalist industrialisation against the sardonic satire of his poetic persona, this lesson unpicks the poet’s masterful use of language, form, structure, and imagery. Questions and discussion points are featured for students throughout, encouraging them to unpick the poem in great detail. Other Larkin poems to which ‘Going, Going’ might be compared are suggested, and the lesson ends with an extended essay question for students to complete either in class or as a homework. This lesson is aimed primarily at A level students, but could be used for high-attaining GCSE sets. ‘Going, Going’ is particularly rich for pupils reading poems through an ecocritical lens. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

For those studying AQA GCSE English Language, here is an extract from and 4 exam-style questions on John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’. Perfect practice for the AQA exam. Structured and ‘scaffolded’ starter questions are included to help SEND students, as well as step-by-step guidance for how to tackle questions 3 and 4, which are notoriously more challenging.

This resource includes an extract from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel ‘The Great Gatsby’, along with 4 exam-style questions based on AQA’s GCSE English Language Paper 1. An ideal mock or practice paper to study in class for high-attaining GCSE groups.

This resource includes an extract from E.M. Forster’s 1909 short story, ‘The Machine Stops’, as well as an accompanying PowerPoint with four questions on the source based on AQA’s English Language GCSE Paper 1.

A lesson (or two) designed to introduce pupils to Section B of AQA English Language Paper 1, where they are required to produce a piece of creative writing worth 40 marks. This PowerPoint (and accompanying worksheet) aims to break down the demands of the question into manageable chunks for pupils who may find extended writing challenging. By the end of the lesson/s, pupils will write their own short piece of writing based on an image, as per the exam question. This may be particularly useful for SEN groups and support classes.

A crossword on Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Ideal for KS3.

This crossword on Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ provides an enjoyable but academic activity for pupils to test their knowledge of the play. It always works as a great starter or plenary task.

This crossword on Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ provides an enjoyable but academic activity for pupils to test their knowledge of the novella. It always works as a great starter or plenary task.

This crossword on John Boyne’s ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ provides an enjoyable but academic activity for pupils to test their knowledge of the novel. It always works as a great starter or plenary task. Ideal for KS3 and high-attaining KS2 pupils. Note: answer to the question of Shmuel’s religion is ‘Judaism’ not ‘Jewish’ or ‘Jews’, etc.

This extract from Caryl Churchill’s ‘Top Girls’ is perfect for analysing elements of political and social protest as per the AQA A level paper. This extract is particularly effective for considering Feminist theory and gender politics.

This extract from Ken Kesey’s ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ is perfect for analysing elements of political and social protest as per the AQA A level paper.

This extract from Bertolt Brecht’s harrowing anti-war play ‘Mother Courage and Her Children’ is perfect practice for analysing elements of political and social protest for those studying the AQA A level syllabus.

Explore Blake’s ‘The Ecchoing Green’ from the ‘Songs of Innocence’ as a poem of social/political protest with this comprehensive lesson aimed at A level students. For those studying the AQA Political and Social Protest Writing course, this lesson deconstructs Blake’s imagery, language and ideas to consider how ‘The Ecchoing Green’ fits in with his vision for the ‘Songs’ as poems of protest.

Explore one of Britain’s most famous poems with this 27-slide lesson on William Blake’s ‘London’ from the Songs of Experience. This lesson includes an exploration of significant contextual issues and a line-by-line close reading of the text. Numerous questions are included for students throughout, as well as references to Blake’s key themes and images within ‘London’. Aimed in particular at those studying ‘Political and Social Protest Writing’ with AQA at A level, this lesson could easily be adapted for high-ability GCSE students. There are questions included for students at the end of the lesson, as well as an official ‘mock’ A level question to be answered in which ‘London’ must be compared with other poems from across Blake’s Songs. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 26-slide lesson explores the major themes of violence and crime in Stevenson’s novella, ‘Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. The lesson documents key examples of violence and crime in the story, analysing Stevenson’s language, symbolism, setting, and intentions, and making links to the Gothic genre as well as the Victorian fascination with criminality and criminology. Questions and discussion points are included throughout, and the lesson ends with a mock exam question on the theme of violence and crime. This lesson is ideal for those studying the text at GCSE (particularly those with AQA), but could also be used for KS3. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This is a complete mock exam paper on J.D. Salinger’s ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ in the style of AQA’s English Language Paper 1 Section A. The resource includes the extract and an exam booklet featuring four questions (as per the exam) based upon it. A PowerPoint supports the question booklet and offers top tips for how to answer each question. This is an ideal practice paper/mock for students to sit.

A comprehensive A-Z list of key terminology to help students understand and analyse political and social protest writing as part of the AQA A level Literature paper. This resource aids pupils’ expansion of vocabulary and promotes sophistication and maturity when analysing texts and their contexts.

This resource is a collection of 30 practice questions based on J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’. Providing perfect revision for those studying the text at GCSE, this bundle of 30 exam-style questions will give your students plenty of practice at analysing the play’s key themes, characters, and ideas. Questions are included on every character and each of the main themes. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 35-slide lesson explores how George Orwell presents the theme of education in ‘Animal Farm’. This detailed and thorough exploration of education within the novella provides an excellent framework for analysis and revision. It includes various discussion points, questions, and tasks for students, features key quotations, sophisticated terminology, and a final essay question for exam practice. Students are encouraged to think about how the pigs blur the lines between education and propaganda on the farm, and how this relates to Orwell’s message and the novella’s historical (and allegorical) context. This lesson is perfect for GCSE groups or high-attaining KS3 classes. PowerPoint saved as PDF.