This 23-slide lesson provides an introduction to John Boyne’s ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’. The lesson introduces students to the novel’s key ideas of friendship and childhood, as well as the historical context of World War II and anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students throughout, and the lesson ends with a creative writing task that could be used in class or as a homework activity. This lesson is designed for KS3 pupils. Given the novel’s subject matter, some historical context deals with mature content. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 35-slide lesson explores the character of King Duncan in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. Analysing the role of Duncan alongside the Divine Right of Kings and Great Chain of Being, as well as James I’s personal ideas of Kingship, this lesson deconstructs how Shakespeare uses Duncan to represent an idealised and legitimate image of the monarchy in the wake of the Gunpowder Plot. Students are encouraged to consider Duncan’s characterisation as Macbeth’s foil, how Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to heighten the tragedy of Duncan’s death, and how Duncan links to the play’s key themes. High-grade vocabulary is featured too. Questions, discussion points and tasks are included for students, and the lesson ends with an essay question based on an extract from the play. This lesson is ideal for those studying ‘Macbeth’ for GCSE. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

Explore how Dickens uses Fezziwig in ‘A Christmas Carol’ to convey his message of charity, togetherness and humanity in the 19th century. This PowerPoint considers Dickens’ characterisation of Scrooge’s former employer, how he functions as the symbolic antithesis of Scrooge, and why the Spirit takes Scrooge back to the convivial Christmas party of his youth. Includes extract from the novella in which Fezziwig is introduced for students to highlight and annotate.

This 15-slide lesson explores Chapter 1 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. In this comprehensive lesson, students consider how Orwell plants the seeds of revolution on the farm via Old Major’s rhetorical skill. The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils learn about who/what Old Major and Mr. Jones represent. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 30-slide lesson explores Stave Two of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’. Students are encouraged to consider how Dickens presents the Ghost of Christmas Past and how Scrooge is affected by memories of his youth. The lesson delves into Scrooge as a boy, his apprenticeship under Fezziwig, and the tragic end to his relationship with Belle. We think about how this all relates to Dickens’ authorial message. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. This is ideal for those studying the novella at GCSE or at KS3. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 21-slide lesson explores Alfred Noyes’ poem, ‘The Highwayman’. Students explore the meaning of heroism and consider the use of ‘anti-heroes’ in film and literature. They are then taught about the history of highwaymen (including how they have been romanticised in popular culture over the years), and learn about the notorious career of Dick Turpin. Students then read Alfred Noyes’ famous poem and unpick its language, imagery, and structure. We think about the romantic and tragic elements of the poem, and discuss whether or not the titular highwayman deserves our sympathy at the end of the narrative. In the next task, the poem’s language and Noyes’ use of various linguistic techniques (including similes, metaphor, and repetition) are identified and analysed. The poem’s atmosphere and epilogue are also explored. The lesson ends with two creative responses to the poem (which could be set as homework tasks or be covered in the next lesson). This lesson is ideal for upper KS2 and lower KS3 students. A copy of the poem is included in this resource. PowerPoint and Word doc are saved as PDF.

PowerPoints on all 10 chapters of Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. These can be used in conjunction with reading the text as a class or for revision purposes. Each PowerPoint contains key quotes, themes, ideas, and questions/activities for students. These PowerPoints will produce at least 10 lessons. Perfect for studying the novella at GCSE.

This 47-slide lesson explores Charlotte Mew’s poem, ‘The Farmer’s Bride’. The poem is studied as part of AQA’s ‘Love & Relationships’ anthology. This lesson explains Mew’s life and context against the backdrop of the Suffragette movement, before exploring the poem’s language, themes, imagery, structure, and form in comprehensive detail. Questions, discussion points and tasks for students are included throughout. Extended essay questions are set at the end of the lesson, and an exemplar essay introduction is provided for one of the questions. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 36-slide lesson explores the character of Feste in Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’. With academic scrutiny, the lesson analyses one of Shakespeare’s most complex comic characters, beginning with an overview of his key lines, attributes, and role in the plot. This then leads to analysis of Feste’s name, key vocabulary that we might use to describe him, and how his role as a jester grants him special privileges and licence. Important historical and theatrical context is explored alongside Feste’s character, and we look at the development of Shakespeare’s ‘Fools’ across his plays. Feste’s relationship with music and song is analysed, as well as his engagement with the play’s fascination with disguise when he becomes ‘Sir Topas’. Interesting viewpoints from a range of critics, directors, and actors are discussed. Crucially, we also explore how Feste’s character relates to the key themes of the play and is central to the comedy of ‘Twelfth Night’. We look at how Feste interacts with other characters in the play, such as Malvolio, and compare him to Viola in his liminal and transgressive state. The Carnivalesque atmosphere of the play is analysed in light of Feste’s character. Questions, discussion points, and essay questions are featured throughout. Students are encouraged to consider Feste’s character at a high level, so this lesson would be ideal for students aged 16+. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

Enjoy this stylish poster for ‘Oliver Twist’ by Charles Dickens to enhance your learning environment. Designed by MrGradgrind.

This 20-slide lesson introduces the key context of George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’. Students learn about Orwell’s works and social commentary before delving into the dystopian genre and its key features. Totalitarianism and the political turmoil of the Cold War are then discussed, inviting students to think critically about society, individuality, surveillance, and propaganda as a tool for oppressive regimes to maintain control. The novel’s key themes are introduced, and students are tasked with looking up and defining sophisticated vocabulary associated with the novel. At the end of the lesson is a potential class or homework task in which students research historical examples of totalitarianism. This is an ideal introduction to ‘1984’, and could easily cover more than one lesson if teachers would like to expand upon any ideas or tasks. The PowerPoint is saved as a pdf to maintain its layout.

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 20-slide lesson offers a comprehensive introduction to print journalism. In this lesson, students reflect on the trustworthiness of the news and their engagement with it. They learn what ‘journalism’ means and explore its different written forms, thinking about how it has adapted and evolved in the modern world. Students learn how to write journalistically, thinking about style, layout, and form. We consider the role of the ‘front page’ and analyse some examples, learning about the specialised vocabulary for describing different aspects of front pages. Students learn about the main printed newspapers of the UK - noting differences between broadsheet and tabloid - and we reflect on the angles, agendas, and demographics to which each newspaper is adhering. Students are also encouraged to reflect on their engagement with international news, and we ask important questions about what makes us ‘interested’ in a journalistic story. We also ask whether there is a place for printed journalism in the modern world, and if we are experiencing the ‘death of print’. The lesson ends with a research task for students to look up and define key journalistic terms. This is an ideal lesson for introducing students aged 10+ to print journalism. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 26-slide lesson explores John Donne’s ‘Death, Be Not Proud’. Against the backdrop of Donne’s own faith, this lesson explores the poem’s language, imagery, technique, and form as a meditation on fear and conquering one’s anxieties. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. The lesson ends with an extended essay question, for which some scaffolding support is provided. A copy of the poem is included. This lesson is ideal for KS3 students but could be used with GCSE sets. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 24-slide lesson is the perfect analytical summary of Boxer’s character function in Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. Students are encouraged to consider Boxer’s purpose within the novella and how he links contextually to the allegory of corrupted Communism. Emphasis is placed on his stupendous strength, tragic naivety, and exploitation. There are discussion points and questions posed for students to answer either individually or collaboratively. At the end of the PowerPoint is an extended essay question for students to answer (either in class or as a homework activity). This lesson (which could easily be split into multiple lessons) is ideal for GCSE students but could also be used to challenge high-attaining KS3 pupils. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

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 Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ 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. Quotations and spellings are based on the Michael Meyer translation, eg. ‘Christine’ not ‘Kristine’. Ideal for KS4 or KS5 students.

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.

This PowerPoint is perfect for introducing Greek Tragedy to KS3 pupils in either English or Drama lessons. Originally designed to introduce a lesson series on ‘Antigone’, this PowerPoint is easily adaptable to consider any Greek tragedy.

This is a thorough and comprehensive 30-slide lesson on Charles Causley’s poem ‘Eden Rock, which is studied as part of AQA’s GCSE Literature anthology on ‘Love & Relationships’. This PowerPoint unpicks key themes of separation, loss, memory, distance and reunion with close analysis of language, form and structure. Also included are many small questions for students and a ‘mock’ essay question in which students must compare ‘Eden Rock’ to another poem, just like in the real AQA exam. PowerPoint is saved as PDF.