Designed to introduce a unit on World War 1 Poetry for KS3, this 22-slide lesson includes a brief outline of the Great War and aims to teach critical vocabulary. Ideas introduced include propaganda, pacifism and patriotism. Students are encouraged to think about and analyse World War 1 propaganda. Also included for analysis is the popular wartime song: ‘Your King and Country Want You’. This lesson could also be used for a general contextual introduction to World War I in History lessons.

This 21-slide lesson introduces students to the key context of Alan Bennett’s ‘The History Boys’. The lesson provides an introduction to Bennett’s career, Oxbridge, Thatcherism and New Labour, as well as the key themes and ideas of the play. Students consider what makes a good teacher, and learn critical vocabulary linked to the play. The role and significance of ‘history’ is also debated, while New Labour’s focus on ‘spin’ is explained in view of its relevance to the play. Theatre reviews of notable productions of ‘The History Boys’ are also included for discussion. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are featured throughout for students. This resource is ideal for those studying the play at GCSE or A level. PowerPoint saved as pdf.

This resource includes a top-band exemplar piece of creative writing about the touching relationship between an old man and a dog. As per Section B of AQA’s English Language Paper 1 (worth 40 marks), this creative writing is a response to an image, which is also included here in a PowerPoint. Students could read, annotate, and discuss this response either before or after trying to produce a story of their own from the image. The creative writing exemplar could equally be used as a model to other GCSE pupils not studying the AQA syllabus.

This is a top-band exemplar essay analysing how marriage is presented in ‘The Farmer’s Bride’ by Charlotte Mew and ‘Singh Song!’ by Daljit Nagra. These poems are studied as part of AQA’s ‘Love & Relationships’ cluster at GCSE and this question and answer reflects the question style of the exam. Exam question paper is also included.

This top-band descriptive writing exemplar is a perfect model for those studying AQA GCSE English Language. Based on Question 1B, where students must complete a 40-mark piece of creative writing, this exemplar on a dark forest and a mysterious man is ideal for teaching structure, narrative, language, vocabulary, punctuation, and much more.

This top-band essay analyses how Shakespeare presents Macbeth and Banquo’s attitudes to the supernatural, based on the (infamous) AQA exam question from 2018. Many students found this question challenging when it appeared in the summer of 2018. This essay is perfect (for HA pupils, in particular) to see how to structure a sophisticated and perceptive essay. The extract and exam question are included on the first page.

Based on AQA’s English Literature exam, this resource features an example question and TOP-BAND essay on violence and crime in Stevenson’s ‘Jekyll and Hyde’. Perfect for HA pupils studying the text at GCSE.

This 24-slide lesson explores the character of Lady Bracknell from Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. Wilde’s presentation of Lady Bracknell is thoroughly deconstructed, with students asked to consider her theatrical heritage via Greek stock characters and the Comedy of Manners. We debate to what extent Lady Bracknell can be called the play’s ‘antagonist’, and how Wilde uses her to catalyse key events or provide comical obstacles in the play. Wilde’s structural use of Lady Bracknell is analysed, and important quotations from her and relating to her are dissected. We think about what we can learn from the stage directions about Lady Bracknell, and discuss how Wilde uses the offstage character of Lord Bracknell to inform Lady Bracknell’s character. We consider Lady Bracknell in the context of the ‘New Woman’ and students are provided with key vocabulary that might be used to analyse Lady Bracknell. Modern theatrical interpretations (including gender inversions) of Lady Bracknell are discussed. Students are also encouraged to think critically about how Lady Bracknell interacts with props and how Wilde positions her at the end of the play. Questions and discussion points are provided for students throughout the lesson. An exam-style essay question is featured at the end. Exemplar sentences and sentence openers are provided for students to enable sophisticated analysis, including purposeful introductions to extended essays. This lesson is ideal for high-level analysis of Lady Bracknell. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 20-slide lesson explores Carol Ann Duffy’s poem, ‘War Photographer’. The lesson begins by considering the role of news and news media, before discussing our relationship with news coverage. Students are encouraged to think critically about how they interact with various news platforms and whether the globalisation of news coverage has lessened or deepened our understanding of the world. Duffy’s life and work is considered, including her friendship with prominent photojournalists. Students look at some of the work of notable real-life ‘war photographers’, considering the unique and challenging role of a photojournalist, and the ethics behind it. We read the poem and explore its language, form, structure, and rhythm. Key vocabulary is presented to students to facilitate top-grade analysis, and the poem’s main themes are discussed. A variety of discursive and formal questions are featured for students, and an exam-style essay question is included at the end. Teachers can use various stimuli to discuss the complex questions that Duffy asks about the role of photojournalism. This lesson is ideal for students ages 13+. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 22-slide lesson explores Sujata Bhatt’s poem, ‘Muliebrity’. The lesson begins by considering western cultural conditioning regarding images of dung and excrement, before delving into Hindu beliefs regarding cows and how this should affect our reading of the poem. Sujata Bhatt’s life and work is introduced, and statements from Bhatt relating to her own childhood are explored in light of the poem. Close attention is paid to the poem’s language, particularly the use of extended metaphor and olfactory imagery. The poem’s form, structure, and rhyme are explored, and key vocabulary is presented to allow students to write about the poem with precision and sophistication. The poem’s key themes are discussed, and its tone and message are debated in light of multiple readings. Questions and discussion points are featured throughout the lesson. At the end of the lesson is an exam-style question. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 32-slide lesson explores the role of the sheep in George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. Thinking about the metaphorical connotations of sheep and the novella’s role as a satirical allegory, this detailed and comprehensive lesson traces how the sheep are used by Napoleon from the beginning to the end of the story. The sheep’s role as loyal supporters and propagandists is analysed through key extracts, with high-level vocabulary provided to bolster the sophistication of students’ analysis. Students are encouraged to be mindful of the sheep’s symbolism in Stalin’s rise to power throughout. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are featured for students throughout. The lesson ends with an extended essay question on the role of the sheep. This lesson is ideal for those studying the novella at GCSE, but could be used with KS3 groups too. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 20-slide lesson explores Dennis Scott’s poem, ‘Marrysong’. Students are encouraged to consider the concept of marriage - both literally and symbolically. Scott’s life and work is introduced and then we delve into the poem itself. The lesson pays close attention to Scott’s use of language, imagery, form, structure, and rhythm. Scott’s use of extended metaphor and cartographic imagery is analysed. The poem’s key themes and ideas are deconstructed, with ambitious vocabulary provided to equip students for sophisticated analysis. Students are also prompted to reflect on the poem’s tone and overall message. At the end of the lesson is an exam-style question on the poem. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 30-slide lesson explores the character of Sir Toby Belch in Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’. With academic scrutiny, this lesson analyses one of Shakespeare’s most iconic and riotous characters, beginning with an overview of Sir Toby’s key lines, attributes, and role in the plot. We consider Sir Toby’s role as a quintessential comic creation: his Falstaffian parallels, his festive spirit, and his role as the ‘Lord of Misrule’. Important historical and theatrical context is explored alongside Sir Toby’s character. We consider how self-aware Sir Toby is, thinking about his relationship with the audience and how he relates to Shakespeare’s stagecraft. Crucially, Sir Toby’s function as a comic character (and how he relates to other characters, including Malvolio, Sir Andrew, and Maria) is discussed. We scrutinise Sir Toby’s role in view of the Carnivalesque atmosphere of the play. Questions, discussion points, and essay questions are featured throughout. Students are encouraged to consider Sir Toby’s character at a high level, so this lesson would be ideal for students aged 16+. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 21-slide explores Rosemary Dobson’s poem, ‘The Three Fates’. The lesson encourages students to consider ideas of fate, discussing the role of the Three Fates in Greek mythology. Dobson’s life and work is also introduced. The poem is read and students give their first impressions, before delving into close linguistic analysis. Dobson’s use of imagery, form, structure, and rhyme is then deconstruction. Students are taught the key themes of the poem, and equipped with ambitious vocabulary to allow for sophisticated analysis. We then debate how we might describe the tone of the poem. Questions and discussion points are included throughout the lesson. An exam-style essay question is featured at the end. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This resource uses an extract from Salman Rushdie’s ‘Midnight’s Children’ as a practice paper for those studying AQA GCSE English Language. The resource includes the extract from the novel, an accompanying PowerPoint with three exam-style questions, and a top-band exemplar response to Question 2 of the mock (analysing the writer’s use of language). Questions are modelled on the first three questions of AQA’s GCSE English Language Paper 1. These questions test reading comprehension, linguistic analysis and structural analysis. This resource is ideal for those studying AQA’s GCSE English Language (particularly HA groups).

This extract from ‘The Bell Jar’ by Sylvia Plath is great practice for those studying AQA’s English Language GCSE. Included is an extract from the novel as well as 4 mock questions in the style of the AQA paper (Section 1A). There are plenty of rich linguistic and structural features to unpick here. This extract is particularly aimed at high-attaining pupils. Please note: The novel contains mature themes.

This resource contains an extract from Alice Sebold’s novel ‘The Lovely Bones’ as well as 4 questions based on AQA’s GCSE English Language Paper 1. This is an ideal practice or revision resource for those studying the AQA GCSE. Also included is a PowerPoint with some step-by-step questions for students to consider before answering the mock questions.

This 22-slide lesson explores Mervyn Morris’ poem, ‘Little Boy Crying’. The lesson explores Morris’ life and work before asking key questions related to parenthood, children, and perspective. The poem’s language, form, structure, and imagery are deconstructed, with close analysis of Morris’ methods. We consider the poem’s key themes and ideas - including masculinity and violence - and think about how Morris’ choice of narrative tone and style informs the poetic vision. Ambitious vocabulary is included to aid students with sophisticated analysis. We also consider philosophical questions raised by the poem. An exam-style essay question is featured at the end of the lesson. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 23-slide lesson explores Philip Larkin’s poem, ‘The Mower’. The lesson considers how the hedgehog in the poem - as well as the speaker’s reaction to what he has done to it - functions symbolically and metaphorically. Close attention is paid to Larkin’s language, structure, form, and rhythm, while the poem’s message is deconstructed in light of the elegy’s suspiciously neat conclusion. Larkin’s poetic and literary influences are also explored with regard to the poem’s genre and imagery. Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included. An essay question is also featured for students. This resource includes a copy of the poem. The lesson is ideal for analysing this poem as an ‘unseen’ text at GCSE, but could also work with KS3 or A level groups. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This resource includes an extract from Ian Fleming’s ‘Dr. No’ with an accompanying PowerPoint featuring language analysis questions. This resource is based on AQA’s GCSE English Language Paper 1. Two 8-mark language questions are featured to help students practise close linguistic analysis. This resource is ideal for KS3 students preparing early for GCSEs, or for GCSE students in need of accessible and scaffolded learning.