A lesson designed to revise the character of Eva Smith in J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’. Lesson includes a thorough study of what life would have been like for someone of Eva Smith’s class in the Edwardian era. At the end of the lesson is an essay prompt for analysing ‘class’ within the play. Perfect for those studying AQA English Literature GCSE, especially high-attaining students. Lesson is PowerPoint pdf.

This word search is a great activity for teaching students about our world and some of its many countries. This is an ideal way to improve geographical and general knowledge - as well as to support spelling. Perfect for KS2, KS3 or KS4.

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 lesson is a sophisticated and thorough introduction to the context and key ideas behind Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’. This 23-slide PowerPoint lesson is perfect for those studying the play as part of AQA’s Political and Social Protest Writing course at A level, but easily adaptable to other A level courses (including Theatre Studies) too. The lesson includes biographical information about Ibsen, an explanation of Norway’s social history in the 19th century (with particular focus on the rights of women), and an introduction to the key themes and ideas in ‘A Doll’s House’. Questions and tasks are also featured for students. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 20-slide lesson provides a comprehensive introduction to Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’. Detailed notes are included on McCarthyism, the Cold War, the Red Scare, and the Salem Witch Trials. Important vocabulary is explained and several tasks/questions for students are included. This lesson is ideal for GCSE pupils, and could be easily adapted for KS3. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This is a thorough and comprehensive introduction to the context of Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’. The 21-slide lesson details Caesar’s life and role in the Roman Republic, outlining key terminology, politics, and history that will help explain his downfall. Shakespeare’s own life is also explored alongside the plot and focus of the play itself, and Elizabethan parallels with the play’s themes are explained. Questions and tasks are included for pupils, including a research (potential homework) task at the end of the lesson. The lesson is ideal for GCSE pupils, but could easily be adapted for other Key Stages. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This is a thorough and comprehensive introduction to Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, outlining the key context necessary to understanding the novel. This 25-slide lesson details the novel’s key historical context, exploring the Deep South of the 1930s and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, as well as Lee’s own life and the novel’s key themes and legacy. Questions, tasks and discussion points are featured throughout. An extended (potential homework) task is included at the end of the lesson. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 29-slide lesson analyses Simon Armitage’s poem ‘Remains’, deconstructing its language, structure, imagery, context, message and more. Critical-thinking questions and tasks are included, as well as the option of two exam-style essay questions at the end of the lesson. The lesson is ideal for those studying AQA’s ‘Power and Conflict’ poetry cluster in the Literature GCSE (especially high-attaining groups), where the poem is featured. It could also be taught to GCSE groups as an ‘unseen’ poem or even KS5 groups as a poem of political and social protest. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

Three graphic design A4 posters for Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Twelfth Night’. Perfect for your classroom.

Detailed and high-grade notes on each of the major characters in J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’. Perfect for revision of the characters when studying the play at GCSE.

This 26-slide lesson covers the Prologue to Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in great detail, analysing its purpose and the questions that it raises for the audience about how the story might unfold. The lesson includes: an introduction to the function of Renaissance Prologues; an explanation of the setting of ‘Romeo and Juliet’; a step-by-step modern translation of Shakespeare’s Prologue; analysis of the Prologue’s key images and themes; key vocabulary; and several small tasks/questions to tackle. This is ideal for KS3 or GCSE pupils commencing their study of the play. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

Explore William Blake’s ‘The Lamb’ as a critique of organised religion and child exploitation with this comprehensive lesson. Perfect for those studying Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’ for AQA’s ‘Political and Social Protest Writing’ paper.

This 36-slide lesson explores Sujata Bhatt’s poem ‘Search for my Tongue’. The lesson provides detailed analysis of the poem and includes: biographical information about Bhatt, analysis of the poem’s use of language and poetic techniques, analysis of the poem’s structure, form & rhyme, as well as a range of questions, discussion points, and tasks for students to complete. Students are encouraged to think about the significance of language and its relationship to cultural assimilation and identity. The final task at the end of the lesson is an extended writing activity. This lesson is ideal for KS3 pupils, but could be used for GCSE too. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This resource features 28 exam-style questions on Stevenson’s ‘Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ for students to use as mock/practice stimuli. It is designed to support those studying the text for GCSE. Teachers may wish to find appropriate extracts (as per the AQA exam) to accompany each question. These questions cover all the key themes and characters of the novella. If students feel capable answering all of these questions, then they should feel very well prepared for the exam.

This lesson provides an introduction to the sonnet form. The lesson explains the key features of the sonnet form, its stereotypes and conventions, and outlines the differences between Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets. Questions and discussion points are included throughout, and students are shown an example of a sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, which they are then invited to discuss. At the end of the lesson is a research task which could be set either in class or as a homework activity. This is an ideal introduction for any KS3 unit on poetry or specifically the sonnet form. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

This 30-slide lesson is a detailed introduction to the context of Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. The lesson includes notes on Stevenson’s life; his relationship with Edinburgh and London; Deacon Brodie; science and industrialisation; theories of evolution, Degeneration and Cesare Lombroso; Victorian rationality; the Victorian class system; and contemporary gender dynamics. It also features tips on top-grade vocabulary for students to use when analysing the text. Questions and discussion points are included throughout, and the lesson ends with a research task that could be used as a homework activity. This lesson is ideal for those studying the novella at GCSE, but could be used with KS3 too. PowerPoint saved as PDF.

An essay on the ‘tragic’ aspects of Malvolio in ‘Twelfth Night’. Often hailed as one of Shakespeare’s greatest comic characters, critics have also flocked to point out the tragic elements of his character arc, particularly the ethical implications of the play’s repeated schadenfreude. This article aims to introduce students to the complexities of Malvolio’s character. This resource serves as a great lesson for those studying the comedic genre in relation to ‘Twelfth Night’ (particularly AQA’s Aspects of Comedy paper), but is equally as useful and engaging for those studying the play through other lenses.

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 25-slide lesson serves as the perfect introduction to William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’, establishing the key context and background to the novel. The lesson includes exploration of the novel’s key themes and ideas, Golding’s life and his own comments about the text, the historical background of the Cold War and Atomic Age, as well as key terms and vocabulary to unpick the novel’s ideas. Questions, discussion-points and tasks are included for students. At the end of the lesson is an extended task that could work either in class or as a homework activity. The lesson is ideal for GCSE or KS3 study of the novel. PowerPoint is saved as PDF.

This 33-slide lesson explores Sylvia Plath’s poem ‘You’re’. The lesson provides detailed analysis of the poem and includes: biographical information about Plath, analysis of the poem’s use of language and poetic techniques, analysis of the poem’s structure, form & rhyme, as well as questions, discussion points, and tasks for students to complete. The final task at the end of the lesson is a piece of creative writing in which students write their own poem. This lesson is ideal for KS3 pupils, but could be used for GCSE too. PowerPoint saved as PDF.