This is a short but useful unit on Stevenson's short story Markheim, which shares many of the same themes as 'The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde', so would work well as either an introduction to the author prior to teaching Jekyll & Hyde, or as an extension for higher ability groups. However, as it was originally taught to an extra-English class, many of the lessons use the Inference format (a form of reading instruction designed to boost the comprehension skills of low ability readers), so the unit could also be used for that purpose.

A complete scheme of work for Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (25 lessons long) aimed at Year 9, intended to provide context and familiarity with Dickens for further study in KS4. The unit contains powerpoints and resources for all lessons, and includes ICT, debates, speaking and listening lessons alongside reading and writing assessments. Many activities are also differentiated by reading ability.

A 24 lesson (plus two recap lessons) scheme of work to prepare KS4 students for the AQA Literature exam. Comes with a Scheme of Work over view document giving a lesson by lesson guide: all lessons fully resourced (including model answers). Includes spoken and creative tasks. The focus is very much on studying the text as a text, rather than teaching the exam technique - though there is some of that.

A fantastic and fun introduction to Shakespeare for KS3 - I've used it with both Years 7 and 8. The 19 lessons include a five lesson lead in looking at fairy tales, with an emphasis on thinking critically, followed by a fun exploration of Shakespeare's classic comedy using an abridged script (uploaded separately as a free resource as I don't own it). The unit includes both reading and writing assessments, spoken tasks, fully resourced lessons and differentiated activities.

A complete scheme of work for William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (27 lessons), which I have taught and refined over the past 6 years. Originally meant for Year 9, it works well with low-ability KS4 classes too - I've used it to prepare students for the AQA Literature GCSE. It's a very active scheme of work, with students acting out most of the play, and there are several written pieces alongside two essays. You will also need Jenga and, preferably, the Zeffirelli version on DVD. All lessons come with powerpoints and resources. An end of unit assessment (plus revision guide for students) is included, as is a scheme of work overview document, with a lesson by lesson guide and ideas for differentiation and AFL. Happy teaching!

A student led carousel lesson on Rossetti’s remember - worked extremely well with my almost entirely EAL Year 11s - they effectively taught themselves. There are 4 stations which examine the meaning, sound, imagery and mood of the poem. No prior knowledge of the poem is needed, though students will need to be familiar with key poetic terminology. Intended for the Edexcel iGCSE in English Literature, but would be suitable for any syllabus (it could be used as an unseen poem, for example). See the notes sections of the power-point slides for ideas on differentiation and AFL.

A fun flash fiction writing lesson with a horror theme. Gets students thinking about the horror genre, the use of the uncanny and twists in their writing, and how performance affects our response to texts. I used in with KS4 and KS5 classes, but I imagine KS3 would be fine with this too.

A 16 lesson complete scheme of work for Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. Powerpoint presentations and other resources for all lessons are included, as well as an overview document giving ideas for differentiation and homework. The lessons include two debates, opportunities for performance, group work, and lots of peer marking - students will be very familiar with the Assessment Objectives by the end. Originally, this was planned for a Year 11 class taking the CIE iGCSE English Literature exam (100% pass rate with 75% at A*/A… just saying!), while simultaneously being used with a Year 10 class writing coursework for the Edexcel iGCSE English Literature (again, 100% pass rate with 75% 7 to 9). That Year group’s coursework essay was “How crucial is Alfieri’s role in A View from the Bridge?”; my current Year 11s’ coursework title - which they did in Year 10 - was “How does Miller present conflict?” (a slightly weaker group). Happy teaching!

A complete scheme of work (16 fully resourced lessons) for Simon Stephens’ adaptation of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime”. I currently use this to prepare students for the Edexcel iGCSE in English Literature, but many of the resources date from when I taught the same text for AQA’s English Literature GCSE, and they could easily be tweaked to suit that purpose. This is a very active unit, which involves getting students to do lots of acting, but at the same time seeks to develop them into reflective learners through continuous self, peer and teacher assessment. It is a lot of fun to teach and the students always enjoy it. There is an overview document giving a lesson-by-lesson breakdown, and all lessons come fully resourced with power points and handouts (though you may occasionally need to produce literacy starters that meet the needs of your students). There is also an all-action launch lesson that will require you to source some assistants and props, but it really enthuses the students about the text if you can pull it off. Happy teaching!

A 12 lesson scheme of work to help students develop their Creative Writing skills. I currently use it to guide students through Assignment 2 of the CIE iGCSE in English Language: however, many of the resources date from when I was preparing students for the AQA English Language GCSE Creative Writing task, so could easily be adapted back for this purpose. There is an overview document giving detailed instructions for the lessons. Each lesson then comes with a powerpoint and various printable resources. There’s lots of differentiation plus scope for group/pair work. Some lessons make take a double period and I strongly recommend doing the pre-teaching lessons on sentence types as well. There are also marking short-cuts and extra grammar resources included (particularly useful if you have lots of EAL students). Outcomes are always excellent and the students tend to get a kick out of the classes, especially if you are up for doing a Freddie Mercury impression in lesson 2! Happy teaching!

A complete scheme of work for Twelfth Night. 23 fully resourced lessons (presentations plus handouts, including critical perspectives). There are also quizzes, an overview document, opportunities for flip-learning and a revision workbook that students can collaborate on. There are also resources for teaching students how to write essays, as well as the content. This is intended for the Edexcel International A Level syllabus (Year 12). The goal is very much to engage students in the learning as active participants, with presentations, peer marking and student-led learning. Both classes I have taught with this have really enjoyed it.

Excite and engage your classes with one (or both!) of these great plays. This scheme of work gets students thinking critically about the strategies playwrights use, while also getting them out of their chairs to perform, either using the scripts or improvisation prompts. Scripts not included. An overview document gives you a run down of the scheme of work, with instructions for each lesson plus ideas for differentiation. There are 8 lessons with entrance tasks and powerpoint presentations: all of these are set up for both plays, so just delete the slides that aren’t relevant to the one you are teaching. The whole scheme will probably take longer (maybe 12 lessons) and one of the powerpoint presentations can just be recycled as you act/read the play through. Assessments are an essay on the presentation of the protagonist, and speech on the value of watching drama. Resources include example paragraphs, writing frames for low ability students and marking templates. Year 8 have great fun with this every year, and I hope you do too! Happy teaching!

This is a full scheme of work (22 lessons) for the IBDP Language and Literature English A Intertextuality Unit. The Literary texts are British-Nigerian poet Patience Agbabi’s 2008 collection “Bloodshot Monochrome” and US songwriter Tracy Chapman’s eponymous 1988 debut. Thus, it covers two centuries, two genres and two continents. Non-literary texts include: -Magazine covers -John Berger’s 1974 documentary “Ways of Seeing” -Portraiture by Charles White and Abbie Trayler-Smith -Kathleen Hanna’s Riot Grrrl manifesto -The Pride Train Takeover -Marriage Equality campaign posters -Stand up comedy routines by Gina Yashere and Sindhu Vee The unit also guides students through introductions to Paper 1, Paper 2 and the Individual Oral with example respones and mark schemes. All lessons come with a Google Slides presentation plus hand outs where required. Critical reading on Agbabi is also provided. An overview document gives a lesson by lesson description, allowing teachers to see how they connect. I’m making this available for free, partly because it is so niche, but it does represent HOURS of work. Therefore, please leave a review if you end up using it. Happy teaching!

A 14 lesson scheme of work to study Nikolai Leskov’s novella “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” for the IBDP Language and Literature A course, This is a 19th century prose text written originally in Russian and appears of the prescribed list. It fits into the Time and Space unit. The scheme covers the whole text, introducing students to Harold Bloom’s anxiety of influence as a way to explore the relationship between Leskov and Shakespeare, as well as between Leskov and Oldroyd, who adapted the novella into a film starring Florence Pugh. The film is considered here as a non-literary text, alongside reviews and films posters. There are example responses included, as well as guidance for producing Individual Orals on the text and practice questions for both Paper 1 and 2. Feedback and planning templates are also included. Happy teaching! All feedback gratefully received.

A complete scheme of work for William Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing. We usually teach it with Year 9, using an abridged script (not included). The 17 lessons include power points plus handouts (where relevant). There are multiple opportunities to get students up and acting, as well as getting creative (making masques). The Unit include an inquiry-based learning assessment that allows students to devise their own questions and research them, before presenting their findings. Other assessments include writing love letters, a news report, and an essay comparing the changes Beatrice and Benedick’s characters undergo. An overview document gives you a lesson by lesson breakdown. This is always a huge hit with the students who have a lot of fun with this unit. Happy teaching!