Welcome to My TES Authors Shop! Hi, I’m Natalie, and I’m thrilled to share my resources with you! I’m a qualified English teacher with a PGCE in Secondary English with QTS, an MA in Creative Writing, and a BA (Hons) in English Literature with Creative Writing. With over 15 years of experience in education and several years specializing in curriculum and content design, my passion lies in creating engaging, high-quality materials to inspire learners of all ages. I hope you enjoy my resources!
Welcome to My TES Authors Shop! Hi, I’m Natalie, and I’m thrilled to share my resources with you! I’m a qualified English teacher with a PGCE in Secondary English with QTS, an MA in Creative Writing, and a BA (Hons) in English Literature with Creative Writing. With over 15 years of experience in education and several years specializing in curriculum and content design, my passion lies in creating engaging, high-quality materials to inspire learners of all ages. I hope you enjoy my resources!
Master Analytical Essay Writing – The Handmaid’s Tale | AQA English Literature
Prepare your students for success with this comprehensive lesson on essay planning for The Handmaid’s Tale. Designed to develop critical thinking and structured writing skills, this resource equips students with the tools needed to craft high-quality analytical essays for AQA English Literature.
What’s Included?
Detailed Lesson – Clear step-by-step guidance to ensure smooth delivery.
Engaging PowerPoint Presentation – Visually structured slides covering key concepts.
Essay Planning Worksheet – A scaffolded resource to help students organise ideas.
Model Thesis Statements and Exemplar Responses – Demonstrating effective essay structuring.
Critical Thinking Activities – Prompts to deepen engagement with the novel.
Peer and Self-Assessment Tools – Encouraging reflective learning and essay refinement.
How This Resource Supports Learning Outcomes
Curriculum-Aligned – Designed for AQA English Literature, covering key assessment objectives (AO1, AO2, AO3).
Develops Key Writing Skills – Supports students in structuring arguments, integrating evidence, and analysing Atwood’s use of language and narrative structure.
Enhances Critical Thinking – Encourages discussion on power, control, and resistance in The Handmaid’s Tale, connecting themes to real-world contexts.
Differentiation for All Learners – Scaffolded tasks and model examples provide support and challenge for different ability levels.
Easy to Use and Adapt
This resource is fully editable, making it easy to tailor to your students’ needs. Whether used as a standalone lesson, part of a revision series, or for exam preparation, this pack provides everything needed for an engaging and effective classroom experience.
Why Choose This Resource?
Saves hours of planning time with a structured, ready-to-use lesson.
Engages students with interactive and thought-provoking activities.
Supports independent learning through guided scaffolding.
Designed for GCSE and A-Level English Literature teachers looking for high-quality, curriculum-aligned resources.
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lesson planning, curriculum-aligned resources, engaging classroom activities, differentiation, and subject-specific terms like AQA English Literature and The Handmaid’s Tale essay writing.
Product Description for Lesson 19 | Whole Novel—Feminist Perspective: The Handmaid’s Tale
Essential Question: How does feminist literary criticism shape our understanding of The Handmaid’s Tale?
In this lesson, students will explore key feminist critical perspectives to deepen their understanding of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. The lesson focuses on how gender, power, and resistance are portrayed throughout the novel, with a specific emphasis on feminist theory. Students will critically engage with various feminist readings and apply these frameworks to analyse the text.
Learning Objectives:
Understand key feminist critical perspectives on The Handmaid’s Tale.
Analyse how Atwood presents gender, power, and resistance within the novel.
Apply feminist theory to interpret the text and evaluate its feminist themes.
Lesson Overview:
Starter Task: Students will identify three characteristics they associate with a feminist novel and discuss whether The Handmaid’s Tale fits this definition.
Feminist Readings: Students will examine three key feminist perspectives:
Liberal Feminism: Focuses on women’s rights and autonomy (e.g., Offred’s limited agency).
Radical Feminism: Focuses on systemic oppression and control of women’s bodies (e.g., reproductive rights in Gilead).
Intersectional Feminism: Considers race, class, and gender (e.g., how Gilead’s structure affects women differently).
Small Group Task: Students will analyse key feminist themes in the novel (reproductive control, gender and power, female agency and resistance) and find textual evidence to support their feminist interpretation.
Critical Debate: Students will debate whether The Handmaid’s Tale is a feminist novel. They will consider whether the novel critiques patriarchal oppression or whether its portrayal of Offred as a passive character undermines its feminist message.
Exit Task: Students will answer the question, “Is The Handmaid’s Tale a feminist novel?” using evidence from the lesson’s discussion.
Key Themes for Analysis:
Reproductive Control: How does the novel reflect real-world debates about bodily autonomy?
Gender and Power: Who holds power in Gilead, and how is it enforced?
Female Agency and Resistance: In what ways do women resist oppression?
This lesson encourages critical thinking and facilitates a deeper understanding of feminist literary criticism through the lens of The Handmaid’s Tale. It is ideal for students studying feminist perspectives in literature, as well as those looking to engage with broader debates surrounding gender, power, and resistance in dystopian fiction.
Feminist literary criticism, The Handmaid’s Tale, feminist perspectives, gender and power, reproductive rights, intersectional feminism, Offred, literary analysis, feminist theory, dystopian fiction.
For more lessons and resources, explore the full pack on my Tes shop!