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Humble English Teacher hoping to cut down on teachers' workload by providing high quality resources (from primary to secondary - mostly English but some other subjects too). Please share and review if you like what you see here.
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Humble English Teacher hoping to cut down on teachers' workload by providing high quality resources (from primary to secondary - mostly English but some other subjects too). Please share and review if you like what you see here.
English language arts
A Christmas Carol: Stave 2
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.
A Christmas Carol: Stave 1
This 30-slide lesson explores Stave One of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’.
Students are encouraged to consider Dickens’ characterisation of Scrooge - his attitude to charity, romance, and Christmas - and to think about how Marley’s Ghost triggers Scrooge’s metamorphosis of misanthropist to philanthropist. Scrooge’s relationship with Fred and Bob Cratchit (his character foils) is analysed. We also think about symbols of cold and darkness, and link this all to Dickens’ message in this allegorical novella.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. An essay question on Scrooge is featured, supported by tips for students and an exemplar introduction and differentiated analytical paragraphs.
Also included is a worksheet for students to analyse the language used by Dickens to describe Scrooge in Stave One.
This is ideal for those studying the novella at GCSE or at KS3.
PowerPoint and Word doc. saved as PDFs.
The New Colossus: Emma Lazarus
This 24-slide lesson explores Emma Lazarus’ poem, ‘The New Colossus’.
Immortalised on its plaque beneath the iconic Statue of Liberty, Lazarus’ poem honours one of the greatest monuments in the world. This lesson explores how the poem personifies and gives symbolic power to Lady Liberty, analysing the sonnet’s language, form, structure, and rhyme. We look at why Lazarus juxtaposes Liberty with the ancient Colossus of Rhodes, and how Lazarus uses the poem to champion the rights of immigrants seeking comfort in the Land of Opportunity.
A glossary is provided for challenging vocabulary, and the poem’s key ideas and images are deconstructed in detail.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. An essay question is included, as well as a creative task at the end of the lesson.
The full poem is featured within the PowerPoint.
PowerPoint saved as PDF.
The Mower: Philip Larkin
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.
Bundle
Animal Farm: Complete Lessons
This bundle includes lessons for all 10 chapters of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ as well as a detailed introduction to the novella’s social and historical context.
Lessons analyse the novella’s key characters, themes, and ideas, while offering close scrutiny of Orwell’s language. Close attention is paid to the novella’s function as an allegory of the Russian Revolution and subsequent rule of Stalin over the Soviet Union.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students throughout. Extract-based questions are also featured, as well as creative tasks.
This bundle also includes a crossword on ‘Animal Farm’, to be completed as an engaging revision/starter/homework task, and a ‘Seven Commandments Tracker’ for students to analyse when and how each commandment is broken as the novella progresses.
These lessons are ideal for KS3 or GCSE students (ages 12-16).
PowerPoints saved as PDFs.
Buyers of this bundle save 65% of the resources’ combined total price.
Animal Farm: Chapter 10
This 17-slide lesson explores Chapter 10 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’.
In this comprehensive lesson, students consider how Orwell brings the novella to its dramatic and iconic conclusion. As the pigs become indistinguishable from their human rivals, students must debate whether the Revolution really was worth it. Looking back on the whole novella, we think about how things went so wrong, and whether any of the Seven Commandments remain unbroken by the end.
The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils learn about how we look upon Stalin in hindsight and the fate of the Soviet Union.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. A creative summarising task is featured at the end.
The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students.
PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Animal Farm: Chapter 9
This 15-slide lesson explores Chapter 9 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’.
In this comprehensive lesson, students consider the tragic fate of Boxer as his stupendous strength finally fails. We analyse how the pigs exploit Boxer’s death with cold calculation, and debate whether Benjamin’s refusal to utilise his literacy is responsible for his friend’s fate.
The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils learn about who/what Boxer and Moses represent.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students.
The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students.
PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Animal Farm: Chapter 8
This 15-slide lesson explores Chapter 8 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’.
In this comprehensive lesson, students consider how Napoleon continues to create a cult of personality through effective propaganda. Mr Frederick’s attack on the farm is also analysed, while the pigs’ increasing tendency to violate the Seven Commandments is assessed.
The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils study examples of Stalin’s propaganda and the agreements made between Stalin and Hitler.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. An engaging creative writing (poetry) task is featured in this lesson.
The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students.
PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Animal Farm: Chapter 7
This 15-slide lesson explores Chapter 7 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’.
In this comprehensive lesson, students consider how Napoleon begins to consolidate his totalitarian rule through establishing a reign of terror. As animals begin to show signs of dissent and mild revolt, the pigs’ increasing use of violence shatters any illusion of a utopian society. As ever, Squealer’s propagandistic rhetoric is analysed.
The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils learn about the Great Purge and the Peasants’ Revolt in the Soviet Union.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students.
The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students.
PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Animal Farm: Chapter 6
This 15-slide lesson explores Chapter 6 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’.
In this comprehensive lesson, students consider how the pigs begin to violate the Seven Commandments (sleeping in beds and trading with humans) and how Squealer is able to justify these transgressions through manipulative rhetoric. The use of Snowball as a scapegoat is explored, alongside how and why Orwell emphasises Boxer’s significance to the farm’s ‘success’.
The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils learn about the slippery relationships between Stalin and the US, UK, and Germany.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students.
The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students.
PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Animal Farm: Chapter 5
This 20-slide lesson explores Chapter 5 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’.
In this comprehensive lesson, students consider how the farm juggles punishing dissenting characters like Mollie as plans develop for the windmill. The most significant event explored here, of course, is Napoleon’s attack on Snowball, revealing his behind-the-scenes quest for leadership and paving the way for his totalitarian dictatorship.
The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils learn about Stalin’s expulsion of Trotsky from the Soviet Union.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. An extract-based question is also included here. An exemplar introduction is featured in the PowerPoint.
The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students.
PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Animal Farm: Chapter 4
This 15-slide lesson explores Chapter 4 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’.
In this comprehensive lesson, students consider how Orwell presents the Battle of the Cowshed and its significance in the animals’ quest for independence. Alongside this, we explore how Snowball and Napoleon exhibit very different styles of leadership. The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils learn about who/what Mr Pilkington and Mr Frederick represent.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students.
The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students.
PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Animal Farm: Chapter 3
This 23-slide lesson explores Chapter 3 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’.
In this comprehensive lesson, students consider the significance of Napoleon’s focus on the education of the young, and the beginnings of the farm’s use of propaganda and indoctrination. Boxer’s stupendous strength is discussed and his role foreshadowed. The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils learn about who/what Squealer represents.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. This lesson builds to an extract-based essay question (included in the resource), with step-by-step instructions for students.
The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students.
PowerPoint and Word Doc saved as PDF.
Animal Farm: Chapter 2
This 20-slide lesson explores Chapter 2 of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’.
In this comprehensive lesson, students consider how the revolution begins and how Orwell introduces the key characters of Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer (among others). The Seven Commandments are debated and discussed. The allegorical function of the novella is also closely studied, as pupils learn about Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin, as well as the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Russian Revolution and its aftermath.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students.
The lesson is ideal for KS3 or GCSE students.
PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Animal Farm: Chapter 1
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.
Hitcher: Simon Armitage
This 27-slide lesson explores Simon Armitage’s poem, ‘Hitcher’.
The lesson analyses each stanza in comprehensive detail, considering Armitage’s use of language, structure, form, and poetic technique. The speaker’s increasing frustration and anger is examined closely as the poem builds to its infamous climax.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. One task involves creative writing, while an essay question is featured at the end of the lesson.
This lesson is ideal for upper-KS3 or GCSE students.
A copy of the poem is also included in this resource.
PowerPoint and Word Doc saved as PDFs.
Bundle
Of Mice and Men: Complete Lessons
This bundle includes detailed and comprehensive lessons for all six chapters of John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’, as well as an introductory lesson to the novella’s social and historical context.
Each lesson includes questions, discussion points, tasks, creative writing prompts, essay questions, and exemplar responses to help students to analyse the text to the high standard.
Also included is a crossword on the classic novella as an engaging revision/starter/homework activity for students.
Of Mice and Men: Chapter 6
This 18-slide lesson explores Chapter 6 of John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’.
Students are encouraged to think about the iconic ending of the novella, considering how Steinbeck has led to this moment. George and Lennie’s relationship is discussed at length, and the key themes of dreams, hope, fate, loneliness and friendship are debated. Students always love to dissect the ending in detail!
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students. An extended essay question and creative writing tasks are featured at the end of the lesson.
Ideal for upper-KS3 or GCSE students.
PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Of Mice and Men: Chapter 5
This 14-slide lesson explores Chapter 5 of John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’.
Students are encouraged to think about the tragedy of Curley’s wife: her dual role as a both a femme fatale and a victim. The key themes of dreams and hope are considered alongside the fatal turning point in George and Lennie’s dream. A non-fiction creative task is included for students at the end of the lesson.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students.
Ideal for upper-KS3 or GCSE students.
PowerPoint saved as PDF.
Of Mice and Men: Chapter 4
This 16-slide lesson explores Chapter 4 of John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’.
Students are encouraged to think analytically about how Steinbeck introduces Crooks and racism in the novella. Lennie’s innocent optimism is also considered as students continue to explore Steinbeck’s presentation of the power of the American Dream. This lesson ends with a creative writing task for students inspired by this chapter.
Questions, discussion points, and tasks are included for students.
Ideal for upper-KS3 or GCSE students.
PowerPoint saved as PDF.