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Boys Don’t Cry – Full Scheme of Work | 16-Lesson GCSE Reading Unit (Malorie Blackman)

Support your students in exploring Boys Don’t Cry by Malorie Blackman with this fully resourced and editable unit of work. Designed for GCSE English Literature (and adaptable for high-ability Year 9), this 16-lesson scheme includes a 171-slide PowerPoint presentation, 22 printable PDF worksheets, and a wide range of engaging, skills-focused tasks.

This comprehensive chapter-by-chapter resource helps students analyse the plot, characters, themes, structure, and language of the novel, while building key reading and response skills for GCSE success.

Resource Includes:

Fully resourced 16 one-hour lessons covering the novel from start to finish

Comprehension and discussion questions with model answers

Detailed character studies: Dante, Adam, Tyler, Josh, and Aunt Jackie

In-depth exploration of key themes: teenage parenting, family, identity, masculinity, prejudice, grief, gender and growing up

Activities to build inference, deduction, and critical reading skills

Language and structure analysis: Blackman’s use of dual narrative, suspense, and voice

GCSE-style exam practice: question analysis, model responses, and formal assessment tasks

Empathy writing tasks: diary entries, letters, and character growth arcs

Hot-seating and role-play to deepen understanding of character and theme

A Boys Don’t Cry knowledge organiser to consolidate learning

Creative ‘Do Now’ activities: themed crosswords, word searches, sequencing tasks, and more

Ideal for whole-class teaching, revision, or intervention, this resource offers everything you need to deliver Boys Don’t Cry with confidence.

Click on the images to preview the full 171-slide PowerPoint.