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This fully resourced 99-slide PowerPoint is a complete short story unit designed to build confidence and key skills for AQA English Language Paper 1, with a special focus on creative writing. Perfect for KS3, this unit blends engaging fiction, critical thinking, and modern issues, making it ideal for bridging the gap between Key Stage 3 and GCSE.

What’s Included:
10 carefully selected short stories covering a range of genres and themes (sci-fi, dystopia, realism, horror)

For each story:

• Context slide (author, themes, why it’s relevant today)
• Vocabulary slide
• Comprehension, inference, language & structure, and personal response questions
• Creative writing prompt (linked to themes and story techniques)
• Visual stimulus to support writing
• Modern non-fiction context (e.g. Flint Water Crisis, County Lines, Fast Fashion, Testing Culture, AI & environment)
• Suggested media clips to deepen understanding

Why It Works:

• Fully aligned with AQA Language Paper 1 requirements
• Builds reading, analytical, and creative writing skills
• Connects fiction to real-world issues and ethical questions
• Excellent for discussion, independent work, or assessments

The Short Stories:

1. The Landlady – Roald Dahl
2. On the Sidewalk Bleeding – Evan Hunter
3. Button, Button – Richard Matheson
4. The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas – Ursula K. Le Guin
5. The Birds – Daphne du Maurier
6. The Sound of Thunder – Ray Bradbury
7. Hey, Come On Out – Shinichi Hoshi
8. There Will Come Soft Rains – Ray Bradbury
9. Examination Day – Henry Slesar
10. The Wretched and the Beautiful – E. Lily Yu

*Please note the short stories themselves are not included but are readily available as pdfs online! *

Perfect for Year 9 students but easily adaptable for Year 8 or GCSE intervention groups.

FREE SAMPLE HERE: /teaching-resource/resource-13277463