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!
Lesson 15 | The Handmaid’s Tale | Love & Power in Gilead: Critical Essay Practice
Essential Question: How does Atwood present love and relationships in Gilead as sites of power and control?
This Lesson 15 plan for The Handmaid’s Tale (Chapters 24-35) helps students explore the theme of love as both an act of rebellion and a form of subjugation. Through guided analysis and critical thinking, students will engage with relationships in Gilead and practice writing a critical essay on how power and control shape love in the novel.
Learning Objectives:
Students will analyse relationships in The Handmaid’s Tale to understand how power dynamics shape love and oppression in Gilead.
Students will explore the themes of rebellion and subjugation in relation to love, examining how these themes reflect societal control.
Students will develop their essay writing skills, constructing a well-organised critical essay using textual evidence and engaging with different interpretations.
Lesson Breakdown:
Starter Task:
Students will identify relationships in The Handmaid’s Tale by discussing which ones involve power imbalances. They will reflect on whether love in Gilead is ever free from control.
Class Discussion:
Students will analyse how Atwood uses relationships to critique power structures in the novel, with a focus on love as a tool of control and survival.
Planning Task:
Before writing, students will brainstorm key arguments to answer the question: Is love a form of rebellion or subjugation? They will find key quotes from the text to support their arguments.
Task 1: Finding Evidence:
Students will skim through chapters to find one quote illustrating love as an act of rebellion and one showing love as a form of subjugation. They will use this evidence in their essay.
Essay Preparation:
Students will use the provided handout with key quotes and an essay writing structure to help them plan their critical essay response, focusing on rebellion and subjugation as themes in the novel.
Timed Essay Practice:
Students will write a critical essay, using evidence and analysis to answer the essay question. They will develop a clear argument, support it with quotes, and consider different interpretations of Atwood’s portrayal of love.
Peer Feedback:
Students will exchange essays with a partner, providing constructive feedback on clarity, textual evidence, and engagement with the context of the novel.
Exit Task:
Students will reflect on their writing, identifying their strongest points and areas to improve for future essays.
Included Resources:
Full lesson presentation.
Two handouts: Key quotes and an essay writing structure.