gcse english

Frankenstein

Top 10 ideas for teaching Frankenstein

It is not often in literature that you find yourself unexpectantly on the side of the monster. Mary Shelley’s powerful and thought provoking novel challenges our assumptions of good and evil and encourages the audience to see all creations as equal and deserving of love. Frankenstein’s ‘hideous wretch’ seeks only… Read More

Top 10 ideas for teaching The Sign of Four

Before we start I have to admit something; before writing this blog I’d never read any Sherlock Holmes stories… in fact I’d totally dismissed them assuming they were dry and dull and not understanding the nation’s love for them. I stand wholly corrected. The Sign of Four is a short… Read More

Top 10 ideas for teaching Pride and Prejudice

Use these 5 discussion points and 5 extension tasks to help your students understand the context of this classic novel. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice is a novel that is so embedded in our society that you could describe a man as ‘a Mr Darcy’ and… Read More

Top 10 ideas for teaching Jane Eyre

Use these 5 discussion points and 5 extension tasks to help your students understand the context of this classic novel by Charlotte Brontë. Jane Eyre is a transcendent novel. I’ve read it as an 11-year-old and through my teens then into adulthood, and it gets richer and more relevant with… Read More

Using Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to teach Descriptive writing

Teaching descriptive writing is one of those things I always look forwards to – what English teacher doesn’t love to use language devices with flourish? – Only to often regret when it comes to marking. In my first couple of years of teaching I was always dumbfounded by the results… Read More

Welcome to Dickens’ Victorian Christmas Market!

This interactive drama lesson has been designed to support your teaching of A Christmas Carol. ‘Roll up, roll up, Ladies and Gentleman! Spend your coppers on my wares, for who wouldn’t want the gift of kindness for Christmas? Not you, Sir? Hang on, hang on, what about the chance for… Read More

How to differentiate to accommodate all learners

A new year more often than not means a completely new set of learners, each with their own individual ways of learning. Add into the mix those who do not have English as a first language, have additional needs or are more able, and it can be tricky to know… Read More

Expert guidance for the AQA GCSE (9-1) English Language papers

On the approach to the exams for the new AQA GCSE (9-1) English Language specification, we sat down with teacher, coach, and former AQA principal examiner Jo Heathcote who’s provided practical advice on how best to enable your students to secure a pass. Jo has broken down her advice for… Read More