free lesson ideas

Martians from The War of the Worlds tower over a city

Creative approaches to teaching The War of the Worlds

Over 120 years ago Wells’ science fiction novel The War of the Worlds (1898) presented Victorian readers with a frankly terrifying answer to the question of whether there is life on Mars. Now in 2020, with wonderful synchronicity, the team behind the latest NASA Mars space mission have made it… Read More
cartoon Hamlet on stage holding a skull

Top tips for exploring Hamlet’s key themes

Year 12 students returning to school to begin their AS and A-level courses are probably feeling rather like Hamlet at this moment, their heads ‘a distracted globe’ filled with conflicting thoughts. And Hamlet can be a daunting play at the best of times. But it doesn’t have to be –… Read More
Yorkshire Moors

Lively activities for teaching Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is an epic, sweeping, iconic Gothic novel that is ideal for AS and A Level teaching. With its tragic love story, it can’t exactly be called light reading so here are some thoughtful ideas for lessons that enable students to become involved in close textual analysis through creativity and drama. Read More

Welcome to Gatsby’s kaleidoscopic carnival!

In the 1920s, when ‘morals were looser and liqueur was cheaper’, society parties were the be-all and end-all of life. A good party made you a good person. Like Gatsby, Hemmingway loved a cocktail party but they are not all about frivolity and fun, there is etiquette and conversation to… Read More

Considering Macbeth’s Soliloquies

Crime drama is one of the most popular genres on television and one that students are familiar with. Just look at the success of shows like Sherlock, Line of Duty and Luther, which attract massive audiences and clouds of online comment. One of the features of such shows and key… Read More

What are your plans for British Science Week?

British Science Week, a ten-day programme of science, technology, engineering and maths events and activities across the UK for people of all ages, begins on 10th March. How will children, staff and parents at your school be taking part? Will they be going to one of the hundreds of public… Read More

Lesson ideas to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday

In April, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 90th birthday and whilst many who reach that age like to reminisce about their lives, the whole country did just that on the queen’s special day with plenty of documentaries showing the life of our monarch in detail. The celebrations are sure to… Read More

Getting the Most from Group Work

On a recent TeachMeet training course at Manchester College, I was lucky enough to watch some great speakers looking at things such as Going Google, using Kloodle (more on this in a later blog) and raising attainment strategies. One of the other topics covered was a recap ways of how… Read More

Business News Quiz – 17.03.16

1) Liliane Bettencourt has been named as the world’s wealthiest woman. Which global business is she the heir to? Real Madrid L’Oreal Walmart Holiday Inn 2) How many jobs does the British Retail Consortium forecast will be lost in the UK retail sector by 2025? 25,000 75,000 900,000 150,000… Read More

Chemical Anniversaries: 1766 – John Dalton and the Atom

John Dalton was born two hundred and fifty years ago. During his lifetime he saw many changes to chemistry, many the result of his own work. His contributions are an important part of school science today. John was born in the village of Eaglesfield, Cumbria in north-west England,… Read More