Lesson Plan

• Identify and analyse key themes, characters, language and form in a chosen drama/prose text and a set of poems.
• Construct a clear, arguable thesis and support it with accurate textual evidence using academic conventions.
• Apply the PEEL paragraph structure to produce coherent, well‑structured essay paragraphs.
• Evaluate and edit own writing for academic style, correct referencing and appropriate word count.
• Incorporate peer feedback to revise and improve both essays before final submission.

• Projector and screen for exemplar essay walkthrough.
• Printed handouts of essay guidelines and the PEEL model.
• Sample text excerpts (e.g., *Macbeth* passage, selected poems).
• Laptops/tablets for drafting and online research.
• Cambridge referencing style sheet.
• Peer‑review feedback sheets.

Begin with a quick poll: “What’s the biggest challenge you face when writing a literature essay?” Use responses to link to today’s focus on planning and academic style. Review the assignment brief and remind students of the success criteria – clear thesis, strong analysis, correct referencing, and meeting the 800‑1200 word limit.

1. Do‑now (5'): Students skim the assignment brief and note two questions they might ask about their chosen texts.
2. Mini‑lecture (10'): Explain thesis development and the PEEL paragraph model, showing a short annotated example.
3. Guided practice (15'): In pairs, students draft a thesis and a detailed outline (topic sentence, evidence, analysis, link) for one of their essays.
4. Peer‑review (10'): Exchange outlines, use feedback sheets to comment on clarity of thesis and depth of analysis.
5. Writing sprint (10'): Each student writes the introduction paragraph for the essay they outlined, applying the academic tone discussed.
6. Whole‑class debrief (10'): Volunteers read introductions; class highlights strengths and suggests improvements.

Summarise the key steps: choose a focused question, craft a strong thesis, structure paragraphs with PEEL, and reference correctly. For the exit ticket, students write one actionable next step for their essays (e.g., “Complete full outline for the poetry essay”). Homework: finish the full outlines for both essays and bring a draft of the first paragraph to the next lesson.