Lesson Plan

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Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 17/01/2026
Subject: English Literature
Lesson Topic: Answer critical essay questions requiring exploration of form, structure and language.
Learning Objective/s:
  • Identify command words and the specific focus of critical essay questions.
  • Analyse how form, structure and language create meaning in poetry and prose.
  • Plan a coherent essay that links form, structure and language to a clear thesis.
  • Use textual evidence with accurate citations to support analysis.
  • Evaluate the finished essay against the examiner’s checklist for completeness and accuracy.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector and screen
  • Printed handouts of a sample poem (e.g., “The Road Not Taken”) and a prose excerpt
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Essay planning worksheet
  • Examiner checklist rubric copies
  • Highlighters for text annotation
 Introduction:
Begin with a quick think‑pair‑share: “What makes a poem’s form important?” Review previous work on literary analysis and outline today’s success criteria – students will decode the question, analyse form, structure and language, and produce a structured essay plan.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5’) – Write three command words from memory and discuss their meanings.
  2. Mini‑lecture (10’) – Unpacking a critical essay question with focus on form, structure, language.
  3. Form & Structure exploration (15’) – Projected poem; identify stanza length, rhyme scheme, structural shifts; class annotation.
  4. Language analysis activity (15’) – Pairs locate imagery, metaphor, sound devices and discuss effect.
  5. Essay planning workshop (20’) – Complete planning worksheet: thesis, paragraph outlines, two textual references per paragraph.
  6. Checklist review & peer feedback (10’) – Use examiner checklist to critique a partner’s outline.
  7. Exit ticket (5’) – Write one sentence summarising how form, structure and language interact in the poem.
Conclusion:
Recap the key steps for answering a critical essay question, stressing the link between analysis and thesis. Students complete an exit ticket and receive a homework task to write a 600‑word essay on a new poem, remembering to proofread and apply the checklist before submission.