Teacher Notes
These notes are for planning, not for publication to students. They assume a mixed-ability Year 8 class and a five-week sequence of roughly four lessons per week.
Core and extension routes
| Route | Text coverage | Performance | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | Prologue, Act 1 Scene 5, Act 3 Scene 1, Act 5 Scene 3. | One short monologue, rehearsed in pairs. | One analytical paragraph with a scaffold. |
| Extension | Add Act 2 Scene 2 and Act 4 Scene 3. | Monologue plus a staged tableau or direct-address frame. | Two paragraphs comparing stage and film choices. |
| Support | Use a plain-English synopsis and short extracts with glossaries. | Choral reading or a shared monologue with a partner. | Sentence starters and a guided evidence table. |
Differentiation
- Text access: provide audio, large print, glossaries and a scene-by-scene summary.
- Language: pre-teach ten key terms; keep a visible word wall.
- Writing: offer a paragraph frame, a model and a checklist; allow oral rehearsal before writing.
- Performance: offer choice between solo, paired and choral delivery; allow script-in-hand.
- Extension: ask students to direct a short scene and justify their blocking choices.
Sensitive content
The play includes family conflict, street violence, suicide, grief and coercive parental authority. Signpost school support before the final act. Avoid graphic descriptions and do not require students to discuss personal experience. Offer an alternative task for students who need to step out of the room during the final scene. Frame suicide as a tragic consequence of pressure and failed protection, never as a romantic solution.
Performance logistics
- Clear the space and set a safe performance area.
- Use a simple signal for “freeze” and “reset”.
- Keep props minimal and avoid anything that could be used as a weapon.
- Give every student a role: performer, director, note-taker or audience member.
- Record only with consent, and delete recordings at the end of the unit.
Feedback routine
Use the sentence “I noticed ... and it made me ...”. One specific observation and one effect is more useful than general praise. After feedback, each performer changes one thing and tries again. The second attempt is where learning happens.
Formative by design
This packet deliberately contains no assessment instrument, answer key or sample answer. The checklists are formative. Teachers can use them for feedback, self-reflection and planning, then adapt the evidence to their own school's requirements.
Printing and access
Every page prints cleanly; the toolbar is hidden in print. Use the print button on the index for a packet overview. If students use screen readers, check that tables are read in order and that any extracts are available as text, not images.