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Macbeth: scheme of learning

AQA GCSE English Literature · Paper 1, Section A

24 lessons across about six weeks, built around one big question: what does ambition cost Macbeth, and what does Shakespeare want his audience to learn from the price? Every lesson has slides, teacher notes and a student pack at three levels.

Read Lesson 3 freeLicences and prices

Three levels of support in every lesson · 4 Feedback Loop kits · an end-of-unit essay with model answers

Real pages from the scheme

Choose a page to see it larger. Lesson 3 is free to read in full, with its slides and student pages.

Teacher handbookCoverUnit mapTeacher handbook, page 6Lesson notesLesson 3 in the teacher handbookSlidesLesson 3: exploding the quotationSecuringLesson 3 task, aiming for a 4StrengtheningLesson 3 task, aiming for grades 5 to 6SoaringLesson 3 task, aiming for grades 7 to 9Whole-class feedbackFeedback Loop kit 1Model answersA grade 8–9 answer with notesRevision workbookFor students

Five sequences, 24 lessons

Feedback Loop kits and the end-of-unit essay are planned into the sequence. Lesson 3 is free: choose it to read the whole lesson.

Context and Act 1Lessons 1 to 5

  1. 1A play for a kingWhy did a play about killing a king matter so much in 1606?
  2. 2The witchesHow does Shakespeare make the witches unsettling, and why open with them?
  3. 3Brave MacbethFreeHow does Shakespeare present Macbeth before we meet him?
  4. 4Black and deep desiresHow does Shakespeare show ambition taking hold of Macbeth?
  5. 5Unsex me hereFeedback Loop kit 1How does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth when we first meet her?

The murder of DuncanLessons 6 to 9

  1. 6If it were doneWhat stops Macbeth from killing Duncan, and why does it matter that he knows?
  2. 7When you durst do itHow does Lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth to go through with the murder?
  3. 8Is this a daggerHow does Shakespeare show Macbeth’s mind on the night of the murder?
  4. 9Blood on their handsFeedback Loop kit 2How does Shakespeare present the two Macbeths straight after the murder?

Act 2 Scene 3 to Act 3Lessons 10 to 14

  1. 10The unnatural nightHow does Shakespeare show that killing a king breaks the natural order?
  2. 11To be thus is nothingWhy is Macbeth more afraid as king than he was as a soldier?
  3. 12Full of scorpionsHow has the marriage changed since Act 1?
  4. 13The banquetHow does Shakespeare use Banquo’s ghost to show Macbeth losing control?
  5. 14A tyrant on the throneFeedback Loop kit 3How does Shakespeare present Macbeth as a tyrant?

Acts 4 and 5Lessons 15 to 19

  1. 15Something wicked this way comesHow do the apparitions change Macbeth?
  2. 16All my pretty onesHow does Shakespeare use Macduff to show what Macbeth has destroyed?
  3. 17Out, damned spotHow does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth’s guilt in the sleepwalking scene?
  4. 18Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrowHow does Shakespeare present Macbeth’s despair at the news of his wife’s death?
  5. 19The dead butcherFeedback Loop kit 4Is Macbeth a villain or a tragic hero at the end?

Themes and the examLessons 20 to 24

  1. 20Ambition and kingshipHow does Shakespeare show what a good king is, and what a bad one costs?
  2. 21Guilt and the supernaturalDo the witches control Macbeth, or does he choose?
  3. 22Planning the exam answerHow do you move from the extract to the whole play in 50 minutes?
  4. 23End-of-unit essayEnd-of-unit essayAssessment: how does Shakespeare present Macbeth as a man destroyed by his ambition?
  5. 24Feedback and improvementFeedback lessonHow can you move your essay up a level?

Seven folders, ready to teach from

  • 00
    Start here4 pages: how the scheme fits together
  • 01
    Teacher handbook113 pages: intent, unit map, lesson notes, assessment guide, knowledge bank
  • 02
    Slides24 PowerPoint decks with teacher notes, and a PDF copy of each
  • 03
    Student packsSecuring, Strengthening and Soaring, 73 pages each
  • 04
    Deliberate practiceThree booklets, 22 pages each
  • 05
    Feedback Loop kitsFour kits, 6 pages each
  • 06
    End-of-unit assessmentEssay paper and teacher guide with model answers

Both licences also include the model answer pack (20 pages) and the revision workbook (41 pages). Everything arrives as zip files of editable Word and PowerPoint files, with a PDF copy of each.

Choose a licence

Both licences include every file in the scheme, the model answer pack and the revision workbook.

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Every teacher and student at one school

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  • Print and adapt for every class in the school
  • Put it on your school’s own secure learning platform
  • Each further school in the same trust pays half

Several schemes together cost less: see the routes. To upgrade a teacher licence, or to license another school in your trust at half price, email hello@btl.education. Please don’t share the files outside your school or upload them to public websites.