The Handmaid's Tale Activity Pack

for A Level Paper 2: Imagined Worlds

Flexible: Adapt to your existing scheme of work, or dip in and out, to build student confidence.

Themes of gender and power, and how they intertwine with control and the social climate, all through the poignant perspective of an unreliable narrator make The Handmaid’s Tale a pertinent choice for the ‘Imagined Worlds’ component.

Tailored specifically for the A Level AQA Language and Literature specification, these engaging activities seamlessly integrate into your teaching.

Each chapter is accompanied by a concise introduction and carefully considered range of classroom-ready activities:

  • Consolidation questions and active learning tasks that foster a deep understanding of the text and its literary and linguistic techniques.
  • Discussion questions that ignite open-ended debates and critical analysis.
  • Research tasks that delve into contextual factors such as such as reproductive rights, religion and second-wave feminism.
  • Exam-style questions designed to hone students' 're-creative writing' skills, providing invaluable exam practice.

Suggested answers provided for all activities, minimal preparation is needed!

What do teachers say about this resource? (12587)

What a treasure trove! The resource contained a plethora of different activities that could be used and/or adapted by the teacher to develop the teaching of this text. It was clear that this resource sprung from deep knowledge and understanding of the text... The range of activities were the resource's particular strength: there were a huge number of different ideas for activities that would engage pupils and could easily be used by teachers... This resource would definitely save time for the teacher as it would allow a perfect 'pic'n'mix' approach to the resources it contains, allowing the teacher to select the activities that would best support and develop their teaching... I really appreciated the structure of the resource with its 'Before', 'During' and 'After' activities: this gives a logical approach to the resource and also provides clear guidance to the teacher. The activities are further broken down and targeted with particular AOs being highlighted under each activity. I appreciated the frequent extension tasks that were provided: this would allow teachers to differentiate and push the most able in their classes. The focus on writing essays in response to the text was also welcome: structure and scaffolding was provided... I particularly liked the activities that encouraged pupils to explore the genre of the the novel and the way in which it responded to issues in the 1980s and how it has been viewed since. There was also a pleasing focus on comparing The Handmaid's Tale to other dystopian texts.

J Hathaway, Head of English & Peer Reviewer