AQA B Lit: Tess of the D'Urbervilles and the Pastoral: Activities for Unit 3

Detailed study notes and activities which get to the heart of this text. It has been designed to provide A Level English students with insight as an example of a pastoral text for AQA B and as such has been rooted in and guided by pastoral theory.

Matches the spec perfectly. I was unsure about whether to teach Tess for this, but will certainly do so now I have seen this resource. One of the best ZigZag resources I have seen. E Kirby, AQA B English Teacher & Independent Reviewer

The resource is organised by phases according to the novel and as the resource moves through the phases, the focus becomes broader in terms of activities and guides students towards independent analysis and interpretation:

• The first phase is focused on in detail through specific attention to each chapter as a way of establishing some of the key ideas about the pastoral mode and to what extent it can be applied to the text
• ‘Phase the Second’ provides structured areas for group work
• ‘Phase the Third’ provides headings for independent research and analysis specific to applying the pastoral mode to the text
• For ‘Phase the Fourth’ to ‘Phase the Seventh’ students are supplied with specific extracts to explore in preparation for their exam

The resource is intended to be used in class and guided by the teacher as many of the tasks require group discussion but it is flexible enough that it can be used independently by more able students.