Unit

Teaching An Inspector Calls

Use this unit to transform how you teach J.B. Priestley's play and support your students in becoming effective writers, critical thinkers, and socially responsible citizens, who excel in their GCSEs.

Published: June 16, 2020

Last Updated: August 11, 2020

This resource is intended for educators in the United Kingdom.

Unit

Language

English — UK

Duration

Multiple weeks

Democracy & Civic Engagement
Human & Civil Rights

Overview

“We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. “

—Inspector Goole, An Inspector Calls

J. B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls is a popular GCSE exam text in the United Kingdom: it is read by more than one hundred thousand pupils each year and has featured on the curriculum for generations. Despite having been written over seventy years ago, its focus on social responsibility and its message that we are ‘members of one body’ remain relevant, particularly in the light of the polarised politics and divisive rhetoric of current global trends.

Facing History & Ourselves has created a scheme of work to align the GCSE specification with our pedagogical approach, which balances intellectual rigour with ethical reflection and emotional engagement. By doing so, we hope to refresh the way teachers engage with this titan of texts and to help prepare students for their public examinations, whilst nurturing them to be socially responsible citizens, who consider the needs of others.

There are twenty-three lessons in this unit, designed for use in GCSE English lessons. In addition to facilitating in-depth study of An Inspector Calls and preparing students for the demands of the English Literature GCSE, this unit also prepares students for the English Language GCSE (for more on how the unit fulfils GCSE requirements see Alignment with the GCSE Specification), and also assists schools in fulfilling a range of requirements as outlined by Ofsted (more on Alignment with Ofsted Requirements here).

These lessons also take students through themes that are central to the mission of Facing History & Ourselves and at the heart of the process of bringing about a more humane, just, and compassionate society rooted in democratic values:

The Individual and Society: To prepare students to read the play, they reflect on the relationship between the individual and society, and how that relationship is both influenced by and influences our identity: Societal institutions, our experiences within them, and other people’s perceptions of who we are directly impact our identity, while at the same time our experiences and our identity directly impact our behaviour and how we relate to those in the world around us. Gaining such understanding will assist students in reflecting on and learning from the behaviour of the characters.
We and They: When reading the play and assessing the characters’ behaviour, students grapple with the ways we tend to divide ourselves in society, focusing on what role difference plays in our treatment of others and whose needs we consider as important. Students also consider how power dynamics and social systems influence our interactions. Such consideration is vital if they are to challenge injustice and overcome divisions in society.
Understanding Justice: Students participate in a mock court trial to consider each character’s responsibility for the death of Eva Smith. This process, alongside their consideration of Eva Smith, her voicelessness and what she symbolises, allows students to reflect on the message of the play and its call for a more socially just society.
Choosing to Participate: In the final lessons, students make connections between the play and modern society, focusing on the lessons that they can learn from its content, as well as considering the power of their voices and actions in shaping their society. In these lessons, they respond to the essential question: What can J. B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls teach us about the impact of our individual and collective decisions and actions on others?

This unit is designed to fit into multiple weeks and includes:

23 lessons
23 PowerPoints
1 overview grid
1 Alignment with Ofsted Requirements
5 GCSE Supplements

Inside this Collection

Guide

Get a birds-eye view of the materials, topics, and activities covered in this Unit.

An educator speaks with a group of students sitting around a table.

Section

Prepare yourself to teach this unit by reading about our pedagogy, teaching strategies, and the unit's content.

Lesson

Students work together to create a contract with the aim of developing a reflective classroom community, which is conducive to learning and sharing.

Uniformed high school students write at their desks.

Lesson

Students prepare for reading the play by considering the relationship between the individual and society, and by reflecting on identity. After discussing a poem about identity, they write their own.

Diagram with the student's name in the center surrounded by adjectives.

Lesson

Students explore social inequality in the UK, discussing how an individual’s background can impact their opportunities before examining graphs that display social inequality and employment trends.

Heads of shoppers and commuters in a busy urban street scene.

Lesson

Students learn about important events that occurred during Priestley’s lifetime, completing a human timeline to understand their chronology, and are introduced to the concepts of socialism and capitalism.

A German trench occupied by British Soldiers near the Albert-Bapaume road at Ovillers-la-Boisselle, July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. The men are from A Company, 11th Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment.

Lesson

Students examine various resources, including excerpts from Emmeline Pankhurt’s ‘Freedom or Death’ speech, to gain an understanding of how women were treated and expected to behave in Edwardian society.

The leader of the Women's Suffragette movement, Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst is arrested by Superintendent Rolfe outside Buckingham Palace, London while trying to present a petition to HM King George V in May 1914.

Lesson

Students begin reading the play, having applied what they have learnt about Priestley and the relevant sociohistorical context to make predictions about its content.

Simple illustration of a silhouetted woman against a cityscape that is comprised of soot from chimneys

Lesson

Students explore class, status, etiquette and hierarchy to deepen their knowledge of the social expectations and values which guide the world in which the characters live.

Lesson

Students are introduced to the concept of inferencing; they draw inferences from the opening scene of the play, and consider what messages Priestley sends through the language, character and setting.

Male uniformed British students work on a classroom assignment.

Lesson

Students study the character of Mr Birling, critically assessing Priestley’s presentation of him, before using the character to reflect on how identity can influence people's views and behaviour.

Titanic at Southampton docks, prior to departure

Lesson

Students explore the moral codes of the world of the play, before being introduced to the concept of a universe of obligation and participating in a debate on workers’ rights.

A sketch by Boardman Robinson of the New York Tribune depicting a miner emerging out of the earth with a pick axe and head seeking the light above.

Assessment

Students write a persuasive letter to Parliament concerning the gig economy, having reviewed persuasive devices, generated claims and content, and read a model letter.

Lesson

Students use the character of Sheila to further understand the interplay between identity and choices, before going on to analyse Priestley’s presentation of Sheila in Act One.

Lesson

Students consider the lessons we can learn from Act One of the play, before adopting the perspectives of characters in both drama tasks and written tasks.

Lesson

Students begin Act Two of the play, reflecting on the differences in perception emerging between the characters and considering how conflict can arise from such differences.

Boardman Robinson cartoon of Robert La Follette attacking newspaper press

Lesson

Students develop their understanding of the character Gerald, exploring the differences between his treatment of Eva/Daisy and Sheila, whilst reflecting on Edwardian gender expectations.

Lesson

Students consider what factors impacted Mrs Birling’s treatment of Eva Smith, and create a universe of obligation graphic representation for her character.

Students sitting in groups in a classroom

Assessment

Students write an analytical paragraph on character having generated claims, selected evidence and read a model paragraph.

Lesson

Students consider the role power plays in the interactions between characters, focusing on the relationship between Eric and Eva, before discussing consent.

Assessment

Students write a persuasive speech for sixth-form students on the importance of consent, having reviewed persuasive devices, generated claims and content, and read a model paragraph.

Lesson

Students create an identity chart for Inspector Goole, analyse his parting words, and look for clues to uncover who or what Inspector Goole is.

Lesson

Students identify the parts, people, and interactions of various social systems, thinking about what bearing they have on character choices and behaviour, before considering responses to injustice.

Sketch of men and women in bicycle attire in 1894.

Lesson

Students finish reading the play and participate in a court trial to decide which character is the most responsible for the death of Eva Smith.

Sketch of Main Court Room Guildhall, Kingston.

Lesson

Students reflect on Priestley’s portrayal of Eva Smith and consider the symbolism of having a character who only appears in the narrative second-hand.

Woman educator of color reads to the classroom.

Assessment

Students write an essay on character having generated claims, selected and annotated evidence, and read a model essay.

Lesson

Students address the essential question of the unit in a people's assembly, reflecting on the lessons that we can learn from An Inspector Calls.

Assessment

Students write a persuasive letter to a local newspaper, which outlines the importance of considering the needs of others and suggests ways to create a more caring community.

Lesson

Students prepare to write an essay on theme by identifying and analysing the themes explored in the play.

Lesson

Students consider theatre as a call to action, discussing its power and limitations to spark real social change, before plotting their own play inspired by An Inspector Calls.

Group photo of An Inspector Calls cast members.

Materials and Downloads

Download Our Unit Overview Grid

Download the Files

Handout

An Inspector Calls: Unit Overview

This unit overview gives you a brief summary of all of the lessons in the unit and lists the materials needed alongside the main activities.

Get Files Via Google

Handout

An Inspector Calls: Unit Overview

This unit overview gives you a brief summary of all of the lessons in the unit and lists the materials needed alongside the main activities.

Lesson

Students develop their understanding of the character Gerald, exploring the differences between his treatment of Eva/Daisy and Sheila, whilst reflecting on Edwardian gender expectations.

Lesson

Students reflect on Priestley’s portrayal of Eva Smith and consider the symbolism of having a character who only appears in the narrative second-hand.

Lesson

Students explore the moral codes of the world of the play, before being introduced to the concept of a universe of obligation and participating in a debate on workers’ rights.

Assessment

Students write a persuasive letter to a local newspaper, which outlines the importance of considering the needs of others and suggests ways to create a more caring community.

Assessment

Students write a persuasive letter to Parliament concerning the gig economy, having reviewed persuasive devices, generated claims and content, and read a model letter.

Assessment

Students write a persuasive speech for sixth-form students on the importance of consent, having reviewed persuasive devices, generated claims and content, and read a model paragraph.

Assessment

Students write an analytical paragraph on character having generated claims, selected evidence and read a model paragraph.

Assessment

Students write an essay on character having generated claims, selected and annotated evidence, and read a model essay.

Lesson

Students consider what factors impacted Mrs Birling’s treatment of Eva Smith, and create a universe of obligation graphic representation for her character.

Lesson

Students consider the role power plays in the interactions between characters, focusing on the relationship between Eric and Eva, before discussing consent.

Lesson

Students explore social inequality in the UK, discussing how an individual’s background can impact their opportunities before examining graphs that display social inequality and employment trends.

Lesson

Students create an identity chart for Inspector Goole, analyse his parting words, and look for clues to uncover who or what Inspector Goole is.

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