Letters from Yorkshire - teaching resource

Letters from Yorkshire by Maura Dooley – AQA GCSE Love and Relationships Poetry Teaching Resource

This comprehensive two-lesson mini-unit explores Maura Dooley’s poem Letters from Yorkshire, featured in the AQA GCSE English Literature Love and Relationships poetry anthology. Designed to develop students’ analytical skills and exam confidence, this resource provides an in-depth study of the poem’s language, imagery, themes, structure, and context, while also offering guidance on how to compare it effectively with other anthology poems.

The teaching pack includes a 40-slide fully editable PowerPoint presentation and four accompanying worksheets with a range of engaging, exam-focused activities.

Lesson One:

• Context: An introduction to Maura Dooley and the inspirations behind Letters from Yorkshire

• First Reading: Guided reading with glossary support, comprehension tasks, and example answers

• Language & Imagery: Detailed analysis of key quotations and imagery, supported by model responses

• Essay Writing: An initial essay-style question to assess understanding, complete with a sample answer

Lesson Two:

• Themes: Exploring themes of family, distance, longing, connection, and nature

• Structure & Form: Analysing Dooley’s use of free verse, enjambment, and narrative voice

• Exam Focus: Comparing Letters from Yorkshire with other anthology poems, supported by model comparison answers

Fully editable and adaptable, this resource is ideal for classroom teaching, homework, intervention, and revision, helping students prepare effectively for the AQA GCSE English Literature exam.

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