Learning Objectives
- Explain how Priestley uses Mr Birling's speech to introduce the theme of social responsibility through dramatic irony.
- Analyse how the Inspector's arrival shifts the tone and message of the play (AO2).
- Link the theme to the historical context of 1912 vs 1945 (AO3).
- Write a developed analytical paragraph using the What-How-Why structure.
Resources Needed
- • Copies of Mr Birling's Act 1 speech ("a man has to make his own way")
- • Sticky notes or mini-whiteboards
- • Projector with a slide of the 1912 context timeline
- • Printed What-How-Why grid worksheet
Lesson Structure
Starter (5 minutes)
DiscussionDisplay the question: "Are we responsible for the wellbeing of strangers?" Students vote yes / no / it depends with sticky notes on the board. Use three quick responses as a springboard to introduce the theme.
Main Activity (40 minutes)
Close readingPart 1: Context bridge (5 min)
Show the 1912 vs 1945 timeline. Briefly explain that Priestley is writing in 1945 but setting the play in 1912 - a deliberate choice.
Part 2: Modelled reading (10 min)
Read Mr Birling's speech aloud. Model how to spot the dramatic irony (Titanic, war, Russian revolution). Discuss what Priestley wants a 1945 audience to think of Birling.
Part 3: Guided analysis (10 min)
In pairs, students complete a What-How-Why grid on one quotation from the speech. Collect answers on the board to build a shared model.
Part 4: Independent writing (15 min)
Students write a paragraph answering: How does Priestley present Mr Birling as irresponsible in Act 1?
Plenary (10 minutes)
Peer reviewStudents swap books with a partner. Using a checklist (quotation, method, effect, context), they identify one strength and one target. Volunteers share their target for next lesson's improvement task.
Homework
ExtensionRe-read Mr Birling's speech and learn three quotations. Write a 150-word paragraph explaining how a 1945 audience would react differently to a 1912 audience. Bring for quiz.
Differentiation Ideas
Support
- • Pre-annotated extract with key terms identified
- • Visual timeline of 1912 vs 1945 with images
- • Sentence starters for the paragraph task
- • Word bank of Tier 2 vocabulary for context
Stretch
- • Compare Birling to the Inspector directly
- • Explore Priestley's socialist politics (AO3)
- • Introduce the term "dramatic monologue"
- • Add a conceptualised thesis to the opening line
Use in Classroom - Tips
- Dramatic irony: Don't assume students know the term. Define it on the board and return to it twice in the lesson.
- Context first: Students need the 1912 vs 1945 difference clear before they can interpret the speech. Don't skip the timeline.
- Read it well: Mr Birling's pomposity is half the effect. Don't read the speech flatly - ham it up.
An Inspector Calls © The Estate of J.B. Priestley. Short quotations reproduced under the fair dealing provision of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 for the purpose of criticism and review.