KS3 Emergency Cover Lesson: Mrs Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat - Abridged

A complete 60-minute KS3 emergency cover lesson designed for fully independent student work.

Simply print and hand out—no teacher preparation or subject knowledge is required.

Students will read an abridged version of Roald Dahl’s engaging short story Mrs Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat, exploring themes of secrets, honesty, consequences, and irony through a series of accessible reading and thinking activities.

The lesson is carefully structured so students can work through tasks in order without teacher support, making it ideal for emergency cover, supply teachers, non-specialist staff, or busy departments in need of a reliable one-hour English lesson.

Resource Includes:
• Engaging series of short activities
• Comprehension questions to check understanding
• Extension challenge questions to encourage deeper thinking
• Creative writing task
• Clear student instructions for independent work
• Printable PDF and a fully editable Word version for maximum flexibility