A comprehensive secondary English analysis unit for “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, designed to build students’ analytical thinking, close reading, and discussion skills through the study of this groundbreaking and psychologically harrowing short story.

Through engaging and thought-provoking learning activities, students explore themes of female autonomy, patriarchal control, mental health and the medicalisation of women, isolation, and identity while examining Gilman’s masterful use of a first-person, increasingly unreliable narrator to chart her protagonist’s descent into psychological unravelling. The unit encourages students to analyse Gilman’s narrative craft, symbolism, structural techniques, and the gradual breakdown of the narrator’s voice to develop sophisticated understandings of how the story’s meaning intensifies across its fragmented, diary-style form.

What’s Included
• Analysis of themes, voice, context, and cultural assumptions
• Exploration of female autonomy, patriarchal control, mental health and the medicalisation of women, isolation, and identity
• Language features, narrative techniques, symbolism, and structural analysis
• Examination of unreliable narration, motif, tone, and the function of the narrator’s fragmented diary form
• Close reading and annotation activities
• A structured sequence of analysis slides paired with classroom-ready learning activities
• Engaging activities designed to promote discussion, interpretation, and critical thinking

Teaching Approach
This resource follows a flexible, activity-based approach rather than a scripted lesson-by-lesson format. Teachers can work through the decks in order or select individual slides and activities to suit their classroom needs, supporting students in developing deeper understanding through discussion, close analysis, collaboration, and analytical writing.

File Info
• Provided as a non-editable PDF
• Not designed as an editable PowerPoint
How to Use
• Upload to your LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, etc.) for digital learning
• Print selected pages for classroom use
• Display pages to support discussion, analysis, and writing activities
• Upload to presentation or design platforms if you wish to adapt for your own use (formatting may vary depending on the program used)