A comprehensive Senior English teaching unit for The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West, designed to develop students’ analytical thinking, close reading, and essay-writing skills through the study of this influential modernist novel.

Through engaging and thought-provoking learning activities, students explore themes of memory, trauma, identity, love, class, and the psychological impact of war. The unit encourages students to examine how personal and societal expectations shape characters’ experiences while analysing the novel’s narrative structure, characterisation, and literary techniques.

What’s included
• Analysis of themes, characters, context, and cultural assumptions
• Exploration of memory, trauma, class, identity, relationships, and the consequences of war
• Study of the social and historical context of World War I
• Language features, text structures, symbolism, and figurative language analysis
• Examination of narrative voice, perspective, and modernist techniques
• Close reading and comprehension activities
• Essay questions, analytical writing support, and exemplar paragraphs
• Peer and self-assessment activities
• A 10-week teaching sequence with multiple learning activities each week
• Engaging, classroom-ready 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. Students engage with the novel through close reading, discussion, inquiry, collaborative learning, and analytical writing. Teachers can adapt and sequence activities to suit the needs of their classes and teaching programs.

Want a sneak peek before you commit? Check out Instagram @beyond_the_text_resources for preview videos of the units.

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)