A comprehensive secondary English analysis unit for “Charles” by Shirley Jackson, designed to develop students’ analytical thinking, close reading, and discussion skills through the study of this wry and quietly unsettling short story.

Through engaging and thought-provoking learning activities, students explore themes of identity and denial, parental perception versus reality, mischief and social conformity, and the unreliability of the narrator while examining Jackson’s skilful use of dramatic irony, humour, and a deceptively simple domestic narrative to build toward the story’s sharp final twist. The unit encourages students to analyse Jackson’s narrative craft, characterisation, and structural techniques to develop sophisticated understandings of how the story’s meaning depends entirely on what the narrator fails, or refuses, to see.

What’s Included
• Analysis of themes, voice, context, and cultural assumptions
• Exploration of identity and denial, parental perception versus reality, mischief and social conformity, and the unreliability of the narrator
• Study of Shirley Jackson’s biography, the story’s origins within her body of work, and the mid-twentieth-century American domestic and school setting that shapes its irony
• Language features, narrative techniques, symbolism, and structural analysis
• Examination of dramatic irony, characterisation, tone, and the function of the narrator’s blind spots
• 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)