Students often struggle to move beyond listing contextual facts and instead need support explaining how context shapes a writer’s ideas and purpose. This lesson directly addresses that gap by guiding students through J.B. Priestley’s life experiences and the society he lived in, and linking these to the messages of An Inspector Calls. 
 
This lesson includes:
 
Do Now task exploring how identity is shaped by social and personal influences
Explicit teaching of AO3, showing that context is more than history and includes society and human experience
Fact sheet on J. B. Priestley to build knowledge of his life and experiences
Collaborative group tasks exploring key areas of Priestley’s life and context, with structured questions linking context → ideas → the play
A reflective exit task connecting Priestley’s ideas to modern society