ABSTRACT
Teaching can seem a big step to teach nineteenth-century texts to Key Stage 3 students, with lurking ideas about the complicated syntax and vocabulary putting off all but the keenest readers, and the length of some texts seeming an impossible undertaking in any non-GCSE group. All of the nineteenth-century texts are out of copyright, and the full texts are readily available online, making them an easily accessible resource for lessons. Starting a unit on nineteenth-century literature by asking students what contextual knowledge they have about life in the period, such as workhouses, transport and social class, can be a great way to build their confidence and make them realise how much knowledge they already have to draw upon. Sensational newspaper articles or travel diaries can be really entertaining and stimulating for students, and are easily accessible when carefully glossed for trickier terms.
