Group Research Task | Pullman's Frankenstein | Teaching Resource | Context

This Frankenstein’s Context resource pack is designed to explicitly support students’ understanding of context and how it shapes meaning in texts. It has been developed with Philip Pullman’s adaptation of Frankenstein in mind, while remaining fully applicable to the study of Mary Shelley’s original novel.

The resource guides students through the key contextual factors that influence interpretation, with a particular focus on Gothic fiction and the social, historical, and personal influences surrounding Frankenstein.

WHAT'S INCLUDED: 

• Clear learning intentions

• A student-friendly explanation of context and its role in constructing meaning

• A visual diagram outlining three types of context:

  • Historical

  • Cultural

  • Personal

• A structured discussion activity where students identify and categorise contextual influences in given examples

• An outline of a collaborative online research task (with separate task scaffold)

• Success criteria to support student reflection and assessment

IDEAL FOR:

• Gothic fiction units

• Close study of Philip Pullman’s Frankenstein

• Comparative study alongside Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

• Building foundational skills for textual analysis and interpretation

This resource works well as a lesson sequence, summative assessment, or a preloading material before reading the text and supports students in developing a clear, transferable understanding of how context informs meaning across texts.